college essay that got into yale

134 Yale Essays That Got In

Updated for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle.

.css-1l736oi{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;gap:var(--chakra-space-4);font-family:var(--chakra-fonts-heading);} .css-1dkm51f{border-radius:var(--chakra-radii-full);border:1px solid black;} .css-1wp7s2d{margin:var(--chakra-space-3);position:relative;width:1em;height:1em;} .css-cfkose{display:inline;width:1em;height:1em;} About Yale .css-17xejub{-webkit-flex:1;-ms-flex:1;flex:1;justify-self:stretch;-webkit-align-self:stretch;-ms-flex-item-align:stretch;align-self:stretch;}

Nestled in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University is an Ivy League institution that provides students with an exceptional educational experience. Students at Yale may benefit from the University's highly regarded academics and research opportunities, diversified campus culture, world-renowned professors, and extensive choice of extracurricular activities. Yale's dedication to quality extends far beyond the confines of a typical institution, with renowned undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, as well as world-class museums and libraries. The school’s interdisciplinary philosophy is best captured by their motto “Yale is and.” Indeed, at Yale, students are encouraged to study multiple disciplines and see how they interact; for Yalies, it’s about studying fields like biology and sociology — not one or the other. As such, Yale University—with its lively student body and devoted staff—provides an exciting, challenging, and creative learning environment for students from all walks of life.

Unique traditions at Yale

1.Bulldog Days: This tradition is held annually in the spring and is a multi-day event that provides prospective students an opportunity to experience and explore life at Yale. 2.Freshman Shirts: A tradition where incoming freshman each choose a unique shirt and wear it on the Wednesday of Bulldog Days. 3.Heave Ho: At the end of each spring semester, Yale students gathered outside Dwight Hall and wait for a shared count of three. Then, with 3 cheers of “Hip Hip Heave Ho!” the entire Yale community school throws their hats in the air. 4.The Gold Rush: In this tradition, competing teams of Yale undergraduate students race around the Yale campus while pushing a shopping cart with two passengers on board. 5.The Stephen S. Roberts Memorial Run: A 13-mile march offered to all incoming freshmen that follows historical events and locations related to the Yale community.

Programs at Yale

1) Yale Women in Business: A student-led organization with a mission to foster an inclusive and supportive network of women at Yale who are passionate about business. 2) Morse College Writing: A yearlong program of small-group seminars focused on the study of the craft of writing. 3) Chapter 16: A club devoted to the study and directed discussion of Yale's Literary Magazine, Chapter 16. 4) The Chinese Language and Culture Program: An intensive language program focused on introducing beginners to conversational Chinese through conversation and culture courses. 5) Yale Debate Association: A student-run organization that provides students of all levels with the opportunity to improve their debating skills through a variety of competitive and educational activities.

At a glance…

Acceptance Rate

Average Cost

Average SAT

Average ACT

New Haven, CT

Real Essays from Yale Admits

Prompt: what inspires you.

On her deathbed, my grandmother said she would always be in my heart. She was right. I feel her presence in the rhythm of my heartbeat and pour my whole heart into everything I do to make her proud.

Essay by Jaden Botros

Economics & Political Science student at Stanford University | 800K in Scholarships | Profile includes Resume and Summer Research Email Templates

Prompt: What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

I find comfort and inspiration in bonsai cultivation; the patience and precision it requires mirror my approach to both drumming and engineering, where every detail shapes the final outcome.

Essay by Michael Sato

Stanford EE and CS '27 (Double Major) | Energized about all things energy: energy-efficient hardware, renewable energy, and energy drinks!

Prompt: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply?

Visiting campus, I learned Yale students were exceptionally passionate. Yalies raved not only about the world-renowned academics, but also their adventures in the arts, volunteering, and athletics. Additionally, I saw that residential communities’ fascinating guest speakers and social events transform dorms into lively homes. As an institution, Yale fosters student enthusiasm. Through class shopping, students explore their many interests before committing to a course. Also, many classes are seminars, proving that Yale has plenty of opportunities like any large university, but maintains the intimacy of a small college. Finally, I love that the Yale spirit is intelligent and collaborative. Students are both brilliant and appreciate others’ strengths. Yale is the perfect place for me to pursue my passions, surrounded by other Yalies doing the same.

Essay by Michelle

Yale grad who loves renewable energy, travel, and the arts!

Prompt: Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What would you ask them to discuss?

I would invite Mary Wollenstonecraft and ask her if she thinks the concept of feminism popularized after her death, along with its waves and movements, has achieved her ideals in Rights of Woman?

Essay by Rosie

Statistics & Data Science + Ethics, Politics & Economics (and Musician?) @ Yale :D

Prompt: You are teaching a new Yale course. What is it called?

Computer science: an alluring juxtaposition of problem-solving and art. It transforms me. When I’m meticulously debugging code, I’m 8-year-old me, manipulating the faces of my Rubik’s cube to return it to its original configuration. When I’m fervently typing away lines of code, I am a craftsman, painting on the canvas I call the IDE-software-application. When I’m compiling code, I am a scientist, testing for sources of error.

Essay by Rose

Programmer and performer @ Yale!

.css-310tx6{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;text-align:center;gap:var(--chakra-space-4);} Find an essay from your twin at Yale .css-1dkm51f{border-radius:var(--chakra-radii-full);border:1px solid black;} .css-1wp7s2d{margin:var(--chakra-space-3);position:relative;width:1em;height:1em;} .css-cfkose{display:inline;width:1em;height:1em;}

Someone with the same interests, stats, and background as you

Your Trusted Advisors for Admissions Success

Admissions and test prep resources to help you get into your dream schools

How to Get Into Yale: Essays and Strategies That Worked

Learn how hard it is to get into yale, admissions requirements, and read successful essay examples.

LEARN HOW TO GET INTO YALE

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: yale admissions requirements, part 3: applying to yale early action vs. regular decision, part 4: 2024–2025 yale supplemental essays (examples included), part 5: frequently asked questions.

As you research, visit, and imagine your child attending an Ivy League or Ivy Plus school, your mind has likely flitted to New Haven, Connecticut, home to Yale University . 

At Yale, you’ll find gothic spires and aged residential colleges reminiscent of Oxford and Cambridge, a library designed to look like a “cathedral to knowledge,” a whale-shaped hockey stadium home to an NCAA-winning team, one of the oldest and most famous student newspapers in the country, and a campus thrumming with a cappella groups and theater. 

As the third-oldest university in the country, Yale is proud of both its history and its modern evolution. From pre-Revolutionary War buildings scattered around New Haven to architecture designed by Maya Lin and Eero Saarenin to state-of-the art labs on “science hill,” including a particle accelerator that even freshmen are allowed to use, Yale’s centuries of campus life truly persist every day. 

Undergrads may study constitutional law alongside students at the top law program in the world or launch technology startups with the help of world-renowned biomedical engineering faculty members. They can travel the world on reporting trips with the Yale Globalist or international debating competitions with the Model U.N. team.

You don’t need us to tell you what Yalies go on to do: write Pulitzer-prize winning novels and journalism, earn Rhodes scholarships , get elected to public office (everything from New Haven aldermen to the Presidency), play professional sports, work on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley, or as magicians in Las Vegas. 

So how can your child be a competitive applicant for this dream school? Read on to find out.

Want to know exactly what it takes to get into schools like Yale?

Get the free 110-page guide we use to help our students routinely get admitted to Ivy League schools: How to Get Into America’s Elite Colleges: The Ultimate Guide

100% privacy. No spam. Ever.

Thank you! Your guide is on its way. In the meantime, please let us know how we can help you crack the the college admissions code . You can also learn more about our 1-on-1 college admissions support here .

Yale University ranking

Yale is always near the top not only of Ivy League rankings , but of all major university rankings.

U.S. News and World Report: 5

Wall Street Journal: 10

Where is Yale?

Yale is located in New Haven, Connecticut, a small city about 90 minutes via train from New York City, and about 30 minutes from other urban centers in Connecticut including Stamford and Hartford. 

New Haven has its own airport, but it’s small. Students may fly into New York airports (JFK, LaGuardia, or Whiteplains in Westchester), Hartford, or Newark, New Jersey. Shuttles and trains connect to New Haven. 

Yale setting

New Haven is an urban area with a population of about 135,000 people. It’s a diverse city that’s undergone a major renaissance as farmer’s markets, new businesses, and environmental initiatives crop up. Yale has spearheaded much of the urban makeover.

New Haven is a major cultural center in Connecticut, home to theater, restaurants, shops, and cafés.

Yale student population

Undergraduate students: 6,749

Graduate and professional students: 5,344

Yale acceptance rate

Here are the admissions statistics for Yale’s class of 2027 :

Applications: 52,303

Acceptances: 2,275

Matriculants: 1,647

Acceptance rate: 4.5%

Here’s what we know so far about the class of 2028:

Applications: 57,465

Acceptances: 2,146

Acceptance rate: ~3.73%

(Suggested reading: Ivy League Acceptance Rates )

Yale tuition and scholarships

Yale’s 2024–2025 cost of attendance (i.e., tuition, room, board, and fees) is $90,975.

Yale offers need-based financial aid only and vows to meet 100 percent of demonstrated need without loans. Typically, families earning under $75,000 per year are not expected to contribute to the cost of attendance. 54 percent of students receive some amount of financial aid, and the average award is $68,240.

Who gets into Yale?

In order to help you assess your child’s odds of getting into Yale, we’ve put together the following statistics related to successful applicants:

97% of students rank in the top 10% of their high school graduating class.

Average GPA: Yale doesn’t publish its students’ average high school GPA.

Yale average ACT score:

25th percentile: 33

75th percentile: 35

Yale average SAT Verbal score:

25th percentile: 740

7th percentile: 780

Yale average SAT Math score:

25th percentile: 760

75th percentile: 800

International students: 12%

First-generation students: 21%

Legacy: 11%

Among the class of 2027, 42% identify as white, 30% as Asian American, 18% as Hispanic or Latino, 14% as Black or African American, and 3% as Native American.

Yale academic requirements

Yale students aren’t just smart, boasting high grades and test scores. They also tend to be passionate about one or a handful of activities, and intellectually vivacious. You might meet anyone from the national debate champion to the national jump roping champion on campus.

That means there are no to few official requirements. Your child can be impressive and excellent in any number of ways. But overall, they should have challenged themselves, taking whatever advanced courses they have access to ( APs, IBs , or community college classes, for instance), and invested time in extracurricular activities .

Yale notes that, not only should your child excel in rigorous coursework, that coursework should also be well balanced. This means taking courses each year in English, science, math, the social sciences, and foreign language.

Yale application requirements

In addition to all that, here’s what else your child will need in order to apply. Yale accepts the Common Application, the Coalition Application, and the Questbridge Application. 

Common App essay

Required in 2024–2025: ACT or SAT test scores (Note: In February 2024, Yale announced that it will require standardized test scores for students applying in Fall of 2025 and beyond. However, students can choose which scores to include as part of Yale’s test-flexible policy .)

Optional: IB, AP, or AICE test results

2 teacher letters of recommendation

1 counselor letter of recommendation

School report, transcript, and midyear senior year report

Optional and not necessarily encouraged: Supplemental materials only from students who have outstanding or unusual accomplishments, including musical scores, published research papers, films, etc. 

Need inspiration for your Common App personal statement? Click below for instant access to 25 full-length example essays including advanced breakdowns of why they resonate with admissions committees.

Gain instant access to 25 exclusive full-length examples covering all seven prompts, plus comprehensive analyses for each to help you craft stellar essays.

Students can apply to Yale via single-choice early action, submitting all material by November 1st. 

Yale, like many of its peers, shows higher acceptance rates for those who apply early. However, those numbers should not necessarily indicate that your child has a “better shot” at getting in by applying early, because early applicants tend to be an overall more qualified and better prepared pool.

Your child can also apply to Yale regular decision. The Yale regular decision deadline is January 2nd.

Should my child apply to Yale early?

Applying to Yale early is a good choice if Yale is your child’s top choice school, and if their application is ready. If they need another semester to improve their GPA, or another chance to improve test scores or extracurricular profiles, we recommend waiting to apply regular decision.

(Suggested reading: Early Action vs. Early Decision: Pros and Cons and What Your Child Should Do )

Over 90% of our students get into one or more of their top 3 schools

Get our free 110-page guide for strategies to become the kind of applicant that selective colleges love to admit: How to Get Into America’s Elite Colleges: The Ultimate Guide

(Note: While this section covers Yale’s admissions essays specifically, we encourage you to view additional successful college essay examples .)

In addition to the Common App personal statement, Yale applicants will answer a series of short answer questions as well as write several supplemental essays . 

Before seeing some examples, let’s meet a few students, all of whom are closely based on or composites of the applicants we’ve worked with in nearly 20 years of advising. 

Jason is an avid musician and scientist. He participates in piano competitions around New Jersey, and has also pursued independent research in a family friend’s neurology lab over a summer. He’s also interested in computer science.

Priya loves dance, theater, and history. She’s drawn to Yale in part because of its reputation in history, literature, and the arts in general.

Sergio is concerned and passionate about the environment. He grew up hiking and biking outside in California. He also has a knack for the sciences and has attended some gifted STEM student summer programs.

Olivia is heavily involved in her school’s newspaper, serving as both a writer and photographer. She’d like to spend a portion of her undergraduate years abroad, with a goal of studying history or journalism.

Learn how to write outstanding Ivy League essays

Get our free 110-page guide to help you with every single one: How to Get Into America’s Elite Colleges: The Ultimate Guide

For 2024–2025, the Coalition Application, Common Application, and QuestBridge Application Yale supplemental essays are as follows.

Yale short answer questions

Question 1: Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided. (125 words or fewer)

Olivia chooses: Film and Media Studies; Ethics, Politics, and Economics; and History.

By the fifth buzz, I started pawing at my nightstand half-asleep, wondering who was texting me at 7am on a Saturday. My newspaper editor had heard about yet another protest occurring right outside our school. I dashed out of bed and rummaged through my closet for my Nikon so I could meet her at the scene. As I gathered my belongings, questions raced through my head. Who was there? What were they protesting? Why?

At Yale, I’ll continue asking important questions like these. By understanding the historical and political contexts that give rise to these events, I'll be able to tell better stories.

What’s great about Olivia’s answer?

Passion and intellectual curiosity. Olivia is clearly committed to her craft, waking up early on a Saturday to cover a protest in her neighborhood. She also seeks to develop an understanding of the larger societal forces that shape small communities like hers.

Specificity. In her first sentence, Olivia pulls the reader into the scene with descriptive and relatable language about “pawing at her nightstand.” Instead of “getting out of bed for a camera,” she “dashes out of bed, rummaging for a Nikon,” keeping the reader engaged and eager to know what happens next.

Question 2: Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

Question 3: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Quick responses in 35 words or fewer:

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will also respond to the following short answer questions, in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words):

Question 4: What inspires you?

Question 5: If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?

Question 6: Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence?

Question 7: What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Yale supplemental essays

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer.

Question 8: Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful? (400 words)

Question 9: Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like. (400 words)

Question 10: Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

Gain instant access to essay examples for every supplemental essay prompt from the top universities and BS/MD programs in the United States. Subscribe today to lock in the current investments, which will be increasing in the future for new subscribers.

Is it harder to get into Yale than Harvard?

Many students ask a variation of this question because ultimately, they want to get into any Ivy League school. Finding the path of least resistance is a primary concern of theirs when viewing the process from this angle.

Keep in mind that both Yale and Harvard are extremely selective with recent acceptance rates being around four percent. Determining which of the two is harder to get into is difficult. Overall, they are very close, but since their campus cultures are different, your child may benefit from choosing based on their particular interests and fit within that school’s community.

For example, Yale’s focus is generally a little heavier on the humanities and social sciences while Harvard has a reputation for utilizing a broader focus. If your child can better demonstrate their fit for one school over the other, this may mean that school is easier to get into in their case.

What GPA do you need to get into Yale?

As mentioned above, unfortunately, Yale does not publish the average high school GPAs of their incoming classes. However, with such a highly selective institution, it’s safe to say your child will need a GPA as close to 4.0 as possible. Taking advanced-level classes will also help as this can improve their weighted GPA and will show the admissions committee that your child is more than ready for the academic rigor they’ll encounter at Yale.

What kind of student does Yale want?

The kind of student Yale wants boils down to a few primary factors. Aside from an exceptional academic record, Yale wants to see intellectual curiosity, depth of extracurricular engagement, leadership and initiative, and a clear sense of purpose.

Your child can exhibit these qualities through their extracurriculars and projects in high school. They might even be interested in attending a summer program . Then, they will need to highlight these qualities in their essays. Clear, interesting, and well-thought-out essays are crucial in conveying a clear sense of purpose. Your child should note the specific reasons they wish to attend Yale beyond just getting into an Ivy League school. Which programs, majors, faculty members, or research opportunities about Yale excite them? Doing this will go a long way toward painting a picture of your child that aligns with the type of student Yale wants.

Final thoughts

Yale is a natural choice for any ambitious and precocious high school student. As a large research institution with a liberal arts approach to education, it will offer your child myriad opportunities. Every applicant should focus on getting to know Yale—and every other school to which they’re applying—so they can write with passion and specificity about why they’re the perfect fit. 

About the Author

Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into top programs like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT using his exclusive approach.

THERE'S NO REASON TO STRUGGLE THROUGH THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS ALONE, ESPECIALLY WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE. SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO ENSURE YOU LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the Yale University Essays 2024-2025

Hoping to become a Yale bulldog? When applying to such a selective school, writing standout supplemental essays can certainly give you a boost. Through your supplemental essays, you can create a complete picture of who you are and humanize yourself to readers.

Read on for our best advice on Yale’s short answer and longer essay prompts.

You can also check out these Yale essay examples to inspire your writing.

Yale University Supplemental Essay Prompts

Students can apply to Yale University using the Common Application, the Coalition Application, or Questbridge. All applicants are required to respond to two short answer questions that involve exploring your areas of interest and outlining your reasons for applying to Yale. 

Additionally, all applicants must write one 400-word essay. Students applying through the Common App or the Coalition App are required to answer four very short answer questions, around 35 words each.

Short Answer Questions (For all applicants, including Questbridge)

Short Answer 1: Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

Short Answer 2: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Common App and Coalition App Supplemental Questions (200 characters, ~35 words) 

What inspires you?

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence?

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Essays (All Applicants)

Please respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer. Please indicate the number of the prompt you choose.

Option 1: Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?

Option 2: Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

Option 3: Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

Optional Standardized Test Essay (All Applicants)

If you experienced a significant challenge associated with preparing for or completing the standardized test(s) you selected, you may provide details here. (100 words), short answer questions, short answer 1, students at yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. as of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably please indicate up to three from the list provided..

For context, as part of answering this prompt, you’ll be asked to pick three of several different academic areas from a long list. This prompt is similar to a traditional “ Why This Major ” prompt, however, 200 words is a tight amount of space, so you need to be comprehensive and clear. Whether or not you plan on majoring in physics, economics, or neuroscience, the same basic strategy can be applied across the board. Of course, this essay prompt, like many, can usually be answered through several different possible angles. 

One strategy involves tying your past and future together through your present interest. As directly as possible, you would describe how your academic interests developed, what exactly is compelling about your intended major (which will likely be directly connected to one or more of your academic interests), and perhaps what your professional goals are. 

For example, maybe you’re interested in Linguistics because you’re a third culture kind, and have always struggled to get rid of your American accent in Portuguese, but your younger brother speaks without an accent. You want to explore the science behind language acquisition, as well as the human impact of language (culture, identity, language preservation). You’re potentially interested in becoming a translator one day, primarily to expand great works of literature across language barriers.

Or, maybe you’re interested in Psychology and Political Science because you’re fascinated by today’s polarized political climate. You want to understand why people hold the beliefs they do, and why voters act the way they do. One day, you hope to work on the campaigns of progressive candidates who support the causes you care about.

Secondly, a respondent to this question could dive more deeply into the topic itself, with less of a focus on career and future and more on how you think. You could begin with a hook that loops readers into the very marrow of your interest, perhaps with a personal anecdote. Then, you could fully nerd out on whatever your interest is, from fine art to molecular biology to Spanish Literature. In order to explain why you are drawn to this interest, you can discuss your chosen topic or idea in a way that truly showcases your particular passion.

For example, a student with an interest in evolutionary biology could note the field’s tendency to challenge common assumptions surrounding anything from the innateness of gender norms to the “why’s” of our biological realities, while an international relations aficionado could say that being raised in a bilingual household triggered a lifelong love of translation, not only of language but also of  social norms, and cultural phenomena, between differing worlds. 

Whatever your interest is, waste no space in diving right into the most specific details. Then, work to connect the details to future goals and interests. While a traditional “Why This Major” essay should include why you want to study that major at that specific school, you may not have any space, given the small word count. Luckily, the next question allows you to discuss how Yale can support your academic goals.

Short Answer 2

What is it about yale that has led you to apply (125 words or fewer).

This is a classic example of the “ Why This College ” essay. For this prompt, you’ll want to cite specific reasons Yale is a good fit to support your academic goals. You may also want to include any compelling extracurricular reasons, as college is not only about what you do in the classroom. 

Let’s go back to the example of the student who’s passionate about Psych and PoliSci. A specific Yale resource they might want to highlight is the PoliSci Department’s funding for students working on election campaigns . This funding allows students to develop and implement a campaign strategy related to their unique skills. For example, they might choose to create a social media campaign, using their knowledge of voter psychology. 

Aim to get just as granular in your essay, and do extensive research on resources at Yale. See our post How to Research a School for the “Why This College” essay if you don’t know where to start.

In an essay of only 125 words, you’ll likely only be able to mention 2-4 aspects of Yale that resonate with you. That’s totally okay! It’s better to show a deeper understanding of what Yale offers than to list a bunch of general characteristics. 

Under no circumstances should you mention anything vague that could apply to other schools, such as the location, prestige, or even a strong academic department. If you could copy and paste your essay for another school and just switch out the school name, that’s a sign that your essay isn’t specific enough. Take it to the next level; what courses, programs, organizations, or grants could support your goals? 

Common App and Coalition App Supplemental Questions

What inspires you (200 characters).

This sounds a lot like “vision statements” that many business professionals write for themselves. The idea here is to give a concise summary of what drives you every day.

While brainstorming an answer to this question, it’s a good idea to think about how you would summarize your application in a few sentences. What are your recommenders saying about you? What do your classwork and extracurriculars demonstrate an interest in? What sentence instantly helps to combine the disparate elements of your application into a cohesive narrative? This should help guide an answer to the question that’s consistent with your overall application.

For example, maybe you’re passionate about competitive weightlifting and computer programming. You love the two very different activities because they allow you to constantly push your limits. You can always lift more, and create a more efficient program. Your response to this prompt might focus on your desire to continually improve yourself and what you’ve built.

Or, maybe the focus of your high school career was leadership and service. You served in Student Government, participated in Model UN, and started an organization to combat the food desert in your local community. In this case, you might write that working with governing bodies to enact meaningful change is what motivates you.

Of course, you could derive your inspiration from something external, like a certain group of people you interact with every day or even your favorite musician. This is fine and can make a meaningful essay, but it’s the sort of thing a person has to be very careful about. For example, writing an essay about how inspired you are by your mother’s diligence as a hand surgeon can be a great read, but these types of essays make it easy to accidentally focus more so on your inspirational subject than about you. Make sure to always tie back the source of your inspiration to yourself, your drive, your actions, and your values. 

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be? (200 characters )

This is just a proxy to ask “what interests you?” That is, what interests you enough that you’d want to share that passion with others? You can let your creativity run wild here; if you have a niche interest, this is the perfect place to mention it.

For a college course, share the title and give a brief description of the course, such as the works you’ll study and the themes covered.

Remember that an answer like “Designing and Testing Role Playing Games” is a lot better than “Economics 101.” Alternatively, think about two interests you have. For example, if you like cartoon shows and politics, a class called “The Politics of Cartoon Shows” will definitely catch the eye of an admissions officer.

For a book, you’ll want to share the title and a brief synopsis. An example might be: “ Who Made My Clothes? Stories from Garment Workers Around the World. This book will humanize these workers, sharing their backgrounds, their reasons for sewing, and the conditions they work in.”

For the original work of art, also share the title and give a visual description mixed with the inspiration for the piece. An example would be: “ Mushroom Forest , mixed media. This work depicts an ethereal forest of colorful, self-foraged mushrooms and moss. A small, painted frog looks onward, shielded from the rain by the mushroom canopy.”

Keep it engaging, witty, and quick!

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? (200 characters)

People with great mentors and role models usually become successful in their fields, and Yale wants to admit successful students. This prompt also gives you an opportunity to show self-awareness and gratitude for someone else’s impact on your growth.

If no one comes to mind immediately, it may be easier to think of traits or aspects of your application you want to highlight, and then consider who had the biggest impact on that area of your life. For example, pretend you’re Beth from The Queen’s Gambit, and your obvious talent is playing chess. You might choose to write about Mr. Shaibel, the janitor who introduced you to chess:

Mr. Shaibel, my orphanage’s janitor, not only taught me chess; he helped me grasp opportunities I didn’t have, introducing me to the HS coach and even giving me money to enter my first tournament.

You have an extremely limited character count, so get straight to the point, and feel free to use well-known abbreviations/acronyms to maximize space.

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application? (200 characters)

This one is incredibly open-ended, which can be as terrifying or as exciting as you decide it to be. It gives you a great opportunity to showcase something that wouldn’t traditionally show up in a letter of recommendation or a resume. Here are a few questions to consider for brainstorming:

• What are your hobbies?
• What could you talk about endlessly?
• What are you known for in your friend group? How about your family?
• What’s your guilty (or not so guilty) pleasure? Reality TV? In-n-Out runs? Gummy worms?
• Do you have a random skill, like cutting hair or making friendship bracelets?
• Do you have siblings, and does your role in the sibling hierarchy affect your life?
• What’s a weird story of yours? A spontaneous thing you’ve done or something that happened to you and the way you reacted to it?
• What’s a value you were raised to have?
• What’s something you like doing, regardless of whether you’re good at it or not?
• On that subject, what’s something you’re bad at but do anyway?

Brainstorm as freely as you can and leave no stone unturned; nothing is too stupid or frivolous to make it into your essay! The important thing in any college essay is rarely the subject itself, but what the subject reveals about you. For example, you can write about how, as the most skilled hair-braider on your cross-country team, you’ve gotten to know all of your teammates better through being the unofficial “team braider,” or that as a middle child, you’ve developed dual penchants for observation and conflict resolution. You only have a few words and it’s implied in this prompt that this essay can be an off-the-resume one, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be deep. But it should still be revealing in some way!

Essays for All Applicants

Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. why did you find the experience meaningful (400 words).

This essay presents a fantastic opportunity to showcase both your intellectual vitality and your social skills. At its core, it’s an essay about your growth as a thinker and person. 

We disagree with people often, often multiple times a day, so there’s plenty of material to brainstorm from. This may be especially pertinent for members of argument-based extracurriculars, like debate, Mock Trial, and Model UN students. Activists and researchers, too. But remember— it doesn’t have to be an argument, just a discussion with a dissenter. 

Write down a list of possible topics, and don’t worry too much about the context of the discussion so much as its content and impact. When this essay is well-written, quarrels with the woman in front of you in line for grocery checkout can be just as fascinating as a national debate closing argument. 

Also, determining whether an issue is “important” or not can be a subjective matter. Your essay doesn’t necessarily need to be about traditional political debate topics, such as abortion or gun control. In fact, we encourage you to write about issues that will be a little less common, if you can think of some relevant experiences (local issues can be especially promising). Topics such as cultural appropriation, the ethics of thrifting and reselling, or whether your school district should get rid of its gifted program are all fair game.

Just remember that Yale is a liberal university, so you don’t want to alienate your audience by sharing that you have a particularly conservative point of view.

After creating your list, scan your potential topic ideas for varied points of interest. Pay special attention to the second half of the prompt and consider which experiences either helped you sharpen your reasoning or change your opinion. Which experience was the most transformative? Intellectually stimulating? Emotional? Unique? Which do you remember the most clearly and why? Once you’ve narrowed down your options into a few viable ones, pick the one that you feel will make it easiest to craft a compelling story.

When starting this essay, include just enough to set the scene. Don’t dwell on exposition, irrelevant details of the conversation, or negative emotions surrounding the event for too long. Who was there? How did you disagree, and why? Introduce each viewpoint as succinctly as possible while still preserving important details, keeping in mind the strict word count. 

Explain the important points within the conversation before fully diving into the essay. Often essays around any sort of challenge are better-written when the writer focuses on the growth aspects of the story rather than whatever challenging circumstances came before. 

Really dive into how your thinking was shifted or augmented by your experience or even what broader lessons you may have learned after better understanding a specific issue. What did you do during or after the discussion? Did you research it more deeply or take action in support of your final opinion?

For example, maybe your environmental club thought that your school should ban plastic straws because of their negative impact on the planet, but then you learned from disabled students how important plastic straws can be for accessibility. As a result, you shifted the campaign to introducing a composting system instead, and learned the importance of inviting more diverse voices to weigh in on the club’s initiatives.

By the end of the argument, your reader should feel that you’ve truly gotten to know your topic well and experienced positive change as a result. Feel free to mention specific logical progressions, newfound evidence, or novel philosophical perspectives you’ve discovered.

This essay is also an exercise in open-mindedness, so make sure to avoid ad hominem attacks against your “opponent.” As a general rule of thumb, frame your viewpoint throughout as a respectful one, regardless of how the discussion actually went. 

Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like. (400 words)

With this prompt, admissions officers are trying to learn what is important to you in a community and why you are important in a community. Yale’s essay prompts have historically stressed the importance of community, as it’s an understandable priority for them. When applying to a university, you are applying to join their community—so think about what they want! They want to accept students who form deep bonds, care for their peers, and have strong guiding values and principles. This essay allows you to show that you are already well-versed in forming meaningful connections. 

Most people are a part of various communities, whether they realize it or not or whether these communities are formal (town, soccer team, religious organization, school) or informal (group of friends, coworkers, family) ones. If you are having trouble identifying which yours are, consider which people you feel a sense of community with. Volunteer groups, families, cultures, and clubs may spring to mind. Really, though, anything can make the cut: your Dungeons and Dragons group, those sharing your gender or sexual identity, people with similar life experiences to you. 

You can aim to organize your essay in the following way:

First, define and describe the community you are writing about. Defining the community is especially important for applicants writing about informal communities. For example, if you are writing about your siblings, make sure that this is clear. When describing the community, be sure to describe the culture. How do you interact as a group? For example, your soccer team may be more than teammates – perhaps you have special moments while traveling on the bus for a match. Make sure you discuss the dynamic. As a group, are you sarcastic, silly, or serious? Does your community have a specific kind of humor or tradition? 

To draw readers into your story, feel free to lead with a charming sensory anecdote, like that of your family cooking their favorite traditional dish or the roars of laughter emerging from gameplay. In just a few sentences, show your reader just how important this community is to you and in which ways you feel connected to it. Do they make you laugh harder or understand you better than anyone else? Do you feel particularly passionate about an issue they represent? 

When you are outlining the aspects of a community that are meaningful to you, you are also outlining your values! If you want to position yourself as fun-loving, you may want to focus on the sarcastic or silly aspects of your community. If you want to be seen as deep and thoughtful, you may want to focus on your community values and traditions.

Secondly, discuss your engagement with the community. You can lead by introducing your motivation for your efforts to explain them. For example, did you create a Snapchat group chat for your debate team that allowed you to bond outside the context of serious competitions, opening up a channel for close friendship among teammates? Did you regularly grab lunch with your co-workers at a local bakery? Or, did you meet survivors of gender-based violence through your work with a local organization? In this way, your efforts and their meaning can be covered in one fell swoop. Describing your role in your community will allow admissions officers to get a more full picture of what you value and how you act on your values.

Finally, reflect on why your involvement was important to you , and how it’s shaped you. For example, did the Snapchat group chat teach you to empathize with your competition, improving your sportsmanship? Did conversations with your coworkers over lunch spark your interest in food science? Or, did volunteering at a non-profit increase your interest in being a human rights lawyer? You could also talk about how being the oldest sibling taught you to be a caretaker and sparked your interest in becoming a doctor. Regardless, you want to write about how you have become who you are through your engagement with this community.

Although this essay presents an opportunity to show off what you’ve done, there should be just as much emphasis—if not more so—on your personal connection to your achievements as on your achievements themselves. Remember that admissions officers will already be looking over your activities and awards information, so there’s a good chance they’ll see it soon before or after reading your essays! Take this chance to display your core values, because in a way, this prompt is asking a sub-question: What is meaningful to you?

In this video, we read a successful Yale essay for a similar prompt: “What is a community to which you belong?”

This essay can take on a narrative form if you want to tell a brief story that exemplifies your community involvement or you can write it as a simple description/explanation. If you choose to be more explanatory in your writing, you should make sure to give yourself some sentences for deep reflection. While there is a prompt to answer, make sure that your writing stays engaging and thoughtful!

Optional Standardized Test Essay for All Applicants

Understanding the prompt.

The admissions committee is looking to understand any external factors that might have affected your test performance, such as health issues, lack of resources, or personal circumstances.

Some questions you might consider are:

• Did you face any personal, family, or health challenges that impacted your ability to prepare for the tests?
• Were there any external factors, like lack of access to resources or test prep courses, that hindered your preparation?
• Did any technical difficulties or unforeseen events occur on the test day?
• How did these challenges impact your study routine or test performance?
• What steps did you take to overcome or manage these challenges?

What Makes a Good Response

• Honesty and Clarity : Be straightforward about the challenges you faced. Explain clearly what happened and how it affected your test preparation or performance.
• Specificity : Provide specific details about the challenge. Instead of saying, “I had health issues,” mention the exact problem, like “I had mononucleosis, which made me extremely fatigued for several months.”
• Impact on Performance : Explain how these challenges impacted your ability to prepare or take the test. Did it limit your study time, affect your concentration, or cause anxiety?
• Resilience : If applicable, mention any efforts you made to overcome these challenges. This can show your determination and problem-solving skills.

Hypothetical Student Examples

1. Rachel had to balance studying for the SAT with caring for her younger siblings after school because her parents were working extra hours. She could describe how this responsibility limited her study time, leading to lower scores than she had hoped for.

2. James contracted a severe case of the flu two weeks before his ACT test date, leaving him bedridden and unable to study. He could explain how this illness disrupted his final review sessions and impacted his test day performance due to lingering fatigue.

3. Ava lived in a rural area with no access to SAT prep courses or reliable internet. She could discuss how she struggled to prepare using outdated materials from her local library and had to travel far to take the test, which added stress and fatigue.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Blaming Others : Avoid sounding like you are blaming other people or the test for your scores. Focus on the facts of the situation and how it impacted you.
• Exaggerating : Be honest about your challenges but don’t exaggerate. Admissions officers can often tell if a story is overblown.
• Lack of Reflection : Simply stating a challenge without reflection on how it affected you or what you learned from it makes for a weak response. Include a brief insight into how you dealt with the challenge or what you learned from it.
• Being Vague : Vague descriptions like “I was stressed” or “I had a lot going on” don’t provide enough context. Be specific about the challenge and its impact.

Good and Bad Examples

Good Example:

“During my junior year, my father lost his job, and our family struggled financially. I took on part-time work after school to help support us, which left me with little time to study for the SAT. The stress of our situation made it hard to concentrate, and I often had to stay up late to finish homework and study for the SAT. Despite my extra efforts, my exhaustion led to lower test scores than I hoped for. This experience taught me resilience and time management, but the demands on my time and the stress of our financial situation greatly impacted my test preparation and performance.”

Why it works : This response provides a clear context for the challenge, explains the impact on the student’s ability to prepare for the test, and briefly mentions the personal growth and skills gained from the experience.

Bad Example:

“In the weeks leading up to the SAT, I was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder. Despite attending therapy and trying relaxation techniques, my anxiety spiked on test day, causing me to freeze up. This significantly impacted my performance, as I was unable to focus or complete the math section.”

Why it’s weak : Even though this example explains what was causing the stress and how it specifically impacted the student’s test-taking abilities, it lacks any mention of effort to manage the situation, which makes the response feel incomplete and paints the student in a negative light.

Where to Get Your Yale University Essay Edited for Free

Looking for feedback on your Yale University essays? Try out our free Peer Essay Review tool , where other students will review your essay for free. You can return the favor and review other students’ essays while improving your own writing skills too!

For faster feedback, you can check out Sage, our AI tutor and advisor for a free, nearly-instantaneous essay review . 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

How to Write the Yale Supplemental Essays: Guide + Examples 2024/2025

How to Write the Yale Supplemental Essays TABLE OF CONTENTS

What are the yale supplemental essay prompts.

• How to write each supplemental essay prompt for Yale University
• Prompt #1: "Why major" essay
• Prompt #2: "Why us" essay
• Prompt #3: Short answers
• Prompt #4: Multiple options essay

While Yale was founded in 1702, it didn’t become part of the Ivy League until the 1950s … because the Ivy League didn’t exist until the ‘50s, when it was created as an NCAA sports division, though people frequently think the term simply refers to an elite group of schools. Which Yale also definitely is.

The Yale supplemental essay prompts offer an opportunity to show many of the different, complex facets that make you both an interesting human being and a good candidate for acceptance. You’ll want to take advantage of that opportunity by carefully considering your responses and using them to show variety.

If you want to get a clearer sense of all that Yale is looking for, you can explore an extensive, by-the-numbers look at its offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set . And for insights into how the university envisions itself and its role, and how it wants to grow and evolve, read its sustainability plan and global strategy . Reading through these will give you a strong idea of what Yale values.

Yale Supplemental Essay Prompt #1

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

Yale Supplemental Essay Prompt #2

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Yale Supplemental Essay Prompt #3

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will also respond to the following short answer questions, in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words): What inspires you? If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be? Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Yale Supplemental Essay Prompt #4

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer. Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful? Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like. Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Yale

How to write the yale supplemental essay prompt #1.

This is a standard (but very short) “Why Major” prompt. For a larger guide to the “Why Major” essay, click here . Below is a condensed version.

One possible approach:

Think of this as a quick origin story.

Step #1: Imagine a mini-movie of the moments that led you to your interest and create a simple, bullet-point outline.

Step #2: Put your moments (aka the “scenes” of your mini-movie) in chronological order, as it’ll help you see how your interests developed. It also makes it easier to write transitions.

Step #3: You’ll likely want to include a specific thesis that explicitly states your central argument—in this case, what you want to study and why. This thesis can come at the beginning, middle, or end of your essay.

Once you have those pieces, you have a few structural options:

A. A quick hook that thematically sets up where you’ll take us, and, ideally, shows an aspect of your intellect/personality (If you do this, it can be stylistically effective to bookend—to end the essay by linking back to what you opened with.)

B. An initial moment that sparked your interest

C. Your thesis

Body (but to clarify, this essay can be a single paragraph if you choose)

The moments of your mini-movie, illustrating both the development of your interest and some of your core values

One option: Go narrower—perhaps link to specific aspects of Yale that will help you continue on your path toward a future goal.

Another option: Go wider—name the road you hope to follow (for example, career path, organizations you’d like to work with, the greater value/implications of studying what you want to).

And last, a quick tip: Be sure this essay is consistent with your personal statement if you’ve mentioned aspects of your major/career there.

Here’s a nice example essay (written by Luci Jones), written when the prompt had a shorter word count—so you’ll have more room for your essay.

Storytelling has shaped me. At four, I read The Lion King until I’d memorized it. I’d snuggle in bed as my dad read Wilderness Champion or Tom Sawyer. Later, I found audio and visual storytelling, mesmerized by This American Life and Whiplash. Now, I create my own stories through newspaper satire, podcasting, and locally-broadcasted radio.  My major at Yale would be the next chapter in my life of storytelling. I’d explore past narratives and how they can be digitally innovated. Whether exploring media’s disfiguration of truth, developing screenplays, or analyzing mise-en-scene, I hope to pioneer new networks of connection. (99 words) — — —

Tips + Analysis 

(Quickly) hook the reader. The first line performs a few functions here. First, it pulls us in and makes us curious about what exactly she means by claiming that storytelling has shaped her. Second, it gives us a sense of a core aspect of her identity and values. 

Show the development of your interest through moments that connect to core values. She packs a nice amount of detail into 99 words. The details she includes point toward her values and identity, as do her interests in newspaper satire, podcasting, and local radio. The details in the second paragraph show some nice depth and development. 

Describe how Yale can help with the next steps. She links her brief origin story to how Yale can help her on her path, and how it will help her develop both her understanding and her values. 

How to Write the Yale Supplemental Essay Prompt #2

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words)

This is a standard but really short “Why us?” prompt. Because it’s so short, you’ll want to find a few specific reasons that set Yale apart from other schools you're applying to. As the following guide explains, you’ll want to be sure to think of this as a “Why us?”—as in you + the school, and why you’d be a great fit together, and not simply “why them.” One way we sometimes joke about this is to think about the essay as though you’re helping the school understand why your online dating profile and its online dating profile are perfect for each other, and how you’d probably make great partners.

For a complete guide to “Why us?” essays, click here . Here’s a condensed version:

Six Common Mistakes Students Make on “Why Us?” Essays

Mistake #1 : Writing about the school's size, location, reputation, weather, or ranking

Mistake #2 : Simply using emotional language to demonstrate fit

Mistake #3 : Screwing up the mascot, stadium, team colors or names of any important people or places on campus

Mistake #4 : Parroting the brochures or website language

Mistake #5 : Describing traditions the school is well known for

Mistake #6 : Thinking of this as only a "why them" essay (as mentioned above)

So, if those are things you shouldn’t write about, what should you write about? Here are some steps to figure that out.

Step #1 : Do your research.

Spend 1 hr+ researching 10+ reasons why Yale might be a great fit for you (you’ll only use a few of them, but try to find more than you’ll need for the essay so you can choose the strongest).

Step #2 : Use this chart to map out your research. 

Step #3 : Decide on your approach.

Approach #1: The “3-5 Unique Offerings” Strategy

Find 3-5 opportunities that are particular to the school (i.e., available at no other school or no other school you’re applying to) and connect each one back to you.

Approach #2: The “One Value” Strategy

How it works: Identify one core value that links you to the school and tell a story. Like so:

1. Find a way in which you and the school are deeply aligned.

2. Take your time crafting the essay.

3. Find a way to be vulnerable.

Could I create a hybrid approach by focusing on a central theme, but still listing a few reasons?

Here’s a nice example essay (written by Luci Jones). 

My life is the epitome of “and.” I have Chinese roots and am a proud North Carolinian. I am a team player and a leader. A bookworm and a backpacker. A creative thinker and logical problem-solver. I bridge divides. Like me, Yale embraces “and.” While Yale has the resources of a large research university, its approach to academics fosters the intimacy of a liberal arts education. I could research abroad in Rabat and prepare for post-college work at CIPE, but also engage in small group discussions about world cinema and take an interdisciplinary class connecting creative writing, psychology, and digital media. Yale is a place that closes the gap. A place that offers a whole new world of “and” to explore and create. (123 words) — — —

(Quickly) hook the reader. As with the first essay, the opening line here pulls us in and makes us curious what exactly she means by this claim. This is a quick way to stand out from the rest. 

Get really specific about the school + you. The second paragraph gets into some nice detail regarding what the school offers, with the contrast between the details illustrating a connection to a core aspect of how she sees herself  (an embracer of “and”). 

Bookending. With any essay, but especially one this short, bookending (using the final line to link back thematically to where the essay opened) can be a nice way to create a sense of closure while allowing you to devote most of your word count to details about the school and yourself. 

Prompt 3 is a series of four short answer questions. For a more detailed guide, click here .

As you approach these, keep in mind that each offers a chance to show the reader a new piece of yourself. Get really specific with your responses in ways that counterpoint nicely with other elements of your application. And along those lines, try not to repeat things that appear elsewhere.

How to Write the Yale Supplemental Essay Prompt #3

• What inspires you?
• If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?
• Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence?
• What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

These short answer questions can present a nice opportunity to show your personality, and allow for some juxtaposition against one another to demonstrate depth and complexity. 

Here’s some advice on how to approach short answer questions like these. 

The examples below each do a nice job of showing values, intellect, and personality, and often contain a touch of humor.

Short answer 1: What inspires you?

(200 characters; 35 words max)

Podcasts. Ira Glass and This American Life. Stories that hook you with the small moments, but leave you with the big lessons. Listening to voices and feeling connected to a radio network of humanity. (199 Characters) — — —

Tips + Analysis

Think about the things people tend to be inspired by. Sunsets. Popular quotes. Songs.  Then don’t write about those things. 

Instead, find something that is as specific to you as possible, and that allows you to share a new side of yourself. And get really specific with the “why.” Plenty of people are inspired by podcasts, but the reflection and focus are what helps us feel like we know this student.

Short answer 2: If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?

You’ve got fun options to be creative and show interests and personality here.

Here’s a longer guide for writing a “create-your-own-course” essay . While it won’t apply as much here—since you’re basically answering in just a few words—it may inspire you.

And the same principles apply to the “write a book” or “create an original piece of art” options.

Here’s a nice example.

Tweeting on the Golden Toilet: A Historical Look at the Social, Political, and Cultural Implications of Fake News in America (20 words) – – –

Tips + Analysis  

We like that, in just a few words, we get a feel for the author’s sense of humor, her intellect, and her political and social values.

The structure here—an interesting, amusing course name, followed by a description that shows us values and intelligence—works nicely.

Short answer 3: Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence?

Michael Wildes, my mentor, who humbly carries the big flashy name, has inspired me to become an immigration lawyer who sees the human in each person rather than the money they can pay. — — —

Short answer 4: What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

This one is wide open, for a reason. Rather than guide you with a more specific prompt, Yale is curious to see what you’d add here that you haven’t had a chance to share yet. So look at it as one more chance to make your application profile stand out. Don’t be daunted by the tiny word count. Sometimes, less is more.

Here are three examples that prove that out.

Late nights working on the Katana ZERO fan game I started; coding, writing, drawing. The best part is posting in #daily-progress at 2am about what I accomplished. Logging in the next morning and seeing updates from my team members, I’m encouraged to keep working on our collective passion project. (49 words) – – – Falafels. Construction Work. Wave-Particle Duality. These describe my train ride for two hours every Saturday to attend the Columbia Science Honors Program. One side of my brain ponders the inception of subway route-optimization while the other side empathizes with the little kid tugging on his mom’s jacket for more candy. (50 words) – – – In July of 2018, I analyzed supersaturation in polymers, measuring their weight change, and combined my experiment with another researcher’s nanoparticles project, investigating whether nano-patterned polymers more effectively filtered water. By expanding the experiment, results have the potential to provide clean water to developing countries and revolutionize current filtration techniques. (50 words) – – –

Use the opportunity to flex a different value. Along with the opportunity to share an activity Yale hasn’t seen yet comes the chance to show a different value. Do the Values Exercise , if you haven’t already, and examine the rest of your application. Which of your values aren’t showing up or aren’t coming through as much as you’d like? Either choose an activity that allows you to express that value best, or find a way to write about it to show that value with intention. The first example here shows curiosity and persistence. The second is sprinkled with humor and adventure, while the third has geeky pursuit-of-knowledge vibes.

Show how that activity or experience demonstrates one of your best qualities. Zero in on one particular moment or aspect of your activity or experience that shows a positive quality about you. Notice, we say SHOW. Don’t just write what that quality is—help your reader visualize it. For example, the author of the first essay reveals a commitment to passion projects by sharing details about his #daily-progress posts. The author of the second essay talks about a train ride but shows an intellectual curiosity about the world around her. And the author of third essay talks about an academic research experience but demonstrates knowing how to apply scientific research to real world problems. 

How to Write the Yale Supplemental Essay Prompt #4

• Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?
• Reflect on a time when you have worked to enhance a community to which you feel connected. Why have these efforts been meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.
• Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

Let’s break that down …

Option 1: Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?

(400 words or fewer)

There’s no doubting it. Yale is one of the most intellectually rigorous communities in the world. And this essay prompt asks you to  reflect on a moment that shows you welcome the growth that comes from weighing different viewpoints. Since this prompt is deeply connected to Yale’s core values and mission, it’s important to spend time and intention on your response. 

Here’s a great example written for a very similar Princeton prompt. 

A racist culture pervades my small town of Maryville, Tennessee. To outsiders, we seem complicit in this racism through our mascot: the Rebels. In August, my school voted me as Mrs. MHS: awarded to the student who contributes the most to the school and community through extracurriculars, academics, and community service and embodies the “Rebel spirit.” I was grateful for the award, but appalled when the latter label was bestowed upon me. So, the girl who embodied the Rebel spirit rebelled. “Whether you like it or not, our mascot has foundations in racism. Changing the mascot is the bare minimum that we owe to the students that have been affected by the racism this mascot fuels,” began my (now infamous) social media post. My post was reposted, sent in groups, and met with intense hatred.  “The snowflakes won’t let us have anything these days. It’s literally a mascot,” read the most popular comment, insinuating that I was being overly sensitive. The student who wrote this, leader of a group called “Save the Rebels,” ensured that I was alienated as one of the few local supporters.  I messaged him and transformed an argumentative discourse into a healthy, multiple-day discussion about the roots and depiction of the mascot. We researched each other’s sources and began to understand the opposing side’s perspective. Yet, as we made progress, his friends pulled him away from breaking the barriers of polarization with me.  Incorporating the lessons I learned from this experience into future dialogues, I believe it would be increasingly impactful for the defenders of the mascot to hear the testimonials of students of color to substantiate my claim that the mascot brought about pain. I would also want to create a safe space where individuals can exchange differing perspectives and attempt to understand each other’s position without fear of social pressure. At Princeton, I hope to contribute to an environment free of judgment, where I can use the tools that I’ve gained to pave the way for a more effective, respectful dialogue. – – –

Find a unique angle. Never forget that your goal is to stand out and say something memorable when writing any college application essay. So, try not to choose to reflect on a moment that could have happened to anyone (e.g., arguing with someone in the comment section of a YouTube video). Instead, pick a moment that brings the reader into a unique angle of your life. Notice how the author of this example essay also gets to share information about her role as “Mrs. MHS.”

Weigh the opposing viewpoints. Show you’re capable of analyzing both sides of an argument. You can do this by discussing your beliefs about the particular issue and then showing your process for attempting to understand the opposing viewpoint. The author of this example shows her  commitment to understanding the other side by talking about how she not only reached out to discuss the issue with the leader of “Save the Rebels,” she and her conversation partner also took the time to research “each other’s sources and began to understand the opposing side’s perspective.”

Share the lesson and how you plan to apply it. How did you grow from your experience? That’s what Yale’s admission officials really want to know. So, end your essay with a clear explanation of what you’ve learned from having your ideas challenged and the more nuanced understanding you now have of the issue. Then, wrap things up by discussing how you can continue to apply the lessons you gained from the experience. This student devotes a whole paragraph on how she’d apply the lessons she’s learned, exposing the defenders of the mascot to perspectives of those who’ve been hurt by it, but also creating a safe space for all to share their opinions. That’s just the kind of maturity and self-reflection Yale (and Princeton) is looking for.

Here’s another great example, also written for that Princeton prompt:  

The past few years have demonstrated a rift between perspectives present throughout the nation, and my Spanish class perfectly demonstrated this. Once during a group discussion, someone shared a cartoon in which a certain elected official with a certain style of hair who lives in a certain house was drawn as an infant. This led to a heated argument.  Some of us found it relatively humorous, while others were offended, claiming the political caricature was a form of bullying. As the quarreling continued, the focus on the image waned. Insults were being thrown in broken Spanish and it soon became clear people weren’t listening so much as forcing their beliefs and expecting agreement.  For a while, I just attributed this to differences of opinion. But once members of the group began avoiding each other, I noticed the resentment over who had or had not chuckled at the simply-drawn lines of the cartoon had led to another drawing: that of deep divisions between friends. There seemed to be a lack of ear-lending and little fact-based explanations shared as to why others were perceived as wrong.  When we revisited this incident in our next discussion, I realized education is different from indoctrination. Explaining something to demonstrate why a certain belief is not a fact is different from forcing someone to change their beliefs by belittling them. Though I considered myself a neutral party in this particular argument, I had taken a side internally. In the future, if I were to find myself in a similar situation, the first thing I would do is limit my bias by attempting to hear the rationale behind both sides before concluding that one is worse than the other.  – – –

Option 2: Reflect on a time when you have worked to enhance a community to which you feel connected. Why have these efforts been meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

This prompt is a slight variation on the standard Community Essay. You can read this step-by-step guide (with some great examples that we also analyze) on that type of essay . Unlike the typical prompt that asks you to define a community you’re a part of, this one goes an important step further by asking you to talk about how you’ve “worked to enhance” that community. 

Here’s a great example essay that does just that.

1-7-7-6.  The lock clicks and the rusty gate opens. I trudge through wormy mud in my rubber boots and twelve sheep turn around. Food? Herding sheep while volunteering at Washington Crossing Historic Park let me consider what the animal world has to teach us. Collaboration is key to productivity: how else does one steal feed? But, in the presence of wealth, they adopt an unstated policy of “every sheep for themselves.” And when an issue affects everyone—evaporating drinking water, withering pastures, muggy air—they become lethargic, unproductive, and powerless. Sheep also feel the effects of climate change. But, unlike us, they have no control over their destiny, and have every right to feel despondent. We do have control—over our destiny and the destinies of nearly 9 million species. Wanting to fulfill my obligation to at least some of those species, I got involved. I joined the Garden Apprenticeship Program and tended to our school’s hens, and as a member of EnAct, I organized a state-wide climate change conference. Now, as a leader in my school’s Service Learning committee, I connect my fellow students to their own passions. (186 words) — — —

Show new sides of yourself that the reader hasn’t seen elsewhere in your application. Use this essay to show another, deeper side of a previously mentioned community or (even better) to discuss a community you haven’t had a chance to explore extensively. And, as we mentioned above, take advantage of the opportunity to express new values you haven’t shared yet. Got a goofy side that hasn’t been explored yet? Have fun with the writing! Or maybe you’ve spent much of your space on academic work—then use this essay to show your love of family or free-spiritedness. 

Try to think outside the box. Which of your communities might help you stand out among other such essays? Being part of a “community” can take a lot of different forms. Don’t limit yourself to a narrow definition. Like talking about herding sheep—Yale may see lots of climate change essays here and in other prompts, but it’s highly unlikely it’s read one that views the issue through the animal kingdom’s eyes quite like this one.

Discuss the impact of your contribution. This is an important aspect of this prompt, as we noted above, and what differentiates it from some other community essay prompts. It underscores how important it is to Yale admission officers that they set a sense for how you’ve contributed to your chosen community and why that contribution matters to you. This student talks about how they got involved—by tending to the school’s hens as a member of the Garden Apprenticeship Program and organizing a statewide climate change conference—but because this essay was written for another prompt, they didn’t emphasize why that involvement mattered as expressly as they would have if writing to this prompt. Make sure to do both.

Details! Be specific. The more visceral details you can give about yourself and the community you’re discussing, the more you distinguish yourself from all the other applicants. Use memorable language and evoke unique images that will stick with the admission officers. Like this, which makes for a fun opening: “1-7-7-6. The lock clicks and the rusty gate opens. I trudge through wormy mud in my rubber boots and twelve sheep turn around. Food?”

Here’s a bonus example that also works well (and makes that “why the efforts have been meaningful” point even stronger).

“Well, they seem like normal people, I guess.” Putting down his phone, my dad conceded.  How much this moment means to me is difficult to describe.  As a volunteer at the Beijing LGBT Center, I’d shot and edited a video entitled “I Don’t Want to Work in the Closet”, exposing the discrimination queer Chinese employees face in workplaces. Aiming to raise funds for the center and create reverberation among employers, I scrutinized every detail in my video, from the subtitle fonts to the background music. Reorganizing the clips, I created an emotional arc providing a call for action. The video was eventually published on Chinese social media. As the number of views rose and supportive comments emerged, I was proud to have made an impact.  But I didn’t feel the weight of my contribution until I showed the video to my dad, who, despite his love for me, was unaware of my queer identity, largely disdained my work at the center and (as far as I know) the entire LGBT population.  Now, my dad’s comment let me know the video had altered his perception, even if just slightly. Using my directing and video-editing skills, I was able to help humanize the Chinese queer population. My dad is far from being supportive of the LGBT movement, as are many other Chinese people, but fostering a willingness to accept differences was already a significant step.  I produce videos to magnify the underrepresented voice of my LGBTQ community because, to me, diversity matters. — — —

Option 3: Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

This is Yale’s version of the fairly common “how will you contribute” prompt. Here, Yale wants to understand how your life experiences have prepared you to contribute to their diverse student community. Let's break down the key components of the prompt to guide your approach.

Which of your life experiences have had the most impact on your personal development? This essay offers the opportunity to delve into specific experiences that have shaped your perspective on life, education, and more.

How will you contribute? Make sure your answer to this question is clear. How have these experiences positioned you to make an impact at Yale? What do you bring to the school and community (in ways that maybe others don’t)? While it doesn’t have to be truly unique, it’s great to aim in that direction: the best response will highlight a contribution that only you (or maybe you plus a few other applicants) would think to make.

Here’s how to brainstorm possible essays:

Again, one important aspect with this prompt is its focus on your contribution to the Yale community.

Another detail to note is Yale’s encouragement to show where you come from—the people, places, and things that have shaped who you are today. This is your chance to connect your unique upbringing, in a very broad sense of the word, with what has helped make you unstoppable. So take it.

While there are many things outside of “community” that might fit this prompt, if you’re looking for a way to brainstorm ideas, that’s a good place to start. (Especially since “community” and “identity” tend to overlap a lot. But keep in mind that you’ll want to include some “how will you contribute” details in your essay—this isn’t just a “tell us about a community” prompt.)

For a full guide to “community” essays , head there, but here’s the short version:

STEP 1: DECIDE WHAT IDENTITY/COMMUNITY YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT

Create a “communities/identities” chart by listing all the communities you’re a part of. Keep in mind that communities can be defined by...

Place: groups of people who live/work/play near one another

Action: groups of people who create change in the world by building, doing, or solving something together (Examples: Black Lives Matter, Girls Who Code, March for Our Lives)

Interest: groups of people coming together based on shared interest, experience, or expertise

Circumstance: groups of people brought together either by chance or external events/situations

STEP 2: USE THE BEABIES EXERCISE TO GENERATE YOUR ESSAY CONTENT

You’ll find detail on the BEABIES Exercise + a chart you can use at that link.

STEP 3: DO SOME “HOW WILL YOU CONTRIBUTE” RESEARCH

You’ll want to offer a few specific ways that show how the experience/s you’re discussing in your essay will allow you to contribute to Yale. The easiest way to do this is to do some “Why Us”-like research and find ways you’ll engage with and contribute to the Yale community. 

STEP 4: PICK A STRUCTURE (NARRATIVE OR MONTAGE)

Step 5: write a first draft.

Here’s a nice example essay written for a similar prompt from Colgate University:

Aside from my inherent love for bagels, my Jewish background has led me to become more embedded in my community, joining Jewish activists and building a website on Holocaust education. In the 1930s, 36 members of my family were lost to the Holocaust, and that fact has led me to carry on the memory of my ancestors through tradition—with my Bar Mitzvah—as well as with an educational lens—teaching others about the Holocaust and about specific stories of survivors. Feeling disconnected from Jewish activism, I decided to become an educator on the Student Leadership Board of the Seattle-based Holocaust Center for Humanity last year. Each week, we met to discuss present-day instances of oppression and discrimination across the world, and finished the year by building a website to share the story of a Holocaust survivor.  Being on the board connected me to a network of other passionate Jewish activists, and helped me to channel the pride for my culture and ancestors into visual media that reaches many viewers. At Colgate, I hope to find myself surrounded not only by like-minded Jewish students, but by a diverse group of people with whom I can learn and make connections. (196 words) — — —

Highlight a core identity. In the example essay, the applicant highlights their Jewish heritage and the profound impact it has had on their life choices and commitments. This is a great way to approach this prompt—think of communities/identities that you claim, pick one that Yale isn’t seeing elsewhere, and show how that aspect of you + your experiences will allow you to contribute to the Yale community. Similarly, for the Yale prompt, ensure you shed light on the aspects of your background that have shaped your identity. This could be cultural, familial, or personal attributes that have molded you into the individual you are today.

Provide concrete examples of impact. Just as the sample essay vividly narrates the applicant's journey in Jewish activism, so you’ll want to offer specific instances that exemplify the impact your background has had on your decisions and pursuits. Whether through personal experiences, engagements, or projects, share specific moments where your background has led you to initiate meaningful actions. In short, show us .

Connect to Yale's community.  The sample essay could be stronger if the writer reflected even more on how they might continue to nurture their identity at Yale. How can you do that? Address how your background, values, and commitments align with Yale’s vision and how you intend to extend these connections on campus to foster learning and shared growth. For example, perhaps you plan on joining (or creating?) relevant student clubs, volunteering at a local museum, or finding innovative ways to connect with students who share a similar background.

And here’s an example written for UVA that could be adapted and expanded to work well for Yale.

I was in 4th grade when I saw Syrian refugees on the side of the highway in Istanbul. There was heavy traffic as usual, so I was able to really take in the scene. There were generations of them: babies held tightly by mothers, siblings holding hands, and elders taking one step at a time along the highway. I could tell they had gone through hardships, but I was too young to understand the complexities of it.  Over time, I’ve learned that the refugee situation is getting worse throughout the Middle East. But I’ve also realized that there is a lack of knowledge about what is really going on. So many people correlate the Middle East with terrorism, but most people forget the impact that terrorism has on civilians. In order to combat this, I started the Middle Eastern Student Association at my predominantly white high school, where Middle Easterners are the smallest percentage of the population. We don’t only educate people on the refugee crisis, but also Middle Eastern culture, and more specific human rights violations like the detaining of Iranian environmentalists. I am now also the co-head of my school’s Senior Diversity Committee, so I can focus my efforts on a wide range of issues as I address our senior class. This will strengthen our class’s understanding of equity and inclusion, ranging from socioeconomic status to diversity in thought, and improve civil discourse. At UVA, I plan to continue my work with this community by joining Middle Eastern Leadership Council under Turkish Student Association. I’d love to take it even further and start a Queer Middle Eastern Club to provide a space to talk about the complexity of how the culture that we celebrate can clash with being true to ourselves. — — —

Special thanks to Ameer for writing this post.

Ameer is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about college admissions and career development. Prior to freelancing, Ameer worked for three years as a college admissions consultant at a Hong Kong-based education center, helping local high school students prepare and apply for top colleges and universities in the US. He has a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in Spanish Linguistics from UCLA. When he’s not working, Ameer loves traveling, weight lifting, writing, reading, and learning foreign languages. He currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Top values: Growth / Diversity / Empathy

Read the college essay a Harvard grad wrote about McDonald's that landed him offers from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton

• Cofounder of AI company Exa Jeffrey Wang wrote his college application essay about McDonald's.
• The Harvard graduate said he wanted to make his essay authentic and entertaining.
• Wang said he got into Yale, Harvard, and Princeton using the same essay.

When Jeffrey Wang was a high-school senior in Connecticut in 2014, he wasn't sure what to write about for his college application essay.

He thought about writing his essay on a subject he enjoyed at school or a project he'd worked on. But he knew others would have the same idea .

Wang told Business Insider he grew up in a middle-class family in the suburbs of Cheshire, CT. He felt he didn't have anything extraordinary to write about.

"I hadn't spent any summers abroad, and I hadn't done any fancy programs," he said.

He wanted to show his personality

He read Harry Bauld's book, 'On Writing the College Application Essay,' which made him realize college admissions officers wouldn't have time to read each essay diligently.

He said he realized his primary objective should be to entertain the admissions officer reading his essay .

"For the most part, they're just looking for character," Wang said. He decided to write about studying at McDonald's.

He told BI he thought it might pique an admissions officer's interest and illustrate his character: someone who did well at school but also hangs out at a McDonald's.

Wang said he also wanted to use his essay to challenge assumptions admissions officers might have. "I'm an Asian-American with a perfect SAT score. Maybe that looks pretty cookie-cutter on paper," he said.

Authenticity is key

The essay summarizes how Wang discovered his local McDonald's was an ideal place to study and meditate. He mentioned he liked interacting with different community members and how it was a more efficient and affordable study space than other options. The underpinning message is finding joy or peace in unusual places.

"For the most part, it was a pretty authentic essay," Wang said, adding that he included a few "intellectual references," such as a novel and a physicist, to show the admissions officer he was smart. He said if he were to write it now, he'd leave out the big words and references.

His parents were worried the topic was too risky, but Wang said he felt confident, and if an admissions officer didn't like it — the school wasn't the right fit.

He got into Yale, Harvard, and Princeton

Growing up, Wang dreamed of attending Yale in his home state of Connecticut. He applied to Yale under early decision , using his essay about McDonald's.

Wang received an offer of financial aid from Yale, but he told BI he wanted to see if he could get more from other colleges.

He applied to Harvard, Duke, Princeton, MIT, and others with the same essay. He got into both Princeton and Harvard, and received offers of financial aid from them both. Business Insider has verified these offers with documentation.

Wang chose to study computer science at Harvard in 2015 because he said it was the best for STEM subjects, and he wanted to be further away from home.

He still tries to live authentically

Wang said if his friends read his essay now, 10 years after he submitted it, they'd recognize his personality in it. It shows his "scrappy" attitude to life, he said.

After graduating from Harvard in 2019, he started working as a software engineer for a tech company in San Francisco. He quit in 2022, and cofounded his startup Exa, a search engine for AI, in 2023.

Wang believes that prioritizing authenticity helped his success since college. "If you do things that you feel are authentic or that are right, you'll be rewarded for it," he said.

Do you have a college admissions success story? Email Ella Hopkins at [email protected] .

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on Microsoft Start.

Why Yale Essay Examples

Why yale essay examples – introduction.

Are you wondering how to get into Yale? If you’re planning on filling out a Yale application, then you are probably searching for some Why Yale essay examples to help you begin drafting your Yale essay prompts.

Any college applicant will be familiar with supplemental essays and personal statements . But what about the “Why Yale” essay? By reading some Why Yale essay examples, you can get a sense of what’s worked for past applicants.

Before we dig into our Why Yale essay examples, let’s take a quick look at the facts. Yale University is an elite institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. It consistently ranks among the top U.S. universities alongside schools like Harvard and Princeton. Correspondingly, the Yale acceptance rate sits at just 5% as of 2022.

With the Yale acceptance rate so low, you’ll want to maximize your chances of getting in. That’s where our Why Yale essay examples come in. When considering how to get into Yale, arguably the heart of the Yale application is the Yale supplemental essays. And among the Yale supplemental essays, the “Why Yale” essay is especially important. In this article, we’ll read some “Why Yale” essay examples and discuss parts of those Yale essays that worked.

Yale Supplemental Essay Requirements

There are several different Yale supplemental essays, ranging from 35 to 400 words. In fact, the Yale essay prompts may be better divided into short answers and actual essays. The Yale supplemental essays required will vary based on how you submit your Yale application: through the QuestBridge, Common, or Coalition Application. Those completing a Yale application through the Common and Coalition Applications have a few additional Yale supplemental essays.

Also, the Yale essay prompts can change from year to year. In recent application cycles , all applicants have had to write three Yale supplemental essays, including the Why Yale essay. Furthermore, Yale applications through the Common and Coalition Applications present four additional short answer questions and a 400-word essay.

Yale Supplemental Essay Prompts

Although we’re focusing on Why Yale essay examples in this guide, you should know the Yale essay prompts from the several application cycles. The following three Yale supplemental essays required of everyone are:

Yale Supplemental Essay Requirements- Short Essays

• Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.
• Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)
• What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

In addition, Common Application and Coalition Application users must answer the following in up to 200 characters (about 35 words):

Yale Supplemental Essay Requirements- Short Answers

• What inspires you?
• You are teaching a new Yale course. What is it called?
• Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What would you ask them to discuss?
• What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Finally, Common Application and Coalition Application users must answer one of the following in fewer than 400 words :

Additional Yale essay requirements for Common App and Coalition App

• Yale carries out its mission “through the free exchange of ideas in an ethical, interdependent, and diverse community.” Reflect on a time when you exchanged ideas about an important issue with someone holding an opposing view. How did the experience lead you either to change your opinion or to sharpen your reasons for holding onto it?
• Reflect on a time when you have worked to enhance a community to which you feel connected. Why have these efforts been meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

If you find yourself nervously staring at these prompts and at the Yale acceptance rate , don’t worry! We’re here to help. For a more detailed guide on some Yale supplemental essays, check out our guide from last year (2021). Keep in mind that some prompts are different, however, the key points are the same.

Furthermore, while other Yale essay prompts may come and go, there’s always a “Why Yale” essay. As you tackle this prompt, looking at some Why Yale essay examples can be helpful.

The “Why Yale” essay examples we’ll see later are from past application cycles. As a result, the Yale essay prompts may be worded a bit differently. In any case, you can still use the Why Yale essay examples we present in this guide as a model as you begin crafting your Yale supplemental essays for this year.

While the Yale essays may change from year to year, there are certain things you should come to expect from the overall application process. Take our quiz to find out just how much you know about college admissions!

Does Yale have a “Why Yale” Essay?

For those wondering how to get into Yale, you’ll obviously ask if there’s a “Why Yale” essay. The answer may or may not surprise you… yes, there is! There is a “Why Yale” essay, and it’s a crucial part of any Yale application. Ideally, you noticed it among the essay prompts above. What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? No more than 125 words. Easy, right?

If your heart is hammering in your chest, take a deep breath. A “Why School” essay is essentially saying , “I know about your school, and we’re a great fit.” The “Why Yale” essay is a chance to show the Yale admissions committee that you’re ready and willing. That you’ve done your research on Yale and know that you’re the kind of student Yale looks for. And, more importantly, that Yale is a match for you and your values.

Yale essays that worked added depth to the personal narrative , connecting the writer and their background with the school. After all, you’re more than your GPA : beyond just academics, why did this school make your list ? In the course of evaluating universities, why did Yale stand out? Think beyond the Yale acceptance rate and ranking —why do you want to enroll at Yale? You can show some part of yourself that isn’t anywhere else on your Yale application.

Now, let’s look at how to get into Yale with a knockout “Why Yale” essay. First up, we have some “Why Yale” essay examples. Following each, we’ll look at parts of these “Why Yale” essays that worked.

Why Yale Essay Examples Version #1

Let’s start with the obvious “Why Yale” essay examples. That is to say, “Why Yale” essay examples that answer the classic “Why School” essay prompts. These Yale essay prompts directly ask for something like these “Why Yale” essay examples in several ways:

• Why Yale and not any other school?
• What about Yale appeals to you?
• What is it about Yale that led you to apply?

As we’ll see, these “Why Yale” essay examples go beyond facts and figures from the Yale admissions website. Like all Yale essays that worked, they are both specific and personal in their points. Expressing personal stake in concrete details shows the Yale admissions team that you already see yourself in Yale.

Why Yale Essay Examples #1: No Need to Name-Drop

At Yale, I would be able to immerse myself in interests I harbored but never had the opportunity to explore. With incredible resources from some of the best professors in the country, I would be able to learn directly from the best and use this advantage to further myself in my future career plans and goals. The quality of my education, though attributed to the institution, would be the most highly enriched from the students. Although from diverse backgrounds, all the students share the same thirst for knowledge and drive to make a difference. Having such classmates will push me to reach my highest potential and as a result, increase my vitality in any field of work or practice.

Why This Essay Worked

The first of our “Why Yale” essay examples discusses several qualities of Yale’s academic and campus life. Not all Yale essays that worked necessarily name-drop clubs and courses! While yes, it’s usually recommended, you can see from this “Why Yale” essay that it’s not always required. Note that this “Why Yale” essay focuses on community and how Yale’s environment will support their future. Looking at the big picture is usually a good thing in Yale supplemental essays.

Effective “Why Yale” essay examples reference certain aspects of the university that interest the author. This writer clearly values education and community: not only professors, but also fellow students will enrich their learning. Despite the low Yale acceptance rate, the campus is incredibly diverse. Yale essays that worked demonstrated an understanding of Yale’s core value of diversity, not just rigorous academics.

Why Yale Essay Examples #2: Painting a Picture

No problem in this world can be solved by a single person: whole communities are what drive innovative solutions. Thus, what draws me to Yale is its research opportunities and collaborative community. Whether it’s the STARS II program, Women in Science at Yale, Yale Scientific Magazine, or peer mentoring, the prospect of extending my research experience while collaborating with my peers in Yale’s scientific community seems very fulfilling.

I find myself excited by the opportunities Yale has to join communities that can impact campus and beyond. I’m particularly intrigued by the Yale College Council, Yale Arab Students Association, Yale Refugee Project, and Women’s Leadership Initiative. I’m excited by the prospect of joining the academically-driven, collaborative, and passionate community of Bulldogs at Yale.

On the flip side, some Yale essays that worked go all in with naming particular offerings at Yale. This can also make for a great “Why School” essay; it shows you’ve dug deep in your research. With that said, you have to be strategic in reeling off clubs and courses.

Now, look more closely at this “Why Yale” essay. What can you infer about the author from the facets of Yale they chose to highlight? We know they are interested in science, identify as a woman, and want to mentor others. Furthermore, we can see they identify as Arab and are interested in working with refugees.

Although this writer doesn’t say exactly how they identify or want to study, the reader still gets it. That is to say, we understand how the author’s background influences how they’ll participate in campus life. If you’re struggling to include all these amazing things at Yale in your Why Yale essay, follow this example! By being very intentional with the interests you write about, you can still paint a full picture.

From a structural perspective, this “Why Yale” essay works well by connecting the introduction and conclusion. Yale essays that worked sometimes close the loop by addressing a similar point at the beginning and end. These “Why Yale” essay examples will be tied up in a neat package that leaves an impression on the reader. Like most things, this structure isn’t strictly required, but it can definitely strengthen “Why Yale” essay examples.

Why Yale Essay Examples #3: It’s the Little Things

Following my time volunteering for a mental health charity, the Cognition and Development Lab, amusingly nicknamed the Panda Lab, piques my interest with research like that of one Yale professor concerning mental disorders and depression among children. I am fascinated with the connection of biology and behavior. Among students, academic competition seems deemphasized; undergrads instead emphasize their connections forged, for example, through acapella groups like Proof of Pudding (I Won’t Say I’m in Love a favorite of mine from Hercules). Finally, the Residential College system is reminiscent of my high school magnet program’s Harry Potter House sorting – but Yale’s includes College Teas! 

The third of our “Why Yale” essay examples is perhaps a bit more typical. There’s a bit of the writer’s resume in the opening line about volunteering. That experience flows into the writer’s academic interests and a professor’s research area—and the lab’s nickname. From there, this “Why Yale” essay seamlessly swivels to non-academic offerings, specifically a capella. In particular, the author indicates they’ve researched the group, too, by naming an arrangement they liked. The conclusion ties the author’s school with Yale’s residential system.

Like our other Why Yale essay examples, this essay highlights particular details about Yale’s programs. It’s clear from the little details of this “Why Yale” essay that the author has really done their research. They point out the Panda Lab’s cute nickname, a particular a capella performance, and College Teas. Above all, they’re not just thrown in there; these details connect logically with the writer’s interests and pursuits.

Our Why Yale essay examples also aren’t all the same. You can paint in broad strokes with campus culture or intense spots of color with groups meaningful to you. There are as many Yale essays that worked as there are admitted students . How you approach your “Why Yale” essay is up to you and your reading of the “Why Yale” essay prompts. But did you know another one of the Yale essay prompts is a second “Why Yale” essay in disguise?

Why Yale Essay Examples Version #2

Take another look at that list of Yale essay prompts. Aside from the obvious “Why Yale” essay prompt, another is subtly asking for a kind of “Why Yale” essay. Can you find it?  If you picked the second one, you’re correct!

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected [in the first prompt]. Why are you drawn to it?

What? This? A “Why School” essay? Well, not exactly.

This and similar Yale essay prompts ask about an academic interest, so they aren’t typical “Why School” essays. But they are asking, secretly, how you’ll pursue that thing at Yale. Think about it as a “Why Major” essay with an opportunity to answer “Why School” as well. For this essay prompt, you select a subject you’re interested in on your Yale application. The very next question asks not simply why you’re interested, but how you might pursue it at Yale and beyond. In other words, why do you want to explore these areas at Yale?

With that said, let’s look at some more Yale essays that worked for different Yale essay prompts. Namely, “Why Yale” essay examples that talk about academic interests. Again, these past prompts were slightly different—their word limit was 100 words, not 200.

More Why Yale Essay Examples

Why yale essay examples #4: solving big problems.

I’m fascinated by the chemical processes that drive life, which has led me to find opportunities to gain hands-on research experience. Biochemical sciences provide an explanation for disease-driven problems as well as the capacity to find creative solutions for these problems. For all four years of high school, I performed biochemical research at various labs. Ultimately, these experiences helped my find my passion for applying biochemistry and the scientific method to problems we face, whether it’s hunger or leukemia. Through biochemical sciences, I hope to continue to tackle the biggest problems facing humans today using a creative, scientific approach.

Yale essays that worked, regardless of prompt, are as particular as they can be. What do you like, and what do you want to do with it? This author details both their interest in biochemistry and their experience with it. With Yale’s reputation for research, it hardly needs saying that this student will continue their work at Yale.

But when reading Yale essays that worked, you’ll also find a lot of big-picture thinking. How can experiences at Yale help you explore your interests in impactful ways? The second of our “Why Yale” essay examples highlighted work with refugees. The third briefly mentioned mental disorders in children. And this author is clear about their intent to face big problems.

Yale supplemental essays don’t need a 12-Step Plan to End World Hunger. Don’t compare yourself to Why Yale essay examples that seem to solve everything. You can dream big and be vague about how exactly you’ll tackle these issues. What matters in Yale essays that worked was genuine passion for Yale and the doors it’ll open.

Why Yale Essay Examples #5: Personal Aspirations

With plans to attend medical school after my bachelor’s degree, I want to study something that not only interests me, but would come as a great asset in the medical field. Neuroscience and how the brain makes decisions has been a long standing interest for me growing up as a Ugandan moving from place to place. Witnessing the thought processes of people in various locations made me realize that the mind is a complex puzzle that I would like to solve. Combined with an ability to speak multiple languages, communication with patients will be much more efficient and diagnoses accurate.

Of our five “Why Yale” essay examples, this final one is perhaps most specific about future plans. This “Why Yale” essay opens with the writer’s post-grad plans for medical school, which connects with their interest in neuroscience. While not necessarily a make-or-break in “Why Yale” essay examples, post-graduation goals can show Yale admissions that you’re thinking ahead.

This writer also personalizes this “Why Yale” essay by linking their interest in the human mind with their background. Introspection reveals the root of their interest in the mind in their past. Although this kind of reflection isn’t in all Yale essays that worked, it can speak volumes when used appropriately. Remember that Yale essays that worked were personal and show some (or a lot!) of your interests or background. And the best “Why Yale” essay examples relate all of that to Yale and the world at large. 

While this writer doesn’t explicitly mention Yale, it’s clear that they’re interested in complex problems. With their lofty ambitions and dreams of medical school, it’s clear that they want the rigor of Yale. Although this essay is perhaps not a conventional “Why Yale” essay, it’s still effective. It conveys the author’s academic interests and makes clear that Yale’s rigorous academic environment is a good fit.

How do you answer “Why Yale”?

We hope those five “Why Yale” essay examples and our discussion of their strengths were helpful. As you embark on your college application journey and draft essays, it’s always good to refer to essay examples. But remember they’re just a guide—try to find your own voice and style as you respond to Yale essay prompts.

There are endless ways to write “Why Yale” essays, just like there are endless answers to how to get into Yale. Some great Yale essays that worked talk about post-grad goals, while others focus on Yale’s campus life and offerings. Other strong Yale supplemental essays may directly address the writer’s experiences or background. Then again, more implicit mentions of the author’s life might make up other Yale essays that worked.

Even so, there are a few constants in the Why Yale essay examples. Each of the essays had elements that were:

We’re all guilty of copy-pasting a few lines from one essay to another. However, a “Why School” essay is not one you’ll want to copy-paste. When looking at “Why Yale” essays that worked, you’ll usually see several Yale-specific features, courses, and organizations. Yale essays that worked showed Yale admissions that the author knows more than just the Yale acceptance rate. By being specific, you prove that your decision to apply to Yale is well-informed.

The Yale admissions committee wants more than just smart people: they want dynamic, critical thinkers. Good “Why Yale” essay examples show this side. In particular, they illustrate how they’ll contribute both to Yale and to the world. What goals do you have that Yale can help you achieve? How will those goals inform your time on campus and once you’ve graduated? While you don’t have to be super specific about post-grad plans, you should show you’re already thinking ahead.

We know, we know, everyone says this—but it’s true! Firstly, although Yale is indeed a prestigious institution, its programs or campus life may not be for everyone. If you’re only applying because the low Yale acceptance rate obviously means it’s the best school, maybe reconsider. If you’re dead set on studying economics or architecture or business , look for schools strong in that area. 

Secondly, assuming you’ve decided Yale is your dream school , be honest about what excites you. If you want to know how to get into Yale, the answer is to be true to yourself. Don’t try to write about what you think Yale admissions wants to see. They want to see you and your interests!

What other schools have Why School Essays?

Short answer: many!

Long answer: schools like Northwes t ern University , the University of Chicago , and New York University , just to name a few. The “Why School” essay is one of the most common college essay prompts, and for good reason. “Why School” essays are where you can explain why the school is on your college list . 

Especially for reputable colleges, “Why School” essays can really elevate your application. Did you see the Yale acceptance rate and think you should apply just because it’s selective? Or maybe you read somewhere that Northwestern was pretty good and are applying based on that? Ideally, you did your due diligence reading the school’s website—maybe even visiting—before applying. Trust us, when you do your research, it really shows.

Tips for other “Why School” essays are the same for how to get into Yale: be specific, thoughtful, and genuine. Why do you personally want to spend the next several years at this school? What particular opportunities on campus resonate with you, your interests, and background? At the same time, many prompts have different wording that will inform your approach to the essay.

Let’s take a look at UChicago’s essay prompts for some more inspiration.

Writing to the Prompt: Why UChicago?

For instance, UChicago asks:

“ 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. ”

Here, they’re asking you to answer in regards to learning, community, and future. You’ll want to speak directly to UChicago’s curriculum and social life while also establishing future goals. When planning this “Why School” essay, look into UChicago’s student life, both in and out of the classroom. Are there any unique features of academic life at UChicago, like an emphasis on collaboration or experiential learning?

Of course, you can also rely on pointing to distinct offerings both extracurricular and curricular. But make sure you address the prompt by drawing clear links among these things and your long-term goals. Finally, pull them all together by directly stating how the institution will facilitate all of these experiences.

Writing to the Prompt: Why NYU?

Next, let’s look at NYU .

“ We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. What motivated you to apply to NYU? Why have you applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study? … We want to understand – Why NYU? ”

Remember how we said that an academic interest essay can be a “Why School” essay prompt in disguise? Some “Why School” essays are framed around your area of study, like this one. In these cases, many will focus more on the academic side of things. You don’t have to eliminate any mention of non-academic activities, of course. The prompt asks about campuses and schools, so feel free to mention campus traditions or social events.

If you’re zeroing in on a major, program, or college, you can absolutely bring up faculty, courses, and research. With that said, keep in mind that “Why School” essays should still be personal. Try to ensure your excitement for that subject area shows through. For example, you could use a personal anecdote or quality that threads through your academic history. Again, there are no limits to the ways you can approach a “Why School” essay.

How Important Are Essays For Yale?

When thinking about how to get into Yale, essays are front and center. Given that there are so many Yale essay prompts (however short), you can bet they’re important for your Yale application. As stated above, Yale is a highly esteemed and world-renowned institution. It follows that it gets a ton of applicants—why do you think the Yale acceptance rate is so low?

With so many applicants, the Yale admissions team needs to be able to distinguish the most qualified ones. By reading Yale supplemental essays, they learn about you not only as a student but also as a community member. Imagine if every admitted student had a 4.0 GPA but never joined any clubs or student organizations. Yale student life would probably be pretty boring! So these Yale supplemental essays help the Yale admissions committee choose students who’ll enrich Yale even beyond their undergraduate years.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yale—as well as many other schools—is test-optional for the 2022–2023 admissions cycle. While this policy is doubtless beneficial for many, it also means there’s some information missing. Especially while Yale admissions is test-optional, essays are considered very important on every Yale application.

Even once test-optional policies expire, essays will be incredibly important for college applications. It’s getting harder every year to stand out in college admissions, so make sure you start early and edit often. So don’t skimp on any of the Yale supplemental essays if you’re serious about overcoming the Yale acceptance rate. That means the 35-word ones, too!

More Yale Essay Resources from CollegeAdvisor

In this guide, we only looked at “Why Yale” essay examples, but there are several other Yale essay prompts. Luckily for you, CollegeAdvisor.com has several other Yale supplemental essay resources. We even have more general guides on how to get into Yale!

College Panel: Yale University

We have a webinar panel with Yale students. Watch this if you’re still wondering whether to apply to Yale. If you’re set on applying but looking for material for Yale supplemental essays, this is also a good resource.

Linked above was our Yale supplemental essays guides from 2021 . We also have more advice in our 2020 guide. These guides cover each Yale essay prompt, what it’s asking, and how to approach it. If you’re more into webinars, take a look at this Yale supplemental essays workshop .

Yale Supplemental Essays Workshop

Lastly, we have our general How to Get Into Yale guide . This has advice on every part of the Yale admissions process, from Yale supplemental essays to recommendation letters . If you’re applying to Yale and want advice on the application as a whole, this guide is for you.

CollegeAdvisor.com also hosts webinars and releases new resources all the time. Keep an eye on our blog for more college essay guides and examples .

Why Yale Essay Examples – Final Thoughts 

It’s never easy to put into words exactly why you want what you want. “Why School” essays ask you to do just that. Your “Why Yale” essay needs to be finely tuned to maximize your odds against the low Yale acceptance rate. Successful “Why Yale” essay examples show the Yale admissions team why you and Yale are a good fit. They’re both specific to the school and personal for you, tying together you and the school.

Here are some reflection questions as you leave this guide and start drafting your “Why Yale” essay:

Why Yale Essay Examples Reflection Questions

• Why are you and Yale a good fit for each other?
• Are you knowledgeable about and committed to attending Yale?
• How will experiences and opportunities at Yale help you achieve your goals?

Readers of your “Why Yale” essay should be able to answer all three of these questions. You can always read more Yale essays that worked to find areas for improvement in your own work. Additionally, you should use examples that show you’ve done your research, whether they’re classes or labs.

There’s a lot of pressure in trying to craft the strongest Yale application possible. It can feel like there’s too much Yale to fit into the word count. Nevertheless, if you’re strategic with your details and concise in your wording, and use the Why Yale essay examples above to help guide you, you can do it. And if you’re still unsure after reading our resources on Why Yale essay examples and other Yale essays that worked, you can always connect with our team for personalized admissions help.

This article on Why Yale Essay Examples was written by Gina Goosby . Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

Personalized and effective college advising for high school students.

• Advisor Application
• Popular Colleges
• Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice
• Student Login
• California Privacy Notice
• Terms and Conditions
• Your Privacy Choices

This High School Senior Wrote Her College Essay about Pizza and Got Into Yale

We at CEA love pizza. It is one of our greatest passions and our favorite fuel for advising brainpower. It is no surprise, then, that we were brimming with joy when we saw that a High School Senior scored acceptance to Yale with an essay about Papa John’s. With an acceptance rate of just 6.3%, Yale obviously has taste for the finer things in life (pizza).

High School senior Carolina Williams told Business Insider , “When I saw that the prompt was ‘Write about what you love to do,’ my very first thought was order pizza from Papa John’s. I order pizza from Papa John’s once a week — it’s my absolute favorite! I thought for a while about if I should actually do that and if they would take it seriously, but I decided to just write it because it was so easy and my passion came through.”

Passion is one of the most important qualities you can communicate to admissions officers in your college essay. After all, colleges want to find students who are committed to whatever it is they choose to spend their time on, be it academics, community engagement, or food appreciation.

Williams wrote in her essay, “Accepting those warm cardboard boxes at my front door is second nature to me, but I will always love ordering pizza because of the way eight slices of something so ordinary are able to evoke feelings of independence, consolidation, and joy.” This line is a crucial part of the essay’s success. One thing all winning college essays have in common is that the stories and subjects connect to larger themes that convey how their writers relate to the world around them, define success, and/or prioritize goals. Williams was able to make an essay about pizza double as an essay about independence and finding happiness in simple pleasures.

When we say you can write your essay about almost anything and be successful, we’re not kidding! So order your fave slice and get that fresh document open: it’s time to write.

About Kat Stubing

View all posts by Kat Stubing »

Give College Essay Academy a Try.

Written by Kat Stubing

Category: Admissions , College Admissions , Essay Writing , Inspiration , News

Tags: college acceptance , college essay , college essay topic , pizza , yale

Want free stuff?

We thought so. Sign up for free instructional videos, guides, worksheets and more!

One-On-One Advising

Common App Essay Prompt Guide

Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

• YouTube Tutorials
• Our Approach
• Meet The Founder
• Meet the Team
• Undergraduate Testimonials
• Postgraduate Testimonials
• Where Our Students Get In
• CEA Gives Back
• Undergraduate Admissions
• Graduate Admissions
• Private School Admissions
• International Student Admissions
• Common App Essay Guide
• Supplemental Essay Guide
• UC Essay Guide
• Coalition App Guide
• The CEA Podcast
• Admissions Stats
• Notification Trackers
• Deadline Databases
• College Essay Examples
• Academy and Worksheets
• Deferral Guides
• Get Started

• SAT BootCamp
• SAT MasterClass
• SAT Private Tutoring
• SAT Proctored Practice Test
• ACT Private Tutoring
• Academic Subjects
• College Essay Workshop
• Academic Writing Workshop
• AP English FRQ BootCamp
• 1:1 College Essay Help
• Online Instruction
• Free Resources

How to Write Yale’s Supplemental Essays (With Real Examples) 2024-2025

Bonus Material: PrepMaven’s 50+ Real Supplemental Essays for Ivy+ Schools

Last year, Yale University admitted just 3.7% of applicants , so if you want to be one of those very, very lucky few who get an acceptance letter, your application needs to be perfect. 

While you’ll need to make sure your grades and test scores are high enough to meet Yale’s standards, you can’t overlook the strength of your supplemental essays. 

Yale’s admissions office spends a lot of time each year coming up with supplemental essay prompts and then reading the responses, which means they really do care about your supplemental essays!

Fortunately, at PrepMaven, we’ve helped thousands of students craft compelling college application essays that have earned them admission to elite schools like Yale, Princeton, and Harvard. 

In this guide, we’ll break down how to write the Yale supplemental essays for the upcoming admissions cycle, explaining how to maximize your chances of acceptance. 

As you read on, check out our free resource linked below: it contains real, successful examples of supplemental essays written for Ivies and other top schools–including real essays that got our tutors admitted into Yale!

Download 50+ Real Supplemental Essays for Ivy+ Schools

Jump to section: Yale’s 2024-2025 Short Answer Questions  Yale’s 2024-2025 Essay Prompts Next steps

Yale’s 2024-2025 6 Short Answer Questions

For this admissions cycle, Yale has several short answer questions in addition to full-length essay prompts.

Here are the short answer questions along with their maximum word counts:

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer) What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer) What inspires you? (200 characters) If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be? (200 characters) Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? (200 characters) What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application? (200 characters)

As you can see, you’ll have to do a lot of writing if you want to apply to Yale! Below, we’ll cover Yale’s additional supplemental essay prompts, then offer real examples of successful Yale supplementals!

You can also download 50+ Real Sample Essays That Worked below, including real essays that got students admitted to Yale!

Yale’s 2024-2025 Supplemental Essay Prompts

In addition to those short answer questions (not all of which are that short!), Yale has one longer supplemental essay question for the upcoming application cycle. 

Students will have up to 400 words to answer one of the following three prompts:

1. Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful? 2. Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like. 3. Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

How to Write Yale’s Short Answer Questions

Yale has one of the most supplement-heavy applications we’ve seen for the upcoming admissions cycle, so you’ll want to start nice and early. 

In reality, many of these “short answer questions” are just as beefy as other schools’ supplementals. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to approach each question:

Yale’s First Short Answer Question

• Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

This is really just a “Why ____ Major?” supplemental essay! We’ve written a complete guide dedicated to just this kind of essay prompt that goes into great depth here . 

Here’s what you need to do:

• Start with a story or question . This is often good advice for any college essay, but it’s crucial here. Begin by telling a story of how you engaged with this interest, or by asking detailed, specific questions that drive you. 

• Explain “why.” After you give us the Yale admissions committee a snippet of story, make sure you explain in detail why this major interests you. Does it intersect with your own experiences? Does it offer a way to help others? Why is this what fascinates you?
• Explain “how.” Then, explain how you’ll pursue this interest at Yale specifically. What programs or courses do you hope to take advantage of? How will you continue building on this existing interest of yours while at Yale?

In our 50+ Real Supplemental Essays for Ivy+ Schools CU LINK , we have tons of sample essays that answer this question, including many from Yale!

Yale’s Second Short Answer Question

• What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

The first supplemental essay prompt from Yale is a classic essay type that we’ve written a lot about in our guide to the “Why this College?” essay.  

The analogy we like to use is that you can approach this essay a bit like a first date: you want to show why the two of you (you and the college) are a good match. 

A lot of students just start by talking about how great the school they’re applying to is, but that’s the wrong move. Yale already knows it’s hot stuff (they rejected over 90% of applicants, remember?). 

What they want to know is why you are such a good fit for their offerings and culture, and vice versa. 

So, we recommend tackling this essay in three steps: 

• Research unique offerings

This first step is key. Research what Yale offers that other universities do not. 

This could be a lot of things: 

• Specific research lab
• A professor whose class you want to take
• Rare majors/minors/concentrations/courses
• Unique work or service programs 
• A particular curriculum design that speaks to your interests 

With all of these, the key is uniqueness. Pick things that really set Yale apart, so they know you’re serious about attending. 

• Link to your story

People usually do step 1, but many forget to do this second step. It’s not enough to show that you did your research into Yale’s offerings. 

You need to show that these offerings actually speak to your interests, capabilities, and goals. 

So, for every specific aspect of Yale you mention, you need to connect it back to something you’ve already done or some existing passion of yours. 

Quality over quantity is the rule here. Instead of listing 5 specific programs at Yale you like, list 2, but go on to explain how each one speaks to the experiences you’ve already had or the goals you’ve set for yourself. 

• Create a frame for your essay

Because this essay is as much about you as it is about Yale, you can create an introduction and conclusion (a “frame”) that you tweak only slightly for multiple schools. 

The first paragraph, whenever possible, should be eye-catching and specific to you. Tell a story or anecdote that sets the stage for what your interests/goals are!

Are you going to apply to these schools as a Math major? Well, then you might want to start the essays with a short description of the moment you fell in love with math, or with what burning questions drive you to pursue it in college. 

Then, dive into all those good Yale specifics you’ve been researching, connecting them back to your own life. 

Finally, use a conclusion that ties back to your introduction. Keep it really short, but keep it about you! Great ideas here would be to talk about how the college will serve your long term goals, or how you hope to contribute to its community. 

The good news is you can easily reuse the frame anytime a school asks “why us?”

Plus, we’ve got some more good news: not only do we have over 50 Real Supplemental Essays that worked for schools like Yale, but we also have a full sample “Why Yale?” essay written by an admitted student, just below:

Yale would be an incredible home for the next four years. I am interested in the unique opportunity to test out my classes before making course selections—”shopping period”—enabling me to build a schedule I will truly love. The focus on undergraduate research opportunities appeals to me as well—I hope to pursue research with Professor Akiko Iwasaki on adaptive immunity through the Freshman Summer Research Fellowship. In addition to spending many nights snacking in the buttery of my residential college, I am interested in joining the Tai-Chi Study Group, Muslim Students Association, Undergraduate Medical Professions Outreach group and Habitat for Humanity.

Notice how this essay, even though very short, is full of great specifics about Yale that connect back to the student’s own interests and goals!

Yale’s Third Short Answer Question

3. What inspires you? (200 characters)

For this Yale Short Answer Question, there isn’t one right way to answer. Instead, our advice boils down to one, crucial point: tell a story.

The biggest risk with answering this short answer question is speaking only in general or abstract terms. Writing an essay about, say, “the boundless opportunities of scientific discovery” will inevitably make your essay feel vague and generic. 

Instead, take a look at the real sample essay below, and note how the student conveys their passion through the form of a story! 

Last year, inspired by my aged copy of Derek Walcott’s Collected Poems, 1948-1984, I resolved to begin writing poems of my own. In class or before bed, I would open my notebook, uncap my pen, and scribble away. One problem plagued me, though: Walcott. Faced with his descriptions of a child as “a flute/of frail, seraphic mist” and the setting sun that “mesmerized like fire without wind,” my writing felt hokey, mundane. For weeks, I dismissed poem after poem, feeling condemned to a lifetime of poetic feebleness. Still, I wrote. My notebook grew fuller, its pages crinkled, as I unloaded verse after verse onto its lines. With this, my poetry grew fuller as well. I developed a voice in my writing, one increasingly comfortable with imagery and complex in its metaphors and wholly my own. With time, my self-comparisons to Walcott receded, and I wrote each poem trying to best only its predecessors. Writing poetry leaves a record of who I am. A weathered spiral notebook bears witness to my deepest thoughts and emotions, and I strive continually to fill it with pieces of myself. Even if I’m no Derek Walcott, this is something that I love to do.

Read the above essay carefully, and note how it shows the student’s passion and drive. That’s your goal. 

So long as your essay is interesting for Yale University admissions officers to read, you’ll be in good shape!

Yale’s Fourth Short Answer Question

• If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be? (200 characters)

To impress the admissions readers with your response to this question, you need to do two things. 

First, you need to be extremely creative and specific . 

Yale got almost 60,000 applications last year. All of those applicants had to answer this question. So: is your answer creative and specific enough that it is different from all of those other responses? If not, you’re in trouble. 

Second, you need to connect this to a value or experience from your own life. This isn’t just an exercise in creativity. Yale admissions officers want to see what matters to you and why. What’s worth teaching a class on? What’s worth writing a book about? 

The answers to those questions will reveal important aspects of your character. 

Ultimately, it is incredibly difficult to write a good answer for this question without having a lot of perspective on what other students typically write about. That’s where one of our college essay experts can really help. 

Because our college essay tutors have experience getting students accepted to schools like Yale, they’ll quickly be able to tell you if what you’re writing is unique or generic, potentially even saving your Yale application! 

Contact our team below to get matched with a one-on-one college essay tutor!

Yale’s Fifth Short Answer Question

• Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? (200 characters)

For this question, you need to combine our advice on approaching Short Answer Questions 3 and 4. So: 

• Tell a story
• Be creative and specific
• Connect to your values

That’s right: you need to do all 3! 

Trust us, there is no version of this essay that works without telling a story. 

At the same time, you need to be really careful about sounding like thousands of other Yale applicants. Ultimately, most high schoolers will say the same kind of thing in response to this prompt:

That doesn’t mean you can’t write about any of these people. But if you do, you have to make your story so specific and so unique that it stands out from the thousands of other applicants writing about the same kind of person. 

So, consider thinking outside the box (aka being creative!): are there people outside the obvious that you can write about? The more unusual your essay, the better off you’ll be. 

Yale’s Sixth Short Answer Question

• What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application? (200 characters)

Yep: Yale’s last short answer prompt is totally open-ended. Which makes it harder!

As with previous short answers, there’s one golden rule that holds true: as soon as your response becomes generic, you’ve lost. 

That doesn’t mean, of course, that the Yale admissions committee will just ignore your application. 

But it does mean that any energy you put into this specific essay will have been wasted. Why? Because a generic essay simply blends in with all the other ones and no longer sets you apart. 

So, for this final short answer question, think about what story you can tell that complements the rest of your response to these short answer questions. 

You can make it weird, risky, or formally experimental. Just don’t be boring. 

The best way to prepare yourself for the slog of writing Yale’s six short answers is to start by immersing yourself in as many successful examples of supplemental essays as possible. 

The problem is that there are so few high-quality publicly available essays out there for schools like Yale. 

So, we did the hard work for you: we asked our top tutors to share the essays that got them accepted to Princeton, Yale, and other Ivy+ schools. 

Then, we collected over 50 of the best examples in the free downloadable resource below. It’s a high-quality resource you’re not likely to find anywhere else, and it’s updated regularly with new supplemental essays for top schools. 

How to Write Yale’s Supplemental Essay

For Yale’s longer supplemental essay question, you’ll have to choose from three prompts (400 words max): 

Although these seem like three fairly different prompts, Yale wants something very specific from your supplemental essay here. 

All 3 essay question options want you to tell a story that allows you to reflect on community. 

The first essay question is about how to navigate disagreements within a community. You have to be very careful in answering this question , because it essentially requires you to thread the needle. 

On one hand, Yale (and other elite universities) want students who can productively engage with others’ viewpoints while maintaining an open mind. 

On the other, Yale doesn’t want pushovers, especially when it comes to questions of intolerance. 

This makes answering the first question difficult: you want to show that you have a firm commitment to open-mindedness and inclusivity while also showing that you’re able to engage with those who don’t 

To make things tougher, there are certain positions (especially on social issues) that it can be difficult to espouse in your college essays if you don’t want to risk being rejected. 

This is one of those high-stakes, nuanced essay questions where we strongly recommend working with a trusted college essay coach!

The second prompt and third prompts are a bit less dangerous, but they still want the same fundamental thing. 

You need to show Yale’s admissions office that you’d be a good fit for their community, and you do that by telling a story that shows how you’ve come to think about your role as part of a larger project. 

This might be an experience you had volunteering, but it could also just as easily be a story about learning to be proud of your own identity. 

Or, just as viably, you could talk about how some extracurricular pursuit you’re involved in has shaped how you view your obligations to those around you. 

In any case, tell a story, and make it clear how that story has prepared you to support others, whether at college or beyond. 

Once you’re ready to start writing supplemental essays for Yale and your other schools, we have two main pieces of advice. 

First: read real, successful sample supplemental essays that helped get students into elite schools like Yale.

Most people don’t really know what schools like Yale actually want from the supplemental essays, and the best solution is to spend lots of time reviewing real essays that helped students get accepted.

We’ve collected over 50 of these essays in the free resource below. 

Second: get expert help. Whether you’re a brilliant writer or just an okay one, you’ll benefit tremendously from the advice of someone who’s already successfully navigated the high-stakes college application process. 

Unfortunately, not all college essay tutors are created equal: picking the right one can be the difference between getting into your dream school or just wasting your money. 

That’s why we had our experts come up with the definitive ranking of the 14 Best College Essay Services , evaluating everything from tutor credentials to customer reviews. Check out that list, and make sure you only work with the best.

And when you’re ready to work with our team of college essay experts–who earned admission to elite schools like Princeton and Yale before undergoing a rigorous training process– contact us to get matched with an expert tutor. 

Top College Supplemental Essay Posts

• 14 Best College Essay Services for 2024 (40 Services Reviewed)
• How to Write the University of Chicago Supplemental Essays (2024-2025)
• How to Write the Dartmouth Supplemental Essays (2024-2025)
• How to Write the Yale Supplemental Essays (2024-2025)
• How to Write Boston College’s Supplemental Essays (2024-2025)
• How to Answer the UC Personal Insight Questions (2024-2025)
• How Colleges Read your College Applications (A 4-Step Process)
• How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays (2024-2025)
• The Diamond Strategy: How We Help Students Write College Essays that Get Them Into Princeton (And Other Ivy League Schools)
• How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essays (2024-2025)
• How to Format Your College Essay

Mike is a PhD candidate studying English literature at Duke University. Mike is an expert test prep tutor (SAT/ACT/LSAT) and college essay consultant. Nearly all of Mike’s SAT/ACT students score in the top 5% of test takers; many even score above 1500 on the SAT. His college essay students routinely earn admission into their top-choice schools, including Harvard, Brown, and Dartmouth. And his LSAT students have been accepted In into the top law schools in the country, including Harvard, Yale, and Columbia Law.

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy preferences.