Dartmouth College

“As you seek admission to Dartmouth's Class of 2030, what aspects of the college's academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest? How is Dartmouth a good fit for you?”

How to approach it. At 100 words there's no room for flattery — name one or two specific things (a program like the D-Plan, an open curriculum feature, a research or outdoor opportunity) and why they fit you. Cut anything that could be pasted into another school's essay.

“There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today.”

How to approach it. Focus on the environment that raised you — place, family, culture, or circumstance — and trace one concrete way it shaped how you think or act. Show, don't summarize; a single grounded scene says more than a list of influences.

“'Be yourself,' Oscar Wilde advised. 'Everyone else is taken.' Introduce yourself.”

How to approach it. This is an invitation to be distinctive, so lead with what's genuinely yours rather than a tidy summary of strengths. Pick a specific lens — a habit, obsession, or way of seeing — and let it reveal you sideways instead of head-on.

“What excites you?”

How to approach it. Go narrow and specific — a real thing that lights you up beats a noble-sounding cause you don't actually live. Let genuine enthusiasm show in how you write about it; the energy is part of the answer.

“Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. 'We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,' she said. 'That is what we are put on the earth for.' In what ways do you hope to make -- or are you already making -- an impact?”

How to approach it. Anchor 'impact' in something concrete you've actually started, however small, rather than a grand future plan. Specific, present-tense action reads as far more credible than aspiration.

“Matt Haig quote about reading and understanding different lives.”

How to approach it. Use a real book or story that genuinely shifted how you understand someone else's life and show the before-and-after in your own thinking. Avoid the 'reading is important' essay; the specific text and what it changed in you is the whole point.

“The social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees have been the focus of Dame Jane Goodall's research for decades. Her understanding of animal behavior prompted the English primatologist to see a lesson for human communities as well: 'Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right.' Channel Dame Goodall: Tell us about a moment when you engaged in a difficult conversation or encountered someone with an opinion or perspective that was different from your own. How did you find common ground?”

How to approach it. Pick a specific conversation and show real listening, not a debate you won — the prompt cares about how you found common ground. It's fine if you didn't fully agree at the end; what changed in you is what matters.

“Celebrate your nerdy side.”

How to approach it. Pick the obsession you'd happily talk about for an hour and go deep into the weeds — the deeper and more specific, the better it lands. Let the joy show; this prompt rewards delight, not impressiveness.

“'It's not easy being green...' was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity, outlook, or sense of purpose?”

How to approach it. Define 'difference' in whatever way is truest to you and show how you moved from noticing it to owning it. Ground it in a concrete moment rather than a general statement about being unique.

“The Mindy Kaling Theater Lab will be an exciting new addition to Dartmouth's Hopkins Center for the Arts. 'It's a place where you can fail,' the actor/producer and Dartmouth alumna said when her gift was announced. 'You can try things out, fail, and then revamp and rework things... A thing can be bad on its journey to becoming good.' Share a story of failure, trial runs, revamping, reworking, or journeying from bad to good.”

How to approach it. Pick a real failure and stay in the messy middle — the trial runs and reworking are the story, not a tidy redemption. Show your process and what you'd do differently, not just that things turned out fine.