Yale University was founded in 1701 and is the third oldest college in the United States. It is also a member of the Ivy League and is considered one of the most prestigious schools in the world. Yale has about a 6% admissions rate and had 4,703 undergraduates in 2020. Because of this selectivity, Yale has a pretty robust set of questions for their supplemental essays. We’ve covered Yale before, but some of the questions on this year’s Common App have changed.
Why Yale?
What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)
This is a very short version of the typical “Why XYZ College” essay. It’s very common and we have a sure-fire way of executing it.
First, you’ll want to declare a major. Are you undecided? You’re not for this essay! Just pick a subject you’re interested in; it’s not legally binding. You’ll want to head over to Yale’s course catalog and pick an upper-level course to mention in your essay. If you want to study philosophy, for example, you might pick PHIL 429: Indian Philosophy in Sanskrit Literature, because it just fascinates you so much. You don’t want to pick PHIL 115: First-Order Logic, because almost all colleges offer an intro to philosophy class. You want to pick something you can only take at Yale! Next, you’ll identify a professor you’d want to study with, like Aleksandar Uskokov, whose research on the foundational texts of Vedanta is just so important to you.
Next, you’ll want to check out Yale’s extracurricular activities. Maybe you want to join the Yale College Council or one of their numerous on-campus newspapers. Talk about why these activities are crucial to your time at Yale and why they’re a part of your plan.
Use a sentence to wrap it up nicely, and make sure you’re under 125 words.
Short Takes
Please respond in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words), to each of the following questions:
1. What inspires you?
You can either answer a mile wide and an inch deep, or an inch wide and a mile deep. For example, space might inspire you because it just is so incredibly unknowable. Or, maybe you’re deeply inspired by your grandmother, who immigrated to this country and raised three children as a single mother. Just pick something that shows off a different side of yourself that isn’t reflected in your application.
2. You are teaching a new Yale course. What is it called?
Don’t aim for the stars and choose something that represents a dream or a goal here. Instead, choose a class that reflects who you currently are and what your interests are, but again -- something not reflected yet in your application.
3. Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak and what would you ask them to discuss?
Whoever you choose is going to be a stand-in for a part of yourself you want to show Yale. If you secretly love circuses, maybe you ask P. T. Barnum to come and speak about the business side of a carnival. Maybe don’t pick him, but you get the idea.
4. Yale students embrace the concept of ‘and’ rather than ‘or’, pursuing arts and sciences, tradition and innovation, defined goals and surprising detours. What is an example of an “and” that you embrace?
Are you a football player who reads poetry? Are you an introvert who does improv comedy? A musical theater nerd who loves heavy metal? Point out the things other people might call contradictions here.
Yale Essays
1. Yale’s extensive course offerings and vibrant conversations beyond the classroom encourage students to follow their developing intellectual interests wherever they lead. Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it? (250 words or fewer)
Think of the last Wikipedia hole you went down. Perhaps you're interested in studying math in college, but you just had to teach yourself everything you could about Simone de Beauvoir’s work into the sex-gender distinction. Maybe you and your friends get into spirited debates about national politics, or labor rights, or about interpretations of Classical texts. Whatever you decide on, you’ll want to tell a story about one of these moments. How did it feel to challenge yourself or develop an interest? What click-route did you take to get there? What sparked the debate? Tell a story with a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Make us feel like we’re in the room with you!
Please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer. Please indicate the letter of the prompt you choose.
A. Reflect on a community to which you feel connected. Why is it meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.
This is a classic community essay—and props to Yale for defining community in such a broad way. Community can be anything from the street you live on, to your friend group, to your religion. This would be a place to avoid mentioning your sports teams or community service organization, as it’s already reflected in your application.
Tell a story here of how you feel connected to your community and what your role is within it. Maybe you’re the designated house-pet-babysitter for all your neighbors, and everyone knows you by name. Maybe you’re the friend everyone comes to when there’s an issue to be solved because you think about things in a more analytical way. Maybe you run the A.V. system for your youth group with a team of other kids. You’ll want to tell a story that reflects one of these moments, one that clearly shows how you are an important cog in the machine. Tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end, and has details that bring the reader into the scene with you.
B. Reflect on something that has given you great satisfaction. Why has it been important to you?
We think this is probably a better question than question A because it will allow you to tell a better story. Have you ever wanted something really, really badly, and you worked your butt off to get it? Have you ever tried something new or hard and totally messed it up, but then tried again and finally got it right? This is a great place to tell a story of success or achievement.
Maybe over the summer you decided to start going to the gym, and you wanted to master the box jump. First try, you fell off the box. But you kept training and training and now you can jump on the tallest box in the gym without even wavering. Tell the story of how you set your mind to this goal, failed with grace, and then eventually met that goal and more. Use a distinct beginning, middle, and end, and really fill this story with details. You got this.
We think these are some of the best questions of the year, and you’ll really be able to show Yale your personality in this application. With these essays, you’re trying to show Yale different sides of yourself. You want to avoid topics that are already on your application—so if you play sports or play music, those are things to avoid. Follow our advice and you’ll knock these essays out of the park.
Essays are hard, and sometimes you might feel stuck or lost in the process. If you need help with your applications or essays, feel free to contact us here.