By Travis Wu
Supplemental college essays play a crucial role in the application process, offering admissions officers insights into who you are beyond grades and test scores. These prompts often focus on serious topics such as the ever-popular “Why do you want to attend [college]?” or “Why did you choose your selected major?”
Having navigated the application journey and written countless essays myself, I’ve compiled my personal list of unique and enjoyable prompts that stand out and make the writing process less stressful and more playful.
1. University of Chicago’s (UChicago) Create Your Own Adventure
“And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative and thought-provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!”
When it comes to college essay prompts, no one does it quite like UChicago. Their prompts are legendary, turning what could be a stressful part of the application process into something genuinely exciting. Better yet, they’re all crafted by students and alumni, meaning each new admissions cycle comes with a fresh set of prompts!
Among all the incredible options, the “Create Your Own Adventure” prompt really stands out. It’s the ultimate opportunity to let your creativity run wild with no limitations or boundaries. You can write about anything that sparks your interest and express your personality to the fullest. I love how the prompt encourages you to “take a little risk, and have fun.”
That’s exactly what college essays should be about. If you’re not having fun, you’re missing the point! UChicago’s prompts invite you to showcase your personality, your quirks and your passions in the most authentic way possible. It’s a chance to show admissions who you really are and that’s why their prompts are so amazing.
I’d highly recommend checking out UChicago’s other supplemental essay prompts on this page.
2. Stanford’s Dorm Buddy
“Virtually all of Stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate—and us—get to know you better.”
Stanford’s Dorm Buddy prompt is a breath of fresh air in the college application process. Instead of the usual formal essay structure, you get to write a note in any way you want! It’s a fun and personal way to share who you are without all the formalities.
What makes this prompt so great is the freedom it gives you. Think about talking to someone you’ve never seen before. That’s exactly what this prompt entails! You can talk about whatever makes you who you are or what you’re excited about at Stanford. It’s a chance to be real and creative without the pressure of sticking to a formal essay structure.
This prompt lets you have fun while giving admissions a glimpse of your authentic self. That’s what makes this prompt one of the best—it’s engaging, it’s personal, and it gives you the freedom to express yourself in a way that feels natural.
Some other prompts that are very similar to this one include Harvard’s roommate prompt and the University of Pennsylvania’s gratitude note.
3. Northwestern’s Rock
“Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?”
A rock sounds very boring, right? Northwestern’s Rock is completely the opposite of boring. This prompt taps into a tradition that’s been a part of Northwestern’s campus life for over a century, inviting you to imagine what you’d paint on The Rock. Bouncy house? Game board? Poster with an important message you want to get across?
You can do anything you want to with this Rock! It’s more than just what you’d paint, it’s about what matters to you and how you express yourselves when in front of an entire campus. Plus, it’s a great way to connect with Northwestern’s vibrant history when you’re researching over the prompt.
There are no strict rules to this prompt apart from the fact that you need to guard your art piece for 24 hours!
4. Pomona’s Cherished Item
“What item are you excited to bring with you to college?”
Pomona’s item prompt is a unique way to show what makes you special. With just 150 words, you get to spotlight that one special item you’re excited to bring to college; the one thing that speaks volumes about who you are. The object you choose has the stories, the memories and the personal meaning behind it.
You have so many ways to be unique with this prompt as compared to the “why us” essays where everyone’s answers start to sound the same. Here, you get to break away from the struggle of being unique and write about something that’s all about you.
Be creative, be introspective and most of all be genuinely excited as you share a piece of your world with Pomona.
5. Columbia’s List
“List a selection of texts, resources and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums and other content that you enjoy.”
Columbia gives you 100 words to list out as many meaningful intellectual pieces as you want. You can list as many or as few pieces as you want. Whether it’s a Spotify podcast, a YouTube channel or a classic philosophical text like Meditations — everything is fair game.
What I love most about this prompt is the simplicity. There’s no need to overthink about what you want to list out because it’s all personal. Just one thing to keep in mind, make sure that your answer accurately reflects your personal interests and not the interests of the admissions officers.
Don’t list out things that you think will make you sound unique or different from others. This prompt is meant to know more about you, so make sure to show it!
6. Dartmouth’s Be Yourself
“‘Be yourself,’ Oscar Wilde advised. ‘Everyone else is taken.’ Introduce yourself”
Dartmouth’s essay prompts, much like UChicago’s, are thought-provoking and engaging, making the application process feel more personal and engaging. While there are plenty of great Dartmouth prompts to choose from—the nerdy one or the Quaker’s one, for example—my favorite is the one that simply asks you to be yourself.
It’s a cliché message, but it’s so important, especially during the college application process. Dartmouth gets it right by focusing on what truly matters: understanding the applicant. After all, that’s the purpose of supplemental essays. This prompt is the perfect chance to explain who you are.
With 250 words, you can show what makes you unique and share the parts of yourself that might not come through in the rest of your application. It’s a chance to stand out, not by trying to be someone else, but by showing your true self.
As Wilde wisely said, be yourself— everyone else is already taken.
7. Emory’s Reflective
“Which book, character, song, monologue, or piece of work (fiction or nonfiction) seems made for you? Why?”
Superman? Albert Einstein? Scooby-Doo? With this prompt, you get to choose whatever you like that represents you. Have you ever seen a fictional character and been like “This character seems just like me!” Well, that’s the perfect way to write about this prompt.
Whether it’s choosing songs like All Too Well by Taylor Swift or Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. You can be creative and reflective at the same time. The difference between Superman and Scooby-Doo may be very different; however, that’s the beauty of this prompt.
You can make it funny, serious, sophisticated or symbolic. The choice is yours.
8. The Rice Box
To end this article, I wanted to include the Rice Box. Although this is not technically an essay prompt, the Rice Box is where applicants submit a singular picture of their choice. It can be a picture of anything. Whether it’s just a selfie of yourself or a picture of your favorite type of flower, you have the freedom to choose anything.
This is such a cool and unique concept from Rice University because there’s no other university that allows you to submit an image as a part of their supplemental essay section. Make sure to not put a picture of a bowl of rice. Just kidding! Put any picture you feel appropriate. No need to overthink.
Countless other prompts could be showcased, but including them, all would make this article longer than necessary. The key takeaway here is that college essays aren’t about who can craft the most sophisticated or complex piece. They’re about expressing who you are, and sometimes, that means having fun!
Don’t underestimate the power of authenticity. When you write with honesty and joy, and a college accepts you, it means they want the real you—not a version you think they want to see. Let your personality shine and remember that the best essays are the ones that reflect your true self.
