Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. With only about 1,800 undergrads, it’s small. While it was initially a women’s college, it has been coed since the 1960s. The college is somewhat of a hidden gem, especially for those looking for a classic New England liberal arts experience. They are committed to being test-optional and usually have around a 40% acceptance rate.
For a long time, Connecticut College didn’t have a supplement. However, they have recently introduced one, kind of (don’t worry, we will get into it). So, we wanted to share our tips and tricks on approaching their (very short) supplement.
Developing a strong, equitable, and inclusive community is important to us at Connecticut College. After all, camels live and work together in herds. In 150 words or less, please tell us who you are and what you will bring to the Conn community to help us grow into the best version of ourselves. You may choose to include details about how your background, identity, challenges, and lived experiences have shaped your accomplishments and potential contributions.
Any format is acceptable. You can write a few sentences, one run-on sentence, a short poem, or even a bullet-point list. 150-word limit
So, this question is optional. However, when it comes to supplements, we don’t really believe in optional. The school is giving you an opportunity to shine…. Take it
Okay, so now that the whole “optional” thing is out of the way, let’s look at the question. It is a lot for 150 words. Telling a college everything about “who you are” in this short of a word count is too much. Instead, you should zero in on one important thing about you. Choose an essential aspect of your identity or an important experience.
We love that this question allows for creativity not only in what you write about but also in how you write it. If you feel pulled to an unconventional writing style such as a poem, that is wonderful, but it can be challenging for students who don’t feel confident in their poetry or other creative writing skills. So, TLDR, we love it if you want to break the box, but if that will cause you more stress than it’s worth, don’t be afraid just to write a good short story.
We love approaching essays as stories. This answer will be a very short one, but it can still be a story. 150 words, usually around 7-10 sentences. Think of it this way. 2 sentences beginning, 2 sentences for the middle, 2 sentences for the end, and a 1 sentence takeaway. What would that look like in this context? Well, maybe it would look something like this:
I was petrified before taking the stage. I scanned the crowd, and then I saw them. Immediately, I was comforted. My entire track team had come to see me perform in the school play. I had never acted before, but they all wanted to support me. Once I saw them, I wasn’t nervous anymore. I started to sing my first three notes, confident in myself. That’s what I love about being a part of a team; we show up for each other as a community.
And that’s only 85 words. You can go longer. This is just the very basics. Feel free to be more descriptive. Deeper. It’s your story tell it. And if that story works better as a poem…. We aren’t mad about it.
Connecticut College’s supplement is short, but it will take some brainstorming and editing, especially when it comes to word count. Even though it’s optional, we highly encourage it. We promise it’s worth doing.
Need help with applying? We can do that! Contact us here.