
Check out our Blog!
Early Action/Decision:
The Requirements: 2 essays of 200 words or fewer
Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why, Community, Short Answer
Admissions wants to learn more about the person behind the application and your values. You have your pick of the litter as far as TCU’s core values are concerned, so choose the one that most resonates with you and then paint a picture of why that is. Maybe you have always been a curious cat, so intellectual inquiry has your name all over it. What excites you about learning new things? How do you like to explore new information? Perhaps you stayed inside for over a year during the pandemic to protect an immunocompromised family member. How has your experience engaging with others changed since reemerging? What do you value about the human experience that you may not have reflected on before becoming housebound in 2020? Use this opportunity to give admissions more insight into who you are.
First of all, let us remind you that your “community” can be just about anything, from your neighborhood to your family to your dojo. Pick a community that means something to you and the diversity narrative will fall into place. Maybe your progressive church welcomes people of all sexualities and gender identities, and you developed a brand new youth group for queer and questioning teens. Perhaps your school is incredibly homogenous and isolated, and you helped your Spanish class organize Skype chats with a school in Guatemala to learn more about different parts of the world while developing your Spanish skills. No matter your starting point, be sure you tell a clear story with a beginning, middle, and end that demonstrates your commitment to creating inclusive environments. It would 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.