Top US Universities: Application Requirements

Why Is the Top University Application Writing so Important?

Your application for admission should be made to the best university that you can afford. Getting into a top university is going to boost your future opportunities significantly. Having a degree from an Ivy League school or equivalent will always give you more chance of gaining a better role. But writing a personal statement for top university application is not going to be easy.

Most of the top universities accept less than 10% of those that will apply to them every year. So your application for admission must be something special if you are to stand out and get yourself noticed. Your statement of purpose or application essays will often be the only way to make your name stand out to the admissions committee. But if you look at the personal statement sample essays that we have you will see that the standard of writing expected has to be excellent.

Achieving the quality of our personal statement letter sample is not easy. Many applicants struggle with how to start a personal statement and this is probably why so many seek out admission essay help online. From SAT application to letters of recommendation writing many students will hunt for help that will give them an edge.

Whether you are writing your application essays yourself or getting help you must still ensure that you answer the specific prompts that are requested by the different top universities:

Columbia University Personal Statement Writing

In addition to the coalition or common application essay you will have to answer several additional short essays through the Columbia supplement. These include prompts such as:

“If you are applying to Columbia College, tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the field or fields of study that you noted in the Member Questions section. If you are currently undecided, please write about any field or fields in which you may have an interest at this time.”

John Hopkins Personal Statement Supplement

The Johns Hopkins application supplement calls for one 300 – 400 word essay:

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

Yale Personal Statement

There are many small essays and questions to answer within their supplement such as:

“Think about an idea or topic that has been intellectually exciting for you. Why are you drawn to it?”

Duke Personal Statement Prompts

The Duke supplement requires you to answer 1 of 2 short questions and offers 2 optional essays such as:

“Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes gender identity and sexual orientation. If you would like to share with us more about either, and have not done so elsewhere in the application, we invite you to do so here. (250 words maximum)”

Answer Penn Personal Statement Prompt

You will need to write one additional 400 to 650 word essay:

“How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying.”

Personal Statement Princeton Prompts

When answering the Princeton supplement you will need to answer the following prompt:

“Write about a person, event or experience that helped you define one of your values or in some way changed how you approach the world.” (250 – 650 words)

Additional Harvard Admission Essay

In addition to your common or coalition admission essay the Harvard supplement gives you the opportunity to supply an additional essay to answer a prompt such as:

“How you hope to use your college education.”

Cornell Personal Statement Prompt

The additional essays are college based:

“College of Architecture, Art, and Planning: What is your “thing”? What energizes you or engages you so deeply that you lose track of time? Everyone has different passions, obsessions, quirks, inspirations. What are yours?”

MIT Personal Statement Writing

The MIT application supplement poses an additional 5 short essays such as:

“Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?” (200-250 words)

Stanford Admission Essay Requirements

There are an additional 3 short essays (100 to 300 words) to answer prompts such as:

“Virtually all of Stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate and us know you better.”