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If you're applying to Boston University, you'll need to respond to the Why Boston University essay prompt. The Why BU essay is a required element of your application and a great way to show the BU admissions committee why Boston University is the right fit for you, and vice versa.

In this article, we'll break down the Why Boston University essay prompt, give you ideas for what to talk about in your own essay, and offer tips for writing an essay that's sure to wow the admissions committee.

The Why Boston University Essay Prompt

The Why BU essay prompt is short and simple:

In your Why BU essay, you have 250 words to explain to the admissions committee why you love Boston University and why you're a great fit for the school.

While 250 words is enough space to express yourself clearly, you'll want to be concise and clear in your messaging so you can communicate effectively and get a strong reaction from your essay readers.

What Is the Purpose of the Why BU Essay?

Many schools require a "Why this college" essay . Why? Because colleges want to see that you really want to attend their school. Students who love their schools are more likely to be active and happy students—and, later, active and happy alumni. Your essay should show the admissions committee that you really love Boston University, which will make them feel more confident you'll be a great addition to the campus.

If your essay is generic or not specific to Boston University, the admissions committee will worry you're not invested in attending. They might even think you don't care about getting into their university, which could cause them to pass over your application in favor of that of another student who really wants to attend.

Basically, Boston University wants to make sure you know and value what they offer, and they also want to assess how you'll take advantage of the many opportunities on BU's campus to further your academic and professional career.

What Should I Write About in My Why BU Essay?

So what should you write about in your Why BU essay? You'll need to identify concrete reasons why BU is your dream school. Here are three ideas for topics you could use.

#1: A Specific Course or Professor You'd Like to Study With

One of the ways to demonstrate your excitement for attending BU is by highlighting a specific course you'd like to take or professor you'd like to study with . Universities don't share their course schedule or their professors, so the offerings at BU are unique to BU. If you highlight a particular class, this shows why you're interested in taking advantage of BU's academics.

You should have a concrete reason for wanting to take this class or study with this professor. Tie your interest to your long-term professional goals so that the admissions committee sees how attending BU will help you invest in your future.

If you go the professor route, make sure you highlight why this professor is so special to you. Are they a leader in their field? Have they done interesting research lately? Are they known for teaching in a unique way?

Whatever the reason, be sure it's strong —you don't want to feel as if you're inventing something!

#2: An Interaction You Had With a Current or Former Student

Talking about BU with a current or former student stresses your passion for the university and highlights that you've taken the initiative to learn more. Students are able to speak to the vibe on campus as well as why Boston University is a great place to spend four years.

Name-dropping a current or former student will show that you really believe Boston University is the right school for you.

When you're recounting your conversation, remember that your reasons don't have to be particularly highbrow or impressive . You can talk about how you were excited to learn about the intramural kickball teams, for instance. Just pick specific reasons that your conversation resonated with you.

#3: A Program You're Excited About Participating In

Boston University has a number of unique programs, including an Honors College, Film/Television department, and several Engineering programs. If you want to participate in a specific program, you can talk about that in this essay.

Be sure to highlight specific features of the program that are important to you, whether that's getting to do experiential learning in the Honors College or taking part in BU's television channel. Whatever the program, take care to highlight a few specific features and explain why they're important.

3 Tips for Writing an Amazing Why Boston University Essay

You want your Why Boston University essay to be as strong as possible. Here are some tips to make that happen.

#1: Be Authentic

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 present yourself as a fully fleshed-out person.

You should, therefore, make sure that the person you're presenting in your college essays is your authentic self. 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 ultimately diminish its effectiveness. Stick to telling real stories about the person you truly are — not who you think BU wants you to be.

#2: Be BU-Specific

Nothing about your Why BU essay should be generic or impersonal. The more specific you can be when answering this prompt, the better.

Don't say Boston University has great academics, caring professors, and an interesting student body. The admissions offers don't need you to tell them that! Similarly, don't talk about why you want to go to school in Boston. There are hundreds of colleges in Boston — you need to highlight why this school in particular is the right one for you.

Everything you write about in your Why Boston University essay should be specific to Boston University, from the names of the professors and the courses to the feeling you had while visiting the campus. The more authentic you are, the more your passion for BU will stand out.

Do your research so you're able to give specifics.

#3: Submit Your Best Work

Your Boston University essay should be edited and proofread, free of spelling and grammar errors. Make sure to run your essay through a spelling and grammar check before you submit it.

It's a good idea to have someone else read your Why Boston University essay, 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. Also, have them confirm that you haven't missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it can possibly be.

Recap: What to Know About the Why Boston University Essay

The Why Boston University essay is your place to demonstrate your passion for BU and why you hope to attend .

You should include the following in your essay:

Specific examples of why BU is the right school for you
Authentic statements about your interest in BU

You should not include these things, however:

Examples that can apply to any university, not just BU
Anything that indicates you're not that interested in attending BU

Good luck with your Why BU essay!

What's Next?

Need help mastering the other essays for Boston University? We have an article that breaks down all the essays you need to apply to BU .

Haven't started your Common Application yet? No problem! We've got you covered with tips and tricks to make your application stand out from the crowd .

Are you worried about standardized tests and their role in your college application? Read this article to find out when these tests might not matter for you . You should also take a look at this list of colleges that don't require SAT scores .

Want to write the perfect college application essay? We can help. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will help you craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay to proudly submit to colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now:

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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Boston University Supplemental Essay 2023-24 Prompts and Advice

August 14, 2023

boston university bu supplemental essays

With almost 81,000 applications from those wishing to join the Class of 2027, Boston University has entered the realm of the most desirable private universities on the planet. It also continues to climb to new heights in terms of selectivity with just an 11% acceptance rate for entering 2023-24 freshmen. In contrast, just twenty years ago, BU accepted 70% of those who applied. This brings us to the topic of the Boston University supplemental essay.

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

Boston University has become a school where you may need more than just strong grades and test scores to gain acceptance—the average SAT for those submitting applications last cycle was 1441. Through its one required essay prompt, the BU supplemental essay affords applicants an opportunity to showcase what makes them uniquely qualified for admission. Below are the Boston University supplemental prompt options for the 2023-24 admissions cycle along with tips about how to address them:

2023-2024 Boston University Supplemental Essays

Boston University is dedicated to our founding principles: “that higher education should be accessible to all and that research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community—local and international. These principles endure in the University’s insistence on the value of diversity in its tradition and standards of excellence and its dynamic engagement with the City of Boston and the world.” With this mission in mind, please respond to one of the following two questions in 300 words or less:

1. Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it?

2. What about being a student at BU most excites you? How do you hope to contribute to our campus community?

Note regarding word count: Although BU asks you to respond in less than 300 words, the Common App provides 350 words of space.

Prompt Option #1

Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it?

To craft a strong response to this prompt, you’ll first need to choose an issue that is important to you on either a global, regional, or community scale. If you pick something general (and popular), like women’s rights or social media, consider choosing a specific angle that relates to you personally. For example, while tackling “social media” in general would be a daunting proposition, discussing a particular platform or the impact of technology on your interpersonal relationships could be far more specific and accessible.

Boston University Supplemental Essays (Continued)

To answer the second part of the prompt, you’ll need to discuss how you’ve engaged with the issue in real life. Have you attended rallies, protests, or fundraisers? Did you create or join an after-school club or volunteer opportunity? Have you shared your perspective at community or school board meetings? On a smaller scale, have you made an effort to converse with peers and/or adults about your chosen issue? If so, what was the outcome?

This prompt is not asking for a hypothetical answer. Therefore, crafting an effective response will necessitate that you have outwardly engaged with your issue of choice on some level . As such, if you have trouble brainstorming an issue that you have addressed or raised awareness about, you’ll likely want to respond to the second prompt option instead.

Prompt Option #2

What about being a student at BU most excites you? How do you hope to contribute to our campus community?

This is your quintessential “Why Us?” essay which comes with the typical pitfalls you’ll want to avoid. We don’t want to label these as “mistakes” (there is nothing inherently wrong with them). They just don’t add any needle-moving value, which is, of course, the only goal here!

Common components of a vanilla “Why BU?” essay

Generalities about why Boston is an ideal location for your college experience.
Generalities about why Boston is an exciting/cosmopolitan/diverse/culture-filled city.
BU’s ranking, prestige, or reputation.
Too many generic expressions of feeling (e.g., I know with all my being that BU is the school for me… ).
Recycled statements from your other “Why Us?” essays that come across as stale, impersonal, or worst of all–irrelevant/inaccurate.
Lastly (and most importantly), mentioning Fenway Park.

How to write a winning “Why BU?” essay

First things first—consider why you’re excited to become a BU student. Is it the academic programs , professors, research opportunities , internship/externship programs , study abroad programs , student-run organizations , mission statement , etc.? Try focusing on 2-3 offerings that feel particularly significant rather than attempting to create a laundry list of everything you might possibly take advantage of. In addition, be sure to address how you will take advantage of the resources you decide to write about.

Secondly, you’ll need to discuss your prospective contribution to the BU campus. How will you be an active community member? Will your past/current endeavors carry over onto BU’s campus? How so? Will you bring special talents or passions?

In any “Why Us?” composition, you need to show that you’ve done your homework on a given school. However, you don’t want it to read like a robotic list of items that you Googled five minutes before writing the essay (even if the timing of the Google search is roughly accurate). In addition to the pure research element, a lot of the time and skill required in creating a stellar BU essay will involve connecting your selected opportunities of interest to your distinct values, talents, aims, proficiencies, and future goals.

Should I answer the optional BU question?

Please use this space if you have additional information, materials, or writing samples you would like us to consider.

When considering whether or not to utilize this inviting blank space, consider that the BU admissions office is deluged with applications and will only want to see highly compelling and essential information included in this section. For more on how to decide whether or not to take advantage of any Additional Information section in an application visit our blog on the subject .

How important is the essay at BU?

The factors that Boston University weighs as being “very important” in evaluating a candidate are the rigor of your secondary school record, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores, and talent/ability. The essay is “important” and sits alongside letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and character/personal qualities.

Boston University Supplemental Essays – Want Personalized Essay Assistance?

In conclusion, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Boston University supplemental essay, we encourage you to get a quote today.

College Essay

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Boston University 2020-21 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision:

Thank your lucky stars you chose to apply to Boston University! This application supplement is a gift: two of the most straightforward prompts you could ask for, and only one of them is required. But beware, a simple supplement is no reason to ignore a school or save it until the last minute. In fact, it means you have no excuse not to nail your essay, so pay attention!

The Requirements: 1 essay of 250 words; 1 optional essay

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Additional Info

Boston University 2020-21 Application Essay Question Explanations

What about being a student at boston university most excites you (250 words).

You’ve seen it before and you’ll see it again: the classic why essay. The point of this sort of prompt is twofold: to learn what makes you tick and to gauge your commitment to the school. So, the more time you spend researching the school, the better you’ll be able to demonstrate both. This is, essentially, the only question BU is asking you, so you have no excuse not to buckle down and spend some quality time poring over the school website. Take notes on anything and everything that appeals to you across all aspects of student life: classes, professors, labs, clubs, speakers — literally everything! The point is to paint a picture for admissions that clues them into your passions and demonstrates how BU will help you cultivate them. Once you’ve completed your preliminary research, narrow the list to your top five or so items to focus on. Remember, this essay is only supposed to be 250 words.

Additional Information (optional): Please use this space if you have additional information, materials, or writing samples you would like us to consider.

Typically, when a school includes an optional “additional info” essay, admissions is giving applicants a chance to address any red flags in their academic or disciplinary history. It’s your chance to show admissions that a few bad grades or lapses in judgement don’t define you. That being said, Boston University has cast a wider net with its additional info prompt. Still, this essay isn’t for everyone. We recommend this prompt for students who would like to address specific blips in their past or applicants with truly outstanding portfolio pieces. The point is, your response to this prompt shouldn’t be an afterthought; it should shed new light on who you are as a person or student.

Who fits into the first group? Maybe you were coping with an illness that slowed you down during your sophomore year and prevented you from taking a more rigorous course load. Maybe a rough introduction to calculus only motivated you to study harder and overcome your difficulties in future years. Or perhaps you were juggling an array of family responsibilities that distracted you from your school work. Whatever the case may be, yours should be a story of resilience and tenacity. Describe what you learned and how you have grown as a result of these challenging experiences.

What about the second group? Are you an award-winning author or scientist? If you choose to submit additional materials, you should be sending in show-stopping work that proves you are ready to pursue your interests at the college level.

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Home — Application Essay — National Universities — Why I Choose Boston University?

Why I Choose Boston University?

University: Boston University

About this sample

Words: 628 |

Published: Feb 15, 2024

Words: 628 | Pages: 1 | 4 min read

Academic excellence, innovative research opportunities, diverse and inclusive community, location and career opportunities.

As I look forward to my college journey, one institution that stands out to me is Boston University. With its rich history, vibrant campus life, and strong academic programs, BU offers an unparalleled educational experience that aligns perfectly with my career aspirations and personal growth goals. In this essay, I will delve into the reasons why Boston University is the ideal place for me to pursue my undergraduate degree.

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One of the main reasons why I am drawn to Boston University is its commitment to academic excellence. BU boasts a diverse range of world-class programs across various disciplines, and its faculty is composed of accomplished scholars and experts in their respective fields. The opportunity to learn from and engage with these renowned professors is an invaluable asset that I believe will greatly enrich my educational experience.

Furthermore, BU's emphasis on interdisciplinary studies is particularly appealing to me. As an intellectually curious individual with a wide range of interests, I am excited about the prospect of exploring multiple disciplines and integrating knowledge across different fields. The breadth of academic programs offered at BU will enable me to pursue my passion for both the sciences and the humanities, fostering a well-rounded education that aligns with my goal of becoming a well-informed global citizen.

Boston University's commitment to cutting-edge research is another aspect that sets it apart from other institutions. The university's state-of-the-art facilities and extensive research funding present an exciting prospect for me as a prospective student. Being part of a vibrant research community will not only expose me to the latest advancements in my field of interest but also provide me with the chance to actively participate in groundbreaking research projects.

Moreover, BU's strong emphasis on experiential learning and undergraduate research opportunities is particularly enticing. The chance to collaborate with faculty members on research projects from the start of my undergraduate journey will enhance my critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. These hands-on experiences will undoubtedly complement the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom, preparing me for real-world challenges and fostering a deep understanding of my chosen field.

Boston University's commitment to diversity and inclusivity is a value that deeply resonates with me. As an international student, I believe that learning in a culturally rich and diverse environment is essential for personal growth and broadening one's perspective. BU's vibrant campus, which brings together students from all walks of life and various corners of the globe, offers a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful cross-cultural exchanges and foster lifelong friendships with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

The university's dedication to inclusivity extends beyond the campus and into its broader engagement with the community. BU's numerous community service initiatives and partnerships with local organizations provide avenues for students to actively contribute to society and make a positive impact. As someone who is passionate about giving back and creating meaningful change, I am excited about the prospect of being part of a university that values community engagement and encourages students to be socially responsible global citizens.

Boston, often referred to as the "Athens of America," is a city renowned for its rich history, academic institutions, and vibrant cultural scene. The city's close proximity to Boston University presents an array of exciting opportunities for intellectual and personal growth. From internships at renowned companies to networking events and cultural festivals, Boston offers a dynamic environment that complements and enhances the college experience.

Additionally, Boston University's robust career services and alumni network further solidify its reputation as a launching pad for success. The university's strong ties to industry leaders and its commitment to preparing students for the job market align perfectly with my career aspirations. The resources and support provided by BU will equip me with the skills and connections necessary to thrive in a competitive global job market.

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In conclusion, Boston University's commitment to academic excellence, innovative research opportunities, diverse and inclusive community, and the advantages of its location make it the perfect fit for me. By immersing myself in BU's intellectually stimulating environment, I am confident that I will receive a well-rounded education, cultivate lasting relationships, and develop the skills necessary to make a positive impact in the world. Boston University is more than just an institution; it is a platform for personal growth, intellectual exploration, and lifelong learning.

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Boston University Supplemental Essays Guide: 2021-2022

Not sure how to approach the Boston University supplemental essays? CollegeAdvisor.com’s Boston University Supplemental Essay 2021 Guide will show you exactly how to write engaging Boston University supplemental essays to maximize your chances of admission. If you need help crafting your answers to the Boston University supplemental essays, create your free account or schedule a free advising consultation by calling (844) 343-6272.

Boston University Essay Guide Quick Facts:

For the class of 2025, the Boston University acceptance rate was 18.3% , with over half of those admitted through Early Decision.
We recommend answering the required Why Boston University essay and the optional Boston University essay comprehensively and thoughtfully.

What is Boston University known for?

Boston University is known for its location, wide array of graduate programs, and small student-to-faculty ratio.

Who wouldn’t want to study in Boston? This is a city known colloquially as “America’s college town.” In Boston, you’ll also brush elbows with students from the nearby Boston College and MIT, each located less than ten minutes away. The location is ideal for those who want a fast-paced environment with new faces every day.

In the graduate school department, BU’s law school and medical school are internationally renowned. If you fall in love as an undergraduate and don’t want to leave, you’ll have plenty of options.

Finally, the student-to-faculty ratio at Boston University is 10-1. This means that seminars will be engaging, large lecture courses will be a rarity, and professors will be unusually accessible to the student body. Yet another reason to rave about BU in your Why Boston University essay.

What are three interesting facts about BU?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was not a doctor until attending graduate school at BU , where he attained a Ph.D. in systematic theology.
BU has an annual lobster night in the dining halls, fitting for their New England location.
Boston University has changed its name four times throughout its history and was originally located in Vermont rather than Massachusetts.

What is the Boston University acceptance rate?

As mentioned in the quick facts section, the Boston University acceptance rate hovers just below 20%. This makes BU one of the more selective universities. The Early Decision Boston University acceptance rate, by contrast, is typically 40-50% on account of the strength of ED candidates and the influence of demonstrated interest.

To maximize your admissions odds, you’ll need to distinguish yourself from the pack in your Why BU essay and additional Boston University supplemental essay. This is where our guide—or a consultation with our team—can help you.

Does Boston University require supplemental essays?

There is one required Boston University supplemental essay 2021 (in addition to your Common App Personal Statement ) as well as one optional Boston University essay prompt. Given the relatively low Boston University acceptance rate, we recommend completing both Boston University supplemental essays to maximize your chances of admission.

How many essays do I have to write for Boston University?

You are required to write one Boston University supplemental essay 2021: the Why BU essay. In addition to this required Boston University essay, however, you can choose to complete an optional prompt.

Boston University Supplemental Essay 2021: Prompt 1 (Required)

The first Boston University supplemental essay 2021 prompt is as follows:

“What about being a student at Boston University most excites you?” (250 words maximum.)

This is a Why BU essay similar to the “why school” essays you might have encountered on other applications. Essentially, this Boston University essay asks you to explain why you want to go to Boston University over any other college. What are you passionate about that only BU can offer?

How do I write the Boston University Supplemental Essay?

When approaching this Boston University supplemental essay 2021, remember that you don’t have much space. With a word limit of 250, your Why BU essay should revolve around a singular topic. While the prompt may be broad, it is best just to fully develop one idea in your Boston University essay. After all, the first Boston University supplemental essay prompt specifically asks what “most” excites you. What’s the one thing you’d most look forward to experiencing at BU?

Make a list

To find the perfect topic for your Boston University supplemental essay 2021, construct two lists. The first list should rank aspects of college in general (not BU-specific!) that you’re most excited about, sorted from most excitement to least. Examples of things to list include academics, professional opportunities, traditions, campus life, and social events, among others. The second list should include the specific parts of the college experience that you look forward to at BU. This might include the chance to learn in small classes , watch BU’s well-known hockey team play, or visit the many museums in Boston . You can, again, sort these items in a descending manner. See this page’s “What is Boston University known for?” section for some inspiration, but do your own research as well.

After this brainstorming session, work your way down both lists. The first item that appears high on both lists should likely be the topic of your Why Boston University essay. For instance, if you listed that you were most excited about academics and also wrote about a particular professor at BU whose work you admire, you’ve got an essay! This strategy will ensure that: one, you’re focusing on an aspect of the college experience that genuinely excites you; and two, that this aspect is something that Boston University offers. This will form the focus of your why Boston University essay.

Develop your topic

Once you’ve chosen a topic for your Why Boston University essay, it’s time to develop it. Visit the BU website and look for anecdotes to include in your Boston University supplemental essay. If you’re excited about BU’s many clubs, then you should read the student organizations page . If you’re excited about the robust liberal arts education BU offers, then you should research BU’s College of Arts and Sciences . Your Boston University supplemental essay can go in many directions, but each direction should lead you to a specific detail about the school. The prompt asks for specific information about BU; generalized statements that could apply to any school will not stand out.

The relatively low Boston University acceptance rate means that you should do all you can to make your Why Boston University essay stand out. If your Why Boston University essay seems under-researched or unoriginal, you likely won’t stand out to the admissions team. To this end, your Why BU essay should be as specific as possible within your area of interest. Don’t just talk about clubs in general; mention the Allegrettos by name (if you’re musically inclined)! Don’t simply state that you’re excited about the prospects of a study in political science; instead, say you can’t wait to take Congress and its Critics . The more specific information you can include in your Why BU essay, the better. Your Why Boston University essay should show that you’ve done your research.

To summarize, find aspects of college you look forward to. Cross-reference these with specific opportunities available at Boston University. Once you find the overlap, research BU within your target area. Finally, when crafting your Why BU essay, include as many specific details as possible.

Stay focused

Let’s explore an example about a hypothetical BU applicant. In high school, this student was involved with archery and marching band. They hope to pursue both these activities in college. When researching their Boston University supplemental essay 2021, they notice that BU has a prominent marching band that performs at athletic events and that archery is just a relatively small-scale club sport. This student should then focus their essay on their enthusiasm for life at BU as a student and a band member. They would incorporate classes relevant to their prospective major of applied math alongside examples of how the BU marching band would fit well with such a challenging area of study because of its balanced rehearsal and performance schedule . They may include a sentence or so on joining the archery team, but the main focus of their Why BU essay should remain on marching band.

BU Supplemental Essay Draft Key Questions:

Does your Why BU essay describe one (and only one) thing you’re excited to pursue at BU?
Do you provide detailed reasons why BU is the right school for you?
Does your Why BU essay complement the other aspects of your application?

Boston University Supplemental Essay 2021: Prompt 2 (Optional)

The optional Boston University essay prompt reads:

“Additional Information (optional): Please use this space if you have additional information, materials, or writing samples you would like us to consider.” (2000 words maximum.)

Because the Boston University acceptance rate is low, you should complete this second Boston University supplemental essay to help your application stand out.

This will become especially important if you plan to be a part of the more prepared Early Decision pool. BU offers two rounds of Early Decision—one in November and one in January. Regardless of which ED cycle you choose, you should complete the optional Boston University essay prompt to maximize your admissions odds.

How do I write the optional Boston University supplemental essay?

The high word limit for this Boston University supplemental essay should be the first clue that this is no ordinary prompt. Instead, this optional essay allows you to show a non-academic side of yourself that the admissions team might otherwise overlook.

You might approach this prompt by attaching any piece of work you’re particularly proud of. Do you have a poem that won a competition? A speech you read to your school that inspired an increase in the vaccination rate? If so, include it. You might also offer the admissions team some context for the particular piece, perhaps as a new page inserted before the actual document. You have 2,000 words to burn, after all. Additionally, note that “materials” in this sense does not exclusively mean written work. The prompt accepts a file upload, meaning that you can also submit images, art, or other projects.

Fill in application gaps

You could also approach this Boston University supplemental essay by thinking about what’s missing from your other application materials. Is there an important aspect of your identity that you haven’t yet been able to highlight in your essays? For instance, maybe you go to the opening of every new gallery in your neighborhood. Or perhaps, you had a formative experience as a child that influenced your current trajectory. You could also be an athlete that wakes up before sunrise every morning to get in those extra hours of training. If you’re passionate about a topic and haven’t discussed it in your other materials (including your Why Boston University essay), this is the moment to let it shine.

Not sure whether any of your activities fit these qualifications? Try this exercise: think of the five activities that most define you. If you haven’t addressed one of these activities on your application, you should describe it here. While this Boston University supplemental essay prompt allows you to structure your response however you see fit, you might find that the prompt lends itself best to a narrative format. If you struggle to find the right way to frame this essay, consider telling a story about yourself.

Explain special circumstances

Finally, you might choose to use this optional Boston University supplemental essay to explain external circumstances that have influenced your application. If any extenuating circumstances have impacted your grades, test scores, or extracurricular involvements, this Boston University essay gives you the chance to address any concerns in your own words. For instance, you may have had a family emergency that caused you to score lower on the SAT than you would have hoped. Or, maybe your senior fall grades dropped because of a bout with COVID that lined up with midterms. Whatever the case may be, you can use this Boston University supplemental essay 2021 to explain any special circumstances around your application. Due to the relatively low Boston University acceptance rate, this context can make a major difference in admissions.

Does your Boston University essay add important information not available in the rest of your application?
Do you contextualize any elements of your application that require further explanation?
Does your essay enrich the other aspects of your application?

Additional tips for the Boston University essay

Complete your Common Application Personal Statement before drafting your Boston University essay.
Create a checklist of what the prompt asks for. Then, check off each box as you write the respective section in your Boston University supplemental essay.
If you were to replace Boston University with another college’s name, would your Why BU essay still make sense? If it does, then you have not included enough details in your Why BU essay.

BU Supplemental Essays: Final Thoughts

Completing each Boston University supplemental essay 2021 can seem daunting, but don’t let them discourage you from applying. Instead, view these Boston University essays as an opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions team. Maybe you’re applying with a lower-than-average SAT score. A well-written set of responses to the Boston University essay prompts can work in your favor.

Use this guide to help you approach each Boston University application essay with a solid strategy and a timeline that gives you a few months to draft and revise each of your answers. Good luck!

This 2021-2022 essay guide on Boston University was written by Juliana Furigay , Columbia ‘23. If you need help crafting your BU supplemental essays, visit app.collegeadvisor.com to create your free account or schedule a no-cost advising consultation by calling (844) 719-4984.

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Command Education Guide

How to write boston university essays, updated for 2023-2024.

1. Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it?

2. What about being a student at BU most excites you? How do you hope to contribute to our campus community?*

Whether you choose to answer question 1 or question 2, your overarching goal should be to highlight the ways in which your values overlap with those of BU as they are explained in the first part of the prompt. This is your chance to show the admissions officers that you’re a good fit for their campus community, and, likewise, that their school is a good fit for you.

Option 1 Explanation:

If you choose Option 1, you should view it as an opportunity to both brag about one of your extracurricular accomplishments or passion project, and shed some light on what you value as a citizen of your local, national and international community.

Note that there are two parts to this prompt:

Why the issue is important to you
How you’ve been involved and addressing/raising awareness of it

Make sure to address both parts.

Work backwards as you brainstorm your essay. Start by thinking of ways you have addressed or raised awareness about a social or community issue. Have you raised money for a cause, held an event educating community members or your peers, distributed informational pamphlets, founded a club, hosted an event, or volunteered for an organization or institution? Be sure to write about something that you have actively accomplished—avoid writing about an issue that you care about but haven’t addressed.

Discussing the way(s) you have addressed the issue you care about is an excellent opportunity to provide more detail about an activity on your Common App Activities List. If you can, substantiate your accomplishment with quantitative numbers—“raised X amount of dollars,” “donated X pounds of canned food,” etc.

Then, write about why this issue is important to you. Much like your personal statement, you want to write an essay only you can write, so avoid writing something generic about an issue most people care about . Resist the temptation to focus on an overly political or partisan subject, especially one that’s discussed nationally. If you feel like you can offer a nuanced, interesting answer, go for it, but don’t be afraid to write about a more local issue. It doesn’t have to have national importance—the prompt asks why the issue is important to you as an individual. Describing a personal connection to the issue can be a good way of illustrating why it is important to you; perhaps it’s affecting your city, state or a friend or a family member.

If nothing unique comes to mind, opt for the second prompt.

Keep in mind that BU emphasizes accessibility, service of the local and international community, diversity, and excellence. When you write why the issue is important to you, be sure to tie your discussion back to one (or more) of the BU values to emphasize that you hold values in common with the school.

For most of my childhood, the only computer I had was a boxy, early 2000s PC my mom used once a week to browse Facebook. I didn’t realize that my technological skills were far behind my classmates’ until middle school, when we were expected to know how to Google reliable sources, use Word, and run different software programs.

With effort and dedication, I slowly developed the digital skills to match my peers’ throughout middle and high school. Now, I am passionate about increasing access to technology and closing the gap in digital literacy for students like me.

Comparing my own experience with that of my fellow students helped me to recognize the need to level the playing field. I founded a school club, Students for Digital Access, which aims to donate laptops to underprivileged students. I partnered with my library to host a technology drive, encouraging community members to donate their old laptops and tablets, and then worked with the local tech store to refurbish and donate the laptops to members of my school community. I successfully provided forty-seven laptops to students in need. This initiative enabled students to engage in online learning and explore digital resources, and underscored the significance of community collaboration in driving positive change.

Advocacy has been central to my efforts. Collaborating with other student organizations, I have organized a panel discussion on the impact of the digital divide and potential solutions. I also wrote an article for my local paper, highlighting the intersection of technology access, education, and social equity.

Ultimately, by cultivating digital literacy, I contribute to a more inclusive and interconnected community. I especially resonate with BU’s value of service, as I work towards a future where every individual has equal opportunities to harness the power of technology for personal and communal advancement.

Option 2 Explanation:

Again, note that there are two parts to this prompt:

What excites you about being a student at BU
How you hope to contribute to the campus community.

A strong answer to this question will connect the two together.

Root your answer to the first part in opportunities/qualities that are unique to BU and BU alone. For instance, there are many colleges in Boston, so avoid writing about opportunities specific to Boston and write about opportunities specific to BU. Offer detailed examples when writing about majors, programs, clubs, exact locations, living environments, etc. You can find a lot of this on BU’s website—they even publish a full list of clubs that you can explore. In addition, searching for interesting lectures by BU professors or BU professors researching areas you’re passionate about is another strong way to show this interest. In general, don’t overstuff an answer with this content, but three to four references work well in most cases.

Think of this as an “ask not what BU can do for you, ask what you can do for BU” question. Be sure to tie in your answer to the first question to your unique skills and perspective (that should be visible on other parts of the application) when discussing how you’ll contribute to the campus community.

Be thorough – Essays are evaluated both for their content and for their grammar, so make sure that you take the time to read your essay out loud, meticulously proofread it at least twice, and even have a trusted, experienced adult (like an English teacher) review your essay before you click submit. Don’t lose points because of basic grammar mistakes .

Be thoughtful and original – Think deeply about each topic you write about. Avoid writing platitudes. Strive to find ideas that feel new and don’t fall into typical high school tropes. Show off your personality and what makes you unique!

Be mature – Aim to be self-aware with everything you write, and avoid coming across as overconfident, entitled, or too pessimistic.

From first looking at countries’ GDPs without knowing what they meant to exploring neo-classical theory, the study of economics has harnessed my intellectual curiosity. Exploring the discipline has challenged me to think about conflicts in religion, culture, and ethics that have significant impact on our day-to-day lives: a research interest I would love to continue studying as an Economics major and Religion minor at BU.

My independent engagement with books like The Undercover Economist and Richard Thaler’s Misbehaving have piqued my curiosity about Behavioral and Development economics. I would be eager to work with Boston University Professor Raymond Fisman, whose research explores the connection between religion-based communities and lending. My own interest in this connection resulted from researching the contribution of religious pilgrimage and tourism in Mecca for my IB Extended Essay over the past year. Additionally, minoring in religion at BU will enable me to understand the values and foundations of economic and organizational practices around the world.

After serving as chief editor of my school’s student newspaper for two years, I aspire to join magazines like BU’s International Relations Review and the Daily Free Press. I view storytelling as a powerful tool for fostering empathy and understanding, and I would love to use my writing to promote dialogue on challenging issues like religion and economic inequality. BU’s founding principle that research and scholarship should be conducted in service of the wider community resonates with my own belief that education can breed tolerance; a goal I hope to work towards through my studies and involvement at BU.

Additional Information (optional): Please use this space if you have additional information, materials, or writing samples you would like us to consider.

Explanation:

This section is 100% optional, but it can be a good place to share a short piece of writing you’re especially proud of or briefly write more thoroughly about an area you feel like you didn’t have enough space to discuss in the rest of the application (maybe your passion project, or a specific work experience, etc.) The key here is to keep it succinct and only write about something that’s very important to you or unique.

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What makes something ethical? What does it mean to exist? Why is there something rather than nothing? If you’ve ever considered these questions, philosophy might be right for you! In this major, you can complete research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and learn to make sense of all these questions. Students desiring specialized work in addition to the requirements of the regular major are invited to consider the following four areas: philosophy of law, politics, and society; philosophy and history of science; philosophy and the ancient world; and philosophy of the biomedical sciences. These interdisciplinary joint majors offer alternative pathways for further exploration beyond the major itself.

Political Science

As a political science major, you’ll study how political communities attempt to reconcile claims of justice, power, liberty, and authority. Drawing on topics like history, law, and psychology, political science shares the traditional aims of a liberal arts education while trying to understand the major public issues of our time. Our political science majors go on to have careers in fields such as education, government, journalism, and business. Many students also pursue graduate degrees in law and public administration.

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If it weren’t for the work of computer engineers, you wouldn’t be reading this right now! If you’re curious how computers are structured and operate, you’ll have the ability to learn both the hardware and software mechanisms to make it all happen. During your time in this program you will also learn to apply engineering principles to the design of processors and systems, becoming a successful computer professional. Additionally, the College of Engineering’s Senior Capstone Project allows you to create real products for a client in the Boston area.

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Allow your mind to get lost in the stars by joining two majors together. Astronomy & physics majors explore the principles of astronomy and physics, including planets in the solar system, star formation, galaxies and cosmology, electricity and magnetism, statistical and quantum mechanics, and mathematical methods of physics. By participating in interactive labs you’ll explore the concepts of inertia, velocity, and more. Astronomy and physics majors also have access to the solar telescope located in the College of Arts & Sciences’ Judson B. Coit astronomical observatory. Astronomy and physics is a pathway to research-oriented careers and prepares students for either immediate workforce entry or further, graduate-level study in astronomy and related sciences.

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BU’s program is well known for producing highly successful alumni in the field of film and television. You’ll study writing, managing and producing, and the history of film and television, while acquiring the skills needed to launch your career. Choose your focus: Production, Screenwriting, Film and Television Studies, or Management/Producing. Then compliment your coursework with hands-on experience. BUTV10, our student-operated TV production studio, and the BU in LA internship program are popular options.

History embraces the sum of the human experience—politics, economy, religion, art, ideas, culture, social structures, and science. You will learn to consider multiple points of view and changing global contexts. History majors regularly go on to law school, graduate programs in museum and preservation studies or public history, or careers in business, publishing, or media.

Sociology is the major to explore if you’re curious about the social causes and consequences of human behavior. BU offers the opportunity to explore a variety of sociological concentrations, from medical sociology to urban sociology, global social relations, or gender inequality. You can also perform research with a professor through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Sociology students may study abroad and fully immerse yourself in the history, culture, and social policies of a new country. The critical-thinking skills and broad theoretical knowledge you’ll gain through this program will prepare you for many different career paths, from medicine and law to social work, education, or policy administration.

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Boston University | BU’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Additional info essay.

Please use this space if you have additional information, materials, or writing samples you would like us to consider.

Select-A-Prompt Short Response

1. Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it?

2. What about being a student at BU most excites you? How do you hope to contribute to our campus community?

The mission of Kilachand Honors College is to offer a challenging liberal arts education grounded in critical and creative thinking, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and the real-world application of knowledge. Please see https://www.bu.edu/khc/about/ for more details about our program, and then respond to one of the following questions in an essay of 600 words or less:

1. What about the Kilachand Honors College resonates with you, and how would Kilachand‘s curriculum fulfill your academic, creative, intellectual, and/or professional goals?

2. If you could create a new Kilachand course, what would it be? How would your imagined course align with the core values of Kilachand?

Please write an essay of 600 words or less in response to one of the following two topics:

1: Nobel laureate and BU professor Elie Wiesel once said: “There is divine beauty in learning... To learn means to accept the postulate that life did not begin at my birth. Others have been here before me, and I walk in their footsteps. The books I have read were composed by generations of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, teachers and disciples. I am the sum total of their experiences, their quests." Is there a book, film, podcast or life- experience that has made you feel more connected to your personal history/identity, and what is the most important thing you learned from it?

2: Describe a time when you felt out of your comfort zone or marginalized in a situation. How did you respond to that moment and how has it informed your actions moving forward?

Common App Personal Essay

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you‘ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?

College Application

Boston University Supplemental Essay Examples

Perusing some Boston University supplemental essay examples will be a great foundational step to writing your own college application essays for Boston University. Excellent essays are one option for making your college application stand out.

Why look at example essays at all? Even knowing how to start a college essay can be a tricky prospect; looking over sample essays is a great first step, because you will see how other people kicked their own essay off. Or, maybe you’ve been working on your essay for a long time, and even though you’ve studied expert college essay tips , you don’t know how to apply them to refine your essay.

In this article, we will look at the two required essays for a Boston University application, the common application essay – a personal statement – and the supplemental essay. Then, we’ll give you some tips and tricks to write any kind of essay generally and supply you with specific information you need to write your Boston University essays.

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Article Contents 8 min read

The boston university supplemental essays.

Boston University requires students to complete two essays, a BU-specific essay and a Common Application personal statement.

Each of these essays fulfill a specific purpose in the Boston University application process, and you should take those purposes into consideration.

Boston University-specific Essay

Prompt: “What about being a Boston University student most excites you?”

Length: 250 words

This question, “Why Boston University?” is a common question asked by most universities and colleges of their prospective students. What they want to know here is why you fit perfectly with their school, and how you will mutually benefit each other.

First, you need to know about the school. What is so special about Boston University? Look up the programs they have but dive deep. A lot of schools teach math or have English lit courses. What does Boston University do that no other school is doing? Consider research that is being conducted or find out about any unique programs they have that excite you.

Of course, most of this you’ve already found out; it’s what inspired you to put Boston University on your list of top-choice schools, after all. All you need to do is pick your favorite reason – maybe two of them – and talk about them in the essay.

You can mention things like the beauty of the campus, but don’t focus on those aspects. You’re applying based on something deeper than the lovely buildings. The best subjects to talk about are academics and values.

Display not only why you would be excited to attend the school, but also why you will fit well with the school’s mission statement and their directives. This isn’t just about why you want to attend their institution. After all, they know their school is great – they love it. They want to check compatibility, like an academic dating app. Give them every reason to swipe right.

Prompt: “Please use this space if you have additional information, materials, or writing samples you would like us to consider.”

Length: None specified; aim for about a page or 600 words.

A personal statement is meant to introduce yourself and answer the question of who you are as a unique applicant. Therefore, you need to think about something you can say about yourself that is unique and shows off your perspectives, experiences, and accomplishments to any member of the admissions committee who is reading your statement.

What sorts of things might you include? You should think beyond your resume. Your transcript has your “stats,” so give them something extra. Give your reader insight into how you think. For example, you might take something you’ve done – a particular laboratory class, for instance – and speak to how you changed your thought processes, or what you learned about lab work. Your CV says you did the lab and got this-or-that grade, but if you talk about how this experience changed you, you give a far greater understanding of yourself to the committee.

With those samples in mind, you should have a pretty good idea of how to go about creating your own, perfect essay.

Some general tips and advice on how to write a college essay won’t hurt, so read on for a little extra information.

Let’s start off with format. The format you’re going to follow is a standard essay writing format, with an introduction paragraph, a body, and a conclusion.

Your college essay introduction should be a paragraph that sets up the rest of the essay, or story, that you’re relating to the admissions committee. Think of this as a way to set up expectations, but also to grab attention. You want to “hook” your reader in with a great opener. Do this with enough panache that they would want to read the whole essay whether they were on the admissions committee or not.

The other main thing your opening paragraph does is tell your reader what they have to look forward to. Maybe you’re going to emphasize a particular mentor, a skill you’ve developed, or academic performance and growth, but whatever your focus is, set that up in the opener.

That brings us neatly to the body of the essay. This is where your college essay topic is unpacked, expanded on, and explored. You should cover two or three main points – don’t overstuff this section. Whatever you set up in the opener becomes the bulk of your material. Do showcase at least two major elements of yourself here – give the impression of being well-rounded and having many qualities, even though you’re only touching on a couple of them.

Finally, conclude your essay by fulfilling the expectations of the opening paragraph. Your goal here is to conclude in such a way that the admissions committee wants to hear more, which means they will invite you to the next step in the admissions process, and then you just have to worry about how to prepare for a college interview .

Working on your Common App essay or personal statement too? Check out this video for tips:

Take note of how the BU-specific essay referenced Boston University’s GCIL initiative and the Hub. Those are unique learning opportunities at BU. The writer also shows why those particular aspects of BU are important to them, demonstrating why they would “gel” with the school.

Both essays focus on the uniqueness of the writer, so any admissions committee members will want to see more from this person, increasing their chances of an invitation.

Boston University gives no firm word count limits but be sure to check before applying; that might change from year to year. Read carefully over your prompts and instructions before working on your essays.

That is a wealth of information, both in examples and advice, which will serve you well in your essay-writing and application-filling days ahead. If you need more, go in search of other college essay examples to further boost your confidence and technique.

Remember to refine your essay, giving it all the care and attention it deserves – which is a lot. Your application depends on all aspects allowing you to shine through. Give yourself the best personal introduction you can.

We recommend that you dedicate time every week for three to four weeks to work on your essays; you don’t have to work full-time on them, but you do need to give yourself the time to brainstorm, write, review, edit, and polish your work.

The first is about 250 words, but the second is unspecified. Be careful not to go overboard. A page is plenty, and we recommend that you try to keep your work to no more than 600 words. There is no need to pad your essays; just answer the prompts.

Common App, or Common Application, is a centralized service used by post-secondary institutions all over the world. It allows students to create one application and send it in to multiple colleges or universities.

In complete congruity with its name, the Common App is widely used. A list of which schools use Common App is a long list: literally hundreds.

There are several factors to consider here. Different schools might weigh these two documents differently, so check with the school. Some schools have cutoffs, which means that a poor grade average on your transcript might eliminate you from having your essays read at all.

The best way to approach your application is to assume that all aspects are extremely important. Why chance anything? Why do less than your best?

Yes. Boston University accepts applicants from out of the state and out of the country. In fact, in a recent year, Boston University’s international students made up 24% of the student body.

The acceptance rate was 14% in a recent year.

The Common App allows for this, yes; you can change your essays after submission.

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How to Write the Boston University Supplemental Essays 2018-2019

Found stretched across the scenic Charles River, Boston University (BU) is a private research university found slightly west of Boston’s city center. BU boasts a robust undergraduate body of 16,000 students, but still maintains a strong 10:1 student-faculty ratio.

For the class of 2022, BU accepted only 22% of freshman applicants, and the members of its incoming freshman class, on average, were in the top 7% of their graduating class. In the latest US News university ranking , Boston University ranked #42.

For students matriculating in the fall of 2018 and onward, BU has implemented a new general education curriculum, called the BU Hub . These requirements fall into six different categories: Philosophical, Aesthetic, and Historic Inquiry; Scientific and Social Inquiry; Quantitative Reasoning; Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Leadership; Intellectual Toolkit; and Communication.

There are also several programs within the larger university that you could apply for: the Accelerated Program in Liberal Arts and Medicine, a seven-year BA/MD program; the Kilachand Honors College, an interdisciplinary liberal arts program; and the Trustees Scholarship, a full ride program.

Overall, as a large, but private university, BU offers a plethora of different avenues for its students to take advantage of. Many of the supplemental essay prompts may seem daunting at first, but we here at CollegeVine will help you tackle them to the best of your ability!

The Boston University Essay Prompts

Prompt 1: please use this space if you have additional information, materials, or writing samples you would like us to consider. (2000 kb pdf file), prompt 2: what about being a student at boston university most excites you (250 words), prompt 3: for accelerated program in liberal arts and medicine applicants:, the accelerated programs admission committee is interested in learning more about you. please write an essay on why you wish to enter the health professions, including what experiences have led you to this decision and what you hope to gain from your chosen profession. please make sure your essay is completely distinct from the one you submitted on the common application. (750 words).

Prompt 4 : For Kilachand Honors College applicants:

Kilachand Honors College offers a challenging liberal arts education grounded in critical and creative thinking and interdisciplinary problem-solving. What do you think this approach means? Reflect on what has been missing in your education to date, giving at least one concrete example to support your response. How would Kilachand’s interdisciplinary curriculum fulfill your academic, creative, intellectual, and/or professional goals? (600 words)

Prompt 5: for trustees scholarship applicants:.

“Please select one of the questions below and respond with an essay explaining your perspective. (600 words)

Option A: The list of works banned throughout history is long and sometimes surprising. Examples include the Bible, King Lear, The Origin of Species, Mein Kampf, Lolita, The Diary of Anne Frank, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Isaac Asimov wrote: “Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” Do you agree? Is such censorship ever justified? If so, who or what should determine which books are read and which are forbidden?

Option B: Economists describe a “moral hazard” as individuals’ tendency to take greater risks when they believe that they will not bear the full cost of their actions. Some may be less careful driving, for instance, if they know that their insurance provider will cover potential accidents, while the uninsured will drive with more caution. A recent study similarly suggests a correlation between greater access to Narcan, the drug used to reverse potentially fatal opioid overdoses, and a rise in the use of opioids. In your opinion, should the concept of moral hazard affect public policy? If so, what are the relevant factors policymakers should consider in assessing questions of public safety and individual responsibility?

Option C: “The perfect search engine,” Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin has said, “would be like the mind of God.” In your opinion, will science and technology eventually allow us to know all things knowable? Are there limits to what the perfect search engine will reveal, or might it indeed become like the mind of God?

Prompt 6: Please submit a short essay to the following statement: “Something that’s not on the resume.” Give us a glimpse of a passion, dream, or mental pursuit that absorbs and delights you. (300 words)

Because of the sheer volume of applications college admissions officer comb through, you don’t want to burden them with even more writing unless it is absolutely necessary. Be wary of posting long school essays that might be strong in writing quality, but may not be the best for an admissions reader to dig through. Images of art should be sent through the arts portfolio section, not here.

“Additional information” usually means extreme circumstances that you may have not had the opportunity to place anywhere else. Overall, however, if you feel very strongly compelled towards a certain piece of writing that describes you in a way that cannot be described elsewhere, you should by no means limit yourself.

The key to these “Why X School?” prompts is to first lay out the specific aspects of the school that excite you and then supplementing these aspects with how your personal traits and qualities would make an excellent fit. Most importantly, you want to thoroughly research the aspects of BU that excite you and would be a good fit for you.

You should definitely research the wealth of academic programs BU offers for its undergraduates. Here are some possible avenues:

1. You could dote on BU’s extensive undergraduate research opportunities. Maybe you have always been interested in studying mental illness, as it is something you had to reckon with your entire life. You could talk about BU’s Approach Motivation and Participation (AMP) Lab, where you would have ample opportunity to interact with participants dealing with things like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

2. If you want to study business and are applying to the Questrom School of Business, you could talk about wanting to join the Questrom Honors Program, where you would be given unique opportunities to attend seminars on niche business topics of your interest, like green technology and intellectual property, and participate in networking events with alumni. Remember to talk about your own experiences in business, whether in DECA or starting your own business, and mention why Questrom would be a perfect continuation of your current desires.

3. If you know you want to study abroad during college, you could mention BU’s comprehensive study abroad program . Say you know you want to study international relations with a focus on Francophone countries—you could then talk about how you would apply for the fall Sciences Po program in France, and build your understanding of American-French relations through taking classes on both sides of the Atlantic.

If you have visited the campus or have attended a summer program at the university, you should definitely note that in the essay. Include sensory details and specific moments, whether it was visiting certain halls you could see yourself learning in, lying down in “BU Beach” and catching the breeze, or simply sitting down in the grassy fields and observing the great diversity on campus.

You could also talk about Boston more broadly as an urban environment you feel like you would thrive in. You could mention Boston, “America’s College Town,” and how its hustle and bustle differs completely from the quiet, suburban neighborhood you grew up in and want to get away from. However, you shouldn’t talk too much about the city, as it detracts from specific aspects of BU itself, and can verge on being generic and applicable to all the other Boston colleges.

You should apply to BU’s extremely selective seven-year BA/MD program if you are certain you want to become a doctor. You also ideally want to have clinical and research experiences you could talk about in this essay. This 750-word prompt certainly asks many different questions, so you should make sure to read through the questions carefully and answer every prompt.

Chances are, if health and becoming a doctor are a big part of your identity, you probably would have at least mentioned it in your Common App. You could always modify your Common App personal statement just for BU, and then revise it for the rest of your colleges if you feel trapped.

First, to answer the “why” part of the program will require a few different parts: why the values of becoming a doctor match your current values, and how you have come to fulfill the prerequisite experiences to become a doctor.

In regards to values, talk about the basic tenets of being a doctor, which include altruism, a commitment to service, a difficult path to the profession, and an excitement for seeing the lives of others improved. Talk about how everything about yourself aligns with these aforementioned values.

You should talk about all of the important experiences you have had that concretized your desire to become a doctor, such as clinical experience (shadowing or scribing), research experience (wet lab or dry lab, authoring a journal article), volunteer experience (working in nursing homes or making gifts for kids in hospitals), etc. You want to make sure that you cite experience in both the patient interaction and the scientific research side of things, maybe one of each.

Because you probably already listed these experiences in the activities section of your Common App, you should refrain from simply listing once again. Use the essay to illustrate specific breakthrough anecdotes that have strengthened your commitment to becoming a doctor.

As a side note, however, you should refrain from talking about the oft-cited cliche of wanting to become a doctor because of an experience seeing a close relative hospitalized. However, if this is an experience critically important to you, you should still mention it, but perhaps not make it the entirety of your essay.

In the last part of your essay, “what you hope to gain from your chosen profession,” talk about why you want to become a doctor over everything else. You could talk about how the unique combination of patient interaction and science research is something you need to thrive as a human, and something you feel like you will get only as a doctor.

Prompt 4: For Kilachand Honors College applicants:

In this prompt, you want to reflect on what your ideal college education looks like. The Kilachand Honors College is a rigorous, supplemental program to your already intense BU education, so if you love learning for learning’s sake and want to spend four years cross-pollinating over different disciplines to better comprehend the world, the Honors College may be the right choice for you.

For the first part of the prompt, “what do you think this approach means,” make sure to first research what the program is about because you want to both reiterate and personalize the Kilachand curriculum. You want to familiarize yourself with all the required coursework of the program, and mention in the essay why you would thrive in and enjoy the first year seminars, the keystone projects, and the second and third year classes looking at global issues.

In regards to the second part of the prompt, reflecting on your past education, brainstorm the most counterproductive and uninspiring aspects of your school curriculum thus far. Chances are, your high school curriculum was defined by state and national standards, with AP, IB, and SAT tests that may have felt more like tedious memorization instead of “critical and creative thinking and interdisciplinary problem-solving.” You could mention things like a particular moment in math where you felt like what you were learning was so rigid (not what you imagine math to be), or a moment in English where you felt like the AP style essay was no more than a formula where you filled in the blanks (not what you imagine English writing to be).

Talk about how different this experience would be when compared to a Kilachand first-year seminar like “The Ethics of Food,” where you could sit around a table with other passionate first years and mull over the greater issues surrounding global food consumption. Or you could talk about a class like “Biomedical Enhancement and the Future of Human Nature”. Maybe you’re pre-med, and love interacting with others, but want to better understand how technology is changing the fundamental nature of both humans and human interaction.

You could even bring up the community aspect of the program, the third pillar of the honors college, by talking about how you never had a community of people dedicated to learning growing up, and about how you see the Kilachand community (130-150 students per class) as the perfect size to create a mini ecosystem in the greater BU campus. You could talk about how you want a small, liberal arts college-esque intellectual environment without being cloistered away in a faraway rural town.

Lastly, you want to talk about your dreams and passions to answer the last part of the prompt. Make sure to address the “interdisciplinary” nature of these goals, and how you need to incorporate various academic disciplines in order to best carry out your intended career. Maybe this is becoming a chemist, where you want to understand not just chemistry but also the economics of the pharmaceutical industry and the politics of weapon creation. Maybe, this is becoming a visual artist, where you want to understand technology’s morbid impacts on the world, which will help you in your goal of mirroring society through art.

“Please select one of the questions below and respond with an essay explaining your perspective.” (600 words)

The Trustees Scholarship is BU’s most prestigious merit-based scholarship and provides a full ride to about 20 students. Historically, thousands of students have applied for this scholarship for a handful of spots, so make sure that if this is something you really want, you put serious thought into the essays. These essays diverge from traditional college supplemental essays, and almost veer into the academic, tackling some of society’s greatest moral and ethical questions.

However, 600 words are not nearly enough space to compose a fully formed argumentative essay. The key here is to be concise and to the point. Don’t overindulge in flowery language and long-winded philosophy—stick to answering the question to the best of your ability. If you can have a fresh angle on these societal dilemmas, feel free to give them a try here (as long as they are supported by strong arguments). These essays should reside in a middle ground between personal reflections and academic prose.

Another tip is to proceed with caution. The essay readers may have their own personal views towards these questions, so you may not want to come off incredibly strong on one side or another without strong backing. Moreover, these questions are all designed to provoke multiple lines of thinking, so don’t be dissuaded if you believe your answer isn’t 100% airtight (although it should be as airtight as possible).

Don’t worry if you don’t have a perfect answer to any of these essay questions, as these are questions that are still confounding the smartest people in the world. Just choose the topic you’re the most curious or knowledgeable about, and go from there.

Prompt 5 Option A: The list of works banned throughout history is long and sometimes surprising. Examples include the Bible, King Lear, The Origin of Species, Mein Kampf, Lolita, The Diary of Anne Frank, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Isaac Asimov wrote: “Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” Do you agree? Is such censorship ever justified? If so, who or what should determine which books are read and which are forbidden?

Of the three, this question is probably the most one-sided because of the books that they cite (books that were once banned but are now widely read and distributed), as well as the fact that BU is an institution of higher learning, where freedom of thought and access to learning is paramount. BU’s mission statement even talks about “insistence on the value of diversity.” The mission statement also talks about BU’s commitment to the “liberal arts,” a phrase that has its roots in the Latin liberalis , which means “free.”

However, the answer here is far from straightforward. Although free speech does exist in the United States today through the First Amendment, limits have been placed on speech: the 1969 Supreme Court Case Brandenburg v. Ohio stated that speech is no longer protected under the law once it is proved to incite or produce “imminent lawless action.” You must think carefully about where you stand in this grey line, and if you believe in censorship, how far a book must go into the realm of hate speech and illegal speech to be censored.

If you want to cite evidence backing your claim, make sure they come from sources not too overdone ( 1984 , Fahrenheit 451 ). There are numerous historical examples of book burning and literature tackling issues around censorship ( Lady Chatterley’s Lover , The Gulag Archipelago ), so you can use these examples to enhance your arguments.

The notions of free speech are a linchpin in college campuses today, and so this essay also asks whether or not you’ve thought about these issues. Colleges have often been criticized for being too limited and homogenous in their ideological scope, which is something you also want to think about while writing.

Prompt 5 Option B: Economists describe a “moral hazard” as individuals’ tendency to take greater risks when they believe that they will not bear the full cost of their actions. Some may be less careful driving, for instance, if they know that their insurance provider will cover potential accidents, while the uninsured will drive with more caution. A recent study similarly suggests a correlation between greater access to Narcan, the drug used to reverse potentially fatal opioid overdoses, and a rise in the use of opioids. In your opinion, should the concept of moral hazard affect public policy? If so, what are the relevant factors policymakers should consider in assessing questions of public safety and individual responsibility?

This question is another difficult question to answer, so make sure you either do your research or have a thorough knowledge of political economy before starting off. Although this prompt sounds very specific to the issue, the prompt actually opens up the possibility of discussion quite a bit, down to the very nature of “what is government?”

This prompt will inevitably lead to you talking how much of a role the government should have: should public institutions intervene in influencing individual behavior more or less than it currently does? Should politicians consider more paternalistic behaviors, like, in the case of Narcan, limiting access to Narcan if they believe it will lower opioid overdoses? Or should they be more libertarian, letting the markets and behaviors run their course?

The issue of “public and individual safety” and “individual responsibility” are two politically charged terms that have divided our two major parties for much of their existence. Make sure to tread these lines carefully, and back up your arguments with good examples. The most common use of the term “moral hazard” probably has to do with the 2008-2009 Stock Market Crash, which people in your age group grew up seeing the consequences of. If you choose this example, you would answer the question, “should the government have bailed out the banks as they did?”

Prompt 5 Option C: “The perfect search engine,” Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin has said, “would be like the mind of God.” In your opinion, will science and technology eventually allow us to know all things knowable? Are there limits to what the perfect search engine will reveal, or might it indeed become like the mind of God?

This prompt is another thorny, looming question society is seeking to answer.

If you say yes, you could talk about how rapidly search engines and artificial intelligence are improving. You could also talk about the prospect of singularity (when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence) and the possibility for this artificial intelligence to be God. In this case, what do you think society would look like? How would humans live and work in this environment?

If you say no, you might want to take an approach more in line with traditional humanities thought, bringing in philosophical notions of consciousness and the soul, notions that have been contested all throughout history. To have a strong argument, you may even want to bring in the points of an engineer or scientist who has talked about the intellectual limitations in their own field.

A question this prompt does not specifically ask for but implicitly invites, is the “so what?” of this question of technology. You should definitely think of the consequences of such technology on our society, and more generally how rapidly advancing technology is changing what it means to be human. It would be good to end the essay talking about this, painting yourself as someone who cares about how to best live in a human society in the future.

This essay prompt is clear in that it does not want you to talk about your awards, achievements, or academic accomplishments. You could talk about a serious and weighty passion of yours, or you could talk about something more lighthearted. Here you even have the opportunity to introduce a part of yourself you previously considered “unfit” for a proper college application.

Don’t worry too much if this activity sounds unimpressive or “basic” if it is something you are passionate about—college admissions teams here are trying to see the full scope of your humanity, from your academic side to your playful side.

Here are some possible examples:

For example, say that your background is one that is pretty traditionally STEM: you participated in science olympiads, you did science research, you led science honor societies, etc. Here, you have the platform to talk about non-science interests that you have. Maybe you fell in love with pottery after that required art class you had to take freshman year. You never entered any competitions or had success in art fairs, but in your spare time, you love checking into your school’s workshop and sculpting bowls and pots.

If your background is traditionally humanities, you could wax poetic about something completely not humanities, like skateboarding or going to hip-hop concerts or hiking.

Maybe your dream is to become an astronaut, which you had wanted for your entire life but never considered seriously, assuming that nobody actually became an astronaut. However, you’ve spent the past year doing research, and even visited NASA facilities, and your fascination with space travel has always grown. You want to study engineering, and eventually become an engineer, but you will hold this dream of becoming an astronaut for the foreseeable future.

Don’t feel limited in this essay, and have fun with it (within reason, of course). Show the admission team a person who they would love to hang around just because.

We wish you the best of luck in your writing, as well as the rest of your process!

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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Columbia University holds remote classes as pro-Palestinian tent city returns; NYPD says its options are limited

By Shosh Bedrosian , Dave Carlin , Zinnia Maldonado , Mark Prussin

Updated on: April 22, 2024 / 7:18 PM EDT / CBS New York

NEW YORK -- Columbia University switched to remote learning Monday, as pro-Palestinian protests entered their sixth day on the school's campus in New York City.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik announced classes would be held virtually "to deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps." The university initially said it would offer a remote learning option, but then made it mandatory.

"Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy," the president's statement continued. "Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus."

It's a move criticized by some students and professors.

"I'm a Jewish Israeli professor. I teach at Columbia. It's my right to be on campus and the university is denying my entrance to the university," Shai Davidai said.

Chopper 2 flew over the campus Monday morning and spotted the return of an encampment of tents on the school's grounds.

Last week, Shafik asked the NYPD to come onto the grounds and remove a previous encampment. More than 100 people were arrested .

At a news conference Monday , members of the NYPD said the campus is private property and -- barring an emergency that requires an immediate response -- police are, therefore, limited in how they can respond, and can do so only if asked.

NYPD officials explained that even if they want to do more to police campus property, they must show restraint.

"What we can and can't do is different than what we can do on public street," NYPD Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber said. "If someone, for example, is being attacked we're gonna go into Columbia University as we would do a private home to protect that person."

"The only NYPD assistance they asked is for us to patrol the outside the outer perimeter of the school," NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said.

Barricades remained in place outside the school gates Monday, and CBS New York learned additional security guards would be on patrol, along with enhanced ID checks at entrances.

Shafik said she wants to sit down, talk and even "argue" to come up with a compromise to the tensions on campus, adding a group of deans and administrators will help facilitate those conversations in the coming days.

Meanwhile, New York City and state leaders are speaking out against anti-Jewish rhetoric, with Passover set to start at sundown .

Responding to the protests, Mayor Eric Adams told CBS News on Monday there is no place for hate in New York City.

"This country holds dear the right to voice one's opinion, but that voicing of opinion, I don't believe personally, should call out the level of hate that we're seeing and the level of threats that we're seeing," Adams said.

The mayor said there are no credible threats in New York at this time, but the city remains on high alert. He said his office will be meeting with colleges and universities in the city to explain how to engage and work with the NYPD to make sure that the demonstrations remain safe.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Columbia's campus Monday morning to meet with leadership and discuss the recent demonstrations. She met with Shafik, law enforcement and students, she said.

"Right now, there are many students not feeling safe on campus," Hochul said. "Students are scared. They're afraid to walk on campus. They don't deserve that. They deserve to be in an environment that's free from discrimination, as required by state human rights laws."

Hochul added she had once been a student protester, herself, but "I've never seen a level of protest that's so person-to-person, that's so visceral."

"This is our lives, this is our safety. A lot of Jewish students have gone home for Passover, there aren't so many in there right now. Jewish students are petrified," one student said Monday morning.

A counter protest outside the campus gates was largely peaceful Monday but there was at least one heated exchange.

"Ninety-five percent of Jewish people are Zionist. So if you don't want to be part of the Jewish tribe, you have the right to do so. But you are not the spokesperson of the Jewish people, these -- all of them here -- are," one person said.

"I'm not a spokesperson of the Jewish people, I'm a spokesperson for what I believe in, OK? And I'm not comfortable," the other person replied.

"They want the larger community to consider what is happening in the Mideast. They want their voices to be heard," one man said of the afternoon demonstrations.

Actor Michael Rapaport made clear his position on the war and next steps.

"Happy Passover to everybody," he said. "Agenda number one is free our hostages. Do not be afraid of being Jewish, especially in New York City."

Antisemitism and safety concerns

The protests erupted Wednesday, as Shafik testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce about antisemitism on college campuses. The hearing lasted several hours, and many Columbia students watched to see Shafik's commitment to their safety .

In light of the protests, the White House released a statement denouncing antisemitism.

"While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous -- they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America. And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable. We condemn these statements in the strongest terms," Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said.

Hochul also took to the social media platform to reiterate the right to peaceful assembly, but said threats of violence against Jewish students will not be tolerated.

"The First Amendment protects the right to protest but students also have a right to learn in an environment free from harassment or violence. At Columbia or on any campus, threatening Jewish students with violence or glorifying the terror of Oct. 7 is antisemitism," Hochul said.

Monday morning, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he was no longer comfortable supporting Columbia "until corrective action is taken."

On Sunday, Rep. Elise Stefanik called on Shafik to resign.

"While Columbia's failed leadership spent hundreds of hours preparing for this week's Congressional hearing, it clearly was an attempt to cover up for their abject failure to enforce their own campus rules and protect Jewish students on campus," Stefanik said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Over the past few months and especially the last 24 hours, Columbia's leadership has clearly lost control of its campus putting Jewish students' safety at risk. It is crystal clear that Columbia University -- previously a beacon of academic excellence founded by Alexander Hamilton -- needs new leadership. President Shafik must immediately resign. And the Columbia Board must appoint a President who will protect Jewish students and enforce school policies."

Jewish students say they're living in fear; Rabbi tells them to stay home

Jewish students on campus say they've been living in constant fear since the protests began, as they believe many of the chants are antisemitic.

That, in part, prompted a rabbi associated with Columbia's Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on campus to say he is recommending Jewish students remain home amid the protests on campus.

However, after that message was sent to students, Campus Hillel issued a contrasting statement on X, saying it does not believe Jewish students should leave campus, adding, "We do believe that the university and the city need to do more to ensure the safety of our students."

A different rabbi, Yehuda Drizin, of the university's Chabad, decided to deliver matzo to students celebrating Passover.

"This is a formative moment and none of them deserve to be in this. This is outrageous. It's insane, but at the same time, what I'm seeing, the students step up and confidently come to the Seder and eat the matzah and say we're strong and we're proud and we're not fearful. That's the reaction I'm seeing and it's amazing," Drizin said. "Sometimes it takes, at moments, just the individual walking with faith and confidence through whatever is in their way in their face. Eventually, it splits open and they make it through."

Protests continue over the weekend

More than 100 people have been arrested since the pro-Palestinian demonstrations began last week both on and near the campus in Upper Manhattan.

Protesters started occupying the South Lawn on Wednesday , setting up a makeshift encampment made of tents. They have been critical of Columbia's response to the Israel-Hamas war and are calling on the university to divest from Israel.

"We are demanding total financial transparency. This is something most schools, many schools, state schools, all provide just transparency about where ethic investments are coming from, what they're investing in," said one student, named Sarah, who was protesting inside the encampment.

"It was disturbing to see Columbia call the cops on students," she added. "They're putting their professions, physical and mental well being on the line in support of a cause that they know is just, which is Palestinian freedom in our lifetime."

School administrators warned students to leave the encampment by Wednesday night or face suspension. The NYPD took more than 100 people into custody Thursday, after Shafik said the demonstration violated safety policies .

Columbia said in a statement, "Students do not have permission to set up tents on the lawn. Those who do are in violation of long-standing University policy and will be identified and subjected to disciplinary action."

On Saturday, a large group of protesters gathered outside the university gates, while students returned to the main lawn on campus. Four more people were arrested and released with summonses, according to NYPD.

Students camped out in tents, socializing, and chanting things like "Resistance is glorious." Those inside the encampment said the pro-Palestinian demonstrators who were heard outside the gates of the school were not student-affiliated.

Meanwhile, students at other colleges, MIT and Emerson College in Boston , held rallies in solidarity with Columbia students. In Washington, the House passed a $95 billion foreign aid package Saturday that includes funds for Israel and humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Encampment pops up at The New School

A group of students at The New School also set up tents inside the Union Square campus.

About a dozen students took over the school's University Center on West 12th Street on Sunday, setting up tents and making signs reading "Gaza Solidarity Encampment."

In an online post, the group said it is standing in solidarity with protesters at Columbia.

The New School said its president will meet with student groups on Monday to consider their requests for financial transparency of the university's investments.

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Campus Protests Over Gaza Intensify Amid Pushback by Universities and Police

There were more than 120 new arrests as universities moved to prevent pro-Palestinian encampments from taking hold as they have at Columbia University.

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Police officers in helmets and face shields wade into a large crowd of protesters, some of them carrying signs.

By J. David Goodman , David Montgomery , Jonathan Wolfe and Jenna Russell

This story was reported on the ground from campuses in Austin, Los Angeles, Boston, Rhode Island, San Antonio and New York.

A wave of pro-Palestinian protests spread and intensified on Wednesday as students gathered on campuses around the country, in some cases facing off with the police, in a widening showdown over campus speech and the war in Gaza.

University administrators from Texas to California moved to clear protesters and prevent encampments from taking hold on their own campuses as they have at Columbia University, deploying police in tense new confrontations that already have led to dozens of arrests.

At the same time, new protests continued erupting in places like Pittsburgh and San Antonio. Students expressed solidarity with their fellow students at Columbia, and with a pro-Palestinian movement that appeared to be galvanized by the pushback on other campuses and the looming end of the academic year.

Protesters on several campuses said their demands included divestment by their universities from companies connected to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, disclosure of those and other investments and a recognition of the continuing right to protest without punishment.

The demonstrations spread overseas as well, with students on campuses in Cairo, Paris and Sydney, Australia, gathering to voice support for Palestinians and opposition to the war.

As new protests were emerging, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, visited the Columbia campus in New York, where university officials were seeking to negotiate with protest leaders to end the encampment of around 80 tents still pitched on a central campus lawn.

Mr. Johnson said the school’s president, Nemat Shafik, should resign if she could not immediately get the situation under control, calling her an “inept leader” who had failed to guarantee the safety of Jewish students.

The speaker said there could be an appropriate time for the National Guard to be called in , and that Congress should consider revoking federal funding if universities could not keep the protests under control.

Republican lawmakers have accused university administrators for months of not doing enough to protect Jewish students on college campuses, seizing on an issue that has sharply divided Democrats.

Some of the campus demonstrations that have taken place since the war began last year have included hate speech and expressions of support for Hamas, the armed group based in Gaza that led the deadly attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, sparking the war that has left more than 34,000 people dead in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

One of the biggest new protests on Wednesday was in Texas, where dozens of police officers, many of them in riot gear and some of them on horseback, blocked the path of protesters at the state’s premier public university, the University of Texas at Austin. At least 34 people were arrested after refusing to disperse, according to a state police spokeswoman.

Gov. Greg Abbott said that arrests there would continue until the protesters dispersed. “These protesters belong in jail,” he wrote on X . “Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.”

Hours earlier, at the Dallas campus of the University of Texas, a large group of student protesters briefly staged a sit-in near the office of the university president, demanding divestments. The students left after the president agreed to meet with them.

At the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the police moved in just before lunchtime to break up an encampment of about 100 pro-Palestinian protesters at the center of campus. As demonstrators chanted, “Shame,” officers tackled at least one protester and put that person into a campus police car, but the protester was later released.

Claudia Galliani, 26, a master’s student in public policy at U.S.C., said she was protesting “to stand in solidarity with the students of Columbia and other campuses across the States who are receiving brutality due to their advocacy for Palestine.” She said that the protesters had been ostracized and accused of antisemitism.

Many U.S.C. students were angered at the cancellation of a commencement address by the valedictorian Asna Tabassum, who is Muslim, after complaints from groups on campus that cited her support on social media for Palestinians.

“I think universities don’t want what’s happening on the East Coast to spread to the West Coast,” said Maga Miranda, a doctoral student in ethnic studies at the University of California, Los Angeles who joined the protest at U.S.C.

Protesters returned later in the day, but the university prevented a permanent encampment from being established, as the tents that had been forcibly removed in the morning were not re-erected.

Just before 6 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department officers ordered them to disperse and threatened them with arrest and expulsion from school. Many protesters moved outside of a police perimeter, but more than two dozen locked arms in the middle of the campus quad, some holding Palestinian flags.

Officers ultimately arrested 93 people for trespassing and one person on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, L.A.P.D. officials announced late Wednesday. Capt. Kelly Muniz of the L.A.P.D. did not have further details on the assault.

By 9 p.m., officers cleared the remaining protesters from the private campus and locked the gates.

At Brown University in Rhode Island, scores of students pitched tents on the campus’s Main Green on Wednesday. Organizers said their minds were on the children and students in Gaza, not on the administration’s warning that the new encampment violated university policy. They promised to stay until they were forced off.

“What we’re putting on the line is so minimal in risk, compared to what Gazans are going through,” said Niyanta Nepal, a junior from Concord, N.H., and the president-elect of the student body. “This is the least we can be doing, as youth in a privileged situation, to take ownership of the situation.”

She said the emergence of a national student movement on college campuses had galvanized Brown students. “I think everyone was ready to act, and the national momentum was what we needed,” she said. Rafi Ash, a sophomore from Amherst, Mass., and a member of Brown University Jews for Ceasefire Now, said the student protesters were in it for the long haul. “We’ll be here until they divest, or until we’re forced off,” he said.

Administrators at Harvard University sought to head off a similar scene by shuttering Harvard Yard, a central gathering place on campus. But students flooded the yard’s grassy patches anyway on Wednesday, rapidly erecting tents as part of an “emergency rally” against the suspension a pro-Palestinian campus group.

At Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., administrators said they were shutting down the campus through the weekend, concerned that protesters occupying two buildings could spread to others.

Late Tuesday, two students were arrested at Ohio State University, school officials said, during an on-campus protest that had since dispersed.

The protests at the University of Texas at Austin were among the first to take place in a Republican-led state in the South, occurring within walking distance of the governor’s mansion. Like other Republican political leaders, Gov. Greg Abbott has been outspoken in his support for Israel, and last month, he vowed to fight any antisemitism on campus.

University leaders on Tuesday said they had revoked permission for a protest and warned those who might seek to gather anyway.

“The University of Texas at Austin will not allow this campus to be ‘taken,’” two administrators from the Office of the Dean of Students wrote in a letter to the Palestine Solidarity Committee.

State police were deployed to the campus on Wednesday at the request of the university and at Mr. Abbott’s direction, said the state police spokeswoman, Ericka Miller, “in order to prevent any unlawful assembly.”

When protesters began to congregate despite the warnings, the response was swift. Scores of officers formed crowd-control lines, some clutching batons. After having ordered the protesters to disperse, some officers surged into the crowd and hauled several people away, then returned for others.

“Let them go!” some people shouted as the crowd grew.

At one point, hundreds of students and their supporters were gathered on the south mall of the campus, including some who gathered in a large circle and chanted, “Pigs go home!” Soon, the police moved in again, pushing through the crowds and making further arrests.

Ms. Miller said the majority of those arrested were charged with criminal trespassing.

In a statement, the university’s Division of Student Affairs said that the university would not tolerate disruptions “like we have seen at other campuses” and would take action to allow students to finish their classes and final exams “without interruption.”

Anna Betts and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs in New York, Edgar Sandoval in San Antonio and Jose Quezada in Arcata, Calif., contributed reporting.

J. David Goodman is the Houston bureau chief for The Times, reporting on Texas and Oklahoma. More about J. David Goodman

Jonathan Wolfe is a senior staff editor on the newsletters team at The Times. More about Jonathan Wolfe

Jenna Russell is the lead reporter covering New England for The Times. She is based near Boston. More about Jenna Russell

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3 Tips for Writing a Stellar Why Boston University Essay
Easy! In your Why BU essay, you have 250 words to explain to the admissions committee why you love Boston University and why you're a great fit for the school. While 250 words is enough space to express yourself clearly, you'll want to be concise and clear in your messaging so you can communicate effectively and get a strong reaction from your ...
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Boston University is a top research university in the heart of the city. With a fairly low acceptance rate, admissions is pretty selective, and writing strong essays is essential to standing out. ... advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. In fact, Alexander Oddo, an ...
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Prompt 1: Boston University is dedicated to our founding principles: "that higher education should be accessible to all and that research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community—local and international. These principles endure in the University's insistence on ...
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Essay Example #7: Boston University Prompt: In no more than 250 words, please tell us why BU is a good fit for you and what specifically has led you to apply for admission. Boston University's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) attracts me because of its support of interdisciplinary study among its wide array of majors.
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Boston University has become a school where you may need more than just strong grades and test scores to gain acceptance—the average SAT for those submitting applications last cycle was 1441. ... 2023-2024 Boston University Supplemental Essays. Boston University is dedicated to our founding principles: "that higher education should be ...
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The Requirements: 1 essay of 300 words. Supplemental Essay Type (s): Why. Boston University is dedicated to our founding principles: "that higher education should be accessible to all and that research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community—local and international.
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Absolutely, creating an impactful essay can really make your application shine. A crucial element for the BU essays is blending your unique story with specific details about why Boston University is the right fit for you. Do your research on BU's programs, values, and community, and make it clear why these align with your goals and experiences.
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Boston University Supplemental Essay Prompt #1. Boston University is dedicated to our founding principles: "that higher education should be accessible to all and that research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community—local and international.
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Boston University Essay
Boston University Acceptance Rate: 14% - U.S News ranks Boston University as a more selective school. Boston University Essay Requirements: Common App essay; 1 (~ 300 word) supplemental essay; Boston University Application: Students can apply via the Common Application or the QuestBridge Application.A full list of Boston University application requirements can be found on BU's website.
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If you are interested in a fee waiver, please begin by reviewing the eligibility guidelines on the Common Application website. Your request for a fee waiver will not impact your admissions decision. If you have any questions about this process or your eligibility, please contact BU Admissions at [email protected] or 617-353-2300.
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The idea of writing a why Boston University essay is to show exactly why an aspirant wants to come and study at Boston University. This will require some research and writing skills. If they are absent from the essay, aspirants should be ready for rejection. These are some of the most commonly found "red flags" in the majority of applications.
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With its rich history, vibrant campus life, and strong academic programs, BU offers an unparalleled educational experience that aligns perfectly with my career aspirations and personal growth goals. In this essay, I will delve into the reasons why Boston University is the ideal place for me to pursue my undergraduate degree.
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Boston University Essay Guide Quick Facts: For the class of 2025, the Boston University acceptance rate was 18.3%, with over half of those admitted through Early Decision. We recommend answering the required Why Boston University essay and the optional Boston University essay comprehensively and thoughtfully.
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Boston University is asking all applicants to write and submit just one supplemental essay for the 2023-2024 application cycle. The school offers students the option to pick between two prompts: one is a classic 'why this school?' while the other asks students to write more about their service work or social activism. Bear in mind that the admissions officers have no preference between ...
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With 10 undergraduate schools and colleges it may be hard to decide. But that's okay, it's perfectly fine to be "undecided." Explore Schools & Colleges Computer Engineering. College of Engineering ... Located In the Heart of Boston. Boston University Admissions 233 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215. Domestic. 617-353-2300; [email protected] ...
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250 Words. Boston University is dedicated to our founding principles: "that higher education should be accessible to all and that research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community—local and international. These principles endure in the University's insistence on ...
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