2025-26 Common App Supplements

Many schools utilize the Common App as their primary application form, and school-specific supplements allow every institution to customize this universal application in order to build a well-rounded first-year class. From asking about a student’s favorite snack to designing their dream seminars, many colleges are getting creative with their supplement questions so that admissions officers can learn as much about applicants as possible.

Common App Supplements for 2025-26

Many colleges and universities announce their supplemental essay prompts in the weeks leading up to the official opening of the Common Application on Aug. 1. The Common App essay prompts are already available for this cycle, allowing students applying to college this fall to get a head start on their personal statement.

It’s a good idea to get started on your supplements in the summer before your senior year if you have access to the prompts for the upcoming admissions cycle. It can be hard to keep up with, so we’re posting supplemental essay prompts as they are announced prior to Aug. 1.

University of Chicago

Question 1 (Required): How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago. 

Question 2: Extended Essay (Required; Choose one) 

In an ideal world where inter-species telepathic communication exists, which species would you choose to have a conversation with, and what would you want to learn from them? Would you ask beavers for architectural advice? Octopuses about cognition? Pigeons about navigation? Ants about governance? Make your case—both for the species and the question. 
Inspired by Yvan Sugira, Class of 2029 

If you could uninvent one thing, what would it be — and what would unravel as a result? 
Inspired by Eitan Fischer, Class of 2027 

“Left” can mean remaining or departed. “Dust” can mean to add fine particles or to remove them. “Fast” can mean moving quickly or fixed firmly in place. These contronyms—words that are their own antonyms—somehow hold opposing meanings in perfect tension. Explore a contronym: a role, identity, or experience in your life that has contained its own opposite. 
Inspired by Kristin Yi, Class of 2029 

The penny is on its way out—too small to matter, too costly to keep. But not everything small should disappear. What’s one object the world is phasing out that you think we can’t afford to lose, and why? 
Ella Somaiya, Class of 2028  

From Michelin Tires creating the Michelin Guide, to the audio equipment company Audio-Technica becoming one of the world’s largest manufacturers of sushi robots, brand identity can turn out to be a lot more flexible than we think. Choose an existing brand, company, or institution and propose an unexpected but strangely logical new product or service for them to launch. Why is this unlikely extension exactly what the world (or the brand) needs right now? 
Inspired by Julia Nieberg, Class of 2029 

Statistically speaking, ice cream doesn’t cause shark attacks, pet spending doesn’t drive the number of lawyers in California, and margarine consumption isn’t responsible for Maine’s divorce rate—at least, not according to conventional wisdom. But what if the statisticians got it wrong? Choose your favorite spurious correlation and make the case for why it might actually reveal a deeper, causative truth. 
Inspired by Adam DiMascio, Class of 2025 

American University

American University students identify as changemakers and describe themselves as passionate. Describe a belief, hobby, idea, issue, or topic about which you’re excited.

University of Michigan  

At the University of Michigan, we are focused on developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future. In your essay, share with us how you are prepared to contribute to these goals. This could include the people, places, experiences, or aspirations that have shaped your journey and future plans (required for all applicants; 100 word minimum; 300 word maximum).

Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate college or school (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests (required for all applicants; 100 word minimum; 500 word maximum)? 

Villanova University

For the Villanova-specific essay, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Choose one of the five topics below and submit a written response in about 250 words. 

Prompt One:
St. Augustine states that well-being is “not concerned with myself alone, but with my neighbor’s good as well.” How have you advocated for equity and justice in your communities?  

Prompt Two:
What is a lesson in life that you have learned that you would want to share with others at Villanova?  

Prompt Three:
“Villanova” means “new home.” Why do you want to call Villanova your new home? 

Prompt Four:
As an Augustinian community, we value recognizing individuals for their true selves. Please share with us a time when you were misjudged based on your identity, background, experiences or interests. 

Prompt Five:
At Villanova, we often say “each of us strengthens all of us.” Please detail a time when someone has borrowed some of your strength in their time of need. 

University of Miami 

The University of Miami is situated in one of the most vibrant cities in the world, fostering a community filled with varied backgrounds. Our students come from an array of cultures, traditions, languages, and experiences. We value the unique perspectives each student brings and the meaningful contributions they can make.
 
Reflect on a community that has influenced you—be it your school, neighborhood, club, team, ethnic group, or any other group that has played a role in shaping who you are. What significance did that community hold for you, and in what ways did you contribute to it? How will you bring those experiences, values, and insights to enrich our campus community at the University of Miami? 

California Institute of Technology 

Required STEM Academic Interest Question 

Your STEM Future – STEM Academic Interests 

Caltech has a rigorous core curriculum and students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore. 

If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? 

*Note that you are under no obligation to follow this choice if admitted. 

Why did you choose your proposed area of interest? If you selected ‘other’, what topics are you interested in pursuing? (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words) 

Required Short Essay Questions 

Your STEM Present – STEM Curiosity 

Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like. (Min: 50 / Max: 150 words) 

Your STEM Past – STEM Experiences 

At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are interested in learning more about your engagement with STEM. 

Select one of the following two STEM Experience prompts to respond to: 

1. Tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or for a particular STEM topic, and how you have pursued or developed your interest or passion over the last few years. (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words) 
2. Tell us about a meaningful STEM-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words) 

Creativity in Action Question 

The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars. But Techers also innovate in smaller-scale ways everyday, from imagining new ways to design solar cells or how to 3D-print dorm decor, to cooking up new recipes in the kitchen. How have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life? (Min: 50 / Max: 150 words) 

Required Short Answer Questions 

Now it’s time for a little fun! Choose two of the four questions below and answer both in 250 words or less.  

It’s up to you how you use your 250 words, whether that means you use exactly 125 words for each answer or you tell us about a niche interest in 30 words so you can spend 200 telling us about a core piece of your identity. 

There is no ‘right’ way to choose which question to answer. If you’re all STEMmed out, feel free to tell us about a creative hobby. Or if you just can’t get enough math, tell us about a concept you can barely wrap your head around. Just remember the Caltech Honor Code and stick to 250 words for both answers combined.  

• What is an interest or hobby you do for fun, and why does it bring you joy? 
• If you could teach a class on any topic or concept, what would it be and why? 
• What is a core piece of your identity or being that shapes how you view and/or interact with the world? 
• What is a concept that blew your mind or baffled you when you first encountered it? 

(Two Essay Boxes, each with Min:1 Max: 249 words) 

Wake Forest University

• List five books you’ve read that have intrigued you. (150 character limit per book title).
• Tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world’s complexity. This can include a work you’ve read, a project you’ve completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved. (150 word limit).
• Dr. Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former Wake Forest University Reynolds Professor of American Studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person’s dignity. Choose one of Dr. Angelou’s powerful quotes. How does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the Wake Forest community? (300 word limit).
• Give us your Top Ten List. (The choice of theme is yours.) (100 character limit per line).

University of Georgia

200-300 words suggested:

The transition from middle to high school is a key time for students as they reach new levels of both academic and personal discovery. Please share a book (novel, non-fiction, etc.) that had a serious impact on you during this time. Please focus more on why this book made an impact on you and less on the plot/theme of the book itself (we are not looking for a book report).

• FYI – We are not restricting you to the exact years of 8th-9th grades, but rather the general timeframe of the middle to high school transition, which can extend somewhat further than one year on each end. Feel free to use your discretion in your choice of the timeline focused on the shift to your high school years. As well, while we list word count suggestions/limits, we give a little bit of additional leeway on the actual application essays so students don’t have to stress.

Washington University in St. Louis

WashU is a place that values a wide range of perspectives. We believe those perspectives come from a variety of experiences and identities. Respond to one of the following prompts to help us understand “Who are you?”:

• WashU supports engagement in the St. Louis community by considering the university as “In St. Louis, For St. Louis.” What is a community you are a part of and your place or impact within it?
• WashU strives to know every undergraduate student “By Name & Story.” How have your life experiences shaped your story?

While answering additional essay questions might seem challenging, the supplements give students the chance to show a different side of themselves to the admissions office, as well as emphasizing their demonstrated interest. Since supplements are an important component of the college admissions process, we always recommend students begin working on these essays early to save themselves the stress of working down to the wire. If you’re getting ready to apply to college and looking for guidance on writing supplements, our team of admissions experts is here to help.

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