jhu supplemental essay

How to Write the Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essay

jhu supplemental essay

Reviewed by:

Rohan Jotwani

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 1/8/24

Interested in attending Johns Hopkins? Below, we’ll explain how to write a winning supplemental essay to help your application shine!

Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is a top-tier institution known for its high commitment to excellence in research and education. Hopeful students must demonstrate their academic potential, values, and unique characteristics.

Your supplemental essay is an excellent opportunity to tell the admission committee about your experiences, aspirations, and enthusiasm for Johns Hopkins. You can also use them to explain how your values align with the school’s mission and highlight your potential to contribute to the university.

In this article, we will go through the process of crafting a compelling Johns Hopkins supplemental essay and provide valuable insights into approaching your response so you can increase your chances of admission.

Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essay Prompts 2023-2024

On Common App, students are required to respond to just one supplemental essay prompt for their Johns Hopkins application: 

“ Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you and how that influenced what you’d like to pursue in college at Hopkins. This can be a future goal or experience that is either academic, extracurricular, or social. (200-350 words)”

How to Write the Essay Prompt for Johns Hopkins University

Not sure how to respond to this year’s prompt? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! This section will give you key tips to help you focus your approach. 

student writing on paper

How to Write the Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essay #1 + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of Prompt : The university makes this question open-ended to its applicants so they can write about their culture and identity, which has shaped their values and aspirations. The prompt is a good example of a diversity essay in which the applicant will discuss the link between their identity and goals at JHU. This means the admission committee wants to know how your life experiences will impact what you want to achieve in the institution.

Below are some tips to take note of when writing the JHU supplemental essays:

  • Start With Self-Reflection : Reflect on various aspects of your identity or life experiences, and select one that has significantly shaped your perspective or values.
  • Highlight Personal Connection : Detail a specific event, realization, or experience that intimately connects this aspect to your identity. Express why this facet holds personal significance, revealing the emotions or values it embodies. 
  • Link to Future Goals : Clearly connect this aspect of your identity or experience to your future goals, explaining how it has inspired your academic, extracurricular, or social aspirations.
  • Do Your Research : Show that you've researched specific programs, opportunities, or values at Johns Hopkins, and demonstrate how your chosen aspect aligns with what Hopkins offers.
  • Express Enthusiasm : Convey genuine enthusiasm for joining the Johns Hopkins community, letting your passion for your chosen aspect and future pursuits shine through.

Example of Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essays That Worked

In this section, we’ll provide essay examples written by successful JHU applicants. We’ll also discuss why each of these responses worked to help you make sure your own essays are impactful and impress the admissions committee.

Female student working on laptop

Sample Essay #1

Prompt : “Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words).”

“I stood in the dying light of the sun and a large campfire, facing out at the [NAME OF TRAINING PROGRAM]. The rest of the staff I had been working with joined arm around shoulder. I was a Troop Guide, the outward face of the course. I led presentations, guided participant activities, and most importantly, was responsible for a patrol of six 12-13 year olds. By the last day, I saw them solve their own internal conflicts and lead themselves using skills I had presented on, modeled, and coached them on. At the final campfire, I reflected on my time in Scouting and the people who had impacted me. I looked back at those kids, waving goodbye in the light of sunset, all teary-eyed, and the lead scoutmaster leaned towards me and whispered, “They won’t forget this.” With that simple phrase, I learned that I can make an impact. That I can change a small, but important, part of this world. 
My experience with young adults and supporting their mental wellness and leadership as a Troop Guide has cemented my interest in mentorship as well as a desire to become a Director of an in-patient psychiatric unit. I plan to pursue a major in Psychology or Cognitive Science, focusing on children and teens. Starting in high school, I found my passion for the mind and mental health. I myself have had previous experience with depression and anxiety, and have served as a close friend and confidante for many suffering with more severe issues. Being able to help these friends and others brings me great comfort, and I realized that I could turn this into a career that stimulates both my intellectual interests and my calling to help others. My focus on young people derives from the idea that helping at a young age provides them the best possible future. 
Johns Hopkins provides many opportunities to explore these interests. The highly-regarded Psychology department at Johns Hopkins would make this possible, with a variety of focuses among professors, from cognitive science to personality development that stokes my interest in interdisciplinary coursework. I would also pursue research into early diagnosis of mental illnesses like depression and schizophrenia. Additionally, the many extracurriculars including the A Place to Talk, The Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and the Center for Social Concern would allow me to continue to aid my communities.”

Why Essay #1 Worked

In their response, the student seamlessly connected their role as a Troop Guide, mentoring and coaching young individuals, to their genuine passion for understanding and supporting the mental well-being of young people. 

This not only illustrated their ability to lead and make a difference but also laid the foundation for their desire to major in Psychology or Cognitive Science at Johns Hopkins. 

By establishing a thoughtful link between hands-on experience and academic aspirations, the student showcased personal growth and underscored a commitment to contribute meaningfully to the university's community, leveraging its resources for a deeper understanding of mental health and mentorship.

Sample Essay #2

Prompt : “Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)”

Let’s take a look at how a JHU student responded to this prompt: 

“O genki desu ka?” (“How are you?”)
“Hai, genki desu.” (“I’m well.”)
That’s the standard greeting my mom and I have with our Japanese sensei. It’s a light, idiomatic way to start the lesson and gets me ready to master the day’s grammar and vocabulary that, though confusing at first, eventually reveal their simplicity and clear logic the more I study them. But in my 8 years of studying Japanese, I always perk up when [NAME]-sensei mentions the ramen museum in her hometown of [CITY] or the life-size ice castles built at the annual [NAME OF FESTIVAL]. Learning about the different cultural elements that make Japanese society unique is what excites me about learning Japanese. But I realized that many of my other [ETHNICITY] friends did not have the same exposure I did to Japanese culture. Soon, I wanted to share that special uniqueness with people who may not have been exposed to Japanese culture before.
One summer, I got the opportunity to teach Japanese to other [ETHNICITY] children in my local community. While I made it a point to prioritize learning the necessary grammar and vocabulary, just like in the lessons I took, I made sure that we started each class with a “Question of the Day”, an introduction to the lesson designed to get my students’ thoughts on a particular Japanese cultural practice. I’d ask their opinion about a particular aspect of Japanese culture that differed from American or even Indian norms, such as the taboo of speaking on the phone on a Japanese train, or the godlike status of the Japanese emperor. 
When they’d say, “I actually think it's a good idea to not talk on the phone on the train” or “I admire the culture of not littering that they have in Japan”, I felt joy in seeing that they were not only engaged in the lesson, but that they had also grown comfortable teaching me the reasoning behind their views, even if it wasn’t popular or easy to explain. What started as an experiment of sharing my fascination toward the Japanese language and culture with a younger generation has morphed into a mutual exchange in perspective, a philosophy embraced at Johns Hopkins that will serve me well in my future endeavors.

Why Essay #2 Worked

This essay stands out because it seamlessly shares the student's journey with Japanese language and culture in a down-to-earth yet informative way. The use of casual Japanese dialogue at the start adds a personal touch, which instantly grabs the reader’s attention.

As the essay unfolds, it transitions from the student's love for Japanese culture to their hands-on initiative of teaching it to others. The essay reflects the student's dedication to spreading cultural awareness within their community. By incorporating a fun "Question of the Day" in their language classes, the student not only showcases their creative teaching style but also aligns themselves with Johns Hopkins' ethos of encouraging exploration and unique experiences. 

In essence, the essay artfully tells a story that resonates with the spirit of Johns Hopkins while emphasizing the student's commitment to sharing diverse perspectives and fostering community connections.

Sample Essay #3

I wish everyone here were more interested in maps and royal lineages like I am. That way, I could more easily connect with people”, I thought to myself.
I was nearing the end of my freshman year at a new high school. For me, it was a completely different environment. When once, school had been 5, 10, or even 30 minutes away, [NAME OF SCHOOL] was a full hour from my house. That 1-hour drive teleported me into a world of large mansions, fancy cars, and intricately manicured front lawns that I wasn’t used to in my hometown. Needless to say, I felt a little isolated in this new setting, and found myself wishing that I could just find something in common with any of my other peers.
It was only when I heard that my classmate [NAME] had started his own podcast at the start of the summer that I was struck with an idea. What if I made a podcast about any topic, and invited classmates who were interested in that topic to talk about its history? It was perfect: I could express my love of history while connecting with my friends at school.
I hit the ground running. From talking about the struggles African Americans faced under slavery and Jim Crow to discussing the influence of the sitar on modern pop music, I was fascinated by the depth of my friends’ knowledge and the passion portrayed on a plethora of different topics. Even after we’d finished recording an episode on a given topic, my friends and I would continue to sit and discuss that topic’s repercussions and ramifications on societies from the past up until today, such as those of “redlining” in Long Island, which are clearly visible on a map of the area and even more clearly visible upon a drive through the area. 
Soon, my confidence in myself grew as I discovered that, though pure history may not fascinate everyone like it does for me, learning from my peers helped me grow closer to them than a shared interest ever could. Now, whether I’m learning life lessons from professors over dinner or hearing the perspective of my fellow students on an aspect of Japanese culture, Johns Hopkins catalyzes countless opportunities for me to dive much more deeply into any topic while forming the lifelong, meaningful friendships that have always been so invaluable to me in the process.

Why Essay #3 Worked

This student details their journey of feeling isolated in a new high school and then seizing the opportunity to bridge the gap through a podcast. The narrative explores diverse topics relating to their identity and interests, showcasing the depth of the student's friendships and the meaningful conversations that they inspired. 

The essay reflects on the transformative power of shared learning experiences and how this growth aligns with the student's aspirations for Johns Hopkins. It effectively communicates a personal story of overcoming isolation and finding connection through exploration and shared interests.

Get More Sample Essays Here!

Take a look at our College Essay Example Database to read other Johns Hopkins essays that impressed the admissions committee.

FAQs: How to Write the Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essays

Below are some of the frequently asked questions and answers about JHU supplemental essays:

1. Does Johns Hopkins University Require Essays?

Yes, Johns Hopkins University has just one essay to which all the applicants are supposed to respond.

2. What Is the Recommended Length for an Essay at Johns Hopkins University?

Your Johns Hopkins essays should be no longer than 350 words .

3. How Should I Respond to the Johns Hopkins’ Supplemental Essay Prompt?

Make the response personal. It is important to note that the school is looking for how an aspect of your background has contributed to your story, which includes your character, values, and aspirations. Also, consider how your culture or identity will affect your stay at JHU.

Final Thoughts

The Johns Hopkins essay is an opportunity to show the qualities that set you apart from other applicants. Your essay should be well crafted and engaging while perfectly demonstrating your values and aspirations. With a good essay, you can confidently secure space for yourself at Johns Hopkins University.

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2 Successful Johns Hopkins Essay Examples

Johns Hopkins University is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Known for its strong foundation in research, the world-renowned teaching hospital (Johns Hopkins Hospital) and Undergraduate Research Awards Program provide opportunities for students to get hands-on experience during their time at Hopkins.

Since Johns Hopkins is a highly selective institution, you’ll need a strong essay to better your chances of acceptance. Let’s take a look at the prompt, and how one student answered it. After, we’ll break down what’s working well, and potential areas for improvement. 

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our Johns Hopkins essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts. 

Essay Example #1

Prompt:  Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences.  Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)

My fingers drummed across the table at a rhythmic pace. The musical beat played the chords of my growing anxiety. I ignored the triumphant cheers from the other groups as I held my breath waiting for our results. 

My shoulders fell as a wave of defeat accompanied the empty screen. The only thing that arose was the doubtful thoughts belting in my head. 

“I’m wasting so much time.” “Do I not have what it takes to be a scientist?”

The contrast of my dark skin and bright lab coat was noticeable in the laboratory. Yet, the white coat stayed on as I continued jotting my observations in my lab notebook. An array of different colored beakers decorated my workstation along with many pipets. For the duration of my eight-week internship, my partner and I had to extract DNA with PCR primers and show its dilution through gel electrophoresis. If done correctly, the DNA bands will appear on the imaging scanner. In other words, we had to grow resilience.

Along with our increasing failed attempts, our resilience began to blossom. Despite setbacks, our endeavor’s brought us closer to the scientists we worked with. “Success doesn’t come easy, if it did then it wouldn’t feel successful” one of our directors lectured. With those words, an inferno ignited as I put on my lab coat once again, eager to continue my attempts. By the seventh week, we were back in the imaging room awaiting our results. I held a pencil in one hand and my notebook in the other keen to note any areas of improvement. Surprisingly, the screen presented our DNA with zero contaminants. My heart skipped a beat as my face grew sore from my grin, eyes glued to the rows of perfect DNA bands– I felt successful. 

This kind of prosperity attracts me about Hopkins,– a victory that is met with consistent labor. Being America’s first research university shows the resilience and dedication it takes to make the world a better place. I would like to be a part of this trajectory by working with Dr. Bastian and her fascinating investigation in advancing our understanding of the genetics of inherited neurological and psychiatric diseases. At Hopkins, I can continue experiencing success along with a community of like-minded people.

What the Essay Did Well

This essay does a fabulous job of conveying this student’s feelings through descriptive imagery. We understand their initial anxiety when they say “ My fingers drummed across the table at a rhythmic pace ” and “ I held my breath waiting for our results. ” Then, when they provide their internal dialogue second-guessing themselves, we understand their anxiety stems from self-doubt and a lack of confidence. We’ve barely begun the essay, and we have already learned so much about this student.

The student uses their lab coat as a symbol throughout the essay, bringing an extra layer of depth, nuance, and maturity. While it originally makes them feel out of place, “ The contrast of my dark skin and bright lab coat was noticeable in the laboratory, ” as they grow more comfortable and resilient, they welcome it with pride: “ With those words, an inferno ignited as I put on my lab coat once again, eager to continue my attempts. ” Using an object as a proxy for their feelings is a beautiful way to convey their growth and demonstrate their talent for story-telling.

Because this essay tells a story of how a student overcame a personal obstacle, we see so much of their character shine through. This student didn’t just limit themselves to discussing their interests, but really hit the nail on the head when it came to showing how it has shaped them, by framing their response in the manner of an “ Overcoming Challenges ” essay. This is a good example of not boxing yourself into one essay archetype just because that’s what the prompt asks for. Make sure you address the prompt in full, but don’t be afraid to elevate your essay with elements of other essay archetypes.

What Could Be Improved

Although this essay does a very nice job sharing who this student is, it could have used more elaboration on who they hope to be at Hopkins. Not addressing the school until the final paragraph makes it seem like an afterthought. As much as admissions officers want to know who you are, they also want to know how you will fit into the campus community. Therefore, it is a better idea to integrate resources and opportunities the school offers throughout your essay, rather than saving it for the end. 

They could have compared the professor they want to work with to their inspiring director who taught them about success and mused over what life-changing tidbits Dr. Bastian will share. They could have mentioned a class that covers the nuances of DNA imaging that they hope to take to understand what their perfect bands of DNA mean. Maybe there is a club on campus for scientists of color that they want to join to collaborate with people to fully conquer their self-doubt.

There are many different opportunities that this student could have weaved through their essay to truly demonstrate how they would fit seamlessly into Hopkins, without sacrificing the descriptive narrative they have crafted about themselves.

Essay Example #2

As I stretch the rubber band to touch the edge of the cardboard strip, the fingers curl. I release the elastic, watching as the joints, made of popsicle sticks, relax successively. Finally, my project is ready. In the Biomedical Engineering section of the GAMES camp at the University of Illinois, we were asked to construct a prosthetic arm that could grip and move a block of clay. After hours of meticulous redesigning, I crafted a successful prototype and became obsessed with using engineering to tackle challenges in medicine.

The following summer, I explored bioengineering on a cellular level at the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes, where a project on limb regeneration sparked my interest in biomedical research. I eventually pursued hands-on research experience with the USC Biomechanics Research Lab. In my project, I apply scientific principles to running to prevent stress-induced injuries in athletes. By analyzing video frames of PAC-12 athletes in motion and linking them to force plate data, I create videos and graphs for analysis. Comparing this data to athletes after a stress fracture, I observe differences that increase susceptibility to injury, ultimately improving the health of athletes using engineering.

From these experiences, I grew interested in majoring in Biomedical Engineering at Hopkins, where I find a distinct focus on hands-on learning. I am particularly excited to participate in design projects in the course “Rehabilitation Engineering Design Lab”. The uncommon structure of this course will allow me to design a medical device to fit the needs of patients with disabilities, which will then be analyzed in rehabilitation centers. Through this real-world approach to learning, I will strengthen my teamwork skills and address modern medical issues, furthering my interest in Biomedical Engineering through first-hand exploration.

As a top-tier research institution, Hopkins will also provide me with ample opportunities to explore my curiosities and build on my research experience from the USCBRL. In the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, I hope to work under Dr. Marilyn Albert in discovering new treatments for dementia. I became interested in neurological research when my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. As I watched her diagnosis progress, I became curious about the underlying biological mechanisms behind her decline and wondered how biomedical research could prevent neurodegenerative disease. In this lab, I will tie my personal interest in neurological research to my passion for improving medicine through engineering, making Hopkins the ideal place to explore my interests.

This essay starts off with a strong hook:  “As I stretch the rubber band to touch the edge of the cardboard strip, my fingers curl.” This is intriguing, as the reader is urged to continue following the action of the scene and piece together what this student is passionate about.

The student uses personal examples, like their experience at the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Institute and their grandmother’s Alzheimers, to make their passion for their intended area of study clear. It’s important to do this, to create a purposeful essay that speaks to who you are and why you are choosing a specific area of study, career path, and university.

The student moves back and forth seamlessly between their own personal life, and their plans for studying at the university. The writer always connects their life to their collegiate identity : for example, in the third paragraph it says “From these experiences, I grew interested in majoring in Biomedical Engineering at Hopkins, where I find a distinct focus on hands-on learning.” This narrative structure results in an engaging essay.

A major weakness of this essay is how broad it is. With a more general prompt like this that asks you to “share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you,” students often make the mistake of trying to convey their whole life story, and this student fell into that trap a bit. 

Rather than telling us about the GAMES camp, the Stanford Institute, and their grandmother’s diagnosis, this student could have tightened up the essay by choosing one of their deepest fascinations and delving into how they will explore that particular interest at Hopkins.

They could include one strong, detailed anecdote, rather than squeezing in two or three that aren’t flushed out. There would be a central idea running through the essay that makes it very easy for the reader to appreciate what this student cares about, why they care, and how they plan to act on their interest in college.

It’s okay to not address multiple facets of your personality and interest in an essay—in fact, it’s usually preferred! Admissions officers will still understand the complexity of your personality from other parts of your application, but your essay will provide them with much more insight if it is focused and detailed, not a broad summary.

Where to Get Your Johns Hopkins Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Johns Hopkins  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!

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August 7, 2023

2023-2024 Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay Prompt

A view of Johns Hopkins University from a walking path.

Johns Hopkins University has released its supplemental essay prompt for the 2023-2024 college admissions cycle. Johns Hopkins, which in recent years, has asked applicants to answer only one supplemental essay, is again requiring applicants to answer only one essay prompt — a 300-worder. But it’s not the length of Johns Hopkins’ essay prompt for applicants to the JHU Class of 2028 that’s interesting. Instead, it’s the topic .

2023-2024 Johns Hopkins Essay Topic

Below is Johns Hopkins’ essay prompt for applicants to the JHU Class of 2028:

Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g. race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you as an individual and how that influenced what you’d like to pursue in college at Hopkins.? (This can be a future goal or experience that is either academic, extracurricular, or social).

Johns Hopkins’ Supplemental Essay Is a Bold Response to SCOTUS Ruling

You read Johns Hopkins’ 2023-2024 supplemental essay prompt correctly . The school’s admissions committee is directly asking about a student’s race (or gender, sexuality, religion, community, or something else) to understand their perspective and lived experience.

It’s a bold move in response to the Supreme Court’s outlawing of the practice of Affirmative Action in late June 2023. At the time, some surmised that many of our nation’s elite universities would avoid directly asking applicants to comment on their race. But not us. No, we at Ivy Coach have a crystal ball . That crystal ball, once even cited on the pages of America’s oldest college newspaper, forecasted that America’s elite universities would still find ways to indirectly consider race in the admissions process to create diverse classes, capitalizing on the opening provided by Chief Justice John Roberts.

In the majority opinion, Roberts wrote, “At the same time, as all parties agree, 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.”

Yet not every school put themselves directly in the line of fire by using the word “race” in their supplemental essay prompt(s). Johns Hopkins — a school that proudly previously banned the un-meritocratic practice of legacy admission , or the tradition of offering preferential treatment to the progeny of a school’s alumni base — dared to do so. Agree or disagree with Affirmative Action, Johns Hopkins’ bold response to the ruling is  noteworthy .

Johns Hopkins Even Changed Its Essay Prompt, Leaning into Race

And it’s not as though Johns Hopkins simply cut and pasted their essay prompt from last year. Last year’s essay prompt did not explicitly mention race. It read as follows:

Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins.

How to Approach Answering Johns Hopkins’ Supplemental Essay

One doesn’t need to be an underrepresented minority to be able to answer this essay prompt. It’s why Johns Hopkins specifically cited any community that an applicant may deem themselves a part of or even, more broadly, a life experience that has molded their outlook on the world.

While race is explicitly mentioned in the wording of the essay prompt, applicants really have a blank canvas for this essay question. As such, they can direct their answer just about any way they wish — though it should ultimately address the second half of the hybrid question of how that perspective, community, or life experience has shaped what they hope to study at Johns Hopkins.

It’s thus essential to include a few specifics that only apply to Johns Hopkins (and, no, name-dropping professors or listing classes do not count as genuine specifics about an institution). After all, JHU admissions officers want to understand how that perspective will influence what you bring to their vibrant campus.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Johns Hopkins Essay Prompt

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission to Johns Hopkins and wowing admissions officers with compelling storytelling, fill out Ivy Coach ‘s consultation form , and we’ll be in touch to outline our college counseling services for seniors.

You are permitted to use www.ivycoach.com (including the content of the Blog) for your personal, non-commercial use only. You must not copy, download, print, or otherwise distribute the content on our site without the prior written consent of Ivy Coach, Inc.

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College Essays

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Johns Hopkins University is considered one of the top-10 national schools in the United States. As the country's first research university, Johns Hopkins is interested in fostering lifelong learning and research. Although their medical school is perhaps their most famous department, Johns Hopkins has many prestigious programs—and their reputation means that admittance is extremely competitive, with just a 8% acceptance rate .

If you want to join the band of Blue Jays, you'll need to be a stellar student—and you'll need to write a killer Johns Hopkins essay. This guide will walk you through the Johns Hopkins supplement, including best practices for answering the prompt, how to plan your essay, and analyzing essays that got other applicants in.

Feature Image: Matthew Petroff /Wikimedia Commons

What Should You Know About the Johns Hopkins Supplement?

The Johns Hopkins application process is fairly straightforward. You can apply using the Coalition Application or Common Application , which each have their own essay questions to answer.

In addition to whatever essay you choose for your application, Johns Hopkins asks for an additional required essay of up to 400 words. There is just a single prompt, so no struggling to pick which one will best suit your needs here!

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What Is the Johns Hopkins Essay Prompt?

Johns Hopkins has just one essay prompt. The 2022-2023 prompt focuses on collaboration and teamwork, asking you to think about your own role in working with others:

Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you'd like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)

This prompt is a bit less structured than Johns Hopkins essays in the past, which can present new challenges to students. It can be hard to figure out what exactly Johns Hopkins wants you to write about with a prompt like this one! But don't worry: we're going to break it down for you.

What This Prompt Is Asking You to Do

First things first: let's take a closer look at the first sentence of the prompt. In this sentence, Johns Hopkins is outlining exactly what kind of student they want to admit. Admissions counselors are looking for students with diverse ideas and experiences who are curious and passionate. They also want to admit students who aren't stuck in their ways: Johns Hopkins wants their students to be brave enough to try new things, pursue new ideas, and push themselves academically and otherwise.

To that end, this prompt is asking you to share one thing about yourself and how it has impacted both you and your future goals at Johns Hopkins.

How to Answer the Prompt

To answer this prompt well , you need to zero in on an aspect of your personality that a) isn't addressed in your other application materials, and b) fits with Johns Hopkins' mission and academic culture. Our secret trick to choosing the right trait to talk about? Make a list.

Sit down with a pen and paper and write down unique and interesting things about you. While it's good to focus on the categories in the prompt (identity, background, etc.), don't be afraid to branch out if it makes sense. For instance, maybe you have an incredibly interesting hobby or skill you want to share. Even though those things aren't explicitly listed in the prompt, it's okay to list those things down, too.

Once you've built your list, go through and start culling down until you have a topic that works. Here's what you should ask yourself as you start crossing off ideas:

  • Do I talk about this in my application already?
  • Is this a common topic that other applicants will write about (like being in band or enjoying the outdoors)?
  • Is this aspect of your personality too broad or vague?
  • Can you tell a story about this part of yourself?

Once you've picked the aspect of your personality that you want to write about, you need to tell a story around it . Don't just say you've hiked the Appalachian trail. Tell a story about your hike. What was it like? What did you experience? Why did you do it in the first place?

And of course, you also have to explain how this aspect of your personality will impact your education at Johns Hopkins. Maybe you decided to hike the Appalachian Trail because you enjoy testing your endurance, and you want to bring that same tenacity to your studies at Hopkins. Make sure you're tying everything back to your education!

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There's no wrong way to celebrate a successful essay.

2 Johns Hopkins Essays That Worked

Even with a guide, it can be hard to figure out exactly what Johns Hopkins is looking for in their essays. Thankfully, the college posts successful essays on their website —complete with admissions office comments—giving you the chance to look through Johns Hopkins essays that worked.

These examples are responses to past prompts, so they do some things quite differently. But reading through them can still give you valuable insight into what Johns Hopkins University values in an essay, such as a cohesive look at each applicant and a creative frame for the topic.

#1: "Time to Spin the Wheel"

Add the fact that I was raised in a Bengali household and studied Spanish in high school for four years, and I was able to add other exotic words. Sinfin, zanahoria, katukutu, and churanto soon took their rightful places alongside my English favorites.

And yet, during this time of vocabulary enrichment, I never thought that Honors English and Biology had much in common. Imagine my surprise one night as a freshman as I was nonchalantly flipping through a science textbook. I came upon fascinating new terms: adiabatic, axiom, cotyledon, phalanges … and I couldn't help but wonder why these non-literary, seemingly random words were drawing me in. These words had sharp syllables, were challenging to enunciate, and didn't possess any particularly abstract meaning.

I was flummoxed, but curious … I kept reading.

… and then it hit me. For all my interest in STEM classes, I never fully embraced the beauty of technical language, that words have the power to simultaneously communicate infinite ideas and sensations AND intricate relationships and complex processes.

Perhaps that's why my love of words has led me to a calling in science, an opportunity to better understand the parts that allow the world to function. At day's end, it's language that is perhaps the most important tool in scientific education, enabling us all to communicate new findings in a comprehensible manner, whether it be focused on minute atoms or vast galaxies.

Romila's interest in language is introduced at the very beginning, but the essay takes a surprising turn midway Because she focuses on language, we'd expect that she's interested in pursuing a literature or writing degree; instead, her interest in language helped shape her love for biology.

What works particularly well in this essay is that it demonstrates Romila's unique background as a language-loving biology major of Bengali heritage. She doesn't need to declare her diversity; it's demonstrated through each unique facet of her personality she brings up.

As the admissions committee comments below the essay, Romila also does a wonderful job of showing her interest in interdisciplinary learning . It's not just that she loves linguistics and biology, but that she sees a clear line from one to the other—she loves both of them and the ways that they flow together.

It's unlikely that you have the same experience as Romila, but keep these things in mind when writing your own essay. How can you use your essay to discuss your educational aspirations? Does the work you've done with others fall into interdisciplinary learning? That can be as unconventional as an edible presentation on nuclear physics or as simple as understanding that your soccer team was made up of people with different skills and positions and how, together, you won the championship.

#2: "And on That Note"

While practicing a concert D-flat scale, I messed up a fingering for a low B-flat, and my instrument produced a strange noise with two notes. My band teacher got very excited and exclaimed, "Hey, you just played a polyphonic note!" I like it when accidents lead to discovering new ideas.

I like this polyphonic sound because it reminds me of myself: many things at once. ... Even though my last name gives them a hint, the Asian students at our school don't believe that I'm half Japanese. Meanwhile the non-Asians are surprised that I'm also part Welsh. I feel comfortable being unique or thinking differently. As a Student Ambassador this enables me to help freshman [sic] and others who are new to our school feel welcome and accepted. I help the new students know that it's okay to be themselves.

There is added value in mixing things together. I realized this when my brother and I won an international Kavli Science Foundation contest where we explained the math behind the Pixar movie "Up." Using stop motion animation we explored the plausibility and science behind lifting a house with helium balloons. I like offering a new view and expanding the way people see things. In many of my videos I combine art with education. I want to continue making films that not only entertain, but also make you think.

Like Romila, Curtis' essay uses an introductory framing device—his experience with playing a polyphonic note—to transition into a discussion of all the ways he is multiple things at once.

Demonstrating his multiple interests is part of why Curtis' essay succeeds so well, but most of these examples aren't just examples of contradictions or subverted expectations. They show other things, too, such as the way other people see him (Asian students don't believe he's half Japanese, non-Asian kids only see him as Asian), how his interest in different fields leads him to create unique projects, and how his experience being different allows him to be welcoming to others.

Curtis' writing is lively without getting lost in the metaphor. The framing device is clear, but it doesn't come up so much that it feels too focused on the idea of a polyphonic note. The essay would work just fine without the metaphor, which means his points are strong and sound.

According to the admissions officers' notes, Curtis' essay stood out in part because of the way it shows his ability to think across disciplines. Creative thinking is a huge asset at a research university such as Johns Hopkins. Like Romila's essay, this interest in interdisciplinary learning proves that he'll be a good fit for Johns Hopkins.

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4 Key Tips for Writing Your Johns Hopkins Essay

Because the Johns Hopkins supplement has just one prompt, you'll want to do your absolute best on it. That means getting started early and giving yourself plenty of time to polish and refine your work.

As with all college essays, you should go through multiple drafts and seek feedback from others to make sure your essay is as strong as it can be. The earlier you start, the more time you'll have to whip it into shape!

#1: Brainstorm

Remember all those exercises your high school teachers had you work on, such as mind mapping and free writing? Now's the time to bust them out.

Look at the prompt and write down as many short answers as you can think of, no matter how silly they might sound—you don't have to use them if you don't feel strongly about them! If you spend some time writing down all your ideas, you can choose the one that speaks most strongly to you rather than getting midway through an essay before realizing that it's not what you really want to write about.

#2: Be Specific

Specificity is extremely important. With just 400 words, you need to make sure you're using your space wisely.

Tie your idea directly to Johns Hopkins University rather than speaking in generalities. Look through their course catalog and club offerings, and try to connect some of them to your goals and aspirations. Because the prompt asks about collaboration, try to envision yourself in those spaces, accomplishing your goals thanks to your classmates' support.

#3: Get Feedback

Once you've gone through a draft or two, it's time to turn your precious essay over to someone else for feedback. Find people you trust to give you honest and helpful critique. If they're too harsh, you're not going to want to use their advice. But if they focus too much on praise, you might not end up with anything to change.

Look to teachers or other people who have experience with writing—preferably not parents, as they're a little too close to you to be objective—for good advice.

Let all that feedback sit for a while before you sit down to revise your Johns Hopkins essay. Often, our initial response to feedback is to either implement or reject all of it, neither of which is necessarily the best way to improve an essay.

Consider the feedback you receive and find a middle ground between the recommendations and your voice and goals. It's OK if you don't agree with some of it, but do be sure that you always ask yourself why someone might not have understood your meaning. If clarity is an issue, you can still address that even if you don't agree with someone's suggestion.

What's Next?

A good essay is just one part of a successful Johns Hopkins application. Take some time to make sure your GPA , ACT , and SAT scores are up to par, too!

Need some additional help in writing a great college essay? This guide has all the tips and tricks for turning your ideas into essays !

The college application process can be long and confusing, especially when you're applying to a competitive school like Johns Hopkins. This expert guide to college applications will give you all the tips and information you need to create a truly spectacular application!

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Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

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Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essays (2023-24) Prompts and Advice

September 3, 2023

johns hopkins supplemental essays

In the most recent admissions cycle, Johns Hopkins University admitted approximately 6% of applicants into the Class of 2027. As a school that rejects thousands of applicants each year with 1500+ SATs and impeccable transcripts, those hoping for a positive result at JHU need to find additional ways to shine in the eyes of the admissions committee. The Johns Hopkins supplemental essay is one such opportunity.

(Want to learn more about How to Get Into Johns Hopkins University? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into Johns Hopkins  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

Given that 19 of every 20 RD applicants to Johns Hopkins University are ultimately unsuccessful, you need to do everything you can to stand out amidst a sea of uber-qualified teens from around the globe. Through its one mandatory essay prompt, Johns Hopkins University’s supplemental section still affords applicants an opportunity to highlight what makes them uniquely qualified for admission. Below is Johns Hopkins’s supplemental prompt for the 2023-24 admissions cycle. Additionally, you’ll find our tips on how to write a winning composition.

Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay Prompt

Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g. race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you as an individual and how that influenced what you’d like to pursue in college at Hopkins. (This can be a future goal or experience that is either academic, extracurricular, or social). (300 word limit)

JHU is inviting you to share more about your background/identity/community through the lens of how that will impact your experience at the university. Take note of the wide-open nature of this prompt. You are essentially invited to talk about any of the following topics:

  • A perspective you hold
  • An experience/challenge you had
  • A community you belong to
  • Your cultural background
  • Your religious background
  • Your family background
  • Your sexual orientation or gender identity

Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essays (Continued)

Although this prompt’s open floor plan may feel daunting, a good tactic is to first consider what has already been communicated within your Common App personal statement and activities list. What important aspect(s) of yourself have not been shared (or sufficiently discussed)? The admissions officer reading your essay is hoping to connect with you through your written words, so—within your essay’s reflection—be open, humble, thoughtful, inquisitive, emotionally honest, mature, and/or insightful about what you learned and how you grew.

You’ll then need to discuss how your background/identity/experiences have influenced your academic, social, or extracurricular college goals. As such, think about what you learned and how it relates to one of the previously mentioned areas. For example, perhaps growing up in Northern California has made you passionate about post-wildfire ecosystem restoration, which you hope to pursue further through Johns Hopkins’ environmental science program. Or, perhaps your experience as a tutor has made you interested in The Tutorial Project , or the discrimination you watched your sibling face after revealing their gender identity has informed your desire to be part of initiatives like the Safe Zone Program .

To that end, be sure you address how you will take advantage of Johns Hopkins’s immense resources. The includes both inside and/or outside of the classroom. You can accomplish this by citing specific academic programs , professors , research opportunities , internship/externship programs , study abroad programs , student-run organizations , etc.

How important are the Johns Hopkins supplemental essays?

Johns Hopkins University considers six factors “very important” in evaluating a candidate. The essays are among them. In addition to the essays, Johns Hopkins gives the greatest consideration to the rigor of one’s school record, GPA, standardized test scores, recommendations, and character/personal qualities.

Want personalized assistance?

Are you interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced essay coaches as you craft your Johns Hopkins essays? We encourage you to get a quote  today.

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Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay Examples

Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay Examples

Looking at Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples can be very helpful for students getting ready to write their own  college supplemental essays . Whether you are planning on applying to Hopkins- one of the most competitive schools in the United States, or a different highly ranked institution like  Brown University , for example, you will benefit from looking at a variety of other essays.

If you want to get into a top college, being at the top of your class and having the right extracurricular activities on your  high school resume  is no longer enough. College admissions have gotten more competitive, and the admissions process has become more holistic. In other words, if you want to stand out, you need to submit compelling essays that show the admissions committee why you deserve a spot in their next class. 

Reviewing different  college essay examples  can help you do that. So, without much further ado, let's look at these five Johns Hopkins supplementary essay examples. 

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 10 min read

Prompt: Founded on a spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community) and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)

Johns Hopkins supplemental essay example #1

I always have a book in my purse. Technically, I always have several because I carry a physical copy of a book and my Kindle, which gives me access to thousands of books. I don't remember when I started doing this, but I remember every single time that I found myself outside with nothing to do, and a book was there for me to escape into. 

As you probably guess, I am an avid reader. I read an average of four novels every week, and then I talk about it with the community that I have built through my blog online. I enjoy telling others about the books I am reading, what I liked about them, the tools the writer used to drive their point home, and what they could have done better. 

I first started reading when my family and I moved to the United States from Brazil. I spoke fluent Portuguese and very little English, so my ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher suggested I start reading English books to improve my vocabulary. 

I will admit that the first few months were challenging. I was grateful for the kindle feature that allows you to check the definition of a word by double-clicking on it because I needed to look up so many words. I started setting challenges for myself. I would reward myself with a matcha latte if I could read three chapters without having to look up a single word, or I would get to watch telenovelas instead of reading if I managed to read a book within a certain amount of time. 

Eventually, not only did my English improve significantly, but I started looking forward to reading. I had fallen in love with fictional worlds and the complex characters that inhabit those worlds. I have often found myself finding refuge in books, and I believe that there are so many others who could benefit from them. 

My goal is to teach others about the wonderful world of literature and introduce others to books as my teacher did for me. Johns Hopkins not only offers an entire course on one of my favorite authors - Virginia Wolf-, but it also provides a rigorous English major that would allow me to strengthen my foundational understanding of formal literary criticism while also increasing my knowledge of modern literature. 

I can't imagine exploring my love for literature anywhere else. 

“Are clouds heavy? They don’t look heavy, but they have to be because you said that’s where rain comes from. Right?”

That is one of the many questions that I asked as a child. I have always had what my mother calls a curious spirit. I was that annoying child who preferred asking a million odd questions instead of playing games. So, to keep me busy, my mother would let me play games like Trivia and 20Q on her iPad. I developed a particular interest in 20Q when I realized that it would guess what I was thinking. I wanted to know why, and that is how my fascination with technology began.

Initially, I set out to understand how the game was guessing correctly, but my research led me to the fantastic world of Artificial Intelligence. I had more than twenty questions about how they work and what they can be used for, and as usual, I made sure to ask everyone around me. It was, therefore, not surprising when I signed up for a computer programming class as soon as I could in middle school. I was so excited to finally learn from a teacher who could answer some of my questions.

In middle school, I learned about artificial neural networks and how they use algorithms to recognize hidden patterns and correlations in raw data, how these networks can cluster and classify that data, and – over time – continuously learn and improve. I applied these same principles to my work as a student. Even though I was passionate about the topic and understood the principles behind computer programming, coding did not come naturally to me. I would stay behind after class to get some help from my teacher and other students. I would also spend my free periods practicing and watching tutorials. 

“you’ll need to do some more living, first, and learn about things outside of literature.”

That’s what my grandmother told me when I first told her that I wanted to become a writer. At first, her words didn’t make much sense to me. I felt that to become a better writer; I have to study writers and the art of writing, nothing more. That said, my grandmother is one of the wisest people I know, and she is usually right, so I kept an open mind and thought about what she said often. 

It first started making sense to me when I learned that Agatha Christie was a nurse and that Mark Twain was a steamboat pilot. It helped me realize that the best writers were not only capable of writing beautifully, but they also combined their knowledge of literature with outside information and personal experiences to create masterpieces that we are still learning from today. As an aspiring journalist and novelist, learning this made me wonder about my own interests outside of literature. 

I have spent most of my free time in middle and high school focusing on improving my writing and research abilities through the school newspaper which I write for, the debate club that I am a part of as a researcher, and the book club that I meet with every other Saturday. My grandmother’s words and my recent discovery propelled me into action. I decided to “do some more living,” as my grandmother had called it. I joined the dance team, where I learned to push myself and confirmed that practice makes perfect. I also joined the social committee, which taught me how many people work behind the scenes of even the most minor events and how important the details are. I recently signed up for a cooking class as well, and I am confident that my experience with cooking will also teach me a valuable lesson. 

Although I am on the path to becoming a journalist, I am excited to continue exploring different interests through the many programs Johns Hopkins offers. No other school would give me the option of attending writing seminars while also learning about various topics like earth & planetary sciences or robotics. I believe these experiences will only make me a better writer and allow me to contribute to my community more significantly.  (392 words)

The night before my last debate, I slept for four hours. I know this was not the brightest idea, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to review my points again and ensure that I felt prepared. I remember laughing with my mother that night when she came in to remind me that I needed to sleep if I wanted to win. We laughed at the fact that once upon a time, I hated the idea of the debate club, and now, I was staying up late because I cared about the debate's outcome.   

It is true that when my English teacher firsts suggested I join the debate club at school, I thought the idea of it seemed nonsensical. But after a few weeks of research and preparation and one debate tournament, I was hooked. 

In order to debate, I often have to research complicated topics such as foreign diplomatic agendas, international relations, critical theory, and many others. I then have to synthesize that information into coherent debate evidence and translate knowledge into actual debate argumentation. It is the most challenging and rewarding experience that I have had, and it has helped me develop the ability to critically analyze information, make sense of it and express it creatively in written and oral form. 

I have come to enjoy this aspect of debate prep, and I have come to love the competition as well. Over the past three years, my partner and I have won four debate tournaments, and I have won six regional speaker awards. This has not only boosted my confidence in my abilities, but has also increased my credibility in the debate league. We even got invited to a national conference where our public debate helped raise awareness about the impact of gentrification and what the local government can do about it. 

Most importantly, debating has taught me the importance of being prepared and thorough. I have learned to pay attention to details and actively listen to other people's perspectives. Not only do I now know how to look at the bigger picture, but I also know how to pick the right place to zoom in to so I can achieve my goal. All abilities I know will serve me well as I go through the rigorous political studies program at Johns Hopkins.  (385 words)

Watch this video for college essay writing tips that will help you stand out:

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There is an ancient power in storytelling, and journalism modernizes it. The stories I read in newspapers and blogs are all filled with imperfect characters and intricate conflicts in which the journalist is the narrator. My dream has always been to be that narrator, and I have been working toward that goal with the kind of singular focus I believe the best journalists have. 

I started dreaming about it before I understood what it was. One of my first memories of this is from a vacation we took when I was about twelve years old. My family and I had spent a few days at the Rocky Mountain Amusement Park Resort, and I took it upon myself to write a detailed account of our trip. I remember being bored most of the trip and having to find ways to entertain myself because I was too short to go on many of the rides, so I essentially wrote an article that proclaimed that the Rocky Mountain Amusement Park was boring. 

However, during the drive home, my brother read my article and told me I was wrong. That was the first time I thought about different perspectives and how they affect our individual experiences. That experience taught me to consider all points of view, regardless of my personal perspective.  

As the editor-in-chief for my school newspaper, I always make it a point to remind my team to do the same. We aim to share the uncensored perspectives of as many students as possible, and I’ve found that the best way to do so is to talk and listen to different groups, especially those who have a different perspective than our own. This is why whenever one of the journalists proposes a story, I ask them to find out why the event happened, where it will lead and who it will affect. 

This attitude has helped me expand my perspective beyond my little bubble and explore. In an effort to learn more about people’s experiences, I started reading diverse books and looking for stories that give me a chance to learn. I have gotten better at writing about polarizing-opposite opinions through an unbiased lens. I know that I still have a lot to learn, and I am eager and ready to do so.  (380 words)

Johns Hopkins is one of the most competitive schools in the US, with an average acceptance rate of 11%. Applicants need to submit an outstanding supplemental essay if they want to get an offer of admission. This is especially true if you are trying to  get into college with a low GPA . We recommend taking the time to review various essay examples from other schools that are equally prestigious and selective. For example, you may want to review Brown or even  Columbia supplemental essay examples.  Furthermore, the school has a section called "essays that worked" on their website that you should check out. When you are ready to put pen to paper, you should keep in mind that there are  college essay review services  that can help you edit your essay and ensure that it is as compelling as possible. 

Last year, only 11% of the students who applied to Stanford were offered admission. This makes it one of the most selective schools in the country. You will need an outstanding application to get in.

Many assume that it is, but it is actually not. It is, however, one of the most prestigious universities in the United States and the world. 

Every year, Johns Hopkins receives applications from thousands of students with high GPAs and impressive extracurriculars. Your essays give the school a chance to find out what else you bring to the table, and they give you a chance to set yourself apart as a candidate. In other words, you should not underestimate the importance of your college essays.

You will need to write one Johns Hopkins-specific essay in addition to the Common App essay.

Hopkins is one of the best schools in the US, and they only admit students with a high GPA. You will need at least 3.90 to be competitive.

You can improve the quality of your essays and make them stand out by having a strong opening, using specific examples, showing instead of telling, and ensuring that your essay is grammar and spelling error-free. If you're not sure how to do this, reach out to a  college essay advisor  for some assistance. 

Your essay should begin with a "hook". We recommend starting with something catchy like an anecdote, an interesting or funny fun fact about you so that you can grab the reader's attention from the very beginning. 

Johns Hopkins requires one supplemental essay that is at least 300 words long. Applicants can write 300-400 words.

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Johns Hopkins University Essays that Worked

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Johns Hopkins Essays – An Introduction

Writing college essays is one of the hardest parts of the college application process. If you’re wondering how to get into Johns Hopkins, you’ll want to start by familiarizing yourself with some Johns Hopkins essays that worked. These will help you approach the Johns Hopkins supplemental essays, one of the main Johns Hopkins requirements.

As you prepare to apply, reading Johns Hopkins essay examples can help you know how to structure your own essays. However, before we examine the Johns Hopkins essay prompts and Johns Hopkins essays that worked, let’s learn a bit more about Johns Hopkins . 

You might be drawn to JHU because you are impressed by the Johns Hopkins rankings.

According to U.S. News , Johns Hopkins ranks:

  • #7 in National Universities
  • #9 in Best Value Schools
  • #1 in Biomedical Programs
  • #13 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs, just to name a few.

While the Johns Hopkins ranking may put the school on your radar, rankings won’t help you when it comes time to complete your Johns Hopkins application. And, as the Johns Hopkins rankings show, the Johns Hopkins application process is competitive . 

Before you apply, familiarize yourself with the Johns Hopkins application and Johns Hopkins requirements. This includes the Johns Hopkins supplemental essays. Keep reading to learn more about one of the most important Johns Hopkins requirements: the Johns Hopkins supplemental essays.

To help prepare you to write your Johns Hopkins supplemental essays, we have provided two Johns Hopkins essay prompts and four Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples . By looking at Johns Hopkins essays that worked, you can learn how to approach your own Johns Hopkins essay. 

Does Johns Hopkins have a supplemental essay?

Yes, one of the Johns Hopkins requirements is a supplemental essay.

In fact, the Johns Hopkins essay is one of the most important parts of your Johns Hopkins application. 

You should use your Johns Hopkins essay to highlight who you are as a student, person, and community member. Later in this article, we’ll look at four Johns Hopkins essay examples. These can help inspire you as you draft and edit your own essays.

Keep in mind that Johns Hopkins supplemental essays will look different for different people. However, like our Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples, your Johns Hopkins essay should highlight how you’d contribute to campus life. 

Depending on how strong of a writer you feel you are, writing your Johns Hopkins essay might feel like a challenge—but that’s okay! If tackling your Johns Hopkins essay feels daunting, you’re in the right place. We’ve selected our Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples to help you write an amazing Johns Hopkins essay.

How many essays does Johns Hopkins have?

Below, we will review multiple Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples. We”ll also look at Johns Hopkins essay prompts from past years. However, this year, there is only one supplemental Johns Hopkins essay . Still, remember that you will submit two essays as part of your Johns Hopkins application. These include your Personal Statement and your Johns Hopkins essay.

As you prepare your Johns Hopkins application, give yourself enough time to write both your Personal Statement and Johns Hopkins essay. As you’ll see from our Johns Hopkins essays that worked, writing a compelling essay is no easy feat.

Just like writing your Personal Statement, writing your Johns Hopkins essay takes time, brainstorming, and editing. We hope our Johns Hopkins essays that worked help you learn how to tackle the Johns Hopkins essay prompt.

Now, it’s time to jump into the Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples. Before we break down our Johns Hopkins essays that worked, let’s look at this year’s Johns Hopkins essay prompt.

Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essays

johns hopkins essays that worked

Before you can write a great Johns Hopkins essay, you need to understand your prompt. One of the first things Johns Hopkins admissions will consider when reviewing your essay is whether you addressed the prompt. Our Johns Hopkins essays that worked each show off who the writer is, but always in service of the prompt. Keep this in mind as you begin to write. 

The Johns Hopkins essay prompt has changed over the years. So, make sure you always check the admissions page or the Common App for the current prompt. While our Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples may not reflect this year’s prompt, they can still help you write your college essays.

Here is the current Johns Hopkins essay prompt:

Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)

This prompt is extremely open. The main topic of your essay is “something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you.” This could be anything. so feel free to get creative.

Don’t forget about the second part of the prompt: “how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins.” The second half of this prompt implies that you should be specific about what you want to do/accomplish/learn at Hopkins. Then, connect your goals at JHU back to what you’ve shared about yourself .

Johns Hopkins Essay Examples

Next, let’s dive into our Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples. To help you get started on your Johns Hopkins application, we’ll take you through four Johns Hopkins essays that worked. 

Reading past essays can help give you an idea of how to approach the Johns Hopkins supplemental essays. Each of our four Johns Hopkins essay examples respond to one of two prompts from past Johns Hopkins applications. 

While our Johns Hopkins essay examples respond to prompts from past years, they are still helpful. Additionally, this year’s prompt is quite open-ended. So, you can still apply tips from our Johns Hopkins essays that worked to your Johns Hopkins essay.

Johns Hopkins Essay Examples: Prompt #1

Let’s look at our first Johns Hopkins essay prompt. Note that this prompt is quite similar to the current prompt, so our Johns Hopkins essay examples will likely have a lot in common with successful essays for this coming year. However, this year’s Johns Hopkins essay prompt is more open-ended, asking students to share anything about them they’d like to share with Johns Hopkins admissions. As a previous iteration of this same prompt, this Johns Hopkins essay prompt asks students to specifically discuss their interests.

Our first two Johns Hopkins essays that worked respond to the following prompt:

Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876 on a spirit of exploration and discovery. As a result, students can pursue a multidimensional undergraduate experience both in and outside of the classroom. Given the opportunities at Hopkins, please discuss your current interests (academic, extracurricular, personal passions, summer experiences, etc.) and how you will build upon them here.

The second part of each Johns Hopkins essay prompt is also a slight variation on the other. This prompt asks you to describe how you will continue to pursue and develop your interests should you be admitted to Johns Hopkins.

Now that we’ve discussed some of the nuances of this prompt and how it might impact our Johns Hopkins essays that worked, let’s look at the first of our Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples.

Johns Hopkins Essays that Worked #1

Since childhood, mathematics and science had some special magic for me. The mathematical numbers and formulas and the scientific experiments always fascinated me. This interest turned into my passion when I started doing hands-on projects for Science Olympiad in middle and high school and also engineering projects in high school. My quest for engineering is based on the creative application of mathematics and science which can be applied with judgment, rigor and creativity to develop and design new or better ways to utilize materials, technologies and the forces of nature for the benefit of our society.

I am particularly interested in Environmental Engineering discipline. Presently earth’s environment is being put under constant pressure for improvement. I have made many trips to India with my parents and found out how the natural resources are still immensely underutilized and how these natural resources, along with the engineering principles and design, can be leveraged in order to improve the quality of lives of common people all around the globe. My goal in life is to transform knowledge, experience and resources that I can gain through an engineering program at a leading institution like Johns Hopkins University into technologies that can be incorporated into products and services which in turn can fulfill these necessities. During my trips to rural India, one of the sights that particularly drew my attention was the state of the waste-water and how its quality can be improved with the help of water treatment technologies. Instilled with this idea, I have read many research articles in the journal called “Environmental Science & Technology”. I found few research articles that were emphasizing how to prevent nitrogen related impairment of waste-water quality. Researchers are honing in on the specific bacterial genes that are responsible for nitrous and nitric oxide formation in the waste-water. Their goal is to “engineer” this process so that these genes can not be properly expressed, thereby preventing the nitrogen related impairment of the waste-water quality. 

Recently I have also gone through some research work of one professor from Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences. His research focuses on environmental microbiology and engineering with an emphasis on the fate and transport of pathogenic microorganisms in water, food, and environment. This work includes extensive laboratory based research designed to develop and evaluate molecular detection methods which can be applied to field-based investigations. This type of research work always fascinates me. In future, as an engineer, my passion will be to carry out further research work in a field like this which can fulfill the necessities of the vast majority of people in this universe.

Why This Essay Worked

This is one of our Johns Hopkins essays that worked because it discusses a unified current interest—environmental engineering—through a variety of lenses. This writer showcases their passion through their extracurricular activities , their experiences traveling with their family, and the ideas they’ve explored outside the classroom. Then, they detail specifics about Johns Hopkins that relate to their interests. This includes the work of a professor they admire.

The first of our Johns Hopkins essay examples includes a lot of detail. In reading it, you get a clear sense of who the writer is, what they care about, and how they’d engage with JHU. They also cite a specific professor’s work, whose name has been removed in order to preserve anonymity in this article.

While the writer spends a lot of time discussing scientific concepts, their engagement with these concepts highlights their intellectual curiosity. In doing so, the first of our Johns Hopkins essay examples makes a strong case for the writer’s admission.  

The essay is organized chronologically. It begins in childhood, then moves through middle and high school. It then addresses the writer’s personal experiences connecting to the larger world. Finally, it extends to what this student hopes to do at Johns Hopkins and in their future post-graduation. 

As you’ll see in our other Johns Hopkins essay examples, there are different ways to approach organization. However, make sure your essay has a strong beginning and a conclusion that builds to a clear final point.

Let’s take a look at the second of our Johns Hopkins essay examples for this prompt.

More Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay Examples

Johns hopkins essays that worked #2.

Essay Title: Statements of Justice

“She’s a mulatto, right?”

Why did he use that word to describe me? Is that all he sees? I am so much more than that.

“Can any men in the classroom help me carry this?”

Am I weak because I am a woman? Does designing and building a staircase and ramp not qualify me to carry boxes down the stairs? My strength is not directly derived by your perception of women, thank you very much.

“You don’t talk black.”

What does that even mean?

Statements. Underhanded questions and observations that I’ve heard my entire life. They made me question who I truly am. Then Trayvon Martin was killed. It was the first national event in my memory that exposed the injustices in our justice system, and the shadow of racism I naively thought no longer existed. I began coming to terms with the harsh reality that these comments were merely a reflection of the continuous legacy of discrimination in this country.

I struggled, over many long days and sleep deprived nights, thinking about who I am and where I fit in this seemingly endless fight towards equality. I wanted and needed to find a way to heal the injustices in our system. Such atrocities include the corrupt criminal justice system, the de facto segregation, the inequitable educational opportunities, the 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. And I want to be a part of the movement that changes it all.

I began working to alleviate some of these issues in both Greensboro and Dallas. In peace and conflict, I began working towards making positive statements. I attended a rally that supported equal access to education and ending voter discrimination through unfair laws. I became involved in advocating for Planned Parenthood. I participated in volunteer work to beautify my city and encourage people to pursue their education and future careers. My favorite was teaching reading and math to children in low income communities.

John’s Hopkins is located in Baltimore, a city that has grappled with the frustrations of racism. I want to continue pursuing my passion for equality and justice with Hopkins at my side. I want to practice justice by participating in the on campus Black Lives Matter protests and peaceful protests throughout Baltimore. I want to love mercy by being a part of Hopkins organizations such as the Tutorial Project. I want to walk humbly as an example of a strong, biracial woman. A woman that kids across Baltimore, and one day even across the country can look up to and say “I want to be like her one day.” John’s Hopkins is the place where I can promote equality and justice while also exploring my passion for science, math and engineering. It is the place where I will continue practicing my resolve to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. Hopkins is the place where I want to help end the injurious comments and begin a legacy of statements that emulate justice.

We chose to include this as one of our Johns Hopkins essay examples because of how powerful this student’s vulnerability is. This essay does a great job of connecting the pursuit of knowledge to how we build community and fight injustice in the world. In reading the second of our Johns Hopkins essay examples, you get a clear idea of what the writer cares about. You also can imagine how they would use their education for the greater good. 

This essay has a particularly strong beginning and end. It opens with an attention-grabbing series of revealing questions and answers that tie into this writer’s final word on what they hope to accomplish at JHU. Without feeling like a list, this writer also touches on their many extracurricular and volunteer work . They also discuss the organizations they hope to join on campus .

If you want to read more Johns Hopkins essay examples, you’re in luck. Keep reading for another Johns Hopkins prompt and more Johns Hopkins essays that worked.

More Johns Hopkins Essay Examples

Next, let’s move on to our second batch of Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples. These Johns Hopkins essay examples respond to another past Johns Hopkins essay prompt.

While these Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples may seem like our previous Johns Hopkins essay examples, it’s important to note the differences between this prompt and the current Johns Hopkins essay prompt.

The next set of Johns Hopkins essays that worked respond to the following prompt: 

Successful students at Johns Hopkins make the biggest impact by collaborating with others, including peers, mentors, and professors. Talk about a time, in or outside the classroom, when you worked with others and what you learned from the experience.

From this prompt, you can expect the next two Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples to touch on specific instances of teamwork and collaboration with others. This prompt is much more specific than the current prompt. However, thinking about a question like this can give you insights as to how you like to work with others and how you might do so at Hopkins.

There are two kinds of group work. The first is your proficiency group work where there is a task to be done and a leader simply divides the work among the group and it gets done in a fraction of the time it would take an individual. The second is work without a defined end goal. This means that work can’t simply be divided; it has to be first created by the group members and then their finished products have to be joined together by the group.

In my aerospace engineering major, there is a project that we did at the end of freshman and sophomore year. It was a high altitude balloon launch. This project took us about three weeks to plan out and follow through on each year. The first time, it was a basic launch, and we had to create a payload with temperature and altitude sensors as well as a Geiger counter, a GoPro, and a GPS tracking signal. Everything except the GPS and camera was created through an Arduino. We all worked well together, but it was a very rigidly drawn out project. We were given exactly what to do and we just did what we were told in a collective fashion by dividing the world up randomly and following instructions.

The second time we did our project it was slightly more complicated. We had all of the previous items: camera, GPS, etc… But, we were allowed some freedom in the set up this time. We added a 3D printed camera frame so that we could generate a 3D video by having one go pro face each direction.  I added music too; I used a greeting card music speaker and attached a string to the trigger which we pulled on launch. Overall the project became more detailed and more complex, but still successful. In part, this was due to our experience. But, the most of the improvement was because we were able to express our individualism. We combined our own personalities to create a greater teamwork than just dividing up the work.

No one really knows the answer to everything. So, when you have the possibility to incorporate multiple perspectives in a group instead of focusing on one dominant perspective it increases the likelihood of success. Overall, it increases the enjoyment in the work because everyone can express themselves and their ideas are heard. 

Like other Johns Hopkins essay examples, this essay focuses on a specific personal experience. This is one of our Johns Hopkins essays that worked because it translates an experience into a nuanced narrative.

The important thing to note in this essay is how the writer’s perspective comes through. The writer stresses that collaboration without a defined end goal leads to expressions of individualism. They also discuss how different perspectives increase the likelihood of success—a perspective that aligns with Johns Hopkins’ values.

Remember, our Johns Hopkins essay examples are not models you should copy your essay off of. Instead, think of them as blueprints designed to show you how to approach the prompt. Feel free to explore different ways to respond to the prompt and make your essay your own.

Back in middle school, there was nothing greater than the battle of the sexes. The competition seemed to transcend the classroom and appear in all environments. One of the most prominent instances is during a school-provided game show: boys vs. girls.

The game show was set up in two sets. In the first one it was the 8th graders (my grade) vs the 7th graders, and the second was an 8th grade battle of the sexes. This competition would be the first chance that we could actually quantify which sex was “better”, so the competition was taken very seriously. Since it was middle school, everyone was eager to participate, but in order to win we needed to strategize. Trying to settle down the group wasn’t easy, but after a couple of minutes I got all of the girls to be quiet and listen to my plan. My plan was to only send those skilled in each category to participate. At first some people didn’t want to agree, but then they realized that was the only way to win. For the academic categories, the girls who took honors classes went up. For sports categories, the athletic girls went up. For the teamwork categories, a group of cohesive close friends went up. For the artistic games, all the music and arts girls went up. The boys caught on to our strategy, but it was too late in the game for them to catch up. We overwhelmingly beat the boys and never let them live it down.

Before this game show, although the girls were always fighting with the boys, we were actually really divided amongst ourselves. Since there was no unity, it was easier for the boys to attack us and wear us down. However, our victory in the game show changed everything. We realized that teamwork was the only way for us to be strong and truly be “better” than the boys. From that point on, us girls remained united and used teamwork to defeat the boys in every opportunity we had. Anytime I have a great task to handle, I remember this instance in order to battle through the differences in the group and work together with others. Unity and teamwork are values that I adore dearly and I know they will be significant on my pathway to success.

This is the last of our Johns Hopkins essays that worked, and it takes a different approach than some of our other Johns Hopkins essay examples. This essay rounds out our Johns Hopkins essay examples because it demonstrates multiple facets of the writer’s identity. However, it still centers around the prompt’s topic of collaboration.

The writer highlights a moment of leadership where they took charge of their group. They describe how they created a game plan and got everyone on their side. Then, they show how this experience built community, uniting the girls despite their differences. Finally, they reflect on their personal growth. In doing so, they highlight how they plan to carry this lesson with them into the future.

These Johns Hopkins essay examples may have a narrower focus than what you might write for this year’s prompt. However, they still show how important specificity is to storytelling. By including specific details, you keep your reader engaged and excited about what you have to say.

Does Johns Hopkins care about essays?

johns hopkins essays that worked

Yes, your Johns Hopkins supplemental essays are extremely important to your application. As they review your application, Johns Hopkins admissions wants to understand who you are and what you will bring to campus.

Your Johns Hopkins supplemental essays are a terrific opportunity for you to demonstrate your academic passions through three facets, including your:

  • Academic character
  • Impact and initiative
  • Personal contributions

Check out the Johns Hopkins Application Information page to read more about how the admissions team will review your application. This can also help you learn how to demonstrate your academic passions in your Johns Hopkins application.

However, keep in mind that your Johns Hopkins essay isn’t the only part of the Johns Hopkins application. Johns Hopkins reviews all applications holistically, meaning all of the Johns Hopkins requirements impact your admissions decision. While our Johns Hopkins essay examples are strong in their own right, you can also expect that they complemented an otherwise strong Johns Hopkins application. 

Along with your supplemental essay, the Johns Hopkins requirements include:

  • A completed application (either the CommonApp or the Apply Coalition on Scoir)
  • Secondary school report
  • Two teacher evaluations
  • Mid-year report

Due to the continued impact of Covid-19, Johns Hopkins admissions has decided test scores will remain optional . So, the Johns Hopkins requirements do not include SAT or ACT scores. If you are planning to submit test scores, remember that they are no replacement for your Johns Hopkins essay. 

How do you write a Johns Hopkins essay?

All strong Johns Hopkins essays start with research. Like the writers of our Johns Hopkins essay examples, you should decide what you hope to get out of JHU. So, don’t fixate on statistics like Johns Hopkins rankings. Instead, learn about what Johns Hopkins values in both their students and community.

Then, give yourself a complete writing process. Set aside time to brainstorm , work through different topics/ideas, and get your first draft down on paper. Once you have a draft, it’s time to edit , rewrite, and finally proofread. If possible, try to get your “final” draft complete a week ahead of the deadline. That way, you’ll have time to set it aside for a few days before you make your final edits. 

Highlight your personal narrative

You’ve seen some great narratives shine through in our Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples. So, as you can tell, there are many ways to approach the Johns Hopkins essay prompt. Remember that your Johns Hopkins essay isn’t the only essay JHU will receive—the Johns Hopkins requirements also include your Personal Statement. So, think about how your Personal Statement and Johns Hopkins essay will play off one another. As you draft, consider how they both feed into your personal narrative.

Your Personal Narrative is the overall story your application tells to an admissions officer. When crafting your application, think about the overarching themes in your application. Then, look at how they connect to who you are and what you hope to bring to Johns Hopkins’ community. 

Fit your essay with your narrative

If you’ve already chosen a topic for your Personal Statement, think about how your Johns Hopkins essay fits into that narrative. Each of your essays should reveal something compelling and complex about you. As we look at each of our Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples, we’ll take note of what we can learn about the writers of each essay and what Johns Hopkins admissions would have appreciated about it.

Our Johns Hopkins essay examples weren’t written overnight, so don’t plan on writing yours last minute. If you’re here reading through our Johns Hopkins essay examples, you’re likely already in a good place to start crafting your own.

Other Resources on Johns Hopkins University

There’s no secret formula on how to get into Johns Hopkins or how to write an essay like our Johns Hopkins essays that worked. So, make sure you do some research. Get a feel for the school and learn more about what they offer. This can be more helpful than you realize when it comes to writing your Johns Hopkins supplemental essays.

In addition to our Johns Hopkins essay examples, CollegeAdvisor.com has tons of great resources to help students learn more about Johns Hopkins. Check out our Johns Hopkins college page for an overview of the school, our how to get into Johns Hopkins guide , and our Johns Hopkins University panel .

For more resources on how to make your essays as strong as our Johns Hopkins essays that worked, check out our masterclass on editing your essays and advice from an admissions officer on making your essays shine . 

Johns Hopkins University Panel

Johns Hopkins Essays that Worked direct from Johns Hopkins Admissions

If you want to read more Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples, make sure you check out Undergraduate Admissions Johns Hopkins essays that worked. This year, they have six Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples written by students from the class of 2025, so there’s no shortage of Johns Hopkins essay examples for you to review.

These Johns Hopkins essay examples can be a great supplement to those provided above. The admissions committee nominated each Johns Hopkins essay to be made available to future applicants as Johns Hopkins essays that worked. In each essay, applicants reveal something important about their experience and how it has shaped their character and values. In turn, they show how their values align with the values and culture at Johns Hopkins.

For even more Johns Hopkins essay examples, check out the 2023 Johns Hopkins essays that worked and the 2022 Johns Hopkins essays that worked.

Johns Hopkins Essays that Worked – Final Thoughts

We hope our collection of Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples has given you a better idea of what to expect when it comes time to write your own! Remember, these Johns Hopkins essays that worked are meant to inspire you. Your own essays don’t need to look just like our Johns Hopkins essay examples—in fact, what matters most is that you tell your own story. 

Once you’ve read through our Johns Hopkins essay examples, be sure to check out all of the resources available through Johns Hopkins and CollegeAdvisor.com. Happy writing!

johns hopkins essays that worked

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Johns Hopkins University 2020-21 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision: 

Johns Hopkins University  2020-2021 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 300-400 words.

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community

Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences.

Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at hopkins. (300-400 words).

JHU is purposefully leaving this question super open-ended, so that you can write about any facet of your background or community that has been most integral in shaping your identity. Admissions also wants to know how this aspect of your experience has impacted what you want to seek from your time attending Hopkins. So, start by thinking about your identity. You can write down some words that you would use to describe yourself, or work backwards by thinking about what you hope to gain by attending Hopkins, and then consider how that relates to your interests, identity, background, or community.

Maybe you dream of becoming a surgeon, specializing in gender affirming surgery, to marry your interest in science and medicine with your passion for helping members of the trans community. Perhaps you don’t know what you want to major in yet, but you hope to expand your horizons at JHU as a first-generation student, sharing what you absorb with your relatives so that they can learn alongside you. As long as you put aside time to brainstorm freely and edit meticulously, we’re confident you’ll impress admissions with your response!

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6 Outstanding Johns Hopkins Essays That Worked for 2023

Ryan

To get into Johns Hopkins University in 2023, you'll need to make sure your essays that help you stand out.

You may know that John Hopkins releases essay examples every so often.

And in this article, I've gathered 6 additional incredible Johns Hopkins essays from admitted students.

Whether you're a student or parent of an applicant, get inspired and real insight into JHU admissions.

What is John Hopkins University's Acceptance Rate?

Getting into Johns Hopkins is difficult. Last year, over 37,150 students applied to Johns Hopkins and 2,407 were admitted.

That means Johns Hopkins had an overall acceptance rate of 6.5%, or in other words about 1 in 15 students get admitted each year

Johns Hopkins Acceptance Scattergram

Luckily, if you want to maximize your chances of getting into Johns Hopkins, your essays make sure you have your best chance of acceptance.

For top schools like Johns Hopkins, your essays matter more.

What are the Johns Hopkins Supplemental Prompts for 2022-23?

This year, Johns Hopkins requires applicants to write one essay of 300-400 words in response to its writing supplement question.

Here are the Johns Hopkins writing supplement prompts for this year:

  • Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences.

Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)

6 Additional Johns Hopkins EssaysThatWorked

These are 6 additional Johns Hopkins essays that worked written by admitted students. Here you can read their essay examples and see how they got accepted.

I've also included some Common App essays written by admitted JHU students.

  • 1. Runners Take Your Marks
  • 2. Percussive Marching Arts
  • 3. Constance Care Center
  • 4. Governor's School of Science
  • 6. Glowing Blob

#1. Johns Hopkins Supplement Example: Runners Take Your Marks

Prompt: Successful students at Johns Hopkins make the biggest impact by collaborating with others, including peers, mentors, and professors. Talk about a time, in or outside the classroom, when you worked with others and what you learned from the experience. (300-400 words)

"Runners take your marks, get set, collaborate?"

When one attempts to characterize the sport of cross-country, the term 'teammates' rarely comes to mind. More commonly, the activity is associated with words such as 'champion' or 'competitor', both singular nouns. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine the extent of my surprise when, stepping into my first-ever cross-country practice as a lanky ninth-grader, I witnessed the sense of camaraderie present among the more established members of the team. Despite my acknowledgement of these runners as teammates, I held my opposing views of cross-country and of collaboration at the poles of my mind, convinced that the two were terminally incompatible. Stubbornly clinging to this black-and-white philosophy, I carried it with me throughout the season's inaugural meet, unaware of the burden that such a dichotomous perspective created. Instead of tuning into the motivated cheering of coaches, I tuned into the laborious pumping of my arms, resultant of the intensity of the race.

Opposed to focusing on the changes in pace effected by my teammates, I chose to focus on the chafing around my ankles, resultant of an ill-fitting pair of racing spikes. Intent of ensuring my own success, I willfully ignored the reality that, although my teammates were assuming the role of rivals, my teammates were simultaneously assuming the role of collaborators, purposefully striving to ensure the success of one another. Consequently, the competing teams engaging in cooperative conduct similarly happened to be the teams with the greatest overall achievement at that first meet.

While witnessing the success of collaborative teams certainly set into motion a transformation of my polarized perspective in regards to cross-country, the true catalytic factor materialized itself as the interactions carried out between my teammates and I. As the season progressed, and as I gradually gained awareness of the team's nuanced character, I noticed that the strengths of one teammate served to supplement the weaknesses of another. Where one teammate may have fallen short on rhythm near the conclusion of a race, for example, another teammate would provide a blazing final 'kick'. Equipped with a transformative understanding of team dynamics, I ultimately came to realize that cooperative achievement arises not from compromise, but rather from the constructive amalgamation of distinctive individual qualities.

As I toe the starting line of an undefined future, I will undoubtedly carry these indelible lessons with me throughout the entirety of life's most daunting race.

#2. Johns Hopkins Supplement Example: Percussive Marching Arts

There is something intimate, almost profound, in mirroring the movements of about 14 people around you.

From paralleling the idiosyncrasies of a vibraphone player’s smile to the nuances of a marimba player’s wrist movements, it is difficult to achieve total nonverbal communication in a band’s front ensemble. The result, however, is an infinitely rewarding one; the visual mosaic we design — whether inside the confines of a gymnasium floor or on an expansive stretch of turf on a football field — is akin to the aural one we create as well. This tapestry, while ostensibly uniform, is woven with the gradations of every player’s physical form, their quirks quickly adopted by the whole ensemble.

Indeed, pantomiming and performing become one in the same in the stationary percussive marching arts. This mimicry demands a sacred conviction that every player will commit to maintaining the mosaic that we’ve worked so hard to build. The tense moment when each player waves his or her mallets above the board permits no hesitation; there is no room to confirm the camaraderie between players before striking the keys. We are forced to trust that everything will fall into place, and the tapestry will unfold as it should to captivate our audience.

I’ve learned a lot from playing mallet percussion across the ensembles offered at my school, but the most important thing I’ve learned is to relax, and allow the hours me and my peers have put into rehearsal take their course. I am a notoriously anxious person, obsessed with precision and perfection. Performing is anything but precise; it’s fluid and expressive. When the drum major counts off, I cannot worry about my stance behind the board, or if how much torque I am applying to the first stroke is the same as the person next to me. I must be unapologetically confident.

The faith that I’ve cultivated in my peers in creating this musical tapestry has translated to an increased faith in myself and my own abilities. No longer am I afraid to explore new talents, or take intellectual excursions into fields unbeknownst to me. I am free to teach myself anything, from the entirety of Claude Debussy's works on piano to the John Cena theme song on recorder. Indeed, contributing to something greater than myself has fundamentally changed who I am for the better.

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#3. Johns Hopkins Common App Essay Example: Constance Care Center

Common App Prompt #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. (250-650 words)

Why This Essay Works:

This student uses vulnerability in admitting that they held preconceived notions about the elderly before this experience. The quote introduces these preconceived notions well, while the description of how this student got their job in the care facility is also engaging.

Admission officers love to see your interactions with others. Showing how you interact reveals a lot about your character, and this essay benefits from reflecting upon the student's relationship with a particular elderly individual.

What They Might Improve:

It is good to be descriptive, but only when it supports your expression of ideas. In this essay, the author uses adjectives and adverbs excessively, without introducing new ideas. Your ideas are more important than having a diverse vocabulary, and the realizations in this essay are muddled by rephrasing similar ideas using seemingly "impressive," but ultimately somewhat meaningless, vocabulary.

This essay touches on some interesting ideas, but on multiple occasions these ideas are repeated just in different phrasing. If you have already expressed an idea, don't repeat it unless you're adding something new: a deeper context, a new angle, a broadened application, etc. Ask yourself: what is the purpose of each sentence, and have I expressed it already?

It's true that almost any topic can make for a strong essay, but certain topics are trickier because they make it easy to write about overly used ideas. In this essay, the main idea can be summarized as: "I realized the elderly were worthy humans too." It touches upon more interesting ideas, such as how people can be reduced down to their afflictions rather than their true character, but the main idea is somewhat surface-level.

#4. Johns Hopkins Common App Essay Example: Governor's School of Science

#5. johns hopkins personal statement example: riddles.

Common App Prompt #6: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? (250-650 words)

As I was going to St. Ives, Upon the road I met seven wives; Every wife had seven sacks, Every sack had seven cats: Cats, sacks, and wives, How many were going to St. Ives?

The riddles of life were not as straightforward as the puzzles in my books and websites. In fact, they were not straightforward at all, like winding mazes of philosophical quandary.

One of the most thought-provoking subjects that preoccupies my mind regards the existence of aliens. Initially, my mind was settled on the possibility of intelligent life. A universe so big could not possibly be lifeless.

As for the solution to the riddle at the start:

How many were going to St. Ives?

This essay does well by having a unique central topic—riddles—which allows the author to draw out interesting ideas related to this theme. Your topic doesn't necessarily need to be profound or hugely significant, because this author shows how you can take a seemingly unimportant topic and use it to make meaningful connections. In this essay, riddles grow to represent something greater than the activity itself, which is something you can do with almost any topic.

One of the most effective ways to "show, not tell" is to use specific and tangible examples. This essay does a great job of exemplifying their ideas. Rather than just saying "I enthralled my friends with questions," the author also shows this: "Over peanut butter and sliced ham, I assumed the role of story teller..." Examples are always more convincing because they are proof, and allow the reader to interpret for themselves. Don't tell the reader what you want them to think. Instead, set up moments that guide the reader to come to those conclusions themselves.

This conclusion connects back to the beginning, which is generally a good idea as it creates a cohesive structure. However, this ending doesn't quite make sense in the context of the riddle. Rather than creating new meaning, it comes off as arbitrary and contrived. Make sure your conclusion isn't creative just for creative-sake, and instead also has significant meaning attached to it.

#6. Johns Hopkins Personal Statement Example: Glowing Blob

Common App Prompt #7: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. (250-650 words)

The diamond leaves of gnarled oak trees throw spectrums of color onto mounds of frosty snow that gleam melancholily under the moonlight. The leaves chime as wind violently rustles them in a haunting melody. I splinter a leaf off its branch and inspect the shard of my illusion, eyes dancing with amusement.

As I dwell in my worries, a cold hand reaches from behind me and taps my shoulder.

I jerk away, fear bubbling in my amygdala as I look into the nonexistent eyes of my intruding visitor.

The moon illuminates a blob of pink squish as it draws back slowly, points its spindly hands towards my drink and asks: “Could I have some of that?”

The blob wipes its invisible mouth with its nonexistent sleeve. I ask: “What are you?”

The blob tells me to stop looking at it so suspiciously. “I can prove it,” It says. I tell it, please, go ahead.

Suddenly we are back in the glowing forest. “Diamonds? Pah!” The blob dismisses them. Instantly, the leaves turn solid gold, the snow melts, and the wintry world is thrown into a blistering summer.

The blob laughs heartlessly. “Your cortex is under my control,” it says smugly.

“I heard you had a question for me?” It taps its invisible ears knowingly.

The blob wriggles its invisible brows as it waits.

It smiles that wicked smile. It laughs that sinful laugh. Then that insufferable blob wakes me up.

As I sit up in the dark and rub my bleary eyes, I am vaguely aware of the deep­set unfulfillment settling itself inside me. I yawn and plop back into bed, the soft red glow of my alarm clock indicating that it is still before midnight.

One thing is for sure about this essay: it has a unique idea that has surely not been written before. Regardless of your topic, you want your essay to be unique in some way, even if it isn't as fantastical as this essay. You can use a unique structure, such as having central symbolism, metaphor, or being structured as a recipe, for example. But this can easily become "gimmicky" if it doesn't have a clear purpose. In general, the most effective way to have a unique essay is to focus on having deep and unique ideas and reflections. By focusing on interesting takeaways and connections that are ultra-specific to you and your experiences, your essay will standout regardless of the structure.

This essay uses a lot of fiction-like writing that is fantastical and "flowery." Although moments of this kind of writing can make your essay more vivid, it is quite easy to end up with dense storytelling and descriptions that ultimately don't share anything interesting about you. The purpose of your essay is ultimately to learn about you: your values, your ideas, your identity, etc. By using dense story-like writing, it can be easy to lose focus of what admissions officers are looking for. In general, avoid writing "fancy" stories like this essay, unless you have a clear and distinct purpose for doing so. Everything in your essay should have a purpose in "going somewhere" (i.e. reaching interesting ideas and takeaways).

This essay is definitely creative, but lacks meaningful takeaways and ideas. By the end of the essay, we don't know much about the author besides the fact that they have an affinity for creative writing and are "on a search." Although the content is unique, the end result comes off as quite generic and surface-level because no interesting thoughts are explored deeply. The most interesting part of this essay is "I open my mouth and ask it my most crucial question," but this is super unsatisfying because the question is never divulged. Instead, the reader is teased by this fantasy story and the essay goes nowhere meaningful, which comes off as gimmicky and "creative for creative's sake," rather than deeply personal and interesting.

This essay ends on the idea of "continuing my search," but for what exactly? It is never explained, elaborated, or even implied (besides one reference to painting earlier). That makes this conclusion comes off as somewhat surface-level and uninteresting. Admissions officers won't care about "your search" unless they have a reason to care. That is, unless it tells something specific about you. On it's own, this idea of "exploring" and "searching" is meaningless because it is too broad and unelaborated.

What Can You Learn From These Johns Hopkins Essays?

If you're trying to get into Johns Hopkins University this year, you'll need to write essays that help you stand out and get accepted. These 6 examples of Johns Hopkins essays that worked show how real students got into JHU in recent years.

In this article, you can read and learn from essay examples responding to the Johns Hopkins writing supplement for 2023 as well as successful Common App personal statements .

Let me know, what did you think of these Johns Hopkins essay examples?

Ryan Chiang , Founder of EssaysThatWorked

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I'm Ryan Chiang and I created EssaysThatWorked - a website dedicated to helping students write college essays they're proud of. We publish the best college admissions essays from successful applicants every year to inspire and teach future students.

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Princeton Admitted Essay

People love to ask why. Why do you wear a turban? Why do you have long hair? Why are you playing a guitar with only 3 strings and watching TV at 3 A.M.—where did you get that cat? Why won’t you go back to your country, you terrorist? My answer is... uncomfortable. Many truths of the world are uncomfortable...

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MIT Admitted Essay

Her baking is not confined to an amalgamation of sugar, butter, and flour. It's an outstretched hand, an open invitation, a makeshift bridge thrown across the divides of age and culture. Thanks to Buni, the reason I bake has evolved. What started as stress relief is now a lifeline to my heritage, a language that allows me to communicate with my family in ways my tongue cannot. By rolling dough for saratele and crushing walnuts for cornulete, my baking speaks more fluently to my Romanian heritage than my broken Romanian ever could....

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UPenn Admitted Essay

A cow gave birth and I watched. Staring from the window of our stopped car, I experienced two beginnings that day: the small bovine life and my future. Both emerged when I was only 10 years old and cruising along the twisting roads of rural Maryland...

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Essays That Worked

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The essays are a place to show us who you are and who you’ll be in our community.

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

Read essays that worked from Transfer applicants .

Hear from the class of 2027.

These selections represent just a few examples of essays we found impressive and helpful during the past admissions cycle. We hope these essays inspire you as you prepare to compose your own personal statements. The most important thing to remember is to be original as you share your own story, thoughts, and ideas with us.

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Ordering the Disorderly

Ellie’s essay skillfully uses the topic of entropy as an extended metaphor. Through it, we see reflections about who they are and who they aspire to be.

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Pack Light, But Be Prepared

In Pablo’s essay, the act of packing for a pilgrimage becomes a metaphor for the way humans accumulate experiences in their life’s journey and what we can learn from them. As we join Pablo through the diverse phases of their life, we gain insights into their character and values.

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Tikkun Olam

Julieta illustrates how the concept of Tikkun Olam, “a desire to help repair the world,” has shaped their passions and drives them to pursue experiences at Hopkins.

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Kashvi’s essay encapsulates a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and the invaluable teachings of Rock, their 10-year-old dog. Through the lens of their companionship, Kashvi walked us through valuable lessons on responsibility, friendship, patience, and unconditional love.

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Classical Reflections in Herstory

Maddie’s essay details their intellectual journey using their love of Greek classics. They incorporate details that reveal the roots of their academic interests: storytelling, literary devices, and translation. As their essay progresses, so do Maddie’s intellectual curiosities.

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My Spotify Playlist

Alyssa’s essay reflects on special memories through the creative lens of Spotify playlists. They use three examples to highlight their experiences with their tennis team, finding a virtual community during the pandemic, and co-founding a nonprofit to help younger students learn about STEM.

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  2. 2020-21 Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

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  3. Don’t Sweat the Supp Stuff: Advice for Crafting Your Supplemental Essay

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COMMENTS

  1. Don't Sweat the Supp Stuff: Advice for Crafting Your Supplemental Essay

    Learn how to craft your supplemental essay for Johns Hopkins University, a 350-word question about an aspect of your identity or life experience that has shaped you as an individual and how it influenced your college goals. The prompt is specific to each school and allows you to share your story with the admissions committee.

  2. How to Write the Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay

    Learn how to write the Johns Hopkins supplemental essay, a chance to showcase your identity, life experience, and academic goals. Find tips, examples, and analysis for this prompt and other aspects of the application.

  3. How to Write the Johns Hopkins University Essay 2023-2024

    Learn how to write the Johns Hopkins University essay, a one-time prompt that asks you to describe an aspect of your identity or life experience that has shaped you and how it connects to your academic or extracurricular goals. Find tips, examples, and common mistakes to avoid.

  4. Johns Hopkins University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

    Johns Hopkins University 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations The Requirements: 1 essay of 300 words. Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g. race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you as an individual and how that influenced what you'd like to pursue in college at Hopkins.?

  5. Application Deadlines & Requirements

    Class of 2028 Supplemental Essay Prompt. Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you as an individual and how that influenced what you'd like to pursue in college at Hopkins. ... Johns Hopkins University 3400 N. Charles St., Mason Hall Baltimore ...

  6. How to Write the Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essay

    Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essay Prompts 2023-2024. On Common App, students are required to respond to just one supplemental essay prompt for their Johns Hopkins application: . Prompt #1 "Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you and how that influenced what you'd like to pursue in ...

  7. Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

    Learn how to craft a reflective and engaging essay that showcases your identity and how it shapes your aspirations at Johns Hopkins University. Follow the prompt, structure, and tips to write a strong supplemental essay for 2023-2024 admissions.

  8. How to Write the Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essay 2019-2020

    For ALL Applicants: Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay Prompt In addition to submitting the Common Application, Coalition Application, or Universal College Application, Johns Hopkins University requires applicants to write a supplementary essay. The writing supplement consists of just one essay with a required length of 300-400 words.

  9. Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essays

    The Johns Hopkins essay prompt aims to learn more about how students envision themselves contributing to the Johns Hopkins community. When writing your Johns Hopkins supplemental essays, keep in mind the ideas of identity and community. These ideas are extremely open-ended, which gives you lots of flexibility in your Johns Hopkins essay.

  10. Application Workshop: Supplemental Essay

    Get an inside view on the role of the supplemental essay within the college application. We'll analyze and compare supplemental essay excerpts to show you how to strengthen your own writing in the college process. ... Johns Hopkins University 3400 N. Charles St., Mason Hall Baltimore, MD 21218-2683. GPS address - do not use for mail. 3101 ...

  11. 2 Successful Johns Hopkins Essay Examples

    Read our Johns Hopkins essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year's supplemental prompts. Essay Example #1 Prompt: Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences.

  12. Johns Hopkins University Essay Prompt

    Johns Hopkins' Supplemental Essay Is a Bold Response to SCOTUS Ruling. You read Johns Hopkins' 2023-2024 supplemental essay prompt correctly. The school's admissions committee is directly asking about a student's race (or gender, sexuality, religion, community, or something else) to understand their perspective and lived experience. ...

  13. 4 Tips for Writing a Johns Hopkins Essay That Works

    4 Key Tips for Writing Your Johns Hopkins Essay. Because the Johns Hopkins supplement has just one prompt, you'll want to do your absolute best on it. That means getting started early and giving yourself plenty of time to polish and refine your work. As with all college essays, you should go through multiple drafts and seek feedback from others ...

  14. Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essays 2023-24

    He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020). The 2023-24 Johns Hopkins supplemental essays are explored with tips for writing a winning essay from the College Transitions staff.

  15. Johns Hopkins University 2021-22 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

    Johns Hopkins University 2021-2022 Application Essay Question Explanations The Requirements: 1 essay of 300-400 words. Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences.

  16. Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essays 2022-2023

    The Johns Hopkins supplemental essays 2022-2023 allow applicants a certain amount of freedom when choosing their supplemental essay topic, but we're going to look at each essay prompt and discuss the best way to respond to each topic. So, let's start by looking at each supplemental essay prompt, and then we will discuss how to approach each ...

  17. College Planning Guide

    From selecting admissions plan to writing your supplemental essay, you'll have the answers you need to craft your application. ... Johns Hopkins University 3400 N. Charles St., Mason Hall Baltimore, MD 21218-2683. GPS address - do not use for mail. 3101 Wyman Park Drive Baltimore, MD 21218.

  18. Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples

    Johns Hopkins supplemental essay example #5. There is an ancient power in storytelling, and journalism modernizes it. The stories I read in newspapers and blogs are all filled with imperfect characters and intricate conflicts in which the journalist is the narrator. My dream has always been to be that narrator, and I have been working toward ...

  19. Johns Hopkins Essays that Worked

    If you want to read more Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples, make sure you check out Undergraduate Admissions Johns Hopkins essays that worked. This year, they have six Johns Hopkins supplemental essay examples written by students from the class of 2025, so there's no shortage of Johns Hopkins essay examples for you to review.

  20. Johns Hopkins University 2019-20 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

    Johns Hopkins University 2019-2020 Application Essay Question Explanations. The Requirements: 1 essay of 300-400 words. Supplemental Essay Type (s): Collaboration. Known for its competitive science programs, Johns Hopkins poses a question that is rare in the world of undergraduate admissions but abounds on medical school applications.

  21. Johns Hopkins University 2020-21 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

    Johns Hopkins University 2020-2021 Application Essay Question Explanations The Requirements: 1 essay of 300-400 words. Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences.

  22. 6 Outstanding Johns Hopkins Essays That Worked for 2023

    What are the Johns Hopkins Supplemental Prompts for 2022-23? This year, Johns Hopkins requires applicants to write one essay of 300-400 words in response to its writing supplement question. ... These 6 examples of Johns Hopkins essays that worked show how real students got into JHU in recent years.

  23. Essays That Worked

    Undergraduate Admissions. Mail Only Correspondence. Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Johns Hopkins University. 3400 N. Charles St., Mason Hall. Baltimore, MD 21218-2683. GPS address - do not use for mail. Find essays that "worked," as nominated by our admissions committee, to share stories that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins.