For the 2025-2026 application cycle, the required supplemental essays for freshman applicants are on the following topics:
Essay 1 (Required): Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?
Q: What is the essay's purpose?
A:
Show growth from one specific experience.
Reveal a core value (e.g., resilience, curiosity, responsibility).
It is not a list of your achievements.
Q: How to select a topic?
A:
Choose one specific challenge or opportunity.
Avoid broad topics like "my four years of high school."
Example: "Challenge: My family's restaurant struggled. Opportunity: I learned Python to automate inventory."
Q: How to structure the story?
A:
Situation: Describe the specific event.
Action: Detail your specific actions. What did you do?
Result: Explain the outcome and the change in you.
Q: How to show you were "shaped"?
A:
Connect the experience to a specific character trait.
Show a "before and after" of your perspective.
Example: "Automating inventory taught me that technical skill must serve community needs."
Optional Essay for Engineering Applicants: Describe your academic and career goals in the broad field of engineering. What and/or who has influenced your interest in this field?
Q: What must this essay prove?
A:
You have specific, informed engineering goals.
You can connect a past interest to future plans.
You understand what engineering entails.
Q: How to define academic and career goals?
A:
Name a specific field, like aerospace or biomedical engineering.
Connect your goal to a problem. "I will design efficient water purification systems."
State a clear career path. "My goal is a systems engineer role..."
Q: How to explain your influence?
A:
Focus on a specific "what" (an event, a project) or "who" (a person).
Show the influence through a specific story.
Example: "Building a functional circuit for a science fair taught me systematic problem-solving."
Q: How to structure the essay?
A:
Part 1: The Spark. Start with your influence (the what or who).
Part 2: The Action. Describe how you pursued this interest.
Part 3: The Future. Detail your specific goals at TAMU.
Q: What is the final check?
A:
Are your goals concrete, not generic?
Is the influence story specific and personal?
Does the essay connect your past, present, and future?
