The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university in you guessed it, Austin, Texas. It's a great school but also a huge school with over 40k undergrads. Hey, they say everything is bigger in Texas.

Bowdoin College is a tiny liberal arts college located in Brunswick, Maine. With less than 2,000 people at the school, and less than 20,000 in the town, safe to say that Bowdoin is for students who don’t mind small town life. Bowdoin is also a very athletic school, with most students ending up on one of their sports teams. They’re known for politcal science and economics programs, and have a single digit acceptance rate – 8.8%.

The University of Richmond might sound like a large public university, but it's actually a private liberal arts college in (you guessed it) Richmond, Virginia. While they have under 5k undergrads, they house a business school and the country's first undergraduate school of leadership studies. Their acceptance rate is around . Their supplement is only one question and they let applicants choose between 3 prompts with a word limit of 650. So let’s break them down.

Colgate University is a small private liberal arts college located in Hamilton, New York. Colgate is considered both a “Hidden Ivy” and a “Little Ivy,” due to its small size, academic rigor, and campus culture. Over the last two years, Colgate’s acceptance rate has halved, going from 27% in 2020 to in the last admissions cycle. This is probably due to their adaptation of optional test scores and optional supplements. However, as long-time readers of the blog know, there is no such thing as an optional supplement, so if you were here thinking this would be easy to apply, you are wrong. With a 12% acceptance rate, there’s no way we’re letting you leave without writing some essays.

The Georgia Institute of Technology- usually called Georgia Tech out of state and simply Tech in Georgia- is in Atlanta GA. Georgia Tech is a public research university and institute of technology. What does that mean? Simply, it's a school where research is part of its mission and they specialize in engineering, technology, applied science, and natural sciences. Pretty much if you are looking to go to school for English, skip this one. But if you are a math and science kid, this is probably a great choice. Their acceptance rate is 35% for Georgia residents and 13% for out-of-state applicants. Their supplement is really simple and has only one question. Let’s talk about it.

Georgetown is a top-tier private, Catholic, Jesuit school in Washington, D.C. It’s ideal for students interested in government, history, and policy from the belly of the beast. At about 12%, it’s a very competitive school. There are about 3,500 undergrads.

Bryn Mawr College is one of the seven sisters colleges, an elite group of women’s liberal arts colleges. The school used to be Quaker, however, is now not religious. You do need to be a woman to apply to Bryn Mawr. In recent years, they have become more inclusive. They started accepting trans women and intersex individuals in 2015. They are part of the Tri-College and Quaker Consortiums, partnerships that allow Bryn Mawr students to take classes at Haverford, Swarthmore, and The University of Pennsylvania. They tend to have an acceptance rate in the mid-high 30s, however, they have not published one recently.

Bucknell University is a small (3,600 undergrads) private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. They have a huge, beautiful campus and they’re, perhaps surprisingly, a D1 school that’s big into athletics and Greek life. We’ve found that Bucknell has become a more popular option with our clients, especially those interested in schools with similar cultures like Syracuse, Wake Forest, and Michigan. Last year, Bucknell’s acceptance rate was 32.4%, a slight downturn from years prior. They only have one supplemental question and it’s a straightforward one. Let’s dive in.

Villanova is a private, Catholic research university in the suburbs of Philly. While they are the only Augustinian Catholic university in the nation, you don’t need to be religious to go there. Villanova has around 6000 undergrads. Many know them for their champion basketball team, but the school has a lot more to offer. Villanova’s acceptance rate is around .

Haverford is a liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It used to be a quaker school but is no longer religious. The school is small with around 1400 undergrads. Notably, all of their students live on campus all 4 years. They are part of the Tri-College Consortium and The Quaker Consortium. These are partnerships that allow Haverford students to take courses at Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and the University of Pennsylvania. Their acceptance rate is around 18%. Haverford’s supplement is unique and it pays to read it carefully.

Carleton College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, a small town about 45 minutes outside of Minneapolis. Carleton offers 33 majors and 37 minors but is especially known for its undergraduate teaching program. Their acceptance rate hit a new low this year of 16.5%. Their supplement only has one question and they let you choose between 3 prompts. Let’s break them down.

Harvey Mudd is a private college in Claremont, California. The College is focused on science and engineering and is a super small school. When we say small, we mean small. It usually has just under 1000 undergrads. They offer 10 engineering, science, and mathematics-based majors and a core curriculum that also includes humanities classes. They are part of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium that includes Pomona College, Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, and Pitzer College. Students at these universities can take classes and access opportunities across these 5 campuses. Harvey Mudd has about a 10% acceptance rate. Their supplement is 2 questions and an optional upload. Let’s break it down.

Swarthmore is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, which is practically a suburb of Philadelphia. While the school was originally Quaker, it is no longer religious. Swarthmore is part of the Tri-College Consortium and the Quaker Consortium. These connections allow Swarthmore students to take classes at Bryn Mawr College, Haverford, and the University of Pennsylvania. This is a huge opportunity for those who want a liberal arts education but access to more classes across local universities. Swarthmore’s acceptance rate is usually around 9%. Their supplement is only one question and they give you three prompts to choose from.

Brandeis University is a private research university located just outside of Boston in Waltham, MA. The school is named after Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, and the school has a strong secular Jewish identity. Popular majors at Brandeis include Biology, Economics, and Public Policy. Brandeis’ acceptance rate floats in the 30-35% range, so writing a great supplement will be key to helping you stand out.

Bard College is a small (read: like 2,000) private liberal arts college in the hamlet of Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Yes, it’s in a hamlet. Yeah, we didn’t know that was still a thing either. Bard’s most popular programs include the social sciences, English, and performing arts and they’re known for super small classes. Famous alumni include the band Steely Dan, Chevy Chase, Adam Connover, and Ronan Farrow.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public land-grant research university. It was founded when Wisconsin became a state. They do a lot of research and have a ton of undergrad majors. With 33,506 undergraduate students, Madison is on the large side. Their acceptance rate is around however, that varies for in and out-of-state applicants. Their supplement is only one question and it’s one that we’ve seen again and again. So we wanted to give our tips and tricks about how to approach the University of Wisconsin–Madison supplemental essay.

Tufts University is a private research university in Massachusetts. It is on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, which probably doesn’t mean much to you unless you are from Massachusetts - It’s right outside of Boston. Tufts was founded in 1852 by Christian universalists, however, it is no longer a religious school. They have some great and out-of-the-box programs such as . They have three undergrad schools School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, and School of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts. SMFA, however, is in Downtown Boston. had a record low acceptance rate last year at just 9%. Their supplement is only 2 questions, but the second has multiple prompts, so let’s break it down.

Vassar is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York. The school used to be a Women’s college, but, was the first women's college in the country to become coeducational in 1969. Men now make up around 45% of the undergraduate population. Vassar prides itself on its broad liberal arts education and classes that teach students how to think and not what to think. Vassar is on the smaller side with around 2500 students. Their acceptance rate is about 20%. Vassar’s supplemental materials are largely optional (more on that later,) however one question is required. Let’s break down what Vassar asks you and how we would tackle it.