University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) 2025-26 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 300-500 words and 1 essay of 500-700 words (for Honors College applicants only)

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why, Oddball

The following prompts are for Honors College applicants only.

Academic Personal Statement: Describe your academic interests and how the University of Mississippi will help you achieve your goals. How do you envision yourself contributing to the academic community? (300-500 words)

This is a classic Why Essay; admissions wants to know what you want to major in and why you want to study it at Ole Miss. The admissions officer reviewing your application will likely expect you to connect your intended major to some prior experience and/or passion as well, so tell a story. The essays that stick with us are the ones that jump off the page with concrete descriptions from real life. What interests you and why? How have you approached learning more about your subject of interest? If you can build a bridge between your own interests and the resources available at Ole Miss, you’ll be well on your way to demonstrating your fit. So, set aside an hour or two and commit to some serious research on the Ole Miss website. (Sorry, there’s no way around this, folks!) Look up information about news and research coming out of your department of interest, courses available, and opportunities other undergrads have had studying in your area of choice. If you can point to specific resources (classes, professors, clubs, etc.), your response will be stronger for it. Even if you have a wide array of interests, consider explaining how two or three departments might complement each other or foster your interest in a larger theme or cross-pollinating kind of way. Finally, make sure you describe how you see yourself fitting into the academic community. Are you looking forward to undertaking research? Do you plan to start a new academic club? Are you excited to join a study abroad program and bring back what you learn to your cohort? Whatever your interests, your ultimate goal here is to show that you’re the perfect fit for Ole Miss—and vice versa. 

Describe a piece of art, music, or writing you have found powerful, and explain how it has impacted you. Your essay must be between 500 and 700 words. It will be evaluated on a combination of style, grammar, imagination, and substance. Responses that appear to have been written in haste or generated by AI may affect the admission decision.

In this prompt, Ole Miss is looking for more than just a summary of your favorite book. Admissions wants to know why a certain work of art is meaningful to you and how it has influenced you. As with all supplemental essays, your goal should be to use this prompt as an opportunity to tell admissions something new about yourself through your relationship to a particular piece of art. Does “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou resonate with you as a young woman of color overcoming obstacles with courage and determination? Did Station Eleven (the book, since TV is not mentioned as an option!) make you ruminate about the long-term effects of trauma not only in a future dystopian society, but also in our own, inspiring an interest in psychology? How did seeing Meow Wolf change your opinion of modern art and impact your perception of art exhibits going forward? Be careful to avoid self-aggrandizing or pandering choices rather than writing about works that truly speak to you. Don’t write about Charlotte Brontë unless you genuinely felt inspired by her life and work. When you give admissions insight into the art that has affected you profoundly, you reveal a fascinating, newfound piece of the complex puzzle that is you.