University of Washington (UW) 2019-20 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

University of Washington 2019-2020 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: One 500 word essay (required), one 300 word essay (required), one 200 word essay (optional).
Supplemental Essay Type (s): Oddball, Community, Additional Info 

Essay Prompt

Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it. (500 words)

You can think of this prompt as the slightly more general cousin to the Common App’s first prompt, which is about your background. You can write about almost anything in your life experience that has shaped who you are today. But maybe you feel like you used your best story in your personal statement. What to do? Your goal is to reveal a different side of yourself, so try thinking in opposites! If your personal statement was about your family, maybe this essay could focus on school or work. If your personal statement was about your leadership skills, could this essay cover a time when you let someone else lead the way and learned something new? As you begin to zero in on the area of your life that you haven’t tapped into yet, think about how your past experiences still resonate in your life today. Maybe your summer job as a lifeguard taught a new sense of personal responsibility that has made you more attentive in your day-to-day life. Maybe an ill-fated childhood attempt to drink an entire carton of milk taught you how to balance enthusiasm and moderation in every major project you take on. The experience itself can be big or small, but its connection to who you are today must be clear. UW wants to know who you’ll be on campus, so show them!

Short Response

Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington. (300 words)

Ah, the infamous “community” essay. Many schools ask students about their communities because they want to know how applicants relate to the people around them, forge connections, and commune with their peers. In this particular instance, the question calls attention to family as well, so consider how the people who you are related to (or those who you consider family even if they’re not bound to you by blood) have influenced your life and worldview. Maybe you’re very involved in your local synagogue, polka dancing club, or environmental organization. University of Washington wants to know about your life beyond the classroom and how you will continue those activities and interests on their campus. Why do you invest in the people you invest in?

Additional Information About Yourself or Your Circumstances (200 words)

You are not required to write anything in this section, but you may include additional information if something has particular significance to you. For example, you may use this space if:

-You are hoping to be placed in a specific major soon

-A personal or professional goal is particularly important to you

-You have experienced personal hardships in attaining your education

-Your activities have been limited because of work or family obligations

-You have experienced unusual limitations or opportunities unique to the schools you attended

This prompt is an opportunity for you to explain just about anything else that you haven’t covered elsewhere on the application. Usually, we recommend this type of optional essay only to students who have experienced a major academic strain or have had noticeable blemishes on their records. One example could be the explanation of a complication, like an illness that caused you to miss school and impacted your grades. Perhaps your family moved around a lot, which made it hard to transfer grades or connect with your peers. Maybe an undiagnosed learning disability caused you major challenges in school until you learned how to cope with it. 

UW’s prompt covers these circumstances, but also invites responses from extra enthusiastic applicants. For those of you who are considering writing about your major or professional aspirations, cut to the chase. While we always support a good show of enthusiasm, remember that this essay is one more thing this admissions officer has to read. So be clear and specific about your intentions, and as much as possible, be concrete. Don’t just write to fill the space. What excites you most about your major at UW? How will UW, specifically, help you take the next step to your dream career?

Additional Space (Optional)

This prompt is an opportunity for you to explain anything else from your life that is not addressed elsewhere on the application, and that you think would be a valuable contribution to the package you’re presenting. This can be the explanation of a complication, like an illness that caused you to miss school and impacted your grades. It can also be a place for you to talk about how you’ve taught yourself piano in your spare time — something that might not show up in your official activities list. What else might admissions officers want or need to know about you? You have an additional 200 words at your disposal to speak to them in your own voice, so use them as long as what you’re writing isn’t simply filler — if that’s the case, it’s better just to leave this blank. That said, we’re confident you can find something to highlight here!