The University of Virginia was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson (oooh) and has been home to countless Rhodes Scholars, astronauts, governors, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Tina Fey. It’s located in Charlottesville, Virginia and offers over 49 majors and boasts some of the the best undergraduate nursing programs and business programs in the country. For 2022, UVA had a record-low 19% acceptance rate, with over 50,000 students applying. UVA’s known as a public Ivy, and it’s only going to get more competitive over time.
We’ve covered the UVA supplement before, but it looks like they’ve changed it up a bit! The essays are a lot shorter, and you’ve got a lot more options outside of the school-specific questions. Let’s dive in, question by question, and help you demystify the UVA supplements.
The first block of questions are school specific, which means you’ll only have to write for the school you’re applying to. The College of Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering questions are the only ones that changed in this section. (Hot tip: make sure to declare a major, even if you change your mind later) These questions should be answered in 100 words, although the UVA blog says it’s okay to go over a liiiitle bit.
College of Arts & Sciences: If you could create a college course that all UVA students would take, what would it be about and why?
This is very similar to the Flash Seminar question they previously used, but instead of a one-time lecture, you’re talking about a whole course. We like this one because it allows for you to a) show off an interest that you can’t communicate in your application elsewhere, b) perhaps show off some of your values, and c) present your personality. For inspiration, take a look at what core classes UVA requires and see what piques your interest. More importantly, see what they don’t have and fill that void. Hopefully you’ve noticed that a lot of college classes are specific, so don’t say “American History” or “Diversity and Inclusion” or “Math.” Instead think of something like “The Wild West to the Last Frontier: How American Individualism Shaped The Country” or “Women of Color in U.S. Politics.” One ~cool~ way of approaching this essay is by breaking form. Create a mock syllabus, assign readings, talk about the objective of the class.
School of Engineering: How will you use an engineering degree to change the world for the better?
UVA wants to know what drives you, but they also want to know if your plans are worth taking a shot on you. One thing we recommend is drawing a line from your current interests and pulling that into 5 or 10 years after graduation – but don’t get too grandiose with it. You probably won’t produce a marvel of modern engineering in 10 years, but you can talk about something closer to home. For example, right now you’re interested in how cars and traffic have reduced green spaces and walkable roads in your town, and you want to use your Civil Engineering degree to create roadways that make your town safer for pedestrians and drivers alike. Bring it in, think small.
School of Architecture: Describe a significant experience that deepened your interest in studying in the School of Architecture.
In a lot of the “Why X School” essays you’ll write for other schools, the first part of your essay will be your origin story. For this essay, it’s pretty much all origin story. It’s a broad question, and it might be hard to define “significant experience” in the scope of architecture. Please, please, do not use this essay as a place to sneak in a brag about your sick trip to Paris or the month you spent in Rome or how it was totally awesome seeing the Empire State Building. Those essays will come off pretentious or cliche, and neither are a good look. Like the other essays in this section, think small. Maybe your hometown’s city hall is really cool, or you live in an old historic house, or you helped your dad plan and build a shed when you were a kid. We’re going for small-scale, local, and humble. If you get stuck, hop on over to the UVA website and find a professor or upper-level class that you can connect to your story and talk about how it will expand your knowledge.
School of Nursing: Describe a health care-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying Nursing.
Most people who are interested in healthcare as a career have a defining story of why. For some past clients, it’s been watching their parent go through cancer treatment. Some kids have dealt with their own serious health issues, and the kindness and care of nurses is what got them through it. It’s important to answer this question as a story, and not as a general, so bring us into the moment that you were inspired to study nursing.
Kinesiology Program: Describe an experience that has deepened your interest in studying kinesiology.
Like nursing, you probably can think of an experience that got you interested in Kinesiology. We see a lot of athletes interested in this major, and so many athletes have stories of getting injured or hurt on the field and receiving care from an athletic trainer. Maybe you got into a car accident and physical therapy was a big part of your healing. Whatever it is, you’ll want to tell it as a story. We know it’s easy to say “I want to study Kinesiology because I am fascinated with the body,” but, let’s be real, hundreds if not thousands of kids are writing that essay. Stand out.
Short Answer
Okay, here’s the real shakeup in the supplement section. You’ll pick two of these eleven prompts and write about 50 words each. Some of these are past questions that we like, some we hate, and some new ones too.
1. What’s your favorite word and why?
Ugh. We don’t like this question. Don’t pick any SAT words if you do this one. If you’re going to choose this one we recommend thinking of a funny story that goes with it, but you’ll have to keep it brief.
2. We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. What is one of your quirks?
This is a fun one! If you’re having a hard time thinking of your quirks, ask your friends and family. Remember, quirks are unique to you! So don’t pick something like “always twirls her hair” or “quotes TikToks.” This is a fun prompt to show off your personality and humor, and try to couch it inside of a story.
3. About what topic could you speak for an hour?
This is a great question to add depth to your application. Let’s say you’re applying as an Engineering major, you’ve written an essay about how you want to utilize your degree, and now you have the opportunity to show them another side of you. Maybe you’re obsessed with baseball stats, or Russian lit, or 1960s American history, or literally any other thing. So write about it! Talk about why it interests you, but do it in a micro-story form. Walk us through what a deep dive into this would feel like. This is also a great question for neurodivergent students with a special interest.
4. Take us to your happy place.
This is probably the best question because you can create a true moment of levity for the reader. We love detail, and this is the question to do it. Talk about the sights, smells, and sounds. What does this place look like? Is it real? Is it a once-in-a-lifetime place? Do you go there every day? Walk us through how you get there, or how you feel when you’re there.
5. You can wake up tomorrow and a skill you already have will become expert-level. What skill is that?
Similar to the topic for an hour question, use this to highlight something they don’t know about you to add depth to your application. To re-up the engineering example, don’t apply as a mechanical engineering major and say you want to become an expert mechanic. However, if you’re applying as a business major, waking up tomorrow with expert mechanic skills would be pretty cool. Explain why, especially if there’s a story there.
6. What is the last gift you gave someone that wasn’t bought with money?
If you read this question and immediately had an answer for it, please choose this one. If you have a passion for crafting, especially unusual ones or ones that don’t fit with your vibe, this is a great question. Maybe you’re a lacrosse player who knits on the bus to games, or a theater kid who’s into metalsmithing. Tell it as a story! Either how you made it, or how they reacted.
7. What website is the internet missing?
First of all, red flag alert. Our GENERAL advice is to skip this question. UVA asks some really good questions. This one has so many pitfalls. Whatever you pick, make sure the website doesn’t already exist. The internet is 31 years old by now, almost double any of y’all’s ages, and we’ve got a lot of websites. This is also a good place to show off a side of you that they can’t see. Maybe make it funny, like “a website that’s just pictures of hedgehogs in hats,” or “a website that ranks shoes by comfort level.”
8. After a challenging experience, how do you recharge?
Okay so we recommend answering this only if you have a unique way of recharging. “Being by myself with a book” is not unique, and neither is “going to the gym for a hard workout” or “playing video games.” But maybe you recharge by chopping wood, or cooking a gourmet meal, or throwing some old plates off a roof. Who knows! And as always, tell a story. Pick a specific time you recharged after something rough, and describe how the release felt.
9. Tell us about a place you’d like to share with everyone, but also keep to yourself.
Ooooh, gatekeeping!! Basically do the same thing here that you’d do with the happy place question, but maybe explain why you want to keep it to yourself. Maybe it’s the hole-in-the-wall restaurant you and your friends always go to. Tell a story about this place.
10. UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message?
This question existed before, and we didn’t like it back then either. Avoid cliches like “be yourself” or “YOLO.” Do y’all still say YOLO? Probably not. Maybe it’s a funny saying your grandma used to say that you use now, or an inside joke with your friends. Pair it with a real experience you can tell a story about. Again, we don’t suggest this question.
11. Tell us about a time when, faced with an opinion or perspective that differed from your own, you responded as an empathetic speaker or generous listener.
A little bit more serious! Most people don’t have their minds changed with numbers and stats (although I’m sure most of us here would like to think we’d follow the facts), instead we’re influenced by stories and personal experiences. Talk about a situation where maybe you held a preconceived notion and changed it after meeting someone and hearing their story. Be careful with this one though, because some answers could come across as overly ignorant (“I didn’t realize being homeless was so hard”) or privileged (“I got a Tesla to minimize my environmental impact”).
And there you have it, the 2022-2023 UVA supplemental essays. We like that they made some changes and gave you a bigger list of options. Make sure to diversify your answers, so maybe don’t pick both the happy place one and the place to gatekeep one. Good luck! You’ve got this.
We’ve helped countless students get into UVA, and if you’re applying to UVA and need some help from someone who’s done this before, reach out today.