Featured Supplemental Essay Prompt For WPI Applicants:

Worcester Polytechnic Institute seeks students who are the right fit for its academic and campus community. In what ways are you the right fit for the distinctive educational and campus experience that Worcester Polytechnic Institute offers? 500 Word Maximum.

Successful Supplemental Essay Example From Our Accepted Alumni Student:

My typical first-grade Monday was filled with hearing classmates’ weekend adventures—trampoline parks, gaming arcades, and McDonald’s playplaces. My playground, however, was the Indian movie theater in [City], [State], an enclave for Indian-Americans in the tri-state area.

In particular, I loved that movie theater because it sparked my first memory of creating something.

After viewing the premiere of Endhiran (basically, the Indian knock-off of “Terminator”), I spent the next several months building my own robot. It was a non-functional contraption composed of household items—from my brother’s foam play blocks to my mom’s hair clips. But it was one of the first times I explored through creating.

Since then—through trial-and-error, group work, and influential mentors—I’ve realized that I learn best through collaboration and problem-solving. Now, as I explore WPI as a hopeful BME major, I believe I will thrive there because of WPI’s unmatchable emphasis on mission-based learning—providing endless opportunities to create.

Along with pursuing competition-based goals with my TrigStar, Math, and Tennis teams, I’ve also learned while building Superman’s Smallville from legos with nursing home patients, and animating images to create dynamic data representations with my [University Name] research mentor. In WPI’s hands-on courses, I would both explore and create. I’d investigate computing-based design and ethical concerns in Biomedical Engineering Design, creating innovation with teammates to apply these lessons. In Biotransport Laboratory, I’ll analyze blood vessels, tissues, and more—problem-solving with my team.

Thinking of my friends at the nursing home, I hope to investigate interdisciplinary solutions to improve dementia patients’ quality of life through the IQP and MQP. I’m captivated while reading about WPI students’ MQPs, from the revolutionary “SmartWalker” to help prevent falls for patients, to investigation of links between gut health and neurological diseases. For my MQP, I wish to create tools to enhance memory care or motor skills—helping dementia patients regain some independence.

During my [Internship Name] internship, I learned through creating with my research mentor, Dr. [Menter]. Together, we analyzed the effectiveness of graphic tools, including Python, to create dynamic data visualization. At WPI, I hope to continue investigating computing tools and diagnostic advancements in Biomedical Imaging, and to conduct hands-on research in Health & Biotechnology. It would be a dream to explore diagnostic tools with a mentor like WPI’s Dr. Panchapakesan, who developed the revolutionary liquid biopsy chip.

Speaking with nursing home patients from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, I’ve also become concerned about inequities in healthcare and nutrition access. I’m especially inspired by WPI students’ food justice work and cross-departmental IQP’s like The Mobile Farmers Market, uniting sustainable innovation with helping communities in need. With community outreach and my IQP, I would unite with WPI peers, hopefully enhancing healthcare access, food justice, and quality of life for all.

Over the years, my first-grade Edhiran replica has morphed into more sophisticated problem-solving. But my desire to create continues to drive me—and working with patients has given my curiosities new meaning.

At WPI, I hope to collaborate, innovate, and unite—with a community that never stops creating.