Let’s take a closer look at this Cornell essay prompt.


Engineering is a broad area, so this academic college is famous for giving the students-to-be several prompts to choose from. That’s why the collection of Cornell engineering essay examples is the most diverse among the rest of the schools.


No matter what the prompt is, these essays are always about creativity and diversity. Try to describe what interdisciplinary project you want to finish together with Cornell. The College houses programs allow you to practically build your own major like LEGO, so you may connect anything and everything to get the perfect mix for you. Describe your passion, sell your idea to the admission officers, be sincere and creative, and you’ll create the perfect paper for Arts and Sciences.

The College of Arts and Sciences is the most academically diverse school. It mimics both the Medieval traditional way of education when students learned all the fine arts, and the modern Ezra Cornell’s principle of “any person, any study”. If you are most interested in creating interdisciplinary connections, this is the best academic college for you.

The Why Cornell “Why this College” Essay Example

The second part demands a more practical approach. Here you set your goals and explain why Cornell is the best place to achieve them. Possibly, it has great field courses that will give you lots of precious practical experience. Maybe, there are courses that are directly related to the area you want to study further, possibly for masters degree. Or they are just connected to the facility you are going to work after your graduation, it’s also a completely legit reason to choose Cornell.

It is an engineering college, so be precise, specific, and clear. Choose meaningful examples to illustrate your cases, the best ones are always the personal ones. If you are asked about your personal experience but you don’t have a relevant case, it’s fine to write about that in the first sentence and then write down your general thoughts. Even if you don’t know how it works in real life, your flow of thought may greatly illustrate your attitude, creativity, and ability to express yourself.

Usually, the first part of this application essay is similar to the “Why Cornell” essay, just with another subject. You are expected to briefly describe why you are interested in this particular college, what specific areas draw your attention, and how you plan to use your new knowledge in your future life. It’s a great place to share some personal experience, maybe an event or background that shaped your love to Live Sciences, animals, plants, agriculture or something else related to your future diploma.

If you have personal connections to the school you're applying to (such as legacy, family members who work there, students or faculty you're close with), it can be a good idea to reference those connections. Showing personal connections to the school makes admissions think, "They're already practically one of us!" Just make sure that these connections aren't contrived: only write about them if you have a clear purpose within your essay for introducing them. In this essay, the student references their brother who attended Cornell, but does so in a way that naturally ties into the rest of their reasons for "why Cornell."


How to Write the Cornell Supplemental Essay

The second paper, the internal Cornell supplemental essay is the trickier one. The themes vary from one college to another (learn more about them before you start your preparations, remember?). For instance a Cornell engineering essay will drastically differ from an art one. To make everything more complicated, there is often only one essay theme for each college (with some exceptions, like the aforementioned engineering one), so you won’t have the degree of freedom that is offered by other universities. We will try to explain these differences later, in a nutshell.

18 Essays that Worked at Cornell - AdmitYogi

For "Why Us?" college essays, one of the most important parts is to show ways you imagine being involved on campus. This student does a great job of showing that they've done their research about Cornell, by connecting their passion for studying heart disease to specific initiatives already taking place on campus. Try researching what events, research, or programs are being conducted. By referencing those specifics, you can create convincing reasons of why this school is fit for you.

Cornell U. College of Arts and Sciences suppl. essay.

Whether you’re starting your college search or adding the finishing touches to your application essay, there’s good news: financial aid can significantly lower the cost of attending. Cornell’s student aid programs ensure a world-class university experience is accessible and affordable for all eligible students.

Cornell University Supplemental Essay Examples - Clastify

For now, Cornell University is one of the best choices for students to be. The broad variety of academic colleges allows the applicants to choose not only their majors, but the specialization they want to dedicate their life to (or, at least a significant part of it). The majors are similar in general, but some of the subjects will be taught slightly differently, with more attention to different topics. For example, a major in biology may be a very different experience within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Human Ecology. The range of professions suitable for bachelors will also differ. So, before making a decision and writing a cover letter, you should learn more about the Cornell academic colleges and understand the differences between them.

How to Write the Cornell University Essays 2024-2025

It’s a chance to add depth to something that is important to you and tell the admissions committee more about your background or goals. Below you’ll find selected examples of essays that “worked,” as nominated by our admissions committee. In each of these essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins.