University of Michigan Supplemental Prompt 1:

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. (300 Word Limit)

University of Michigan Supplemental Prompt 2:

Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? (550 Word Limit)

Simplify In Summer 2024

See targeted guidance to help you stand out,
essay inspiration from our own accepted students,
and proven methods to help you start and succeed (from an Ivy Alum with 300+ student success stories!).

‣ Slide for Essential Planning Information
‣ Scroll for Successful Student Examples

The Upgraded Way

Most college admissions resources guide students through one primary college essay, but we know from experience that supplemental essays change lives—and planning for these projects is embedded into our work with students from the start.

Each summer, we help students make tangible progress toward their college-specific supplemental content well before August 1st—with strategic framework-building steps that make the entire application process more simple, sustainable, and successful.

We keep track of supplemental essay prompts, changes, and trends for our community—so we can help students start making tangible progress on their supplemental essay content during the summer.

We unite prompt projections with our experience-driven supplemental essay approaches to guide new applicants through strategic framework-building steps.

This foundational framework helps students build clarity in their messaging, confidence in their strengths, a more balanced schedule, and a process that unfolds with much more ease.

Many colleges will ask students in the Class of 2025 to respond to the same prompts our admitted students addressed in our Successful Examples.

Most colleges have required the same prompts for 2 years in a row, and many have required the same prompts for 3 years or more. Some colleges change their prompts more frequently—and those prompts tend to be the most creative.

Plan to check in on changes August 1st, 2024. That’s when colleges will publish their official Supplemental Essay Prompts for undergraduate applicants—you can find them under the My Colleges section of the Common Application.

Whether you are navigating the supplemental essay process independently, with a family member, with a teacher, or with a mentor from our team, having a strategic supplemental essay approach is immensely helpful for all students.

That change can trim your entire application process in half, help you toward a more sustainable schedule, and give you more clarity and confidence throughout the entire process. For our past students, our team members, and for our founder, this method has opened doors to life-changing opportunities—and it’s one of the reasons we’re here today.

Below, you can read inspiring example essays from our admitted students, explore success-proven approaches, and find ways to launch your own supplemental essay success.

Check in for our latest updates, innovative resources, and all things College-Specific Supplemental Essays. We’ll keep you on the path to Michigan this summer, so we can hear about your success story next summer!

Successful Supplemental Essay Examples:

Want to see the types of responses that are appreciated by admissions readers? In this section, you can read several successful supplemental essay responses from our students that helped them get accepted to The University of Michigan Ann Arbor!

University of Michigan Supplemental Prompts:

The following essay examples address the University of Michigan’s supplemental essay prompts from the most recent admissions year. Each of Michigan’s Supplemental Essay Prompts from the most recent admissions year can be seen above.

‣ Successful Essay Response (Prompt 1):

When I started robotics, it seemed like a world of “them” and “us.”

“They” were the older, more confident high school students. The “us” was a rag-tag group of six 6th-graders. Not only did we barely know our nuts from bolts—we were thrown in with the sharks immediately. At every competition, we would join [Redacted]’s high school teams—even competing against them and other high school teams from across the region.

We were left to fend for ourselves against the behemoths of the robotics world.

The longer I spent in the program, however, the more I observed from the older teams. The biggest takeaway? Everybody was incredibly collaborative. Given the battle to snatch qualifying spots, I initially envisioned ruthless competition and desperate pursuit of any possible advantage.

However, I found that this ruthless culture didn’t really exist. When an older team made a breakthrough, they always found ways to teach and share with all.

We were a collective program—not individual teams.

I found belonging—and community—through near-endless revisions, bleary-eyed work sessions, and critiques not meant to tear down, but to build up. What mattered most was developing the program’s legacy and setting up [Redacted] for success for years to come. This program-first mentality, as I would come to observe, was the driving factor for all the success and collaboration I witnessed.

Now, as a senior, in my last year of [Redacted] Robotics, I see the new sixth graders forming teams—where I know they will build not just intricate robots, but also core friendships. With Leadership Council, I mentor a middle school team, empowering them to be the best possible team they can be.

As I mentor them, I channel all of the inspiration I’ve had over the years. Because [Redacted] Robotics isn’t about individuals—it’s a community that is, undeniably, all of “us.”

‣ Successful Essay Response (Prompt 2):

My intellectual passions were shaped in a multitude of spaces and situations—from the everyday, to the urgent. One evening when I was five years old, my mother and I were huddled on the bed together. As my baby sister was bottle-fed milk, she suddenly started choking.

After a panicked several minutes, our neighbor, an EMT, saved the day—and my sister’s life. He responded to my mom’s frantic calls and was there within minutes, still clad in pajamas.

This act of heroism—the ability to save a life—stayed with me. While my mission to become a physician began with that emergency moment, volunteering as an EMT and assisting my dad with day-to-day tasks has enabled me to discover new health-related insights.

With the University of Michigan’s collaborative, mission-based, and empathy-embracing learning community, I can build foundations for a health profession that supports all aspects of health—urgent matters, chronic conditions, preventative solutions, along with access and equity.

I appreciate LSA’s opportunities for advanced biomedical discovery—but also its interdisciplinary freedom. I’d explore through distribution coursework, uniting with peers across diverse perspectives. In Foundations of Intergroup Relations, I can continue addressing bias and prejudice from an education-focused standpoint. As a mentor with the [Redacted] Program at my high school, I currently conduct outreach to embrace diversity, inclusion, and equity. With Michigan peers, I can also dissect societally-shaped inequities and biases in Urban Inequality in America.

I can’t wait to delve into Michigan’s biology- and neuroscience-related fields of exploration, from collaborative coursework to hands-on research. Hoping to advance preventive cardiology and personalized health care, I’d love to explore genetics-based insights, from expression to CRISPR, in in-depth courses like Genetics. Further, I hope to deepen this initial understanding of the organ systems through working in animal studies in Human and Animal Physiology Laboratory; I was fascinated learning about the functionality of the heart and sinus rhythms during EMT volunteering.

From watching early PBS shows on TV to AP Psychology lessons, I’m interested in exploring mental health difficulties, psychological disorders, coping mechanisms, and treatment methods in Introduction to Abnormal Psychology. I’d love to understand neuroscientific bases of human behaviors, along with psychological factors that can influence health.

With Michigan LSA, I can also explore healthcare developments and address inequities through research and service. I’d be inspired to work with a mentor like Dr. Andre Monteiro Da Rocha, whose research in aging-associated cardiovascular illness and tailored prevention is inspiring to me. Given the importance of prevention in cardiovascular health, I am concerned by the unequal access to healthful foods, healthcare, and more for disadvantaged communities. In Undergraduate Research in Biology, Health, and Society opportunities, I hope to explore insights for cardiovascular prevention via community health initiatives.

With hopes to promote equity and access, I also appreciate Michigan’s work with local communities. I can research wide-reaching solutions—while also making immediate change. With the Detroit Initiative, I hope to work with community-based organizations, promoting healthcare and nutrition access. Passionate about inclusion and equity, I would also love to assist communities through Cass Community Social Services, and empower local students with the Center for Educational Outreach.

At the University of Michigan, I hope to pursue the passion I discovered long ago. With its unmatchable community, I would channel learning toward collaboration, innovation—and access for all.

Below, you can explore success-proven approaches, access more essay inspiration, and find ways to launch your own supplemental essay success.

Check in for our latest updates, innovative resources, and all things College-Specific Supplemental Essays. We look forward to seeing your outstanding story!

The Class of 2025 Essentials:
Supplemental Essay Foundations

With all of our resources for the Class of 2025,
you’ll discover effective strategies that are student-approved and success-proven.

Our approaches are much more than one-size-fits-all—because our methods were built with tools from education research, findings from positive psychology, and insights from over a decade of college admissions success stories.

Our resources are created by an expert with:

‣ 10+ years of college application consulting success
‣ Insights from 300+ successful application journeys
‣ Teaching experience in high-achieving classrooms
‣ Research experience in student achievement
‣ An Ivy League education—and her very own college acceptances to Penn and Yale!

Ivy Inspired. Success Proven.

When students begin their application-building process, they’ll come across excellent online resources, inspiring sample essays, and many up-and-coming creators.

We want our students to explore every idea that motivates them throughout their journey, and we want every mentor who truly cares about students to grow and succeed.

When students or mentors need to know the best next step, we’re here to provide clarity and confidence—because experience is essential when it comes to your future.

The best way to know you’ll have all the right answers? Start with all the right questions.

The way we start the process is what makes the difference for our students—and it’s why we’ve seen so many incredible success stories unfold. Throughout over a decade of inspiring application journeys, these framework-building questions have launched the process for students who gained admission to even their most-selective dream schools.

This resource was built directly by an Ivy Alum, curated while guiding highly-successful students, and refined with research and inspiration from this year—just for the Class of 2025.

Welcome to Our Community!

Whether you got started or simply scrolled through today, your future self thanks you—and we’re glad to have you as part of our community!