Dickinson College 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Dickinson College 2025-26 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 3 optional questions of no more than 50 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Additional Info, Community

Dickinson deeply values community, and community is built by people with all different kinds of interests, backgrounds and ways of thinking. As such, we want to provide an opportunity for you to tell us a bit more about who you are and what you care about—beyond transcripts, essays and activities. 

Think of these questions as the start of a conversation, the kind we might have if we were sitting across from each other in the Admissions House. There are no right or wrong answers here—just your answers. You’re welcome to respond to one, two or all three (no more than 50 words each). It’s completely up to you. We can’t wait to learn more about you! 

Here’s what we’d love to ask: 

What topic or idea could you write or converse about endlessly?

What is something new that you’d like to experience, learn or try that might surprise your friends and family? 

What are the qualities that make you proud to be you?

With all three of these (very) short answer questions allowing only 50-word responses, you’ll need to make the most of every word. Dickinson states that you can answer only one or two of them if you prefer, but with so few words at your disposal, why not answer all three and share as much as you can about yourself with admissions? The first question asks about your obsessions: What sends you down an internet rabbit hole? What topic could you wax poetic about for hours? For the second question, Dickinson wants to know about your more private or aspirational interests that others might not guess. Do you secretly want to go skydiving even though others would say you’re not a risk-taker? Do you have a long-held desire to take a solo road trip, despite being known as an extrovert always surrounded by friends? Finally, the last question asks you to share the values and characteristics that make you you. Think about your beliefs, passions, quirks, and how others would describe you. Are you always willing to lend a helping hand? Do you give a laser-like focus to everyone you converse with? For all three of these questions, try to think of new insights that you haven’t written about elsewhere in your application to give admissions a more complete picture of who you are outside of your test scores, transcripts, and academic interests.