Macalester College 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Macalester College 2025-26 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: Three essays of 300 words each

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community, Why

Optional Essay:

Macalester is one of a few highly selective liberal arts colleges located in the middle of a metropolitan area. Students benefit from the strong sense of community on campus and opportunities to engage in academic, social, and civic engagement options in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. In what ways might Macalester’s urban location enhance your academic, social, and/or community experiences? (300 words)

When you attend a college, you also become an integral part of the city in which you live. Whether you’re working part-time at a cafe or playing on a rec soccer league, you will be rubbing elbows with locals. What does Macalester’s location have to offer you? Do some research on neighborhoods and public spaces (museums, parks, public transit, etc.). Imagine you’re there on your first weekend, what do you do? Maybe you’ve had the opportunity to visit the campus and surrounding city, if so, what did you notice? This is your chance to not only imagine your future, but also help admissions envision you as a thriving member of their community.

Additional Essays:

Four values permeate Macalester’s mission and purpose: academic distinction, internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society. Guided by this mission, Macalester is a learning environment that affirms different identities and experiences and prepares graduates to work toward a more just and peaceful world.  

In what ways do your lived experiences, perspectives, or hopes for your college education connect with Macalester’s mission and community?  (300 words)

Admissions wants to know how your past experiences resonate with Macalester’s commitment to academics, internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society. Think about the lived experiences that have shaped you as a person and made your perspective unique. What lessons have you learned and applied? Is there anything you can teach your classmates or peers about your culture, religion, identity, race, ethnicity, or community service work that may introduce them to new ideas and experiences? Macalester wants to know how your personal perspectives, hopes, and/or lived experiences align with their values and will affect the conversations you have and the ways in which you engage with the campus community, so tell them a story that helps them to imagine the kind of student you’ll be on campus next fall.

Has there been a significant change in your grades at any point during your academic journey? Please use this space to provide relevant context we should consider when reviewing your academic record. (300 words)

Let us start by saying: this prompt is not for everyone. If your GPA has not dramatically increased or decreased during your high school career, move along. If, on the other hand, you’re thinking, “Yes! An opportunity for me to explain!” then read on.

Your transcripts are like Garfield Minus Garfield (if you don’t know what this is, you’re welcome). Sure, we can see that something’s changed from frame to frame, but we don’t know why. Grades need context. Admissions doesn’t know why or how things happened—good or bad—so, you need to take a look at your grades and explain any anomalies or odd jumps/drops. Think back to that time in your life and tell your story. Maybe you’d moved schools or had a sports injury. Maybe you started meeting with a tutor after school and climbed from a fall semester C in geometry to a spring semester A. No matter your story, you are not alone in your journey of ups and downs. After all, high school is a veritable war zone of distractions and possibilities. And, remember, everyone loves a comeback.