Applying to Claremont McKenna College (CMC) offers an exciting opportunity to join a community dedicated to shaping future leaders in business, government, and various professions. This elite institution emphasizes thoughtful, productive lives and responsible leadership. The college's supplemental essays for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle are a critical part of your application, giving you a chance to demonstrate your alignment with CMC’s mission.
This year, CMC has introduced two specific essay prompts:
Prompt 1: "CMC’s mission is to prepare students for thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership in business, government, and the professions. With this mission in mind, please explain why you want to attend Claremont McKenna College." (Word Limit: 250 words)
Prompt 2: "A critical part of fulfilling our mission is living out the commitments of CMC’s Open Academy: Freedom of Expression, Viewpoint Diversity, and Constructive Dialogue. We want to learn more about your commitment to listening and learning from others with different viewpoints, perspectives, and life experiences from your own. Describe a time when engaging with someone about a specific topic resulted in you changing your attitude, belief, or behavior, or you changed the belief or behavior of someone else. What was the change that occurred for you, and what facilitated that change? What did you learn from that experience, and how has it informed how you engage with others?" (Word Limit: 250 words)
Approaching the Prompts
Prompt 1: This prompt asks for your motivation behind choosing CMC. Reflect on how CMC’s mission aligns with your own goals and aspirations. Showcase your understanding of what makes CMC unique, such as specific programs, faculty members, or research opportunities that attract you. For personalized advice, consider using Sups AI, which can help you brainstorm and reflect on the elements of CMC that resonate with your ambitions.
Strategies for Prompt 1
Research CMC: Deep dive into the college’s website, read about the programs, and look for anecdotes that highlight the community spirit.
Be Specific: Avoid generic statements. Mention specific aspects that genuinely attract you to CMC.
Connect It to Your Goals: Align your professional and academic interests with what CMC offers. Use tools like Sups AI to refine your thoughts.
Prompt 2: This prompt assesses your ability to engage in constructive dialogue and stay open to diverse perspectives. Think of a specific instance where a conversation led to a significant change in your beliefs or behaviors. Through this essay, CMC wants to see your growth mindset and your commitment to their Open Academy principles.
Strategies for Prompt 2
Reflect Deeply: Choose an experience that genuinely shifted your viewpoint. It could be an academic discussion, a debate, or a casual conversation.
Show Growth: Narrate the experience by highlighting how and why your perspective changed and what you took away from the encounter.
Link to the Future: Explain how this experience will guide your interactions at CMC. Platforms like Sups AI can offer insightful feedback on your drafts, ensuring your story resonates with the admissions committee.
Final Tip: Both of CMC’s supplemental essays aim to discover who you are beyond your academic achievements. Engaging with the prompts thoughtfully will shine a spotlight on your character, aspirations, and readiness to contribute to the CMC community. Using resources like Sups AI can be incredibly beneficial in refining your narrative, helping you draft compelling and authentic essays.
Remember, the key is to be authentic and specific. Good luck with your application, and don’t hesitate to leverage the power of Sups AI to enhance your essay writing process!
