The University of Rochester is a private university in (you guessed it) Rochester, New York. The small city of Rochester is on the Genesee River, which flows into the nearby Lake Ontario. The University is home to around 6,800 undergrads and over 200 majors. The university has a flexible curriculum, a free fifth year, and a surprisingly high international community. Last year they had a 39% acceptance rate.
Their supplement has some quirks to it. Today, we wanted to discuss how best to approach the University of Rochester supplement.
The first part lets you answer in one of 3 ways. The first way is just a traditional essay. In many ways, this is the easiest way; however, if you are a creative person, you may want to consider another route. The second way is a Creative Video, and the third is a Research Abstract. Honestly, we don’t really understand the research abstract route. Maybe if you have the perfect piece of research to fit this question, you can use it, but we have never seen a piece of high school research that would also work as an answer to this question… honestly, it is hard to imagine one. If you go this route, your research must also be impressive. It’s a tall order. While we would suggest, most students write the essay, if you are someone passionate about multimedia or video, you can choose the video approach. However, if this is the first video essay you will ever make, maybe just write it.
Part 1:
The University of Rochester motto of Meliora – or “ever better” - deeply integrates critical core values into all that we do. These core values of equity, leadership, integrity, openness, respect and accountability define not only who we are, but also who we hope to become. Please use the space below to highlight a time, creative idea or research experience when you put into action one or more of these characteristics in order to make yourself, your community or the world ever better. (250 word limit)
You may answer one of three ways:*
Please indicate which value or values you are choosing to highlight:* Equity, Leadership, Integrity, Openness, Respect, Accountability
Essay Response: Write an analytical or creative response of 250 words or less.*
There are a lot of words in this question. However, the ask is more straightforward than it seems. They want you to write about a time you exhibited Equity, Leadership, Integrity, Openness, Respect, and/or Accountability. Your story does NOT have to explore all of these words. We suggest choosing one or two to explore. The trick here is just to tell a good story.
Think about which words connect most to your experiences. Since there are so many words in this list, there are a lot of stories that can work for this prompt. Ensure your story has a beginning, middle, and end and clearly connects to at least one of the concepts.
For the second part, they allow you to choose between 4 prompts. Some are more accessible than others.
Part 2: Please select one of the following prompts to respond to in 200 words or less.
American social reformer, abolitionist, writer and statesman Frederick Douglass said, “Some know the value of education by having it. I knew its value by not having it.” Explain ways in which your background, educational experience, and opportunities have directly influenced you and your ability to do good in the world. What specific moments of growth, lessons learned and resilience in your life have prepared you to promote positive change for your community and the world?
We hate when questions start with a quote. 99% of the time, they have no bearing on the essay… on top of that, this quote seems a little mean since Douglass did not get an education from this institution. The first black person to get a degree from Rochester would graduate just 4 years before Douglass’s death.
All this aside, we also don’t love this question. There are just too many parts to unpack for 200 words. To answer this question well, you need to introduce something about your background that connects to your education, tell a story of a specific moment of growth and also expand that to show how it helped a community of yours. This is a really tall order for 200 words. If you are drawn to this one, you can take it on; just make sure to address all of the asks in this question. You will need to give yourself time to edit. Trust us.
Dr. Donna Strickland, University of Rochester alum and 2018 Nobel Prize winner in Physics said, “There’s no point in me being anything other than me.” The University of Rochester encourages each student to embrace the intersectionality of their identity and create their own individual curricular path and experience. What qualities and experiences make you the best version of yourself? What unique elements of your background, perspectives, and experiences will you bring to our community?
Do you know how we said the last question was too wordy? Well, this one is almost worse. However, it might be easier to answer. For this, you want to identify an instance of intersectionality in your own background. Intersectionality can be based on identity, such as being black and a woman or queer and Muslim, but it doesn't have to be. An intersection can be a STEM Major who likes art or an Athlete who loves poetry. No one is just one thing. Find an intersection that is important to you.
Tell a story about how this intersectionality is essential for understanding you. Then show how you will grow that part of you at Rochester. This takes a bit of research. You want to mention clubs, classes, and/or opportunities on campus that connect to this part of you. Be specific. You want to be able to call out these opportunities by name and explain why they would be important to you and your identity.
Susan B. Anthony, champion of abolition and women’s rights, once said “Organize, agitate, educate must be our war cry.” As you look to join our community of doers and disruptors, in what ways do you envision using both the curricular flexibility and co-curricular opportunities to invoke change for marginalized groups? How has your unique lived experience shaped you and prepared you to be a changemaker here?
Only take this essay on if you are passionate and already working with marginalized groups. If you posted a black square once, this is not for you. But if you are already putting the work in, this essay is a chance to highlight both your work and how you would expand it at Rochester.
Much like the question before, you want to start with a story about your “lived experience” and standing up for a marginalized group. You then want to connect it to opportunities at the University where you will continue that work. You should mention classes, professors, clubs, and opportunities you would benefit from and connect to this mission. One note: since they ask you about the curriculum, you should state your major, even if it’s unrelated to your changemaker status. For example, “Even though I want to major in biology, I believe Rochester’s flexible curriculum will let me take Asian Studies courses. Stopping Asian hate is important to me, and I believe that ...” You must tell us why these opportunities will help you on your mission.
P.S. We think that in a post-Glass Onion world, you simply can’t use “Disruptors” seriously, but you do you, Rochester.
The University of Rochester benefactor, entrepreneur, photography pioneer and philanthropist George Eastman said, “What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.” How have the ways you've spent your time enabled you to grow as a person? What challenges have helped define you and your role within your many communities?
This is probably the easiest of the prompts, mainly because it asks for a more appropriate amount of information for its short word count, unlike the others. For this prompt, you want to tell a story about something you do outside of school and how that activity has influenced you.
We are constantly learning from the people around us and the situations we are in. Choose a moment that stuck with you. Ensure it's a story and that you learn something by the end. We know that sounds general, but that’s kind of the beauty of this prompt. So many stories can work for it. Truly anyone can answer this prompt and answer it well. Just make sure that it isn’t too close to the story you tell in part 1. Aka, highlight a different activity, community, or facet of yourself.
We have our own issues with Rochester's supplement, but that shouldn’t stop you from tackling it with confidence. You need to pack a lot into a short word count. This means giving yourself time to edit and cut down your writing is paramount.
Need help with supplements? We can help! Reach out here.