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Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia boasts impressive academics, competitive sports team, and a long list of notable alumni. Though over 20,000 students attend UVA, the school has an admissions rate of just 30% - meaning you’ll have to work hard if you want to be a Cavalier.

One of the best ways to boost your chances of admissions is by writing great UVA essays as part of your application. In this article, we’ll break down what the UVA essay prompts are and how you can write responses to each prompt that will make you stand out.

Are you hoping to become a Blue Devil? The Why Duke essay is a small but important part of your Duke application. This is the place where you explain exactly why you love Duke so much. However, there are thousands of students who want to attend Duke, and only a small percentage of them get in. What can you do to make sure your Why Duke essay sets you apart and helps you get accepted?

Keep reading to learn what the Why Duke essay prompts are, exactly what Duke is looking for when they read them, and what you should write about to and convince Duke you’d be an asset to their school. We also include a Why Duke essay example so you can see what an actual essay response looks like.

Tufts University has a selective acceptance rate—right around 14 percent in 2016. You'll need a strong application to stand out from other applicants, including stellar essays. Luckily, this guide is here to help you out!

In this blog post, we'll cover everything you need to know about the writing portion of Tufts University's application, including what prompts are available and how to answer them. 

If you're applying to Tufts University, you should already have an answer to "Why Tufts?" But answering the "Why Tufts?" essay question as part of your application requires more than acknowledgement that it's a good school.

Whether you attend because Tufts has some of the happiest students or because you want the prestige of attending a well-regarded research university, this guide to the "Why Tufts" essay prompts will guide you through the requirements, expectations, and strategies you need to write an exemplary essay.

Do you want to be a Blue Devil? If so, you’ll need to submit strong Duke essays as part of your application.

Duke requires its applicants to answer two to four essay and short answer questions when they apply. In this article, we’ll break down each of those questions and explain exactly what you need to do to write amazing Duke supplement essay. 

Carnegie Mellon is ranked among the top 25 universities in the nation, so you’ll need to have an impressive application—with stand-out essays, of course!—in order to get admitted. Applicants must submit a total of four Carnegie Mellon essays, three of which comprise the Carnegie Mellon supplement.

Keep reading to learn what the current Carnegie Mellon essay prompts are, what topics you could write about, and what qualities make for a great Carnegie Mellon essay.

Rice is one of the top 20 universities in the nation, and to get in, you need more than just awesome grades and test scores—you need a compelling Rice essay. The Rice application requires several essays depending on the school you’re applying to at the university. So what should you write about for each Rice essay to make your application as strong as it can be?

We'll explain what the Rice supplement is and go over the Rice University essay prompts you’ll see on your application. After, we'll give you expert tips on how to answer each essay prompt so you’ll have an even better shot at getting accepted to this prestigious university!

Yale admits just under 7% of their total applicant pool every year. If you want to be one of those admitted students, you’ll need to write amazing Yale essays as part of your Yale University application.

In this article, we’ll outline the different types of essays you need to write for your Yale University application and teach you how to write a Yale supplement essay that will help you stand out from the thousands of other applicants.

The University of Washington is often ranked among public Ivy Leagues—that is, public schools with the academic clout and selectivity to elevate their reputations. So if you want to be a Husky, it’s not just about good grades and test scores. You’ll also need to prove yourself with a good University of Washington essay, combining your technical skill with your knowledge of the school and your reasons for wanting to attend to attract attention from admissions officers. 

But to do that, you need to know how to write great UW essays. The University of Washington uses the Coalition Application, which can be submitted to multiple schools and includes an essay section with several different prompts. The supplemental UW essay prompts are pretty standard, but we have all the helpful tips you need to make sure your application is set to impress.

Brown admits just under 7.2% of their total applicant pool every year. If you want to be one of those admitted students, you’ll need to write amazing Brown essays as part of your Brown University application.

In this article, we’ll outline the different types of essays you need to write for your Brown University application and teach you how to write a Brown supplement essay that will help you stand out from the thousands of other applicants.

If you're submitting a college application through the Coalition Application, you likely already know that you'll have to write a personal essay. The purpose of the Coalition Application essay is for you to showcase a side of yourself that colleges don't get to see through your transcripts and test scores alone. There are five Coalition essay prompts to choose from. So which one should you pick?

In this article, we go over what the Coalition Application essay is and take a look at all five Coalition essay prompts. For each prompt, we give you potential topics you can write about and key tips for answering it effectively.

Keep reading to learn which Coalition essay prompt might be the best fit for you!

Cornell admits just under 12.5% of their total applicant pool every year. In order to be one of them, you need to write amazing Cornell essays as part of your Cornell University application.

In this article, we’ll outline the different types of essays you need to write for your Cornell University application and teach you how to write a Cornell supplement essay that will help you stand out from the thousands of other applicants.

Before you envision yourself getting settled in at Georgia Tech, you must get through the hurdle of writing the Georgia Tech essays. The Georgia Tech supplement requires you to write two short essays. So what are the possible essay prompts? And how should you answer them?

Keep reading to learn exactly what the Georgia Tech essays are, what kinds of topics you can write about (and what kinds of topics to avoid), and how to ensure you’re submitting a quality essay.

If the thought of writing a college essay fills you with terror, you might be wondering: are there any colleges that don’t require essays?

The answer is yes, there are! This guide will give you an overview of colleges that don’t require admissions essays, how to find these schools, and whether you should apply to one or not. We’ll wrap up with a list of 64 colleges with no essay requirement that you can apply to.

Students who are applying to Brown have to answer the “Why Brown” essay question. This essay asks students why they want to attend Brown and what they hope to contribute to Brown’s unique community.

In this essay, we’ll discuss what the “Why Brown” essay prompt is, why it exists, and how to answer it well, as well as going over a a real "Why Brown" essay example.