How to Write the Northwestern Supplemental Essays

Published January 16, 2024 · · Updated August 24, 2024 · 6 minutes · by Kamerpower ·

How to Write the Northwestern Supplemental Essays [Why Northwestern Essay]. Together with your personal statement essays, Northwestern offers students the chance to respond to a “Why Northwestern” essay prompt as part of its writing supplement. 

Writing these essays doesn’t have to be intimidating. These tips can help you create a masterful piece of writing that can boost your chances of getting accepted at Northwestern. Northwestern University is very much an “Ivy-equivalent” school. This is true both in terms of quality academics and selectivity. And Northwestern had an overall acceptance rate of only 7%. 

This article will outline the examples to guide you writing the Northwestern University Supplemental essay.

What Are The Northwestern Supplemental Essay Prompts?

Essay Northwestern Prompt #1 (Required for All Applicants)

We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise? (300 words max)

Essay Northwestern Prompt #2 (Recommended for All Applicants)

NOTE: Northwestern is no longer requiring the CommonApp essay as part of the application. They write, “The supplemental questions below touch on areas we see as important for building Northwestern’s Class of 2028, but you should feel free to repurpose essays you’ve written for other applications (including the Common Application personal essay, which we no longer require) if they tell the story you’d most like to share.”

Option 1: 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?

Option 2: Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. We believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. Within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be? Who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators?

Option 3: Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus.

Option 4: Northwestern’s location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why?

Option 5: Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. This range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. How might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in Northwestern’s classrooms and around our campus?

Tips on How to Write the Northwestern Supplemental Essays

#1. Think About the Essay’s Purpose 

While the prompts are all relatively straightforward, it’s helpful to think about each essay’s purpose: what does the admissions committee want to see from your answer? Northwestern wants to know why the school is the best fit for you and how getting accepted can help you reach your aspirations. The essay should show that you’ve considered why Northwestern is right for you and why you’re right for it. 

#2. Brainstorm 

You have many options regarding what direction you take in your essays. You’ll need to determine the main idea of your essay. Think of relevant stories or anecdotes related to each prompt.

#3. Research The College

Research the school you’re writing your essay for. Always keep the school’s website open and perform a few more clicks than you anticipate being required. You should give yourself plenty of time because school websites can be confusing. Examine faculty biographies, lists of recent undergraduate projects, related programmes, and any volunteer work carried out by various departments. Once you’ve done these exercises, you’ll have a better sense of: 

• YOU: A bunch of different talents/skills/identities/qualities that you’ll bring to a college campus, and
• THEM: A variety of programs/courses/clubs/affinity groups that your college offers.

#4. Align Your Writing With Northwestern’s Mission

Aligning your narrative with a school’s mission shows that your goals and intentions match the value of the school. Relating your goals to Northwestern’s mission can make you a more competitive applicant. Based on this mission statement, you can include anecdotes or elements related to your mission. How has your past influenced your future? What kind of person has it shaped you into?

#5. Don’t spare extracurricular activities

Although the classroom is crucial, Northwestern also wants to know how you will interact with the campus community. Your goal should be to talk about your extracurricular interests just as much as your academic ones because doing so will show your personality traits and capacity for original thought outside of the confines of the textbook and grade transcript.

#6. Craft a Captivating Introduction

Think of your introduction like your first impression: you want to ensure you’re memorable yet professional. Many applicants choose to start their essays by jumping right into a narrative. Starting your narrative in the middle of the action can grab the reader’s attention from the first sentence. Make sure your introduction is punchy enough to catch the admissions committee’s attention

#7. Write the Essay’s Body 

The body of your essay includes rich detail and expands on the content from your introduction. Try to use concrete experiences to share that help illustrate who you are and why you want to attend Northwestern. Think about events, places, people, or things that influenced your decision. 

#8. Write your Conclusion

Your conclusion should wrap up your essay in a cohesive way and leave the reader satisfied with what they read. Many applicants like to mention their hopes for their future and how an education from Northwestern will help them achieve these goals. 

#9. Edit Your Work 

When you edit your writing, you can ensure that you’ve adequately answered the prompt and that the narrative is well-constructed and complements the rest of your application. Make sure to check for spelling and grammar errors as well. 

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