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How to Write the University of Virginia Essays 2023-2024

University of Virginia has two supplemental essay prompts, one of which is optional. Although we normally encourage applicants to respond to any and all optional supplemental prompts, this one can be categorized as an “additional information” essay, which is truly optional–in fact, you should really only respond to this question if it truly applies to you.

Whether you are writing two essays or just one, we’re here to break down UVA’s prompts, so that you can feel confident your responses will showcase your best qualities, and maximize your chances of acceptance.

Read these University of Virginia essay examples to inspire your writing.

University of Virginia Supplemental Essay Prompts

Prompt 1: If you have a personal or historic connection with UVA, and if you’d like to share how your experience of this connection has prepared you to contribute to the University, please share your thoughts here. Such relationships might include, but are not limited to, being a child of someone who graduated from or works for UVA, a descendant of ancestors who labored at UVA, or a participant in UVA programs. (100 words, optional)

Prompt 2: What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA? Feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you. (250 words)

If you have a personal or historic connection with UVA, and if you’d like to share how your experience of this connection has prepared you to contribute to the University, please share your thoughts here. Such relationships might include, but are not limited to, being a child of someone who graduated from or works for UVA, a descendant of ancestors who labored at UVA, or a participant in UVA programs. (100 words, optional)

As noted above, this is not a typical supplement, but is more along the lines of the prompt in the “Additional Information” section of the Common App that allows you to share how COVID-19 and/or natural disasters have impacted your academic performance. If you don’t have a preexisting connection to UVA, don’t force one by talking about how your childhood best friend’s cousin went there. Most students accepted to UVA don’t have any prior association to the school, so not answering this question isn’t going to negatively impact your odds of acceptance.

If this prompt does apply to you, however, we encourage you to respond to it, even though it is still optional for you, as you’re being given an opportunity to help UVA admissions officers better understand your perspective on their school. You don’t have much space, though, so you want to make sure you already have a clear sense of what you want to say, as otherwise your words will be gone before you know it.

While UVA may have been a huge part of your life growing up if, say, both your parents are alums and took you to football tailgates every fall Saturday since the time you could walk, that probably isn’t the case for most applicants. That’s completely fine–you don’t need to diminish your connection to the school just because your house isn’t painted blue and orange.

Rather, take a step back from the actual essay and the word count, and ask yourself honestly how your connection to UVA has shaped you. Remember, this is still a supplemental essay, so you want UVA admissions officers to learn something about you. You don’t want to say just “my dad went to UVA and his friends from college are all really great,” because that won’t teach admissions officers anything about your personality.

Rather, talk about how one of your dad’s friends played basketball at UVA, and how he was an invaluable resource for you as you weighed the pros and cons of pursuing varsity sports in college yourself. You could wrap things up by describing how, if you attend UVA, you will do your best to be similarly generous and compassionate with anyone who is even tangentially connected to the school.

There is no right or wrong answer here. Just make sure you’re avoiding clichés that could be written about any college, like how you’re glad your family is part of a worldwide alumni network, this essay won’t add anything to your application. It may be truly optional, but if it applies to you, you still want to take full advantage of this opportunity to share your personality with admissions officers. So, be honest, and explain your thoughts in enough detail that your readers learn something substantive about you.

What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA? Feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you. (250 words)

Brainstorming Your Topic

This is a good example of the popular “Diversity” essay, which you may have already come across in another school’s supplemental essay package. This kind of essay requires you to do two things: highlight some particular aspect of your identity, and then explain why it’s fundamental to understanding who you are as a whole.

Before we go further, it’s important to note that this kind of essay may carry more significance for certain applicants in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning affirmative action . Colleges are now banned from directly factoring an applicant’s race into their admissions decision, but they are allowed to consider race in the context of your overall background and experiences. What that means is that, if your race is an important part of your identity, you should think about focusing this essay on it, as otherwise UVA admissions officers will be legally unable to consider your race as part of their holistic review process.

If your racial identity doesn’t feel like quite the right topic for this essay, there are also plenty of other options out there. You could write about your gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or other qualities people often associate with the word “diversity,” but you can also broaden your net, and write about, to use UVA’s words “any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective.”

Our past experiences and backgrounds are not just the demographic boxes we check, but also our interests, hobbies, and favorite memories. So, if you want to write about your family’s yearly camping trips during the summer, or your experience planting your own herb garden, that is completely fine, so long as those topics have been influential in making you who you are.

Finally, note that UVA wants you to write about something that “will serve as a source of strength.” That means you should focus on some aspect of your identity that makes you feel empowered. Our identities are complicated, so that doesn’t mean you need to have strictly positive experiences with this part of yourself. 

You do want your overall framing to be positive, however, as if you only talk about how frustrating it was when your herbs kept dying, UVA admissions officers may not understand how you’re going to draw strength from this experience in college. Instead, touch on your frustration briefly, and then dive into how rewarding it was for you to see them thrive after you built a short protective wall to shield them from the worst of the wind.

Tips for Writing Your Essay

In your actual response, it’s crucial that you don’t just describe what this especially important aspect of your identity is, but also explain why this quality is so fundamental to your personality as a whole. In other words, what have you learned about yourself as a result of your experiences connected to this part of your identity?

Like in any college essay, the most engaging, informative way of answering that question is by showing, not telling. What that means is rather than just saying “Being raised trilingual taught me the importance of being truly open to other ways of thinking,” describe a moment when this realization shaped your actions.

For example, maybe you once had to act as an impromptu translator at the supermarket, as a Japanese couple was having issues with their card but couldn’t communicate with the cashier. As you bounced back and forth between languages, you realized that certain things are impossible to say in exactly the same way, due to the drastic differences between Japanese and English. That in turn made you realize that language isn’t just words that passively come out of our mouths, but something that shapes how we engage with the word around us.

With the original, tell-y line, UVA admissions officers don’t get any detail about what being open to other ways of thinking means in the context of your particular life, so you aren’t doing anything to set yourself apart from other applicants who may also have this value. In the more detailed, show-y example on the other hand, readers get to see how your broader takeaway has manifested in your daily life, which helps them better understand how this aspect of your identity will help you fit into their broader campus community.

Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake students make with this kind of essay is focusing too much on the particular feature of their identity they’ve chosen, and not fulfilling the second goal of this kind of essay by connecting it to their broader personality. 

In the context of the above example, that might look like diving into great detail about when you learned your three languages and how long it took you to consider yourself fluent, but not incorporating any information about how this ability has shaped their worldview. Remember, UVA admissions officers want to learn as much about you as possible, so don’t just give them one piece of the puzzle. Also give them enough information that they can see how this single piece fits into the broader framework of your life.

Where to Get Your University of Virginia Essay Edited 

Do you want feedback on your UVA essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

How to Write Your Way into UVA

In college admissions, essays can serve as the tipping point. Here are some tips, pointers and actual essays that recently made the cut.

To build the 3,974-member Class of 2023, UVA admission deans culled through 40,880 applications. How big a role did the student essays play in the final decision? We asked an expert: Macy Lenox (Col ’94), associate dean of undergraduate admission. Here’s our conversation, edited and condensed.

Virginia Magazine: What carries the most weight in the final admission decision?

Lenox: What we find on the transcript is going to be the first and most important aspect of the application. [Then] we’re going to start looking at impact and contribution, and we get to that through extracurricular activities and teacher recommendations.

The essay is the one time we’re going to kind of sit back in our chair and give students the opportunity to talk to us. So they want to use that time wisely. The best essays are those that you read and you don’t just want to admit the student, you want to take them out for coffee once they get to Grounds.

With that said, will an extraordinary essay make the case for a student who is not qualified? The answer is no. One of my former colleagues used to say: It can heal the sick, but it can’t raise the dead.

Are any essay topics better than another?

There’s no such thing as a golden-ticket topic. What makes the essay is not the topic; it’s how you approach your topic and what it reveals about you.

We read a lot of essays about sports and that sort of thing. And I would say most of them are solid, and they’re grammatically correct, and there are no typos, and they’re well-organized, and they tell me something about a student. It’s going to be confirming that you can write an essay.

But this is a process where you want to stand out. And so it’s a process of not just writing a confirming essay but writing an elevating essay. Don’t tell me everything that soccer has taught you. Tell me the one thing that’s been truly transformative. Tell it to me as a story. Be descriptive. Be reflective.

Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable—you know, to talk about shortcomings or areas where you felt weak. We all have that. It’s perfectly fine to be normal. And at no point should you say, “Soccer taught me to be a leader.” That should emerge from your essay. You know: Show me, don’t tell me.

What’s one common mistake you see in essays?

So many try to be the person they think we want them to be. Stay in your lane, if you will. If you’re a funny person, write a funny essay. But if you’re not really known as a funny person, don’t write a funny essay. It’s probably not going to be funny. If you write about something you love, it’s probably going to come through.

We are comfortable with a 17-year-old voice. We typically know when we’re hearing a 40- or 50-year-old voice.

Any final piece of advice for essay-writing?

What we caution against is what we call death by committee—where you’ve had so many people contributing little pieces of an essay [that] all of a sudden you’ve got five different voices in your essay.

I definitely recommend you get other people to read your essay for advice. But when you hand it to them, the question you should ask is, “Does this sound like me?” You should never hand a pen or pencil to someone when you give them your essay. Just have them read it, and then sit down with them afterward and talk about it, and you take notes.

We say this all the time: If it dropped out of your backpack and fell on the cafeteria floor, your friend could pick it up and, even if your name wasn’t on it, know it was yours.

Enjoy meeting a few individuals from the Class of 2023. In response to writing prompts with word limits, they each submitted several admission essays (both short and long). The ones published here, lightly edited, reveal a bit of the unique selves they will bring with them to the University of Virginia this fall.

Living Out-of-the-Box

A bead of sweat trickled down my temple. A wave of excitement crashed over me. With nimble fingers I tore the wrapping paper off of the Christmas gift before me. This is it. I was sure the box contained the Razor scooter that I had wanted for months. I envisioned myself skating through the neighborhood, Skechers lighting up with each kick off the ground, low ponytail protruding from my hot pink helmet. I would rule my cul-de-sac.

When I opened the box and dug through mounds of packing peanuts, my eyes finally fell upon the treasure beneath. But I was immediately overcome with paralyzing disappointment. My short life flashed before my eyes. Something had gone very, very wrong at Santa’s workshop. The item within the box had one less wheel than it should have had. In fact, it was not a scooter at all, but a unicycle.

Disappointment faded into acceptance and ultimately enthusiasm as I imagined the possibilities. I could learn to juggle on one wheel. I could unicycle to school. I could join the circus. Abandoning my other Christmas presents, I descended to the basement, which would become my training ground for the next three frozen months. Hugging a wall, straddling the seat and lifting my feet onto the pedals, I was ready to ride. Yet I sat frozen, unsure of how to proceed. I had read the instructions, but they were remarkably uninstructive. Awkward minutes ticked by.

Eventually I built up the courage to rock back and forth. But I never made it forth; instead, the wheel shot out from under me and I landed hard on my face. Pride and dignity extinguished, yet undeterred, I mounted again. I fell again. From dawn till dusk for days on end, I wrestled with that wheel. Eventually I learned to balance, and then to pedal.

When the snow finally melted, I was riding at lightning speed around my cul-de-sac, to the awe of friends and neighbors astride their strangely complicated two-wheeled contraptions.

Yet simply learning to unicycle did not quench my insatiable desire to expand my skillset. Uni-juggling bored me, so I taught myself to play basketball atop the wheel. And thus I developed a habit of concocting unconventional combinations, which would give birth to my most epic brainchildren.

I began performing my trademark magic shows on the unicycle. Using my black top hat, I impersonated Abraham Lincoln on the unicycle, reciting the Gettysburg Address from memory. (I wondered if Honest Abe would have been able to unicycle; considering the length of his legs, I concluded not.) I taught myself to solve a Rubik’s cube on the unicycle, a feat that required utmost focus, unwavering balance, and a street with no potholes.

I began applying that out-of-the-box mentality to my life off the wheel. I fused my love for paradoxes and poetry to create poems that could be read forward and backward to convey two contradictory messages. I layered peanut butter, avocado, and bacon atop toast to create an amalgam of my favorite foods, in the process inventing the world’s most delicious and substantial open-faced sandwich.

Conquering the unicycle made me realize that conventions need to be challenged. Just because some cycles have two wheels does not make them better. And who says that poems can only be read top to bottom? I thrive kinesthetically, learning by doing, dedicating countless hours to master anything that excites me in the slightest. But I believe there is more to life than someone else’s instruction book. I prefer to write my own instructions, try the unconventional, and explore the unknown. I am a unicyclist amongst scooterers. I make my own path, usually on just one wheel.

—Elizabeth Kilgore , Madison, New Jersey

Zoom In, Focus, Get Into the Rhythm

Cap off, shutter on. I am ready. There is a rhythm to it. I stand alone with my camera, surrounded by hundreds of people. I slowly scan the field and the stands, prepared for the unexpected scenes; the irony encourages me. Friday nights offer so many opportunities to focus on one moment, on one frame, blurring out all else around me.

There is excitement in my voice and, I have been told, a notable glimmer in my eyes when I talk about those Friday nights under the lights. These evenings challenge and excite me as I zoom in on one moment at a time, one frame at a time, quickly changing perspective and refocusing as the evening unfolds.

What am I looking for? The quarterback’s nervous focus as he stares down his targets in the face of the impending blitz, drum majors attempting to maintain a determined expression among the cacophony of the halftime festivities, and parents concealing their nerves, seemingly willing the team to a touchdown with the pressure of their clasped hands alone. Through the 200 millimeters of my lens, I am searching for the special moments that prove these are more than just games for everyone in attendance.

Endpin out, rosin my bow, tuned correctly, I am ready. There is a rhythm to it. Staring at the eighth notes that dance across the marked up score, I wait for my cue, blurring out the hushed whispers from the audience. As I anticipate the moment the curtains open, allowing me to pull my bow against the string, I am reminded of last night’s football game. I remember the way I zoomed in on each face, story and play, and now place this focus into my performance. Measure upon measure, the perspectives of the notes change, following the tone of the play, and these instant adjustments exhilarate me.

I play out; I am in the dark, but I am lit up by my desire to move someone with a strong melody that I have rehearsed time after time in my living room, until calluses are built, and I can hear the melody in my sleep.

The music that sits before me and the firm hand of the conductor are the only things I take in. Through the weight of my bow and the articulation in my left hand, I am seeking to give flight to the imagination so that the audience will be as moved as the composer intended.

Cap and gown on, Pomp and Circumstance echoing throughout the room, IB diploma in hand, I am ready. I know the rhythm. I know the rhythm because I’ve practiced all of my life. Focus on what’s important. Zoom in on what is to come. Change perspective and refocus when needed. Blur out the background noise. Through the experiences I seek out, I am invigorated and motivated by the challenges that accompany each new endeavor.

—Khuyen Dinh, Fairfax Station, Virginia

Stories From the Porch Swing

The wooden porch swing at my grandfather’s old house was very talkative. It used to creak and moan, irritated with eight-year-old me for attempting to swing so high I could touch my bare feet to the porch ceiling. It hummed as my mother gently rocked back and forth, drinking coffee. It laughed along with my little sister who used to leap off the swing as it was still moving, landing on her hands and knees with a thud. It took part in the family conversations every Sunday, faintly squeaking behind the noise of us chatting and eating dinner outside on warm nights. But when my grandfather told his stories, the swing didn't make a sound.

I remember the evening I first fell in love with stories. Under the weight of both myself and my grandfather, the swing was completely silent, careful not to interrupt. Listening earnestly with my hands resting in my lap, I was silent as well. The robin that was usually chirping in the front yard was quiet for a minute. The white oak trees with their wise faces and twisted limbs stopped whispering to each other. The world was still and listening; I could hear only my grandfather’s voice and my own soft, measured breath.

My grandfather is a storyteller. He always says that it’s his innate ability to tell a story that makes him good at his job. Whether he’s standing in front of a packed, buzzing courtroom or simply sitting on his creaky porch swing, the world listens when my grandfather speaks. From an early age, this has always been what I admire most about him. He is intelligent and kind. He is fiercely strong-willed in the way he values and fights for social justice. But most of all, he knows how to make people listen. His words inspire action. From him, I developed a strong fascination with stories.

Some of my favorite stories to hear growing up were the ones about my dad’s childhood. Although we’d heard the story hundreds of times already, my siblings and I would beg my grandfather to tell us about when my dad accidentally got stuck in a tree. My grandfather would also tell us about his own childhood during the Great Depression, his time as a drafted soldier in the Vietnam War, and the long hours he worked as a graveyard shift police officer to pay for law school.

Stories can be found anywhere. They are catalysts of social change and vehicles of shared knowledge. I find them in the pages of my history textbook, in the spirited conversations of the lunchroom, and in every person I meet. My avidity for learning has bloomed from my obsession with stories. From the fall of the Romanov Dynasty to how Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by accidentally leaving out a moldy petri dish, stories prompt my active, electrified engagement in school. They have given me an unbounded curiosity about our world.

By reading my favorite novels, traveling to unfamiliar places, and even just talking to the stranger in line at the grocery store, I continue in my search for stories. That quiet evening on my grandfather’s porch swing unleashed within me a deep-seated passion for stories that has seeped into and invigorated my intellectual pursuits.

—Audrey Hicks, Fairfax, Virginia

One Small Touch 

“J’adoube,” I said, adjusting the placement of my queen to the center of her square.

My opponent looked at me with a puzzled gaze. As the game continued, there came a second time where saying j’adoube became necessary. But this time, after again seeing the puzzled look on my opponent’s face, I said, “It means the same thing as adjust.” This time it seemed to click in his head.

Since I began playing chess competitively, I have heard the word used less and less. J’adoube is announced by a player who is going to touch a piece to adjust its positioning but has no intention of moving it from its square. This one word changes the meaning of touching a piece. Without uttering j’adoube , a player must move the piece they touch, unless moving that piece would result in an illegal move.

The word is not something that you will find in a rulebook or necessarily learn from beginner chess lessons. I imagine that it has developed over time from chess players wanting to associate the beauty of perfectly aligned pieces on the board with the beauty of the French language.

When I hear the word whispered in my direction, I smile because to me it sounds so much better than “adjust.” J’adoube cannot win games, but by saying it, you can prevent yourself from making ill-advised moves. Like in life, saying j’adoube can neither fix the past nor change the future, but it does allow you to control the present.

—Kyle Goldrick, Jamison, Pennsylvania

Sea Creature #3

“Hi, my name is Marin and I’m a piece of coral.” These were my dignity’s last words as I realized I was cast in the ensemble of my high school’s production of The Little Mermaid . In spite of my consistency and experience within the department, I was a lowly sea-creature: a fish on roller blades. As rehearsals commenced, I attempted to decipher a complex emotion: jealousy.

My best friend of 11 years obtained a highly coveted principal role following her maiden high school audition, leaving me with the role of Sea Creature #3. I looked simultaneously something akin to a prepubescent middle school boy and an ’80s jazzercise instructor. I was mercilessly clad in a deep blue unitard, complete with unflattering biker shorts, neon pink fishnet crop top, and swim cap. My insecurities were further manifested in a pair of rollerblades.

My best friend, the mermaid I felt so inferior to, was adorned in a bejeweled crown, which seemed only to further emphasize our distance apart in the hierarchical class system that is high school theater. She was oceanic royalty, and I was a plebian parrot fish. I stood sheepishly in my unitard, in my swim cap, and in the most intense state of jealousy I have ever experienced. My humiliation was complete as I stumbled across the stage, fish puppet in hand, in front of my friends and family, while enviously watching her glide gracefully from stage right to stage left, singing angelic melodies.

Alongside me in this endeavor was someone completely unexpected: a cheeky, cherubic third grader who was cast not in the principal cameo role he’d hoped for, but as a humble sea snail. Wanting to make the most of a mediocre situation, I became the unofficial cast child wrangler for the duration of the show. Rhett and I spent copious amounts of time together doing schoolwork, eating various snack foods, and learning to rollerblade. For safety's sake, I chased him through the most remote stretches of Fairfax High School as he cleared flights of stairs, careened around corners and flung himself down steep ramps in his little plastic red and black roller blades.

We got along swimmingly. Our shared experience connected us. We were inseparable. Rhett was not open to forming friendships with cast members who treated him with condescension. I, however, proved to be a completely honest and consistent friend. I remained by his side, a third grader's loyal sidekick for the entirety of the show. I helped him with his schoolwork and he helped me forget my jealousy. I kept him entertained and he provided me with positive experiences to reflect back on. The attitude he helped me to embrace gave me reason to act with integrity: I assembled a nervous cast for a prayer circle before each performance, comforted mermaids in crisis, and even stepped away from myself to help the former object of my jealousy when she was struggling.

In the end, our small group of fish-wielding jazzercise instructors went on stage and took advantage of each and every moment we had. The tangible evidence that bad situations can reap surprising rewards came in the form of a D.C. area Cappie award for my contribution to our department and our show. My situation went from mildly humiliating to outwardly validating. The jealousy I had toward my friend for her seemingly endless opportunities dissipated daily as I discovered the sometimes hidden blessings found in humility, humor, friendship, and community. My unspoken fear that my value or worth was somehow in part determined by the role I secured in a show was completely and utterly demolished by an extremely sassy, blond, nine-year-old boy, dressed as a sea snail.

—Marin Bronaugh, Fairfax, Virginia

My Mom’s Gifts to Me

The scene is ingrained into my memory. It was 2nd grade, and my teacher asked all of the students in my homeroom to put up pictures of their family on the bulletin board. Kids scrambled to the front of the room to stick on their photograph. I was at the front of the pack, eager to show everyone my picture of my mom and me holding a parrot in Hawaii three years prior.

“Kendall, why don’t you have a dad?” a bewildered Sydney asked, almost skeptical.

Everyone froze and turned to me, expecting an answer. The teacher tried to lessen my humiliation saying, “Sydney, that wasn’t nice,” and some other impotent reprimands, but the damage was done. I looked at the other kids’ photos. Each of them the same: a mother, one kid, two kids, or three, and a father. A part of me was shattered. I believed that the absence of a father would deprive me of something; my life would never compare to kids who lived with two parents.

For a long time, that mindset remained. I was ashamed of having a single mother, so I went out of my way to act like my father was in my life. Talking to friends about “my parents” and fabricating stories about my dad were coping mechanisms I used to fit in. Attending independent schools for most of my life, it seemed like everyone’s family was intact and lived in mansions, so the possibility of people knowing that I never saw my dad was terrifying. It would be something else to set me apart.

Everything changed once I moved from California to Virginia, where I had no family or friends. This forced me to spend more time with my mom, giving me a new perspective on my situation. I began to understand the sacrifices my mom made, raising me on her own, providing me with the best of everything: education, opportunities, experiences, anything a child living with two parents would have.

I now acknowledge the privilege I’ve had growing up with a mother like her. She made a successful career for herself by promoting equity and diversity in education and has passed on her beliefs that all people are worthy of respect. This influenced my love of experiencing new people, cultures, and places. So far, I have traveled to Haiti on a service trip, and France on a cultural exchange. While both experiences had their own challenges, they contributed to my understanding of cultural competence and showed me the value of forming relationships with others abroad.

My mom also instilled in me a dignified work ethic that shows through my academics, athletics, and extracurriculars. I try my best in everything I do, mimicking the strength and perseverance she had while attending college without guidance from anyone. If that means having a softball game at 5pm, tutoring elementary school kids at 7pm, then studying and homework afterward, I do it all with my best effort.

One of my mother’s qualities that I admire most is the support and acceptance she continually shows me. Regardless of our differences or circumstances, I always know that my mom respects my individuality, something that, for many of my peers, is not true. And in turn, I try to treat others with the same amount of respect and compassion. Whether that translates as talking to a patient in distress while volunteering at my local hospital or simply comforting a friend during a difficult time, sympathy and understanding are traits that hold the highest value in my life.

The trust I’ve formed with my mom is something I doubt I would have experienced with my dad. She has taught me everything about what it takes to be a strong black woman.

If I could answer Sydney's question today, my response would be, “Because my single mom is able to fulfill the role better than any father could.”

—Kendall Davis, Arlington, Virginia

Transfixed by My Toaster

I think that the shower has been the birthplace of more innovative ideas than any other location. Maybe it’s the alone time, the aromatherapy, the water washing off the day, or the ability to watch your troubles go down the drain and step out brand new. I don’t know. But I wish I did. Because it is these very moments, times when a light clicks on or an apple falls on your head, that fascinate me. Even the smallest things, the seemingly insignificant details of our reality, carry with them a story that changed the world.

One day, I was making toast, a pretty mundane part of my day. But as I was staring at my toaster, trying to get the bread to the right degree of toastiness, I became captivated by the beauty of the machine that has become a certainty in my life. For months, I had a tab open on my phone about Charles Strite, the inventor of the pop-up toaster, and would read little bits and pieces about him any time I could. All the man wanted was an evenly cooked piece of toast and that quest, distant as it may seem, led him to create something that I now expect in my everyday life.

That’s magical to me. Every step in his life, every burnt piece of toast that he had to endure, led him to that idea. One defining piece of Strite’s life has become a part of so many others. The simple device that I am accustomed to was the result of a lifetime of experience. We may take his idea for granted, but I find it amazing that he managed to change the world in his own way.

Many creations that are now a fact of life were once brave new inventions. So what will be next? Could my writing down the simple phrase “snack pants” in the notes on my phone a little after midnight change the fashion industry forever? Could my restaurant idea “the Porque-sadilla” (a place with Mexican food and trivia) revolutionize the dining experience? Probably not. But one day some goofy idea might develop into something greater: my origin story. And every step that I took, every shower, every note, every essay that I wrote would have led me to that point. Because this is the one story that I get to live, not just read about.

And that’s what fascinates me. The people around me may seem distant at times, but they are each the center of their own story. You never know which one of the people you pass in the hallway or drive past on a busy road is going to change the world. It could be you or the person sitting next to you.

So every time that I see a small invention, I get caught up in the origin story and the beauty of the creation, and how the lives of others become part of our own, and how they connect us and bridge any physical or emotional gaps that arise, and all of this comes and washes over me simply because I wanted a piece of toast.

And so I thank Charles Strite and the inventors, pioneers, iPhone note-takers, and shower-thinkers. I hope one day to be among their ranks, a piece of their stories as they are a piece of mine.

(P.S. I have dibs on both “snack pants” and “the Porque-sadilla,” so don’t get any ideas.)

—Laura Boyle, Falls Church, Virginia

What Would I Paint on Beta Bridge?

“Write your story.” The phrase is printed across the face of a notebook stacked somewhere in my room. It materializes in my mind every time I read a different account of the same historical event. I mutter it under my breath for every word, every page I write of the novel I someday hope to publish. I would paint this phrase on Beta Bridge because I believe the most powerful actions start as words and I know the most intriguing adventures begin with a story.

To write your story is to hold your life in your hands. Your story is wholly yours, but it may impact your community and beyond, in more ways than you can imagine. The #MeToo survivors wrote their stories. The New York Times published them, and then the world reacted.

It’s important to first tell your story before you tell the story of others, and it’s even more pressing to write your story before someone else can write it for you. Winston Churchill once said, “History is written by the victors.” He was right. Someone will always attempt to distort a narrative; there will forever be stories written by liars, and sometimes those stories filled with half-truths will win. But they only have that chance at victory if the real story never makes it onto the page, let alone to the printer.

Write your story, even when the only light that hasn’t flickered out is the brightness from your computer screen.

Write your story, even when you think no one else will read it. Write your story, even when it’s only three words painted across a bridge on a university campus. Write your story, before someone else does.

—Alexa Clark, Vienna, Virginia

I laugh to myself all the time.

My sisters say it’s always the same thing: the near-silent, short puffs of exhalation, the shake of the shoulders, the slight rock back and forth. Realizing that no one else shares my amusement or (in some cases) even noticed that I attempted a joke, I’ll chortle all alone.

I am past wanting others to laugh with me. Quite frankly, it makes me sad how the best-received wisecracking almost always comes at someone else’s expense. I have noticed that it simply is not “cool” to find the joke about the hydrogen atom who was positive it lost an electron as entertaining as an unflattering imitation of a blundering freshman’s faux pas. I have noticed it, and I don’t like it.

I don’t want to renounce my own unique sense of humor simply because my jokes aren’t of the trendy sort.

Why must we laugh at the girl who tripped over her hand-me-down, glaringly yellow shoes on the way in? Who cares if the boy in the front row misspelled “February” and then proceeded to badly mispronounce it? Why can’t they all laugh, instead, at the grammar joke that caused so many in the classroom to collectively roll their eyes?

I want to laugh at the harmless puns and one-liners in life, the ones that make people whoop with laughter without grimacing on the inside. Even if that means looking a tad crazy as I laugh absurdly and all alone.

—Sophia Yi, Derwood, Maryland

Hi, I’m Zainab

Tugging at my shirt sleeves, I shuffle through the empty hallways of the new school. The butterflies in my stomach feel more like wasps, for my anxiety is less a nervous excitement, and more a dreaded anticipation of what’s to come. My backpack is filled with freshly sharpened pencils, new notebooks, and my mom has packed my favorite snack. I am more than prepared to thrive at this new school, but I can’t seem to get past this crushing worry: who will I sit next to at lunchtime?

The teacher pushes open the 4th grade classroom door, and all eyes immediately turn to me. She introduces me to the class, and I suddenly develop a great fascination with my fingernails. I avoid looking directly at any of the students and I quietly seat myself near the back. Midway through the year, all the other students have already created their social circles. Out of curiosity, a couple students approach me and ask for my name. Hesitantly, I introduce myself, “Hi. I’m the new kid.”

Being in a new, unfamiliar place will eventually become a normal situation for me after having changed schools nine times by the end of senior year. It would be incorrect to say that I enjoyed uprooting myself constantly, but it would also be incorrect to say that I never learned anything along the way.

From New Mexico, I learned about the magic in color. Our insufferably quaint town was filled with artwork and culture. The intricate tiles and paintings of local artisans in the Santa Fe Art Galleries, and the swirl of color and light in the sky at sunrise during the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival inspired me to surround myself with color and create art wherever I went.

From Massachusetts, I learned how hard my parents worked to ensure that my brother and I were happy. My mother would frequently come home with bags overflowing with books from the local library to keep us occupied when our one bedroom basement apartment was buried in snow. My love for reading can be traced back to her. She could turn our apartment into a wizard’s lair or a fairy forest during the cold, snowy days.

From Texas, I learned about the fragility of human life. My friend’s dad was battling with cancer, and her family became a big part of our life since they needed our support. He passed away on Christmas Eve, and while the world continued on and most people woke up to presents and holiday festivities, my friend woke up to the reality of her father’s death.

From Virginia, I learned about the importance of family. My social life was nonexistent, so instead of going out on the weekends, I stayed home for movie nights, thought-provoking conversations with my dad, and teaching my little sister her first nursery rhymes. By becoming more present in my family’s daily lives, I was able to escape my own self-centered bubble.

All these places collectively taught me two things. First, never knowing if this is the last time you ever see someone or go somewhere, you begin to appreciate everything more, including the little things in life. Second, I learned how to be adaptable and how to relate to others. In the early moves, I tended to dwell on everything I’d left behind, never stopping to reflect on what I’d gained. I’ve picked up flavors of people and places from all around the country, seeing that there is beauty in change, even if it took me more than a few moves to see it.

So, when I moved to my new school last year, instead of immediately labeling myself as “the new kid,” I started with a smile and “Hi! I’m Zainab. Is anyone sitting here?”

—Zainab Faisal, Ashburn, Virginia

UVA Admission Essays Are Posted. Learn How to Write Your Best One

• By Rob Seal , [email protected]

Want to join these students on the Lawn at UVA? The key may be crafting an authentic, original admissions essay. (Photo by Sanjay Suchak, University Communications)

High school students looking to get a jump on joining the University of Virginia’s Class of 2023 got some big news recently: This year’s essay questions have been unveiled.

Associate Dean of Admission Jeannine Lalonde shared this year’s essay prompts, then took some time to explain why the essay remains an important part of the application process and shared some writing tips for prospective applicants.

“I think that it helps us get insight into the personality, voice and style of the student,” she said. “The rest of the application consists of forms and other people telling us about the student. This is their chance to talk directly to us.”

As for the writing, Lalonde said she typically shares three tips with high school students when it comes to putting together an application essay.

1.  Don’t overthink the topic

“The questions are broad because we want the students to go in whatever direction makes sense for them,” Lalonde said. “The topic is just a vehicle that the student uses. They should pick a topic that lets them be interesting and authentic in their writing.”

2. You don’t have to write like it’s a school essay.

“Don’t feel limited to the formulaic way that most students are taught to write for class,” she said. “This is a different sort of writing. The more standard format used in academic writing is fine for school and it’s great when writing under pressure. But prospective students should feel free to use whatever format makes sense for the message or story that they want to get across.”

3. It’s smart to get advice, but be authentic.

“It’d be foolish to submit an essay without having someone you trust take a look first and give feedback, but essays shouldn’t read like they were done by committee. And if you don’t like the advice someone gives, feel free to ignore it. When you submit it, it should feel good to you, and it should sound like you.”

Here’s a look at the essay prompts for the coming application season. Stay up with news about admission by following Lalonde’s blog, Notes From Peabody , or following her Twitter, where she’s @UVADeanJ.

2018-2019 First-Year Application Essay Questions 

1. We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. Answer the question that corresponds to the school/program to which you are applying in a half page or roughly 250 words.

• College of Arts and Sciences  - What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?
• School of Engineering and Applied Sciences  - If you were given funding for a small engineering project that would make everyday life better for one friend or family member, what would you design?
• School of Architecture  - Describe an instance or place where you have been inspired by architecture or design.  
• School of Nursing  - School of Nursing applicants may have experience shadowing, volunteering, or working in a health care environment. Tell us about a health care-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying nursing.
• Kinesiology Program  - Discuss experiences that led you to choose the kinesiology major. 

2. Answer one of the following questions in a half page or roughly 250 words. 

• What’s your favorite word and why?
• We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are.
• Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the UVA culture. In her fourth year at UVA, Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why?
• UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message?

UVA students are charged with pushing the boundaries of knowledge to serve others and contribute to the common good. Give us an example of how you’ve used what you’ve learned to make a positive impact in another person’s life.

Media Contact

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[email protected] 434-982-5315

Article Information

July 12, 2018

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University of Virginia (UVA) 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Early Action/Decision: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 5

You Have: 

University of Virginia (UVA) 2023-2024 First-Year Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 250 words, 1 optional essay of 100 words, 1 essay of 250 words for applicants to the School of Nursing only

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Community

In around 250 words, please answer the following question:

What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at uva  feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you..

Odds are that this isn’t the first “diversity” essay prompt you’ve come across this year—even if the prompt doesn’t explicitly use that word. If it is, however, please read on. UVA wants to accept students from a range of backgrounds who will contribute to an inclusive community. The prompt uses the phrase “source of strength” twice; this tells us that they want to hear about not only what makes you you , but also how these characteristics will support you and those around you. What you focus on here can be reflective of larger cultural constructs or specific to you and only you. Is there anything you can teach your classmates about your hometown, traditions, culture, orientation, identity, race, or ethnicity that they might not already know? Maybe you began practicing meditation and discovered Buddhism during your sophomore year and you hope to spread some wisdom and mindfulness on campus next fall. Perhaps you were raised on a farm and have a very special relationship to all living things (plants, animals, people, etc.) around you. How will you incorporate this element of your identity into your college experience? Show admissions that you’re eager to make your mark in their community.

Students applying to the School of Nursing are required to answer this question in around 250 words.

School of nursing – describe a health care-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying nursing..

This prompt asks applicants to detail a specific experience to prove their interest in their chosen field of study, nursing. It is a bit closer to a traditional why essay in that students should make sure not just to discuss the experience that led them to pursue nursing, but also to connect that experience to their larger goals for the future. Perhaps you were diagnosed with diabetes as a child and the nursing care you received inspired you to go into the field yourself. Maybe your grandfather was a nurse and you were awed by his skills when your grandmother fell off a ladder. If there are elements of the UVA program that support your particular interest or connect to the experience you choose to highlight, definitely build those bridges to show admissions you are familiar with the programs UVA has to offer, and have already considered how your experiences will help you achieve future academic success.

Optional: If you have a personal or historic connection with UVA, and if you’d like to share how your experience of this connection has prepared you to contribute to the University, please share your thoughts here.  Such relationships might include, but are not limited to, being a child of someone who graduated from or works for UVA, a descendant of ancestors who labored at UVA, or a participant in UVA programs. (100 words)

Now that UVA is no longer explicitly considering legacy in their admissions process, admissions has added this question to identify not only those whose parents went to UVA, but also those whose ancestors labored at UVA. This reflects the university’s ongoing reckoning with its own founding, which included the use of enslaved labor. Here, anyone with personal or historic ties to the university, including students who attended summer programs there, can describe their unique connection. If you don’t have a connection, that’s okay! Most people won’t. If you do, however, read on.

This question doesn’t just ask you to state your tie, it asks you to explore how that connection has primed you to contribute to the community. Maybe your mom was an RA and has shared all the steam tunnel routes with you, so you can initiate your roommates into this UVA tradition. Perhaps one of your ancestors built the iconic Rotunda, and you look forward to educating your classmates about their legacy. Maybe you attended a summer program and fell in love with the Jeffersonian architecture, inspiring your passion for historic preservation. Remember, your job here is to explore how your personal connection to UVA will make you a contributor to campus life. 

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September 14, 2023

2023-2024 University of Virginia Supplemental Essay Prompts

The University of Virginia has released its supplemental essay prompts for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle . In addition to The Common Application ’s Personal Statement, applicants to UVA’s Class of 2028 must answer one essay question. Additionally, an optional essay question is hidden at the bottom of the “General” section that we at Ivy Coach encourage students to write — even though it is the most inappropriate question posed by any of our nation’s elite universities this admissions cycle. So, what are this year’s essay prompts for Virginia’s flagship university?

2023-2024 UVA Essay Topics and Questions

Required essay.

Students should answer the following prompt in around 250 words:

What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA? Feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you.

In the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling outlawing Affirmative Action , America’s colleges are maneuvering around not being able to lawfully consider an applicant’s race in the college admissions process by capitalizing on a loophole penned in the majority opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts .

As Chief Justice Roberts wrote, “Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.”

This essay is an opportunity for applicants to discuss how their race has impacted their lives. Or they could write about their faith, their community, their sexuality, or their gender identity — the possibilities are endless. 

Optional Essay

Students should answer the following prompt in up to 100 words:

If you have a personal or historic connection with UVA, and if you’d like to share how your experience of this connection has prepared you to contribute to the university, please share your thoughts here. Such relationships might include, but are not limited to, being a child of someone who graduated from or works for UVA, a descendant of ancestors who labored at UVA, or a participant in UVA programs.

We at Ivy Coach deem this optional essay question the most  outrageously inappropriate  prompt posed by any highly selective university during the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. Why’s that?

In our experience, most UVA applicants will not choose to write a response to this optional essay prompt because they’ll think they need to be legacies , students who attended fancy shmancy UVA summer programs , or the descendants of enslaved people. Yes, the question is as jarring as it seems and, for the first two groups of people (legacies and summer camp attendees), it caters to the privileged.

It’s why we encourage  all  applicants to answer this optional essay question by writing a Why UVA essay — one filled with specific reasons why they wish to attend Virginia’s flagship. Their response should include enduring aspects of the university — programs, institutes, activities, culture, traditions, etc. — rather than names of professors and classes, which can easily be found and replaced like a game of Mad Libs from one college to the next.

So, yes, we are saying even if an applicant has no familial connection to UVA or didn’t attend a UVA summer enrichment program, they should write this essay to make their case for admission. Essays give students an opportunity to tell their stories. Legacies and summer program attendees should not be afforded more space than everyone else. Shame on UVA!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with UVA Essays

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission to UVA by submitting essays that compel admissions officers to wish to offer you admission, fill out Ivy Coach ’s free consultation form , and we’ll be in touch to outline our college counseling services.

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September 24, 2023

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Tuesday, July 18, 2023

2023-2024 uva writing prompts.

Confession: I really liked last year's writing prompts . We had only been reading applications for a few days when I first marveled at how well students were expressing themselves in the new short answer portion of our application. During one of my live q&a sessions on Instagram , I wondered if students being able to write meaningful, concise statements was a function of growing up writing captions on social media...something for people to study one day!

In the past, a few admission officers have met to go over feedback about the application essays to see if we should tweak the writing prompts. This year, we had a lot more input during the update process. The change is pretty big: most applicants will answer one prompt for the UVA portion of the Common App. Those applying to the School of Nursing will answer two. 

So let's get to the prompts. 

All Applicants (250 words or less)

School of nursing (250 words or less).

The University of Virginia

Search form, you are here.

UVA Supplemental Essays 2023-24

The University of Virginia , a public research university in Charlottesville, is one of the top public universities in Virginia and nationwide. As a result, many students ask themselves how to get into University of Virginia. Well, one of the most important things is UVA supplemental essays. Strong University of Virginia supplemental essays can help you stand out in the competitive UVA applicant pool.

Each year, thousands of students apply to UVA hoping to gain access to its world-renowned academic programs and research facilities. In addition to academics, UVA also hosts an array of student organizations and off-campus opportunities in a thriving college town . It’s no surprise that UVA has a highly competitive 21% acceptance rate. In light of that, the University of Virginia essay is a critical part of the UVA application. Understanding the intricate details of UVA supplemental essays and UVA requirements is crucial to getting into UVA. Luckily, we are here to help.

In this guide, we will discuss the University of Virginia supplemental essay requirements, UVA application deadlines, and UVA requirements. Furthermore, we will cover the importance of the University of Virginia supplemental essays and analyze the UVA essay prompts. Most importantly, we will provide a variety of resources to help you craft the strongest UVA supplemental essays. Let’s get started.

University of Virginia Essay: Quick Facts

Uva essay: quick facts.

• The University of Virginia Ranking Overall: #25 National Universities
• The University of Virginia Public University Ranking:   #3 Public Universities
• The University of Virginia Acceptance Rate: 21%– U.S. News identifies UVA as an extremely selective school.  
• The University of Virginia Retention Rate: 97%
• The University of Virginia Graduation Rate: 94% (the highest of any public university in America)
• Common Application Essay
• 1 (~ 300 words) The University of Virginia background essay
• 1 (~ 250 words) School of Nursing Essay for School of Nursing applicants
• The University of Virginia Admissions Application: UVA application is a Common Application member institution. Therefore, students must complete their application using the Common Application. 
• Early Action: November 1st
• Early Decision: November 1st
• Regular Decision: January 15th 
• The University of Virginia Supplemental Essays Tip: The University of Virginia supplemental essays have a very limited word count. Therefore, make sure your UVA essays are clear and concise.

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.

Does UVA have supplemental essays?

Yes. In addition to your Common Application personal statement, all students applying to the University of Virginia must complete supplemental essays. Compared to previous years, UVA has reduced the maximum number of UVA essay prompts to two this year.

All students who apply to UVA are required to complete one UVA supplemental essay. This required University of Virginia essay is commonly known as the background essay. It forces applicants to consider how their background will impact their experiences at UVA. 

Even though all applicants are only required to write one UVA application essay, don’t think this makes the application process easier. In fact, having just one University of Virginia essay can be tougher for applicants than having multiple UVA essay prompts. You have only one opportunity, with fewer than 300 words, to make a good impression on University of Virginia admissions . 

In contrast, prospective nursing students can respond to two UVA essay prompts. Students applying to the University of Virginia nursing program must submit an additional University of Virginia supplemental essay. The nursing student UVA essay prompt asks students to recall a healthcare experience that deepened their interest in nursing.

Whether you must complete one or both UVA supplemental essays, we have answers to your questions. In the next section, we will dive deeper into both University of Virginia supplemental essays. 

What are the UVA supplemental essays?

The UVA supplemental essay that all applicants must complete asks applicants about their background. Specifically, applicants must explain how their experiences or perspectives will be a source of strength for themselves or their UVA peers. This UVA application essay showcases students’ ability to reveal how their personal experiences and backgrounds will strengthen the UVA community. 

The second University of Virginia essay is only for students applying to the University of Virginia nursing program. Nursing program applicants are asked to describe a healthcare-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened their interest in nursing. This essay provides students the opportunity to describe the roots of their passion and how it will positively impact UVA.

Ultimately, well-written UVA supplemental essays will illustrate how you’ll contribute positively to the UVA social and academic community. Supplemental essays allow students to prove to UVA admissions that they are the perfect fit for the university. 

UVA Common App Essay

As discussed earlier, the University of Virginia presents applicants with two distinct UVA supplemental essays. The first UVA application, known as the background essay, is mandatory for all applicants. In contrast, the Nursing School UVA supplemental essay is specifically required for those aspiring to the nursing program. However, beyond these University of Virginia supplemental essays, prospective students face an additional crucial component—the Common Application essay.

As part of the Common App, this essay—also called the personal statement —is sent to all schools on an applicant’s list. The Common Application essay provides students with a platform to share their unique identities, experiences, and aspirations. The UVA supplemental essays allow one to delve into specific aspects of one’s background and ambitions. On the other hand, the Common App essay casts a broader net with seven possible prompts . These range from overcoming a challenge to sharing an accomplishment, all to add depth to one’s personal narrative in the application.

In comparison to UVA supplemental essays,  the UVA Common App essay provides a greater word count of 600 words. This additional space permits an applicant to expand on what has not already been highlighted in their application. Therefore, selecting the best Common Application essay prompt can make or break one’s application. Writing a good personal statement is no easy feat and requires plenty of planning and preparation with example essays .

UVA Application Essay: Background Essay

The University of Virginia essay that all applicants must complete is the background essay. The UVA application essay prompt is as follows: 

What about your background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA?

When writing this University of Virginia essay, your response should offer a thoughtful exploration of a defining aspect of your identity. You should begin this UVA application essay by identifying a specific element, such as a cultural background, personal challenge, or unique viewpoint. Make your focus as specific as possible to make it easier to write a clear, concise essay.

Once you have identified your unique background or perspective, you should discuss how it will be an asset. How will it contribute to your personal growth and to building a stronger UVA community? You may have experience with caretaking that makes you an empathetic and effective leader. Or maybe you have overcome setbacks with help from others, making you both resilient and highly encouraging of your peers.

In this UVA application essay, you want to show that you have done your research on the University. Therefore, you should try to make connections to the university’s values and specific classes or organizations. Ultimately, your response should exhibit self-awareness and a deep understanding of UVA’s values. You should provide a clear roadmap for how your background, perspective, or experience will positively influence yourself and the campus community.

While there’s only one required UVA application essay for everyone, that does not guarantee an easier application. In fact, having just one essay can be seen as more challenging because you only get one shot to impress UVA admissions. You must ensure your one UVA supplemental essay is well-written, with intention behind every word. 

Keep reading for more about writing UVA supplemental essays and tips for impressing the UVA admissions committee. 

How to write UVA supplemental essays?

Crafting a standout UVA application essay can boost your application and help you get noticed by the admissions team. Your UVA supplemental essays are your chance to show your personality and explain how you can contribute to the UVA community. 

Helpful tips to make your UVA supplemental essays stand out:

1. understand the university of virginia.

When writing your University of Virginia supplemental essays, take time to learn about the university’s values, goals, and programs. Use this knowledge to show your genuine interest in and connection to the University of Virginia.

2. Be Yourself

Write your University of Virginia supplemental essay in a way that reflects who you truly are. Share personal stories and moments that have influenced your beliefs, passions, and goals. Avoid generic answers and focus on what makes you unique.

3. Tell a Great Story

Narrative essays may not be strictly required, but there’s a reason they stay popular in college admissions. Make your UVA supplemental essays interesting and captivating by telling a compelling story. Use descriptive language and engaging words to grab the reader’s attention from start to finish. 

4. Check and Improve

Before submitting your University of Virginia supplemental essays, proofread and edit your essay carefully. Look for correct grammar, punctuation, and clear sentences. Since you have a limited word count, choose your words wisely and avoid repeating yourself.

By following these tips in your University of Virginia supplemental essays, you can create a knockout UVA application essay. Remember, the UVA supplemental essays let you shine and show admissions why you’d be a perfect fit for the University of Virginia.

What does UVA look for in essays?

When considering what UVA looks for in the University of Virginia supplemental essays, the best place for advice is admissions officials. Luckily, UVA’s associate dean of admission, Jeannine Lalonde, wrote about the importance of University of Virginia supplemental essays. She also outlines what admissions officials look for from their applicants’ University of Virginia supplemental essays.

In the article, Lalonde says, “I think that [the essay] helps us get insight into the personality, voice, and style of the student. The rest of the application consists of forms and other people telling us about the student. This is their chance to talk directly to us.” 

While the article is several years old, what she shared remains true for students wondering how to get into University of Virginia. UVA supplemental essays allow applicants to tell their stories using their unique voice and point of view. Therefore, be authentically you; ensure your personality shines through and truly connects to the University of Virginia community. 

In addition to the importance of University of Virginia supplemental essays, Lalonde also highlights three tips for approaching them. These tips may help students craft the strongest University of Virginia supplemental essays and stand out to admissions representatives.

Don’t overthink the topic

In your UVA supplemental essays, simplicity can often be the key to success. The admissions committee is interested in your genuine experiences and perspectives. Instead of selecting the “perfect” topic, focus on choosing an aspect of your background, perspective, or experience that resonates with you. By staying true to your story and not overanalyzing the topic, you can present a sincere and engaging portrayal of yourself.

You don’t have to write like it’s a school essay

UVA supplemental essays allow you to showcase your personality, creativity, and individuality. Unlike formal academic essays, you can infuse your voice, anecdotes, and even a bit of your sense of humor. By steering away from the formal tone of a typical school essay, you can create engaging, illuminating UVA supplemental essays. Strong UVA supplemental essays captivate the admissions committee and give them a deeper understanding of you beyond your academic achievements.

It’s smart to get advice, but be authentic

When crafting your University of Virginia supplemental essays, seeking guidance and feedback from mentors or peers can offer valuable perspectives. However, while incorporating advice, ensure that your UVA supplemental essays remain true to your narrative and maintain the authenticity that sets you apart. Your UVA supplemental essays should reflect your true character and motivations.

By adhering to these tips in your UVA supplemental essays, you can create a compelling and authentic narrative. Additionally, these tips are applicable to any college essay, not just UVA supplemental essays. Ultimately, your UVA supplemental essays offer a platform to showcase your personal growth, strengths, and potential contributions to the campus environment.

More UVA Application Info

Of course, knowing critical information about the University of Virginia supplemental essays and UVA essay prompts is step one. However, students should also be aware of other critical UVA requirements and information that may play a role in your application. 

First and foremost, for the 2023-2024 application, the university limits the legacy factor in its admissions process. In the past, students could simply check a box indicating their legacy status on their application. Now, if students want to indicate this status, they may write about a personal or historic connection with the university. This change is incredibly important for students who are personally connected to the university by alumni or historical ties. Therefore, be mindful of how to communicate the impact of having a historical connection. Don’t just say that you have parents or grandparents who went to the university. Instead, focus on what that has meant to you growing up. How do you wish to use that connection to live up to UVA’s values and foster a greater sense of community at UVA?

Still test-optional

Another update or continued practice for 2023-2024 is that UVA will remain test-optional . As a test-optional university, students have the choice of whether or not they want to submit their SAT and/or ACT scores . UVA does super score for applicants who submit test scores and considers the best combination of section scores without recalculation. Whichever path students choose, UVA promises to consider your application carefully.

Besides understanding the legacy admissions factor and test-optional admissions options, there is also a lot of other information students may need to know prior to applying. Some of these factors include the AP/IB credit process, navigating the waitlist process, and using application fee waivers. If you are interested in finding information about these factors, you should check out UVA’s FAQ page. There, you will find a lot of helpful information about applying to the University of Virginia.

What is the application deadline for UVA?

The University of Virginia offers three distinct application deadlines to accommodate a range of prospective students. For those who are eager to submit their applications early and receive a quick decision, the Early Action and Early Decision deadlines fall on November 1st. ED is binding, with admissions decisions released in mid-December; EA is non-binding, with decisions released in mid-February. Deferred applicants from both are reviewed in the Regular Decision round. Early applicants usually have a higher chance of admittance, but they also have stronger applications on average.

In contrast, the Regular Decision deadline extends to January 15 for those requiring more time to finalize their submissions. This later date allows students to better prepare their applications in order to craft the strongest application narrative possible. Although this later deadline has a larger applicant pool than EA or ED, a particularly strong application will still stand out.

Remember that each application deadline aligns with a separate teacher/counselor deadline. Therefore, ensure your teachers and counselors promptly submit their secondary information and recommendations. Choosing a college application deadline relies on several factors such as your grades, essay preparation, and overall interest in a university. Consider the strength of your application and how much you want to go to UVA when choosing a deadline.

Additional UVA Resources from CollegeAdvisor

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the thought of writing the best UVA supplemental essays and gaining acceptance into the college? Well, don’t fret. CollegeAdvisor has many resources tailored for UVA and University of Virginia supplemental essays. Here are a few that may help you. 

1. University of Virginia Webinar Panel

The University of Virginia panel is a recorded webinar and Q&A panel with alumni and current UVA students. They share their perspectives on campus life, academic programs, and career opportunities at UVA. 

2. University of Virginia Essay Examples

This guide will teach you about the University of Virginia supplemental essays through several UVA essay examples. The article includes UVA supplemental essays examples addressing various UVA essay prompts to teach you what a successful essay looks like. While the UVA essay examples are from last year’s admissions cycle, their advice still applies. Seeing how strong the University of Virginia supplemental essays were crafted will help you craft your own UVA supplemental essays.

3. How to Win UVA Scholarships

This article discusses two specific scholarships: the University of Virginia Jefferson Scholarship and the Walentas Scholarship. The article provides information on eligibility for these two UVA scholarships, academic scholarship requirements, and how to apply for them.

UVA Supplemental Essays – Takeaways

In closing, we hope we have answered how to get into University of Virginia with a strong UVA application essay. Ultimately, the UVA supplemental essays play a pivotal role in the application process, providing applicants with a chance to distinguish themselves. In order to ensure you know how to craft the strongest University of Virginia essays, here are some key takeaways.

Importance of UVA Supplemental Essays

The UVA supplemental essays are instrumental in showcasing your unique qualities and compatibility with the university’s values. A well-crafted essay can set you apart in the competitive admissions process.

Two Types of UVA Supplemental Essays

UVA requires applicants to write two types of UVA supplemental essays. The first, known as the background essay, is mandatory for all applicants. The second UVA application essay is specifically for those applying to the Nursing School at UVA.

Background Essay

The UVA background essay prompt challenges you to articulate how your background will serve you or your peers at UVA. This essay offers an opportunity to reveal personal growth, resilience, empathy, and alignment with UVA’s values.

Nursing School Essay

For nursing applicants, the UVA supplemental essay describes a healthcare-related experience or significant interaction that deepened their interest in nursing. This University of Virginia supplemental essay enables candidates to highlight their passion for nursing and their unique motivations.

Tips for UVA Supplemental Essays

Crafting standout UVA supplemental essays requires a balance of authenticity and strategic storytelling. Research UVA’s values, show genuine interest, and make connections between your experiences and how you’d contribute to the UVA community.

University of Virginia Common Application Essay

Alongside the UVA supplemental essays, the Common Application essay holds significant weight. It’s a platform to showcase your identity, experiences, and aspirations, presenting a broader perspective than the targeted UVA supplemental essays.

Understanding the role of UVA supplemental essays and adhering to these tips can enhance your application’s impact. Good luck, and happy writing!

This article was written by senior advisor Ashley Hollins . Are you looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. Our team will discuss your profile during your meeting and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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UVA Admission Essays Are Posted. Learn How to Write Your Best One

High school students looking to get a jump on joining the University of Virginia’s Class of 2023 got some big news recently: This year’s essay questions have been unveiled.

Associate Dean of Admission Jeannine Lalonde shared this year’s essay prompts, then took some time to explain why the essay remains an important part of the application process and shared some writing tips for prospective applicants.

“I think that it helps us get insight into the personality, voice and style of the student,” she said. “The rest of the application consists of forms and other people telling us about the student. This is their chance to talk directly to us.”

As for the writing, Lalonde said she typically shares three tips with high school students when it comes to putting together an application essay.

1.  Don’t overthink the topic

“The questions are broad because we want the students to go in whatever direction makes sense for them,” Lalonde said. “The topic is just a vehicle that the student uses. They should pick a topic that lets them be interesting and authentic in their writing.”

2. You don’t have to write like it’s a school essay.

“Don’t feel limited to the formulaic way that most students are taught to write for class,” she said. “This is a different sort of writing. The more standard format used in academic writing is fine for school and it’s great when writing under pressure. But prospective students should feel free to use whatever format makes sense for the message or story that they want to get across.”

3. It’s smart to get advice, but be authentic.

“It’d be foolish to submit an essay without having someone you trust take a look first and give feedback, but essays shouldn’t read like they were done by committee. And if you don’t like the advice someone gives, feel free to ignore it. When you submit it, it should feel good to you, and it should sound like you.”

Here’s a look at the essay prompts for the coming application season. Stay up with news about admission by following Lalonde’s blog, Notes From Peabody, or following her Twitter, where she’s @UVADeanJ.

2018-2019 First-Year Application Essay Questions  

1. we are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. answer the question that corresponds to the school/program to which you are applying in a half page or roughly 250 words..

• College of Arts and Sciences - What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?
• School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - If you were given funding for a small engineering project that would make everyday life better for one friend or family member, what would you design?
• School of Architecture - Describe an instance or place where you have been inspired by architecture or design.  
• School of Nursing - School of Nursing applicants may have experience shadowing, volunteering, or working in a health care environment. Tell us about a health care-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying nursing.
• Kinesiology Program - Discuss experiences that led you to choose the kinesiology major. 

2. Answer one of the following questions in a half page or roughly 250 words. 

• What’s your favorite word and why?
• We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are.
• Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the UVA culture. In her fourth year at UVA, Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why?
• UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message?
• UVA students are charged with pushing the boundaries of knowledge to serve others and contribute to the common good. Give us an example of how you’ve used what you’ve learned to make a positive impact in another person’s life.

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Our students come from broad and diverse backgrounds, bringing together a wide range of life experiences and interests. We take a holistic approach to our application process and evaluate applicants on several factors, including academic achievement (GPA and MCAT scores), healthcare and volunteer experience, life experience, personal statement, and letters of recommendation. For those who are invited, the personal interview is also an important component of the selection process.

About our students, student experiences.

The UVA School of Medicine has a diverse student body with a wide variety of life experiences and interests. For example, a significant number of our students come from backgrounds in the humanities or social sciences. About half of our students completed their undergraduate education a year or more before starting medical school, devoting time to employment service opportunities, research projects, or other educational pursuits.

Our students embrace a learning environment that offers an innovative and challenging curriculum, a welcoming and caring learning community .

About the Application Process

The UVA School of Medicine typically receives over 5,000 applications each year. Approximately 650 applicants are invited to interview. We use a rolling admission process. Early application is encouraged.

• We invite approximately 650 applicants for interviews each year.
• Interviews begin in early September through the first week of March.
• Interviews are held on Mondays through Thursdays.
• Candidates will participate in two 30-minute interviews with members of the Admissions Committee.
• The interview panel may comprise two faculty members, or one faculty member and one 4th year medical student.
• The interview panel presents that week’s candidates to the Admissions Committee, which meets every Friday. The committee votes on which candidates will be offered admission.
• Decision letters are typically mailed within a week following Oct. 15.

The written application will provide information on your academic achievements. However, this alone doesn’t paint a complete picture of who you are, which is why interviews are important!

This will be an opportunity for us to learn more about the passions and experiences that drive your desire to become a physician, and for you to ask questions about the MD program, opportunities and facilities.

The interview is an essential part of the application process, giving us a chance to learn about your background, interests, and passions. It also gives you the opportunity to experience our welcoming and close-knit community.

• For the 2024-2025 cycle, ALL interviews will be conducted virtually.
• The UVA School of Medicine interviews approximately 650 applicants each year.
• Interviews take place between Monday and Thursday.
• Applicants are interviewed in groups of six or eight.
• Interviews take about 30 minutes.
• Interviews are conducted by members of the Admissions Committee – either two faculty members, or one faculty member and one student.
• The Admissions Committee meets each Friday to discuss the qualifications of each applicant interviewed that week. The committee then votes on which applicants will be offered admission.
• Decision letters are typically mailed within the week of interview after October 15th.
• We extend approximately 300 offers each year for a class of 156 students.

General Requirements

In order to successfully apply to the UVA School of Medicine MD program, candidates must meet a number of General Requirements to move forward. See below sections for specifics.

When asked for the qualities that are important for us in a medical student, we often note that we are looking for individuals who are authentic and the best versions of themselves. We consider shadowing activities with a physician to be very important, but also recognize the various other ways that students can be exposed to healthcare experiences, including, but not limited to a scribe program, as an EMT, pharmacy tech, or phlebotomist. Personal or family experience with healthcare is also considered.

• Complete a minimum of 90 semester hours of coursework (at the time of application) at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university.
• Non-U.S. citizens or temporary U.S. residents are eligible to apply upon completing at least 90 semester hours of coursework (at the time of application) at a U.S. or Canadian college or university.
• We strongly prefer a bachelor’s degree.

Course Recommendations

• No prerequisite courses
• No science or humanities requirement
• Recommended courses: Cell Biology , Biochemistry , Human Behavior and Statistics
• We accept AP credits (not exemptions) that counted toward your undergraduate degree and appear on your official transcript.

MCAT Requirements

• All applicants are required to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
• We accept either the current or future version of the MCAT, without preference.
• Tests must be taken no later than September 30 of the year prior to matriculation. We also do not accept scores from tests taken before April 1 of the three years prior to matriculation.
• For more information on the MCAT and registration materials, contact premedical advisors or MCAT Registration at phone: (202) 828-0690 , or online at: aamc.org .

Additional Assessments

UVA School of Medicine does  NOT REQUIRE additional assessments at this time. For the 2025 admissions cycle we will be collecting the AAMC PREview™ Professional Readiness Exam for any applicants who took it for other reasons. We will hold these scores separately to be used for research purposes but they will NOT be used for evaluation for the 2025 cycle. Information about the AAMC PREview™ exam, including preparation materials, test registration, requests for accommodations, and important dates and deadlines is available here: http://www.aamc.org/PREview

Technical Standards

All students must demonstrate the physical, cognitive, emotional and interpersonal capabilities necessary to complete the medical education program and provide highly effective patient care. These capabilities, called Technical Standards , are the essential requirements of a general medical education and are based on UVA School of Medicine learning objectives.

Candidates for admission, academic promotion, or graduation must meet these Technical Standards, with or without reasonable accommodation. These standards have been approved by the Curriculum Committee and the Dean of the School of Medicine.

Criminal Background Check

If legal or criminal proceedings are filed against you prior to matriculation, or if you are the recipient of any institutional disciplinary action, it is your responsibility to inform the Admissions Office immediately. Additionally, all applicants must undergo a mandatory criminal background check as a condition of acceptance to the School of Medicine. Read UVA’s criminal background check policy.

General Requirements for International Students

• Tests must be taken no later than September 30 of the year prior to matriculation. We also do not accept scores from tests before April 1 of the three years prior to matriculation.
• For more information on the MCAT and registration materials, contact premedical advisors or MCAT Registration at phone: (202) 828-0690 , or online at: Applying to Medical School as an International Applicant .

Federal Loans and Financial Aid

International students who are accepted to the UVA School of Medicine are not eligible for federal loans or financial aid from the University. Documentation showing the ability to pay for your medical education is required before you may begin medical school.

Additional Resources

The UVA International Studies Office (ISO) offers services, resources, and programs to help you adapt to living in the United States and within the University community.

Admitted students: The International Students and Scholars Program , a division of ISO, provides information and support about visa applications and other documentation, planning for your arrival in the U.S., campus life at UVA, and more.

Letters of Recommendation

The UVA School of Medicine only accepts letters of evaluation/recommendation through AMCAS . Do not mail letters of recommendation directly to the UVA School of Medicine.

We prefer letters of recommendation from a premedical advisor evaluation. If this service is unavailable, we request a minimum of two letters, preferably from science professors or the equivalent. You also may submit individual letters along with a premed advising evaluation.

There is no limit to the number of letters you may submit. But keep in mind that your application will be stronger with just a few meaningful letters from individuals who know you well, rather than with a larger number of superficial letters.

Admissions Cycle

The Admissions Cycle for application to the School of Medicine is a multi-stage process. We encourage you to carefully read through the content on this page and begin your application early, so you have adequate time to provide all required information and meet all necessary criteria.

The UVA School of Medicine Admissions Office is available to help answer questions in preparation of your application.

We are available to answer questions regarding your application until May 1 of the year that you apply. Note: Case specific information cannot be provided on any active application.

Conditions of Acceptance

If you are offered acceptance at the UVA School of Medicine:

• Submit your Class Reservation on the applicant portal within three weeks to hold your position.
• Carefully read and sign the Declaration of Meeting Technical Standards .
• You do not need to send in a deposit at this time.
• If you do not meet these Conditions of Acceptance, your offer of admission will be rescinded.

You may withdraw your application from the incoming class at any time without penalty. Please submit a written request to the Admissions Office at [email protected] .

• Questions? Call: (434) 924-5571 or e-mail [email protected] .

Satisfactory Completion of Academic Work

All acceptances to the UVA School of Medicine are contingent upon satisfactory completion of future course work and requirements of any undergraduate or graduate program in which you currently are enrolled.

• Please provide a written explanation for a grade of “C.”
• A grade of “D” or below will result in re-evaluation of your application.
• If you made changes in your course selections after filing your AMCAS application, please notify our Admissions Office in writing.
• Notify the Admissions Office of any decision to take a course for credit/no credit, pass/fail, or audit.
• Notify the Admissions Office if you graduate early or decide to enroll part time.

Pre-entrance Health Requirements

• Student Health and Wellness
• 23-24 Medical and Nursing Student Pre-Entrance form
• Management of Student Practicums/Preceptorships policy

Submit Official Transcripts by July 1 of your Matriculating Year

AMCAS does not forward your transcripts to the University of Virginia. Please request official transcripts from each college or university you have attended to be sent to our Admissions Office – even if those course credits were transferred to another school. This includes study abroad programs.

Student copies of transcripts are not acceptable. These transcripts will become an official part of your permanent medical school record. They will be used for verification purposes after you graduate from the School of Medicine.

Complete Background Check by July 1 of Your Matriculating Year

If legal or criminal proceedings are filed against you prior to matriculation, or if you undergo any institutional disciplinary action, please inform the Admissions Office immediately. All criminal background checks will be facilitated by AMCAS and conducted through Certiphi Screening, Inc.

Certiphi will contact you via email with instructions on how to begin the required background check. For further details, please see the full Criminal Background Check Policy .

Basic Life Support (BLS) by July 1 of Your Matriculating Year

• All incoming medical students are required to provide proof of current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• The UVA Health System requires certification through the American Heart Association .
• You are required to take the clinical/skill component in the classroom.

To find a course or register, visit http://www.onlineaha.org .

AMCAS Choose Your Medical School Tool

Plan to Enroll: Applicants may hold only one medical school position (at a time) after April 30 per AMCAS acceptance protocols. You may choose “Plan to Enroll” or “Commit to Enroll” after April 30. In fairness to applicants on the waitlist, please make your decision and inform our Admissions Office no later than April 30.

Commit to Enroll: MD Applicants are required to choose “Commit to Enroll” by July 1 of your matriculating year. MSTP Applicants are required to choose “Commit to Enroll” by May 10 of your matriculating year.

For more information, visit AMCAS Choose Your Medical School Tool .

International Students

Please complete and submit all documents required by the International Studies Office by July 1, prior to matriculation.

Each year, the UVA School of Medicine receives over 5,000 applications for 156 seats in the incoming class. After careful evaluation of these initial applications, we select about 650 highly qualified candidates for in-person interviews. As we strive to build a talented and diverse student body, the Admissions Committee carefully weighs the information gathered through these processes to determine which candidates would be the best fit for, and make contributions to, our campus community.

Like most medical schools, we place a number of qualified applicants on an unranked Alternate List (also known as a waitlist). As seats open up when accepted candidates decline to enroll at the UVA School of Medicine, we began extending offers of admission to individuals on this list.

If you are placed on the Alternate List:

• We will send an explanation of how the list works and when you might expect to hear from the Admissions Office. This phase starts on April 30, the AMCAS deadline for applicants to make their final school selections and withdraw acceptances from all other schools or programs.
• You are encouraged to add any document or materials that may strengthen your application.

FAQs About the Alternate List:

• The Alternate List at the UVA School of Medicine is not ranked.
• We are unable to tell you where you are on the list, or to predict your chances for acceptance.

How are applicants selected from the Alternate List?

• When seats become available in the class, we review the Alternate List much like a separate, self-contained admissions process.
• We evaluate numerous factors, keeping in mind our goal of building a diverse class.
• The Admissions Committee will select individuals from the Alternate List who are considered the most qualified at that point in time.
• Each time a position opens up, we will repeat this process until the class is filled.

How many applicants are on the Alternate List?

• The number of individuals on the Alternate List starts out with about 175 applicants.
• As the season progresses, however, there is considerable attrition on the list.
• By the time positions are available, only 70 to 80 alternate candidates remain interested in attending the UVA School of Medicine.
• It is from this pool of applicants that the Admissions Committee will fill positions in the class.

When can I expect to hear from the Admissions Committee?

• It is impossible to know exactly when positions will become available.
• The Admissions Committee will overbook the class knowing that some applicants will choose to attend other medical schools.
• Because applicants are not allowed to hold multiple acceptances after April 30, we typically receive a number of withdrawals around that date.
• Based on previous years’ experiences, we believe the class size will drop below 156 in late June.
• At that time, review of the Alternate List will begin. All Alternate List candidates are kept under consideration until the first day of orientation or until an applicant matriculates at another medical school, whichever comes first.

How many applicants are taken from the Alternate List each year?

• It is impossible to know in advance how many positions will become available in any given year.
• In previous years, the average numbers of matriculants from the Alternate List has been 10 to 12 individuals.

What can I do to improve my chances while I’m waiting to hear from the Committee?

• Alternate List applications are reviewed when positions become available.
• You are welcome to add materials to your file at any time to strengthen your application: new letters of recommendation, recent publications, information about recent activities.
• Please submit updated transcripts as soon as they become available.

How will I be contacted if the Committee decides to make me an offer?

• If you are selected from the Alternate List, the Admissions Office will contact you by phone.
• Please make sure you have provided a phone number where we can reach you.
• If you will be unavailable by phone for an extended period of time, please send in writing the name and daytime phone number of someone who has the authority to accept or decline an offer for you.

We realize that waiting to hear from the Admissions Office may cause uncertainty and anxiety as you are trying to make important decisions about your future. We appreciate your patience and continued interest in the UVA School of Medicine. We empathize with your position, but we cannot offer any assurances of acceptance. If you decide to attend another medical school, please notify us so that we can remove your name from the Alternate List.

Reapplication

The UVA School of Medicine has a competitive admissions process: Each year, we receive 5,000 applications for 156 seats. If you are not offered admission, you may reapply.

If you submitted a primary application through AMCAS, but did not send a supplementary application to UVA, you will not be disadvantaged if you decide to apply in the future.

General tips for re-application:

• Find ways to increase your GPA. Consider how your GPA compares to the mean GPA of our admitted students. Try boosting your cumulative GPA by taking additional classes, either through your undergraduate school or through post-baccalaureate programs. Please note that graduate-level courses will not be combined with your undergraduate GPA.
• Consider retaking the MCAT. Set aside plenty of time to prepare for the test, read study materials and take practice tests. Consider taking an MCAT prep course.
• Gain more clinical experiences. Show that you have a passion for medicine. Volunteer at a local hospital, earn your EMT license, or find a job working directly with patients in a healthcare setting.
• Reevaluate your letters of recommendation. You may re-submit your current letters of recommendation but consider whether these are still relevant. It’s okay to ask the original evaluators to update your letter, or to recruit someone new to provide a recommendation.
• Rewrite your application essays. Your personal statement should still indicate a passion for medicine, but it’s also important to highlight personal growth. Your goals may have changed since you first applied to medical school. Be sure to emphasize any additional healthcare or volunteer experiences you’ve undertaken.

Note: Case-specific tips cannot be provided on any individual application.

Orientation

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the UVA School of Medicine and helping you acclimate to our close-knit campus community.

During Orientation, you will meet with your college dean and receive information about resources available in Student Affairs, Student Health, Financial Aid, and the Health Sciences Library. Students are required to attend all sessions.

Orientation Sessions will:

• Provide tools and resources that support students during the initial 18-month phase
• Introduce the educational principles of the Cells to Society Curriculum
• Focus on the educational theories underlying the curriculum’s emphasis on active learning and collaborative teamwork
• Enable students to complete a Myers-Briggs personality inventory to demonstrate differences among individuals
• Provide opportunities for team-building activities, such as a challenge course
• Conclude with the Brodie Gateway Dinner, where students meet their coaches and co-mentors for Foundations of Clinical Medicine

Note: Orientation is mandatory. Failure to attend orientation will forfeit your place within the class.

Transfer credit will be reviewed on an individual case-by-case basis.

Questions? Call (434) 924-5571 or e-mail [email protected] .

Admissions Committee

The Admissions Committee, is comprised of a diverse group of faculty and 4th year students selected from within the School of Medicine and is responsible for building each incoming class.

During meetings on Friday mornings, between the first week of September and the first week of March, the Admissions Committee listens to presentations about the applicants who were interviewed earlier in the week. The committee accounts for and discusses each applicant’s strengths and weaknesses, to inform a vote on who will receive an offer of admission.

Decisions on applications are sent by e-mail the following week.

Students and faculty are considered as equals on the Admissions Committee. There are 35 members in total; 12 medical students and 23 faculty members, 33 of whom are voting members. Each Committee member is given one vote.

John Densmore, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs,  standing, Chair

Committee Members

• Gabrielle R. Marzani, M.D. , Assistant Dean for Admissions, standing, Vice Chair, non-voting
• Gregory Townsend, M.D. , Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, standing
• Lesley L. Thomas, J.D., Assistant Dean for Compliance and Accreditation, standing, non-voting
• Laurie Archbald-Pannone, M.D. , Director for Student Engagement, standing
• Rebecca E. Abernathy, M.D. , FAAP, IBCLC (Pediatrics) 3 years (2021-2024)
• Heather Bruschwein, Psy.D. (Psychiatry) 3 years (2023-2026)
• David Callender, M.D. (Internal Medicine) 3 years (2023-2026)
• Behzad Farivar M.D. (Vascular Surgery) 3 years (2022-2025)
• Anna Z. Fashandi, M.D. (Endocrine Surgery) 3 Years (2023-2026)
• Paul David Gallo, M.D. (Anesthesiology) 3 Years (2023-2026)
• Shakun Gupta, M.D. (Pediatrics)  3 years (2022-2025)
• Dominic A. Jose, M.D (Anesthesiology) 3 Years (2023-2026)
• Andrea Komis, M.D. (Pediatrics-Inova) 3 years (2021-2024)
• David Lee, M.D. (Surgery-Inova) 3 years (2021-2024)
• Jennifer Louis-Jacques, M.D., M.P.H. (Pediatrics) 3 years (2023-2026)
• Emily Marko, M.D. (Obstetrics & Gynecology-Inova) 3 years (2021-2024)
• Sakib M. Motalib, M.D. (Emergency Medicine-Inova) 3 years (2021-2024)
• Regan H. Royer, M.D. (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation) 3 years (2022-2025)
• Jessica S. Sheeran, M.D. (Anesthesiology) 3 years (2021-2024)
• Gregory “Ory” Streeter, M.D. (Family Medicine) 3 Years (2023-2026)
• Eryn L. Thiele, M.D. (Anesthesiology) 3 Years (2023-2026)
• Kenan W. Yount, M.D. (Surgery) 3 years (2021-2024)
• Rachel P. Wyant, M.Ed. , Director, Office of Admissions, standing

Student Members: Appointed for one year

Nancy Shen, SMD’24

Richard Huang, SMD’24

Sarah Sebastian, SMD’24

Philip Grotz, SMD’24

Sasheenie Moodley, SMD’24

Srikar Tallavajhala, SMD’24

Robin Picavia, SMD’24

Leela Ekambarapu, SMD’24

Zachary “Logan” Holley, SMD’24

Braden Miller, SMD’24

Elizabeth Wat, SMD’24

Akua Nyarko-Odoom, SMD’24

All Committee decisions are final and are not subject to change.

Ready to begin your application?

Amcas application.

Begin your application with AMCAS (Association of American Medical Colleges)

Here’s how to begin:

• Complete and submit your primary application here: AMCAS . (Applicants who received an AMCAS Fee Assistance Program Waiver also will be given a Supplemental Application Fee Waiver. Fee waivers must be submitted to and approved by AMCAS before UVA can process the Supplemental Application Fee Waiver.)
• Complete and submit the UVA supplemental application.
• Keep your AMCAS file updated.
• Once all materials are received, including MCAT scores and letters of recommendation, the application review process begins.
• Note: The secondary application fee of $80 can be waived with an AMCAS fee waiver.
• Statistics Overview
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University of Virginia School of Law

Frequently Asked Questions - J.D. Admissions

• Facts and Statistics
• The Application Process
• Standardized Test Scores and Grade Point Averages
• Letters of Recommendation
• Personal Statement
• Virginia Residency
• Information for International or Foreign-Educated Students
• Financial Aid
• Other Questions

‘Admissible’ Podcast

Prospective students have many great questions that are unique and specific to UVA Law. Get your answers straight from Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 as she offers insight into the world of law school admissions and gives you a behind-the-scenes look at UVA Law through interviews with students, faculty, alumni and staff. Learn More About ‘Admissible’

Accepted Podcast: How To Get Into UVA Law, With Assistant Dean Natalie Blazer

What is the size of the entering class.

We aim to enroll 300 first-year law students every fall.

What are your median LSAT and GPA and the 25%-75% ranges for the enrolled class?

For the class that entered in fall 2023, the median LSAT was 171 and the median GPA was 3.94. The 25%-75% LSAT range was 167-172.  The 25%-75% GPA range was 3.72-3.99.  More

How many applicants apply?

In the 2022-23 application year, we received 5,610 applications.

Where may I find more information about last year’s entering class?

Class of 2026 Profile

What are the basic requirements for admission?

To be eligible for consideration for admission to the J.D. program, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution by August of the year you intend to enroll. To apply for admission, candidates should submit a completed application for admission; the $85 application fee; a transcript of undergraduate and any graduate work submitted through the Credential Assembly Service (CAS); a valid, reportable score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or the GRE General Test; and two letters of recommendation. All required materials must be in the file before it is referred to our Admissions Committee. See  J.D. Application Information .

What factors are considered by the Admissions Committee?

We assess each applicant as an individual in accordance with the University of Virginia School of Law Admissions Process  and LSAC’s Statement of Good Admissions Practices . This assessment considers not only standardized test scores and undergraduate grades, but also the strength of an applicant's undergraduate or graduate curriculum, trends in grades, the maturing effect of experiences since college, the nature and quality of any work experience, significant achievement in extracurricular activities in college, service in the military, contributions to campus or community through service and leadership, and personal qualities displayed. An applicant's experiences surmounting economic, social, or educational difficulties with grace and courage, demonstrating the capacity to grow in response to challenge, and showing compassion for the welfare of others can all play a role in the admissions decision.

Race is not a factor in the admission decision. Neither is an applicant’s family history with UVA. Information related to an applicant's race or ethnicity is collected for state and federal reporting requirements. Application readers do not have access to reports or individual or collective class data that includes race, ethnicity, or family ties to UVA. However, an applicant’s individual life experience—which can include discussions of race/ethnicity, first-generation student status, gender identity, upbringing, etc.—can be considered. We encourage applicants to share any information they feel would help us get to know them on their application.

Financial need is not a factor in the admissions decision. If you wish to be considered for loans or scholarships, including Unsubsidized Student Loans, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), designating the University of Virginia as a recipient of your needs analysis report. See Financial Aid for more information.  

Do you offer an early decision option?

UVA Law offers a Binding Expedited Decision option in lieu of an early decision option. Candidates may submit a Binding Expedited Decision application at any point before March 1, 2024. For more information on this option click here .

What percentage of the enrolled class matriculated via the Binding Expedited Decision Program?

We do not have a set number of spots for the Binding Expedited Decision Program. However, in some of the recent years, around 20 percent of the enrolled students were admitted through the program.

What testing date is too late?

In 2024, LSAC will offer the LSAT in January, February, and April. Only the January and February test scores will be considered as meeting the March 1, 2024 deadline as long as all other application materials are submitted and your file is otherwise complete.   

The GRE and GMAT are both offered on a regular basis. Only test scores received by March 1 will be considered as meeting the deadline.

Whether you take the LSAT, the GMAT or the GRE General Test, you should understand that we review applications on a rolling basis starting in September. We will have already made a substantial portion of our offers by the time January or February test scores are received. As a result, applying with test scores earned later in the cycle may reduce your chances for admission.

If, after submitting your application with an earlier standardized test score, you decide to retake the test or decide to take another accepted standardized test, please send your request to  [email protected] . Be sure to include your full name and LSAC number in the email. Please note, however, that the admissions committee may review any application as soon as it is complete.

When are the application deadlines?

The deadline to apply to UVA Law is 5 p.m. ET on March 1, 2024 under either the Regular Decision option or the Binding Expedited Decision option. Decisions will be released by April 12, 2024.

Do you accept applications after the March 1 deadline?

Late applications will be accepted and reviewed, but applicants are not guaranteed an admissions decision by a specific date or time. Please note that, given our rolling admission process and competitive application pool, submissions received after March 1 typically have a low likelihood of resulting in a favorable outcome.

How much is the application fee and how may I pay it?

The application fee is $85, which must be paid by credit card at the time you submit your application via LSAC.

How may I obtain an application fee waiver?

Applicants serving in an established public service commitment such as Teach for America, the Peace Corps, Americorps/VISTA, CityYear, a Truman Fellowship, or military service may have the application fee waived. If you received a waiver for the LSAT or CAS fees from the LSAC, you qualify for waivers from UVA Law. We are also happy to waive the application fee for candidates for whom the fee poses a financial hardship. E-mail us at [email protected] for waivers.

We cannot under any circumstances refund fees already paid to LSAC.

When are applicants notified of admission decisions?

The admissions team makes every effort to notify applicants of their admissions decision within a reasonable timeframe. Release of decisions is subject to many factors, and delays in decisions do not necessarily reflect negatively on the applicant.

All regular decision applicants who submit by March 1 will be notified by April 12, 2024 at the latest. Binding Expedited Decision applicants will be notified of their decision no later than 21 business days after the application for admission is marked complete.

How will the Office of Admissions communicate decisions?

You can monitor the status of your application by using our online status checker . You will receive a username and password from the admissions office via email within one business day of submitting your application. All applicants offered admission will receive an official offer letter via regular mail. All other decisions will be communicated via email.

May I defer my enrollment?

Deferrals are granted on a case-by-case basis. You may request to defer your admission after making all required acceptance deposits and confirming your intention to accept your place in the class. All deferral requests must be received by the second deposit deadline. Deferred applicants agree not to hold a place in another law school’s entering class, or to apply to other law schools during the deferral term. We will ask you to reconfirm your intention to enroll early the following year.

Merit-based assistance may also be deferred on a case-by-case basis.

Other need-based financial aid typically cannot be deferred to a subsequent year, since those awards require an updated needs analysis.

If I’m not admitted, can I reapply?

Yes! We welcome reapplications. 

Reapplicants are not at a disadvantage. However, we encourage candidates to update their materials and consider ways to strengthen their application.

What are your requirements for transfer students?

See our  Transfer Students  page for application information. Top

Where do I find out about CAS and the LSAT?

Find out more about both by going to  www.lsac.org .

Where do I find more information about the GRE?

Find out more about the GRE General Test at www.ets.org/gre .

Where do I find more information about the GMAT?

Find out more about the GMAT at www.mba.com .

Does UVA Law prefer one standardized test over another?

No. We have no preference as to which test you choose to take.

Must I report all standardized test scores I have earned?

Because LSAC provides the CAS, all LSAT scores you have earned within the past five years will be reported to the Law School. Cancellations will also be noted. If you choose to submit GRE General Test and/or GMAT scores in lieu of an LSAT score, we require you to submit all scores that you have earned on that test within the past five years. The admissions committee may consider all submitted scores. If you submit an LSAT score, you do not need to provide additional GRE and/or GMAT scores you have received.

I am applying with an LSAT score, and I finished the multiple-choice portion but have not yet completed the writing sample. Can I submit my application without it?

You can submit your application, but we do not consider the application to be “complete” without the writing portion of the LSAT. This means that we will not start reviewing your application until LSAC shares the writing sample with us.

Is there a minimum standardized test score or grade point average applicants must present?

No. We read every application carefully, and take all factors into account. At no point in our deliberations are numbers employed in a way that would trigger an automatic decision to offer or deny admission.

Is taking a standardized test in January, February or April too late?

In 2024, LSAC will offer the LSAT in January, February, April and June. Only the January and February test scores will be considered as meeting the March 1, 2024 deadline as long as all other application materials are submitted and your file is otherwise complete.   

The GRE and GMAT are both offered on a regular basis.

If, after submitting your application with an earlier standardized test score, you decide to retake the test (or decide to take another accepted standardized test), please send us a note to that effect and ask that we hold your file for consideration until those scores have arrived.

What if I am registered for a future standardized test?

If you are registered to take a future standardized test, you may submit the rest of your application so that it will be complete and ready for review as soon as LSAC, GMAC, or ETS reports your score to us.

If your application already includes at least one standardized test score, but you would like us to hold your application, please send your request to [email protected] . Be sure to include your full name and LSAC number in the email. Please note, however, that the admissions committee may review any application as soon as it is complete.

New LSAT scores will automatically be added to your file. There is no need to inform our office of new LSAT scores.

What is your policy on multiple LSAT scores?

We give the most weight to the highest LSAT score. If you believe your LSAT score is not indicative of your potential, we encourage you to consider retaking the test. Please use your best judgment in retaking the test, as we do consider trends and the number of tests in our assessment of your true score. You may submit an addendum to your application if a significant and unanticipated factor such as illness or poor testing conditions negatively impacted your LSAT performance.

What is your policy on multiple GRE or GMAT scores?

If you choose to submit scores from the GRE and/or the GMAT, we require you to submit all valid, reportable scores from the last five years. In our discretion, we may evaluate your application using the high standardized test score(s) or an average thereof.

Do Admissions Committee members examine transcripts? Do they take into account such factors as a heavy work schedule, significant extracurricular activities, and changes in majors when evaluating grade point averages?

Admission Committee members review every transcript and take into consideration factors that may have had an impact on an applicant’s grade point average. We also consider trends in applicants’ grades, grading curves at that college or university, and the rigor of the courses undertaken.

Do you take into account grades received in graduate school?

While grades received in graduate studies are not counted as part of your grade point average, we do review graduate school transcripts and take note of grades received. A strong graduate school record is viewed as a plus.  Top

How many letters are required? May I submit more?

Two letters are required. We accept a maximum of four letters of recommendation.

Whom should I ask to write my letters of recommendations?

Recommenders should evaluate your potential as a law student, so letters from faculty who can discuss your academic performance are particularly helpful and encouraged. If you have been out of school for several years or have significant work experience, you may include letters from employers or others who have worked closely with you. The strongest letters come from recommenders who know the applicant well and can speak directly to their qualifications. Personal recommendations are highly discouraged. 

How do I submit letters of recommendation?

All letters of recommendation should be sent via LSAC. Letters sent directly to the admissions office will not be considered as part of your file.

Do you accept letters of recommendation submitted after my file is complete?

You may submit up to four letters of recommendation total. Letters submitted after your file goes complete and which are assigned to UVA Law via LSAC will automatically be added to your file. You do not need to send them to us directly.

What should I include in my personal statement?

Please follow the personal statement prompt provided in the application. This is your opportunity to discuss how your background, perspective, and individual life experiences have led you to pursue law school and/or how they have influenced what you hope to achieve through your legal education. The statement should be written in your own voice without the help of artificial intelligence tools.

Do you put a page limit on the length of personal statements?

Yes, personal statements should be no more than two pages double-spaced in 12 pt font.  

May I submit addenda with my personal statement?

UVA Law accepts optional addenda. The application includes optional prompts related to specific interest(s) in UVA Law and the opportunity to expand upon relevant household contributions. Should you wish to address other topics, please include them in the “Optional Addenda” section. If multiple topics are addressed, please upload them as separate, descriptively labeled documents. 

You will not be penalized if they do not submit optional addenda. Please use your best judgment as to whether optional addenda are relevant to your situation. You should not submit published written work, research projects, theses, or other documents unrelated to the application. They will not be considered.

Is preference given to Virginia residents?

Although Virginia Law is not dependent upon the Commonwealth for its budget, we do give extra consideration to Virginia residents during the admissions process.

How is residency determined?

If you are claiming Virginia residency, which entitles you to a discount on tuition, you must submit an Application for Virginia In-State Educational Privileges when you apply for admission. For more information concerning Virginia residency status, go to:  www.law.virginia.edu/residents

Please note the University, not the School of Law, makes residency determinations on the basis of guidelines mandated by the Commonwealth.

How do I submit transcripts from a college or university outside the United States or Canada?

Transcripts of postsecondary work completed at a college or university outside the United States or Canada must be  submitted to LSAC .

To use the JD CAS, log in to your online account and follow the instructions for registering for the service. Be sure to print and mail a Transcript Request Form for each institution attended.

Questions about the JD Credential Assembly Service can be directed to LSAC.

Do you require TOEFL from international students?

No, we do not require TOEFL scores from J.D. applicants. However, demonstrated fluency in English is critical consideration in evaluating applications. If you choose to submit a TOEFL score, you must contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and request that your TOEFL score be sent to LSAC. LSAC's TOEFL code for the J.D. CAS is 0058. Your score will be included in the Foreign Credential Evaluation document that will be included in your CAS report.

Questions about the JD Credential Assembly Service can be directed to LSAC at (215) 968-1001, or  [email protected] . 

Do you accept transfer applications from those holding an LL.M. from a U.S. university?

We only accept applications from students currently enrolled in the University of Virginia LL.M. program or who have graduated from the University of Virginia LL.M. program within the last five years.

Do you give credit for law courses taken in other countries?

No, we do not transfer credits from non-U.S. law schools. Foreign educated attorneys must complete the entire three-year J.D. program unless they have a qualifying LL.M. from the University of Virginia. The Law School has an LL.M. program that is open to lawyers with degrees from other countries. 

Is financial aid available for international students?

International students are fully eligible for merit-based scholarship assistance from the School of Law.

How much does it cost to attend?

Tuition and Fees

Is financial aid available?

Yes, nearly 80% of our students receive some sort of financial aid assistance, either through scholarship assistance from the School of Law, participation in federal direct student loan programs, through private educational loans, or from outside sources of scholarship assistance. 

For more information about the different types of financial aid and the aid application process, visit the  Financial Aid website .

Are scholarships available?

Yes. Most scholarships are based on an applicant's merit—defined broadly to include academic achievement as well as a range of other personal accomplishments and experiences. All admitted applicants  are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships, and no separate application is required.

Applicants who would like the Scholarship Committee to also consider their financial need are required to complete the  Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS Profile before the priority deadline of February 9, 2024. 

• Parental financial information is required on the CSS Profile for unmarried students who are 28 or younger at the time the application is submitted. Even if your parent(s) will not be contributing financially to your law school education, parental financial information is required to be considered for need-based funding. 

More information about financial aid, including scholarships and student loan options, can be found on the financial aid website  or by contacting our Financial Aid team at [email protected] .

Do you offer tours of the Law School?

Yes, we offer student-led tours, in addition to class drop-ins, Q&As and student life panels. Please refer to our  visitor page  for more information.

Can you put me in touch with a current student?

Unless you are an admitted student, we are unable to share contact information for our current students. You are encouraged to visit the law school where you can join a student-led tour or attend a student life panel.

Do you offer admission interviews?

Select applicants will be invited to interview with a member of our admissions committee and notified of their decision shortly thereafter. All interviews are initiated by the Office of Admissions; applicants may not request an interview.

What is the best pre-law curriculum? How does one prepare for law school?

We admit applicants from a wide variety of undergraduate schools and majors. We encourage undergraduate students to take the classes that most interest them, and to take advantage of any pre-law resources at their school.

In most cases, law courses that are offered at the undergraduate level are less analytical and less comprehensive than those you will encounter in law school, and while they may give you some familiarity with important cases or development of doctrine, they will not be a significant advantage in law school. Most admissions committee members would prefer that an applicant’s college coursework give foundational understandings of history, economics, politics, science, and culture that will provide the context for a fuller understanding of the law and how it operates in our society.

Do you offer a part-time or night program?

No, we only offer a full-time three-year program with a fall start.

Does the School of Law offer concurrent or dual-degree programs?

We offer dual-degree programs in  medicine ,  accounting ,  government ,  environmental science ,  foreign affairs ,  history ,  philosophy ,  public health ,  public policy ,  urban and environmental planning  and  English . The Law School also includes a  J.D.-Master's in Economic Law at Sciences Po in Paris , and several  external collaborative programs . We also offer a J.D./M.B.A. in conjunction with the Darden School of Business. This program allows students to complete their dual degree in four years versus the five years that would be required if the degrees were earned sequentially. To participate in this program, you must be admitted by both the School of Law and the Darden School of Business.

Can I take UVA classes outside the Law School for credit toward my J.D.?

Yes, students may apply up to 12 credits toward their J.D. The credits must be pre-approved by the Law School Registrar and have direct relevance to the student’s intellectual development in the study of law.

Do you offer a paralegal program or online courses?

Where may i find out more about student life, the university, and the charlottesville area.

Living in Charlottesville , our online guide to Charlottesville and student life, is a valuable resource.

• Academic Calendar
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Fall 2025 UGA Essay Questions

  david graves        may 22nd, 2024 in blog.

For First Year students applying to UGA for Fall 2025, we will keep the same longer personal essay (250-650 words) as before, using the essay prompts from the Common App . The shorter UGA specific essay (200-300 words suggested) topic will also remain the same as last year, with the following essay prompt:

“ The transition from middle to high school is a key time for students as they reach new levels of both academic and personal discovery. Please share a book (novel, non-fiction, etc.) that had a serious impact on you during this time. Please focus more on why this book made an impact on you and less on the plot/theme of the book itself (we are not looking for a book report).”

• FYI – We are not restricting you to the exact years of 8th-9th grades, but rather the general timeframe of the middle to high school transition, which can extend somewhat further than one year on each end. Feel free to use your discretion in your choice of the timeline focused on the shift to your high school years.

As always, we also share an essay from an enrolling First-Year student that we believe shows great writing skills:

As a middle-schooler on the brink of entering high school, I was like lost cattle entering a vast social and academic wilderness. In the center, a winding, sun-soaked desert path stretched far into the horizon, beckoning my gaze with its promise of adventure and discovery. Enter The Alchemist and its magnificent idea of the “Personal Legend”– a life goal so lofty that it made locating my locker on the first day of high school appear easy. Forget about the difficulty of making new hobbies or friends; the content from this novel sure played an essential role in determining my ideology related to pursuing my future.

The protagonist enthusiastically praised the significance of believing in one’s dreams, which led my younger self down the correct path. Generating profits after extensive hours of work through my business, navigating changes in learning after COVID-19, and confronting adversity due to my darker skin color all presented difficult periods where persistence and faith were important in progress. Although self-belief was a crucial aspect of pushing through difficult times, it also motivated me to be more confident. Taking risks, from soloing in my 8th-grade jazz band to giving my crush a cringeworthy love letter, changed my belief in embracing adversity.

Furthermore, the book’s emphasis on interacting with people from different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems mirrors my journey into the real world. Whether developing a dancing board at a Purdue summer camp or a calculus Halloween graph, collaboration enforces the ability to work with others who may share different ideas. Diverse backgrounds boosted my understanding, tolerance, and empathy while increasing my engineering career readiness. Not only was The Alchemist a great book, but it enforced critical systems that I use until this day to succeed in life. The Alchemist played an essential role in instilling new concepts I needed as an adolescent. “And when you want something, all the universe conspires you to achieve it.” Thank you, Paulo Coelho.  – Josh W, Collins Hill HS.

• This essay gives us insight into the student’s feelings and thoughts, and he shares his ideas through descriptive word choice. This is an excellent essay, but please know that we are not expecting this level of writing from the applicant pool overall. This essay example is meant to show our applicant pool how to express themselves through examples, personal growth and emotion. When we are reviewing essays, we are looking more at the student’s voice coming through and less on technical writing skills.

Tags: admissions , essays , file reading , freshman admission