Emory University 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Guide

Emory University 2025-26 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 200 words, 1 essay of 150 words

Supplemental Essay Type: Why, Oddball

How to Write Compelling Emory University Supplemental Essays

In addition to a question about your academic interests, Emory offers you four prompts to choose from for your second essay of 150 words. Emory seeks students who are “passionate about what they’re learning and who take being involved seriously,” so each of your four options is designed to approach these two qualities in a different way. There’s no right or wrong choice here, so pick whichever one speaks to you! But remember: in such a short essay, you don’t have time to waffle, and there’s no room for you to circle your main idea with broad statements. You’ve got to get straight to the point with clarity. Keep reading to learn how to write winning Emory essays!

Emory Essay Prompts Breakdown

Academic Interests

What academic areas are you interested in exploring at Emory University and why? (200 max)

This required prompt is nothing more or less than an academically inclined Why Essay. As you dig into the writing, aim to answer these two key questions: (1) What do you love about the subject? (2) How does Emory’s specific program meet your needs or excite your curiosity? In other words, your goal is not just to geek out (although that’s highly encouraged!), but also to demonstrate your fit for Emory specifically. If you can display a knowledge or curiosity for your chosen major alongside some school-specific facts, you’ll show admissions that you’re motivated and dedicated to their institution. If that’s not a winning combo, we don’t know what is! So, before you start scribbling away (or pounding out 300 words on your computer), remember that the backbone of any good Why Essay is research! Give yourself some time to dig through the Emory website and get to know your department as well as any related programs, centers, and opportunities.

Getting to Know You

Please answer one of the following questions: (150 max)

Emory University has a strong commitment to building community. Tell us about a community you have been part of where your participation helped to change or shape the community for the better.

This is a classic Community Essay, through and through. Admissions wants to know what or who has made you into the person you are today and how you have impacted your community. First of all, let us remind you that your “community” can be just about anything, from your neighborhood to your family to your Taylor Swift fan club. Pick a community that means something to you and in which you’ve been very involved. Maybe you come from a tiny town where you revived a long-lost harvest festival tradition. Perhaps you suggested team-building exercises for your baseball team that brought you all closer together. Maybe you started cooking a weekly pancake breakfast for your younger siblings after your parents got divorced. No matter your starting point, be sure you tell a clear story with a beginning, middle, and end. It might be tempting to pen a vivid description of your community and leave it at that, but the point of an essay like this is to tell a story about you and your contributions. 

Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.

Emory wants to accept applicants who are curious, open-minded, and socially aware,  students who will not be afraid to question their own beliefs or biases, or to strive to consider different perspectives and points of view. So, how have you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness? Maybe you saw Juneteenth trending on Twitter this summer and had never heard of it before. Did you read articles to educate yourself? Reach out to friends or family members who were celebrating? What did you learn? Perhaps one of your friends put the kibosh on a joke you told during a birthday party, so you took it upon yourself to better understand the subject matter and why your joke may have been insensitive or offensive. All of us are constantly learning and growing, so there’s no shame in being wrong about something as long as you seek to listen, retain information, and expand your horizons.

Emory University’s core mission calls for service to humanity. Share how you might personally contribute to this mission.

“Service to humanity” can sound lofty and intimidating, but fear not! Emory’s not expecting you to cure cancer or invent perpetual motion; “service to humanity” can be as simple and personal as tutoring other students at the writing center, running psychology experiments in a lab class, or using your History major to educate your roommates about internment camps. We recommend—say it with us—research! How will your time at Emory prepare you to serve humanity when you leave? Check out the website to see if there are service groups or volunteer organizations you might join on campus; maybe there’s a special capstone project for your proposed major. And if you do plan to cure cancer, write about that, too! 

In a scholarly community, differing ideas often collide before they converge. How do you personally navigate disagreement in a way that promotes progress and deepens meaningful dialogue?

Emory wants to foster the kind of learning environment that encourages respectful discussions despite disagreement, so scroll through your memory to identify a time when you had a disagreement with friends, family, or even an acquaintance. How did you approach this complex conversation? Were you able to clearly communicate your perspective while respectfully considering the other side? What did you take away from the discussion? The focus here should not be on what exactly you have disagreed about, but rather on how you facilitate difficult conversations to encourage honest dialogue. How have you become a better listener? How have you guided someone defensive to listen honestly to your point of view? How do you reach a compromise or conclusion? You don’t need to have changed someone’s mind (or your own!) to impress admissions here. You just need to show that you’re not afraid to engage with those who may have different opinions from you through respectful discussions. Show admissions that you’re game to learn, listen, share, and grow.