Get matched with vetted scholarships and enter our
I’m a high school student I’m a college or graduate student
100% Free. No Spam.
Start typing in the text field above
Load More
Advertiser disclosure

Student-centric advice and objective recommendations

Higher education has never been more confusing or expensive. Our goal is to help you navigate the very big decisions related to higher ed with objective information and expert advice. Each piece of content on the site is original, based on extensive research, and reviewed by multiple editors, including a subject matter expert. This ensures that all of our content is up-to-date, useful, accurate, and thorough.

Our reviews and recommendations are based on extensive research, testing, and feedback. We may receive commission from links on our website, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. You can find a complete list of our partners here.

How to Respond to the 2023/2024 Stony Brook University Supplemental Essay Prompt

By Varonika Ware

Varonika Ware is a content writer at Scholarships360. Varonika earned her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications at Louisiana State University. During her time at LSU, she worked with the Center of Academic Success to create the weekly Success Sunday newsletter. Varonika also interned at the Louisiana Department of Insurance in the Public Affairs office with some of her graphics appearing in local news articles.

Full Bio

Learn about our editorial policies

Reviewed by Cari Shultz

Cari Schultz is an Educational Review Board Advisor at Scholarships360, where she reviews content featured on the site. For over 20 years, Cari has worked in college admissions (Baldwin Wallace University, The Ohio State University, University of Kentucky) and as a college counselor (Columbus School for Girls).

Full Bio

Learn about our editorial policies

Edited by Maria Geiger

Maria Geiger is Director of Content 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.

Full Bio

Learn about our editorial policies

Updated: November 2nd, 2023
How to Respond to the 2023/2024 Stony Brook University Supplemental Essay Prompt

Stony Brook University is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York. It is among one of the 64 colleges in the State University of New York System, also known as SUNY. Stony Brook is one of the highest ranked schools within SUNY, meaning your Stony Brook supplemental essay should be one for the books! Keep reading this guide for tips to make your application stand out!

The Stony Brook University supplemental essay prompt

Stony Brook University offers one supplemental question which is optional. If you really want to be a member of the next Stony Brook Seawolves incoming class, we strongly advise you to respond to the prompt so that the admissions team can better get to know you.  

The prompt

Optional: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (1-250 words).”

While this prompt seems general, it’s ideal to use this essay as an opportunity to give the admissions office a glimpse into your life outside academics. It might be easy to oversimplify your experiences, but your supplemental essay should feature a unique or transformative activity that you’re passionate about. Extracurriculars say a lot about you–after all, what do you like to do when not in the classroom? 

Stony Brook wants to make sure that applicants will fit into the community This applies to not only academics (which your resume will affirm), but also in regard to campus life. By telling the admissions office about an activity you were/are interested in, it signifies that you might do the same once you join their university. It would be even better if you connected that activity to a similar one on campus to show your interest in attending Stony Brook. Take the time to do your research and check out the clubs and organization offered at Stony Brook.

Since the word limit for this supplemental essay is shorter than most, try to focus on one specific activity or work experience. You should highlight how you were impacted and how you plan to incorporate that  into your college experience. 

Questions to consider:

  • What are some activities that I participated in during high school that I would like to continue?
  • Why do I want to talk about this specific activity or experience?
  • How has this extracurricular activity or work experience changed me?

Additional resources

Finish up prepping for college with these Scholarships360 resources:

Throughout your higher education journey, make sure you apply for all the scholarships you qualify for!

Start your scholarship search
  • Vetted scholarships custom-matched to your profile
  • Access exclusive scholarships only available to Scholarships360 members
Get Started

3 reasons to join scholarships360

  • Automatic entry to our $10,000 No-Essay Scholarship
  • Personalized matching to thousands of vetted scholarships
  • Quick apply for scholarships exclusive to our platform

By the way...Scholarships360 is 100% free!

Join For Free