Stevens Institute of Technology 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Stevens Institute of Technology 2025-26 Application Essay Explanations

The Requirements: 2 short responses; 1 essay of 250 words

Stevens Institute of Technology’s motto is “Inspired by humanity, powered by technology.”  Now it’s your turn to let us know what inspires and powers you.  

First, fill in each blank with a key word: (maximum 24 characters)

Inspired by:

Powered by:

Then, explain how your choices reflect who you are today: (max 250 words)

Admissions wants to know what drives you and how that has turned you into the person you are today. The distinction between “inspired” and “powered” is key here: “inspired” refers to something that gets your creative juices flowing, while “powered” refers to something that makes you act. Think about ideas, people, experiences or values that have inspired you and think about actions, personal characteristics, or beliefs that have powered you to do something. If you’re stuck, skip down to the essay question and brainstorm about who you are today. What are your defining traits, characteristics, values, likes, and dislikes? Once you have a good list going, read it over and see whether you can identify what inspires or powers you. Maybe a documentary about factory farming inspired you to become a vegetarian, and now you’re powered by plant-based proteins and a desire to educate others. Perhaps you are inspired by the video games you love, which prompted you to learn coding, and now you’re powered by hackathons and unsolvable math problems. Make sure your choices share something new about you while explaining what makes you you.