Colleges That Don't Require Supplemental Essays

First of all, we need to understand why colleges require supplemental essays before we get into which colleges don’t require it. According to a report published by the national association for college admissions counseling in 2019, the percentage of first-time applicants applying to seven or more schools in 2017 reached 36%, up from just 9% in 1990 and 17% in 2005.  This would imply that the number of applicants is steadily increasing and as a result, a college must have more stringent application screening barriers. Since the application rates have infinitely increased the acceptance rates have steadily declined. Now students or potential candidates must not only submit a common application but also a supplemental essay as part of the admissions process. The overall admissions process is composed of a variety of steps. The first is submitting a common application followed by the submission of an essay entailing your interests and characteristics. Lastly, an interview will take place in order to reaffirm your place in the university of your choosing. 

Most colleges buy into the universal appeal of a supplemental essay as it tests a candidate’s ability to draft and think on the spot. It also gives the admissions board an insight into the person they are potentially considering for admissions into their university. Most supplemental essays are based off a prompt. These prompts could vary in terms of dexterity and complexity. For instance, the prompts in Dartmouth university are rather eccentric like the importance and meaning of the unlimited breadsticks in the olive garden. A supplemental essay also has the ability to turn a candidate from a mere statistic to a real eligible contestant. 

On the other hand, when you are picking a college you should not base your choice on the fact that they require a supplemental essay. According to recent polls, the main reason people are apprehensive of essays is because of the amount of time it takes to draft as well as the level of personal information and details it requires. But these details are trivial compared to the opportunities you will be exposed to once your admissions have been confirmed. If you seem to be hesitating on a certain college due to their requirement of a supplemental essay we request you to apply more effective criteria for selection. These criteria include location, financial requirements, course material, and load as well as the overall demographic of the college. Once you have researched all of these things then you can take into consideration the requirement of a supplemental essay.

Colleges that do not require supplemental essays

Given below are a number of colleges that do not necessarily require a supplemental essay as a part of their admissions process:

• Clark University

• Clemson University

• DePaul University

• Drexel University

• Miami University

• Northeastern University

• Seton Hall University

• Stevens Institute of Technology

• Stony Brook University

• University of Arkansas

• University of Colorado–Denver

• University of Iowa

• Franklin & Marshall College

• Grinnell College

• Middlebury College

• Providence College

• Sarah Lawrence College

• Connecticut College

• Adelphi University

• Alaska Pacific University

• Albion College

• Alma College

• Baldwin Wallace University

• Barry University

• Bates College

• Bay Path University

• Beloit College

• Bryant University

• Butler University

• Caldwell University

• Capital University

• Centenary College of Louisiana

• Christopher Newport University

• Clarkson University

• Colby College

• College of Saint Benedict

• Concordia University Wisconsin

• Cornell College

• Cottey College

• DePaul University

• Elmira College

• Fordham University

• Gettysburg College

• University of Connecticut

• University of Idaho

• University of Missouri – St. Louis

• University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• University of Miami

• University of New Hampshire

• University of Rhode Island

• University of Vermont

• Wesleyan University

• Whitman College

• Wilkes University

• Woodbury University

In conclusion, most colleges require a supplemental essay in order to discern what kind of person they are admitting into their university or college but in the spirit of lending a helping hand, The College Monk has provided an extensive list of colleges that don’t require a supplemental essay.