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How to Write the Hamilton College Essays 2024-2025

You might recognize Hamilton College for its namesake—Alexander Hamilton—but like the man who lent his name to the school, Hamilton College has so much to offer beyond just a powerful name. The combination of an excellent liberal arts education with the serene surroundings of upstate New York attracts thousands of applicants each year.

Hamilton has just one supplemental essay prompt this year, which is technically optional, but we strongly encourage you to respond to it. Hamilton has become much more selective in recent years, with its acceptance rate going from over 20% to under 12%, and this essay is a fantastic opportunity to set yourself apart in a competitive applicant pool by showing what you have to offer beyond the numbers.

Read this Hamilton essay example written by a real student to inspire your writing.

Hamilton College Supplemental Essay Prompt

At hamilton, we each bring different backgrounds and perspectives, and we teach one another about the world through our individual and shared experiences. in the spirit of hamilton’s motto, know thyself, please reflect on your unique perspective and how hamilton might shape it, as well as how your perspective will shape hamilton. (350 words, optional).

For this prompt, Hamilton wants to know about an aspect of your background or personality that will influence how you will interact with the Hamilton community. This is your opportunity to communicate what makes you unique and how that will be an asset at Hamilton. It might help you to consult our guide to writing a diversity essay , even though this prompt isn’t exactly the same thing.

Since the word count is relatively short, students might be tempted to just focus on how Hamilton will shape their perspective and how their perspective will shape Hamilton, but we caution against this. Rather than writing a cookie cutter essay that says something like “ Hamilton will teach me to be more open-minded toward new ideas…”, the focus of your essay should be on what your unique perspective is and how it came to be.

You might be asking yourself, what is my perspective? It can be anything—from values to beliefs to or from identity to traditions. Below are a few examples to get you thinking about the range of potential answers:

• Working at your family’s restaurant makes you value hard work and accountability
• Being a racial minority and facing discrimination has taught you to approach everyone with kindness
• Growing up with multiple siblings made you highly competitive in a way that motivates you to reach your full potential
• As an avid surfer, you strongly believe in trying to reduce climate change to help ocean life
• Your passion for photography makes you appreciate the beauty found in the little details

The key thing to notice is that in each of those examples there is a perspective, but also a description of what influenced or brought about that perspective (e.g, a passion for photography led to the perspective that mundane little things can contain beauty). In order to get “full points,” so to speak, with the admissions officers, you need to show where your perspective came from. This is the deeper elaboration that turns a decent response into a really good one.

In order to fully elaborate on your perspective and show what influenced it, you should include an anecdote. Storytelling is the most engaging and effective way to convey such a point to your reader, and it makes the essay flow more smoothly.

Once you have a strong anecdote that shows your unique perspective, you can apply it to Hamilton. When talking about how Hamilton will shape your perspective, consider how your perspective might be challenged or supported. Will you be taking classes that question your perspective? Will you join a group of like-minded students who share your perspective?

Go beyond a basic answer like “At Hamilton I will experience new ideas from a range of diverse perspectives.” Include predictions on how your perspective will be shaped with specific examples:

“In the course Digital Technology and Social Transformations , I will not only find support for my belief that social media can bring about societal change, but I will also learn how to effectively harness the power that social media holds.”

You aren’t quite done yet. Along with discussing how Hamilton will shape you, you need to explain how your perspective can shape Hamilton. Now, you might not be influencing the campus as a whole, but you will have an impact on your classmates, the people in your dorm, and members of any organizations you join. Explain how you will share your perspective with any group you’ll interact with and how you anticipate that perspective affecting them.

For example, to continue with the example above, you might say something like “I’ve already started to do so at my high school, by setting up the inaugural school-wide March Madness tournament and running Twitter and Tik Tok accounts with updates on how each game could affect the standings. I look forward to bringing this tradition to my freshman floor as well, to give us one last bonding experience before we go our separate ways on campus at the end of the year.”

Where to Get Your Hamilton Essays Edited For Free

Do you want feedback on your Hamilton essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Need feedback faster? Get a  free, nearly-instantaneous essay review  from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Hamilton College 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 6

You Have: 

Hamilton College 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essays of 250 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community

Hamilton invites applicants to supplement their applications (with a link to a personal URL, studio or performing arts portfolio, response to a video prompt, or answer to a short-answer question) and will provide options and instructions to candidates in their Hamilton Application portal after application submission. Interviews are encouraged, and can be scheduled in advance of submitting your application.  Our short answer can be completed during application submission.

At hamilton, we each bring different backgrounds and perspectives, and we teach one another about the world through our individual and shared experiences. in the spirit of hamilton’s motto, know thyself, please reflect on your unique perspective and how hamilton might shape it, as well as how your perspective will shape hamilton. (350 words).

If you haven’t already written a Community Essay that you plan to adapt and recycle here, we recommend considering the things that make you you . Where do you come from? What has shaped you as a person, and how has that made your perspective unique? What you focus on here can really run the gamut, but it should be something that you feel will help you to contribute to Hamilton’s community in a distinctive way. Is there anything you can teach your classmates about your hometown, traditions, culture, cuisine, orientation, identity, race, or ethnicity that they might not already know? Were you raised in a tiny Rocky Mountain community of 2,000 people? Do you come from a blended family? Are you a competitive gymnast? What has influenced your identity? How can your experiences, perspectives, or talents enrich the learning environment at Hamilton for others? Crucially, make sure you also discuss how Hamilton might shape your perspective during your time there. Think about the campus culture, the town, your intended major, and/or any clubs, activities, or other experiences you hope to take part in. How do you expect to be changed or influenced by your undergraduate education at this particular school?

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Essays that Worked

As we’ve done on occasion through the years, Hamilton is proud to present a few exceptional admission essays written by members of the latest class of incoming students. These essays offer a glimpse into the diverse backgrounds and experiences, as well as the writing talents, so many students bring to College Hill.

Aubrey Wallen ’26

Lakeland, tenn..

75,000 flipped pages. 11,520 packed boxes. 6 school maps. 

I began measuring my life in flipped pages, packed boxes, and school maps when I was 6. As my family and I flitted between states and coasts for my father’s job over the last decade, I shielded myself with fantasy novels. With my head propped on the baseboard near my nightlight and a book held up in front of me by aching arms, I would dance in whimsical forests, fight daring battles, and rule dangerous courts long after dark. In my fantastic universe, I could take turns being the queen, the knight, the hero, and even the villain. These books helped me express the happiness, anger, sadness, and queerness I could not have even begun to imagine alone.

The characters I discovered in novels as I toured libraries and Barnes & Noble stores in strip malls around the country taught me resilience and empowered me to nourish my strengths. Mare Barrow showed me the power of determined women, and I unapologetically strove for academic excellence and obtained a GPA of 4.4. Tane, from The Priory of the Orange Tree , inspired me to push the limits of my own body, so I’ve traversed approximately 1,544 miles in cross-country races and practices. Evelyn Hugo’s unapologetic character compelled me to want to embrace and feel free with my queerness rather than shelter it away in a shameful corner. Even further, this year I am adding a third dimension to my love of fantasy by interpreting Mrs. White in my school’s production of Shuddersome and The Monkey’s Paw with assistance from Anne of Green Gables, my first fictional idol, who massively influenced my personality and tendency for dramatics. But above all, Leigh Bardugu, my favorite author, gave me permission to even dare to write and to dream that I can. 

What began as a safety net in my adolescence has grown to something more, a true passion for English and all that it can express. Language is power and I wish to wield it like a mighty sword. I want to be the puppetmaster, the speaker, and the leader in a world that is crafted in ink. I want to be a New York Times bestseller and to know that whatever I do is impactful and that it creates a difference, no matter how small. I want to walk down a crowded street and see “my book” spread open in a passing person’s hands, as they refuse to put it down, just like I did so many times in the hallways of my middle school. A writer, a college professor, a publishing lawyer: I want it all, the riots of failure, and the pride of success. 

Without the assistance of literature, I wouldn’t be who I am today. If I hadn’t grown up fueled on library hauls I wouldn’t have discovered that I love English. I wouldn’t get shivers when I fret for a favorite character or celebrate their triumphs, be as ready to face obstacles, or be as adventurous as I am. Without the moves around the country and back, I wouldn’t have become so resilient and open to change, so adaptable to life, but most importantly I wouldn’t have become so in love with language. With every move I burrowed in books, and with every book I became me. Literature has made me in every way, and the only way I can repay it is to become the penman. 

Nicholas “Cole” Wassiliew ’26

Bethesda, md..

I dreaded their arrival. The tyrannical cicadas swarmed DC and neighboring areas in 1987, 2004, and again in 2021. I was freaking about Brood X, the worst of them all. Brood X is a cluster of cicadas that descend on Washington, D.C., every 17 years. I live in the epicenter of their swarm. Cicadas battled with mosquitoes for first place in the top tier of the human annoyance pyramid. I hate these off-brand cockroaches.

For 17 years, cicadas live underground feasting off of sap, running free of danger. Then, they emerge and face the real world. That sounds familiar. I have lived in the same house, in the same town, for 17 years, with my parents feeding me pasta and keeping me safe.

Is it conceivable that I have more in common with cicadas than I previously thought? Cicadas have beady, red eyes. After a year of enduring Zoom classes, attending tele-health appointments, and spending too much time on social media and video games, I too feel a little blurry-eyed and disoriented. But what about their incessant hum and perpetual noise? That is not me. OK, maybe I do make protein shakes with a noisy blender at all hours of the day. Maybe I do FaceTime vehemently with friends, blare music while I shower, and constantly kick a ball around both inside the house and out.

At least I do not leave damaged wings, shedded skin, or rotting carcasses everywhere. Smelly soccer socks on the clean carpet after a long practice? Check. Pools of turf in the mudroom after sliding all over the field? You got it. Dirty dishes and trail mix stains after accidentally sitting on a mislaid M&M are hardly as abhorrent as cicada remains, right?

The more I reflected, the more I realized these bugs and I are more alike than different. After 17 years of being cooped up, we are both antsy to face new experiences. Of course, cicadas want to broaden their wings, fly, and explore the world, even if it means clumsily colliding into people’s faces, telephone poles, and parked cars. Just like I want to shed my skin and escape to college, even if it means getting lost on campus or ruining a whole load of laundry. Despite all my newbie attributes, I am proceeding to the next phase of my life whether I am ready or not.

Only the hardiest of cicadas survive their emergence and make it to trees to mate, lay eggs, and ensure the existence of their species. I want to be a tenacious Brood X cicada. I will know what it means to travel into the wrong classroom before getting laughed at, bump into an upperclassman before dropping textbooks everywhere, fail an exam after thinking I aced it. I may even become the cicada of the lecture hall by asking a professor for permission to go to the bathroom. Like cicadas, I will need time to learn how to learn.

No matter what challenge I undergo that exposes and channels my inner-cicada, novice thought process, I will regroup and continue to soar toward the ultimate goal of thriving in college.

When I look beyond our beady red eyes, round-the-clock botherment, and messy trails, I now understand there is room for all creatures to grow, both cicadas and humans. Cicadas certainly are on to something ... Seventeen years is the perfect amount of time to emerge and get ready to fly.

Catherine “Cate” van den Beemt ’26

Freeland, md..

I was born to two moms. One, my biological mom, Meredith. One, my mom who adopted me, Mary. Because they were a same-sex couple, the law required that Mary adopt me in order to be my parent. They used Sperm Donor 3311. All I know about my “father” is that he didn’t have a familial history of cancer, he has a twin brother who is 6'4", and he studied math in school. This is all background information; I don’t even know his name. He doesn’t know mine, nor does he know that I even exist. People often ask “What does your father do for a living?” and I’m forced to respond “I actually have two moms,” triggering reactions like that of my driving instructor, “Oh, well that must be different.” I’m 17-years-old and still don’t know how to respond to these comments. 

When I was 5, Mary, who had been sick for a long time with leukemia, passed away, and my life was turned upside down. I was old enough to understand grief, and yet I still question why it happened. It was terrifying seeing my mom break down while saying, “Mom died last night.” I wonder what I missed out on and carry guilt that I don’t remember much about Mary, because we just didn’t have enough time together. Many say grief gets easier with time, however, I think the way you grieve just changes over time. 

The world kept spinning and, in 2011, my biological mom met another woman, who soon became my stepmom. However, to me, Kerry is also my mom. No longer do I reveal the fact that I have two moms; now I get reactions to the fact that I have three. 

Not knowing my father doesn’t leave a void in my life. “Dad” didn’t sing “there was an old lady who swallowed a fly” and tickle me when the old lady swallowed the spider, my moms did. He didn’t take me to Gunpowder Friends Meeting where I shook hands and spent time with 80-year-old friends from the retirement home, my moms did. He didn’t console me when I began crying at the dry-erase board at school because it reminded me of white boards Mom wrote on when she was unable to talk. He didn’t teach me that love is love. He didn’t teach me who I was becoming, my moms did that. 

I’ve never known my father or that I was supposed to have one , so why would I think my life is any different from the so-called “norm?” If there’s one thing I have learned from my parents, it’s that I have developed a love for difference. I openly accept all those around me and excitedly anticipate the relationships that I will build in my future. There is no such thing as a normal family structure, and my upbringing has given me that greater world view. My moms have raised me to believe that I can accomplish anything. There are still limits, though. My family chooses not to travel to Jamaica because we aren’t accepted there. Before each family vacation, we must research to see if it is a gay-friendly place. I don’t know the answers to questions about my dad’s side of the family. But I don’t let those kinds of things get to me because instead I can talk about the people who raised me. The world is changing as we speak. “Normal” is fading, but it has already disappeared for me. I don’t want anything different than the family I have, and I own that every day

Daniel “Deni” Galay ’26

London, england.

“The difference between an anti-personnel and an anti-tank mine is not that complicated,” I am told casually, in halting Russian, by a boy even younger than I am during a walk through the Chechen mountains. I am freshly 14 and visiting my father’s homeland for the first time, unfamiliar with the harsh realities that kids half my age already know ironclad. My guide points out the areas where the grass is overgrown and the fruit trees abundant. People and animals alike know to avoid them; someone has learned of landmines the hard way. It shouldn’t surprise me — the scars of war on this rugged country are omnipresent — but it is so jarringly different from my life in London that it is nevertheless hard to digest.

It also differs from my father’s rosy stories about his childhood in Katyr-Yurt, stories that made me wish to swim carefree in icy rivers, devour handfuls of fresh sour cherries straight from the tree, and see nights dense with stars. I still experience these beauties of place, but my eyes are now open to the less romanticized parts, both enriching and complicating my connection to my family’s past. Suddenly, too, I am made uncomfortably aware of the conflicting layers of my familial identity. It is the Russian of my Muscovite, Jewish mother that I grew up speaking at home. Yet the Chechen children speak in broken Russian, and the grownups who are more fluent in it are not keen to communicate in the enemy’s language. Seeing the ugly scars of war, both physical and psychological, I cannot help but feel like an intruder, ashamed not only of my Russianness but also of my city-boy naivete. Despite this shame, I yearn to discover what it means to be Chechen, to see their home through their eyes, and through this desire, I begin to feel a deep connection all of my own to this beautiful, fraught land. 

In Moscow, my new awareness of conflicting identities only intensifies, but now on account of the maternal side of my heritage. Relatives there largely see Chechens as terrorists and raise an eyebrow when they hear where I have spent my summer. Babushka’s neighbour, a nurse who witnessed the carnage from the theatre siege in Moscow, turns away disgustedly when she overhears me relate the beauty of the mountains and the notable generosity of the people. Once again, I register the fear and distrust of “the other” that reigns in the more homogeneous cultures in Russia, making me appreciate the diversity of London all the more. 

When I return there, I cannot slip back into life as normal as I have done after past summers. I find myself pondering the question of identity and the way people interpret their own past, informed just as much by collective emotion and memory as by fact. The cosmopolitanism of London is just as I remembered it, but the things I loved about it I now see in a new light. I had always revelled in the fact that, despite our differences in heritage, my peers and I had seen each other as the same — bound together by being Londoners first and foremost. Now I am interested in conversations that I would never have considered previously, wanting not only to share my newfound experiences but also learn about the personal histories of my friends, many of whom, like me, are the children of immigrants to the UK. When did they come to explore and interrogate their own complicated identities? How did these discoveries make them feel? What does it mean to carry the stories, the poetry, and the pain of so many places within them? Questions like these, which were so important for me to answer about myself, also became a powerful place from which to understand more deeply the people around me and the complex world we share.

Zachary Yasinov ’26

Syosset, n.y..

I know that I had prepared well for this moment. For two arduous months, I readied my fingers for an exciting concert. No anxiety could undermine my confidence in my preparation, and my piano recital’s success was “in the bag.” I selected three pieces for my repertoire: the ambience of Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1 as the opener, a somber contemplation of Beethoven’s First Movement of the Moonlight Sonata , and Bach’s light and surreal Prelude in C Major for the conclusion.

My shining moment arrived, and I strode purposefully toward the piano. The building in which my performance was held was new, but its dwellers were old. Respect and prestige permeated the atmosphere as I took each stride to my seat. As I sat down, the chair creaked and moaned as if in sympathy with the audience’s aching desire to hear me play. I prepared my sheet music and commenced my epic moment.

Never was such an exhilarating performance heard. All of the little techniques and tricks that I practiced were executed perfectly. I captured the dynamics I wanted to express in Satie’s phonological experiment with each chord to which I applied varying pressure. Moving onto one of Beethoven’s most famous works, I crafted the cascading arpeggios of each new chord, which resonated unity uninterrupted in me and in the audience. When I concluded with the airy prelude from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier , the room swelled with bliss. Having poured my heart and soul into each piece, I beamed with pride.

As customary for a stellar show, I rose to bow to the audience to thank them for their eruption of applause. Flowers were thrown, cheers elicited, and standing ovations bestowed. From the subsiding din came a faint question to rain on my parade: “Could you play something more lively, darling, say, a Neil Diamond song?”

I work on weekends at a long-term-care facility, and my geriatric audience, although a pleasure with whom to interact, can be brutally honest. Begrudgingly, I thanked Mrs. Hersch for her request, promised her better next time, and stewed in my own irrelevance. Going home that day, my feathers were ruffled. How could any civilized listener, after such a superb medley, disregard such time-honored compositions? The notion was absurd.

Yet perhaps more outlandish, as I later acknowledged, was my visceral reaction to the events that had transpired. Why did I react hesitantly to a simple request made in earnestness? It would have been easier, in fact, to practice “Sweet Caroline” than to break my fingers over Beethoven’s work. Then, in my moments of introspection, I concluded that my choice of musical pieces mattered little as long as my audience enjoyed them. Whether it meant recreating the most tortured and heinously composed pop song or a masterfully crafted Romantic concerto, I vowed to play them all.

Throughout my life, my adult mentors have succored me with platitudes when most needed, which laid the foundation for my confidence. Yet, while working with people who have lived five times longer than I have, experiencing so much more than I can imagine, I know that the world does not revolve around my tastes and interests. I’m okay with that. Thus, for a couple of hours each day in the living room, unlucky family members passing by are subjected to the torment of my tenth run-through of “Sweet Caroline” as I prepare for my next recital for an audience that has taught me more about personal preferences, and myself, than I anticipated.

Katherine “Katy” Appleman ’26

Pittsburgh, pa..

I have never felt such palpable emotion, such profound grief emanating from a space, as I did while hiking through the forest fire scorch in Philmont, New Mexico. A universe had once existed under the protection of these Ponderosa Pine, now black and crusted, turning brittle in the wind. It was a landscape that didn’t sing its laments, but whispered of its loss through every pile of scalded timber and skinny, wavering shadow cast by the hollow towers of ash.

I felt prepared when I made the decision to become a scout. I love nature and camping. I love the Scouts BSA program. I love the people. I was definitely not prepared, however, for the numerous challenges I would face during my years as a scout.

I was the first female “boy scout” in my town, which continues to be both my greatest honor and a constant reminder of the isolation and insecurity that comes with being any “first.” I became a symbol, whether for good or bad, and my actions not only spoke of me, but of the future young women in Scouts BSA. I felt like an imposter.

I wasn’t a strong-willed leader like those who usually have “first” stitched into their title. My seventh-grade acting career did little to veil a shy and insecure girl who crumbled at overheard comments on how I didn’t belong or how girls like me were poisoning BSA’s spirit. As time passed, I found myself waiting to develop the toughened heart that the leaders that I knew held. As my troop and I backpacked in Philmont Scout Ranch this past summer, my doubts and insecurities seemed to echo from this inky forest.

Coming from Pittsburgh, I had expected the kind of desert with raspy air and coat hanger cacti. Nothing quite shattered this expectation as much as putting on my last pair of dry socks before the fourth day of downpours. We navigated steep cliffs and vibrant meadows, and pulled ourselves up peak after peak. As the sun set on one of our final evenings, the flat, mountain-ornamented horizon gave way to a modest footpath, daring into a new forest. This forest, differing from the field of burnt pines we had seen prior, had burned several decades ago. The fire had cleared everything and had left its signature singed onto the bottom 10 feet of every tree. The forest floor was clean. Wild grasses with accents of purple and blue flowers blanketed the ground below the pines like snow, which had fallen while the world was asleep, completely untouched and extending to infinity. Above the burnt limbs of the trees, thick bundles of green needles soared into the sky.

Not long after Philmont, I was awarded my Eagle Rank, the culmination of my experience as a scout. I believe that my time in Scouts BSA has been the first to the forest that is my life. Though scars remain from my experience, new change and strength have flourished out of the damage.

I have come to the conclusion that it is not always the fierce leader who becomes a “first.” It is the extra hours. It is finding a way to listen to criticism and try harder, rather than feel the thorns. It is using one’s own feeling of isolation to see others who feel alone. It is the act of going through the fire and staying with it, allowing it to advance you, which changes people who dare to be a “first” into the leaders that they go down in history as being.

As I think back on my experience in Philmont, the first forest we saw, this blackened graveyard, is what I picture. I remember the charcoaled ground so vividly, but more so, I remember the soft purple wildflowers hidden in the desert soil. Though few and far between, against the grieving timber, they were stars.

Claire Lazar ’26

New york, n.y..

I’m 6. The sounds of hornpipe and laughter drift across the gymnasium-turned-cafeteria-turned-auditorium. Mum caught me dancing to some of her old Irish tapes — the Chieftains, Sinead O’Connor. She asked me if I wanted to do it for real. I said sure and went back to dancing. Now a freckled woman digs around in a cardboard box and pulls out a pair of dusty, worn black shoes. “Don’t worry,” she says, “you’ll learn eventually.” The shoes are too big; they sag at the toes. I approach the stage. Twenty-five pairs of eyes fix on me. In a room bustling with motion, everything stands still. It doesn’t matter that I feel like a clown in an ill-fitting costume. All that matters is the dancing.

I’m 9. I sit in the hallway of the Times Square Marriott watching girls in big wigs and sparkly dresses run around, squawking like glamorous, unhinged chickens. In my tartan skirt and simple bun, I feel like an ugly duckling. The bobby pins dutifully securing my bun in place make my scalp ache. My hands slide to my shoes. They’re too tight. Mum put them on her feet to “try and stretch them out a little.” I pass some over-enthusiastic dance moms who put the “mother” in “smother.” I reach the stage. A hundred pairs of eyes fix on me. In a hotel bustling with motion, everything stands still. It doesn’t matter that I’m out of place. All that matters is the dancing.

I’m 12. My brain won’t stop flipping through disastrous scenarios as I stand with my teammates in a hotel in Orlando, Florida. We’ve trained for months, sacrificed everything for this moment. I try to think of happy things: the pride on Dad’s face when he watches me dance, the freedom of flying across a stage on invisible wings. We recite our steps like a poem, the sequences like a song that carries us through an ocean of fiddles, pipes, and drums. My parents sacrificed a lot to send me here. I want to make them proud. I want to make myself proud. We approach the national stage. A thousand pairs of eyes fix on me. In a world bustling with motion, everything stands still. It doesn’t matter that I feel like a fraud. All that matters is the dancing.

I’m 15. An Irish accent lilts through the ballroom of the World Championships. It sounds like mashed potatoes and Sunday bests and the green hills of home that I know so well. We mutter a prayer. I’m not sure I believe in God, though I should. I look at my partner and wish we were more than friends. She smiles. I don’t think God believes in me. We ascend the stage. A million pairs of eyes fix on me. In a universe bustling with motion, everything stands still. It doesn’t matter that I’ll never be enough. All that matters is the dancing.

I’ll be 18. Murmuring voices will hover in the air of the gymnasium-turned-cafeteria-turned-auditorium. A little girl will approach me timidly, wearing a very old tartan skirt. I’ll reach out softly, adjusting her bun to soothe her aching scalp. Then, I’ll slide my hands toward her feet, toward a pair of small, dusty shoes. “You’ll learn,” I’ll say. They’ll sag at the toes, but I’ll reassure her: “Don’t worry. You’ll grow into them.” Then, she and I will look at my own beloved shoes. They’ll be worn, but I’ll tell her the creases are like a map, evidence of the places I’ve been, the heartbreaks I’ve suffered, the joy I’ve danced. My life is in these shoes. We’ll hear the music begin to play, the tide of fiddles, and pipes, and drums. I’ll take her hand and, with a deep breath, we’ll climb the stage. “Ahd mor.” It won’t matter that this is the end. All that has ever mattered is the dancing.

Katherine “Kat” Showalter ’26

Los altos, calif..

The black void descends toward the young girl standing in the grassy field. It slowly creeps up on her, and as it reaches for her perfectly white dress … Swipe . I quickly wipe away the paint without a thought except for panic. Before I realize what I have done, the black droop becomes an ugly smear of black paint. The peaceful picture of the girl standing in the meadow is nowhere to be seen. Even though I successfully avoid having the spilled paint touch the dress, all I can focus on is the black smudge. The stupid black smudge . As I continue to stare at the enemy in front of me, I hear Bob Ross’s annoyingly cheerful voice in my head: “There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.” At this moment, I completely disagree. There is nothing happy about this, only frustration.

Actually, there is one other emotion: excitement . Don’t get me wrong; I’m not excited about making a mistake and definitely not happy about the accident. But I am thrilled at the challenge. The black smudge is taunting me, challenging me to fix the painting that took me hours to do. It is my opponent, and I am not planning to back off, not planning to lose.

Looking back at the painting, I refuse to see only the black smudge. If lacrosse has taught me one thing, it is that I will not be bested by my mistakes. I snatch my picture and run downstairs, carefully setting it against the living room window. The TV newscaster drones in the background, “California continues to be engulfed in flames as the fires continue to burn.” I slowly step back from my painting. California fires , I think, as I look up into the blood-orange sky. California Fires! I look at the painting, imagining the black smudge not as a black void, but smoke creeping up on the girl as she watches the meadow burn.

I grab my painting and run back to my room. The orange sky casts eerie shadows as I throw open my blinds. My hands reach first toward the reds, oranges, and yellows: reds as rich as blood; oranges as beautiful as California poppies; yellows as bright as the sun. I splatter them on my palette, making a beautiful assortment of colors that reminds me of one thing: fire. A rich, beautiful, bright thing, but at the same time, dangerous. My hand levitates toward the white and black. White, my ally: peaceful, wonderful, simple white . Black, my enemy: annoying, frustrating, chaotic black . I splat both of them onto a different palette as I create different shades of gray.

My brush first dips into red, orange, and yellow as I create the flame around the girl. The flame engulfs the meadow, each stroke of red covering the serene nature. Next is the smoke, I sponge the dull colors onto the canvas, hazing over the fire and the trees, and, most importantly, hiding the smudge.

But it doesn’t work. It just looks like more blobs to cover the black smudge. What could make the gray paint turn into the hazy clouds that I have been experiencing for the past several days? I crack my knuckles in habit, and that’s when a new idea pops into my head. My calloused fingers dip into the cold, slimy gray paint, which slowly warms as I rub it between my fingers. My fingers descend onto the canvas, and as they brush against the fabric, I can feel the roughness of the dried paint as I add the new layer. As I work, the tension from my body releases. With each stroke of my fingers, I see what used to be the blobs turn into the thing that has kept me inside my house for weeks. As I lift my last finger off the canvas, I step back and gaze at my new creation. I have won.

These essays were published in the Fall 2022  Hamilton magazine and illustrated by Andrew Vickery. These essays follow four similar collections from the Class of 2022 ,  Class of 2018 , Class of 2012 , and Class of 2007 .

College Essay Writing Tips

The Hamilton Admission Team offers these tips for you to consider when sitting down to write your college application essays.

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Supplemental Essay?

Does Hamilton have any supplemental essays? I couldn’t find any on Common App.

If I recall correctly from threads in previous years, Hamilton may invite a brief, optional statement regarding fit after required materials have been submitted.

The Hamilton supplemental essay should appear in your portal after applying. I strongly encourage you to complete it, even if they say it’s ‘optional’.

In previous years, there have been several optional items available in the Portal, including the short answer essay.

There is a Hamilton Hello option. Anybody knows what the question is? I only have 60 seconds for it

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Does hamilton college have supplemental essays?

Do You Need to Write Supplemental Essays for Hamilton College Admissions?

Introduction

Hamilton College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in Clinton, New York, and each year, it receives a large number of applications from talented students from across the country. To stand out in a competitive pool, applicants often ask themselves, "Do I need to write supplemental essays for Hamilton College?" In this article, we will explore the answer to this question and provide guidance on how to approach the application process.

What Are Supplemental Essays?

Before we dive into the specifics of Hamilton College’s requirements, it’s essential to understand what supplemental essays are. Supplemental essays are additional essays or writing samples that students may be asked to submit as part of their college application package. These essays are designed to provide more information about a student’s background, interests, or skills, beyond what is captured in the main Common App or Coalition App.

Why Do Some Colleges Require Supplemental Essays?

Colleges may require supplemental essays for a variety of reasons. Here are a few possible reasons:

• To get to know the student better : Supplemental essays allow colleges to gain a deeper understanding of a student’s interests, values, and goals, which can be difficult to capture in the main application. • To assess writing skills : Supplemental essays provide an opportunity for colleges to evaluate a student’s writing abilities, including their style, tone, and syntax. • To demonstrate specific qualities : Some colleges may require supplemental essays to assess a student’s demonstrated interest in a particular program or major, or to gauge their preparedness for a particular course or program.

Do You Need to Write Supplemental Essays for Hamilton College?

Now, let’s get back to the question at hand: Do you need to write supplemental essays for Hamilton College? As of the 2022-2023 application cycle, Hamilton College does require two optional essays for admission. These essays are designed to provide more information about a student’s background, interests, and goals, and can be used to supplement the main application.

The Two Optional Essays

Here are the two optional essays that Hamilton College requires:

• Essay 1: An Opportunity Presentation : This essay should be a brief description of an activity or event that the student has led or been a part of. (approx. 200-250 words)
• Essay 2: An Issues-Based Response : This essay should address a current issue or topic that is relevant to the student’s life and interests. (approx. 300-350 words)

Tips for Writing Supplemental Essays

While the essays are optional, meaning that students can choose to skip them if they prefer, here are some tips to help you make the most of this opportunity:

• Start early : Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm and write your essays. This will help you to ensure that your responses are well-thought-out and polished.
• Be authentic : Use your unique voice and perspective to tell your story. Avoid clichés and generic responses.
• Edit and proofread : Make sure to review your essays carefully for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors before submitting.

In conclusion, while Hamilton College does not require a specific number of supplemental essays, two optional essays are available for students who wish to provide more information about their background, interests, and goals. By understanding the purpose of supplemental essays and tips for writing them, students can make the most of this opportunity to stand out in a competitive pool. Remember to start early, be authentic, and edit and proofread carefully to produce high-quality responses that showcase your best self.

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How to Write the Hamilton College Supplement 2023-2024

Hamilton is a small liberal arts college on a rural campus of 1,350 acres to the southwest of the Adirondack Mountains in New York. Hamilton is known for rigorous academics, high expectations of student writing and speaking ability, and an open curriculum that lets you explore what you want. The college has very few requirements , as there is no core curriculum or distribution requirements, so students can dive into their passions without limitations. The school motto is “Know Thyself,” and they demand introspection, but it also has a global outlook. Two-thirds of students do study abroad, and they come from 47 states and 51 countries. The acceptance rate is 11.8% .

Once you get to Hamilton, you’ll have access to ALEX , or “Advise, Learn, EXperience,” a network of on-campus academic resources and centers that support students with tutoring, writing support, speaking training, advising, and mentorship. This leads to lots of opportunities even before graduation. 84% of students leave Hamilton having had at least two internships. They don’t put a ton of weight in standardized tests, though. Hamilton does not require the ACT or SAT, and it’s your choice whether to submit or not.

If a school that demands your best as an intellectual is exciting to you, send us an email . Hamilton may be your perfect match.

Hamilton really emphasizes writing skills for their students, so the words in your application really matter. They feel this so strongly that the college makes previously successful essays available for you to view online. You should absolutely read them before you begin drafting your own essays and supplements. Once you’ve read them, remember to fill out the basic questions for Hamilton in the Common App. The supplement does not show up until after you’ve filled out those questions, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see them at first. 

Now that all that is in order, it’s time to write start writing your two supplements!

Please take this opportunity to write about your interest in Hamilton and why you believe it is a place where you can thrive. Be open. Be honest. Be brief. (200 word maximum)  

You don’t have a ton of space for the Hamilton “why us?” essay, so you will need to make the most of the room you have an be super specific. Remember, you are applying to Hamilton to get an education — so academics matter most here.

Start with a short story that introduces your area of focus in a way that connects with the Hamilton curriculum, philosophy, and methodology. If you want to major in history, you might lead into this supplement with an experience you had engaging with history in person, such as seeing an exhibit at a museum, visiting a historic site, or seeing history happen in real-time. You’ll then use that introductory story to launch into your concentration (major).

After naming your prospective concentration, share 1-2 classes you’re excited to take in your major as well as a professor you’d like to study under — and why. Perhaps they teach classes you’re curious about, or are doing research that you would love to be involved with. Then, pull back and mention one or two other subjects you are excited to pursue at Hamilton, mentioning the power of the open curriculum to empower you to explore.  

Finally, pull back to look at Hamilton in a more zoomed-out way. Mention something about the Hamilton culture or academic program that specifically excite you, such as the honor code, or being part of a community that prioritizes writing and speaking skills.  

We each bring different backgrounds and perspectives, and we teach one another about the world through our individual and shared experiences. How will Hamilton shape your perspective, and how will your perspective shape Hamilton? (200 word maximum)

Hamilton cares deeply about what every student brings to the table — and this prompt is about that. But the first sentence could make you think that this prompt is just asking for where you come from, and what has shaped you. However, the second sentence clarifies that they’re just, or even more, interested in where you are going.  

To do all of this in just 200 words, you’ll need to start with a short story that shares a character trait, or culture-focused anecdote that speaks to your background. This story should be positive, as you’ll then need to transition into how this will be part of your experience at Hamilton — both in how Hamilton will shape you, and how you’ll shape Hamilton. For example, if you come from a community of Hmong in Northern California, you may write about a particular aspect of your cultural practice. Being at Hamilton, somewhere far from that practice, will shape how you engage with the world, and sharing bits of your culture will undoubtedly shape Hamilton.

The story you focus on here doesn’t need to be, and really shouldn’t be, big. Rather, look for something small, and include as much detail as you can. The details you include here will provide nuance, color, and dynamism to your story, and will make the reader all the more excited to have you on campus.

The Hamilton supplement isn’t long, but since the college is so writing-centric, we advise getting started well ahead of time to leave room for drafting and editing. Remember that they care deeply about the written word, so use stories to lead the way, showing — not telling — who you are and what you’d bring to their campus.

If Hamilton sounds amazing to you, send us an email . We support students in gaining admission to their dream schools.     

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Hamilton College’s 2024-25 Essay Prompts

Diversity short response.

At Hamilton, we each bring different backgrounds and perspectives, and we teach one another about the world through our individual and shared experiences. In the spirit of Hamilton’s motto, Know Thyself, please reflect on your unique perspective and how Hamilton might shape it, as well as how your perspective will shape Hamilton. (350 words)

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?