University of Vermont 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

University of Vermont 2025-26 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 optional short answer of 500 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why, Community, Oddball

UVM has come up with six very different prompts to help you show admissions a little bit more about who you are and what matters to you. So pick whichever question suits you and take this unique opportunity to speak to admissions in your own voice!

The optional short answer question is a chance for us to get to know you better–a wonderful way to share your interests while demonstrating your creativity. Applicants can submit their optional short answer through the Common Application or the Coalition Application; you can also submit it after the application deadline by uploading through your application status page.  

Answer one of the following questions:

Why UVM? 

When all else fails, there’s always the classic Why essay. And we say this with praise! The why essay is not a fallback option, but it is a great choice for applicants who don’t feel inspired by the other prompts, or who just feel more inclined to plead their case in a more straightforward way. The secret to a successful why essay is research, so take some time to explore the school website or even visit campus and get to know all that UVM and Burlington have to offer. Jot down everything that excites you! When you have a solid list in hand, consider how it connects to your own interests and goals. Perhaps you’ve been wanting to find a way to lower your carbon footprint, and you see a lot of potential in studying Environmental Sciences at UVM and shopping at the Burlington Farmers Market. Just remember that the goal is to share something new about yourself, not to rattle off a list of facts about the school! Talk about your interests, goals, and dreams so admissions can understand what a UVM education will mean to you.

Established in Burlington, VT, Ben & Jerry’s is synonymous with both ice cream and social change. The “Save Our Swirled” flavor raises awareness of climate change, and “I Dough, I Dough” celebrates marriage equality. If you worked alongside Ben & Jerry, what charitable flavor would you develop and why? 

Who doesn’t love ice cream? Our mouths started watering just reading this prompt. Like with all Oddball prompts, admissions just wants to give you the opportunity to get creative and think outside the box. UVM is going a step further this year by also asking you to talk about an issue that is dear to your heart. Don’t get too caught up in crafting the perfect blend of sweet and salty; instead,  start by choosing the social issue that you’d like to raise awareness for and/or celebrate and then break down the elements and see if they relate to tastes. Let’s say your topic is wanting to close the gender pay gap. Maybe it’s called “82% Vanilla” (since, in 2022, it was reported that women make 82% on the dollar that men make on average) and it features a mostly vanilla base with a topping of chocolate fudge and cherry swirl that represent the 12% women deserve to reach equal pay. WIth a thin layer of crispy bruléed sugar on top to symbolize the glass ceiling that needs to be broken! There’s really no wrong way to answer this prompt, so long as you are being creative, true to yourself, and revealing new information about an issue that is important to you.

UVM is a community that celebrates the unique identity of every student, faculty and staff member. Tell us how your identities have shaped the ways you interact with the world. 

We all wear many hats, and UVM wants to hear about the ways in which your intersecting identities have shaped you. You’ll want to go beyond the standard “I’m a daughter/student/athlete” here and, instead, mine your life for other roles you play. Perhaps you’re a Vietnamese midwesterner foodie who can whip up fresh spring rolls with cilantro and shrimp for lunch and a steamy green bean casserole for dinner. How has cuisine and culture played a role in your identity and worldview? Maybe you’re a body-positive performer living with a physical disability who knows a thing or two about standing out in a crowd. How have the ways you move through the world and take up space impacted the way you interact with your surroundings? However your identities merge, get specific and explain what it’s like to be you and what the world looks like through your eyes.

From the Green Mountains to Lake Champlain to our campus, UVM students are inspired by our location to think about their relationship to the environment. What does your relationship with your environment look like? 

Calling all nature lovers! Do you feel a profound connection to this planet we call home? Then this prompt is for you. UVM is proud to exist among mountains, forests, and farms in Burlington, Vermont, and admissions wants to learn more about what the environment means to you. Whether you’ve always been the outdoorsy type—spending weekends camping, ice skating, or fishing—or you’re a city gal excited to study somewhere where you can bike, hike, and kayak all in one day, take this opportunity to elaborate on how your environment inspires you. Are you hoping to major in Environmental Studies? Do you like to sit in the woods, meditating on the breeze in the trees and how connected all living things are? Does nature ground you? Your experience with the environment is personal, and if you feel comfortable, admissions would like to hear about it in your own words.

If you could pick one song to be the soundtrack of your life, what would it be? What is your connection to the song?’

“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey…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 soundtrack 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 the soundtrack of your life would be “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, because A) you’ve been itching to explore the world since you could walk and B) you and your sister sing-scream it at the top of your lungs anytime it comes on in the car. Or perhaps your song would be “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys 🔥 because you’re a tenacious competitor who has always had the fire in her belly. Whichever song you choose, be sure to include a brief explanation of your selection that reveals your personal connection to it, as well as new information about your interests or personality.

What is your favorite sentence from your application essay?

This is a tricky prompt, and we’d recommend that you respond to one of the previous five options unless this one really jumps out at you. In responding to this prompt, you risk retreading some of the material you wrote about in your Common App essay, and thus, missing out on the opportunity to reveal new information about yourself to admissions. You also risk coming across as self-congratulatory, which you definitely want to avoid. If, however, you have an idea for how to expand upon a sentence from your personal statement that will offer admissions greater context as to your goals, worldview, and/or background, we encourage you to follow your instincts. Just make sure that this essay is about you and not your writing prowess!