Providence College 2020-21 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Providence College 2020-21 Application Essay Question Explanations 

The Requirements: 1 essay of 250-500 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community, Oddball

Should you choose to complete an optional essay, please select one of the following prompts and limit your response to 250-500 words.

First of all, we at College Essay Advisors firmly believe that there is no such thing as an “optional” essay. Why would you pass up an opportunity to speak to admissions in your own voice and distinguish yourself from the pack?? Now, onto the prompts…

As a liberal arts school, Providence College provides students with the opportunity to explore several different academic areas. While you may not be ready to declare a major, what have you experienced, inside or outside of the classroom, that has led you to an interest in a particular field of study?

Admissions is making this reaaaal easy for you. You don’t have to know what you want to be when you grow up, or even what you want to study next year — all you need to do is talk about one of your academic interests. Think about your favorite subjects, classes, books, TED Talks, websites, speakers, etc. Did you attend an event, class, or training module that introduced you to a topic or occupation? When have you felt intellectually curious, and what was it about? This is your opportunity to geek out, so take it. Indifference is boring! Show admissions that you are not only eager to be accepted, but yearning to learn.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Democracy is a class on campus that encourages conversation with people from different perspectives. There are several spaces on campus where this class posts questions to the PC community, and dialogue forms from there. One of the questions this class posted recently was “Name a time where you’ve felt empowered or represented by an educator.” What question would you like to pose to the PC community and why?

If you had the opportunity to pose any question to see how people from all different walks of life would relate and respond, what would you ask? What do you want to know? This prompt is admissions’ way of figuring out what interests you, what intrigues you, and in what ways you would like to expand your knowledge and understanding. Perhaps you’d ask different PoC communities about media representation or their experiences with feeling seen. Maybe you’d ask about significant role models or favorite pastimes. This isn’t the type of essay you can write at the last minute, so we recommend putting aside some time to carefully consider what you would like to know and how you would like to pose your question (and explanation!).

If you could have a theme song, what would it be and why?

“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. NEXT! Alright, fine, maaaybe that song is a bit cliché at this point. But don’t underestimate the first few songs that pop into your head. You don’t have to say that your theme song would be “Requiem” by Mozart or something by Enya to impress admissions here (unless you really feel that way, and, if that’s the case, rock on 🤘). Be true to yourself. Maybe your theme song is “Love Machine” by Otis Redding, because A) you’re a lover not a fighter and B) you can’t help but dance anytime you hear it. Or perhaps your theme song would be “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys 🔥. Whichever song you choose as your theme song, be sure to include a brief explanation for your selection that reflects your personality.