Colgate University’s optional supplemental essays are a valuable opportunity to share more about your personality and intellectual interests. This guide breaks down how to strategically approach each prompt to add a unique dimension to your application.
On Colgate’s campus, students engage with individuals from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, races, ethnicities, religions, and perspectives... In 250 words or less, please share the benefits you see in engaging with a diverse body of students, faculty, and staff as part of your Colgate experience.
A: It’s not a trick question. They want to see how YOU will personally grow from a diverse campus. This is all about your self-awareness.
A: Connect your ideas to actual stuff at Colgate. This 2-minute research step shows you actually care about the school.
A: A simple, clear structure works best. Don't try to get too fancy with a short word count, as clarity is key.
A: Your tone should be open-minded, humble, and authentic. Show you're ready to listen and learn from others.
My robotics team was stuck. Our design for the grabber arm was functional but slow, and we kept debating the same failed ideas. Our group was composed entirely of engineering-focused students who all thought in similar, linear ways. It was only when we brought in a friend from the art club to help design our team’s banner that we found a solution. She looked at our blueprint and asked a simple question: “Why does it have to be a claw? Why not a spiral, like a flower closing?”
Her perspective, born from a different way of seeing the world, was the breakthrough we needed. We built a new arm based on the spiral pattern of a closing lily, and it was faster and more efficient.
That experience taught me that the most innovative solutions are rarely found in an echo chamber. True learning happens when different fields of knowledge and life experiences intersect. At Colgate, I look forward to more than just making friends with people from different backgrounds. I want to actively seek out their perspectives in my classes, study groups, and campus activities. I know that my own ideas will be challenged, refined, and ultimately made better by those who see the world differently than I do.
Colgate students immerse themselves in social and intellectual pursuits that inspire them. Tell us in 250 words or less what inspires you and why you want to pursue that at Colgate.
A: Anything that genuinely makes you curious. Don't try to sound like a mini-professor. Real passion is more impressive than fake intellectualism.
A: This is the most important part. Your essay must have a specific "Why Colgate?" link that goes beyond their website's homepage.
A: Show them this isn't just a random hobby. Connect it to what you might want to do in the future, both at Colgate and beyond.
A: A few common mistakes can make a great topic fall flat. Be mindful of these as you write and edit.
I am inspired by the quiet history of forgotten objects. Last summer, I found a box of old postcards at a flea market. They were written by a woman named Clara to her sister in the 1920s. Through her brief, handwritten notes about daily life, a forgotten world came alive. I spent weeks researching the addresses, the postmarks, and the slang she used. I was not just a reader. I was an archaeologist of a single, ordinary life.
This is the kind of deep, focused inquiry I want to pursue at Colgate. I was excited to see Professor Graham’s course, "Objects of Global History," which explores how everyday items can reveal larger truths about society. I hope to build on my informal research by learning formal historical methods.
Furthermore, I want to join the Colgate History Club to share this passion with other students. I believe that history is not just about grand events, but about the small, personal stories that give our past meaning. At Colgate, I hope to continue my search for these hidden narratives, using the university’s resources to uncover the extraordinary stories hidden within ordinary lives.
Please complete the following... Each response should be no more than 13 words.
This section isn't an essay, but a rapid-fire way to show your personality. The goal is to be authentic, concise, and memorable. Here are some strategic tips:
