Dartmouth College Supplemental Essay Prompts & Writing Guide 2025-2026

With only 100 words to work with, you need to be ruthlessly selective and highly specific. Successful essays identify 2 to 3 concrete reasons why Dartmouth is uniquely suited to your goals, avoiding generic praise that could apply to any elite school. Start with your academic or career aspiration in the opening sentence to establish focus, then immediately connect it to specific Dartmouth resources: name an actual professor whose research aligns with your interests, cite a distinctive program like the modified majors at Thayer School of Engineering, or reference unique opportunities such as the D-Plan's flexibility for off-cycle internships. Avoid listing multiple programs without depth; instead, go deep on one or two features that genuinely excite you.

Dartmouth values intellectual curiosity, risk-taking, and community contribution, so your essay should reveal how you'll actively engage on campus beyond academics. If you mention the Dartmouth Outing Club or First-Year Trips, explain how outdoor leadership connects to your personal growth story. If you reference student publications like The Dartmouth or clubs, show how they relate to passions already evident in your application. Former students emphasize that the admissions office wants to understand not just what Dartmouth offers you, but what you'll contribute to the tight-knit community of 4,200 undergraduates. Remember, this is not the place to explain why you love the Ivy League or praise Dartmouth's prestige; focus on aspects that make Dartmouth different from other top schools.

Keep your language direct and avoid verbal filler. Every word must earn its place. If you've visited campus, reference something tangible you experienced (a specific class, a conversation with a student, the atmosphere at a particular location), but don't force a visit into the essay if you haven't been. Authenticity matters more than demonstrating interest through a campus tour. According to Dartmouth's own admissions blog, students who struggled with this essay often realized the school wasn't the right fit, so if you find it difficult to write with genuine enthusiasm and specificity, that's worth reflecting on. Make sure your details are accurate and current (programs and centers change), write in your natural voice without forced vocabulary, and remember that a polished, personal response focused on 1 or 2 deeply researched reasons will outshine a scattered list of surface-level attractions.

Both options in this prompt ask you to reveal your authentic self, so your first step is deciding which angle allows you to share something Dartmouth doesn't already know from your activities list or personal statement. The admissions office wants to see the intangibles that can't be reflected on a resume: your sense of humor, intellectual curiosity, self-awareness, or the qualities that make you distinctly you. If you choose the "Let your life speak" option, don't fall into the trap of writing about yourself as a young child. Admissions officers would much prefer to read about you as a high schooler, so focus on how your upbringing shapes who you are now and how you think today. Paint a vivid picture of your environment (whether it's a bustling city, rural village, or tight-knit community), but always connect those details back to your current values, perspectives, or the person you've become.

If you select the Oscar Wilde option, resist the urge to rehash accomplishments already listed elsewhere in your application. This is a chance to tell admissions officers something they don't know, something beyond your resume. Consider what's missing from your application: maybe an unusual hobby, a quirky interest, or how you spend time in ways that won't be obvious to readers. You might try the "21 Details" exercise to identify unique aspects of yourself that aren't captured elsewhere. You could even play with format here (a creative structure, varying sentence lengths, or an unconventional narrative style) as long as it fits the story you're telling and feels authentic to your voice. Whatever you choose, make it specific and personal. With only 250 words, you need surgical precision: get in, share the details that matter, and show (not tell) who you are through concrete examples or anecdotes rather than abstract claims.

Whichever prompt you select, keep Dartmouth's community in mind. The admissions committee is reading this while thinking about how the current you will fit into their community. So as you describe your upbringing or introduce yourself, consider weaving in (subtly, without forcing it) how your qualities or experiences align with Dartmouth's collaborative, tight-knit culture. Above all, write in your natural voice. Avoid flowery language or trying to sound overly intellectual; Dartmouth expects you to sound like someone in your teens, and authenticity will always resonate more than trying to be someone you think they want to admit.

When tackling Dartmouth's "What excites you?" essay, think of this as an open invitation to showcase genuine enthusiasm, not a test of what you think admissions wants to hear. Dartmouth is looking for purpose and passion through this prompt, and you have 250 words to capture something that truly lights you up. Whether it's a monumental achievement or a simple pleasure, the admissions office wants you to speak with passion, so resist the urge to pick a topic that sounds impressive but doesn't reflect your authentic interests. You can write about anything, from a Sunday tradition with your family to a research question that keeps you up at night, as long as you convey why it matters to you.

The key to a strong response is focus and specificity. You should bring the topic back to yourself and your values, so don't just describe what excites you in abstract terms. Instead, dig into the details: What do you think about when you engage with this passion? How does it shape your daily life, your goals, or your perspective? Avoid going on a tangent or exploring too many things within this essay, and stick to talking about one thing that excites you. For example, if coding excites you, don't just say you love programming. Explain the specific thrill of debugging a tricky algorithm or the satisfaction of building something from scratch that solves a real problem.

Finally, connect your excitement to your future at Dartmouth. You need to be able to explain how your excitement will shape your life choices as a student at Dartmouth, so consider how you'll pursue this passion on campus (through clubs, courses, research opportunities, or even informal communities). This connection doesn't need to be heavy-handed, but it should show that you've thought about how Dartmouth's environment will fuel your interests. Authenticity is everything here: admissions readers can tell when you're genuinely excited versus when you're forcing a topic that feels safe or strategic.

For Dartmouth's impact essay, you should anchor your response in concrete actions you have already taken, not just lofty intentions. The most effective approach is to clarify how you have already participated in making change within your community, then connect those efforts to future aspirations supported by Dartmouth's values and resources. This essay is about demonstrating commitment, not making empty promises.

With just 250 words, you cannot afford to be vague. Instead of broadly stating "I want to help others," offer a specific example of service, advocacy, or leadership that reveals your sense of purpose. Impact doesn't always require grand gestures: it can be found in small and meaningful connections, acts of kindness and empathy, or positive changes in your immediate communities. Whether you tutored younger students, led a local environmental project, or organized campaigns addressing social issues, the key is to show that you practice what you preach.

Next, tie your past efforts to how you envision creating impact at Dartmouth and beyond. Dartmouth has a long-standing commitment to service, civic engagement, and Indigenous education, and the admissions team values students involved in community organizing, public service, or advocacy. Reference specific Dartmouth programs (such as the Leslie Center, Rockefeller Global Leadership Program, or First-Year Fellows) to illustrate how the college will equip you to deepen your work. This connection signals that you understand what the school stands for and have a clear, actionable plan.

Finally, explain why this impact matters to you personally. Admissions officers want to see your values, your motivations, and your authentic passion for making a difference. Avoid generic statements about "changing the world," and instead root your "why" in lived experiences, cultural background, or moments that shaped your worldview. This personal connection turns an ordinary essay into a compelling story that resonates with Dartmouth's mission of educating students for "a lifetime of learning and responsible leadership."

This prompt is your chance to show Dartmouth that you're an intellectually curious reader who uses literature as a way to expand your understanding of humanity. Dartmouth values students who are genuinely transformed by reading and who can connect their intellectual interests to broader themes about self-discovery and empathy. The key here is to focus on a specific reading experience that truly changed how you see yourself or others, not just a book you think sounds impressive. While the prompt references novels, you can write about any form of reading (fiction, nonfiction, articles, poetry) that genuinely altered your perspective.

Start by choosing a reading experience that led to a real shift in your thinking about human nature, identity, or relationships. Avoid classics that appear on every high school syllabus unless they genuinely transformed you (and even then, be cautious, since admissions officers see countless essays about To Kill a Mockingbird or The Great Gatsby). Instead, seek out something more distinctive that reflects your unique intellectual journey. Maybe it's a memoir that helped you understand a culture different from your own, a novel whose protagonist's struggles mirrored your hidden fears, or an essay collection that reframed how you think about community. Be specific about what you read: name the book, describe the character or perspective you stepped into, and capture the moment when insight broke through. Was it a sudden realization or a gradual meditation? Did a particular scene or passage trigger this understanding?

The transformation should be vivid and personal. Don't just say "this book taught me empathy." Instead, describe the concrete ways your thinking changed. Perhaps you started noticing patterns in your own behavior that you hadn't seen before, or you approached a difficult relationship differently, or you found yourself questioning assumptions you'd held for years. Show Dartmouth that you're someone who doesn't just read passively but actively engages with ideas and allows them to reshape your worldview. Connect this back to the kind of community member you'll be at Dartmouth: someone who brings curiosity, openness, and the willingness to see through others' eyes. Since Dartmouth emphasizes intellectual curiosity and collaborative learning, frame your response to show that reading is part of your ongoing journey to understand diverse perspectives and challenge your own thinking.

Finally, keep your language natural and reflective rather than overly formal. Dartmouth wants to hear your authentic voice, not an artificial attempt to sound literary or philosophical. With only 250 words, every sentence needs to work hard, so avoid lengthy plot summaries or abstract philosophizing. Jump straight into the reading experience, describe the shift in understanding with concrete details, and end with a brief reflection on how this insight continues to shape how you navigate the world today. The goal is to leave admissions officers thinking, "This is someone who will bring thoughtful, empathetic perspectives to our classroom discussions and campus community."

This prompt asks you to show Dartmouth how you handle challenging conversations and navigate differences with empathy and respect. Dartmouth wants to see your intellectual curiosity, self-awareness, and social awareness, so you'll need to present yourself as someone who can contribute to a campus community that values both individuality and dialogue. Start by choosing a conversation that was genuinely difficult for you (not something trivial or easily resolved), and then focus on your process of listening, understanding, and building a bridge toward common ground.

Jane Goodall's philosophy centers on meeting people where they are and listening before reacting. She believes that creating change is not about confronting something head-on, but about meeting with people, listening to them, and understanding where they're coming from. In your essay, you should reflect this same spirit by spending a significant portion of your 250 words on how you approached the conversation with curiosity and openness, rather than defensiveness. Admissions officers don't want to see you frame the other person as backwards or morally inferior to you, so keep the tone constructive and focused on what you learned rather than what you taught them. Describe the disagreement clearly but briefly (in about 75 to 100 words), then dedicate the remainder to how you navigated toward understanding and what that experience taught you about dialogue, empathy, or leadership.

When addressing how you found common ground, remember that your essay doesn't need to end with total agreement or a fairytale resolution. Your conclusion shouldn't be just "We realized we simply were never going to agree on this issue, but decided our relationship was strong enough to overcome that difference". Instead, show Dartmouth what you gained from the exchange: perhaps a new perspective, a deeper appreciation for complexity, or a strategy for having productive conversations in the future. Maybe you discovered a shared value beneath the surface disagreement, or perhaps you realized that listening itself can be an act of respect even when minds don't fully change. This reflection is what separates a good essay from a great one, because it demonstrates intellectual maturity and your readiness to engage with a diverse campus community.

When tackling Dartmouth's "Celebrate your nerdy side" prompt, you need to remember that this isn't just about naming something quirky you enjoy. Admissions officers want to see both what makes you a nerd (define your specific obsession clearly) and why it's amazing that you're passionate about this particular thing. The key word here is "celebrate," which means you should write with genuine enthusiasm and joy about your interest, whether that's collecting vintage baseball cards, obsessing over coelacanth fossils, or analyzing the soundtracks of 1980s movies. Dartmouth's admissions office reads every word looking for qualities like your sense of humor, passion, and intellectual curiosity, so this is your chance to let your authentic voice shine through.

One critical mistake to avoid: don't write in indecipherable jargon or assume your reader is an expert in your field. Even if you're passionate about physics or another technical subject, your writing must remain understandable to laypeople, since Dartmouth admissions officers aren't specialists in every discipline. Instead of drowning your reader in terminology, focus on explaining what draws you to this interest and how it reveals something meaningful about the way your mind works. Think about the specific moments when you felt most engaged with your nerdy passion: what were you doing, what questions were you asking, and what did you discover? These concrete details will make your essay memorable and give admissions officers a window into your personality.

Here's what makes a strong response to this prompt: pick one specific interest (not a broad category) and go deep rather than wide. If you're obsessed with receiving physical mail, explain both the physical sensation and the history behind it that captivates you. Show how your curiosity manifests in action, whether through research, experimentation, or simply the joy of diving into rabbit holes of information. Intellectual curiosity is highly valued at selective admissions offices including Dartmouth's, and showcasing how your mind works and how you explore topics beyond a quick Google search demonstrates you'll be an active participant in intellectually stimulating campus discussions. Finally, make sure this essay complements rather than repeats what's already visible in your application. If your extracurriculars already highlight your involvement in robotics, consider writing about a different passion that admissions officers wouldn't otherwise discover about you.

The Kermit the Frog essay at Dartmouth isn't asking you to simply recount a hardship or describe being different. The key word in this prompt is "embraced," which signals that Dartmouth wants to see how you've actively valued and integrated your difference into your identity, not just tolerated or accepted it. This distinction matters: you need to show that your difference has become a source of strength, insight, or purpose that shapes how you move through the world. Think beyond surface-level descriptions and dig into the transformation that occurred when you stopped merely existing with your difference and started owning it as part of who you are.

Dartmouth's commitment to inclusive excellence means they're looking for students who will contribute to a diverse intellectual community where different perspectives drive innovation and learning. Your essay should demonstrate self-awareness and maturity by connecting your experience of difference to concrete actions, perspectives, or values you now hold. For instance, if you grew up as the only bilingual student in your school, don't just explain the awkwardness of translating for your parents at parent-teacher conferences. Instead, show how that experience taught you to bridge cultural divides, and perhaps how you now actively seek out opportunities to facilitate understanding between different groups. Be specific about the "how": How has this difference changed your worldview? How does it influence your daily decisions or interactions?

With only 250 words, every sentence must earn its place. Start with a specific moment or image that captures your difference (avoid clichés like sports losses or common disappointments), then pivot quickly to the embracing part. You should connect your experience back to Dartmouth by subtly forecasting how this perspective will enrich campus life, whether through specific student organizations, academic discussions, or community-building. The essay should feel personal and irreplicable: if someone who knows you well reads it without seeing your name, they should immediately recognize it as your story. Avoid generic statements about "learning to appreciate diversity" and instead offer genuine reflection on how your difference has shaped your sense of purpose or identity in ways that will make you a thoughtful, engaged member of Dartmouth's close-knit community.

This prompt is all about showing Dartmouth your resilience and willingness to embrace imperfection as part of growth. Rather than focusing on the failure itself, you need to spotlight your process: how you approached setbacks, adapted your methods, and kept pushing forward despite initial disappointment. Dartmouth is deeply interested in students who are curious, reflective, and unafraid to take risks for the sake of progress, so your story should demonstrate these qualities in action.

When choosing your topic, pick something specific and concrete (a school project that went through multiple rough drafts, a coding app plagued by debugging errors, a failed audition that led you to rework your approach, or even a relationship you repaired through persistence). Whatever you choose, make sure there's a clear arc from struggle to improvement or insight. Avoid vague generalities or topics where the "failure" feels superficial. Instead, show genuine vulnerability: what felt bad at first, how you reworked or iterated, and what you ultimately gained from the experience.

With only 250 words, you should dive straight into the story without lengthy setup. Use vivid, sensory details to bring the reader into the moment, whether that's the frustration of code that wouldn't compile or the embarrassment of a presentation that flopped. Then, spend most of your essay on the revision process itself: what you tried differently, what lessons you learned along the way, and how you grew as a person or thinker. Remember that Dartmouth values intellectual curiosity and a collaborative, supportive community, so if your story involves learning from peers, mentors, or unexpected sources, weave that in naturally.

Finally, avoid making this essay purely about academic or extracurricular achievement. Dartmouth wants to see your character and mindset, not just your résumé. The best responses will reveal something meaningful about who you are: your willingness to experiment, your humility in the face of mistakes, and your persistence when things don't go as planned. By the end, the admissions team should feel confident that you're someone who would contribute to Dartmouth's tight-knit, creatively adventurous campus culture.