Cornell admitted only 9% of its overall application pool for the 2021-2022 admission year. To be one of the students selected, you must produce outstanding Cornell essays as part of your Cornell University application.

The Cornell supplement essay is a chance for applicants that are intended to provide more information to an admissions committee about the applicant’s personal qualities and interests. The supplement is optional for applicants who are not selected for an interview, but it should be used by those who have a compelling reason to do so. Cornell supplemental essays are a great way to bring to light any particular topics that you have in mind.

So does cornell require supplemental essays help students? The Cornell University Supplemental Essays are designed to supplement the undergraduate learning experience. 

In this post, we'll go over the many types of essays you'll need to write for your Cornell University application, as well as how to write a Cornell supplement essay that will set you apart from the hundreds of other applicants.

What Are the Cornell Essay Prompts?

Most Cornell applicants only need to respond to one Cornell supplement essay prompt as part of their application (engineering students are the exception). Yay!

But don't get too happy since this single essay carries a lot of weight. The word limit is on the lengthier side (typically around 650 words), and the topic is determined by the school to which you are applying.

Cornell University is made up of several smaller colleges, each having its own Cornell supplement essay example. Cornell Supplemental Essays Examples offer the students, who are preparing for their college admission, a great deal of information to help them out. The most comprehensive and up-to-date examples of Cornell supplemental essays 2023.

Your Cornell essay prompt will correspond to the school where you intend to study, so think about your future as a Cornell student before you begin writing.

Make sure to write about the subject or field of study in which you are now interested, even if this may change after you start college. Authenticity is essential in all college admissions essays.

You may have a wide range of academic interests, but for this essay, focus on what you know best and are most passionate about. Your suggested topic should also correspond to the fields of study at the college.

Because of the word limit, the Cornell essay questions allow you to express yourself and present a more full portrayal of who you are as a student and human. You can communicate a lot in 650 words, so use them wisely!

2022-23 Cornell Supplement Essay Questions

The following are the essays and directions from the Cornell University applications website:

College Interest Essays

What you intend to study at Cornell should be the primary topic of your college interest essay.

Please respond to the essay question below (limit of 650 words) in the online Common Application Writing Supplement that corresponds to the undergraduate college or school to which you are applying.

It is worth noting that the College of Engineering is the only one that requires numerous, shorter essays, whereas the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences requires one mandatory and two optional essays.

This essay should be no more than 3 pages long, and you may use the Cornell Engineering Supplemental Essay as many times as needed after you have been admitted to the Cornell University program of your choice

Here are the prompts for this year:

A.) Brooks School of Public Policy: What drew you to public policy? Tell us about why you are interested in your chosen major and how attending the Brooks School can help you reach your life objectives, drawing on your experiences.

B.) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Applicants must complete one mandatory essay and may also complete two optional essays.

i) Required: Why are you interested in the major you've chosen? Please explain how your hobbies and associated experiences influenced your decision. How would a degree from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and Cornell University help you reach your academic objectives?

ii) Optional: At Cornell CALS, we strive to leave the world a better place than we found it, therefore we look for people who are not only determined to master their discipline but also passionate about doing so for the greater good. Please describe an activity or experience that influences a community that is significant to you. We want you to think broadly about the community, which could encompass your family, school, or local and worldwide groups (300-word limit).

iii) Optional: The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is committed to the study of agricultural, life, environmental, and social sciences and welcomes students with diverse interests. Please share if you have a background in agriculture or are interested in pursuing a career in agriculture, given our agricultural history and commitment to training the next generation of agriculturalists. Choose all that apply:

iv) My family owns or operates a farm

v) I have experience working in agriculture

vi) I have interest in pursuing a career in agriculture

vii) Please feel free to share additional details below (optional)

viii) Architecture, Art, and Planning College: What exactly is your "thing"? What energizes or engages you to the point where you lose track of time? Everyone has distinct interests, obsessions, eccentricities, and sources of inspiration. What are they?

ix) College of Arts and Sciences: Students in the Arts and Sciences welcome the chance to pursue diverse academic interests, expressing Ezra Cornell's founding vision of "any person...any study" in 21st-century terms. Tell us about the topics of study that interest you and why you want to pursue them at our College.

C.) Johnson, Cornell SC Business College: Which type of business student are you? Describe the themes or issues that you care about and why they are significant to you using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences. Your response should demonstrate how your interests fit with the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business school to which you are applying (the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration).

D.) Applicants to the College of Engineering must respond to two of the three essay alternatives. Essay 1 is compulsory, and applicants can select between Questions A and B. Each response can be no more than 250 words long.

E.) Essay 1: How do your interests directly relate to Cornell Engineering? What drew you to Cornell Engineering if you have a certain major in mind? If you are undecided about which engineering field you want to study, explain how your broad interest in engineering is most closely related to Cornell Engineering. Concentrating on one or two things that excite you may be beneficial.

F.) 2nd Essay (Required):

i) Question A: Describe an engineering challenge affecting your community. It could be your school, neighborhood, town, area, or a group with which you identify. Describe one to three possible solutions to the situation as an engineer.

ii) Question B: Engineering achievement requires diversity in all forms. Engineering the best solutions to complicated issues frequently requires calling on the unique ingenuity of people from various origins, living experiences, and identities. How do you envision yourself contributing to the Cornell Engineering community's diversity and/or inclusion? What distinct voice would you contribute to the Cornell Engineering community?

G.) Human Ecology College: How have your related experiences informed your decision to apply to the College of Human Ecology? How will your main choice affect your future objectives and plans?

H.) Industrial and Labor Relations School: Describe the themes or issues that you care about and why they are significant to you using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences. Your response should demonstrate that your interests align with those of the ILR School.

Cornell Supplement Essays Analyzed

This section will go over each Cornell extra essay prompt in detail.

Remember that you can only respond to one prompt per application.

We'll also offer advice on how to tackle the specific essay questions. Some pointers will apply to all of the questions, but we will emphasize the key differences for each program.

Brooks School of Public Policy

“Why are you interested in studying public policy? Tell us about why you are interested in your chosen major and how attending the Brooks School can help you reach your life objectives, drawing on your experiences.”

To apply to the Brooks School of Public Policy, you must first choose a major. Be explicit about what you want to study and why, and make it clear why the Brooks School in particular is the best fit for you.

This section will go over each Cornell extra essay prompt in detail.

Remember that you can only respond to one prompt per application.

We'll also offer advice on how to tackle the specific essay questions. Some pointers will apply to all of the questions, but we will emphasize the key differences for each program.

Brooks Institute of Public Policy

Why are you interested in studying public policy? Tell us about why you are interested in your chosen major and how attending the Brooks School can help you reach your life objectives, drawing on your experiences.

To apply to the Brooks School of Public Policy, you must first choose a major. Be explicit about what you want to study and why, and make it clear why the Brooks School in particular is the best fit for you.

When applying to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, you should have an idea of what you want to study. In your essay, you should focus on one major and explain why it is significant to you.

Choose a topic that is of genuine interest to you and with which you have a personal connection, even if that relationship is limited to articles you've read and documentaries you've seen.

Conduct research about the issue and the school. Spend some time researching the Cornell College of Agriculture—its history, current professors, and prominent alumni. Is there somebody in your research who you can identify with?

Who do you consider to be inspirational? Are there any lecturers with whom you hope to collaborate?

Leverage the school's reputation by writing about something specific that has a personal link to you.

Instead of writing about national homesteading trends, write about a local farm in your neighborhood that you visited as a child or how you became interested in food science.

You might also write about your connection to a specific project of a Cornell School of Agriculture and Life Sciences professor.

“Optional: Because we want to leave the world a better place than we found it, we look for people who are not only determined to master their discipline but also passionate about doing it for the greater good.

Please describe an activity or experience that influences a community that is significant to you.

We want you to think broadly about community, which could encompass your family, school, or local and worldwide groups (300-word limit).”

This is an excellent opportunity for you to demonstrate how you intend to use your passion for the greater good.

You have a lot of leeways here because the challenge asks you to define "community" broadly.

Consider your local community, your family and friends, any travels you've been through school or service organizations—anything that demonstrates your dedication to helping others.

This isn't so much an essay prompt as it is a way for you to express yourself.

College of Architecture, Art, and Planning

“What exactly is your "thing"? What energizes or engages you to the point where you lose track of time?

Everyone has distinct interests, obsessions, eccentricities, and sources of inspiration. What are they?”

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning essay provides an interesting essay topic... so have fun with it!

You are not confined to merely academic interests here. Consider what you learn about or participate in because you want to, not because you have to.

In other words, what do you usually look up when you go down an Internet rabbit hole?

Feel free to use examples from pop culture, history, science, math, or whatever else you choose! Remember that the challenge asks about both passions and oddities. Do not be humiliated!

Tell us something about yourself. Perhaps you enjoy viewing vintage movies or creating your pop-up cards for your family.

You may have watched hundreds of hours of YouTube photography videos. Perhaps you go to the City Hall of whichever new town you visit.

Whatever you choose, make sure to explain why you're interested in it and how it's influenced your life.

College of Arts and Sciences

“Students in the Arts and Sciences value the ability to pursue diverse academic interests, emulating Ezra Cornell's founding ideal of "any person...any study" in the twenty-first century.

Tell us about the topics of study that interest you and why you want to pursue them at our College.”

The College of Arts and Sciences is Cornell University's least particular school of study, and the admissions essay reflects this.

If you know you enjoy learning but aren't sure what you want to do after college, you'll probably apply here.

Don't be duped! You are not required to compose a broad essay in response to a broad question.

Don't feel obligated to show an interest in both Russian literature and molecular biology. Rather, be honest and sincere in describing your true intellectual objectives.

You don't have to have lofty goals or a compelling cause for your intellectual activities. Maintain your integrity. It's great if you're interested in Elizabethan history because of some historical fiction novels you read as a child.

That is entirely correct. Just remember to always connect it to how Cornell's academics allow you to pursue your interest.

If you believe you have numerous areas of study in which you are passionate, you may write about them—but no more than two or three at a time.

Otherwise, your essay will come across as more of a list than an in-depth investigation of your true interests.

If you choose to write about numerous hobbies, make sure to tie them back to you and your unique experience as a Cornell student and member of the community.

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

“Which type of business student are you? Describe the themes or issues that you care about and why they are significant to you using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences.

Your response should demonstrate how your interests fit with the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business school to which you are applying (the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration).”

Do not be tricked if the Johnson College of Business challenges appears wide and simple to answer in general.

As with other outstanding college essays, you must respond to this topic with as much precision as possible.

This prompt is a gift: it tells you exactly what you should write. Make no assumptions here.

Investigate the programs to learn more about their approach to business education and hospitality, how it differs from other programs, and how they might provide you with a possible future career and life path.

The question gives you a thesis: explain why this program is a good fit for you and how you plan to use what you learn there in the future.

Take note of it! Your essay should explain why you want to attend Cornell's business school above others and how you plan to use the resources it provides.

Investigate what distinguishes Cornell's business school from others. You can specify the classes you want to take or which instructors you want to work with.

This demonstrates that you are interested in Cornell, not simply any other business school.

Don't get too worried about developing a detailed life plan for yourself when it comes to the "where do you plan to go from here" aspect of the question.

Broad goals for your future are great, and you may even keep things more particular by detailing how you'll apply what you've learned to secure prestigious internships or attend classes in a certain field to better prepare you for a future career.

If you're specifically interested in the SHA and need help coming up with a topic, consult the list of global hotel industry topics. Which of them piques your interest? What piqued your interest in them?

Why are you so invested in these issues? What kind of job do you seek in this industry?

When describing your attributes that make you a good fit for the program, avoid using merely adjectives and generalizations. Instead, utilize true tales, anecdotes, and events from your life to demonstrate your personality qualities.

how, don't tell, like they say in elementary school. Instead of simply describing your personal strengths, use instances to demonstrate them.

College of Engineering

Now for something completely different. Instead of writing one long essay, College of Engineering applicants must write two shorter essays, with a choice of three prompts.

Each challenge tries to discover why you want to study engineering and why you think you'd excel at it. Make an effort to go above the surface level with your responses to all stimuli.

Don't simply state that you desire stable employment after graduation. Cornell's College of Engineering wants to see that you are ambitious as well as having interesting ideas.

The first prompt is compulsory and is the most similar to the other institutions' prompts. It's a basic "why us" prompt in which you explain to Cornell why you want to apply to their College of Engineering.

Again, the more detailed you can be in this instance, the better. To boost your essay, mention individual professors, classes, internship chances, and so forth.

The second prompt allows you to put your thinking cap on! This is an excellent opportunity for you to shine. Your objective here is to pick a problem that is relevant to you and explain why before getting into the topic itself.

If you know what type of engineering you want to study, make sure the problem you're trying to solve can be solved by that subfield. If you are undecided, you have more leeway.

For the third prompt, you're thinking about diversity and how you'll contribute to it.

This does not have to be limited to ethnic diversity; consider what your unique life experiences can bring to Cornell's College of Engineering and how they will contribute to the college's diversity.

College of Human Ecology

How have your related experiences informed your decision to apply to the College of Human Ecology? How will your main choice affect your future objectives and plans?

This essay prompt allows you to express yourself freely. That being said, bear in mind the following caution: don't get carried away with your lofty quest to solve the world's issues. Specificity, like with the previous essay challenges, is essential.

Choose a personal experience to demonstrate your response to the question.

Choose something that has truly shaped your educational and career ambitions, dive in, and write from the heart.

For example, if you want to study Policy Analysis and Management, you could discuss how your involvement with social welfare programmes has influenced your life.

Alternatively, if you're applying to the Fiber Science & Apparel Design programme, you may discuss why clothes have played such an essential role in your life and your enthusiasm for fashion design.

Include your future goals in your response. The College of Human Ecology has a very unique concentration, which you should represent in your writing.

School of Industrial and Labor Relations

“Describe the themes or issues that you care about and why they are significant to you using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences. Your response should demonstrate that your interests align with those of the ILR School.”

This essay is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your academic abilities. You get to write about your areas of study and how you plan to incorporate them into your life during your college experience and beyond.

You are not required to confine your response to your school experiences. Hobbies, vacations, and personal experiences can all inspire academic aspirations. Do you serve as a leader in your religious community?

Have you ever had a very impactful summer job? As long as you can tie the experience to academics, you'll be fine.

You should also explain which ILR college at Cornell is the best fit for you to pursue these interests. What can you study at ILR that you can't study in other colleges at Cornell, such as the College of Arts and Sciences?

List specific courses or programmes of study at ILR that reflect your academic interests. Remember, the prompt clearly asks why ILR is your preferred Cornell college.

How to Write a Great Cornell Essay

Whatever Cornell essay prompt you're responding to, keep the following suggestions in mind for writing a superb Cornell essay in mind.

#1: Use Your Own Voice

The purpose of a college essay is to allow the admissions committee to get to know you beyond your test scores, grades, and awards.

Your admissions essays are your chance to bring yourself to life for the essay readers and present yourself as a fully developed individual.

Then, in your college essays, be sure that the person you're presenting is yourself. Don't try to imitate what you believe the committee wants to hear or pretend to be someone you're not.

If you lie or exaggerate, your essay will appear insincere, reducing its effectiveness. Stick to delivering true tales about yourself, not who you think Cornell wants you to be.

#2: Avoid Cliches and Overused Phrases

Avoid using cliches or overused quotes or phrases when writing your Cornell essay.

These include quotations that have been cited to death and phrases or idioms that are overused in daily life.

The college admissions committee has undoubtedly read a lot of essays from students who want to change the world. Only discuss changing the world if you have legitimate reasons to do so.

Strive for uniqueness and avoid utilizing cliches, which take away from the depth and sincerity of your writing.
 

#3: Check Your Work

It should almost go without saying, but you want to make sure your Cornell essay is the best possible representation of your work.

Make careful to edit and check your writings before submitting your Cornell application.

Your work should be error-free in terms of spelling and grammar. Before submitting your writings, run them through a spell and grammatical check.

It's also a good idea to have another person read your Cornell essay. A parent, instructor, or friend can provide you with a second opinion on your work. Inquire whether your work accurately represents you as a student and person.

Check with them to ensure you haven't missed any minor writing errors. Getting a second opinion will help your work to be the best it can be.

Recap: Writing a Stellar Cornell Essay

The Cornell essay prompts allow you to truly demonstrate your personality to the admissions committee.

Whatever question you're answering, keep these basic dos and don'ts in mind while you write:

DO

a.) Be genuine and truthful.

b.) When mentioning persons, locations, or objects, be explicit.

c.) Strive for conciseness and clarity; less is more!

d.) Be yourself, and do your homework—both will show in your writing!

DO NOT

a.) Write your essays based on what you believe the Cornell admissions committee wants to hear.

b.) Use cliches or broad generalizations.

c.) Make an effort to be witty and original. Be sincere, and the committee will notice your positive qualities.