What Reviewers Look For in the Common App Supplemental Essay — Why Us
This rubric looks at whether your response explains what draws you to this specific school, connects those opportunities to your own experiences, questions, needs, or priorities, and shows how you would use them when the prompt asks. It also checks that you directly answer every part of the school’s question, keep the writing clear and focused, and avoid relying on generic praise or another essay for context.
What We Check
Whether the response names at least one thing this school offers and describes it by what it lets a student do, study, see, join, or be responsible for, rather than by its name, rank, or reputation.
Whether the response ties a named school feature to something already true of the student: an experience, a question, a way of learning, a responsibility, a constraint, or a priority.
Whether any claim about how the student would use this school, or has already engaged with it, is read only when the submitted prompt asks for one or the response offers one.
Whether the response completes every question the submitted prompt asks, addresses the college or school the prompt names, and stays clean of another school's name.
Mistakes We Flag
- Listing names without a purpose
- A string of programs, professors, courses, or clubs does not show why they matter to you. Explain what one or two opportunities would let you do, study, explore, or contribute to.
- Using prestige or location as the whole reason
- Rankings, reputation, alumni networks, weather, a city, or a beautiful campus do not by themselves explain fit. Tie the school feature or place to something you would actually do or pursue.
- Claiming fit without showing your side
- Saying a school is perfect, feels like home, or has always been a dream school could apply to many applicants. Ground your reason in an experience, question, responsibility, way of learning, need, or priority that is already yours.
- Making vague contribution promises
- Promises to enrich the community or make an impact do not show an actual plan. If you discuss how you would participate, name an action, where you would take it, and what it would serve.
- Missing part of the prompt or leaving a school-name error
- Some prompts ask more than one thing, such as fit, academic interests, engagement, location, or a specific undergraduate school. Answer each requested part directly, and check for placeholders, misspellings, or references to another institution.
How this rubric reads your essay
- Built from published reader guidance — the sources are listed below.
- Scored per section against defined criteria, not general impressions.
- Calibrated for consistent scoring, so a better draft shows up in the score.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to name many programs, courses, or professors?
No. One school feature can be enough when you explain a fact about it and what it would let you do, study, join, or be responsible for. More names alone do not make the response stronger.
Can I write about a campus visit or information session?
Yes, especially if the prompt asks how you learned about or engaged with the school. In that case, explain what you learned from the contact and what it changed about your interest; a visit by itself is not proof of fit.
What if the prompt is very short?
For a supplied maximum of 100 words or fewer, one sentence can directly connect one school feature with something you have done, asked, or need, and explain what the feature would let you do. You do not need a second feature, a story, or a visit.
What if the prompt asks about a specific college or school within a university?
Address that named college or school, not only the university as a whole. If the prompt asks for both an academic area and why that school, give a direction and one reason for the academic area as well as a direct school-specific answer.
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