Macalester College 2026-27 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Macalester College 2026-27 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 2 Optional essays of 300 words each

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community, Why

Macalester is one of the few highly selective liberal arts colleges located in the heart of a metropolitan area. Identify one way Macalester’s location in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul would enhance your academic, social, or community experience. (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. 

Four values guide Macalester’s mission: academic distinction, internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society. Guided by these values, 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 academic distinction, 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.