Wellesley is a women’s liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Roughly 2,350 students attend the school, all of whom have the options of cross registering for classes at Babson, Olin, MIT, and Brandeis. The acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 19%.

Wellesley’s question did not change since last year, but one major adjustment was made: they added a word count. We would like to think that our blog post calling them out had something had to do with this, but that’s neither here nor there. This is great news for Wellesley hopefuls because the added stress of trying to blindly guess at a word count is no longer a factor.

We are standing by last year’s approach to answering this question, but still want to take a fresh look at things. A few tips before we begin:

Don’t start by reading the supplement. We realize you’ve probably already read it. Pretend that you haven’t!
Follow instructions. When we’ve worked with students in the past, they’ve pitched writing about something that isn’t on the Wellesley 100 list. You do not want the first thing Wellesley notices about you is an inability to follow directions. Stick to the list.

Before you pull up the Common App website, read through your entire application including your common app essay. Make a list of things that Wellesley knows about you and a list of things you want them to know about you. Your “things” can be big or small: a passion for running, an obsession with all things history, a strong belief system that dictates the choices you make, or a love of reading. The sky is the limit, so don’t limit yourself when creating your initial list. Just don’t include anything that is represented elsewhere in your application. This is important because every single aspect of your application should represent a new aspect of your personality. So, if you wrote your common app essay about reading, you don’t want to dedicate your supplement to writing about Wellesley’s libraries. Once your list is complete, read the prompt.

When choosing a college community, you are choosing an intellectual community and a place where you believe that you can live, learn, and flourish. We know that there are more than 100 reasons to choose Wellesley, but it's a good place to start. Visit the Wellesley 100 and select two items that attract, inspire, or energize you. Have fun with this and use this opportunity to reflect personally on what items appeal to you most and why.

Please limit your response to the Wellesley College essay to two well-developed paragraphs (minimum 250 words, maximum 400 words).

There is a method to our madness regarding working backwards. You’ll now open up the Wellesley 100 and read through the list of “marvelous things about Wellesley.” IMPORTANT: the website says that the list is constantly evolving, and they aren’t lying. If you find something that you want to write about, copy and paste the blurb into a Word document so that you can always reference what the school is highlighting about your pick. Read through the entire list and look for links between your list and Wellesley’s 100: the best answers will show you seamlessly fitting into the community because your response demonstrates a strong link between Wellesley’s offerings and your interests. In many ways, this is Wellesley’s version of “Why X School.” They want to know how you’re going to spend your time while on campus, and you’ll answer by choosing two items that align with the profile you’ve created for yourself thus far in high school.

We also recommend doing more research on the items that appeal to you so that you can find deeper meaning and show Wellesley that you took the time to thoroughly research the school. If you choose to write about the first-year seminar, go beyond the information that is provided in this link. You’ll probably be writing about why you’re drawn to the Wellesley in-class experience, so be thorough and find out what the seminar is actually like. Turn to Google, Facebook, Instagram, and of course Wellesley’s main website. The more research you do, the easier it will be to write your supplement.

When you start writing, remember that you are not writing about the list item. You’re writing about you feel connected to it, and your response should come in the form of a story with a beginning, middle, and end. If you’re an artist or musician, you might write about an experience that you had that suggests you’ll be spending your time at the Jewett Arts Center. Prove that you’re a perfect match for Wellesley by exploring the space between their list and your background, and focus your response on the intersection of yourself and the school.

Wellesley’s acceptance rate continues to decrease yearly. If you want to stand out, take the necessary time to research the school and start your supplement early.

We’re pros at clarifying confusing supplements and helping our clients stand out. Contact us here if you need help.