Dartmouth Supplemental Essays 2022-2023

When it comes to applying to the top schools in the country, your application is vitally important. In order to give yourself the best chance of gaining admission, you need to make sure all aspects of your application are top notch. In this post, we’re going to do a deep dive into how to write Dartmouth supplemental essays, and everything you need to keep in mind as you write.

Dartmouth uses the common app, and this means that you will be asked to answer essay questions contained in the common app. But like many top schools, Dartmouth also requires that you complete a short activity-based essay as well as an additional essay about your personal or intellectual growth. The Dartmouth supplemental essays 2022-2023 allow applicants a certain amount of freedom when choosing their supplemental essay topic, but we’re going to look at each essay prompt and discuss the best way to respond to each topic.

Dartmouth Supplemental Essay Prompts 2022-2023

So, let’s start by looking at each supplemental essay prompt, and then we will discuss how to approach each one individually.

When it comes to answering the Dartmouth supplemental essays 2022, there are several factors you should keep in mind. First, Dartmouth has two broad required questions for all applicants as well as a list of optional questions. You are required to respond to one of the optional prompts as well. So, let’s take a look at the Dartmouth supplemental essays 2022-2023.

1. Required of all applicants. Please respond in 100 words or fewer:

Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth’s Class of 2027, what aspects of the College’s academic program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? In short, Why Dartmouth? Please respond in 100 words or fewer.

2. Required of all applicants. Please respond in 200-250 words:

“Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself in 200-250 words.

3. Required of all applicants. Please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 200-250 words:

• Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you making—an impact?
• What excites you?
• In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba ’14 reflects on constructing a windmill from recycled materials to power electrical appliances in his family’s Malawian house: “If you want to make it, all you have to do is try.” What drives you to create and what do you hope to make or have you made?
• Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth’s Class of 1925, wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” What do you wonder and think about?
• “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced,” wrote James Baldwin. How does this quote apply to your life experiences?

How to answer the Dartmouth supplemental essays?

Dartmouth requires responses to their first two essay prompts, but applicants may choose from a list of prompts for their third supplemental essay. Let’s start by looking at the first required essay prompt.

Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth’s Class of 2027, what aspects of the College’s academic program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? In short, Why Dartmouth? Please respond in 100 words or fewer.

Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, Dartmouth College benefits from an abundance of natural beauty, and this has always been a factor that has attracted students to the school. But Dartmouth also boasts an impressive list of programs for undergraduate students.

Dartmouth knows you will likely be applying to a number of different schools, but in this first prompt, they want to know why you have chosen to apply to Dartmouth specifically. Is it the well-rounded liberal arts curriculum, Dartmouth’s values that promote academic integrity? Or perhaps you’ve been lured by Dartmouth’s proximity to nature. Whatever your reason, the goal of the first prompt is to be as specific as possible. Did you discover something exciting about Dartmouth during your campus visit? If so, discuss it.

The next prompt asks you to introduce yourself to Dartmouth.

“Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself in 200-250 words.

The main goal here is to let your unique personality shine through. This isn’t an academic essay, and there is no “right” way to answer it. You also shouldn’t think about what Dartmouth “wants to hear.” What they truly want to hear is what makes you interesting. Schools like Dartmouth want to enroll students who have a unique vision and worldview. So, be creative and show Dartmouth what makes you stand out.

The next section of Dartmouth supplemental essays 2022-2023 requires that you choose one prompt to answer. The goal of all of these prompts is to use your creativity as thoroughly as possible. Let’s look at the prompts one by one.

1. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you making—an impact?

The prompt offers you an excellent opportunity to discuss your passions. This isn’t necessarily about what you will study at Dartmouth. Instead, it’s about what drives you in life, and what you hope to accomplish. Obviously, you aren’t expected to know exactly how your life will turn out, but this prompt gives you the chance to think about where you would like your life to go, and the impact you would like to have.

2. What excites you?

This prompt may sound too simple, but it really isn’t. This prompt allows you to showcase your passions, but it also allows you to talk about things that are exciting to you outside of your studies. Again, there is no “right” way to answer this. Does travel excite you? How about learning a skill you’ve always dreamed of learning? Or you might choose to write about something even simpler. Does the return of Spring excite you each year? It may sound simple, but it’s a chance for you to be authentic.

3. In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba ’14 reflects on constructing a windmill from recycled materials to power electrical appliances in his family’s Malawian house: “If you want to make it, all you have to do is try.” What drives you to create and what do you hope to make or have you made?

Because Dartmouth is interested in your creativity of thought, this prompt asks you to reflect on how you have tried to be creative with your curiosity and skills. When answering this prompt keep in mind that Dartmouth wants to know about your process. That means you can talk about trying and failing, and then trying again. The key is to focus on your intellectual curiosity and perseverance.

4. Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth’s Class of 1925, wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” What do you wonder and think about?

This is another prompt that asks about your intellectual curiosity. This isn’t necessarily asking what you have done, but what you think about. What questions are always on your mind? What kinds of resources do you use to explore these questions?

5. “Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced,” wrote James Baldwin. How does this quote apply to your life experiences?

This prompt asks you to reflect on the challenges in your life and how you have approached them. The quote states that there are some things you won’t be able to change regardless of your efforts, but also acknowledges that if you don’t face your challenges, you will never overcome them. What events in your life have presented this kind of situation? Was there a time you went up against a challenge only to realize you couldn’t overcome it? Or have you had experiences with challenges you didn’t want to face but knew there was no other choice?

At AdmissionSight, our goal is to help you with every step of the college admissions process. The Harvard supplemental essays 2022 can seem daunting at first, but our experience and expertise will help you navigate the entire process with confidence. Hopefully, this guide to the Harvard supplemental essays 2022-2023 has been helpful, but if you want more information about how AdmissionSight can help you realize your dreams, set up your free consultation today.