How to use your Common App essay for Ivy League supplementals: Cornell

Being the only Ivy League that is a land-grant university means there are state-funded programs that aren’t offered at any of the other Ivy schools. Something for students to consider is that Cornell has the highest acceptance rate of among the Ivy League.

Take a look at the match-up below to see how you can best map out your thoughts for the writing supplement.

Cornell supplementals (2022-2023)

TOPIC	PROMPT
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected? Please discuss how your interests and related experiences have influenced your choice. Specifically, how will an education from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and Cornell University help you achieve your academic goals?	1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Be specific about your experience and expectations and pay attention to your style of writing. Make sure your personality clearly shows through how you explain your accomplishments.
OPTIONAL 1 - At Cornell CALS, we aim to leave the world better than we found it, so we seek out those who are not simply driven to master their discipline, but who are also passionate about doing so to serve the public good. Please elaborate on an activity or experience you have had that made an impact on a community that is important to you. We encourage you to think about community broadly – this could include family, school, or local and global communities (300-word limit).	1, 4, 5
Define community however you see fit, but make sure to explain what the goal of the activity was, how you achieved it, and how big your group eventually became. Students that start a club with outreach in high school will have a lot to say here.
OPTIONAL 2 - The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is dedicated to the exploration of the agricultural, life, environmental, and social sciences and welcomes students with interests that span a wide variety of disciplines. Given our agricultural history and commitment to educating the next generation of agriculturalists, please share if you have a background in agriculture or are interested in pursuing a career in agriculture.	1, 2, 6
It would be great if you could mention a farm internship or 4-H project or why you are so excited about plant sciences. Make sure to be specific with respect to achievements and prioritize based on scale of recognition.
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning - What is your “thing”? What energizes you or engages you so deeply that you lose track of time? Everyone has different passions, obsessions, quirks, inspirations. What are yours?	1, 6, 7
A topic about “obsessions” and “quirks” wants to see your creative side. Will you write an emotional piece about your favorite medium? What about a hobby or activity that drives the inspiration behind your creations? Make sure this essay shows some proper planning and that you convey your personality very clearly.
College of Arts and Sciences - Students in Arts and Sciences embrace the opportunity to delve into multifaceted academic interests, embodying in 21st century terms Ezra Cornell’s “any person…any study” founding vision. Tell us about the areas of study you are excited to explore, and specifically why you wish to pursue them in our College.	1, 6, 7
“Why Cornell” is a great topic to show that you know why you’ve chosen this school. Talk about a researcher, program, professor that is unique to Cornell and how this person could help you grow in your field, and vice versa; be clear on how you plan to contribute. State your accomplishments to back up your claims. You can mention them very generally if you’ve already discussed them at length in your Common App (or Coalition).
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business - What kind of a business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration).	1, 5, 6
If you’ve ever generated capital, earned revenue, or reached a huge number of people, this is going to be the perfect essay for that list of accomplishments and to explain your experience throughout. You could also talk about a specific aspect of the school that is unique, but keep in mind that your experience will be looked on very favorably.
College of Engineering - How do your interests directly connect with Cornell Engineering? If you have an intended major, what draws you to that department at Cornell Engineering? If you are unsure what specific engineering field you would like to study, describe how your general interest in engineering most directly connects with Cornell Engineering. It may be helpful to concentrate on one or two things that you are most excited about. (250 word limit)	1, 2, 5, 6
Talking about a specific aspect of Cornell Engineering and how it is related to specific past experience you have had is a great way to produce a strong essay here.
Question A: Describe an engineering problem that impacts your local community. This could be your school, neighborhood, town, region, or a group you identify with. Describe one to three things you might do as an engineer to solve the problem OR Question B: Diversity in all forms is intrinsic to excellence in engineering. Engineering the best solutions to complex problems is often achieved by drawing from the diverse ingenuity of people from different backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities. How do you see yourself contributing to the diversity and/or the inclusion of the Cornell Engineering community? What is the unique voice you would bring to the Cornell Engineering community?	4, 5, 6
A: Though conveying emotion here is important, being technical, clear, and specific is much more so. Try to explain the current state of your hypothesis and supplement your essay with any data you have from your experiments. Colleges understand you don’t have access to government labs; they just want to see your thought process and if you can (and have) put in the time. B: If you did not choose Common App #1, this is a perfect topic to use all of that information as long as you remember to do it through the lens of engineering; explain how your background influenced your decision to go into engineering and what you will bring to engineering because of your background.
College of Human Ecology - How has your decision to apply to the College of Human Ecology been influenced by your related experiences? How will your choice of major impact your goals and plans for the future?	1, 4, 5, 6
The point of this essay is to explain how Cornell will connect where you are now to where you want to be in the future. Explain your background experiences that led to this decision and explain what you want to do with a Cornell educational later.
School of Industrial and Labor Relations - Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should show us that your interests align with the ILR School.	1, 3, 6
If you’ve had experience with debate, did you ever have a labor or employment issue that got to you? This is a great place to explain that experience. Any discussions or projects from school would also be a great way to explain your interest. Finding a specific faculty member and explaining why you would like to learn from them is also a great way to show you know why you want to apply to this school in particular.