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How To Answer Dartmouth's Supplemental Essay Prompts 2023/24

What's New in 2022/23

What Are Dartmouth's Essay Prompts

Why Dartmouth Question

Dartmouth's Deep Dive Questions

Dartmouth's "Exploratory" Questions

Dartmouth is an Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. It has an acceptance rate of around 6%, making it one of the most prestigious and selective schools in the United States. The Supplemental Essays offer you a unique opportunity to showcase your motivations for being a Dartmouth student. These essays are also a great opportunity to provide insights into your journey of self-awareness, your values, and aspirations. This blog serves as a comprehensive guide to each of the prompts in the Dartmouth Writing Supplement for 2023/24. Use the tips and insights below to craft strong responses that will help you stand out from other applicants.

How Julian Got Into Dartmouth

Dartmouth College's 2023/24 Supplemental Essay Updates: What's Changed?

Gaining admission into Dartmouth College, an Ivy League institution with an illustrious history, is no small feat. Among the diverse components of the college application, the supplemental essays play a pivotal role in presenting your unique story and illustrating how you resonate with Dartmouth's values.

Elite universities like Dartmouth continually adapt their application requirements each year, seeking a holistic grasp of their potential students' backgrounds, aspirations, and values.

This year, similar to last year, Dartmouth applicants have three required “writing supplements” to complete. For the 2023/24 admissions cycle Dartmouth has made some limited but notable modifications to essay prompts.

1. Modification of Existing Prompts

The foundational prompt about Dartmouth's distinctive sense of place and purpose remains largely unchanged, with minor tweaks in phrasing for clarity.

2. Introduction of New Topics

Dartmouth's second required essay now offers a choice between introducing oneself, in line with Oscar Wilde's famous quotation, or describing the environment in which one was raised, inspired by a Quaker saying. This presents applicants with the opportunity to either present a personal introduction or delve deeper into their upbringing and its influence.

3. Expanded Choices for the Third Prompt

Previously, Dartmouth gave applicants five options to choose from for their third essay. This has been expanded to six, including a chance for applicants to "celebrate their nerdy side", discuss embracing differences, or share about their promise and potential in line with Dartmouth's mission statement. These additions seek richer insights into applicants' personalities, values, and potential contributions to the Dartmouth community.

4. Rephrased Prompts for Clarity and Depth

Several of the essay options have been reworded to invite deeper reflection. For instance, the Dolores Huerta inspired prompt now adds "Why? How?" to drive applicants to think more about their motivations and methods.

5. Inclusion of Diverse Themes

The newly introduced prompts encompass diverse themes like embracing differences and individual promise, showcasing Dartmouth's commitment to nurturing a varied and dynamic student body.

These alterations underline Dartmouth's ever-evolving admissions perspective, spotlighting a more profound comprehension of applicants' diverse experiences, aspirations, and the intrinsic values they might bring to its vibrant academic community.

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What Are Dartmouth's Supplemental Essay Prompts for 2023/24?

For the 2023/24 application cycle, Dartmouth College has thoughtfully designed supplemental essay prompts that delve deeply into the perspectives, backgrounds, and aspirations of its applicants. These prompts aim to illuminate your personal growth, understanding of Dartmouth's ethos, individuality, and potential contributions to the Dartmouth community.

1. Dartmouth's initial prompt is the “Why Dartmouth” prompt.

This prompt revolves around the institution's essence and its impact on your educational pursuits. Note, this first supplementary essay is only 100 words or fewer, making it shorter than the remaining two essays.

Dartmouth's Unique Ethos : Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth's Class of 2028, what aspects of the College's academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest? In short, why Dartmouth? (100 words or fewer)

For the remaining two essays (each 250 words or fewer), Dartmouth offers several creative prompts. Choose ONE from each list.

2. Deep Dive Questions

Pick one prompt from two offered. These essay options are crafted to provide a window into your character, upbringing, and thought processes.

• Personal Background and Upbringing : There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today.” (250 words or fewer)
• Introducing You : "Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken." Introduce yourself. (250 words or fewer)

3. Exploratory Prompts

Pick one prompt from the six offered. These prompts are diverse, encouraging you to showcase various facets of your personality, aspirations, and beliefs:

• Passions and Interests : What excites you? (250 words or fewer)
• Purposeful Living : Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. "We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things," she said. "That is what we are put on the earth for." In what ways do you hope to make — or are you already making — an impact? Why? How? (250 words or fewer)
• Inner Thoughts: Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth's Class of 1925, wrote, "Think and wonder. Wonder and think." As you wonder and think, what's on your mind? (250 words or fewer)
• Embrace Your Quirks: Celebrate your nerdy side. (250 words or fewer)
• Celebrating Otherness: "It's not easy being green..." was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has the difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook? (250 words or fewer)
• Unearthing Potential: As noted in the College's mission statement, "Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…" Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you? (250 words or fewer)

Requirements

Ensure your response to the initial question does not exceed 100 words. For the deep dive and exploratory questions, maintain a word count of 250 words or fewer.

Dartmouth's admissions process is exceptionally competitive, but these essay prompts offer candidates a golden chance to shed light on their unique experiences, aspirations, and the richness they'd contribute to the Dartmouth mosaic.

How to Answer Dartmouth's Supplemental Essay Questions?

How to answer the “why dartmouth” question, dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. as you seek admission to dartmouth's class of 2028, what aspects of the college's academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest in short, why dartmouth, - 100 words or fewer.

This prompt seeks to understand your motivations behind choosing Dartmouth. It's an invitation to dive deep into your reasons and showcase how Dartmouth aligns with your academic and personal aspirations.

Reflect on Dartmouth's Essence

Think about the distinct attributes of Dartmouth that appeal to you.

• Is it a specific academic program?
• The close-knit community feel?
• The rich traditions and serene campus environment?

What combination of features like these, and others, make Dartmouth appealing to you and why?

Be Specific

Avoid vague statements. Instead of saying you're attracted to Dartmouth's "strong academic reputation," mention a particular program, research opportunity, or professor that aligns with your interests.

Personalize Your Answer

What personal experiences or goals make Dartmouth the right fit for you? Maybe you're drawn to Dartmouth's unique D-Plan or its emphasis on undergraduate teaching. Relate these aspects back to your own journey and aspirations with authentic and genuine insights into your unique interests, aspirations, and values and how they fit with specific campus attributes.

Stay Concise

With only 100 words, every sentence must be purposeful. Ensure each word contributes meaningfully to your response, and avoid redundancy.

• Drawn to Dartmouth's renowned Engineering program, I'm excited about its interdisciplinary approach, blending liberal arts and technology. Additionally, the Dartmouth Outing Club aligns with my passion for outdoor leadership.
• The intimacy of Dartmouth's community and its emphasis on undergraduate research in the sciences resonate deeply with my aspirations. Coupled with the picturesque Hanover setting, Dartmouth embodies my ideal learning environment.

Dartmouth's first essay prompt provides a canvas to illustrate your unique connection with the college. By being specific, personal, and concise, you can effectively convey why Dartmouth's academic program, community, and environment align seamlessly with your aspirations.

How to Answer Dartmouth's "Deep Dive" Questions?

There is a quaker saying: 'let your life speak.' describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today., - 250 words or fewer.

Dartmouth, like many elite institutions, values a diverse student body, recognizing that every individual's background shapes their perspectives, values, and contributions. This prompt is an avenue to shed light on the influences that have shaped your character, beliefs, and aspirations.

Exploring Your Roots  

Begin by painting a vivid picture of your upbringing:

• Physical setting: Were you raised in a bustling city, a rural village, a suburban neighborhood, or a tight-knit community?
• Cultural influences: What traditions, customs, or rituals were integral to your family or community?
• Key figures: Who played pivotal roles in your formative years? How did they influence you?

Reflecting on the Impact

Moving beyond mere description, analyze how these elements of your background molded your beliefs, values, and aspirations:

• Challenges and Triumphs: Did certain experiences, perhaps dealing with adversity or celebrating triumphs, particularly influence your growth?
• Evolution: How have the cultural and familial lessons from your upbringing influenced your worldview, values, and future aspirations?

Crafting a Cohesive Narrative

While 250 words might seem restrictive, focus on weaving a concise yet impactful story that encapsulates your upbringing and its influence on you.

Dartmouth's first "Deep Dive" prompt seeks to understand the fabric of your background and how it has sculpted your character and aspirations. Dive deep, be introspective, and craft a narrative that offers a genuine glimpse into your world.

'Be yourself,' Oscar Wilde advised. 'Everyone else is taken.' Introduce yourself.

Dartmouth's prompt resonates with the essence of individuality. Every student brings their unique narrative, beliefs, experiences, and quirks. Through this prompt, Dartmouth seeks to understand *you*, beyond academic achievements and extracurriculars.

Embracing Your Uniqueness

While it's tempting to present an idealized version of oneself, Dartmouth is looking for authenticity. Reflect on:

• Personality: Are you introspective, outgoing, witty, or analytical? What qualities define you?
• Passions and Hobbies: What do you love doing in your free time? How do these activities reflect your character or aspirations?
• Personal Stories: Share an anecdote or experience that captures your essence.

Moving Beyond the Resume

Avoid reiterating what's already in your application. This is a chance to share aspects of your life and personality that don't fit neatly into traditional application boxes.

Be Genuine and Introspective

While keeping your introduction relevant and the tone appropriately formal, consider how you can also incorporate some touches of intimacy and vulnerability with some deeper introspection and with some authentic and genuine sharing about who you are.

Using Your Voice

Sometimes an introduction is formal. But for this essay, also consider using elements of your authentic personal voice to help convey unique features of your personality. Be it a streak of humility or a sense of humor, use an authentic voice to reveal meaningful insights into your individuality.

Crafting a Personal Statement

Given the brevity of the prompt, every word should contribute to your narrative. Be concise yet compelling, ensuring the introduction offers a genuine reflection of who you are.

Dartmouth's second "Deep Dive" prompt is a canvas for you to paint a portrait of yourself. This isn't about showcasing achievements but about presenting an authentic, holistic image of who you are. Dive deep into introspection, embrace your uniqueness, and introduce yourself in a way that remains memorable and genuine.

How to Answer Dartmouth’s “Exploratory" Questions?

Navigating Dartmouth's exploratory essay prompts requires a blend of introspection and a clear understanding of what the college values. While each question is a chance to spotlight a distinct facet of your character, they collectively serve to convey your fit for Dartmouth's vibrant community.

What excites you?

Genuine enthusiasm.

Share what genuinely excites you, not what you think Dartmouth wants to hear.

Make it Compelling

Don't only skim the surface or introduce sources of excitement that are superficial in nature. Connect what excites you with deeper passions and aspirations.

• Look for more profound topics. For example, going to a baseball game may be exciting for you, but does it connect to deeper experiences, reflections, or aspirations? That said, maybe going to a baseball game with a specific family member was exciting because of the relationship and the opportunity these baseball outings presented to deepen it.
• Emphasize sources of excitement that truly reflect or shape your personality and which connect with things you care deeply about.

Personal Anecdote

• Illustrate your passion through a personal story, giving a genuine glimpse into what drives you.
• Highlight anecdotes that will help the reader appreciate the contexts that make your insights compelling for you.
• Craft vivid narratives that cast light on people, events, or circumstances that shaped your feelings of excitement and to make your response more memorable.

Connect with Dartmouth

Maybe there's a Dartmouth program or club that aligns with your passion or with what excites you. Showing that connection can demonstrate both your genuine interest and how you'd immerse yourself on campus. Reveal how what excites you will shape your contributions to campus life and specific goals or aspirations you have for college and beyond.

• Discovering the world of computational biology during a summer program transformed my view of computer science, from merely app development to solving biological mysteries. Dartmouth's interdisciplinary courses promise further exploration into this thrilling intersection.
• Art, for me, isn't just a hobby; it's a lens through which I see the world. Every brush stroke or sketch is a reflection of my interpretations. At Dartmouth, I'm excited about the potential of integrating art with academic studies, enriching my perspectives further.

The first "Exploratory" prompt is very open ended. Try to home in on a source of excitement that offers insights into your more profound passions, motivations, and perspectives on life. Be genuine and be sure to connect what excites you with larger aspirations.

Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. ‘We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,' she said. 'That is what we are put on the earth for.' In what ways do you hope to make — or are you already making — an impact? Why? How?

This prompt calls for a profound understanding of your own commitment to betterment and change. Dartmouth values students who are not just achievers in the academic sense but also those who aspire to make a meaningful impact on society through commitment, conviction, and courage.

Genuine Motivations

Deeply reflect upon the driving forces behind your actions. What inspires you to create change? Whether it's a personal experience, someone you look up to, or a broader vision for society, share the root of your motivations.

Link to Dartmouth's Values

Show that your vision aligns with Dartmouth's ethos. Perhaps there's a Dartmouth initiative, club, or program that corresponds with your efforts to create positive change.

Narrative Engagement

Use storytelling to bring your experiences to life. Instead of simply stating facts, walk the reader through your journey, the challenges you faced, and the lessons learned.

Vision for the Future

Expand on how Dartmouth can be the platform for furthering your initiatives or supporting your drive for societal improvement.

• Driven by witnessing educational inequalities in my community, I initiated a tutoring program for underprivileged students. Dartmouth's Tucker Center, with its extensive community service programs, inspires me to scale my initiative to broader horizons.
• Ever since participating in a local environmental cleanup, I've been motivated to promote sustainable living. At Dartmouth, I see an opportunity to engage deeply with the Dartmouth Organic Farm, expanding my understanding and driving larger community initiatives.

Dartmouth's second "Exploratory" prompt offers an avenue to express your genuine commitment to pursuing a purpose-driven life and enacting positive change. Through a combination of personal storytelling and a forward-looking mindset, this is your chance to showcase how your life's purpose aligns with Dartmouth's values. Share how you can contribute positively to campus life and reflect on how Dartmouth can help you further your impact on the world.

Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth's Class of 1925, wrote, 'Think and wonder. Wonder and think.' As you wonder and think, what's on your mind?

This unique prompt from Dartmouth encourages you to introspect and share your musings, highlighting how deep reflection forms an integral part of your character. It offers a window into your mindset, showcasing how you engage with the world around you.

Venture Beyond the Superficial

While it might be tempting to discuss a recent event or popular topic, delve deeper. Reflect on those bigger questions or thoughts that linger in your mind. It could be something philosophical, societal, or even a personal revelation.

Relate to Dartmouth’s Legacy

Given the mention of Theodor Geisel, an illustrious Dartmouth alumnus, consider ways in which your reflections might connect to Dartmouth’s storied history, its emphasis on liberal arts, or its commitment to fostering critical thinkers.

Just as with the previous prompt, storytelling can be a powerful tool here. Walk the reader through your thought process, the genesis of your musings, and the conclusions or further questions they led to.

Consider Dartmouth’s Environment

Dartmouth's unique setting, amidst the serene landscapes of Hanover, provides the perfect backdrop for reflection. Consider weaving in how such an environment can further fuel your introspection and quest for answers.

• Contemplating the ever-evolving nature of language, I often wonder about the next phase of human communication. Dartmouth’s rich linguistic courses and its diverse community provide the ideal setting for such explorations.
• In today's digital age, I ponder the balance between connectivity and genuine human interactions. Dartmouth’s tight-knit community offers a compelling environment to explore this, bridging the traditional with the contemporary.

Dartmouth’s third “Exploratory” prompt is an opportunity to provide insights into your deeper reflections and how you process the world around you. By delving into genuine thoughts and connecting them with Dartmouth's ethos and environment, you can craft a compelling narrative that underscores your fit for the institution.

Celebrate your nerdy side.

Dartmouth recognizes that it's often our quirks, those distinctive characteristics and passions, that make us uniquely interesting. This prompt invites you to showcase a side of yourself that might not be immediately evident but is an intrinsic part of who you are.

True Colors

It's vital to ensure your response is genuine. Highlighting an authentic quirk or passion can create a more memorable and personal essay. Whether it's a hobby, a talent, or a particular mindset, delve into something you truly identify with.

Narrative Storytelling

Consider using anecdotes or personal stories to illustrate your point. A short narrative about a time when your "nerdy side" played a significant role can effectively showcase your personality and make your essay more engaging.

Relate to Dartmouth

While discussing your quirks, find a way to connect it to Dartmouth's environment or ethos. Perhaps there's a club, organization, or course at Dartmouth that aligns with your quirky side. Demonstrating how your unique traits would fit into and benefit the Dartmouth community can add depth to your essay.

Deep Reflection

Go beyond just describing your quirks. Reflect on why they matter to you, how they've shaped your perspectives, and the role they've played in your life.

• Ever since I started collecting antique calculators, I've been dubbed the "math historian" among my friends. At Dartmouth, I hope to merge this love for history and math by delving into the evolution of mathematical theories.
• I've always been fascinated by the intricacies of board games, often creating my own. Through Dartmouth's Game Design Club, I hope to bring my unique designs to life, encouraging strategic and creative thinking.

Dartmouth's fourth "Exploratory" prompt offers a chance for applicants with a passion for, or obsession with, a particular intellectual or academic interest, or other kind of interest that captivates them, to embrace it and share it in an essay that is compelling and memorable. By focusing on genuine characteristics and weaving a narrative that connects to Dartmouth's values and offerings, you can create a standout essay. Highlight an important area of personal fascination while helping Dartmouth understand how this might shape your aspirations and participation in college life.

'It's not easy being green…' was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook?

Dartmouth acknowledges and celebrates the diverse backgrounds and experiences of its students. This prompt provides an avenue to discuss how you've encountered, processed, and embraced differences in your life, be it in terms of race, culture, beliefs, or personal experiences. It’s an opportunity to highlight your unique journey — and perhaps exceptional resilience or insights shaped by this journey — while foreshadowing the positive ways you’ll impact the college community.

Personal and Genuine Experiences

Begin by introspecting on moments in your life when you felt different or stood out. Was it due to cultural, racial, personal beliefs, or perhaps a unique experience? Share these genuine stories to give a deeper insight into your journey.

Navigating Challenges and Growth

Being different often comes with challenges. Discuss how you navigated them, the insights gained, and how these experiences contributed to personal growth. Show how these challenges strengthened your character and shaped your worldview.

• Did they help you develop personal resilience? If so, how is this reflected in real events or relationships in your life, or in challenges you’ve faced?
• Does your experience with difference shape your worldview, personality, or your perspectives?
• Do these factors impact other facets of your life experiences, such as interpersonal relationships, school or community life, or your views on society?

Connect to Dartmouth

Highlight how you see Dartmouth's diverse community as an extension or complement to your experiences. Maybe there are student groups, initiatives, or programs at Dartmouth that align with your journey. This connection can underscore your fit within the Dartmouth community.

Celebrate the Differences

Rather than merely discussing the challenges, celebrate the advantages and strengths that come from embracing diversity. How has it made you a more empathetic, open-minded, or resilient individual?

• Growing up in a multicultural neighborhood, I've always been the bridge between various cultures, facilitating understanding. Dartmouth's Global Village program, emphasizing cultural exchange, resonates with my experiences.
• Being the only left-hander in my family always made me feel unique. This simple difference taught me early on that there's no one-size-fits-all approach. At Dartmouth, I'm eager to be part of communities that appreciate and celebrate such nuances.

Dartmouth's fifth "Exploratory" prompt offers an opportunity to reflect on your personal journey and how it's shaped by the differences you've encountered or embraced. By intertwining personal narratives with Dartmouth's ethos and values, you can create an impactful essay that showcases your understanding and appreciation of diversity in its many forms.

As noted in the College's mission statement, ‘Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…’ Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you?

Dartmouth is seeking students who not only excel academically but also exhibit promise in their endeavors and potential to impact the world. This prompt is your opportunity to showcase your capabilities, determination, and the promise you hold for the future.

Highlight Authentic Moments

Recall instances where your potential was evident, be it through academic accomplishments, extracurricular leadership, or personal growth moments. Choose stories that capture your drive, ambition, and the qualities that set you apart.

Relate to Dartmouth's Values

Dartmouth's mission emphasizes both lifelong learning and responsible leadership. Ensure your essay reflects these aspects. Discuss how Dartmouth's programs, values, or opportunities align with your potential and how they can further amplify it.

Evolution and Growth

Rather than just stating your achievements, reflect on your journey. How did you overcome challenges? What did you learn? Demonstrating growth gives depth to your potential and makes it more tangible.

Envision Your Future

Project into the future. How do you see your potential evolving at Dartmouth? In what ways do you hope to contribute to the community and eventually make an impact in your chosen field or the broader world?

• My initiative in founding a community service club showcased not just leadership, but a potential to drive change. At Dartmouth, I'm excited to further this potential through hands-on service projects and leadership seminars.
• From initiating a school-wide recycling program to representing my school in national debates, my journey has been about discovering and nurturing my potential. Dartmouth's focus on holistic education and fostering leadership resonates deeply with where I see myself evolving.

Dartmouth's sixth "Exploratory" prompt is an open canvas for you to highlight your strengths, journey, and vision for the future. By weaving in authentic experiences with Dartmouth's values and offerings, you can craft a compelling narrative that showcases not just who you are, but who you aspire to be in the Dartmouth community and beyond.

General Guidelines for Answering Dartmouth's Supplemental Essay Questions

1. deep dive into dartmouth.

Dartmouth's prompts allow you to demonstrate your affinity with the college's ethos and community.

• Highlight specific courses, faculty members, research opportunities, or clubs that align with your interests.
• Be detailed in your approach to specific aspects of college life or specific academic offerings or resources that hold a genuine interest for you personally in order to spotlight the depth of your commitment to understanding Dartmouth.

2. Introspective Insight

Dartmouth highly values self-aware learners. When discussing personal experiences or academic interests, always loop back to the personal growth, insights, or lessons you've absorbed over time.

3. Champion Diversity

Dartmouth is proud of its diverse and inclusive student community.

• Highlight the unique perspectives, experiences, or backgrounds you'd bring and how these have influenced your own evolving self-awareness and life journey in profound ways.
• Emphasize how these perspectives and experiences will enhance diversity at Dartmouth and shape unique contributions you’ll make to community life and academic dialogue at Dartmouth.

4. Genuine Narratives

Honesty resonates deeply. Craft responses that echo your true passions, hurdles, and aspirations, rather than what you feel the admissions committee wants to hear.

• Use a personal voice and/or personal anecdotes to convey authentic glimpses into your unique life circumstances and influences.
• Keep it relevant to the college admissions process, but don’t shy away from sharing intimate features of your personality, inner thoughts, “hidden” interests, and remember some glimpses of humility and vulnerability may add authenticity or further help you make your essay more memorable.

5. Focus on Depth

The word limits mean precision is crucial. Opt for depth over breadth, delving into a few points in detail rather than skimming over many.

6. Engaging Storytelling

Craft your essays in a compelling narrative format. An evocative story or reflection often remains etched in the reader's mind longer than mere facts. Use relevant narrative or storytelling techniques and vivid description, with an emphasis on showing, not telling, to help make introspective elements and reflections more natural, convincing, compelling, and memorable.

7. Meticulous Proofreading

Ensure your essays are impeccable. Beyond checking for grammatical errors, ensure your narrative flows smoothly and communicates your main points effectively. Consider getting feedback from peers or mentors for fresh insights.

8. Tie to the Larger Context

Position your answers in the broader context of your potential contributions to Dartmouth.

• Highlight future-facing aspirations, goals, or commitments.
• Describe how the college's offerings and ethos align with your aspirations.
• Reveal what contributions you expect to make as a valuable member of the Dartmouth community.
• Explain how Dartmouth will further your goals and aspirations.

9. Embrace the Process

Remember, these essays offer a unique opportunity to showcase facets of yourself beyond academics. Relish this chance to illustrate why Dartmouth and you could be the ideal fit.

Armed with these guidelines, you're poised to craft compelling responses that not only answer Dartmouth's supplemental questions but also resonate with the spirit of the institution.

What Makes Crimson Different

Final Thoughts

Dartmouth doesn’t shy away from creative supplemental essay prompts. Nor do they want you to shy away from embracing and celebrating what most makes you, you — whether something deep and purposeful, something quirky, something that’s complex and laced with vulnerability, or an exciting passion…

When multiple prompts are offered, choose the prompt that resonates best with you and will allow you to probe qualities of your personality, life journey, and college aspirations that will play a central role shaping your contributions and achievements at Dartmouth.

Dartmouth wants to get to know you better. Be authentic to your personality. If you’re unsure if the essay sounds like you, have someone close to you read it and tell you if it sounds like you. While grammar and spelling are important, showcasing the unique qualities that make you perfect for Dartmouth are equally important.

Need help with your supplemental essays? Crimson Education is the world’s leading university admission consulting company. Our expert admission strategist can help you narrow down your ideas and word choice to help you craft the perfect essay prompt response. Get your essay reviewed today!

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College Admissions

Dartmouth College , located in Hanover, New Hampshire, is one of the best universities in the world. A member of the Ivy League, Dartmouth has notable graduates, top-of-the-line programs, and a minuscule admissions rate.

If you want to be one of the 7.9% of students accepted to Dartmouth every year, you'll need to write some amazing essays as part of your application's Dartmouth supplement.

In this post, I'll talk about what the Dartmouth essay prompts are, which essays you can choose to write, and how to craft standout responses that'll help ensure your admission.

What Are the Dartmouth Essay Prompts?

You can apply to Dartmouth using the Common Application or QuestBridge Application. No matter which application you choose, you'll also have to submit the Dartmouth Supplement.

Part of the Dartmouth Supplement involves answering three required writing prompts. The first two writing prompts are the same for all students. Students have five prompt options for the third essay and must answer one. 

According to Dartmouth's website, "the writing supplement includes questions specific to Dartmouth that help the Admissions Committee gain a better sense of how you and Dartmouth might be a good 'fit' for each other."

Basically, that means that the Dartmouth Admissions Committee wants to know who you are… and how you'll fit in on Dartmouth's campus. Your Dartmouth supplemental essays give the admissions committee a chance to get to know you beyond your test scores and other credentials. The essays will give Dartmouth a better idea of how you think and act, so they can see if you would be a great addition to the student body.

Similarly, the essays also give the admissions committee a chance to assess your passion for Dartmouth - how badly do you really want to go there? The more you can show your passion for Dartmouth, the better.

Let's take a look at the Dartmouth essay prompts.

Dartmouth Essay Prompts

Here are the 2022-2023 Dartmouth Essay Prompts. Like we mentioned earlier, the first two prompts are the same for all students. For the third essay, students are given five prompt options and must answer one. 

Please respond in 100 words or fewer:

• Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth's Class of 2027, what aspects of the College's academic program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? In short, Why Dartmouth? Please respond in 100 words or fewer.

Essay #2 

Please response in 200-250 words: 

"Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken." Introduce yourself in 200-250 words.

Please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 200-250 words:

• Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. "We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things," she said. "That is what we are put on the earth for." In what ways do you hope to make—or are you making—an impact?
• What excites you?
• In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba '14 reflects on constructing a windmill from recycled materials to power electrical appliances in his family's Malawian house: "If you want to make it, all you have to do is try." What drives you to create and what do you hope to make or have you made?
• Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth's Class of 1925, wrote, "Think and wonder. Wonder and think." What do you wonder and think about?
• "Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced," wrote James Baldwin. How does this quote apply to your life experiences?

Dartmouth Essays Analyzed

Let's take a look at the Dartmouth essay prompts for 2021-2022.

Dartmouth Essay Prompt 1

All Dartmouth students are required to answer this prompt and for good reason — it's the "Why Dartmouth" essay! This essay shows the admissions committee why Dartmouth is the right school for you.

At only 100 words, this prompt doesn't give you a lot of room to expand upon your favorite parts of the College, so you should pick one or two aspects of Dartmouth that you really love and focus on those.

The prompt encourages you to talk about the program, community, or campus, so don't feel like you have to limit yourself to academics. You can talk about other things about Dartmouth that interest you, such as the student life or extracurricular activities.

Whichever features you choose to highlight, make sure your connection to them is real and personal. In other words, don't just say you're a fan of Dartmouth's sterling academic reputation. Instead, focus on a specific part of that reputation - a professor whose work you admire or a class that you really want to take.

Dartmouth Essay Prompt 2

First impressions can be daunting! How do you want to be perceived? What would you say to pique Dartmouth’s admissions counselors’ interest? This is your chance to be bold, and to stand out from the crowd. But remember the prompt: they’re not quoting Wilde for fun. You’ll need to introduce your most authentic self. In other words, introduce who you are, not who you think Dartmouth wants you to be.

Don't feel confined to traditional, linear methods of storytelling in this prompt. You can play around with form and structure, as long as you do it well. Get an advisor or mentor to read your work and offer feedback, especially if you deviate from your typical style.

Dartmouth Essay Prompt 3

Dartmouth's longer essay prompts give you plenty of room to think creatively and show off your individuality. All students are required to pick and answer one of the prompts in 250-300 words. Let's take a look at the prompts and examine how to answer them.

Prompt A: The Introduction Prompt

A. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. "We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things," she said. "That is what we are put on the earth for." In what ways do you hope to make—or are you making—an impact?

This prompt is more tangible and concrete than the others available for selection. If you feel intimidated by discussing your creativity or personal history, this prompt is a good one to choose.

This prompt asks you to pick a real-world issue and discuss how you wish to address it (or are already addressing it). Don't feel like you have to pick something grand and far-reaching, like starvation or world peace. You can also pick an issue that affects people locally, in your community, for instance. The key is to pick a topic that you have a personal connection to and reason for wanting to fix. Your passion will come across in your description of the issue.

Prompt B: The Passion Prompt

B. What excites you?

This essay prompt is asking you to think toward your future and write about something—anything!—that gets you pumped. Dartmouth Admissions is looking to see if you have purpose and passion.

To answer this prompt, take some time to think about your future: your goals for your time in college, things you hope to achieve, opportunities that you find invigorating. You'll want your response to be focused and organized, so choose one idea, goal, or possibility that most excites you and go into detail about that in your response.

For example, maybe you're excited about the opportunity to improve your creative writing craft in the company of other student writers at Dartmouth, so you make becoming a better writer the central idea of your response to this prompt. You might go into detail about how you're excited to take writing workshop courses, learn from other students' writing styles, and eventually work on a creative writing publication with other students.

Whatever topic you choose to write about, you need to have a central idea—something that excites you—and you need to be able to explain how your excitement will shape your life choices as a student at Dartmouth.

There are no right or wrong answers in terms of what excites you, but it is important to try to think toward your future and explain

Prompt C: The Creativity Prompt

C. In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind , William Kamkwamba, Class of 2014, reflects on constructing a windmill from recycled materials to power the electrical appliances in his family's Malawian house: "If you want to make it, all you have to do is try." What drives you to create and what do you hope to make or have you already made

Creativity is crucial to every field of study, and this essay prompt is asking you to show that your interests, academic or recreational, inspire you to make things. To respond to this prompt, you'll need to be able to explain an idea, issue, or interest that motivates you to make stuff, then describe what you've made in the past or hope to make in the future!

The first thing to do is establish what drives you to create . To do this, think about who you are, where you come from, what experiences you've had, and who you want to become. Like in the example given in the prompt, maybe there's a need right in your own home that inspires you to create. You could think locally, like The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, or you could think outside of your personal experience too. Is there a global issue that drives you to create something that will help others in the future, during, or after college? If so, describe that vision and the global issue that motivates it.

Keep in mind that "creating" and "making something" can be interpreted many different ways. Your vision for "making" doesn't have to be artistic or some scientific invention. It could be creating a virtual reading service for overworked parents who need help educating their children during a global pandemic! On the other hand, maybe you're creating a science curriculum through your school's independent study program so you can learn more about climate change, which is your passion.

Whatever the case may be, it's a good idea to relate that creativity to your time at Dartmouth. For instance, maybe your virtual reading service has inspired you to major in business, so you can turn that service into your future career. It would be a great idea to research and talk about joining the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth to help show admissions counselors that Dartmouth is the only school that can help your dreams become a reality.

Prompt D: The Curiosity Prompt

D. Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth's Class of 1925, wrote, "Think and wonder. Wonder and think." What do you wonder and think about?

This prompt is actually just an invitation for you to dive deep into something that you're insatiably curious about. Dartmouth admissions wants to see that you have that intrinsic motivation to learn, grow, and expand your horizons, and they want to get to know you better by hearing you go off about that thing that you're endlessly curious about.

So, how do you celebrate your curiosity in this response? Start by pinpointing that one thing that you're the most curious about. You can probably look to your activities, relationships, and even your Google search history to identify what that one thing is. Maybe you're endlessly curious about food: different cultures of eating around the world, America's relationship to food, how to select, prepare, and eat it...and if you're really curious about food, you could probably go on and on about everything you know and want to know about it in your response.

This is a good thing! To organize your response, describe the thing you're curious about in a way that helps admissions counselors get to know you better . Going back to the food example, you could talk about where your curiosity about food comes from, or your background with food, how your curiosity with food plays into your day-to-day living, and some specific things you hope to learn about or do with food as you continue engaging with it.

And finally, connect your past experience, present questions, and future goals at Dartmouth in your response. This will show Dartmouth that you're a dedicated, independent learner who will be an endlessly curious student too.

Prompt E: The Baldwin Prompt

E. "Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced," wrote James Baldwin. How does this quote apply to your life experiences?

Some challenges in life appear insurmountable at first—and not all of them can be overcome. This prompt asks you to reflect on your own life, and on your own experiences with growth and change, whether or not you succeeded.

In your response, you'll get the chance to show that you see the value of being adaptable and accepting change. You can demonstrate this quality by writing about how you've seen something happening cyclically, something changing, or a season coming to an end in your life. It's important that you write about a situation that was meaningful to you—one where you saw yourself growing and learning.

Alternatively, you could write about an ongoing situation in your life that you are still facing. For example, maybe your school enacted a policy that you and your peers consider unfair, and you’ve been working for a while to make your voices heard.

It's okay if the thing you choose to write about is something you've had conflicted feelings about. What's important in your response here is showing how facing the challenges you describe strengthened your determination and adaptability —qualities that will be valuable when you become a Dartmouth student.

How to Write Great Dartmouth Essays

In order to write great Dartmouth essays, you need to show the committee two things. First, you need to give them a clear idea of who you are. Second, you need to show them, "Why Dartmouth." In other words, why Dartmouth is important to you. Here are some tips to help you accomplish both of those goals.

#1: Use Your Own Voice

The point of a college essay is for the admissions committee to have the chance to get to know you beyond your test scores, grades, and honors. Your admissions essays are your opportunity to make yourself come alive for the essay readers and to present yourself as a fully fleshed out person.

You should, then, make sure that the person you're presenting in your college essays is yourself. Don't try to emulate what you think the committee wants to hear or try to act like someone you're not.

If you lie or exaggerate, your essay will come across as insincere, which will diminish its effectiveness. Stick to telling real stories about the person you really are, not who you think Dartmouth wants you to be.

#2: Avoid Clichés and Overused Phrases

When writing your Dartmouth essays, try to avoid using common quotes or phrases. These include quotations that have been quoted to death and phrases or idioms that are overused in daily life. The college admissions committee has probably seen numerous essays that state, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Strive for originality.

Similarly, avoid using clichés, which take away from the strength and sincerity of your work. Don't speak in platitudes about how the struggle for gay and lesbian rights has affected you… unless it actually has! And even then, you don't want to speak in platitudes. It's better to be direct and specific about your experience.

#3: Check Your Work

It should almost go without saying, but you want to make sure your Dartmouth essays are the strongest example of your work possible. Before you turn in your Dartmouth application, make sure to edit and proofread your essays.

Your work should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Make sure to run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit.

It's a good idea to have someone else read your Dartmouth essays, too. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend. Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure you haven't missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it possibly can be.

That being said, make sure you don't rely on them for ideas or rewrites. Your essays need to be your work.

#4: Play With Form

Dartmouth's essay prompts leave a lot of room open for creative expression - use that! You don't need to stick to a five paragraph essay structure here. You can play with the length and style of your sentences - you could even dabble in poetry if that makes sense!

Whichever form you pick, make sure it fits with the story you're trying to tell and how you want to express yourself.

What's Next?

Learn more about the most selective colleges in the US . If you're applying to multiple Ivy Leagues, it's a good idea to know your chances at each!

If you're hoping to attend a highly selective school like Dartmouth, you'll need to have a very strong academic record in high school. Learn more about high school honors classes and societies.

Not sure what your GPA means for your chances of college admission? Find out what a good or bad GPA might look like based on your goals.

Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females.

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3 Strong Dartmouth Essay Examples

What’s covered:, essay example #1 – the power of stories, essay example #2 – the power of genealogy, essay example #3 – making an impact, where to get your dartmouth essays edited.

Dartmouth College has been a sought-after higher education institution since its founding in 1769. This Ivy League college boasts a tight-knit, engaging, undergraduate-focused community that is tucked away in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dartmouth’s student body of around 4,400 is able to explore its interests in 40 departments, and through 65 distinct undergraduate degrees. 

Writing strong essays is one of the most effective ways to stand out among the competition, especially since Dartmouth greatly values creativity in their applicants.  The best way to write well is to read well, so in this post we will share three strong Dartmouth essays and analyze what they did well and where they could improve. Afterwards, hopefully you’ll have a clearer sense of what approach you should take with your own essay!

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 Dartmouth essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

Prompt: The Hawaiian word mo’olelo is often translated as “story” but it can also refer to history, legend, genealogy, and tradition. Use one of these translations to introduce yourself. (250-300 words)

As a child, darkness meant nightmares, so I would pester my grandmother to tell me stories while the sun was trapped amongst silver hues. My religious grandmother would proceed to tell me about the Supreme Being in Hindu mythology, made of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer). Together, these Gods defined the cyclical nature of mortal existence through creation and destruction – life and death.

Although I found this idea interesting, each year in my life brought on a better understanding of these Gods’ purposes – I only had a certain number of years before I faced my life’s “destruction.”

My only answer to living more in my one life was to stuff my head into pages filled with the journeys of fictional characters. I was a member of a motorcycle club, a terminally-ill teenager, and much more than what I could be in my physical life. Authors let me experience hundreds of lives through literature, therefore, inspiring me to create fictional lives of my own.

So, hello! I’m Navya – named after a star shining the night I was born. For most of my life, I’ve struggled with the idea that we each experience life only once before our own lives are destroyed, but books have helped me find a way to live thousands of lives. I am an aspiring author and want to write historical fiction books that cheat the Gods, who said that everything must be destroyed, because my characters will never fade. And all this happened because of my grandmother and her love of Hindu mythology. Mythology sparked a quest for me to find how I could get the most out of my life but my mo’olelo is nowhere near its ending. I have more lives to experience and more lives to write. 

What the Essay Did Well

This essay beautifully combines this student’s life story with their passion for physical stories. Connecting these two types of stories gives extra depth and nuance to the essay, showing this student’s ability to think creatively. The idea that her life story revolves around fictional stories shines through in sentences like: “ My only answer to living more in my one life was to stuff my head into pages filled with the journeys of fictional characters .”

Our stories aren’t just comprised of the past though, and this essay does a great job of transitioning from the past to the future. Telling the reader “ Authors let me experience hundreds of lives through literature, therefore, inspiring me to create fictional lives of my own ” lets us appreciate how deeply engrained literature  is in this student’s personal story. The admissions officers reading this essay walk away knowing exactly what this student hopes to do one day and where the inspiration for that career came from. 

The idea of stories are woven throughout this essay, making it exceptionally well-connected. Although the beginning is meant to introduce a sense of fear at mortality this student encountered, it is done so through a story her grandmother told about her culture. Then the student explains the sanctuary and inspiration she found through famous stories, and finally it concludes with her describing the stories she will tell. Combined, all these pieces of mythology and literature form this student’s personal story.

What Could Be Improved

The only real weakness in this essay is the conclusion. While it is well-written and nicely summarizes everything the author has explained, it doesn’t contribute anything new to the essay. The only new pieces of information the reader gains is that the student wants to “ write historical fiction books ” and that her “ mo’olelo is nowhere near its ending .”

To avoid redundancy, the conclusion could have been made stronger if it was simply focused on the future. Discussing this student’s aspirations to be a historical fiction writer—maybe including possible stories or time periods she dreams about—would have made the finale more focused and also have given the same amount of attention to the future of her story as she did the past and present. Then, the essay would chronologically follow this student’s life story from when she was young, to her current passion, to her future goals, allowing the reader to seamlessly see the progression, rather than having it restated for us. 

My earliest memory is spinning in circles with folk dancers in a flurry of gold, red, and green embroidered on black dresses. We weren’t in a dance hall, but in a gymnasium, twirling on three-point arcs and free throw lines. The Bohemian Hall has tons of contradictions like that. In their beer garden, they serve chicken schnitzel and buffalo chicken wings, macaroni and cheese and tlachenka (head cheese). Happy drunken twenty-somethings pass by little kids and nobody thinks anything of it.

Like the Bohemian Hall, the apartment complex I grew up in had its own contradictions. Our Czech landlord, Jardo, was the stereotypical Slavic badass from the movies. Chatting up a crowd drinking their umpteenth Pilsners, he insulted a tenant that dared complain about asbestos in his apartment. After all, asbestos only spreads if you cut the old pipes. Hung on the walls of Jardo’s basement were works of all shapes and sizes, from the lush, rolling hills of Moravian landscapes to the curves of the female body in… suggestive posters. 

Jardo smelled of cigarettes and beer, which my mom told me to avoid at all costs. I wondered why she befriended him. But then I realized that he reminded her of home. We couldn’t go to the Bohemian Hall everyday, but we could always go to Jardo’s basement and talk Czechoslovak celebrity gossip. 

I am constantly brought back to my Slovak heritage, but it is influenced by American lifestyle . I eat goulash at Thanksgiving dinner, speak a mix of English and Slovak (Slovglish?) with my great aunt, and say Na zdravie! instead of Cheers! when I drink champagne on New Year’s Day. My Slovak-American heritage was, and always will be, perfectly contradictory. 

This essay is excellent at telling a vivid story using flowing writing and an organized structure. It has a clear focus that explains how the past has forged the writer’s identity, starting with their earliest memory. The first paragraph establishes the themes of contradiction and the dichotomy between Slovak and American culture. The essay then expounds upon these themes with a human example of what “home” means for the writer’s mother, and ends with a riveting conclusion that clearly states the main message ─ the fascinating cultural contradiction of the writer’s heritage has created their mo’olelo . 

The creative language employed in this essay is also noteworthy. The writer consistently paints a picture with words, for example they use the metaphor of a “Slavic badass” rather than going into detail about Jardo’s personality. They further explain his character by describing his actions, i.e. drinking and insulting, as a third person observer. The hyperbole of “umpteenth” adds humor to the essay, which always helps your essays if done subtly! 

The essay responds to the full essence of the prompt from the angles of genealogy and tradition. She explains her traditions by showing her story rather than telling, which is crucial. The writer also doesn’t frame their essay in a cliché manner, such as by starting the essay with the phrase “the tradition which has had the largest impact on who I am is…” Starting in media res is a great strategy, as is adding unique human details to the story. Jardo would have been less interesting and amorphous had we not been told about his smell and attitude towards asbestos. The essay is the ideal balance between directly and indirectly answering the prompt.

While the essay has many strong points, it has some room for improvement. At 283 words, the writer has extra room they could take advantage of. The most valuable way they could use this space would be to expand their list of contradictions in the conclusion. Much of the essay focuses on the story of Jardo, and while this story is valuable, it could easily be condensed and retain its meaning. Meanwhile, comparisons between traits such as “Slovak frankness and American niceties” would add commentary that the writer couldn’t express with the Jardo story. 

The essay would also benefit from more comparisons that go beyond food and festivities, and ideally a sentence which shows how the writer’s Slovak heritage influenced them at the big picture level. It would be a nice transition to mention how the contradiction of their “Slovak identity” has led them to seek out other contradictions in life—maybe studying two unrelated topics—because they have found the beauty in combining things.

They were everywhere— on the streets begging, in the market stealing, at the prison fighting. Even more disturbing however, was the fact that they were just children. 

In my neighborhood, people give birth to kids in numbers they can barely cater for. These kids in their quest for survival engage in criminal activities, resulting in an alarmingly high rate of juvenile delinquency. 

Having witnessed several cases of jungle justices carried out on these underprivileged kids, I pondered day and night on what to do to save their futures, until I came up with an idea– education. I opened a free school where I taught the kids basics in mathematics, English, and moral ethics. In no time, they began engaging in menial jobs to fend for themselves and eventually dumped their mentality of “steal to eat.” I was also able to successfully liaise with some philanthropists who helped the kids further their education after they graduated from my free foundation. A few other kids who got no sponsors surprisingly took up menial jobs to sponsor themselves. 

Many people were quite puzzled at the fact that I put in so much passion into the kids’ education despite not receiving monetary incentives. However, there was something more than money that inspired me. It was satisfaction– satisfaction from seeing smiles on formerly smileless faces, satisfaction from the feeling that I am brightening dark paths, and satisfaction from knowing that I am impacting my community in a measure no amount of naira can settle.

This writer does an excellent job of fulfilling perhaps the most important objective of this kind of  “Community Service” essay: not only describing the issue they worked to resolve, but also explaining which solution they identified and how this experience as a whole shaped particular aspects of their personality, background, values, etc. They provide us with enough background context for us to understand what’s going on, and then dive right into the details of how they grew.

For example, rather than going on and on about the horrors the kids in their neighborhood faced every day, the student quickly pivots to talking about what they did in order to improve these kids’ lives. That shows that this student is altruistic and can take initiative, two qualities Dartmouth admissions officers prize in applicants. Additionally, by describing how they saw education as the best path towards bettering these kids’ futures, they teach us something about their values—to them, education is clearly key to success, and that knowledge will help admissions officers envision how they would take advantage of Dartmouth’s resources to contribute to the school’s community.

Finally, on a structural level, this student has organized their essay in a way that makes their ideas both impactful and easy to follow. Setting the scene with short, factual lines underscores that while these kids’ circumstances were tragic, they were also simply a part of life in this neighborhood, until this student came along.

Then, the length of the third paragraph helps readers get fully immersed in the story of how this student made a difference for these kids, one step at a time. Finally, they use the last paragraph to effectively sum up the lasting impact this experience had on them and their values, giving Dartmouth admissions officers a clear sense of why this story is relevant to understanding what kind of college student they will be.

Although this prompt does have a somewhat restrictive word count of 250, the student would’ve been well-served if they had gone into more detail about the specific actions they took to better these kids’ lives. Right now, they provide a nice overview of what they did, but there are almost no details about how they made those things happen. In this kind of essay, you want to paint as clear a picture as possible of the impact you made, as the more concrete details admissions officers have, the better they’ll understand which skills and life perspectives you’d bring to Dartmouth.

Since this student is currently right at 249 words, they’ll need to reallocate some space, which means thinking critically about which parts of the essay aren’t absolutely essential in order for readers to understand their story. For many students, wrestling with word counts is the most frustrating part of college essays, but unfortunately it’s an unavoidable reality that you won’t be able to include every single detail, even ones that feel quite important to you.

For example, the lines “I was also able to successfully liaise with some philanthropists who helped the kids further their education after they graduated from my free foundation. A few other kids who got no sponsors surprisingly took up menial jobs to sponsor themselves” are only tangentially related to the core of this story, which is the student’s initiative to educate kids in their neighborhood. Remember, the purpose of the college essay is always to teach admissions officers about yourself , and while the student does touch briefly on their successful liaison skills, overall these lines are more about the philanthropists than the student themself.

Cutting these lines would save the student 40 words, which they could then use to talk more about what exactly they did to set up their free school—that’s an amazing thing to do as a high schooler, and yet the student is selling themselves short by telling pretty much nothing about how they did it! Something like the following, if added after the sentence which ends with “ethics,” would do much more to highlight which abilities/personal talents the student utilized to make this achievement possible:

“Initially, the school idea had seemed far-fetched—I couldn’t afford to buy a building or hire teachers. But then I noticed our family friend’s bakery had an empty back room, and when I asked if I could use it as a study space, he agreed immediately, and even offered to buy some simple chairs and desks. I then recruited some friends to help teach our neighborhood’s kids, and in no time…”

While this suggested replacement is a little longer than the section that was cut, other tweaks here and there in grammar or phrasing could get the student back under the word count. Needing to cut a handful of words may feel a little tedious, but that time will be well spent, as the added details in the lines above give us a much more concrete sense of how the student took initiative to make their dream a reality. 

Finally, these lines also make the sense of satisfaction the student describes in the final paragraph much more impactful. Previously, that paragraph felt like a broad-strokes summary of the student’s emotions during this experience, but now, we can anchor those emotions to specific actions they took, and thus we have a clear sense of exactly how the student earned that satisfied feeling.

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

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

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

How to Write the Dartmouth Essays: Tips + Examples

Reviewed by:

Rohan Jotwani

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 8/9/23

Are you struggling with your Dartmouth essays? Read on to learn what the admissions committees are looking for and how to make your essays memorable!

According to Ernest Hemingway , “there is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” 

If only it were that easy! Supplemental essays help determine your candidacy for your dream school and ultimately your career trajectory, which can make writing them seem impossible! 

Students often struggle when it comes to the Dartmouth essays and wonder how to start their essays , what to write about, and most importantly, how to impress the judges. Fortunately, we have the tips and suggestions you need to sit down at your laptop, assuming you don’t have a typewriter, and bleed out the most compelling essays!

Dartmouth Essay Prompts

The first part of learning how to write the Dartmouth essays is reviewing the prompts themselves! Here are the first two mandatory prompts students must respond to:

1. Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth's Class of 2027, what aspects of the College's academic program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? In short, Why Dartmouth? Please respond in 100 words or fewer.

2. "Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken." Introduce yourself in 200-250 words.

For your final essay, you’ll be given the choice to answer any one of the following prompts:

A. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. "We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things," she said. "That is what we are put on the earth for." In what ways do you hope to make—or are you making—an impact?

B. What excites you?

C. In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba '14 reflects on constructing a windmill from recycled materials to power electrical appliances in his family's Malawian house: "If you want to make it, all you have to do is try." What drives you to create and what do you hope to make or have you made?

D. Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth's Class of 1925, wrote, "Think and wonder. Wonder and think." What do you wonder and think about?

E. "Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced," wrote James Baldwin. How does this quote apply to your life experiences?

Your answer must be between 200-250 words.

How to Write the Dartmouth Supplemental Essays

Now that you know which essays you’ll be responding to, you can begin brainstorming experiences, abilities, talents, and goals to share with the committee. As you likely noticed, your responses should be short. You only have between 100-250 words to answer each prompt. 

While this may seem like a relief, it will be challenging to adequately answer the prompt while staying as clear and concise as possible. Follow these suggestions to ensure all of your answers pack a punch:

The number one tip to keep in mind as you answer the first prompt is to do thorough research. Do not be fooled by this prompt’s word count. You’re still expected to demonstrate your immense interest and enthusiasm to join Dartmouth.

To do so, you’ll need to research Dartmouth’s programs , community, and other unique attributes. Do not write a generic answer that could be used to apply to any college! Be specific, get straight to the point, and reflect on your choice to apply to Dartmouth. 

Go beyond Dartmouth’s prestige and Ivy standing . The committee knows students are drawn to their school for its status and esteem, so differentiate your essay by choosing another reason to attend Dartmouth. Ask yourself the following questions during the brainstorming process:

• Why am I applying to Dartmouth?
• What excites me most about going to Dartmouth?
• What programs or extracurriculars do I hope to join at Dartmouth?
• What is my ideal college experience? How does Dartmouth meet or exceed these expectations?
• How will I fit into the Dartmouth community?
• How can Dartmouth help me achieve my goals?

Focus on one or two main attributes of Dartmouth that you’re most excited about. 

The second prompt tends to be a little more challenging for students. So, to simplify it, your answer should revolve around key qualities, traits, and interests that make you, you. Do not start from your childhood and work your way up, there is simply not enough room for you to do this, and frankly, it’s unnecessary.

The committee is interested in learning more about the type of person that will be joining their community. Do not list your accomplishments or extensive extracurriculars, they will already have access to these through your Common Application .

Think about what makes you stand out, the experiences that have shaped you, and your future goals. There isn’t a right or wrong way to answer this question, so think outside the box! 

Maybe you’ll explain who you are through a narrative, by choosing three words to describe you and elaborating, or simply speaking directly to the committee.

Prompt Three

The final prompt to discuss when exploring how to write the Dartmouth supplemental essays offers you several options to choose from. Let’s breakdown how to answer each of these prompts to ensure you pick the best one:

The first option asks you to consider the impact you want to make on the world and how you’ve already begun working on these goals. Your impact does not have to be related to your academic interests. 

For instance, if you’re planning on pursuing a science degree in hopes of becoming a doctor, but spend your free time tutoring underserved students, you may want to mention your interest in continuing to serve underserved populations and ensuring education is accessible to everyone.

Choose a long-term goal you’re genuinely passionate about and ensure you demonstrate your enthusiasm to make the world a better place. Discuss how you plan to reach your goals, who they’ll impact the most, and how Dartmouth will aid you in your journey.

The second prompt you can answer is quite open-ended. You can take it whichever route you choose, but the safest option is to expand on your interests and passions. 

As difficult as it may be, stick to just one interest for this prompt. Do not submit a laundry list of all of your interests without developing them further. This question may ask you to simply state what excites you, but the admissions committee is expecting detailed elaboration. 

Consider the following questions as you craft an answer for this prompt:

• Why does this passion excite you?
• How have you developed your interest?
• How do you plan on further developing your interest?
• Does your interest relate to your career? If so, how?
• How can Dartmouth’s resources help facilitate this passion?

Remember to connect your answer to Dartmouth as much as possible to demonstrate how well you’d fit into their community!

Students often misunderstand this question, so let’s break it down part by part. The first step is to share your motivation to create. This creation does not have to be related to the arts; it can involve projects you pursued in or outside of the classroom or initiatives you started to bridge a gap in your community.

The next part of the prompt asks you to discuss what you’ve already created and what you hope to create in the future. Ensure you touch on both of these points to impress the committee. 

Avoid choosing a topic you have yet to make any contributions to, because it will be harder to convince the committee you’re genuinely passionate about a creation you have not even attempted to begin. Connect your creations back to Dartmouth and explain how you hope to achieve your goals through them. 

Prompt D, like prompt C, is vague. Asking what you wonder and think about leaves a lot to the imagination. The possibilities for this prompt are endless and there isn’t a particular answer the committee is looking for. On the contrary, this answer should showcase your unique interests and personality.

Do not pose philosophical, worldly questions such as “what is the meaning of life?” or “is there an afterlife?” While you may genuinely wonder about these things, they are too cliche and broad. Think about more specific questions you have about the world. Consider places you want to see, careers you’re curious about, or even potential bucket list goals you have. 

This will offer the admissions committee a glimpse into your thought process! Be sincere and honest. Explain why you’re curious about your chosen topic and share any relevant anecdotes that can offer more insight into your interests. 

The final essay option asks you to share any challenge you may have faced in your life. This challenge could have occurred at any time of your life; it may even be a challenge you’re currently working through.

It does not have to relate to your academics; it can be personal as long as you avoid sharing highly personal information that could be considered TMI. Explain the challenge, the impacts it had on you or those closest to you, how you overcame it, and what you learned.

The traits you want to emphasize through your answer are resilience, problem-solving, perseverance, responsibility, and leadership!

Dartmouth Essay Examples

Now that you know the basics of how to write the Dartmouth essays, you may be curious to see how all of these tips look when combined. To ensure you leave this guide feeling as confident and prepared as possible, here are sample essays for you to draw inspiration from:

Prompt One:

Here’s an example to prompt one from a student that hopes to join Dartmouth’s mathematics program:

I have always appreciated the simplicity of mathematics. It has no grey area, is objective, and unambiguous. Its sense of certainty is why I took AP classes in mathematics and further developed my intrigue in complex mathematical models.

This sparked my desire to pursue a career as a mathematician. Majoring in mathematics at Dartmouth will provide me the skills to apply abstract mathematical theories to the real world. 

I am also highly interested in becoming one of Dartmouth’s Bryne scholars, so that I can work amongst distinguished experts to use mathematics to solve pressing challenges in today’s world. 

Prompt Two: 

Consider this example from a student that used a meaningful narrative to answer prompt two:

Ironically, I have been a huge fan of Oscar Wilde since I first read his poem “Requiescat.” I fell in love with the way he danced around such dark themes with beautiful imagery and hid tragedies behind perfectly poised phrases. 

For instance, I learned “Requisecat” was written about his sister who died at the age of nine. However, you do not get a sense of tragedy in his poem. Instead, there is beauty and tranquility in the way he depicts his sister at peace now, at rest where the daisies grow.

Oscar Wilde is who inspired me to write and turn my own tragedies into beauty. I lost my father at the age of 15. He fought a long and unfair battle with an enemy that never slept, had advanced weaponry, and absolutely no remorse. The doctors called it ​​cholangiocarcinoma. 

But, instead of letting this tragedy define me, I made it into something beautiful. I wrote a novella about the life my father lived before his sickness consumed him. About his upbringing in Sicily, his boyish wonder, and love for race cars. 

That was how I chose to remember my father. Through this experience, I learned to make the best out of everything, to always find tranquility in chaos, and to use it as my muse. A writer is who I am at my very core. I hope to continue honing my writing skills and ability to create life from death through Dartmouth’s Creativing Writing program. 

Prompt Three: Option A

Use this sample to guide you in your brainstorming process for option A:

Palliative. It’s an interesting word, when you don’t know the meaning of it. I was in the seventh grade when I heard the first whispers of this strange word. 

Then again in the eighth when the whispers grew to soft words spoken around the dinner table, and eventually screams as my parents argued over whether it was finally time to put my brother in palliative care. 

He had cystic fibrosis and had been waiting for a lung transplant for years. By his ninth birthday, he was in active lung failure and there was nothing else the doctors could do. So, we were introduced to palliative care; keeping my brother comfortable until he passed away—which he did, six months later.

After my brother’s passing, I made it my goal to ensure other kids did not meet the same fate as him. During my freshman year, I was able to set up a fundraiser stand at our local carnival for the few weeks it was in town. I was able to raise $11,000 that year for cystic fibrosis research, and continued fundraising each subsequent year. 

In the future, I plan to be more heavily involved by conducting the very research I am currently fundraising for. I hope to find more accessible and effective treatments for cystic fibrosis so fewer families have to encounter the dreaded “P” word, like I did.

I know the first step is obtaining a Biomedical degree and participating in extensive research at Dartmouth. 

Here’s a sample answer to option B:

I pushed my first piano key when I was six years old at a music shop my mother frequented often. She was an avid violinist and enjoyed spending her free time visiting different music shops. 

My mother saw my interest in the piano, as my eyes lit up at the sound that I thought came from my finger at the time. She enrolled me in lessons the next day and I have been playing the piano ever since. 

There were often nights I would play the piano from dusk till dawn, in complete delight at the sound of each key. Music became my full-time hobby, creating it and listening to it. Music is magical to me, the way it makes people move, brings them together, can soothe a broken heart, or open up unhealed wounds. 

Music has always been my therapy. It has been my comforting companion during the worst and best of times. It has added color to my life and has given me purpose. I hope to share my music with others and become a professional pianist in the future, so that I may broaden others’ horizons, help them heal, and unite them. 

I believe Dartmouth’s Music program will allow me to not only hone my piano skills, but to learn more about the roots and lineages of music traditions, how to become the best performer, and perhaps even how to play new instruments!

This student took an unconventional approach to prompt C:

I was always told to pick up a hobby whenever I complained of being bored. My mother would say “busy minds don’t have time for boredom” as she barely looked up at me from her knitting. 

I tried knitting, but found my mind wandering and yearning for more excitement as my hands robotically looped and pulled and looped and pulled. As I contemplated which hobby to try, my father called me outside to help him in the garden. 

He always sported a sunburn, had soil caked under his fingernails, and smelled of the earth. He needed me to help him sow some seeds to make a pumpkin patch.

I dragged my feet and questioned his ability to grow pumpkins. My father answered my doubt with a smile and urged me to follow along with his pumpkin project and see the “magic” for myself. That summer, I not only ensured the pumpkins received adequate water, were protected from squirrels and weeds, but I created my own garden. 

I grew lettuce, cucumbers, beans, and even cherries - which I learned have cancer curing properties. I fell in love with creating life with nothing more than my hands and a rake. I loved the feeling of the cool soil in my hands and was stimulated by the research required to grow plants to their optimal levels.

I hope to continue this journey of discovery and creation by researching the potential medicinal properties and abilities of natural ingredients, such as cherries, in the future.

This sample of a student who is interested in criminal psychology may help you option D:

The criminal mind has always been a topic of interest to me. I have watched all of the crime documentaries out there, read dozens of novels trying to explain why criminals commit the acts they do, and even listen to crime podcasts in the shower! 

I am intrigued by criminals’ backgrounds and wonder if they are made or born, and if there is a way to prevent the creation of criminals. After pondering the idea for years, I have yet to come to a definitive answer. 

What fascinates me the most about this topic is that its ambiguity does not stem from a lack of research. On the contrary, researchers and scholars have dissected the criminal brain for centuries. 

One of the earliest criminologists was Cesar Lombroso, who brought forth the idea of the born criminal and suggested they are a regressed form of human. I find his work utterly captivating and hope to explore his theories further in the modern age. 

To continue my own investigations and to hopefully contribute more concrete answers to this discussion, I plan on becoming a forensic psychologist. 

To do so, I will first major in biology and minor in psychology at Dartmouth. I know at Dartmouth I will have the chance to participate in faculty-mentored research where I can learn more about human behaviour in general and the factors that determine it. 

If you choose to write the last essay topic, here’s a sample to guide you:

I grew up in Punjab, where the air was always warm and welcoming and carried the scent of flowers and incense. Everywhere I went, I heard my beautiful language being spoken by people that greeted me with smiles as warm as the sun.

Then, I moved to America. My father wanted a better life for my siblings and I. So, we traded our tight-knit village for the bustling, large city of Chicago, where no one knew my name, and I rarely heard my beautiful language. 

Instead, I heard a foreign language that I struggled to learn. When I started school in the fourth grade, I was an easy target for bullies. I had an accent almost as thick as my glasses. I always said “present” during attendance, and my bullies were quick to notice I rolled my “r” for far too long.

But, I took ESL classes throughout middle school. I read in my free time and joined ESL summer programs every year. Chicago started to feel more like home. I started hearing a different beautiful language that I understood more and more everyday. 

By high school, English became my favorite subject. I understood even the most complex novels and wrote compelling essays on them. I am also no longer ashamed of my roots, in fact, I smile when I catch myself rolling my “r” on some words.

I also smile when I learn new English words, and am happy to say I am now the master of two beautiful languages.

FAQs: Writing the Dartmouth Essays

In case you have any remaining inquiries about how to write the Dartmouth essays, here are the answers to frequently asked questions about these supplemental essays.

1. How Do You Approach Dartmouth Essays?

To write a successful Dartmouth essay, you must first spend time brainstorming. Write out all of your ideas so that you can then fine-tooth them and determine which ones reflect your personality best. 

Once you’ve found the perfect topic or experience to discuss, be descriptive, sincere, and demonstrate your enthusiasm. Focus on aspects that make you unique and highlight your most valuable skills and traits throughout your answers.

Whenever it’s appropriate, ensure you also connect your response back to Dartmouth!

2. How Many Essays Do You Write for Dartmouth?

You will have to write three Dartmouth-specific supplemental essays and one Common Application personal statement to apply to this college.

3. How Long Should Dartmouth Essays Be?

Each essay has a word limit, so ensure your essays fall within them. If you pick a topic you’re passionate about, you should find it difficult to stay within the word count! The first prompt is only meant to be 100 words; you will likely need all 100 words to explain your interest in Dartmouth.

Similarly, the other two prompts are supposed to be up to 250 words. Aim for your answers to be at least 200 words. 

4. Are the Dartmouth Essays Required?

Yes, you’re required to complete the Dartmouth essays as part of the application process. These essays not only give the admissions committee more insight on your writing skills, but help humanize your application! 

Final Thoughts

With these tips and suggestions in mind, you may be able to heed Hemingway’s advice and easily write essays that capture your essence and core values, traits, and experiences! Remember to remain genuine, honest, and demonstrate your sincere interest in joining Dartmouth. Good luck!

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August 23, 2022

Tips for Answering the Dartmouth College Supplemental Essay Prompts [2022 – 2023]

Dartmouth College utilizes the Common Application. It requires the main Common Application essay and additional supplemental Dartmouth-specific essay responses. The additional essays help the admission committee round out the overall picture of you as a prospective student by providing insight into your personality. Don’t approach this as just another essay you have to write. Look at this as an opportunity for you to make a convincing statement about why Dartmouth is the ideal school for you to achieve your goals and how you can enrich the campus community. 

Everyone must answer the first two essay prompts, but you have a choice to make about which question to address with your third response. As you decide which of the latter essay prompts to answer, allow yourself some time to think about Dartmouth’s comprehensive character. Consider its location in Hanover, New Hampshire; if possible visit the campus and imagine yourself there as an undergraduate. Take a virtual campus tour. Research the different ways Dartmouth’s curriculum and approaches to education are a good fit for you . Think about the specific activities, programs, or organizations that attract you to Dartmouth. In short, ask yourself why is Dartmouth the best place for me to achieve my goals?

Dartmouth reflects its commitment to assess your potential as a student on the Dartmouth campus in its request for a peer recommendation. Dartmouth encourages you to include a letter of recommendation from a friend, classmate, family member, or someone else you regard as your peer. Although the peer recommendation is a “suggestion,” it is not an opportunity to overlook. This endorsement provides insight into how you are perceived by others. It also gives some indication about your potential fit with the Dartmouth community.

Get a free consultation: Click here to schedule a call to find out how our admissions experts can help YOU get accepted to Dartmouth!

Dartmouth prides itself on learning without boundaries. The overall academic structure and approach at the school is intended to allow you freedom. The year-round quarter system offers flexibility for you to design your own calendar. You can enter any major without a need for institutional approval (this includes Engineering). How might this sort of structure contribute to your educational success? Students are encouraged to: “Challenge yourself. Be yourself.” Don’t worry about choosing an uncommon topic. Instead, focus on discussing whichever topic you select from your point of view. Your essay responses should express your individual story and reflect your personality.

The Dartmouth writing supplement

Dartmouth’s writing supplement requires applicants write brief responses to three supplemental essay prompts as follows. The first two are the same for all applicants but the third allows you to select from several prompts.

1. Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth’s Clas of 2027, what aspects of the College’s academic program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? In short, Why Dartmouth? Please respond in 100 words or fewer .

How is Dartmouth special to you? You have a limited number of words to work with, so be succinct. Remember, they already have your letters of recommendations (counselor, teachers and peer), grades, SAT/ACT/AP/IB scores, curriculum, and list of extracurricular involvement. This question asks you to focus on your personal and/or academic goals and how Dartmouth is a good match for you and vice versa. How will being a part of the close-knit Dartmouth community and engaging with the Dartmouth curriculum prepare you for your future? Consider the factors that make the Dartmouth program, community, and campus environment unique and how those factors will provide the foundation to support your aspirations. Communicate how these elements align with your sense of place and purpose.

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2. “Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself in 200-250 words.

What is your personal story? This is a perfect prompt to allow you to showcase specific conditions, situations, and/or circumstances in your background that are significant to your identity. Share something fundamental about yourself, your family, or your intimate community. You can discuss the intricacies of your cultural, familial, and/or social background—tell your story. Sometimes it might be something obvious, other times it might be disguised or hidden in some way. Do you feel pressure based on a set of arbitrary characteristics? Do you feel judged or liberated in some way? What is important to you? How does this relate to your values and sense of individuality? As you discuss your story, you must provide some context—remember to address why it is significant for others to know this about you. Spend a good portion of your essay discussing how this story relates to your sense of identity. What does this reflect about you? How might what you shared influence your goals for the future? How do you reconcile finding a sense of belonging on your own terms? How might attending Dartmouth impact your story?

3. Choose one of the following prompts and respond in 250-300 words:

A. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you making—an impact?

This prompt is about what motivates or excites you to action and how you make an impact when driven by passion to make something better for others. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for a cause that is meaningful to you. Discuss a specific incident and what was at stake. How did you make a positive impact? Or how did that motivate you to continue working toward that goal? If you acted on something, consider the repercussions of your actions. What was the outcome? What was the cost to you? What did you learn about yourself? How did this experience change you? This is really about why you think striving for change is important. Consider compassion, empathy, and understanding in terms of interpersonal and global impact. How might an education at Dartmouth prepare you for the future? What kinds of skills, ways of thinking, and experiences will help lay the foundation for success? How does a liberal arts education play into your plans? 

B. What excites you?

This prompt has a broad scope but at the core is, what fascinates you? You don’t need to be an expert about the topic—how do you explore and engage your interests? This is an opportunity to discuss your passion for a particular area (academic or otherwise) and how you learn best. Provide an example of something that attracted your interest and then discuss the path you took to embrace your curiosity. What sparked your interest? What made the topic/activity/information/concept/question so meaningful to you? How did you explore the subject more deeply? What did you discover? What did you learn about yourself? Consider your learning style and how you approach new concepts. Also think about the connection you established to the subject—what might that reveal about your personality? How did this process inspire you? Make sure to convey your passion for the subject and your enthusiasm for learning!

C. In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba, Class of 2014, reflects on constructing a windmill from recycled materials to power the electrical appliances in his family’s Malawian house: “If you want to make it, all you have to do is try.” What drives you to create and what do you hope to make or have you already made?

This prompt discusses how creativity and innovation are often borne of necessity. How did/do you apply your creativity to problem-solving? The focus is on your motivation for creativity while providing a space for you to discuss your passion, imagination, motivation, and aspirations. In this modern technological world, how do you think outside of the proverbial box? Capture a specific moment or urge that sparked your vision. This may be an opportunity to incorporate discussion about an extracurricular interest/activity that demonstrates your creativity. Think about the ideas or values that inspire you to make some sort of impact and the ways in which you express your imagination. What have you learned about yourself through your exploration? Then discuss how that influences your sense of identity and perspective about the world. What does what you learned in this creative process reveal about the person you are? How might this affect how you embrace the future? How might you apply this energy going forward? How might you express your creativity and embrace your aspirations at Dartmouth?

D. Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth’s Class of 1925, wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” What do you wonder and think about?

This is another board prompt that deals with how you expand or enhance ideas, thoughts, and perspectives about the world to reflect on new possibilities. Examine the on-going cycle of coming up with ideas and how you explore those ideas. At the heart of this prompt is how you process the world around you. Consider how this new knowledge or way of thinking impacted or changed you. The focus of this prompt allows you to discuss the relationship between imagination and intellectual thought. Also consider what you might learn about yourself in the process of trying to understand new ideas. Remember to discuss how these new ideas influenced you—the way you interact with others, how you think about your identity , what you might do differently with this new understanding. Dartmouth prides itself on providing flexibility in learning and an education without boundaries—here’s your chance to tell them why that’s so important to you!

E. “Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced,” wrote James Baldwin. How does this quote apply to your life experiences?

This question asks you to identify a specific problem or issue and explain how you actively engaged with it. How did recognizing the problem/issue help you to deal with it? You can address any problem, large or small. Think about the global community, humanitarian efforts, or any issue you would like to fix but make it personal by sharing the impact on your life experiences. Keep in mind that sometimes situations are beyond your control. You can tie this response to community service activities, thoughts about empathy, discussions about agency, and individual responsibility. Consider how you view yourself in relationship to those around you. Why are you inspired to confront this problem? Why is it significant? This response reveals your approach to problem solving, ability to conceive solutions, and illustrates how you process the world around you. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your values, critical thinking skills and creativity. Consider if and how an education at Dartmouth might help you to bring about positive change and address this dilemma. 

Note: If you have unusual curricular patterns, your counselor can mention this in the Secondary Education Report, or you can discuss your circumstances in the “Additional Information” section of the Common Application. 

Final thoughts on applying to Dartmouth

The context of your academic success is a significant factor in determining your overall competitiveness as an applicant. The top applicants take the most rigorous curriculum available at their high schools. Furthermore, by achieving high grades, they demonstrate their ability to thrive in Dartmouth’s challenging academic environment. Dartmouth embraces a holistic approach to the admission process and is committed to reviewing all aspects of your application. This is even more significant given that this application cycle is again test optional. Although Dartmouth is not reporting testing profiles from the last few application cycles, keep in mind; for the class of 2023, over 95% of accepted students were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average SAT score of 1500, and an average ACT score of 33. For the Class of 2026, it received 28,336 undergraduate applications and had a record low acceptance rate of 6.2%. Your personal narrative essays are your opportunity to pull away from this extremely competitive applicant pool.

Although it is easy to get overwhelmed, remember to stay focused on your goals. Allow yourself enough time to reflect on your experiences in a unique way that expresses your personality. Meet all deadlines and word limits. Your overall application should clearly reflect your interests and motivations while enthusiastically demonstrating why Dartmouth is the best school to help you achieve your objectives!

If you’re applying to Dartmouth College, you already know you’re up against tight competition. Don’t be overwhelmed. Get the guidance of an experienced admissions specialist who will help you stand out from the highly competitive applicant pool so you can apply with confidence, and get accepted! Click here to get started!

Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your College Application Essays , a free guide
• How Should I Choose Which Essay Questions to Answer When I Have Choices?
• School-Specific Common App Supplemental Essay Tips

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Dartmouth College Supplemental Essays Guide: 2021-2022

Not sure how to approach the Dartmouth essay prompts? CollegeAdvisor.com’s guide to the Dartmouth application essays will show you exactly how to write engaging Dartmouth supplemental essays and maximize your chances of admission.

If you need help crafting your Dartmouth supplemental essays, create your  free account  or  schedule a no-cost advising consultation  by calling (844) 505-4682.

Dartmouth  Essay Guide Quick Facts:

• Dartmouth has an acceptance rate of 9.0%— U.S. News  ranks Dartmouth as a  highly selective  school.
• You must answer both Dartmouth supplemental essays. The first Dartmouth essay essentially asks, “Why Dartmouth?” The second gives you a choice of six Dartmouth essay prompts!

Does Dartmouth have supplemental essays?

Yes. The Dartmouth essay prompts are available on the  Common App , which all Dartmouth candidates must use to apply. After responding to the Common App’s main essay prompt, you’ll also need to write two additional Dartmouth application essays. The Dartmouth supplemental essays are also on the college’s website.

Need some help writing your Common App essay? Get great tips from  our Common App essay guide .

How many supplemental essays does Dartmouth require?

There are   two school-specific Dartmouth application essays on the 2021-2022 Common App. Both Dartmouth essay prompts are  required , meaning you must complete both essays in order to apply. You should consider how your Dartmouth application essays will complement and enhance the other elements of your application.

How to write the Dartmouth essays:

The Dartmouth supplemental essays allow you to create a narrative around your identity as a student beyond your academic credentials. Take the time to understand the individual Dartmouth essay prompts. As you begin each Dartmouth essay, consider the following questions:

• What does the prompt specifically ask me to include?
• Do I include new information or building upon a point I’ve made elsewhere, or do I repeat information already included in another section of my application?
• Does my response highlight my unique qualities?
• Does my essay authentically reflect my experiences?

What does Dartmouth look for in essays?

Personality! Your Dartmouth application essays should not only reflect what you’ve done but should also capture who you are. In reading your Dartmouth essays, the admissions team wants to get a sense of you as a person: your qualities, your passions, and the way you move through and see the world. Your Dartmouth supplemental essays should help admissions officers understand what makes you  you  and imagine what you will bring to campus.

How do you respond to the Dartmouth supplements?

We have provided the  prompts for the 2021-2022 Dartmouth supplemental essays  below. You’ll find a breakdown of how to approach each of the Dartmouth essay prompts. We’ll also discuss tips for writing Dartmouth essays that will help you stand out in admissions.

Dartmouth Supplemental Essays – Question 1 (Required)

While arguing a Dartmouth-related case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1818, Daniel Webster, Class of 1801, delivered this memorable line: “It is, sir,…a small college, and yet there are those who love it!” As you seek admission to the Class of 2026, what aspects of the College’s program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? (100 words or less).

Although this question begins with an anecdote, the first of the Dartmouth essay prompts can be distilled into two words: “Why Dartmouth?”

This Dartmouth essay is your chance to highlight what specifically about Dartmouth stands out to you. As you prepare to answer this question, consider the three categories the prompt provides and do some research into each. A great place to begin is Dartmouth’s website. If you want to discuss academic programs, look into different  areas of study . Or if you want to address community, look into different  student groups & activities . If you want to write about the campus environment, look into various  student resources . Successful Dartmouth application essays will include details specific to the school.

As you do your research, imagine you are a freshman on Dartmouth’s campus. How would you be excited to use your time, both in and out of the classroom? Are there specific faculty or opportunities you would seek out? What student groups or organizations would you explore?

This Dartmouth essay is limited to 100 words or less, so you’ll have to be concise. Even if everything about Dartmouth appeals to you, limit your response to 2-3 specific attributes you want to spotlight. Additionally, you will want to avoid writing general statements, like “I am excited to join a student group” or “I am interested in Economics.” Instead, get as specific as you can. Which student groups are you interested in joining? Are there specific courses or methods of thinking that interest you?

Finally, you’ll want to explain  why  you are excited to have these experiences. Don’t leave it up to Admissions to guess why you’ve chosen to include a specific group or organization. It is important you only highlight the things you are passionate about, whether it is connected to your academic interests, hobbies, or sense of self. For example, if you are passionate about the  Dartmouth Outing Club , include a brief reason as to why having clubs dedicated to hiking, kayaking, skiing, or organic farming is important to you. Dartmouth application essays that address both the school’s offerings and the applicant’s relationship to these offerings will stand out to Admissions Officers.

Dartmouth Essay Draft Key Questions:

• Does your response answer the question “Why Dartmouth?”
• Do you name the specific attributes that excite you?
• Does your response reflect something you are passionate about?

Dartmouth Supplemental Essays – Question 2 (Required)

Please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 250-300 words:

A. The Hawaiian word mo’olelo is often translated as “story” but it can also refer to history, legend, genealogy, and tradition. Use one of these translations to introduce yourself.

B. What excites you?

C. In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba, Class of 2014, reflects on constructing a windmill from recycled materials to power the electrical appliances in his family’s Malawian house: “If you want to make it, all you have to do is try.” What drives you to create and what do you hope to make or have you already made?

D. Curiosity is a guiding element of Toni Morrison’s talent as a writer. “I feel totally curious and alive and in control. And almost…magnificent, when I write,” she says. Celebrate your curiosity.

E. “Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away,” observed Frida Kahlo. Apply Kahlo’s perspective to your own life.

F. In the aftermath of World War II, Dartmouth President John Sloane Dickey, Class of 1929, proclaimed, “The world’s troubles are your troubles…and there is nothing wrong with the world that better human beings cannot fix.” Which of the world’s “troubles” inspires you to act? How might your course of study at Dartmouth prepare you to address it?

Unlike the first prompt, the second of the Dartmouth application essays revolves around you. Not only do you get to choose which of the Dartmouth essay prompts to answer, but many of the Dartmouth supplemental essays are open-ended. This leaves you free to use the Dartmouth essay prompts to discuss anything in your life and experiences that resonate with you. As with the first essay prompt, your response is another opportunity to add to the story of who you are. What is important to you that haven’t you included in other parts of your application?

To help you get started, let’s break down each prompt and unpack what they ask.

This prompt is actually multiple prompts rolled into one. As you think about this Dartmouth essay, consider the different translations as lenses through which you might examine who you are. What is the story of your life through the traditions you or your family practices? Through tracing your family tree? Through the stories of your great-great relatives, or the cultural or religious figures you believe in?

Since you only have 250-300 words for these Dartmouth essay prompts, you’ll want to be concise. You may choose to open your Dartmouth essay with an anecdote about your history, traditions, or culture. Then, get right into describing how the trait you choose reflects your identity.

Remember—the Dartmouth application essays are intended to help Admissions Officers get to know  you . Don’t get hung up on the semantics of a particular tradition or story. Instead, use your topic to help Dartmouth Admissions Officers understand more about who you are. In this case, the Dartmouth application essays that focus on the applicant’s own identity will be the most successful.

This Dartmouth essay prompt is all about your passions. Is there a specific anecdote that embodies your passion? Or is there an origin or starting point you can trace your passion back to? Is there a personal reason you are passionate about a specific area of study?

Since this prompt is so open-ended, you can use it to give Dartmouth an honest glance into who you are and how you view the world. Above all, be honest! Authenticity is key when approaching the Dartmouth essay prompts.

Quickly explain what excites you, then delve into  why  it excites you. For instance, if you’re interested in geology, don’t spend your Dartmouth essay just talking about rocks; instead, quickly explain your interest, then move into a discussion about how your interest relates to your overall identity. Admissions officers should come away from this Dartmouth essay with a clearer image of who you are.

This Dartmouth essay prompt is about creativity. What are you passionate about making? Why are you passionate about it? Where does your passion come from? What effect do you hope your creation has on others? On yourself? On the world?

As you approach this Dartmouth essay, begin by brainstorming different things you have either already created or want to create. Keep in mind that “creation” can mean a wide variety of things! Maybe you invented a device in your engineering club; maybe you put in place a new set of community guidelines to promote kindness and equity at your school. Any form of creation will be suitable for this Dartmouth essay!

You can answer this Dartmouth essay prompt in a variety of ways, choosing to discuss either something you’ve already made or something you hope to create. Either way, your response should foreground the relationship between creativity and your own life. Again, make sure your response talks about YOU and how you view the world!

This Dartmouth essay prompt can also be a great chance to supplement your candidate profile by showing particular ways you’ve engaged with your interests. For example, if you won a state-wide robotics competition but didn’t discuss robotics in your other essays, the Dartmouth supplemental essays give you the chance to talk about the things you’ve made in more detail.

Like the other Dartmouth supplemental essays, this prompt allows for a lot of flexibility. In fact, it doesn’t even pose a question—instead, it asks you to “celebrate your curiosity.”

As you approach this Dartmouth essay prompt, think about what curiosity means to you. What are you curious about? Is there a specific story or anecdote that embodies your curiosity? What does your curiosity look like? Is it research? Reflection? How do you like to learn and feed your curiosity?

In responding to this prompt for the Dartmouth supplemental essays, consider how curiosity manifests in your own life. Maybe you taught yourself ASL to communicate with a Deaf classmate; maybe you took a road trip to the desert to study ecological phenomena. This Dartmouth essay prompt is the chance for you to celebrate who you are and convince Admissions Officers that you would be a great addition to their community.

This Dartmouth essay prompt asks you to consider how change manifests in your own life. There are many ways you could approach this prompt, whether you agree or disagree with Kahlo’s perspective. In what ways has your life changed? How has your understanding of change and impermanence developed? When were you forced to change?

If answered appropriately, this Dartmouth essay question can help show Admissions Officers your intellectual maturity. After all, change is a huge part of life, and few changes are more momentous than the transition to college! In this instance, successful Dartmouth supplemental essays will use the theme of change to tell a story about how a student has developed and will continue to develop at Dartmouth.

As you answer this Dartmouth essay prompt, be careful about your choice of topic. Change can be a great thing, but it can also be a challenge. While you can certainly write about difficult topics in your Dartmouth supplemental essays, be careful not to veer into subjects that might negatively impact your application. As a general rule, Admissions Officers tend to struggle with essays about high school drama, mental illness, or severe trauma (though there are exceptions to every rule).

Finally, this prompt has to do with passion for change. What do you believe should be different in our world? What is your medium for change? Activism? Technology? Invention? What specific course(s) at Dartmouth will feed and grow this passion? Are there current members of the faculty or alumni involved in the kind of work you hope to be doing?

This Dartmouth essay prompt also hints at the “Why Dartmouth” question. With this in mind, the most successful Dartmouth supplemental essays will use Dartmouth as a means of expressing how a student hopes to change the world.

Above all, your answer to this Dartmouth essay question should be genuine. Additionally, you’ll likely want to choose a “trouble” related to your overall candidate profile. For instance, if you’re interested in electrical engineering, you may not want to write about solving world hunger. Be honest, be humble, and express what matters to you.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of Dartmouth supplemental essays. If you’re having trouble choosing one of the Dartmouth essay prompts, try setting a timer for five minutes and write out a bulleted list for each of the prompts that interest you. The longer the list, or the more detailed the bullets, the more likely it is you’ll have plenty to write about. If none of the Dartmouth supplemental essays immediately jump out at you, try one of our  writing exercises  to jumpstart your brainstorm. Then, see how you could connect it to one of the Dartmouth essay prompts.

• Does your response reflect a unique experience or perspective?
• Do you offer new and valuable information not found elsewhere in your application?
• Does your response address the specific question asked in the selected prompt?

What kind of students does Dartmouth look for?

The Dartmouth essay prompts help Admissions to look for students that believe in building community and will embody  their core values . They aim to admit students who are committed to academic excellence, integrity, collaboration, and respect. Dartmouth is dedicated to a diversity of opinions and looks for students from all backgrounds and financial means.

If you think Dartmouth is the right school for you, try to demonstrate their values throughout your application. The Dartmouth supplemental essays give you lots of opportunities to discuss your identity in a clear and authentic way. Take advantage of the Dartmouth essay prompts and show Admissions Officers that they want you at their school!

Dartmouth Supplemental Essays: Final Thoughts

The Dartmouth supplemental essays help the Admissions team learn more about who you are and why you belong at Dartmouth. Your Dartmouth essays give you space to express who you are and what matters to you on your own terms. Rather than viewing these essays as a challenging task to complete, view them as an opportunity to be honest about your experiences and let your personality shine through. This will help your Dartmouth application essays stand out!

Distilling everything important about yourself into the Dartmouth supplemental essays may seem intimidating, but remember that you are your own greatest asset. As you craft your Dartmouth essays, use this guide to help. Be sure to give yourself enough time to draft and revise each of your responses. Remember, you have complete control over how you answer the Dartmouth supplemental essays, including good spelling and punctuation. Good luck!

This 2021-2022 essay guide on Dartmouth College was written by Stefanie Tedards, Northwestern  ‘17 . For more CollegeAdvisor.com resources on Dartmouth,  click here . Want help crafting your Dartmouth supplemental essays? Create your   free account  or  schedule a no-cost advising consultation  by calling (844) 505-4682.

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Dartmouth’s Supplemental Essay Prompts

• Post author By Top Tier Admissions
• Post date September 22, 2023
• No Comments on Dartmouth’s Supplemental Essay Prompts

For the 2023-2024 application cycle, Dartmouth College requires all applicants to respond to three supplemental essay questions, listed below. With Dartmouth’s November 1 early decision deadline approaching, now is the time to begin these responses if you haven’t yet! 

One of our favorite prompts asks applicants to respond to the words of Dartmouth alum, Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel, Class of 1925), who wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” In your short essay, prospective students are asked, “as you wonder and think, what’s on your mind?”

We also love the option to “Celebrate your nerdy side” in a short essay. Dartmouth, like all elite colleges, is looking for students with intellectual vitality, students who love to learn, and students who are curious about the world. This is a great option to showcase how you have gone above and beyond to pursue your unique scholarly interests.

Essay Guidance

Get our expert guidance on your college essays.

TTA TOP TIP

Our very own Maria Laskaris , Senior Private Counselor, can speak from experience. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 1984 and served as the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Dartmouth, overseeing all facets of the admissions and financial aid processes and evaluating tens of thousands of applicants.

Maria shared her top tips as you approach the Dartmouth supplements:

More than anything, Dartmouth is defined by its special sense of place. It’s beautiful setting along the banks of the Connecticut River forges community and builds character. Students flock to campus from around the country and around the world, entranced by the setting and eager to join its intellectually inspired, diverse, and vibrant community. 

It’s not surprising that the first supplemental essay prompt focuses on just that— Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth’s Class of 2028, what aspects of the College’s academic program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? In short, Why Dartmouth? Please respond in 100 words or fewer.

This small college on the hill—beloved by so many—combines the cutting-edge resources and research of a major university with a deep commitment to undergraduate education where students are inspired to be their best selves. A flexible, year-round calendar encourages students to stretch their horizons through interdisciplinary study, nearly limitless major/minor combinations, and study-abroad opportunities and apply their learning through internships and volunteer work.

So, before you sit down to respond to Dartmouth’s “why” supplemental essay prompt, do your homework. In 100 words or less, why do you see Dartmouth as the perfect fit for you? Love the quarter system and flexibility of D-Plan? Great—just don’t regurgitate the basic talking points from the info session. How would you customize the calendar to fit your interests? How will you take advantage of these amazing opportunities to stretch and challenge yourself? Love the rural setting and access to the outdoors? Terrific — instead of telling Dartmouth how cool it is that they have their own skiway, share why you think this particular learning environment—this special sense of place—will inspire you to be your best self.

Dartmouth firmly believes that a diverse student body is one of its most important educational resources. The college’s second set of essay prompts is meant to learn more about you — and what your unique background, perspectives, and experiences would add to the diversity of the community. There is no one archetype of a Dartmouth student — and that’s the beauty of the place. Share a moment or a set of experiences that are important to you and reflect on their meaning. How did those moments shape the person you are today and what from those experiences will you bring with you to Dartmouth?

Among one of the most iconic figures in Dartmouth’s history is its 12th president, John Sloan Dickey ’29. Dartmouth challenges students to use their education to make an impact in the world, very much in keeping with the words of this legendary president: “The world’s troubles are your troubles, and there’s nothing wrong with the world that better [human beings] cannot fix.”

As you tackle one of the third set of supplemental essay prompts, remember that it’s in Dartmouth’s DNA to want to make the world a better place — whether an important issue to you close to home or a major societal challenge. Think about President Dickey’s challenge to generations of Dartmouth students as you write your third supplement. As you reflect on President Dickey and labor leader Dolores Huerta’s words, share how you are making — or hope to make — an impact.

Dartmouth’s mission statement lays it out for you: Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership. Use your three Dartmouth supplements to show that you fit that bill perfectly!

Dartmouth’s Supplemental Essay Prompts

1. Required of all applicants. Please respond in 100 words or fewer: Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth’s Class of 2028, what aspects of the College’s academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest? In short, why Dartmouth?

2. Required of all applicants, please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer: A. There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today. B. “Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself.

3. Required of all applicants, please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer: A. What excites you? B. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you already making—an impact? Why? How? C. Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth’s Class of 1925, wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” As you wonder and think, what’s on your mind? D. Celebrate your nerdy side. E. “It’s not easy being green…” was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook? F. As noted in the College’s mission statement, “Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…” Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you?

Are you thinking about applying to Dartmouth College ? Confused on how to start writing these essays? Contact us to discuss our Essay Guidance Program or Personal Boot Camp . 

By working on your applications now , you will be able to reap the benefit of increased odds in the early round of admissions.  Top Tier Admissions is tracking supplemental essay prompts for all top schools here — we look forward to supporting you !

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How to Write the Dartmouth Supplemental Essays 2023–2024

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Dartmouth College asks applicants to answer three supplemental essay prompts, each quirkier than the last. As the smallest and most northern Ivy League school, Dartmouth stands out for its tight-knit community and famously creative alumni, from Dr. Seuss and Mr. Rogers, to Mindy Kaling and Robert Frost. If you’re applying to Dartmouth, you might find their unusual essay prompts intimidating. In this post, we’ll break down how to answer each of the Dartmouth supplemental essays. We’ll also help you choose the right prompts for your unique background and personality so that you can put your best foot forward on your application.

Dartmouth College’s 2023-2024 Prompts

You will need to write three essays for your Dartmouth College application. The first essay is a relatively straightforward “Why Dartmouth?” prompt. For the second and third essays, you’ll be able to select your favorite prompt from a list of prompts. You’ll want to choose wisely!

Supplemental Essay Prompts

Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. as you seek admission to dartmouth’s class of 2028, what aspects of the college’s academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest in short, why dartmouth (100 words).

• There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today.
• “Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself.
• What excites you?
• Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you already making—an impact? Why? How?
• Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth’s Class of 1925, wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” As you wonder and think, what’s on your mind?
• Celebrate your nerdy side.
• “It’s not easy being green…” was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook?
• As noted in the College’s mission statement, “Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…” Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you?

Why Dartmouth?

This prompt looks like many other college application prompts: it just boils down to “Why Dartmouth?” That said, there are some differences. Dartmouth admissions officers, when composing this prompt, hint at the location and mission of Dartmouth College. If you find yourself drawn to any specific aspect of Dartmouth’s mission statement and core values , this essay response is a great place for you to break down why those values speak to you and/or draw you to apply to Dartmouth College.

In addition, the reader expects you to have completed some research on Dartmouth’s unique offerings. Name programs, courses, clubs, and/or specific cultural qualities of Dartmouth College that interest you. Then, explain what interests you about them. You could also touch on what makes Dartmouth different. Without putting other schools down, what does Dartmouth provide that you couldn’t have access to anywhere else? The key is that your reader should know you’re writing about Dartmouth whether they’re explicitly told or not. Why? Because your explanation for why Dartmouth is right for you could not be repurposed for any other school.

Who Are You?

The following two prompts, which you can choose between, both focus on who you are. Option A asks about your background; option B asks you to introduce yourself. Unlike many other essay prompts, these prompts don’t focus on who you will be and what you will do, but rather on who you are now. 

Here’s a quick breakdown to help you choose the prompt that’s right for you:

• If you would prefer to focus on how your community, hometown, family, school, or other factors outside of your control have shaped the person you are today, option A is probably the best option for you.
• If you would prefer to write about how you have developed as a unique individual, not necessarily as a result of your background (which may feel less compelling to you to write about), then option B is probably your best bet.

Option A: There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today. (200-250 words)

This prompt asks you to reflect on your past and bring it to the page in a brief essay response. It’s a tall order: you’ll need to describe not only your background, but also how it has impacted you, and who you are today. These elements can be provided in any order. For instance, your essay could have one of the following outlines:

• Describe my unique way of seeing the world
• Describe my family and how they see the world
• Describe how my family influenced the way I see the world
• Open with an anecdote about my school
• Describe how I struggled to fit in at my school
• Express how that experience has shaped who I am today

These outlines are just examples, not suggestions or prescriptions. Before writing this essay, consider writing your own outline so that you can be sure you incorporate all of the important elements into your essay.

Option B: “Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself. (200-250 words)

This essay prompt asks you who you are, but more than that, it asks you to describe what makes you unique. If “everyone else is taken,” authenticity is all the more important. Honesty and integrity are crucial aspects of the college application process; this essay particularly relies on authenticity and standing out from the crowd by means of your authenticity.

Like your “Why Dartmouth?” essay, you want this response to be applicable only to you . If someone who knows you read this essay without anyone telling them who wrote it, they should be able to identify the author confidently.

Introducing yourself is a notoriously difficult task despite sounding quite simple. Consider the biographical details that make you who you are. Also, consider your response to the classic “Tell me about yourself” interview question. Then, try to identify a thread that links some or most of your identifying characteristics together. To the best of your ability, highlight that thread in your essay response.

What Do You Do?

The following six essay prompts are diverse and creative, but each comes down to the same core: what do you do? This question could apply to your academic life, your extracurricular activities, your community service, your family obligations, what you do for fun, or some combination. It can also apply to what you will do in the future (and how you are currently preparing to do those things in the future). 

Here’s a brief breakdown of why you should pick each prompt:

• Option A is the broadest and should be chosen if you feel like you have a good sense of a cohesive answer already that doesn’t quite fit with the other prompts.
• Option B might be best suited to students who are engaged in civic or community service and wish to continue impacting society, though bear in mind that the prompt can be read expansively.
• Option C is likely best suited for students who have powerful imaginations that drive their academic, personal, or extracurricular explorations.
• Option D might be the prompt for you if you possess a specific, unique nerdy interest that might not otherwise be reflected in your application.
• Option E is a strong choice for students whose identities, experience of diversity, or challenging backgrounds have shaped their life experiences.
• Option F, last but not least, is the stand-out choice for students whose identities and actions in the actions in the present are most heavily influenced by their goals and intentions for the future.

Option A: What excites you? (200-250 words)

This essay prompt gives you a broad canvas to paint upon—which means you especially need to make sure your composition is cohesive! When writing your response to this prompt, you might want to start by focusing on a specific 2-4 activities, topics, ideas, etc. that excite you. If possible, draw a thread between the different items you list.

Note that it’s okay to describe just one topic/idea/activity which excites you. If you choose that route, you’ll want to be sure that you expand upon the nuances of your choice and how it excites you in a multitude of ways. Even if your essay focuses on a limited subject, you can describe the different strengths you employ to do this exciting activity. Alternatively, you could discuss the different parts of your personality which are required to engage with this idea which excites you.

When answering this question, don’t feel restricted to academic or “serious” endeavors. Excitement doesn’t need to have formal or educational origins to be genuine and appropriate for a college essay context. Nevertheless, if possible, provide some diversity to your brief list. You can get creative with your answer! For instance, you might list many (i.e. 10+) topics, but each revolves around 1-2 related central ideas. Stay cohesive and cogent.

Option B: Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you already making—an impact? Why? How? (200-250 words)

This essay prompt requires specificity when it asks “Why? How?” When describing the impact you hope to make or are already making, make sure your description is grounded in concrete details. Consider the following types of details you can name: 

• Community organizations you work with or hope to work with
• Specific communities of individuals you help or would like to help
• Specific initiatives you are spearheading or hope to spearhead
• Specific social issues you are working to solve now or in the future

Even though this prompt implies topics of community or civic service in its response, you can respond expansively. For instance, if you are a painter, you might want to impact the people who view your paintings with a certain kind of emotion. If you’re a student-athlete, maybe you want to inspire the next generation of student-athletes or run marathons for charity. If you’re an aspiring mathematician, maybe you want to impact your specific field of interest with groundbreaking discoveries.

Whatever impact you hope to make or are making, do your best to elucidate what actions you are taking to instigate this change. Additionally, provide some insight regarding what motivates you to make this impact.

Option C: Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth’s Class of 1925, wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” As you wonder and think, what’s on your mind? (200-250 words)

Imagination comes in many flavors, and this essay prompt gives you the opportunity to share your unique flavor of imagination. Before you respond to this prompt, try sitting with your thoughts (with your phone and other devices put away). Let your mind wander. Do this activity for at least 15 minutes before writing down your thoughts. Write them down quickly, so you remember what they are! Feel free to do this exercise several times on different days. Doing so will help you accrue a diverse selection of thoughts.

When drafting the essay, you can use the fruits of your mind-wandering sessions as the basis for your answer. Using your real thoughts to spark your essay response will allow you to generate a genuine, memorable essay. Still, you’ll need to make sure that your essay is comprehensible to someone who doesn’t know you well. When we think, we often skip through logical progressions that make inherent sense to us. Be sure to share this essay response with a few readers who don’t know you well. These readers can point out where they struggle to follow your thought processes.

Option D: Celebrate your nerdy side. (200-250 words)

This joyful essay prompt gives you the opportunity to embrace what makes you a nerd, freely and without judgment. Many students have nerdy interests that don’t naturally fit into a college application. Maybe you have an obsession with a board game, a book series, or an esoteric area of study. If so, this prompt is for you.

If you’re full of nerdy qualities but finding this essay prompt challenging, consider asking a few friends or family members who know you well to describe what they think are aspects of your nerdy side. Oddly enough, “nerd’ is not usually a label we assign to ourselves, but one that others assign to us, sometimes in a critical manner. This essay prompt lets you reclaim this label in a positive light and express what nerdy activities, behaviors, or thought experiments you engage in—and how your nerdy side makes you you .

Option E: “It’s not easy being green…” was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook? (200-250 words)

This essay prompt puts a positive spin on the premise of being different and facing challenges. Try free-writing a response to this prompt before you compose a proper draft. What makes you stand out from the crowd, and how have those character traits, aspects of your identity, activities, or other qualities impacted the way you move through the world?

When embarking upon a draft of this essay, try to describe the way you, today, are influenced by your difference(s). What actions do you take, what perspectives do you hold, and how do you interact with the world as a result of your difference(s)?

As always, keep your essay response specific and personal to you and your experience. Although this essay response is about what makes you different, there may be many other students who are different in the same way or a similar way as you are. Ideally, if someone who knows you reads this essay, they will instantly know it’s about your experience, not the experience of someone who happens to be similar to you. 

Lastly, note the usage of “embraced” in the essay prompt’s wording. The reader is anticipating an optimistic outlook and/or positive view of your differences. If/when you describe the adversity you’ve faced, make sure that your response emphasizes the way you have embraced your difference(s) despite or even because of the adversity you have faced.

Option F: As noted in the College’s mission statement, “Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…” Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you? (200-250 words)

The wording of this prompt is giving you a heads-up when it says “Promise and potential… can be elusive qualities to capture”: many students respond to this prompt without quite capturing the promise and potential they aim to highlight. Knowing this, it’s your job to capture those qualities in yourself nonetheless.

How can you illustrate your promise and potential to a reader, without sounding arrogant or self-satisfied? One way is to describe the concrete actions you have taken to grow and/or better yourself. Demonstrating growth will imply the continuation of growth. Moreover, if you make that implication explicit by describing how you continue to foster your growth, you will be able to humbly prove your potential. 

In sum, you can provide a brief narrative of how you overcame a challenge or obstacle; how you grew as a person; or how you learned an important life lesson. Focus on an area of your life not otherwise highlighted in your application. Then, describe how you changed as a result of that experience. Finally, conclude by describing the actions you take currently to keep overcoming challenges, learn, and grow.

If you need help polishing up your Dartmouth College supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.

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Dartmouth Supplemental Essays 2023-24 Prompts and Advice

August 11, 2023

Dartmouth receives the fewest number of applications of the eight Ivy League schools. There were 28,841 hopefuls for the Class of 2027, less than half the number at Columbia or Harvard. Yet, that still represented an increase in the number of Dartmouth applications from the two years prior, resulting in the school’s lowest-ever acceptance rate of 6% (down from 6.2% the previous year, and a whopping 8.8% in 2024). When applying to a school that rejects 94% of applicants, you need to find ways to grab an admissions officer’s attention and give them a reason to say, “Yes!” The Dartmouth supplemental essays are one such chance.

Want to learn more about How to Get Into Dartmouth College? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into Dartmouth: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.

One of the best opportunities to move the admissions needle is through the three supplemental essays that Dartmouth requires. Dartmouth College’s essay prompts for the 2023-24 admissions cycle are listed below along with accompanying advice about how to tackle each one:

1) Dartmouth Supplemental Essays – Required Essay #1

Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth’s Class of 2028, what aspects of the College’s academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest? In short, why Dartmouth? (100 words)

This is, in essence, a straightforward “Why this College?” essay. Great things to highlight here include:

• Firstly, specific  student organizations at Dartmouth  that you would like to become involved with.
• Particular courses  offered in your discipline of interest at Dartmouth.
• Dartmouth professors whose work/research/writings you are intrigued by.
• Undergraduate research opportunities  unique to Dartmouth.
• Aspects of Dartmouth’s mission statement that resonate with you.
• Lastly,  study abroad opportunities .

Make sure to really do your research on the school. As a side benefit (and not an unimportant one), you may discover further reasons why Dartmouth truly is the perfect fit for you.

2) Dartmouth Supplemental Essays – Required Essay #2

Please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 250 words or fewer:

A) There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today.

This is an opportunity to share something about your background that may not shine through anywhere else on the application. To do so, consider discussing how your role in your family, important aspects of your upbringing, or a particular cultural, religious, or community influence either impacted your core values and beliefs or helped develop a particularly important attribute.

B) “Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself.

This is a fun opportunity to share something genuinely unique about yourself. As such, pick one (or several) key aspects of your personality/background that reveal something deep and meaningful about you. As you brainstorm, consider the following avenues:

• What moves your spirit? Discuss any art, movies, music, and books that you find deeply moving and personally important.
• Your role in your family.
• Your role in your social group.
• The funniest things you’ve ever done.
• The strangest things you’ve ever done.
• Commitment, passion, and enthusiasm.
• Core values and beliefs.
• Important aspects of your upbringing.
• Most intriguing and unique attributes.
• Cultural, religious, community influence.

3) Dartmouth Supplemental Essays – Required Essay #3

Please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 200-250 words:

A) What excites you?

Out of everything on this Earth, what makes you tick? What keeps you up at night? What subject makes you read books and online content until your eyes bleed? If you could address one problem in the world, large or small, what would it be? What do you love to do? If you are answering at least one of these questions, you are on the right track with this essay.

B) Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you making—an impact? Why? How?

This is your chance to show that you are a global citizen, aware and sensitive to issues faced by this planet and all life that occupies it. If you are passionate about climate change, the fate of democratic institutions, food scarcity, human rights, the impact of disinformation campaigns, privacy issues related to big tech, or any of the millions of other challenges faced by humanity, this is a great choice for you. Note that this year’s prompt includes the guiding questions why and how , so be sure to let them both guide your response.

Dartmouth Supplemental Essays (Continued)

C) Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth’s Class of 1925, wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” As you wonder and think, what’s on your mind?

Last year’s prompt: what do you wonder and think about? This year’s prompt: as you wonder and think, what’s on your mind? It’s clear that Dartmouth is not only interested in what you’re thinking about but also your overall thought process. What questions are you asking? Why are you asking them? What conclusions have your questions led you to, and how do you feel about those conclusions? Is there anything that you  like to know that you don’t have the answer to right now? What motivates, scares, or surprises you about your most pressing questions? The key here will be to take the reader on a little trip inside your brain (Magic School Bus not required).

D) Celebrate your nerdy side.

In just about every nineties movie, the nerds function as insanely smart social rejects with questionable outfit choices and pocket protectors, often banished to the worst lunch table. Luckily, times have changed, and being a nerd—especially at a school like Dartmouth—is downright aspirational. Moreover, the definition of a “nerd” is someone who is incredibly enthusiastic about a certain topic—especially if unique. Accordingly, if you’re interested in answering this question, make a list of any “specialties” that you are particularly dedicated to. Do you love the soundtracks of eighties movies? Science fiction short stories? Strategy games? Rubik’s cubes? Your backyard barometer? Comic book collections? Whatever topic you choose, make sure to truly lean in and celebrate it—what do you love about it, and why? How does it influence you?

E) “It’s not easy being green…” was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook?

Do you feel that your lived experience is different from others in your peer group, family, or community, perhaps in regard to relationships, household income level, mental or physical challenges, neurodiversity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or cultural background, to name a few? If so, answering this prompt could be a good option. While crafting your response, the important thing to keep in mind is that the difference/challenge itself is  less important  than what it reveals about your character and perspective. What steps have you taken to cope with your chosen difference? How has it positively impacted you? How has it influenced your perspective and the way you engage with the world? Is there anything about your difference that you feel especially appreciative of?  Make sure you share what you were feeling and experiencing; this piece should demonstrate openness and vulnerability.

F) As noted in the College’s mission statement, “Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…” Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you?

One of the best ways to communicate promise and potential is to demonstrate a passion for learning and growing. This prompt is not about presenting a laundry list of accomplishments; instead, it’s about showing the admissions committee that you possess qualities that can be cultivated for a lifetime, regardless of major or career, such as dedication, curiosity, innovation, or creativity, to name a few. You can accomplish this goal by describing how you’ve grown in a particular area and/or how you wish to grow, while remembering that flaws and mistakes made along the way often demonstrate tremendous self-awareness.

How important are the Dartmouth Supplemental Essays?

The essays (both the Common App essay and the supplemental ones) are “very important” to the evaluation process. Seven other factors are “very important.” These factors are: rigor of coursework, class rank, GPA, recommendations, test scores, character/personal qualities, and extracurricular activities. Clearly, Dartmouth College places enormous value on the quality of your supplemental essay.

Dartmouth Supplemental Essays – Want Personalized Essay Assistance?

To conclude, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Dartmouth supplemental essays, we encourage you to  get a quote  today.

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Dartmouth College 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 3

You Have: 

Dartmouth College 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 100 words, 2 essays of 250 words or fewer.

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Oddball , Community

The Dartmouth writing supplement offers you options! Let’s dig in.

1. Required of all applicants. Please respond in 100 words or fewer:

Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. as you seek admission to dartmouth’s class of 2027, what aspects of the college’s academic program, community, or campus environment attract your interest in short, why dartmouth please respond in 100 words or fewer..

If you have the unsettling feeling that you’ve read this prompt somewhere before, worry not. This prompt should ring a bell because it’s just a slightly more verbose version of the most common supplemental essay question out there: why here? Phrased this way, Dartmouth’s prompt is specifically probing for information about what piques your interest about its academics, community, and/or campus environment. Focus on how you would spend your time at Dartmouth and how the environment might enrich your own sense of purpose. What are you hoping to major in and why? What cozy corners of campus would you curl up in to review course materials? Are you eager to get involved in the student newspaper or gospel choir? As with all other “why” prompts, research is the key to writing a memorable essay, so spend a little time on the Dartmouth website and literally map your path from where you are now to where you hope to be in the near or distant future.

2. Required of all applicants, please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer:

A. there is a quaker saying: let your life speak. describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today. .

Admissions wants to know what or who has made you into the person you are today. Where do you come from? What has shaped you as a person, and how has that made your perspective unique? What you focus on here can be reflective of larger cultural constructs or specific to you and only you. Dartmouth is looking to add diverse perspectives to weave into the fabric of their student body. Is there anything you can teach your classmates about your hometown, traditions, culture, cuisine, orientation, identity, race, or ethnicity that they might not already know? Were you raised in a Muslim family in a small southern town? Have you grown up on a farm tending to the animals and land? Were you adopted as a toddler? Consider what has influenced your identity and how your worldview or background will bring something of value to the community at Dartmouth.

B. “ Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself.

This is the kind of prompt that tends to stump students the most. It’s so open-ended that many applicants don’t know where or how to start! Don’t worry, you’ll have a finished draft in no time. Start by answering the question stream-of-consciousness style. How would you introduce yourself to someone in a setting you’re comfortable in? Think about introducing yourself to someone after one of your plays or soccer games, gaming competitions or yoga classes. What would you say? You might talk about what interests you, things that are important to you, ideologies about life that offer you hope or feelings of connection. Maybe you’d address your favorite qualities about yourself or the burning passions that motivate your choices and worldview. We believe your best bet at a unique and memorable response is to leave yourself enough time to freewrite, draft, organize, edit, and polish. Responses to prompts like these shouldn’t be written in one sitting—there’s too much to capture!

3. Required of all applicants, please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer:

A. what excites you.

This prompt is as simple as they come, and yet it can be totally overwhelming to tackle. If nothing comes to mind immediately, read through the other prompts to see if anything makes that magic light bulb appear above your head. If you find yourself coming back to this prompt, try to focus on a subject that stokes your curiosity, a specific concept that has infiltrated your browser history, or an experience that has burned itself into your brain. Which kind of homework assignments are you clamoring to complete first? Which topics want to make you open up a new book, Google the definition of a word you’re not familiar with, or hit play on a podcast? Who challenges you to think of issues in new ways? Whatever excites you, Dartmouth is aiming to bring self-motivated, deep thinkers into their student body. Admissions officers want to know that you’ll be eager to contribute to lively class discussion and maybe conduct research in your latter years on campus. Remember, enthusiasm is infectious, so show them that you’ll be a valuable addition to any classroom setting by getting specific here — and maybe even getting them excited about a new topic!

B. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you already making—an impact? Why? How?

Community, community, community. Even though it doesn’t say it explicitly, this question is asking, “What do you hope to achieve for the greater good?” Dartmouth wants to know what you consider to be your life’s purpose. (They know you’re young and still figuring things out, so don’t worry about being held to it!) What kind of mark would you like to leave on the world? If you find yourself drawn to this prompt, odds are you already have a few ideas in mind. Whether you’d like to dedicate your life to advocating for the voiceless or tearing down barriers for marginalized groups, tell admissions why this path is the one you’ve chosen (or maybe it has chosen you!). Be sure to mention any progress you’ve already made toward this goal and how it will influence the work you hope to do in the future.

C. Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth’s Class of 1925, wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” As you wonder and think, what’s on your mind?

Dartmouth wants to accept intellectually curious applicants, so take this opportunity to share one of the concepts that lives rent-free in your mind with admissions! When was the last time you went down an internet rabbit hole researching something that piqued your interest? Maybe you spend time wondering about the mind, body, and spirit—where each begins and ends—or perhaps you find yourself daydreaming about the potential of time travel and its related consequences on Earthlings (cue Tony Stark’s lecture that it’s nothing like Back to the Future ). Ultimately, you want to discuss examples of what truly fascinates you while also reflecting on what these examples say about your personality traits, interests, and/or learning style.

D. Celebrate your nerdy side.

Alright, passionate people, this one’s for us! Dartmouth wants to accept intellectually curious applicants, so take this opportunity to demonstrate your passion for pursuing knowledge! When was the last time you lost track of time while researching something that caught your interest? When were you recently motivated to solve a problem or create something new? What was the last fact or skill you learned outside of school? Ultimately, you want to discuss examples of what truly fascinates you while also reflecting on what these examples say about your personality traits, interests, and/or learning style. Whether you could read about the cult of celebrity for hours on end or spend all weekend in the garage refurbishing old cars with your mom, admissions wants to hear about it. And don’t forget: this is still an essay about you, so don’t get lost in a detailed explanation of linear algebra; instead, focus on why it brings you joy, satisfaction, etc. 

E. “It’s not easy being green…” was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook? 

What a fabulous essay prompt—so simple, so concise, yet so ripe for exploration. Admissions is thinking critically about this common Kermit quote that others may overlook, and they want you to do the same. What is your “green,” so to say? Feeling different from others is quite a universal experience, especially for teenagers, so take some time to think about what makes you feel different and how your relationship with that difference has changed over the years. This prompt could be a great opportunity to discuss your relationship with your racial, ethnic, or gender identity, but it doesn’t have to be. Maybe you have celiac disease and pizza parties have been off the table, forcing you to bring food from home! If this prompt calls to you, trust your instincts and leave yourself plenty of time to freewrite and revise. 

F. As noted in the College’s mission statement, “Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…” Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you?

In this prompt, admissions plainly states that promise and potential are elusive qualities to capture, then challenges you to highlight those very aspects of your candidacy in your response. (Cool, cool, cool.) If you feel that your application, as it stands, does not capture your full potential, this is likely the prompt for you. Maybe responsibilities at home have prevented you from exploring more academic and extracurricular interests. Walk admissions through how taking care of your younger siblings or an elderly family member taught you valuable lessons that you’ll be able to apply in higher ed. Perhaps you are incredibly tenacious and firmly believe that when a door shuts, another opens. How have you applied this ideology to your life thus far? Have you taken rejection on the chin and thrown yourself back into the ring time after time? Show admissions that you have what it takes to succeed.

About Kat Stubing

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Tuck Admissions Insights: 2023-2024 Application Essays

By patricia harrison director of admissions, evaluation and yield.

Crafting well-written essays is both challenging and rewarding. You can find advice and essay guidance from many outside influencers and websites; however, my colleagues and I want you to hear directly from those of us who are reading and evaluating your essays. Below I offer insight to help you craft your responses to our 2023-2024 essays. 

Essay Question #1: "Why are you pursuing an MBA and why now? How will the distinct Tuck MBA contribute to achieving your career goals and aspirations?" 

This essay maps to our “aware” criterion, so before you start reflecting and writing, review what being aware, ambitious, and purposeful means at Tuck . Then, recognize the three important considerations here. First, your aspirations matter. You’ve shared elsewhere in the application your short- and long-term goals, audacious in scope and grounded in reality. Second, the Tuck MBA is distinct. Spend time and effort identifying why an MBA, and especially the Tuck MBA, aligns with your goals. Third, why you’re deciding to pursue an MBA now matters. 

Consider devoting roughly half the essay to why an MBA is right for you, and the other half to why Tuck is right for you. For the first part: explain why, given the various paths for growth and development, you’ve chosen to pursue the MBA degree and why you seek it at this stage of your professional development. Whether you come from a professional or personal background where pursuing an MBA is a typical step towards your goals or whether it’s less common, demonstrate that you’ve given real thought to the value of an MBA for you. Show that you understand why this is the right time for you to step away from working and towards an MBA. Take this opportunity to “connect the dots.” An MBA can add value for a diverse population across a variety of professional pursuits. We hope to see that you can express thoughtfully how an MBA adds value to yours. Occasionally, we have applicants who hold a graduate degree that is similar to an MBA. If you do, be sure to address why you need a Tuck MBA in addition to what you already have. 

For the second part: explain why you are applying to Tuck. There is a distinction here between loving Tuck and knowing Tuck. Show clarity and awareness about how Tuck uniquely advances you towards your goals. That requires aligning what Tuck offers with what you want. The strongest essays are ones where the reader cannot simply replace the word "Tuck" with any other school name without the essay losing its meaning. Sometimes we see candidates include a list of names of all the Tuckies they have connected with. Please continue to seek out members of our community to learn about the Tuck experience, but rather than focusing on who you have spoken with in your essay, reflect directly on what you have learned from those conversations and how it relates to your goals. 

Since you’ve stated your short- and long-term goals elsewhere, you don’t need to restate them here. We read each application in its entirety, so the person reading your application has already seen your goals before reading your essay. Some of you may choose to use this essay to elaborate on goals, while others might make your case for an MBA and Tuck without explicitly referencing your goals. Either way, consider this essay a supplement to your goals rather than a recitation. 

In summary: a strong response goes beyond generic responses, applicable for any MBA program or any Tuck applicant, and instead provides a clear, highly personalized articulation of the match between you and Tuck. 

Essay Question #2: “Tell us who you are. How have your values and experiences shaped your identity and character? How will your background contribute to the diverse Tuck culture and community?” 

Like the first essay, this second essay also maps to our “aware” criterion. As you approach it, think about the interplay between individuality and community. Some of you have asked us whether your response should show that you “fit in” with Tuck or whether it should highlight that you are different and distinct. They’re not mutually exclusive. We want you to confidently bring your whole unique personal self, including your strengths and growth areas, to Tuck. We hope you appreciate how this extraordinary community is a tapestry of the collective individuals therein and how adding to it means choosing to consistently engage. 

This prompt is an invitation to articulate your individuality. In alignment with Tuck’s core values of being personal, connected, and transformative , we strive to get to know our candidates well, and this is another deliberate step to learn more about you. Perhaps my favorite aspect of this question is that there’s no one right answer, or even a right category of answers. We’re expecting responses that are as diverse and wide-ranging as our students. Maybe you define who you are most strongly through your professional experiences and aspirations. Or perhaps your sense of self is rooted in your life story that may not have anything to do with your professional work. Maybe a community of importance, a culture, specific relationships, challenges overcome or personal values shaped who you are. The heart of this question is about your individual identity, and the strongest responses will reveal the clarity and depth of your reflection. Applicants will sometimes ask me how they can differentiate themselves when they come from an industry that is heavily represented in the pool. This is a great place to do that! You are so much more than a job title. Use this space to tell us about the real you, things that we couldn’t otherwise know just by looking at your resume. 

Finally, we are interested in hearing about the person who will show up at Tuck rather than the things you will do here . We expect some of you may choose to explicitly name aspects of Tuck where you will add. That’s okay, but the true heart of this essay is your individuality rather than a list of classes and clubs of interest. In fact, a strong essay does not necessarily have to mention Tuck at all; you may be able to convey who you are in ways that implicitly and powerfully illuminate what you bring. 

In summary: we hope your response is honest, revealing, and deeply personal—one you and only you could have written! 

Essay Question #3: “Describe a time you meaningfully contributed to someone else’s sense of inclusion in your professional or personal community.” 

This essay maps directly to our “encouraging” criterion, so we suggest that you review what it means at Tuck to be encouraging, collaborative, and empathetic . We are excited to learn about how you empathize with and support others. 

At Tuck we honor diversity in all its forms, welcome each person as they are, and provide the spaces and opportunities to engage in respectful, meaningful, and growth-oriented discussion and debate. Not every student’s journey to Tuck follows the same path, but the community embraces everyone. With this essay, we are looking for how you have actively welcomed others to a new experience or place, how you encouraged them to join in, or helped them belong. 

Here we’re asking you to tell one specific, discrete story rather than offer general reflections or a collection of stories. The 300-word count is brief, so use good judgment about the level of detail to provide. Give enough context to set the stakes while leaving yourself enough space to focus on what you did and what outcome you achieved. Tell a story that focuses on your engagement with one other person, or perhaps a very small group, conveying the richness and depth of interpersonal interactions. Here too, we expect a breadth of responses as diverse as the fabric of Tuck. Your story can be personal or professional. What matters most is the depth of experience and its meaning to you and to those affected by your actions. 

Go beyond a simple tactical description of teamwork or an example of inviting another to join a group or community. We are interested in the interpersonal relationships you built, the personal investment you made, and the impact you had. We hope to see that your interactions and empathy are not routine, common, or expected. A defining quality of our "encouraging” criterion is that these characteristics occur “even when not convenient or easy.” Your example should go beyond doing something that would be expected of anyone in your situation or role. 

In summary: a strong response will focus on a meaningful engagement with another person or small group, and go beyond what’s expected, routine, or common. 

As always, my Admissions colleagues and I are happy to help if you have further questions about your essays or any other part of your Tuck application. Happy writing—we look forward to getting to know more about you through your essays! 

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The Writing Center is a free service dedicated to helping members of the Dartmouth community develop more effective strategies for generating and organizing their ideas, finding and evaluating research sources, and presenting and revising written work. Through informal dialogue, Writing Center tutors assist student writers in developing better compositions and more effective composing strategies. 

If you are a undergraduate student, you can request an appointment by walking into the Writing Center during open hours or schedule a session in advance.

Location & Hours

The Writing Center is located in Berry 183 , where we hold peer-to-peer tutoring for Dartmouth students.

Each term, the Writing Center opens on the first Sunday after classes begin. The last day of regular tutoring is the last day of classes.

Learn more about the Writing Center .

The Writing Assistance Program

The Writing Assistant (WA) program  is a feature of Dartmouth's Writing Center. Writing Assistants are trained undergraduate tutors who are paired with writing-intensive courses, providing students written feedback, face-to-face consultations, and other support on drafts of course projects. Faculty may request a Writing Assistant for any undergraduate course. Inviting a Writing Assistant to collaborate in the teaching of writing will make guided revision a central part of your students' learning experience, provide students with more personalized feedback, and encourage students to access the supportive peer resources at the Writing Center throughout their careers at Dartmouth.

Learn about the Writing Assistant program .

Make an Appointment

If you are a undergraduate student, you can request an appointment by walking into the Writing Center during open hours ; if tutors are not already busy with another student, they will meet with you. However, if you would like to guarantee time with a tutor, we recommend that you schedule a session in advance. Learn more about undergraduate sessions .

If you are a graduate student, please visit the Writing Center  Graduate Sessions page to learn more about how to secure support for your work. Graduate Peer Tutors are available on a limited basis in the Writing Center, and both Graduate Peer Tutors and Graduate and Postdoctoral Writing Consultants are able to schedule sessions individually upon request.

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A Deep Dive into Dimensions

One writer explores dimensions — dartmouth’s admitted students weekend — by interviewing the hosts who make it happen..

Dimensions of Dartmouth, known colloquially as Dimensions, is the College’s admitted students program — meant to give prospective and incoming freshmen a glimpse into a day in the life of a Dartmouth undergraduate. Last year, as I was struggling to make a decision between Dartmouth and another institution, I attended Dimensions to help me make up my mind. 

I was truly captivated by how the campus community welcomed me with open arms. I felt as though I was a part of the College, even though I hadn’t committed yet. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many people who were not only extremely talented, but also kind and genuine. Very shortly after leaving campus that day, I decided to commit to Dartmouth, knowing I would have a community of people supporting me when I arrived in the fall.

During Dimensions, each prospective student — endearingly known as a “prospie” — is paired with a host, a current student who volunteers their time, and sometimes the floor of their dorm room, to give prospies a glimpse into Dartmouth student life. 

David Rogers ’25 has been a Dimensions host since his freshman year. He volunteered as a day host in 2022 before becoming an overnight host for the past two years. After being admitted to Dartmouth in December 2020, Rogers was not able to participate in Dimensions, which was canceled in 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in the years since, Rogers said he thought that hosting prospies could allow him to connect with potential incoming students and introduce them to the Dartmouth community.

“I think it’s a super fun opportunity to be someone’s relative first memory at Dartmouth, even though they aren’t an official student yet,” Rogers said.

In preparation for Dimensions, the Admissions Office solicits student volunteers to host a prospie, either for the day or overnight. When it comes to matching prospective students with hosts, the Admissions Office uses a portal where both parties can enter information about themselves, such as their interests and involvements, to get the best possible match, according to senior associate director of admissions Anna Dechert. While the office tries to match people with similar interests if they “have the time and capacity,” Dechert added that this does not always work out. 

“Matching students by gender identity … is kind of the first thing, and then availability,” she said. “If there are other kind[s] of common interests, whether that’s academic or other interests, sometimes we have more capacity to do that, and sometimes we don’t.” 

In 2023, the College hosted its first in-person Dimensions in four years, making the Class of 2027 the only class currently on campus to have experienced in-person Dimensions. Catherine Harnois ’27, who attended Dimensions last year before matriculating, said she enjoyed attending classes and taking tours. She said the experience ultimately prompted her to become a host this spring, as she hoped to provide a similar positive experience for the incoming class.

“I was already committed [when I attended Dimensions], but I think that coming here and being on campus with students and getting to go to classes — and seeing how students interact[ed] with each other — definitely made me more comfortable in my decision and confident that I wanted to come here,” Harnois said.

When she participated in the program, Harnois said she thought Dimensions was successful at showing students a “day in the life” of a Dartmouth student.

“I think [Dimensions] does a pretty good job, because [prospective students are] able to go to classes and then have … lunch when [their host goes] to lunch, and see what a Dartmouth student does in a day,” Harnois said.

Dimensions primarily curates its programming for prospies, with options including sitting in on classes that interest them and taking tours. However, potential new students also have plenty of time to explore campus and Hanover alongside their hosts outside the planned curriculum. In addition to taking his two prospies on a tour of the College, Michael Lu ’25 said he also connected them with his friends, who came from similar backgrounds or had shared interests.

“One of the prospies was from Texas, and specifically Houston, so I set them up with one of my friends who was from Houston who could talk to them about the transition from [Houston to Hanover] that I wasn’t so knowledgeable about,” Lu said.

Dechert said formal programming combined with blocks of unstructured time makes the Dimensions experience unique among peer institutions. According to Dechert, several other universities’ admitted students’ days primarily consist of large, formal and fully curated information sessions. By contrast, Dartmouth focuses on allowing prospies to have an “authentic interaction” with the community. 

Tim Walters ’27, a Dimensions host this year, said having a more unstructured Dimensions schedule allows prospective students to imagine their lives at Dartmouth. He added that the support of the Dartmouth community also plays a major role in giving prospies a positive experience.

“It’s a great way of showing students what Dartmouth is actually like,” Walters said. “Everyone is so nice to you and everyone you meet is trying to offer advice and trying to help you out.”

Associate director of admissions and coordinator of Native/Indigenous outreach Steven Abbott also said the day-in-the-life format can provide prospies with “good ways” to get “as broad a perspective as [they] can.”

Though Dimensions provides opportunities for prospective students to engage with the Dartmouth community and build connections with both current students and potential classmates, there is always room for improvement. Lu said it would be helpful for prospies with similar interests to be placed in small groups. This strategy could help prospies make stronger connections while giving the hosts time to focus on non-Dimensions work, since it could be “boring for potential students” if the host has to take time to study in the library, Lu said.

Harnois added that offering more programming on the day before Dimensions officially begins — when prospective students arrive at their overnight hosts’ living spaces — would allow prospies to fully engage with Dartmouth from the moment they step foot on campus. 

“I know not everyone was showing up [early], but just having more opportunities for the people who do come early [could be helpful],” Harnois said.

When asked what advice he would give to uncommitted prospective students, Rogers said they should try to envision themselves on campus and seek the most authentic Dartmouth experience possible.

“Just try to experience Dartmouth in all of its glory — and have fun, because that’s what Dartmouth is all about,” Rogers said. “Come to Dartmouth. You’re going to love it. It’s going to be an amazing time for you.”

For Lu, the people at Dartmouth are what make the College special. Both his older sister and his brother-in-law went to Dartmouth, so he grew up hearing positive anecdotes. Still, he said he didn’t understand the reason for the College’s reviews until he became a student. 

“Why I really fell in love with Dartmouth [was] the people here,” he said. “I think the people that go to Dartmouth are particularly unique and … have a really positive energy. … They’re willing to go out of their way to host and help you with anything that you need.”

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Julia cross ’24 dies at age 21, college community reacts to dartmouth’s ‘c’ grade on adl’s antisemitism report card, letter to the editor: a member of the men’s basketball team speaks out in opposition to unionization, james parker up for parole in may, 23 years after the zantop murders, hanover’s hidden gems: uncovering students’ lesser-known favorite spots.

The Dartmouth

Moscow's 15 Biggest Problems (Photo Essay)

Moscow is a magnet, attracting people from across Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union who see the city and its thriving economy as an opportunity to build a better life.

But not everyone is happy about this inflow, including people who have turned Russia's largest city into their adopted home, according to Levada Center, an independent pollster.

Indeed, Moscow residents consistently complain that an influx of migrants from former Soviet republics in Central Asia and Russia's own North Caucasus is their main concern, Levada found in three surveys conducted over the course of the past five years.

The way things are going, the complaints will only grow, said Natalya Zorkaya, a Levada Center sociologist.

"Physical attacks and other forms of aggression against these visitors could grow because of corruption in law enforcement agencies, an unclear immigration policy and uncontrolled employers combined with campaigns that stress the government is waging war against illegal immigration," she said.

But migrants are not the only issue that bothers Moscow residents, who number 11.5 million, according to the latest 2010 census. Other worries include growing prices for utility bills, traffic jams and high prices for basic products.

Here is a look at the top 15 problems of living in Moscow.

Note: The surveys, each of which quizzed 1,000 Muscovites aged 18 or older, were conducted in January 2009, November 2011 and July 2013. Respondents were asked to identify the five or six most significant problems facing the city today. The margin of error for each poll is 4.8 percentage points.

1. Number of migrants from Central Asia and the North Caucasus (2009-39% — 2011-44% — 2013-55%)

About 1.5 million guest workers were registered in Moscow and the Moscow region in 2013, while just 600,000 of them holding work permits, according to the Federal Migration Service. If illegal migrants are included, the number of migrants is estimated at be closer to 3 million. Muscovites worry that the influx of guest workers lead to a shortage of jobs and increase crime.

2. Growth in prices for utility bills (45% — 44% — 43%)

The government has long subsidized utility prices, a practice that has carried over from Soviet times. But people, including Muscovites, are now being asked to pay their fair share. People now spend about 10 percent of their income on utility bills, one of the highest rates in the world, while prices for electricity and gas in Russia are among the lowest.

3. Traffic jams (42% — 54% — 38%)

Some people say that the life in Moscow and traffic jams are synonyms. As a result of the complicated traffic situation in the capital, President Vladimir Putin promised last spring to use a helicopter instead of a car so as to avoid hindering other drivers with his convoy.

4. High prices for basic products (61% — 48% — 35%)

Russians spend 30.3 percent of their salaries on food, while citizens of leading European countries spend just 10 percent, putting Russia in 29th place among 40 European countries in how much of a household's personal income goes for food, according to a study by RIA Novosti late last last year. In Moscow, where 70 percent of all food is imported from abroad, the costs of food can be sky high.

5. Low wages (31% — 21% — 29%)

The average monthly salary in Moscow is 57,000 rubles ($1,620), twice as high as in the rest of the country. But around 10 percent of Muscovites still don't earn a living wage of 10,500 rubles ($297). The minimum wage in Moscow is 12,600 rubles ($358) as of Jan. 1.

6. High housing prices (27%)

The cheapest apartment — covering 34 square meters and located 20 kilometers from downtown — cost 3.7 million rubles ($105,215) in mid-2013, according to Miel real estate brokers. The average price of a square meter in the capital is $5,730, and a one-room apartment rents for $700 to $1,000 a month.

7. Growing drug and alcohol addiction (25% — 28% — 22%)

No one knows for sure how bad of a problem are posed by drugs and alcohol in Moscow. The official figures are bleak but widely thought to underestimate the problem: Alcoholics comprise at least 5 percent of the population, and alcohol caused more than 1,250 deaths in the first half of 2013, the most recent period for which figures are available. A total of 38,000 drug users are registered in the city.

8. Shortage of doctors and poor medical treatment (16% — 27% — 22%)

Despite the official statistics show a surplus in physicians in Moscow, everybody can see that outpatient clinics are understaffed, Deputy Moscow Mayor Leonid Pechatnikov said in December. He linked the shortage to the fact that many clinics are under-equipped, making them unpopular among doctors who seek prospects for further career growth.

9. Housing shortage (19% — 25% — 17%)

More than 1 million square meters of new housing was built in Moscow last year. Although this provided a sufficient number of apartments, 44 percent of the new housing is business class, 33 percent elite and 20 percent comfort. Just 3 percent of the new housing is economy class.

10. Poor roads (12% — 22% — 17%)

Nearly 100 million square meters of roads were repaired from 2010 to 2013, according to the Moscow city government. Nevertheless, the quality of Moscow roads remains poor. The cause can be manifold: adverse weather conditions, the quantity of cars, or even the interest of road-repair companies to see endless business.

11. Widening gap between the rich and the poor (37% — 19% — 17%)

According to the Federal Statistics Service, 20 percent of the richest people in Moscow earn 54 percent of all the income, while the 20 percent poorest earn less than 4 percent.

12. Homeless people and panhandlers (19% — 33% — 17%)

Officially, 20,000 homeless people lived in Moscow at the end of 2013, but City Hall's social services says the number is twice as high and growing. Native Muscovites make up 9 percent of the number, while another 8 percent are people who moved here and once were registered here.

13. Noise and exhaust fumes from cars (14% — 22% — 16%)

Cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles seem to be forever clogging the roads — and the clean air. Moreover, according to City Hall data, traffic noise levels break the norm in 70 percent of the city.

14. Poor condition of public utilities (15% — 17% — 15%)

President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that public utilities posed a serious challenge last year, saying, "Problems with public utilities have always been grave. This is how it was before October 1917, during the entire era of the Soviet Union, and how it remains until today." Moscow is luckier than many other Russian cities, but the problem still remains.

15. Lack of parking (15% — 17% — 15%)

A total of 3.5 million cars are registered in Moscow, and another 600,000 to 800,000 enter from the Moscow region alone every day. With 1.7 million parking spaces in the city, it's perhaps no wonder that drivers are forced to park on sidewalks and in busy streets.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

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Kalina Duncheva

I'm Kalina, a '27 from Sofia, Bulgaria. I love books (I love reading and writing them), and I particularly love fantasy (i.e. I'm an expert on Middle Earth and Hogwarts studies). I love all branches of science, from particle physics to neuroscience, and I'm also steadily falling in love with journalism and telling real stories about real people, for once. I also love hiking, bird-watching, climbing, and em dashes.

Academic Program 

Neuroscience and Economics Major

Favorite Thing Right Now 

The old piano in the basement of my dorm

Hometown 

Sofia, Bulgaria

Pronouns 

You are here.

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If I could rewrite my Why Dartmouth essay

Two things happened this week that inspired this post. Number one, I attended an alumni event at my high-school, where I was told that because I was talking so much about my love for Dartmouth, I was a "college nationalist" (that was a funny remark, gotta give it to him). And number two, after it became clear that I was so adept at practicing "college nationalism," I decided to re-read my Dartmouth essays from a year ago to see whether I was so helplessly in love with that college even then.

I happily re-read two of my Dartmouth essays—the ones in which I talked about reading and writing. I couldn't quite make myself re-read my "Why Dartmouth" essay, though.

The "college nationalist" doesn't want to re-read her "Why Dartmouth" essay? Why?

I was never quite happy with my "Why Dartmouth" essay. I don't think it shows why I was SO excited about Dartmouth a year ago, nor is it anywhere close to showing why I am STILL excited about it now. 

If I could rewrite my "Why Dartmouth" essay, I would talk much more about the DOC ( the Dartmouth Outing Club). I'd talk about the many trips it runs EVERY week (which are all absolutely free for students). I'd talk about the many charming cabins Dartmouth owns across the New Hampshire woods (which are also free to rent for Dartmouth students). And most importantly, I'd talk about the amazing people you find in the DOC—from those who walk around carrying suitcases full of rocks and fluorescent fossils to those who decide to go surfing and birdwatching at the same time.

THIS was the part I found really tricky to write in my "Why Dartmouth" essay a year ago. How do you talk about the people you still haven't met, but are absolutely certain that they exist and that they're amazing without sounding corny or delusional?

As a senior in high school, you can't really KNOW that the community at your dream college is in fact the amazing community you think it is. After all, you still haven't become a part of that community to cite it as your main reason for applying to that school. Besides, how do you convincingly explain that hunch of yours, that gut feeling that these are YOUR PEOPLE, when you still haven't met these people?

I don't know how you do all that—you often just write something you aren't quite proud of, like I did. In my original "Why Dartmouth" essay, I focused on real things I could easily put in writing—from the Organic Farm to the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship. But in my revised "Why Dartmouth" essay, I would write about the people; I'd write about the brilliant, hilarious, and fascinating hikers, climbers, archers, birdwatchers, surfers, and skiers that make me grateful every day that I'm at no other school but Dartmouth :)

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Guest Essay

Why Losing Political Power Now Feels Like ‘Losing Your Country’

By Thomas B. Edsall

Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C., on politics, demographics and inequality.

Is partisan hostility so deeply enmeshed in American politics that it cannot be rooted out?

Will Donald Trump institutionalize democratic backsliding — the rejection of adverse election results, the demonization of minorities and the use of the federal government to punish opponents — as a fixture of American politics?

The literature of polarization suggests that partisan antipathy has become deeply entrenched and increasingly resistant to amelioration.

“Human brains are constantly scanning for threats to in-groups,” Rachel Kleinfeld , a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in a September 2023 essay, “ Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says .”

“As people affectively polarize, they appear to blow out-group threats out of proportion, exaggerating the out-group’s dislike and disgust for their own group, and getting ready to defend their in-group, sometimes aggressively,” Kleinfeld argued.

Kleinfeld acknowledged that “a number of interventions have been shown in lab settings, games and short experiments to reduce affective intervention in the short term,” but, she was quick to caution, “reducing affective polarization through these lab experiments and games has not been shown to affect regular Americans’ support for antidemocratic candidates, support for antidemocratic behaviors, voting behavior or support for political violence.”

Taking her argument a step further, Kleinfeld wrote:

Interventions to reduce affective polarization will be ineffective if they operate only at the individual, emotional level. Ignoring the role of polarizing politicians and political incentives to instrumentalize affective polarization for political gain will fail to generate change while enhancing cynicism when polite conversations among willing participants do not generate prodemocratic change.

Yphtach Lelkes , a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, succinctly described by email the hurdles facing proposed remedies for polarization and antidemocratic trends:

I don’t think any bottom-up intervention is going to solve a problem that is structural. You could reduce misperceptions for a day or two or put diverse groups together for an hour, but these people will be polarized again as soon as they are exposed once more to campaign rhetoric.

The reality, Lelkes continued, is that “a fish rots from the head, and political elites are driving any democratic backsliding that is occurring in America. Most Republican voters do not support the antidemocratic policies and practices of their elected officials.”

In their March 2024 paper, “ Uncommon and Nonpartisan: Antidemocratic Attitudes in the American Public ,” Lelkes, Derek E. Holliday and Shanto Iyengar , both of Stanford, and Sean J. Westwood of Dartmouth found that public opposition to antidemocratic policies is not adequate to prevent their adoption:

More ominous implications of our results are that 1) public support is not a necessary precondition for backsliding behavior by elites, and 2) Americans, despite their distaste for norm violations, continue to elect representatives whose policies and actions threaten democracy. One explanation is that when partisanship is strong, voters place party and policy goals over democratic values. Indeed, one of the least-supported norm violations — removing polling places in outparty-dominated areas — has already been violated by elected officials in Texas, and there are concerns about pending similar laws in other states. Such unconstrained elite behavior suggests that threats to democracy could well manifest themselves in both parties in the future.

The level of public support for democratic institutions will be a crucial factor in the 2024 elections. President Biden is campaigning on the theme that Trump and his MAGA allies are intent on strengthening authoritarian leadership at the expense of democracy.

Political scientists and reform groups seeking to restore collegiality to political debate and elections have experimented with a wide variety of techniques to reduce partisan hostility and support for antidemocratic policies.

These efforts have raised doubts among other election experts, both about their effectiveness and durability. Such experts cite the virulence of the conflicts over race, ethnicity and values and the determination of Trump and other politicians to keep divisive issues in the forefront of campaigns.

I have written before about the largest study of techniques to lessen polarization, which was conducted by Jan G. Voelkel and Robb Willer , sociologists at Stanford, along with many other colleagues. Voelkel and Willer are the primary authors of “ Megastudy Identifying Effective Interventions to Strengthen Americans’ Democratic Attitudes .” Given the heightened importance of the coming election and the potential effects of polarization on it, their study is worth re-evaluating.

Voelkel, Willer and 83 others

conducted a megastudy (n=32,059) testing 25 interventions designed by academics and practitioners to reduce Americans’ partisan animosity and antidemocratic attitudes. We find nearly every intervention reduced partisan animosity, most strongly by highlighting sympathetic and relatable individuals with different political beliefs. We also identify several interventions that reduced support for undemocratic practices and partisan violence, most strongly by correcting misperceptions of outpartisans’ views — showing that antidemocratic attitudes, although difficult to move, are not intractable.

Their own data and their responses to my inquiries suggest, however, that the optimism of their paper needs to be tempered.

In the case of the “six interventions that significantly reduced partisan animosity,” the authors reported that two weeks later “the average effect size in the durability survey amounted to 29 percent of the average effect size in the main survey.”

I asked Voelkel to explain this further, posing the question: “If the initial reduction in the level of partisan animosity was 10 percentage points, does the 29 percent figure indicate that after two weeks the reduction in partisan animosity was 2.9 percentage points?” Voelkel wrote back to say yes.

In an email responding to some of my follow-up questions about the paper, Voelkel wrote:

I do not want to overstate the success of the interventions that we tested in our study. Our contribution is that we identify psychological strategies for intervening on partisan animosity and antidemocratic attitudes in the context of a survey experiment. We still need to test how big the effects could be in a large-scale campaign in which the psychological mechanisms for reducing partisan animosity and antidemocratic attitudes get triggered not once (as in our study) but ideally many times and over a longer period.

Voelkel cautioned that “one-time interventions might not be enough to sustainably reduce affective polarization in the mass public. Thus, successful efforts would need to be applied widely and repeatedly to trigger the psychological mechanisms that are associated with reductions in affective polarization.”

Willer sent a detailed response to my queries by email:

First, to be clear, we do not claim that the interventions we tested have large enough effects that they would cure the problems they target. We do not find evidence for that. Far from it. I would characterize the results of the Strengthening Democracy Challenge in a more measured way. We find that many of the interventions we tested reliably, meaningfully and durably reduce both survey and behavioral indicators of partisan animosity.

Willer wrote that “the interventions we tested were pretty effective in reducing animosity toward rival partisans, particularly in the short term. However, we found that the interventions we tested were substantially less effective in reducing antidemocratic attitudes, like support for undemocratic practices and candidates.”

Other scholars were more skeptical.

I asked Lilliana Mason , a political scientist at Johns Hopkins and a leading scholar of affective polarization: “Are there methods to directly lessen polarization? Are they possible on a large, populationwide scale?”

“If we knew that,” she replied by email, “we would have definitely told people already.”

There is evidence, Mason continued, that

it is possible to correct misperceptions about politics by simply providing correct information. The problem is that this new correct information doesn’t change people’s feelings about political candidates or issues. For example, you can correct a lie told by Donald Trump, and people will believe the new correct information, but that won’t change their feelings about Trump at all.

“We think of affective polarization as being extremely loyal to one side and feeling strong animosity toward the other side,” Mason wrote, adding:

This can be rooted in substantive disagreements on policy, identity-based status threat, safe versus dangerous worldview, historical and contemporary patterns of oppression, violations of political norms, vilifying rhetoric, propagandistic media and/or a number of other influences. But once we are polarized, it’s very difficult to use reason and logic to convince us to think otherwise.

Similarly, “there are methods that reduce polarization in academic research settings,” Westwood, an author of the March paper cited above, wrote by email. He continued:

The fundamental problems are that none “cure” polarization (i.e., move the population from negative to neutral attitudes toward the opposing party), none last more than a short period of time and none have a plausible path to societywide deployment. It is impossible to reach every American in need of treatment, and many would balk at the idea of having their political attitudes manipulated by social scientists or community groups.

More important, in Westwood’s view, is that

whatever techniques might exist to reduce citizen animosity must be accompanied by efforts to reduce hostility among elected officials. It doesn’t matter if we can make someone more positive toward the other party if that effect is quickly undone by watching cable news, reading social media or otherwise listening to divisive political elites.

Referring to the Voelkel-Willer paper, Westwood wrote:

It is a critically important scientific study, but it, like nearly all social science research, does not demonstrate that the studied approaches work in the real world. Participants in this study were paid volunteers, and the effects were large but not curative. (They reduced partisan hatred and did not cure it.) To fix America’s problems, we need to reach everyone from fringe white nationalists to single moms in Chicago, which is so costly and logistically complicated that there isn’t a clear path toward implementation.

One problem with proposals designed to reduce partisan animosity and antidemocratic beliefs, which at least three of the scholars I contacted mentioned, is that positive effects are almost immediately nullified by the hostile language in contemporary politics.

“The moralized political environment is a core problem,” Peter Ditto , a professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine, wrote by email:

Unless we can bring the temperature down in the country, it is going to be hard to make progress on other fronts, like trying to debias citizens’ consumption of political information. The United States is stuck in this outrage spiral. Partisan animosity both fuels and is fueled by a growing fact gap between red and blue America.

Ditto argued that there is “good evidence for the effectiveness of accuracy prompts (correcting falsehoods) to reduce people’s belief in political misinformation,” but “attempting to reduce political polarization with accuracy prompts alone is like trying to start a mediation during a bar fight.”

Attempts to improve political decision making, Ditto added, “are unlikely to have a substantial effect unless we can tamp down the growing animosity felt between red and blue America. The United States has gone from a politics based on disagreement to one based on dislike, distrust, disrespect and often even disgust.”

Citing the Voelkel-Willer paper, Jay Van Bavel , a professor of psychology and neural science at N.Y.U., emailed me to express his belief that “there are solid, well-tested strategies for reducing affective polarization. These are possible on a large scale if there is sufficient political will.”

But Van Bavel quickly added that these strategies “are up against all the other factors that are currently driving conflict and animosity, including divisive leaders like Donald Trump, gerrymandering, hyperpartisan media (including social media), etc. It’s like trying to bail out the Titanic.”

Simply put, it is difficult, if not impossible, to attempt to counter polarization at a time when partisan sectarianism is intense and pervasive.

Bavel described polarization as

both an illness from various problems in our political system and an outcome. As a result, the solution is going to be extremely complex and involve different leadership (once Trump and his inner circle leave the scene, that will help a lot), as well as a number of structural changes (removing gerrymandering and other incentive structures that reinforce extremism).

Affective polarization, Bavel added,

is really just a disdain for the other political party. Political sectarianism seems to be an even worse form because now you see the other party as evil. Both of these are, of course, related to ideological polarization. But affective polarization and political sectarianism are different because they can make it impossible to cooperate with an opponent even when you agree. That’s why they are particularly problematic.

Stanley Feldman , a political scientist at Stony Brook University, pointed to another characteristic of polarization that makes it especially difficult to lower the temperature of the conflict between Republicans and Democrats: There are real, not imaginary, grounds for their mutual animosity.

In an email, Feldman wrote:

There is a reality to this conflict. There has been a great deal of social change in the U.S. over the past few decades. Gay marriage is legal, gender norms are changing, the country is becoming more secular, immigration has increased.

Because of this, Feldman added:

it’s a mistake to suggest this is like an illness or disease. We’re talking about people’s worldviews and beliefs. As much as we may see one side or the other to be misguided and a threat to democracy, it’s still important to try to understand and take seriously their perspective. And analogies to illness or pathology will not help to reduce conflict.

There are, in Feldman’s view,

two major factors that have contributed to this. First, national elections are extremely competitive now. Partisan control of the House and Senate could change at every election. Presidential elections are decided on razor-thin margins. This means that supporters of each party constantly see the possibility of losing power every election. This magnifies the perceived threat from the opposing party and increases negative attitudes toward the out-party.

The second factor?

The issues dividing the parties have changed. When the two parties fought over the size of government, taxes and social welfare programs, it was possible for partisans to imagine a compromise that is more or less acceptable even if not ideal. Compromise on issues like abortion, gender roles, L.G.B.T.Q. rights and the role of religion is much more difficult, so losing feels like more of a threat to people’s values. Feldman continued:

From a broader perspective, these issues, as well as immigration and the declining white majority, reflect very different ideas of what sort of society the United States should be. This makes partisan conflict feel like an existential threat to an “American” way of life. Losing political power then feels like losing your country. And the opposing parties become seen as dangers to society.

These legitimately felt fears and anxieties in the electorate provide a fertile environment for elected officials, their challengers and other institutional forces to exacerbate division.

As Feldman put it:

It’s also important to recognize the extent to which politicians, the media, social media influencers and others have exacerbated perceptions of threat from social change. Take immigration, for example. People could be reminded of the history of immigration in the U.S.: how immigrants have contributed to American society, how second and third generations have assimilated, how previous fears of immigration have been unfounded. Instead there are voices increasing people’s fear of immigration, suggesting that immigrants are a threat to the country, dangerous and even less than human. Discussions of a “great replacement” theory, supposed attacks on religion, dangers of immigration and changing gender norms undermining men’s place in society magnify perceptions of threat from social change. Cynical politicians have learned that they can use fear and partisan hostility to their political advantage. As long as they think this is a useful strategy, it will be difficult to begin to reduce polarization and partisan hostility.

In other words, as long as Trump is the Republican nominee for president and as long as the prospect of a majority-minority country continues to propel right-wing populism, the odds of reducing the bitter animosity that now characterizes American politics remain slim.

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Thomas B. Edsall has been a contributor to the Times Opinion section since 2011. His column on strategic and demographic trends in American politics appears every Wednesday. He previously covered politics for The Washington Post. @ edsall