Bryn Mawr College 2020-21 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Bryn Mawr College 2020-21 Application Essay Question Explanations 

The Requirements: 2 essays

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community, Activity

As you prepare to join a new college community, reflect on your role as a community member throughout the past four years. What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

Sure, admissions is asking about clubs, sports teams, youth groups, and online communities, but what admissions is REALLY asking is: What is important to you? How do you want to be remembered? To get started, reflect on what you consider your “home away from home” at school. This can be a physical place (the soccer field, auditorium, art studio) or just a gathering of people (LGBTQ club, student council). Don’t merely describe your group or role, take time to analyze why you value it. Now, moving on to the second part: your legacy — such an official fancy word! It simply refers to how you will be remembered or how your actions will affect those who come after you. Is there a metaphorical door that you broke down so others could walk through? Did you branch off from drama club and start an improv comedy troupe? Remember, athletic records and homecoming court tend to be low-hanging fruit when it comes to legacy… let’s try to dig a little deeper and get to more meaningful participation and achievement! (No offense to Buffy and Brody; long live the king and queen!) 

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below. (Minimum 50 words, Maximum 100 words)

At a max of 100 words, you don’t have a ton of space to expound your experience, so get straight to the point with this one. Take a look at your activity resume and visualize a day in the life of each job or activity. Admissions officers can assume that a job at a bookstore means you’re probably a bookworm, but do they know how many customers you managed to make genuine connections with over your shared enthusiasm for the works of John Green? Admissions knows that being an artist can be exhausting and frustrating, but do they know about the bursts of energy and happiness you get when other people on the internet like, share, and comment on your work? Share with Bryn Mawr the experiences that may go unnoticed and use this as an opportunity to show them a new side of you.