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How to Respond to the Babson College Supplemental Essay Prompts 2022/2023

Babson College is known for being all about business, and their essay prompt is no exception! They want to know about who you are and why you have chosen to apply to their college. Responding to the supplemental essay is an opportunity to show them why you would be a great addition to their school. So, settle in and let’s find out how you can nail the Babson supplemental essay right on the head!

A brief introduction to Babson College

Babson College is known for their emphasis on teaching students to be great entrepreneurs. Babson knows that entrepreneurial skills are not just something that people are born with, but that they need to be learned and built over time. They know the importance of these skills in not just business, but in all facets of the world. Entrepreneurship is about being innovative, creative, and willing to try new ideas. 

Babson is about liberal arts and science too

In addition to the entrepreneurial degrees and opportunities they offer, they are also heavily invested in educating their students through the liberal arts and science. They offer many courses that might take you by surprise, including classes that cover music and sports in Ancient Greece. 

Also see: What is a liberal arts degree?

Do your Babson research first!

Before starting your first Babson supplemental essay, give yourself some time to explore the Babson website. Colleges try to give students a vivid picture of their school through  websites because they know it’s how most students learn about them. If possible, it’s always a great idea to try and tour a college before you apply. Tours are free and a great way to find out what’s out there, If you can’t find the time or money to take a face-to-face tour, Babson College offers an engaging virtual tour as well. 

The Babson College supplemental essay prompt

Your moment has arrived. Share with us the moments or experiences that have led you to apply to Babson College (500 words maximum). We invite you to submit your answer in either essay OR video format. If you choose to submit a video, please limit your response to a 1-minute video, which can be submitted via a shared link to YouTube or another video hosting website.

For the supplemental essay, you’ll answer a classic prompt. The school wants to know why you’ve chosen them. Before going any further, take a couple minutes to write down why you admire Babson and what resources of theirs you plan to take advantage of as a student. 

Avoid writing about a list of facts from their website. Babson is well aware of what their school has to offer. What they want to know is what drew you to them.

Questions to consider

• Are they well known for your major?
• Do they offer highly accredited professors?
• Does their low student to faculty ratio appeal to you?
• Are their core values the same as yours?

These questions might not encompass what came to your mind, but you can use them as a springboard for some ideas. It’s okay to talk about what Babson offers, but you just don’t want to only talk about that.

It’s important to highlight how you and their resources would work together. Babson College may offer a plethora of resources, but that is only half of the equation. What you plan to do with what’s given is equally as important. 

Additional questions

Supplemental prompt #1

If you have indicated interest in the January Enrollment option, please address why you would like to be a candidate for this option and what you might choose to do in the fall. Please also note if you would prefer to enroll in January Enrollment over traditional fall enrollment. (25-200 words)

If you’ve ever thought about taking a gap year, but were hesitant to take that much time off, Babson has you covered. Their January enrollment option allows students to enroll at their school, but not begin classes until January, instead of August. Right about now, you might be asking, “what’s the point of that?” There are a few different benefits to applying for January enrollment. However, before we dive into it together, have a look at their January enrollment frequently asked questions page. 

Babson College knows the value of students taking time off, and they want to give them an even easier chance to do so without making applying to college into a hassle. Applying to college is already hard enough; add on to it that you want to take time off, and most of us would find our heads swimming in questions. 

So, how should you answer this question? If you are planning to take time off, Babson wants to know what you’re going to do with that time. There should be a purpose to why you want to take time off.

Questions to consider

• Is there a gap semester program you want to complete?
• Do you want to work somewhere?
• Is there an organization or company you’d like to intern for? 

There could be many things you want to do. Whatever it is, be deliberate. Explain what you plan to do and why what you’re doing is of value. Close out your response by sharing how you’re going to apply your experiences to Babson. 

For ideas about what you could do with your time off, check out our article Top 10 Gap Year Programs!

Supplemental prompt #2

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (250 words)

This one isn’t trying to trip you up– with this Babson supplemental question, they’re just trying to learn about you. What’s something you’ve done, a job you’ve worked at or an activity that you love? Got one? Great, it’s time to share that.

Now think about what value you derived from participating in that job or activity. Your answer should be less about the topic you choose and more about what you gained from the experience. It’s great to mention internships, volunteer work, or a sport you’re heavily involved in, but your answer shouldn’t stop there. 

If, for example, if you choose to write about being the captain of the soccer team during your senior year, mention the responsibilities that you had handled. Perhaps you mentored some freshmen students on the team, or read a book or sought help from older peers for advice about how to be in a leadership role. 

Babson is far more interested in hearing about how you handled and grew through this experience than they are about knowing that you were captain of the soccer team. This is not because that isn’t a fantastic accomplishment, but because they want to see how you handle opportunities that are put in front of you and that you seek out.

It may help to think about a few ideas for this question. If you’re still feeling stumped, look through our article about Top Community Service Ideas!

Questions to consider

• Did you have a job that taught you much more than you imagined?
• What extracurricular activity was most meaningful to you?
• Did you help out a family member or friend instead of participating in extracurriculars or traditional work experience?

Other colleges to consider

• New York University (New York, NY)
• Fordham University (Bronx, NY)
• Emory University (Atlanta, GA)

Additional resources

• How to write an essay about yourself
• “Show, don’t tell” essay primer
• How many colleges to apply to
• How to write a 250 or 500 word essay
• 10 tips for a successful college application