Carleton College 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Carleton College 2025-26 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 300 words, 1 optional essay of 250 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Additional Information, Diversity 

Think about someone you connect with who’s different from you. What do you find most meaningful about your interactions with them? (300 word limit)

This is a classic Diversity Essay. In this particular instance, admissions is curious about your interactions with someone who’s different from you. Maybe you work at your local diner after school, where you immediately clicked with one of the other servers who has a very different background than you. Do you bond over your shared interests? Do you teach her Gen Z slang? Does she tell you stories from her youth that enrich your understanding of the world around you? Maybe your family hosted an exchange student for the summer, and you were struck by how similar your life experiences were as teenagers despite growing up in different places with different circumstances. The key here is to be authentic. What you find most meaningful could be anything, but your answer should be indicative of the kind of community member you will be on Carleton’s campus. 

Anything missing? Do you want to share more with us? If so, use this space to fill any gaps you think would assist us in reviewing your application. (Optional, no more than 250 words)

This is an opportunity for you to make sure admissions has all the information at their disposal. For some applicants, this is a space to explain. Anything from a slip in your grades or scores to a long absence from school is fair game in this section. For such applicants, that could mean recounting the details of some extenuating circumstances (an injury or family emergency). Others may need to explain how getting a D in 10th grade chemistry was a wake-up call, and describe the steps they took to turn their grades around. Or, perhaps, you don’t have anything to explain, you just want to share something additional with Carleton. Maybe you have a killer quirky essay for another school that you’d like to recycle here. Or, maybe, Carleton is your top-choice and you want to impress admissions with a hearty Why essay.

Regardless of what you include, be sure to write from the heart and proofread before pressing submit!