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How to Answer the 2025-2026 Boston College Supplemental Essays
By
Cece Gilmore
Cece Gilmore is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cece earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University. While at ASU, she was the education editor as well as a published staff reporter at Downtown Devil. Cece was also the co-host of her own radio show on Blaze Radio ASU.
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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.
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Maria Geiger is Director of Scholarship Services at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Boston College is a Jesuit private research university located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Boston College is located a short distance from Downtown Boston which makes it an extremely desirable place to learn. Therefore, your application will really need to stand out! In order to apply, students must complete one of the five prompt options for the BC supplemental essays.
Here’s our guide for how to ace the Boston College supplemental essay questions!
Also see: Scholarships360’s free scholarship search tool
Before answering the BC supplemental essays
All Boston College applicants should respond to one of the following four prompts except for those applying for the Human-Centered Engineering major. Those applying for the Human-Centered Engineering major will need to reply to ONLY the fifth Boston College essay question.
All of the Boston College supplemental essay questions have a 400 word limit. 400 words may sound like a lot but once you start writing you will realize that getting your personality on the page will take a few more words than 400. Do not stress! This just means you will have to be precise and direct with your answers. Do not drag on or use filler words! Just remember to be yourself in your response.
Don’t miss: How to respond to the Common App essay prompts
Essay option #1
“Strong communities are sustained by traditions. Boston College’s annual calendar is marked with both long-standing and newer traditions that help shape our community. Tell us about a meaningful tradition in your family or community. Why is it important to you, and how does it bring people together or strengthen the bonds of those who participate?”
If you’re someone who really values family or your community, then this is a great essay that allows you to give the admissions committee a glimpse into your life and the people who have made a great impact in it. Think about the traditions in your life. Maybe it’s something your family does around the holidays or a festival or event in your community that you go to every year. Then, reflect on what the tradition means to you. You might even want to look at where the tradition originated.
Overall, use this essay to share a little more about what’s important to you and highlight that you are hoping to carry on your personal traditions, while being open to participating in new experiences and traditions at college.
Questions to consider
- Are there any traditions that are unique to you and your family/community? If so, where did they come from?
- What do you believe is the value of tradition?
- How do your traditions help you feel connected to others?
Essay option #2
“The late BC theology professor, Father Michael Himes, argued that a university is not a place to which you go, but instead, a “rigorous and sustained conversation about the great questions of human existence, among the widest possible circle of the best possible conversation partners.” Who has been your most meaningful conversation partner, and what profound questions have you considered together?”
I know once you read this prompt you immediately thought of someone. So who was it? Who do you talk to about anything?
Once you have identified your favorite conversation partner, write a brief few sentences about them. How do you know them? Are they related to you?
Now, you should reflect on past conversations you have had with this person. What do you usually talk about?
To stand out from other responses, do not simply list everything you and this person have ever talked about. Rather, find a common theme in your conversations. Maybe you always talk about music with them or maybe they act as your therapist when you are having relationship issues.
Be sure to reflect on this person and your conversations. What have you learned from them? Emphasize how crucial conversations are. Stress how finding that right person to have a conversation with is so important.
Questions to consider
- Who do you have the best conversations with?
- What do you learn from your conversations with this person?
- How are conversations important for fixing problems in society?
Don’t miss: What to include on college applications
Essay option #3
“In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?”
To begin this prompt, brainstorm things someone may assume about you. Although being stereotyped or discussing racial or ethnic diversity is a great thing to do here, you can also discuss other aspects of your appearance or background. Some examples could include being labeled a dumb blonde or being assumed you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community due to a pin on your backpack. Detail this challenge in a story format to allow the admissions committee to truly understand how this experience made you feel.
Whatever your challenge is, the most important thing in this response is that you describe how you have overcome them. Focus most of your response on this part of the prompt. Be sure to focus on how you were emotionally and mentally impacted by this challenge to demonstrate your resilience and ability to overcome a difficult situation. Remember to be as detailed as possible! The admissions committee wants to see what you did and most importantly why you did.
Lastly, for some brownie points, finish your response by connecting what you have learned back to Boston College! Describe what you have learned from this experience and what you hope to take with you on your next academic journey. In fact, try to describe specific aspects of Boston College that you will take advantage of. For example, perhaps there’s a BC club for minorities similar to you and you know you want to be a part of people who understand the challenges you’ve been through because of your minority status.
Ultimately, make sure your response comes full circle! This will show the admissions committee your train of thought and see what you will bring to the BC community.
Questions to consider
- What is an assumption someone has made about you?
- How do you overcome tough challenges?
- How has your personality been shaped by your experiences?
Don’t miss: How to write an essay about yourself
Essay option #4
“Boston College’s Jesuit mission highlights “the three Be’s”: be attentive, be reflective, be loving – core to Jesuit education (see A Pocket Guide to Jesuit Education). If you could add a fourth “Be,” what would it be and why? How would this new value support your personal development and enrich the BC community?”
To start writing this essay, think about your own values. Write them all down and think about what value on that list would fit best on a college campus like BC. As mentioned above, BC is a Jesuit university, so it might be a good idea to take a look at Pocket Guide to Jesuit Education and see if there is anything that resonates with your list of values.
Then think about how you would implement this value on campus. What resources would you want to see available to you and your peers and overall how do you think prioritizing this value would positively impact the community?
Questions to consider
- What values do you find important, especially when it comes to your education?
- Are there any values in your current community that you would like to carry with you in the future?
- How have your values been shaped by your experiences?
Related: How to write a 500 word essay
Essay option #5 (For human-centered engineering applicants only)
“One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?”
This essay prompt is essentially asking you to explain how you will use an engineering degree from Boston College to serve the “Common Good.”
To begin, research the Human-Centered Engineering program at Boston College. What programs and aspects of the program stick out to you?
After familiarizing yourself with their program, now brainstorm a societal problem facing us right now. Try to narrow it down to one issue.
Focus on an issue that has a personal impact. For example, maybe solar electricity is not used widely in your community and you would like to see that transition. By using your own experiences, you can make your response stronger and reveal pieces of your personality.
If you are struggling to pick a problem, the Human-Centered Engineering website has some examples you can choose from.
Throughout this essay, make sure to tie back to how the programs at Boston College can help you solve this main problem. Be sure to include specifics about the program that can only be found at Boston College.
Questions to consider
- Why are you interested in engineering?
- What issues do you find most important?
- How can engineering aid these issues?
Also see: Top Massachusetts scholarships
What makes Boston College unique?
When applying to any school, it’s a good idea to learn about what makes them unique before you start writing your supplemental essays. Once you find the unique characteristics about a school, you can describe the ones that interest you the most and explain why you will find success at a school that offers these features. This demonstrates your interest in and commitment to the school as well as your potential to perform well if admitted.
Here are a couple of unique characteristics about Boston College that can help you write your best essays possible.
Location
Being located in the Boston area is a major factor in the experience of students at BC. Boston is a huge city which is home to a wide range of prestigious universities. So, you’ll be in a bustling city full of other people your age receiving great college educations. You can write about how you are prepared to take advantage of this resource by visiting museums, utilizing city libraries, applying for internships, and more.
Impressive philosophy department
Boston College is especially renowned for its philosophy department, known for pushing barriers and including extensive coursework in the field of continental philosophy. Several faculty members at the college are well-known around the world, including prominent Heidegger scholar William J Richardson.
Next steps after applying to Boston College
So that’s what you should know about the BC supplemental essays! Now that the hard part is over and your application is flawless and submitted – take a deep breath! Congratulations, you did it! The hard part is now over!
Continue to show demonstrated interest in Boston College so they know you are committed and prioritizing their school (even if you have a few other top choices.)
This can be done by:
- following their social media accounts
- reaching out to admissions officers
- scheduling an in-person or virtual tour
- reading up on what you want to get involved in on campus
Essentially, showing interest and staying connected will allow you to get that extra foot in the door and make your name known. Exploring your interest in Boston College will also help solidify if it is the best university for you.
Other colleges to consider
Additional resources
As a student working on college applications, you’ve got a lot on your plate. There are many decisions to make along every step of the way – fortunately, we can help you through them. Check out our guides on how many schools to apply to and how to find safety, reach, and match schools.
If you’re wondering whether to send test scores to test-optional schools, we’ve got a guide for that as well. And once you start hearing back, we can help you create a college comparison spreadsheet to make your college choice. Finally, check out our free scholarship search tool to help fund your education and keep all of your college options open. Good luck!