First, brainstorm the experiences you most want to talk about — then choose a prompt  

Essays can make a huge difference in your chances of getting admitted — by as much as 10x, as shown in data that came out in litigation. What colleges look for in essays are the personal characteristics that indicate whether you’ll succeed in college and beyond. 

At Prompt, we’ve boiled those characteristics down to the 5 Traits colleges look for in applicants:

• Drive (grit)
• Initiative
• Contribution
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Diversity of experience

People with these traits do exciting, meaningful things. The best way to demonstrate these traits in your essays is also the simplest: carefully choose the experiences you’ve had that best demonstrate 1 or more of the 5 Traits. Then talk about them straightforwardly. (Colleges are always saying they want to get to know you, but they mean something a lot more specific.)

That’s why our biggest advice for both the personal essay and supplements is to begin not with the prompts, but by brainstorming your own experiences —

• Academic work
• Extracurricular experiences
• Work experiences and domestic obligations
• Personal learnings, projects, hobbies.

Decide which 3-4 of your experiences are most compelling. These need to go into your essays. (Hopefully, the best of them are already in your personal statement — if not, here’s some guidance for how to make that as strong as possible.)

Once you know what 5-trait-demonstrating experiences you want to talk about in your essay, read through the prompts to see which best allows you to talk about them. 

Choosing your prompt — Ranking the strengths and potential weaknesses of each option

The prompts are:

The writing supplement topics for the 2022-2023 application cycle (400 word limit):

‍OPTION 1 — A question that BC can help answer

Students at Boston College are encouraged to consider critical questions as they pursue lives of meaning and purpose. What is a question that matters to you and how do you hope Boston College will help you answer it?

Prompt’s thoughts on #1:

• This is similar to a Why Us prompt (read The Simple Why Us Strategy That Works to make answering this easy.) 
• Why Us prompts are great in that they allow you to show your enthusiasm for Boston College and that you’ll be a good fit on campus — if you can do that, the admissions team will want to admit you.
• Why Us is a great place to display intellectual curiosity and connect your academic (and other) interests to what Boston College specifically has to offer. 

OPTION 2 — Racial Injustice

In 2020, we faced a national reckoning on racial injustice in America - a reckoning that continues today. Discuss how this has affected you, what you have learned, or how you have been inspired to be a change agent around this important issue.

Prompt’s thoughts on #2:

• This is a great prompt for showcasing contribution as well as initiative or intellectual curiosity, depending on your experience.
• Potential pitfall #1 — Focusing your essay just on how the racial justice reckoning has “affected you.” We suggest making sure you also address either “what you have learned” or “How you have been inspired to be a change agent” in your answer. Otherwise, you’ll come off as passive, which isn’t what you want in your application.
• Potential pitfall #2 — Writing something that’s too controversial. Ok, BC isn’t asking this question to hear wimpy answers — they understand that teenagers have big passions and radical ideas. On the other hand, this could be difficult political territory. And there is potentially a generational divide between you and the reader. There’s potential to come across as insufficiently concerned, on the one hand, or as too divorced from reality, on the other. Something to be aware of.

‍OPTION 3 — conversation

At Boston College, we hope to draw on the Jesuit tradition of finding conversation partners to discuss issues and problems facing society. Who is your favorite conversation partner?  What do you discuss with that person?

Prompt’s thoughts on #3:

• Another good prompt for showcasing intellectual curiosity.
• Potential pitfall #1 — It’s important not to come off as too passive in this answer, going beyond what it asks “what do you discuss?” Instead, also talk about what actions your conversations spur you to take. And what you’ve done with the knowledge or affirmation that comes from these conversations. 
• Potential pitfall #2 — The question asks you who the conversation partner is. That’s fine, but keep the focus primarily on yourself and your actions — you are the one seeking admission to BC, not this other person!

OPTION 4 — the examined life

Socrates stated that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Discuss a time when reflection, prayer, or introspection led to clarity or understanding of an issue that is important to you.

‍Prompt’s thoughts on #4:

• An excellent prompt. Not only is this great for showcasing intellectual curiosity, but, unlike #3 above, it pushes you to talk about how your intellectual curiosity spurred you to action — unlocking initiative, drive, or contribution as well.   
• ✨This prompt will likely lead to a strong essay.✨

OPTION 5 — book rec

Each year at University Convocation, the incoming class engages in reflective dialogue around a common text. What book would you recommend for your class to read and explore together – and why?

Prompt’s thoughts on #5:

• Another great intellectual curiosity prompt. 
• You’ll do best with this prompt if you keep the focus on your journey with this book (rather than just the book itself) — how did you find this book? Why did you pick it up? What have you done with the wisdom or lessons learned from this book?
• Don’t choose a book that will “engage the incoming class,” choose a book that shines a light on one or more of the 5 Traits in you!

Note on all prompts: 

The best way to succeed with any of these is to use lots of “I-statements” and active verbs. Show what you do — whether it’s read books and solve math problems or take to the streets and attack entrenched power. 

BC is interested in you, not what you think about racial injustice now (which will almost certainly change) or your favorite book (same) or your conversational partner (same). Rather, it’s how you approach these things. 

Five options — Examples

OPTION 1 — A question that BC can help answer

Students at Boston College are encouraged to consider critical questions as they pursue lives of meaning and purpose. What is a question that matters to you and how do you hope Boston College will help you answer it?

EXAMPLE for #1

“What is the world made of?” 

This question has been guiding me since I fell in love with Geology on a camping trip. The leader was doing her PhD in Geological Sciences at Boston College! She was always stopping to examine pebbles, rocks, and cliff faces. I was so intrigued by this strange behavior that I started asking her about it — that’s when I learned that each rock we encounter has a unique history and unique formation. I was hooked.

Soon, I was urging my parents to stop at every road cut we saw on the side of the highway, to see if it had any interesting rocks. I was checking books on geology out of the library and heading over to the natural history museum so regularly that I got to know their curator of Geology. She ended up helping advise my senior project, which I’ll be devoting to studying questions of sea level during glacial cycles — something that can be observed directly at many locations here in Michigan. 

At Boston College, I’m eager to continue this learning as a Geological Sciences major. In particular, I’m intrigued by courses on Paleoclimate (the study of previous climates in different geologic ages), Stratigraphy and Sedimentation and, of course, as someone who got intrigued by rocks while camping, Geology of National Parks.

I’m also eager to connect what I learn about the history of our planet with its future. As the co-leader of my high school’s Environmental Club, preservation of our planet matters deeply to me. The club works to identify solvable environmental issues that our student body or the high school as an institution can tackle. 

Last year, we successfully implemented a composting program in our cafeteria. This year-long project involved rallying student and teacher support, so that administrators felt implementing the program mattered. Then working with administration through a number of obstacles — where to add the extra composting bins; hiring a new service to come collect it. 

At Boston College, I’d love to join EcoPledge, a student club I visited when I came to campus. They’re working on similar projects to ours, but on a bigger scale. Ultimately, I want to work on “What is the world made of?” I don’t want the answer to be “mostly plastic”! At BC, I want to understand how we got the beautiful planet we live on and work to keep that way.

Notes on Example for #1

• Word count: 400
• Note: the links are just for your reference - not necessary in your answer.
• 5 Traits: This essay shows intellectual curiosity (how far the student has pursued geology, doing a special project + getting mentorship from a curator), as well as initiative and drive (the club work). This student seems dynamic and exciting — an asset on campus.
• Weakness: Probably would be better to cut some of the “how I found Geology” stuff and beef up “what I do with geology now” stuff. 
• Fit at BC: The student also clearly knows BC’s offerings well and seems like a good fit — that they’re eager to join the campus and would do well at the school. All great stuff.
• Note: This essay talks about one academic interest and one extracurricular interest. That’s not necessary in this answer – most answers here probably just focus on one major interest, which is fine. 

‍OPTION 2 — Racial Injustice

In 2020, we faced a national reckoning on racial injustice in America - a reckoning that continues today. Discuss how this has affected you, what you have learned, or how you have been inspired to be a change agent around this important issue.

‍EXAMPLE for #2:

As a sophomore reporter for my school paper, I took up a story that I thought would be routine. Instead, it led me to advocate against my school district!

The story was on Building Bridges, a program that — with support from our public school district — ran a “community-driven process to name entrenched and long-standing barriers to equity.” I wanted to start with an anecdote from the community process that showed the need for change, then show how the recommendations would address it. Problem: few quotes from the process were made public and the ones that were didn’t discuss racist experiences — with one important exception: teachers having low expectations for students of color. 

As I continued covering many equity initiatives our school district undertook, I realized something was missing: a willing to talk about the fact that our district produces an alarming racial education gap, with Black and Latin students scoring much lower than White and Asian students on tests, taking fewer AP courses, and going on to colleges at lower rates.

As the school created “healing spaces and mental health supports” and an “Office of Anti-Racism and Equity,” they got prominent coverage, including from me. Meanwhile, these critical issues seemed to fade from view. 

As a Junior, I moved from “reporter” to “activist.” With guidance from our teaching advisor, I gathered a few reporters who were also interested in doing something. We formed a club to ensure that new diversity initiatives didn’t steal the spotlight from the fundamentals — our school is not serving Black and Latin students adequately.

Our advocacy has been simple. We ensure that at least one student attends and live-blogs every School Committee meeting. At that meeting, at least one student (often more) makes a comment about the inequities in the district’s actual stats. 

This work has generated positive coverage by our city newspaper (bitlink) and the Boston Globe (bitlink). We organized a 200-student protest of the Office of Anti-Racism and Equity on its first anniversary because it has failed to discuss test scores, graduation disparities, and college outcomes. 

This year, based on student and teacher feedback, we’re pushing for extra tutoring hours. Sexy? No. But we think it’s the best way to even the odds so every student succeeds and can break the cycle of poverty. 

Everyone wants to claim they’ve reckoned with race. I’ve learned that looking at the numbers is the best way to see if that’s so. 

Notes:

• Word count: 405
• This essay shows a student who is driven, takes initiative and is intellectually curious in how they pursued this issue.
• This essay is also controversial, since some on the left think that test scores are themselves racist and might not support protesting an Office of Anti-Racism and Equity. This shows some of the potential risks of writing this essay. 
• Note on bitlinks — It’s always nice to provide a link the reader *could* go to if necessary. They likely won’t, but this is one way to show you are for real.

OPTION 3: 

At Boston College, we hope to draw on the Jesuit tradition of finding conversation partners to discuss issues and problems facing society. Who is your favorite conversation partner? What do you discuss with that person?

‍EXAMPLE for #3:

My most prized conversation partner is the teacher-advisor for the movie club I founded at my high school. On a surface level, we discuss which movies to show at our monthly movie nights.  On a deeper level, we’re working on how to bring the community together through a popular event, and how to use movies to send a meaningful message.

For example, with fellow club members, we worked hard to promote Some Like it Hot as a fun event where audience members were to come in flapper garb or gangster costumes. At the same time, we co-hosted it with the LGBTQ Alliance and showed it on the Trans Day of Visibility, as a fun way of raising trans awareness. The night was a huge hit. It began with a brief presentation on issues facing trans students on the political landscape and what we can do. Then we all watched the movie, sipping Prohibition mocktails (lemonade). After the event, the alliance saw an increase of about 25 new members. 

Similarly, we worked to find the right movie to spread a meaningful environmental message. We didn’t want something preachy or superficial, like maybe Day After Tomorrow or Don’t Look Up. After a long discussion about which movies actually made us want to protect the planet, we finally decided on Princess Monoke by Miyazake.

We partnered with the bike club — one of their messages has been to try to get most students to bike to school, instead of driving. We felt that this was a small but real step that almost all students could take if the movie night inspired them. We raised money from the movie night (popcorn & candy sales) for the club, which finds used bikes and sells them cheaply or donates them. 

But sometimes our best conversations are simply about new movies. Why they thrilled us or let us down. Most recently, we split on Everything Everywhere All at Once. I thought it captured so much about paths not chosen and the strength of family love, despite mistakes made. My advisor thought it was too noisy and that the family scenes were unconvincing. Even though we didn’t come to an agreement, the discussion helped me articulate better why the movie had moved me so — and to remember that the choices I make now will determine my life. 

Notes on Example for #3:

• Word count: 387
• 5 Traits: This student comes across as intellectually curious and driven/takes initiative. 
• The student talks about what they did and what they thought. The focus is on themselves, not the teaching advisor (conversation partner). 

OPTION 4

Socrates stated that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Discuss a time when reflection, prayer, or introspection led to clarity or understanding of an issue that is important to you.

‍Example for Option #4:

At the start of junior year, my mom got cancer. Everyone in our family was deeply affected — my dad with a lot more to do around the house, my two little brothers (seven and nine) who couldn’t rely on her anymore, me, and, of course, my mom herself.

At first, I decided I wouldn’t let my mom’s illness slow me down. She agreed. I continued with a full school schedule as well as a big part in the school play and Glee Club. I felt that this was the best way to deal with hardship — keep trucking. Don’t let it get to you. 

A month in, my family was doing badly. My dad missed bedtimes, for example, and my brothers were always cranky at school from lack of sleep. He was also really stressed about his job, because of new nonstop responsibilities like taking my mom to doctors’ appointments.

At times, I thought about quitting some of the things I’d taken on. But I didn’t want to let people down, especially my mom who encouraged my high school success. 

One night, my dad was discussing my mom’s next chemotherapy session. He wanted me to babysit the boys. Instead, I set up a playdate. The next day, as I was enjoying some rare junior-year solitude, I ditched my half-done homework, and went for a long walk. 

I realized that if I cut down on my activities, our household would be happier. And that the reasons stopping me from quitting my activities were flimsier than I thought. I wouldn’t really be letting anyone down who wouldn’t understand. More profoundly, I saw that I’d been thinking of domestic chores as lesser than visible roles (being in a play). But was that true? In ten years, looking back on this time, the play wouldn’t matter to me, or glee club, or even an AP class. What would matter was that I stepped up for people who needed me. 

This alone time gave me the clarity not just to quit my extracurriculars to be there for my family, but also to explain the reasoning in a way that made sense to my parents. I had figured out what was right for me and my certainty worked for them. To this day, I’ll never regret it. I carved out the space I needed to come to the right decision for me. 

‍Notes on example #4:

• Word count: 400
• 5 Traits: This student clearly has drive and initiative. 
• The student focuses on actions that they took, not just their thinking process, showcasing themselves as a dynamic student. 

OPTION 5

Each year at University Convocation, the incoming class engages in reflective dialogue around a common text. What book would you recommend for your class to read and explore together – and why?

EXAMPLE for option #5

This might seem ludicrous, but I recommend Marilyn Monroe’s memoirs My Story. What I loved about reading these memoirs was discovering the disconnect between America’s most glamorous Hollywood product and the struggle that it took her to arrive at that position — an equally American story, though one much easier to ignore. 

Monroe describes the many years she struggled to feed herself, even as she prioritized voice and dance lessons, in pursuit of her acting goal. She talks about the perseverance and insight it took her to transform the effect she had on men into an art form. At one point, she says her first big part in a John Huston film was inspired by Mae West, Theda Bera, and Bo Peep. Her dumb blonde persona came about not from God-given attributes, but out of her hard work and brilliant insights. 

All of us should learn that hard work and imagination usually underpin glamorous images. 

For example, at this point, I’m leaving behind an exceptionally successful film club at the high school. (I read Monroe’s biography in preparation for our showing of Some Like it Hot). Today, each monthly movie night is a popular event, usually in a meaningful partnership with a student club (ex: the LGBTQ Alliance for Hot). 

But when I started, the club was a flop. I wanted to share my love of movies with the high school, but nobody came to my events, no matter how long I spent promoting them. Like Marilyn, I had to take my apprenticeship seriously before achieving success: I talked with leaders and teaching advisors of successful clubs and learned from them how to gather broad student support instead of trying to foist my ideas on others. 

Now I know that every successful movie night needs to be undergirded with a strong foundation: reaching out to partners, working to find ways to make the night fun and festive (flappers and gangster costumes!), and ideally having a larger purpose (ex: celebrating Trans Day of Awareness). 

If Marilyn Monroe could experience failure, then anyone can fail. Her persistence wasn’t just in “hard work,” but rather in taking her dream seriously, working on crafting her art and her persona. Similarly, we need to take our dreams seriously, and recognize that making a dream succeed takes hard work as well as art, insight, and delight. 

Notes on example 5:

• Word count: 398
• 5 Traits: This example showcases intellectual curiosity (the depth of the student’s knowledge of cinema to have read this memoir, for example), and drive/initiative (the work to set up the cinema club).
• This essay spends two valuable paragraphs discussing Marilyn Monroe up top — but she is not interested in getting admitted to BC. That is one of the potential pitfalls of this essay prompt. It pushes you to discuss something other than yourself. Think carefully about that issue if you choose this prompt. 

Acing the Human-Centered Engineering prompt: Follow the “Why Us” playbook

‍Here is the required question for Human-Centered Engineering major applicants:

One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

Our advice:

Like option 1, discussed above, this is essentially a Why Us question. Why Us prompts seek to ensure that students are a good fit at that school (do well in the major) and that you’ll likely choose the school or program if admitted. 

What this means is that you simply have to articulate your interests that led you to the Human-Centered Engineering major and then do enough research to show how those interests fit with what BC has on offer. (Presumably you’ve already done some of this.)

Human-Centered Engineering — example

I recently read that developments in solar electricity are outpacing predictions, meaning that we will be able to switch away from fossil fuels earlier than expected. Well, I could have told you that! 

Ever since I first got a solar-powered calculator, I’ve wanted to be a solar electricity engineer. Last summer, I got to live part of that dream as an intern for a solar research facility. I gained a lot of technical expertise, but what really struck me was my coworkers’ enthusiasm and passion for the larger mission of using their advances to wean humankind from harmful energy sources. 

When I learned that BC had the human-centered engineering program, it went to the top of my list. I already knew I wanted to be an engineer, and always thought that combining it with an environmental mission would take some doing on my part. I’m excited to be part of a program that will do the hard work for me of ensuring that my technical expertise fits with practical, human-centered goals. 

At my internship, I saw how much human problems impact technical advances. For example, while the company’s solar panels were getting more efficient and stronger, they faced political hurdles in securing customers and placements. That’s why I welcome forming my engineering prowess with an understanding of human-centered design, especially how stake-holder groups impact technological deployment. It can be depressing to build something great when nobody decides to use it. 

I was so excited about this program that I arranged with the school’s office to shadow a human-centered engineering student. I loved sitting in their engineering classes, as well as a sociology class that offered the broader context I’m interested in. But more than anything I loved chatting with my “shadow” buddy and their friends at lunch — learning about why they’d chosen this major and their concentrations, what they’re hoping to do this summer and in life. I can’t wait to be part of a community like that. 

Notes on the example essay:

• Word count: 328
• 5 Traits: This essay shows a student with intellectual curiosity (their interest in engineering) as well as drive (securing the internship, arranging to meet a human-centered engineering student). 
• Fit: This essay shows how the student knows exactly what the major is about and consists of and indicates the student would be a strong fit. 
• Weakness: This essay is a bit weak on the student’s interests in engineering. That could use some more detail and elaboration. However, it’s a fake essay written by a person without an engineering background, so apologies for that. 

Helpful info on all the “other” stuff you’ll consider as you apply to BC (and other schools)

A few helpful resources for the non-supplement parts of your application:

• Common App: Since BC requires the Common App, read our guide to acing everything to do with writing your Common App application. 
• Test scores: Since BC is test-optional, here is our guidance for deciding whether or not to submit. 
• Early options: BC offers Early Decision I and II, as well as Regular Decision and “Spring Freshmen.” To figure it all out, read our Early Admissions article so you know how to approach this decision. 

BTW, here’s our guidance for approaching any college supplement + here’s where you can find our guides for almost every college’s supplements. 

Feeling inspired? A great place to start is at our College Essay Help Center. 

More articles on Prompt.com’s admissions-boosting methods:

• Work with a college essay coach
• Strong essays increase your chance of admission by up to 10x
• Don’t let influencers influence your college essays
• Should I apply test-optional?
• Early admissions: Everything you need to know
• College Essay Help Center