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How to Answer the 2025-26 UMich Supplemental Essays
By
Ginny Howey
Ginny Howey is a former content writer at Scholarships360. Ginny graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2022 with a degree in Media and Journalism (Advertising/PR focus) and minors in Entrepreneurship and Spanish. Ginny’s professional experience includes two summers as a writer intern at global creative consultancy BCG BrightHouse. More recently, Ginny worked as a content marketing intern for Durham-based software engineering bootcamp Momentum, where she gained SEO skills. She has also written freelance articles on emerging tech for A.I. startup Resultid.
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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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The University of Michigan supplemental essays are a chance to share more of “your story.” Fortunately, the questions touch on common topics. Crafting thoughtful, differentiated responses is the key to success.
Let’s break down each prompt and give you tips on how to reference the best examples. With proper planning, your responses will be sure to make a splash among the applicant pool!
Also see: How to write an essay about yourself
Prompt #1
“At the University of Michigan, we are focused on developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future. In your essay, share with us how you are prepared to contribute to these goals. This could include the people, places, experiences or aspirations that have shaped your journey and future plans.” (Max 300 words)
This prompt encourages you to showcase the ways you’ve displayed leadership and use them to craft your goals and aspirations for the future. The most important part of this response is tying your past achievements in with your future goals. This helps demonstrate that you have put thought into your future and are already taking steps to achieve your goals.
Make sure to emphasize your role in the people, places, experiences, or aspirations that have shaped your journey. Rather than nodding to significant factors in your life, try to use these situations to demonstrate your own initiative and leadership.
Questions to consider:
- How has your community involvement, be it through clubs, volunteer opportunities, religious communities, etc, shaped your plans for the future?
- What have you already done to put you on the right path to achieve your goals?
- What future plans can you describe that show you have done thorough research into the next steps of your life?
Don’t miss: How to write a 250 word essay
Prompt #2
“Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? Required for freshman applicants.” (Max 550 words)
This prompt allows for almost twice as long a response as the first. A generous word limit signals that the admissions team especially values your answer to this question. Rightfully so, as it aims to understand why you are sincerely interested in the University of Michigan and your chosen field of study.
First, think about what draws you to your academic track. Have you always been interested in the way things function, which you can explore through computer science? Has the Covid-19 pandemic intensified your interest in public health? Articulate what academically excites you and how you initially formed that curiosity. Sell why your enthusiasm for this subject would be a great addition to the incoming freshman class!
The most important part of this response is communicating how Michigan is the best place to help further this interest. Research, research, research! You need to go beyond simply complimenting Michigan or coming up with broad and generic reasons for why it is great. Explore the course catalog and find a class that seems right up your alley. Look at student research spotlights and read up on professors’ publications. Browse study abroad offerings and other special educational programs. Making a list of specific examples is crucial. These details bolster your claim that Michigan will enable you to fulfill your academic and career goals. You should spend the bulk of your response discussing Michigan’s resources. Be sure to stay aligned with your desired area of study throughout your essay, as well.
Questions to consider:
- What professional aspirations will your studies help you achieve?
- Does Michigan offer a niche major or minor most other schools lack?
- How will you individually contribute to the academic community at Michigan?
Final thoughts for students
Overall, the University of Michigan supplemental essays are pretty straightforward. To ace both questions, explain what makes you distinctive and why you believe Michigan is extraordinary in its offerings. Get all your thoughts down first, no matter the length. You can work on conciseness and polishing later. With these tips, you are well prepared to rock these responses. Write on!
Additional resources
As a student working on college applications, you have a lot of responsibilities to balance and decisions to make. Luckily, we can walk you through these steps. Check out our guide on how many colleges to apply to, how to find safety, reach, and match schools, and whether you should send test scores to test-optional schools. You can also refer to our guides to planning college tours and choosing a college.
Finally, in order to keep your college options open, it’s important to cover yourself financially. That way, if your dream school accepts you, you’ll have a better chance of being able to accept their offer. Make sure you check out our list of scholarships for high school seniors. You can also explore scholarships by state or by major. Finally, check out our platform and apply for all the scholarships you are eligible for while you can!
Other colleges to consider
- University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
- Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
- University of Illinois (Urbana-Campaign, IL)
- Pennsylvania State University (Throughout PA)