Clark University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Clark University 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanation

The Requirements: One essay of 300 words; one essay of 250 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community, Activity

Clark is known for being a rigorous academic climate that is also equally committed to being a kind, supportive, and inclusive community. Choose one of the following prompts to help us to get to know you better (300 words): 

1) Please describe a time in school where someone helped you become a better learner and/or a better version of yourself. 

Admissions wants to know that you are open to new ideas and having your mind changed. Think about the times at school when someone has helped you to have an “Aha!” moment that forced you to re-examine one of your beliefs or practices, which could be the way you process information, interact with others, view the world, or something else. As you tell your story, include sensory details to bring your experience to life—whether you’re sitting in the back of a classroom, head in your hands, trying to wrap your brain around the truth-bomb your teacher just dropped or holding a friend’s hand in the cafeteria while discussing their dyslexia diagnosis. As you consider moments to write about, pick the ones that made the biggest impact on your behavior, approach to learning, and/or worldview after the fact. Maybe your team captain pointed out a freshman struggling to fit in on your baseball team, and you took them under your wing, prompting you to start a mentoring program for the team. Perhaps a teacher gently suggested that you weren’t making room for group members to share their opinions and you adjusted your leadership style accordingly and found that your teammates had great ideas. Applicants who can articulate their thoughts and feelings while showcasing malleability and a willingness to thoughtfully consider new ideas/approaches will likely stand out as valuable additions to the Clark community. 

2) Think about the communities to which you belong and that have shaped you. Tell us a story about one such community and how it influences what you will bring to the Clark community.  

Can you think of a community you belong to that has shaped who you are today? The community you choose to write about can be as small as the eight people in your school’s a cappella club or as large as the community of soccer fans around the world. A community can be any group of people that gather together over a common interest, pastime, identity, culture, etc. So, give yourself time to think through the communities that have influenced your identity, then identify a story that exemplifies its influence on your sense of self. Finally, don’t forget to share how being part of this community will allow you to bring value to the Clark community at large. And be specific. Will you start a weekly board game night with your first-year intensive cohort, launch an intramural sports league for pickleball, or build a haunted house in your dorm incorporating everyone in your suite? 

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (250 words)

Spotted in the wild: one of the most classic supplemental essay types out there, The Activity Essay. We recommend writing about an activity that you have not already addressed in depth elsewhere else in your application. If you wrote your Common App essay about your time scrambling eggs at the local diner, focus on a different activity or work experience that reveals a new aspect of your personality, like your classical Kuchipudi dance troupe. This can be a great opportunity to highlight your leadership skills and any accolades you may have received. Were you elected student body president after a challenging campaign? Were you asked to take the lead on social media marketing for your neighborhood grocer? No matter what you choose to write about, it should be something meaningful that you’ve put a lot of time and heart into.