university of colorado boulder essay prompts 2023

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How to Respond to the 2023/2024 University of Colorado Boulder Supplemental Essays

Katie Dixon is a former content writer at Scholarships360. Katie is an undergraduate student at Louisiana State University pursuing a degree in Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism. Katie worked as a reporter for the LSU Reveille Newspaper and now works at the State Library of Louisiana.

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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research institution that focuses on aerospace, biosciences, energy, environmental sciences, and other major areas. If you are interested in becoming a Colorado Buffalo, it’s time to get to work on your University of Colorado Boulder supplemental essay! Writing stellar essays will help you stand out among all the applicants, so keep reading to learn how! 

The University of Colorado Boulder requires the Common App Personal Essay (250–650 words). Students should choose one of the seven essay prompts offered. In addition, students must submit one supplemental essay which we will go over below!

The UC-Boulder supplemental essay prompt

Research and innovation are a huge part of the University of Colorado’s identity. Before you begin writing, read Colorado Boulder’s strategic plan to learn more about them. This will help you tie your future plans with theirs. They want to know how you will fit in and push the University forward. Let’s take a look at the prompt:

“Please share a bit more about your academic interests. What do you hope to study, and why, at CU Boulder? Or if you don’t know quite yet, think about your studies so far, extracurricular/after-school activities, jobs, volunteering, future goals, or anything else that has shaped your interests.” (250 words)

Think of this prompt as a two-part question. Why did you choose your major? Why did you choose their college? As the prompt states, if you are unsure of a major, focus on what you do when you are not in school. If those activities  happen to relate to a possible major, by all means share! The goal is to connect back to UC-Boulder in a way that shows you belong there. 

Questions to consider:

• What inspired your interest in the major?
• How will Colorado Boulder tie into your future career plans?
• What will you bring to the table? 

Why your major?

Write about what you’ve done thus far that relates to your major of interest. Include clubs, classes, summer programs, etc. If someone special  inspired you, write about conversations you’ve had with them or speeches you’ve attended. 

Dig deep into how you will contribute to this career field. Write about the area you’d like to concentrate in and how you envision your future work. Lastly, write about how the University will further your specific interests to begin merging the two questions for this essay prompt. 

Why Colorado Boulder University?

Imagine you are already enrolled. Visualize what your experience would look like attending their college. Include ways you will attribute to Colorado Boulder. Write about how you would better their community. 

Spend some time researching Colorado Boulder to learn more about how you would fit in. Include their specific programs, classes, and learning techniques in your essay that tie your future career plan to your journey to get your degree. 

Think of ways you have contributed to your high school or outside programs and write how you will continue to show these attributions on campus. Don’t only tell them, show them through examples.

See also : College essay primer: Show, don’t tell

Writing tips:

• Use specific examples of experiences that show your role in the community. At what point did you look around and feel you belong? How has this role shaped you? Get personal. Write about how your role there made a difference. What conflict did you encounter and how was it resolved? You want to make the essay as visual as possible. 
• Try not to repeat what you wrote on other statements in the application process. You want to share as many qualities as you can with the reader.
• Sit down and just write. Don’t worry about the word limit on your first draft. Write everything that comes to mind involving your portrayed community. Then, choose your favorite details and re-write a shorter draft. 
• Connect the skills and values you are writing of with those of  the university. Do they have a similar community that you’d like to join?
• Be direct. Use powerful sentences that show confidence in yourself throughout the essay. 

Additional resources

• How to write a 250 or 500 word essay
• How to write an essay about yourself
• Guide to writing a great supplemental essay
• What looks good on college applications?

Final thoughts for students

When all is said and done, the University of Colorado Boulder supplemental essays are relatively straightforward. Try not to overthink when you begin writing. Your best bet is to write a rough draft without a  word limit. Show your best qualities and skills through examples and write of how you will continue to use them at college. These tips will help you write essays that stand out to Colorado Boulder University. While on your college admissions journey, make sure you apply for all the scholarships you are eligible for as well!

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Writing the CU Boulder Admissions Essay

Written by Steve Fernandez-Brennan on October 6th, 2020

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How to Write the Colorado College Essays 2023-2024

Colorado College has one supplemental essay, which gives you the choice between three different prompts. The first asks you to describe a time your perspective was changed, the second concerns your potential to work towards a more racially just world, and the third is about your fit with CC’s Block Plan.

Regardless of which prompt you choose, you want to make sure your response highlights your personal strengths, and overall potential as a CC student. In this post, we’ll break down each one, so you can be sure you’re putting your best foot forward.

Read these Colorado College essay examples to inspire your writing.

Colorado College Supplemental Essay Prompts

On Colorado College’s Block Plan, students immerse themselves in one class at a time, fostering deep engagement and courageous conversations with peers and professors. We embrace diverse perspectives, encouraging students to think differently. 

Please choose from one of these prompts. To learn more about why we are asking this question and how you can best craft a thoughtful response, review our website for context and insight. (300 words) 

• Option 1: Tell us about a time where you learned from an experience that challenged your perspective. 
• Option 2: Provide one or two specific examples from your life that demonstrate your potential to advance CC’s commitment to antiracism. 
• Option 3: Describe how your personal experiences with a particular community make you a student who would benefit from Colorado College’s Block Plan.

Tell us about a time where you learned from an experience that challenged your perspective. (300 words)

Brainstorming Your Topic

Your college community will likely be much more diverse than your high school one, so you want to show CC admissions officers that you’re prepared to navigate a variety of perspectives, even ones that oppose your own. Although the phrasing of this prompt is somewhat general, Colorado College does have specific things they’re looking for. Namely:

• What in particular about this experience challenged your perspective, and
• What your reaction was–how did you feel, and did you change your perspective at all as a result of this experience?

Perhaps your mind immediately goes to a heated conversation you had with one of your male friends who feels that the #MeToo movement is just about seeking attention. That kind of intense debate about a highly divisive topic can absolutely work here, but if nothing along these lines comes to your mind, that’s also okay. A more lowkey moment can also work, so long as it was still a learning experience for you.

For example, maybe your parents are opposed to visible tattoos in the workplace, while you have a few teachers with tattoos and don’t see what the big deal is. Or perhaps you think ChatGPT poses fundamental risks to our safety and security, but one of your friends who’s an aspiring software engineer sees only the potential benefits.

We all have these kinds of “tame” disagreements all the time, but that doesn’t make them less significant. If anything, highlighting a more ordinary conversation you had may show CC admissions officers that you not only are able to have your perspective challenged in big, flashy ways, but go about your daily life always looking for ways to become more informed, which is a trait any college will find attractive.

Finally, if you’re feeling bold, you can go for an unconventional, outside-the-box approach here. You could write about a passionate discussion you had with a friend about which Taylor Swift album is her magnum opus. Or you could write about how you grew up being indoctrinated into believing Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback of all time, but eventually evidence to the contrary became overwhelming and you had no choice but to admit it is in fact Tom Brady.

Although you’re definitely putting yourself out on a limb with this kind of topic, mixing up your tone and showing a more “human” side of yourself, that will never show up on your resume, can in fact be a great way of making your application feel more complete. However, unconventional approaches also carry more risk if not executed well, so if you’re not confident you’ll be able to pull it off, stick to a more standard approach, as you can still write a phenomenal essay without doing anything unusual.

Tips for Writing Your Essay

Your response should include two things. First, a description of the particular perspective you’re focusing on, and the encounter(s) that challenged it. Second, and even more importantly, an explanation of what you learned from this experience.

In describing the encounter, you want to make sure your readers understand in some detail what the source of the disagreement was. In other words, what is the real cause of the argument? For the tattoo example, perhaps what you were really debating with your parents was standards of professionalism that you see as antiquated. Or maybe it was the clash between self-expression and being part of something bigger than yourself. Whatever the case, getting to this deeper level of the conversation will show CC admissions officers you’re able to think critically about a topic, and not just stay at surface level.

Once you’ve explained what the disagreement was, you want to explain how it played out, and ultimately what you learned. The most important things here are honesty and a clear connection to the story you have just told. If your big takeaway just reads as a platitude, along the lines of “I still think tattoos in the workplace are okay, but I now understand the importance of understanding other perspectives,” you’re going to lose your readers, because admissions officers at any college have read literally tens of thousands of essays saying that exact same thing.

Rather, take this general lesson and contextualize it within your particular story. For example, you could say: “To me, ink on someone’s skin is just another accessory, but my parents made me realize that there are accessories I find inappropriate for the workplace, like overly large or flashy jewelry. So, while I still think tattoos are okay, I now understand that there’s always more nuance to an opposing perspective than I initially think.”

The general idea is the same with these two examples, but the second one is much more personal, and thus CC admissions officers better understand how this oft-repeated refrain, about the importance of listening, has tangibly impacted this student’s perspective.

Finally, honesty is also crucial here. If you try to force in a takeaway that you think CC admissions officers “will want to hear,” your essay will feel awkward and disjointed. Obviously, be tactful–you don’t want to say your parents are idiots and still living in the Stone Age, even if that is how you felt after the tattoo conversation. But if you genuinely felt their opinion was just wrong, it’s okay to say that, so long as you do it respectfully and show that you still learned something from the discussion. For example:

“As the conversation went on, I was surprised to realize that my parents’ points weren’t doing anything to sway me. I understood what they were saying, but for perhaps the first time in my life, I felt completely confident in taking a stance that directly opposed their own. While we still agree far more often than not, this discussion showed me that, as I get older, it’s okay to develop and stick to my own opinions, without the influence of my parents or anyone else.” 

Although the student’s mind wasn’t changed at all, they still demonstrate a nuanced understanding of how opinions are formed, and of how your perspective on the world changes as you move through adolescence into early adulthood, which speaks well of their potential to thrive with the independence higher education gives you.

Mistakes to Avoid

Make sure you don’t end up focusing too much on the debate itself, at the expense of explaining what you learned from it. The details of one side versus the other really only matter to the extent that they allow your readers to understand what separates the two. Remember, CC admissions officers mainly want to see how you react to disagreement, which means diving into a side tangent about how your dad once had a coworker with a large, poorly done dragon tattoo isn’t all that relevant. Stay on topic, and in any college essay, regardless of what you’re writing about, the real topic is always ultimately you .

Provide one or two specific examples from your life that demonstrate your potential to advance CC’s commitment to antiracism. (300 words)

The first thing we want to note here is that the way colleges factor race into their admissions decisions will be different this year, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn affirmative action in June. Schools can no longer consider a student’s racial identity alone, but they are allowed to consider it as part of a student’s overall background and life experiences, specifically in the context of the essay. 

If your racial identity is important to you, this prompt is a great opportunity to explain a bit more about how it’s shaped you, as otherwise CC will be legally unable to think about it as they make a decision about your application.

Even if you are not a person of color, you can still respond to this prompt, of course. You just want to make sure that you take care to use a thoughtful tone, and don’t frame your contributions to the antiracism movement in a way that could come across as naive or worse, self-absorbed. The movement needs everyone, of course, but you want to be sure to show that you recognize your role is different from that of people of color.

Regardless of your racial identity, once you decide this prompt is the one for you, note that this is not the common “Diversity” supplement, although there is some correlation. So, your focus should be less on your identity, and more on the tangible actions you have taken to combat racism. Of course, there may well be overlap between the two, but make sure the actions are there, as that’s the core of what this prompt is getting at.

“Action” doesn’t necessarily mean participating in protests or writing to your local congressperson to encourage her to support antiracist bills. Those things absolutely work, but just because you haven’t done something on that scale doesn’t mean you haven’t helped work towards an antiracist future. Lots of small steps, when added all together, matter just as much as one big one.

Maybe you live in a homogenous, mostly White town, but you have made an effort to read books and watch documentaries on the lived experiences of people of color, as well as the history of racism in the United States, to develop at least a broad understanding of race relations. Or perhaps you are African American, and during a creative writing summer camp, your final project was a collection of poems focused on your struggle to find empowerment in your identity, and you were touched by how thoughtfully your peers engaged with your work.

As long as your actions show that you are genuinely committed to the antiracism movement, you can write a strong response centered around them. The scale doesn’t matter–what does is your authentic investment in a more just future.

Once you have a few examples of antiracist actions you’ve taken, you’re ready to start writing. In your response, the key is to highlight “your potential to advance CC’s commitment to antiracism.” What this means is that you don’t just want to describe what you’ve done in the past. You also want to explain what you’ve learned from these experiences–whether that’s a particular skill, perspective, or way of thinking–and how those lessons will help you make Colorado College’s campus more inclusive and equitable.

For example, maybe the student with the poetry collection talks about how this experience showed him the power of art as a conversation starter, and how at CC he hopes to join the B-Side Arts Collective, a student organization that seeks “to make all forms of art more accessible to historically marginalized students at CC.” In joining this group, he hopes to both continue sharing his own stories and learn from students who are marginalized for reasons other than race. 

You don’t absolutely have to include some specific club or other resource at CC to write a strong response, but 9 times out of 10, your essay will be stronger if you make this explicit link between your past experiences and your potential future at CC. After all, the job of an admissions officer is to imagine how you’d fit into their school’s culture and community, and what makes that job easier than you doing it for them, and explaining exactly how you hope to get involved in antiracism efforts at CC?

You also want to make sure your takeaways from your past experiences are thoughtful and personal. If you say that participating in a Black Lives Matter protest made you want to run for president so that you can just sign bills that eliminate institutional racism, you may come across as overly idealistic, or naive about the complexity of the issue. 

A better approach would be explaining that, while protesting was empowering, it also made you realize that any demonstration, no matter how large, won’t change anything if the people in power aren’t paying attention. So, at CC, you hope to take political science courses like “PS210: The Law & Social Justice” and “PS213: Leadership and Governance” to acquire a better understanding of how individual action can be most effective.

There isn’t really anything glaring you need to be on the lookout for, as this prompt has quite a narrow focus and thus should keep you on track. Just make sure that the essay is ultimately about you. Racism is something you probably have strong, potentially painful feelings about, but you don’t want your essay to turn into an op-ed about the evils of racism. 

Write that piece another time. But because this is a college essay, the point is to teach admissions officers about who you are. So, you want to be sure that you’re not just focusing on racism, but also showing which skills or personality traits you’ve developed as a result of your commitment to fighting this evil, so that CC admissions officers see how prepared you are to make their campus a more equitable place.

Describe how your personal experiences with a particular community make you a student who would benefit from Colorado College’s Block Plan. (300 words)

This is essentially a “Why Us?” prompt, asked through the framing of the Block Plan specifically. There’s also an extra layer of nuance with CC’s request that you use a particular community you are a part of as a jumping off point. Because this prompt is essentially two in one, we recommend that you allow yourself ample time to brainstorm, so you aren’t trying to make connections in a rush without thinking through them fully.

First, ask yourself honestly why you are interested in the Block Plan. Why, rather than applying to any of the thousands of colleges with a more conventional academic schedule, are you drawn to this highly unusual system? There is no one right answer here, but you want to make sure you’re being specific–just “it sounds fun/cool” won’t teach CC admissions officers anything about your potential fit within their campus community. 

Here are some examples of how you might answer this question:

• You enjoy exploring a topic from every angle, and hate the feeling that you have only a partial understanding of something
• You like making interdisciplinary connections, but feel you need to first have a solid foundation in each topic on its own, which can be hard to acquire if you’re already fast-forwarding to potential links between them
• For a slightly different angle, you get bored easily, no matter how interested you are in a topic initially, so you think the opportunity to switch focus completely every few weeks would be the perfect way to keep you fully engaged in your studies

Next, you want to think about how your interest in Colorado College relates to the features that define some community you’re a part of. For example, maybe you’ve been part of a neighborhood book club with your mom since you were a kid, and each month you read two books about the same topic, to ensure you consider that topic from at least a couple of different perspectives. This community has clearly helped you develop the value listed in the first bullet point above.

If you’re feeling stuck, take a step back, and think generally about experiences you’ve had that have helped you develop the features of your personality that make you attracted to the Block Plan. “Community” is a broad word, so even if something like a book club doesn’t immediately come to mind, that’s okay. 

For example, maybe the student described in the third bullet point starts thinking about how they’re a part of seven different fantasy football leagues, because when they only had one team, they didn’t feel challenged enough, and so they would end up making unnecessary changes just out of boredom. A fantasy football league is absolutely a kind of community! Don’t worry that it doesn’t seem “impressive” enough. Admissions officers know you’re more than a transcript and an activities list and a bunch of essays, and acknowledging your more “human” side can actually go a long way towards rounding out your application.

Because this prompt has two prongs, one focused on the Block Plan and one focused on a community you’re a part of, you want to make sure you do your brainstorming thoroughly before you sit down to start writing. If you only have a vague sense of why you’re drawn to the Block Plan, or pick a community randomly that doesn’t really connect to your interest in the Block Plan, this essay will prove incredibly difficult to write.

On the other hand, if you have already thought comprehensively about both the Block Plan and one of your communities, as well as the connection you see between the two, actually writing the essay should be fairly straightforward, as it’ll just be a matter of figuring out the right phrasings and overall structure to communicate your points.

The main thing to keep in mind is: show, don’t tell. What this means is you want to give your reader enough detail that they can paint their own picture of who you are and how the Block Plan would help you thrive, rather than you just stating things factually for them. 

For example, you don’t want to just say “I get bored easily, as evidenced by the fact that I have seven fantasy football leagues, and I think the frequent changes with the Block Plan will help me stay engaged in my college coursework.” That’s quite dry, and not all that engaging to read.

Instead, describe how your mind always comes alive at the end of August as you consider the innumerable possibilities for how your teams could come together across your seven leagues, and how much you enjoy reacting to the curveballs of injuries, trades, and unexpectedly high or low performers. Then, connect that energy to your excitement about getting to switch your intellectual focus completely every few weeks, as all of a sudden you’ll have an entirely new “league” to get to know in just a short amount of time. 

This approach is not only more detailed, and thus more informative, it’s also simply more fun. Remember, admissions officers read applications all day long, so they’ll appreciate you going out of your way to inject some extra life into yours.

As noted above, this prompt has two layers, which means a strong response will need to address two different strands and then intertwine them to create an essay that feels like a single, cohesive unit. This is hard to do, especially with limited space, so if you’re not sure you’ll be able to make it work, or you try to start brainstorming but hit a wall, don’t beat yourself up. The beauty of option prompts is you have, well, options , and there’s no shame in pivoting to one of the other options here, as they are more direct and one-track.

Where to Get Your Colorado College Essay Edited 

Do you want feedback on your Colorado College essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

2023-24 Supplemental Essay

Essay prompt.

On Colorado College's Block Plan, students immerse themselves in one class at a time, fostering deep engagement and courageous conversations with peers and professors. We embrace diverse perspectives, encouraging students to think differently.

In seeking to identify students who will thrive at CC, we’d like to know more about your background and experiences.

In answering one of the prompts below, feel free to highlight any aspects of your self-identity that will help us know you better. This could include, but is not limited to, gender identity, first-generation status, race, ethnicity, political views, socioeconomic background, spirituality, or geographic origin. With respect to race in particular, please note that in a 2023 majority decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, Chief Justice John Roberts stated, “Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.”

• Tell us about a time when you learned from an experience that challenged your perspective.
• Provide one or two specific examples from your life that demonstrate your potential to advance CC’s commitment to antiracism.
• Describe how your personal experiences with a particular community make you a student who would benefit from Colorado College’s Block Plan.

Recommended length: 250 to 300 words.

Tips and Advice

• Be specific: while we know you may have several short essays to write for different colleges, please take the time to customize your response to Colorado College.
• The choice is yours: We offer three different prompts with no preference for one over the other. Select the prompt that you feel like you can best use to give us better insight into your interests and potential.
• Be authentic: we ask this question to better understand who you are as a student and community member. Share the things with us about yourself that are true to who you are, but don't feel obligated to include information that is painful or traumatic.
• Proofread: Take the time to carefully review your response before you submit. Read it out loud, ask a friend or family member to take a look, and don't rush!

For more advice, check out this quick video from our dean of admission, Karen Kristof:

Help with CU-Boulder Essay?

<p>I’m having some trouble interpreting the essay prompt for the University of Colorado at Boulder. Here’s the prompt:</p>

<p>“The University of Colorado at Boulder’s Flagship 2030 strategic plan promotes exceptional teaching, research, scholarship, creative works, and service distinguishing us as a premier university. We strive to foster a diverse and inclusive community for all that engages each member in opportunities for academic excellence, leadership, and a deeper understanding of the world in which we live. Given the statement above, how do you think you could enrich our diverse and inclusive community and what are your hopes for your college experience?”</p>

<p>What exactly is it asking? I’m thinking about writing about my experiences as a minority, specifically a recent trip to my “home land”, and how I would like to continue to be involved in my culture throughout college. Does this answer the prompt well? And what does any of this have to do with their “Flagship 2030” program? I’m pretty lost haha. And also how would i “enrich” their community?</p>

<p>Like most prompts, its core question is: What makes you a valuable asset to our community? This could mean diversity in a more obvious racial/socioeconomic sense, or just an explanation of what makes you different from the other applicants. What are you good at? What are you interested in studying? etc. It’s a general prompt that could be taken in almost any direction.</p>

<p>But, as with most publics, your admission will be based largely on test scores, grades, and course rigor, not essays.</p>

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University of Oregon 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 15

You Have: 

University of Oregon 2022-23 Application Essay Question Explanations 

The Requirements: 1 essay of 250-500 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community

As you’ve looked into what it will be like to attend Oregon, you’ve hopefully learned about what makes Ducks unique. No two are alike, though, so tell us what makes you who you are, and how that connects to our campus community. We are interested in your thoughts and experiences recognizing difference and supporting equity and inclusion, and choosing one of the two following options will guide you in sharing those thoughts.

Describe an experience with discrimination, whether it was fighting against discrimination or recognizing your contribution to discriminating against a person or group. what did you learn from the experience in what ways will you bring those lessons to the university of oregon.

Discrimination can take many forms and be based on a number of things — race, socioeconomic background, disability, gender (to name a few) — and we have all witnessed it in some way, whether we were the targets or not. When approaching this essay, remember that admissions is looking for awareness, not perfection. Admissions doesn’t expect you to have solved a worldwide problem, but they do want to know that your eyes are open to who is being left out or treated unfairly, and whether or not you have taken it upon yourself to do something about it. Have you worked toward inclusion in a club or organization? Do you support girls who break into male-dominated sports? How? The second way to answer this is to recount a time when you were on the wrong side of discrimination. Be vulnerable here, but be sure to analyze why you acted, be it youthful ignorance, implicit bias, or wrong-headed cultural “norms” — this will show admissions that you are self-aware and reflective. It’s important to show that you have learned from your mistakes and are evolving. Lastly, how will you bring those lessons to U-O? Will your actions speak louder than words? Do you want to volunteer in local Special Olympics events? Will you get involved in an LGBTQ+ rights group? Let admissions know that you care and are working for a more inclusive future in your way, however that may be.

The University of Oregon values difference, and we take pride in our diverse community. Please explain how you will share your experiences, values and interests with our community. In what ways can you imagine offering your support to others ?

Diversity applies to many facets of who we are, including but not limited to: cultural heritage, ethnic background, gender, socioeconomic upbringing, or an inter-sectional combination of all of the above. No matter who you are, you bring something to the table. How will your differences help to enrich your future community at U-O? Maybe reflect on how you influence those around you now, and then mentally place yourself on campus as a college student doing the same. Maybe you’ll share your love of Korean BBQ or your knowledge of Flamenco dancing. Maybe you’ll get on stage with the college improv team and make your peers laugh with your satirical social commentary. No matter what you have to offer, admissions wants to know how you’ll share it and how you’ll contribute positively to U-O’s diverse community.

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University of Colorado Colorado Springs’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Common app personal essay.

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

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