Application Tips
We realize the college application process can feel overwhelming sometimes, and we want to help alleviate some of that stress with this advice.
Letters of Recommendation
Carefully select teachers to write your recommendations . They should come from teachers who taught you in a core academic area (English, math, science, social sciences, global/foreign language, or visual performing arts).
You do not have to pick the teacher who gave you the highest grades. Consider the teacher who challenged you the most, can share details about your strengths, or can tell us how you overcame obstacles.
Personal Statement & Short Answers
We get inspired hearing about you. Your test scores and grades are an important part of demonstrating your academic achievements, but your essay and short answers tell us just a bit more about you and allow us to hear your voice.
In this example of a well-crafted essay , the admission committee member who reviewed this student’s file had this to say:
This essay is all about honesty. Being honest about their background, honest about their relationship with friends, and honest about their own feelings toward their community. The essay shows growth and reflection. While the simple topic of the essay is essentially not attending a high school dance, it is about so much more. The writing style is straightforward and simple—in a good way—and it is an edited and polished piece. The author of the essay is reflective about their community and does not try to be anything they are not. They understand that if they expect change, they themselves have to be a part of that change.
We hope you use your essay to give us a compelling glimpse of the real you.
Standardized Tests
Only after we’ve reviewed your high school transcript, personal statement, short answer responses, and extracurricular activities, do we turn to your standardized test scores. Usually, they confirm the impressions we have from the rest of your application.
AP, IB, and College Credit
We know you’re an exceptional student, and you’ve worked hard to earn academic credit that may be applied to courses in college. Here are some parameters around what type of credit Emory does (and does not) accept.
Emory University 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Guide
Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 1
You Have:
Emory University 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations
The Requirements: 1 essay of 200 words, 1 essay of 150 words Supplemental Essay Type: Why , Oddball
How to Write Compelling Emory University Supplemental Essays
In addition to a question about your academic interests, Emory offers you four prompts to choose from for your second essay of 150 words. Emory seeks students who are “passionate about what they’re learning and who take being involved seriously,” so each of your four options is designed to approach these two qualities in a different way. There’s no right or wrong choice here, so pick whichever one speaks to you! But remember: in such a short essay, you don’t have time to waffle, and there’s no room for you to circle your main idea with broad statements. You’ve got to get straight to the point with clarity. Keep reading to learn how to write winning Emory essays!
Emory Essay Prompts Breakdown
Academic interests, what academic areas are you interested in exploring in college (200 words).
This required prompt is nothing more or less than an academically inclined Why essay. As you dig into the writing, aim to answer these two key questions: (1) What do you love about the subject? (2) How does Emory’s specific program meet your needs or excite your curiosity? In other words, your goal is not just to geek out (although that’s highly encouraged!), but also to demonstrate your fit for Emory specifically. If you can display a knowledge or curiosity for your chosen major alongside some school-specific facts, you’ll show admissions that you’re motivated and dedicated to their institution. If that’s not a winning combo, we don’t know what is! So, before you start scribbling away (or pounding out 300 words on your computer), remember that the backbone of any good Why essay is research! Give yourself some time to dig through the Emory website and get to know your department as well as any related programs, centers, and opportunities.
Getting to Know You
In addition, answer one of the following questions. your response should be no more than 150 words., which book, character, song, monologue, or piece of work (fiction or non-fiction) seems made for you why.
In this prompt, Emory University is looking for more than just a summary of your favorite book. Admissions wants to know why a certain work of art is meaningful to you, and how it connects to your identity, history, or values. As with all supplemental essays, your goal should be to use this prompt as an opportunity to tell admissions something new about yourself through your relationship to a particular piece of art. Does “ Still I Rise ” by Maya Angelou resonate with you as a young woman of color overcoming obstacles with courage and determination? Have you always felt that you and Allison from The Breakfast Club were cut from the same cloth? How come? Be careful to avoid self-aggrandizing or pandering choices rather than writing about works that truly speak to you. Don’t write about Charlotte Brontë unless you genuinely feel connected to her life and work. When you give admissions insight into the art that you feel is representative of your personality, experiences, or background, you will be revealing a fascinating, newfound piece of the complex puzzle that is you.
Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.
Emory wants to accept applicants that are curious, open-minded, and socially aware. Admissions wants to bring students to campus who will not be afraid to question their own beliefs or biases, or to strive to consider different perspectives and points of view. So, how have you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness? Maybe you saw Juneteenth trending on Twitter this summer and had never heard of it before. Did you read articles to educate yourself? Reach out to friends or family members who were celebrating? What did you learn? Perhaps one of your friends put the kibosh on a joke you told during a birthday party, so you took it upon yourself to better understand the subject matter and why your joke may have been insensitive or offensive. All of us are constantly learning and growing, so there’s no shame in being wrong about something as long as you seek to listen, retain information, and expand your horizons.
Emory University’s core mission calls for service to humanity. Share how you might personally contribute to this mission.
“Service to humanity” can sound lofty and intimidating, but fear not! Emory’s not expecting you to cure cancer or invent perpetual motion; “service to humanity” can be as simple and personal as tutoring other students at the writing center, running psychology experiments in a lab class, or using your History major to educate your roommates about internment camps. We recommend—say it with us—research! How will your time at Emory prepare you to serve humanity when you leave? Check out the website to see if there are service groups or volunteer organizations you might join on campus; maybe there’s a special capstone project for your proposed major. And if you do plan to cure cancer, write about that, too!
Emory University has a strong commitment to building community. Tell us about a community you have been part of where your participation helped to change or shape the community for the better.
This is a classic Community Essay, through and through. Admissions wants to know what or who has made you into the person you are today and how you have impacted your community. First of all, let us remind you that your “community” can be just about anything, from your neighborhood to your family to your Taylor Swift fan club. Pick a community that means something to you and in which you’ve been very involved. Maybe you come from a tiny town where you revived a long-lost harvest festival tradition. Perhaps you suggested team-building exercises for your baseball team that brought you all closer together. Maybe you started cooking a weekly pancake breakfast for your younger siblings after your parents got divorced. No matter your starting point, be sure you tell a clear story with a beginning, middle, and end. It might be tempting to pen a vivid description of your community and leave it at that, but the point of an essay like this is to tell a story about you and your contributions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Emory Essays
We have been reading Emory essays for over twenty years now, so we know a thing or two about the most common mistakes students make. The most common mistakes to avoid are repeating the prompt in your essay (don’t waste your words), trying to sound like an academic (admissions wants to hear your authentic voice!), and using cliches (they’re ineffective and—let’s face it—lazy).
Why Choose College Essay Advisors for Emory Essays
We at College Essay Advisors have been guiding students one-on-one through the essay writing process for the Emory supplements for over twenty years. We take a holistic approach to these essays, considering each student’s application package as a whole and identifying their strengths to highlight. Our Advisors accommodate each student’s scheduling needs to virtually brainstorm, draft, and revise winning essays. It’s incredibly important to us that each student’s voice is preserved, and we pride ourselves in helping students to write successful Emory supplemental essays that differentiate them from similarly qualified applicants. For more information, submit a contact form below or review our one-on-one advising services or list of student acceptances .
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Frequently Asked Questions
Emory requires one (1) essay of 200 words and one (1) essay of 250 words.
The admissions department at Emory is hoping to get to know you better through your writing, so authenticity is key. Be thoughtful about the stories you share and consider how your responses will invite the admissions committee to better understand who you are and who you hope to become.
In order to make your Emory essays stand out, we recommend giving yourself plenty of time to brainstorm , reflect on your stories, and piece together cohesive narratives that reveal new information about who you are and what has shaped you without relying on common cliches.
The word limits are 200 and 250 words, respectively.
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Emory’s Short Answer Questions 2024-25
- July 22, 2024
We are pleased to announce Emory University’s short answer questions for the 2024-2025 first-year application.
In addition to your Personal Statement, please answer two additional short answer questions, one about your academic interests and one to help us get to know you better. We encourage you to be thoughtful in your responses and not stress about what the “right answer” might be, as there really isn’t one.
Academic Interests
This question is required. (200 Words Recommended Length)
- What academic areas are you interested in exploring at Emory University and why?
Getting to Know You
In addition, answer one of the following questions. (150 Words)
- Which book, character, song, monologue, or piece of work (fiction or non-fiction) seems made for you? Why?
- Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.
- Emory University’s unique mission calls for service to humanity. Share how you might personally contribute to this mission of service to humanity.
- Emory University has a strong commitment to building community. Tell us about a community that you have been part of where your participation helped to change or shape the community for the better.
Want advice and examples of other great Emory University application essays and Personal Statements? We’ve got you covered! Check our Strong Personal Statements blog series . We share real essays from previous years’ applicants who were admitted and enrolled at Emory University. Each applicant’s personal statement includes thoughts from the staff who reviewed it and why they felt it was a strong example for you.
We look forward to getting to know you better through your application writing.
Be sure to connect with us by posting a comment to this blog, following us @emoryadmission , or emailing us at [email protected] .
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This Post Has 12 Comments
I’m currently a senior in high school who intended to go to Nell Hodgson Woodruff school of nursing. Do I include the supplemental essay for the school of nursing or do I just follow the general essay prompts for Emory?
Hi Donna, Emory University applicants do not apply to specific majors but rather indicate on their application the major(s) they would be interested in studying in the future. All applicants are admitted as undeclared students and will have until the end of their sophomore year to declare a major. We encourage you to find out more about our nursing matriculation options on the nursing school website here: https://www.nursing.emory.edu/program-details/freshman-option-emory-and-oxford-students
If a student is applying to Oxford College at Emory, do they use the same application as Emory University or are there additional/different supplemental essays required?
Great question, Anita! Students applying to Oxford College are not required to submit anything additional for their application. Just make sure to select Oxford on your Common Application to Emory University. More information about how to apply can be found here: https://apply.emory.edu/apply/first-year/how-to-apply.html
How can we use application pay waiver?!
If paying the $75 application fee is a financial hardship, we are happy to waive the fee. All fee waiver requests are processed online through the Common Application.
To receive a fee waiver, simply answer “yes” to any question on the application referencing if you are eligible for a fee waiver with Emory University. No further documentation needs to be supplied to our office.
Please I want to apply for the Emory school scholarship
Learn more about the Emory Scholars Program here: https://apply.emory.edu/financial-aid/types-of-aid/scholar-program.html
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