University Admission Essay
Popular University
Select University
- American University
- Amherst College
- Arizona State University
- Babson College
- Bard College
- Barnard College
- Bates College
- Baylor College Medical School
- Baylor University
- Beloit College
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Bowdoin College
- Bradley University
- Brandeis University
- Brown University
- Bryant University
- Bryn Mawr College
- Bucknell University
- California Institute of Technology
- California Polytechnic State University
- California State University - Fullerton
- California State University - Los Angeles
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Chapman University
- Charles Darwin University
- Claremont McKenna College
- Clarkson University
- Clemson University
- Colby College
- Colgate University
- Colorado College
- Colorado School of Mines
- Colorado State University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Creighton University
- Dartmouth College
- DePaul University
- Drexel University
- Duke University
- Duke University School of Law
- Duke University School of Medicine
- Elon University
- Emerson College
- Emory University
- Fairfield University
- Florida State University
- Fordham University
- George Mason University
- George Washington University
- Georgetown Law School
- Georgetown University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Grinnell College
- Hamilton College
- Harvard University
- Hofstra University
- Indiana University
- Iowa State University
- Ithaca College
- James Madison University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Lang College
- Lehigh University
- Lewis and Clark College
- Loyola Marymount University
- Loyola University Chicago
- Macalester College
- Macaulay Honors College
- Marquette University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- McGill University
- Mercer University
- Michigan State University
- Middlebury College
- Montclair State University
- Mount Holyoke College
- New York University
- North Carolina State University
- Northeastern University
- Northwestern University
- Oberlin College
- Ohio State University
- Old Dominion University
- Pacific University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Pepperdine University
- Pomona College
- Pratt Institute
- Princeton University
- Providence College
- Purdue University
- Reed College
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Rice University
- Rochester University
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
- Rutgers University
- Santa Clara University
- Seton Hall University
- Sewanee: The University of the South
- Smith College
- Southern Methodist University
- St. John's College
- St. John's University
- Stanford University
- Suffolk University
- SUNY Albany
- SUNY Binghamton University
- SUNY Buffalo
- SUNY Stony Brook
- Swarthmore College
- Syracuse University
- Temple University
- Tennessee State University
- Texas A&M University
- Texas Christian University
- Texas Tech University
- The University of Iowa
- The University of Texas at Dallas
- The University of Utah
- Trinity University
- Tufts University
- Tulane University
- UC Merced
- UC San Diego
- UC Santa Barbara
- University of Alabama
- University of Calgary
- University of California - Irvine
- University of California - Riverside
- University of California Santa Cruz
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, Davis
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of Central Florida
- University of Chicago
- University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- University of Colorado - Boulder
- University of Connecticut
- University of Delaware
- University of Denver
- University of Florida
- University of Florida Medical School
- University of Georgia
- University of Idaho
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
- University of Maine
- University of Maryland, College Park
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- University of Miami
- University of Michigan
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Oregon
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Puget Sound
- University of Rhode Island
- University of Richmond
- University of Rochester
- University of San Diego
- University of San Francisco
- University of South Carolina
- University of South Florida
- University of Southern California
- University of Texas - Austin
- University of Vermont
- University of Virginia
- University of Washington
- UW–Madison
- Vanderbilt University
- Villanova University
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Wake Forest University
- Washington and Lee University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Wellesley College
- Wentworth Institute of Technology
- Wesleyan University
- Whitman College
- William and Mary College
- Williams College
- Yale University
What Popular Universities are Looking for
We have examples of essays for some of the most popular schools, and as said, they are all looking for something different.
If we look at Brown, for instance, they are looking for students that can show why they would be a good fit for the school and what they hope to achieve.
Other schools like Columbia, Cornell, UChicago, and Yale are looking for your passion and want you to use your academic and extracurricular interests to portray this. These schools are looking for authenticity, so it is important to use your inner voice to show who you are, what you care about, and why you would be a good match for them.
Georgetown and Princeton are looking for those that can capture how they will make a difference to their school and community by sharing a story that also highlights your activities, skills, and interests.
Feeling stressed about your essay?
Get professional help in 5 minutes
Complete the order form
Pay for Admissions Writing
Download an Admission Essay
Dartmouth and Duke are more story-based with their application essays. They are looking for the type of person you are and want to discover your interests through a story or creatively cover a topic or event that has profoundly impacted your life.
As you can see, universities all require you to focus and place emphasis on various topics. However, the common denominator is that they should all be personal and about you. They want you to be authentic and honest and to showcase the type of person you are through an event, topic, interest, experience, or achievement that has changed or influenced you. Keep in mind that they are not looking for a repeat of your transcript; instead, they want to get to know you better.
Once you are ready to start your application, looking at college essay samples is a good idea. These samples will give you a better insight and understanding of what each school is looking for, especially in terms of tone, format, and style.
We have compiled plenty of examples for all the most popular universities you can view and gain ideas from. These will help you to get on the right track when applying for college
