University of Tampa 2022-23 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

University of Tampa 2022-23 Application Essay Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 800 words or fewer

Supplemental Essay Type: Oddball

Please write an essay on one of the following prompts or on a topic of your choice. There is an 800-word limit on essays submitted in this section of the Common App, however, you may choose to submit an essay of any length via the SpartanStart portal at www.ut.edu/spartanstart or by emailing your essay to admissions@ut.edu.

What are your three favorite words in the English language? Explain what they mean to you.

This prompt is the type that students usually love or hate. If this question immediately tickles your fancy, and you have an idea for the word you’d like to highlight, go for it! If you look at this prompt and feel totally stuck, but still want to try answering it, try this trick: What might you tell admissions about yourself that they haven’t already heard from you in your personal statement? Is there something in your history and experience worth expanding upon? Once you’ve identified what you want to discuss, think about what words might be helpful launch points for describing that experience and back into your “three favorite words.” This is also a great strategy for choosing words that are slightly less expected than those submitted by the average applicant.

Discuss your childhood neighborhood and how it shaped you as a person.

This is a great opportunity to share the nuances of your background or family history with admissions. Maybe your family has lived in the same town for multiple generations, and you can still find your mom and aunt’s initials on a tree near the elementary school playground. Maybe you were raised by your mother and grandmother in a big city that taught you the importance of independence at a young age. Look back to how where you came from has shaped who you are now and what factors contributed to your unique perspective and position in life. Just keep in mind: this is a chance to deepen admissions’ understanding of who you are and show them why they’d be lucky to have you in their student body. 

Describe how you feel about the month of February.

This prompt may seem totally random, but really, like all other college essay prompts, it’s an opportunity for you to share something about yourself with admissions. What do you think of when you think of February? Maybe three people in your family have birthdays in February, so it’s a month of party planning and celebration. Perhaps you feel inspired and empowered in February, as you honor and recognize the contributions of African Americans during Black History Month. What does that month bring up for you? How do you spend it? How might you be able to tell admissions something new about yourself through this prompt? If nothing comes to mind, fear not; you have three other prompts to choose from!

Imagine that you could have one superpower. What would it be and how would you use it? What would be your kryptonite?

Easy: flight. But what does that say about you? That you hate getting checked by the TSA or live in LA and dread the 405 traffic? Let’s try and think of others that would match up with your goals and passions. For instance, maybe you want to be able to shrink like Ant-Man so you could study nature from a new perspective. Perhaps you’d love to teleport so you could visit all your family members across the globe and still be back in time for “Physics” (your favorite class). Once you identify your superpower, you’ll need to address your kryptonite. For us, this is probably golden doodles and udon noodles because they can truly derail any of our plans, but we’re sure you can come up with one just fine on your own! Use this opportunity to have some fun and show admissions the powers of your imagination.