How to Answer the 2025-26 Cornell Supplemental Essays

Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university located in Ithaca, New York. Cornell’s acceptance rate is around 7%, which means you will need to make your Cornell supplemental essay question answers stronger than other applicants. Cornell consists of eight undergraduate colleges in total with each college having different supplemental essay requirements in addition to the mandatory Cornell University essay question.

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Cornell University Essay Question

“We all contribute to, and are influenced by, the communities that are meaningful to us. Share how you’ve been shaped by one of the communities you belong to.

Define community in the way that is most meaningful to you. This community example can be drawn from your family, school, workplace, activities or interests, or any other group you belong to. (350 word limit)”

Community is an important part of life and ultimately, everyone belongs to a community. Even if you immediately read this prompt and thought that you didn’t have a community to write about, you just have to step back and brainstorm. Community can be a club, extracurricular activity or religious group but it does not have to be! Community can also be your family, a hobby you have that you do with other people, or even your background and cultural identity. So, the hardest part of this prompt is just selecting a community that means the most to you!

Once you have selected your community, describe your involvement in the community and what impact it has had on your life. Try and describe the impact in a story-like way rather than explicitly stating what it has meant to you.

Discuss what you’ve learned from your community and how your past experiences have shaped your ambition for the future. Be as specific as possible about these plans for the future! Even if you’re not 100% sure about your plans, present a specific plan that you’ve considered to help show the reader that you take your future seriously.

Lastly, connect it all back to Cornell! Detail how you will take what you have learned from your community and implement it into your daily life on Cornell’s campus. You can also use this time to discuss any communities at Cornell you would like to join and how you will make an impact on those communities.

Questions to consider:

• What have you learned from the communities you are a part of?
• Why is it important to be a part of communities?
• How will you make an impact on the communities found on Cornell’s campus?

Also see: How to write a “why this college” essay (with example!) 

Different schools at Cornell

Cornell requires students to apply to a specific school within their university. The Cornell supplemental essay prompts vary based on what school within the university you’re applying to.

The schools found at Cornell are:

• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
• College of Arts and Sciences
• Brooks School of Public Policy
• Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
  • School of Hotel Administration
  • Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
• College of Engineering
• College of Human Ecology
• School of Industrial and Labor Relations

So spend some time researching each school and figuring out what you are passionate about and where you want to study. This will help you breeze through the application process due to your extensive knowledge of the school you want to apply to. Let’s get started!

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College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 

Required Essay response

“By applying to Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), you are also applying for direct entry into one of our 20+ majors. From here, you would be part of a community dedicated to purpose-driven science, working within your major and across disciplines to tackle the complex challenges of our time. 

Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected and specifically, why do you want to pursue this major at Cornell CALS? You should share how your current interests, related experiences and/or goals influenced your choice (500 word limit)” 

This is your opportunity to share your major and academic interests. Consider what programs CALS offers and why you are interested in them.

Talk about:

• A program you are currently a part of
• Volunteering you have done
• Anything remotely related to your intended major you have done outside of school

This will emphasize your interest in the program because you participate in it during your free time!

Be sure to also include clubs, courses or other aspects that CALS has that you are looking forward to. Provide specific examples to display your interest and demonstrate that you have researched their school closely.

Questions to consider: 

• Why do you want to major in this particular subject?
• What does CALS offer that other schools do not?
• What do you hope to do after you graduate?

Related: How to choose a college major 

Also see: How to respond to the Common App essay prompts

College of Architecture, Art, and Planning

“How do your interests directly connect with your intended major at the College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP)? Why architecture (B.Arch), art (BFA) or urban and regional studies (URS)? B.Arch applicants, please provide an example of how a creative project or passion sparks your motivation to pursue a 5-year professional degree program. BFA applicants, you may want to consider how you could integrate a range of interests and available resources at Cornell into a coherent art practice. URS students, you may want to emphasize your enthusiasm and depth of interest in the study of urban and regional issues.” (650 words) 

There are different questions depending upon your intended major in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning – so make sure you are responding to the correct prompt!

For Architecture students, describe a project or passion you have that inspired you to study this field. This can be an academic project in school or a side hobby you have! Make sure you are describing this project in detail, highlighting the process as much as the result. Be sure to detail any challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Additionally, focus on what you learned from creating this project and how it further solidified your interest in architecture. Once you have a solid response completed, tie it back to Cornell! What resources are you excited about being able to use to help you further your architectural career?

For Art students, you want to focus your response on explaining why Cornell. Describe resources, professors, courses, the location, etc. that you are looking forward to being a part of. Make sure you have thoroughly researched Cornell before responding to this prompt as you want to be as detailed as possible! It is also important to tie each resource back to yourself and your interests and goals. This will show the admissions committee that you would make a great addition to the Cornell community.

For Urban and Regional Studies, you have a lot of freedom in your response! Begin by detailing your background and how it led you to want to study urban and regional studies. Once you have established your passion for this topic, the next step is to tie it back to Cornell! Find a few resources you are interested in and how they tie into your passions. Additionally, don’t forget to discuss your career goals and how Cornell will help you achieve those goals.

Questions to consider: 

• Why do you want to study this topic?
• What made you interested in Cornell specifically?
• How will you take advantage of resources to help you achieve your goals?

Related: How to write a “why this major” essay

College of Arts and Sciences

“At the College of Arts and Sciences, curiosity will be your guide. Discuss how your passion for learning is shaping your academic journey, and what areas of study or majors excite you and why. Your response should convey how your interests align with the College, and how you would take advantage of the opportunities and curriculum in Arts and Sciences.” (650 words) 

The College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell is one of the most diverse schools offered in terms  of range of majors. Therefore, try and make your passions and interests stand out so Cornell can see you will find your place in such a broad community.

Emphasize what major you would like to pursue. Talk about why you want to study this particular subject and any experiences that have influenced your major decision.

Then, discuss professional and future goals and how the College of Arts and Sciences can help you. Be specific about clubs, classes and other aspects of the school that will aid you in achieving your goals.

Questions to consider: 

• Why do you want to major in this topic?
• What classes offered are you excited about?
• What are your interests?

Don’t miss: How to write an essay about yourself

Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy

“Why are you interested in studying policy, and why do you want to pursue this major at Cornell’s Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy? You should share how your current interests, related experiences, and/or goals have influenced your choice of policy major. (650 word limit)”

The Brooks’ School of Public Policy is the newest of Cornell’s schools, having opened in 2021. Take the time to research their website and learn about the majors offered. Think about how the website states that:

“The Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy brings together scholars across disciplines to tackle the biggest public policy challenges we face as a society, both in the U.S. and globally. Our mission is to make positive change in the world.”

The goal of Brooks School of Public Policy is to graduate students who will leave with a greater passion for public policy. So, make sure in your responses you really describe what made you interested in studying public policy. Try to be as specific as possible! After you detail your passion, and the steps you’ve already taken in that direction, pull specific examples of what the Brooks School offers and describe how you will take advantage of them.

You’ll also want to tie in your goals for after college. Even if you are not entirely clear on what those are, take a field or path you’re interested in and roll with it. You don’t have to tell the reader that you are still unsure; treating your plan as a solid strategy helps make the essay as effective as possible.

Questions to consider:

• What is your social passion and how might it benefit by learning about public policy?
• Are there social laws you would like to add, amend, or eliminate?
• What role (think resources and opportunities) will the Brooks’ School of Public Policy play in helping you achieve your goals?
• What have you done so far to put you on the path of a career in public policy?

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

“What kind of 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).” (650 words)

The SC Johnson College of Business has two schools that you can apply to. Be sure to reference which one you are interested in and research that particular school thoroughly.

In your response, describe how you fit the mold of an ideal business student. Reference their mission statement to show how your values align and to show you have done your research.

Be sure to write about an experience you have with a business related activity such as a school club or even something as small as realizing how much money a candy bar is. Be as specific as possible and feel free to get creative with your response.

Make sure to reference clubs or extracurriculars that the business schools offer that you want to be a part of and how they will help you in the future.

Questions to consider:

• Why are you applying to the SC Johnson College of Business?
• What business background do you have?
• What activities are you involved in outside of school?

Don’t miss: Top business scholarships

College of Engineering

This application is different from the other college essay questions offered at Cornell. Applicants must write responses for two long essays and four short essays. The long essay responses have a 200 word limit while the short answer responses have a 100 word limit. This means you should focus on being concise with your responses.

• Do not drag on
• Be purposeful with your responses

Long essay responses (200 word limit) 

Question 1: Fundamentally, engineering is the application of math, science, and technology to solve complex problems. Why do you want to study engineering? 

To begin the question Cornell defined what engineering is to them. So, similarly you can begin your answer by defining what engineering is to you! Then, you should discuss why exactly you want to study engineering. Try to tell a narrative about what led you to pursue engineering in college.

Questions to consider:

• What made you want to study engineering?
• Is anyone close to you an engineer?
• Why type of engineering do you want to pursue?

Question 2: Why do you think you would love to study at Cornell Engineering? 

This question is where you can discuss why you want to study engineering specifically at Cornell. Be as specific as possible! Mention the names of specific clubs, organizations, professors and opportunities you wish to take advantage of while at Cornell.

Questions to consider:

• What made you decide to apply to Cornell?
• How is Cornell’s engineering program different from other engineering programs?
• What is unique about Cornell?

Short answer responses (100 word limit) 

The short answer responses for the Cornell Engineering section only require 100 word answers! So, make your answers short and sweet!

Question 1: What brings you joy? 

Mention anything, person or place that brings you happiness and briefly explain why!

Question 2: What do you believe you will contribute to the Cornell Engineering community beyond what you’ve already detailed in your application? What unique voice will you bring? 

Describe some aspect of yourself that has yet to be mentioned that can show how you will contribute to the engineering community at Cornell.

Question 3: What is one activity, club, team, organization, work/volunteer experience or family responsibility that is especially meaningful to you? Please briefly tell us about its significance for you. 

Discuss an experience you have had that is significant to you and describe what it is.

Question 4: What is one award you have received or achievement you have attained that has meant the most to you? Please briefly describe its importance to you. 

An award or achievement does not necessarily need to be a physical plaque or medal, rather it can be any sort of victory you have achieved that means a lot to you!

Also see: Top engineering scholarships

College of Human Ecology

“Identify a challenge in your greater community or in the career/industry in which you are interested. Share how the CHE education, your CHE major of choice, as well as the breadth of CHE majors, will help you address that challenge. (Refer to our essay application tips before you begin.)” (600 words max)

This question is a great opportunity to draw connections between the work you’ve done, the interests you hold, the aspects of Cornell that attract you, and your plans for after college. That’s a lot to do in 600 words, but if you choose each word carefully, you can do it.

First, decide on the challenge to discuss. Your best bet is to find a challenge that has touched your life. Whether it’s something that has personally affected you or a family member, or a problem in a field you’ve volunteered, worked, or interned in, make sure you have a story to tell about it.

Next, describe how your major will help you face this challenge and improve society as a whole. Do some research on the College of Human Ecology. Find courses, facilities, projects, professors, that are relevant to this challenge and name them. This will demonstrate that you’ve done your research—both on Cornell as a school and on your plans for the future.

Finally, discuss how your work so far and the work you plan to do in college will set you on track for a fruitful career fighting against the challenge you chose. This allows you to link your goals, values, experience, and plans for the future in a way that will make your application stand out against the pack!

Questions to consider: 

• Why the College of Human Ecology?
• What do you want to major in? Why?
• How does this field of study address the problem you’re passionate about?
• What human challenge has touched your life personally? Whether it’s impacted you or a loved one’s life or whether you’ve already done work or conducted projects to combat it, make sure you have a compelling connection to the challenge.

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.” (650 words) 

Take your experiences outside of the classroom and use them to answer this question. Make sure to choose something that you are passionate about.

Research more about the ILR school to ensure your response aligns with their values and programs. Choose an ILR specific program that you are excited about to explain why the school is the perfect fit for you.

Questions to consider: 

• What are you passionate about?
• What do you want to major in? Why?
• What are you doing now that relates to this interest in your major?

Also see: How to write a 500 word essay

Next steps after applying to Cornell

So that’s what you should know about the Cornell 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! Be sure to check out Cornell’s first-year application tips. 

Continue to show interest in Cornell 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 Cornell will also help solidify if it is the best university for you.

Don’t miss: An insider’s view of what goes on in a college admissions office

Other colleges to consider

• Columbia University (New York, NY)
• University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
• Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)

Frequently asked questions about the Cornell supplemental essays