Are you gearing up to apply to Swarthmore College? You're in the right place! This guide will walk you through how to craft compelling responses to Swarthmore’s supplemental essays for the 2024-2025 application cycle. The prompts this year are designed to help you showcase your unique identity, background, and intellectual curiosity. Let's dive into each prompt and offer some strategic advice on how to respond effectively.
Prompt 1: Self-Identity and Background
Swarthmore College maintains an ongoing commitment to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive residential community dedicated to rigorous intellectual inquiry. All who engage in our community are empowered through the open exchange of ideas guided by equity and social responsibility to thrive and contribute as bridge builders within global communities. Our identities and perspectives are supported and developed by our immediate contexts and lived experiences – in our neighborhoods, families, classrooms, communities of faith, and more. What aspects of your self-identity or personal background are most significant to you? Reflecting on the elements of your home, school, or other communities that have shaped your life, explain how you have grown in your ability to navigate differences when engaging with others, or demonstrated your ability to collaborate in communities other than your own.* (250 words)
How to Approach This Prompt
In this essay, Swarthmore is asking you to reflect deeply on your self-identity and personal background. They want to understand more about how your lived experiences have shaped who you are and how you've grown in navigating differences or collaborating with others.
Be Authentic: Authenticity is key in your response. Choose aspects of your identity or background that truly resonate with you.
Reflect on Your Experiences: Consider how your family, community, school, or other social environments have shaped your perspectives. What values or lessons did these experiences impart?
Show Growth: Illustrate how you've grown by engaging with diverse groups and navigating different viewpoints. Draw on specific examples.
Connect Back to Swarthmore: Explain how these experiences align with Swarthmore's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. How will you contribute to and benefit from this community?
If you're struggling to brainstorm or need feedback on your essay, check out Sups AI. Sups AI is an AI college counseling platform that helps students brainstorm and get feedback on essays. Their unique insights can help you present your best self in your supplemental essays.
Prompt 2: Intellectual Curiosity
Swarthmore’s community of learners inspires one another through their collaborative and flexible approach to learning. Swarthmore students are comfortable with intellectual experimentation and connection of ideas across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary studies through a liberal arts education. Tell us about a topic that has fascinated you recently – either inside or outside of the classroom. What made you curious about this? Has this topic connected across other areas of your interests? How has this experience shaped you and what encourages you to keep exploring?* (250 words)
How to Approach This Prompt
This prompt is your opportunity to showcase your intellectual curiosity and passion for learning. Swarthmore values students who are eager to explore and connect ideas across different fields.
Dive Deep: Choose a topic that truly fascinates you. Whether it's a subject from school or an independent interest, your passion should be evident.
Explain Your Curiosity: Describe what drew you to the topic and what questions or ideas it prompted you to explore further.
Make Connections: Show how this topic has intersected with other areas of your interests. Have you connected it with subjects from different disciplines?
Discuss Impact: Reflect on how this exploration has shaped your perspective or goals. What motivates you to keep delving deeper?
To fine-tune your thoughts and receive personalized feedback on this essay, consider using Sups AI. They offer one-on-one chats with current students and insightful feedback that can make your response stand out.
Good luck with your Swarthmore College application! Remember, each essay is a chance to showcase a different facet of your personality and interests. Take your time, be genuine, and let your unique voice shine through. And don't hesitate to rely on tools like Sups AI to guide you through the process.
