--- title: How to Write Brown's Supplement Essays 2018-2019 description: Brown requires that all first-year applicants answer three supplement essay questions. We have developed key tips, approaches, and examples for each of the 2018-2019 questions to help you highlight your voice and stand out from the crowd. image: https://www.princetoncollegeconsulting.net/hubfs/working-on-ivy-league-essay.jpg --- [College Essays](https://www.princetoncollegeconsulting.net/blog/topic/college-essays) [College Admissions](https://www.princetoncollegeconsulting.net/blog/topic/college-admissions) [Ivy League](https://www.princetoncollegeconsulting.net/blog/topic/ivy-league) # How to Write Brown's Supplement Essays 2018-2019 By [ Princeton College Consulting ](https://www.princetoncollegeconsulting.net/blog/author/princeton-college-consulting) 11/16/2018 01:37 PM 4 Minutes Read Brown University is the seventh-oldest college in the US, with an acceptance rate last year of 7.2%. In order to gain an edge in this highly competitive arena, you must [write stand-out application essays](https://www.princetoncollegeconsulting.net/how-to-write-a-college-admissions-essay) that highlight your voice, unique story, and deep potential. Brown requires that all first-year applicants answer three essay questions. **All answers must be 250-words or less **(approximately one page, double-spaced), so it's crucial to get to the heart of your answer and make your impact quickly and succinctly.  ![Brown supplement essays Ivy league consulting](https://www.princetoncollegeconsulting.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Brown-supplement-essays-Ivy-league-consulting.png?width=300&name=Brown-supplement-essays-Ivy-league-consulting.png) As a resource for Ivy League admission consulting, we have developed key tips, approaches, and examples for each question to make you stand out from the crowd. Let’s examine each.   ### Question 1 *Why are you drawn to the area(s) of study you indicated earlier in this application? (You may share with us a skill or concept that you found challenging and rewarding to learn or any experiences beyond coursework that may have broadened your interest.)  * ##### Tips: - You have to show an area of interest, but *not necessarily *have a declared major yet. - Instead, show your interest and passion, but stay open to learning more about the world and yourself. ##### Approaches: - For your intro, open with an intriguing first line or a couple of sentences that require explanation. The goal here is to hook them into reading more and get them to ask elaborating questions. - Include sub-interests. These sub-interests should add intellectual vitality and depth to your life’s pursuit. Use them as a way to distinguish yourself within your larger area of interest. - If you share a rewarding or challenging skill or concept, be sure to *tell a story*. Don't lecture the reader about the concept. Rather, *show* the reader what you learned, where you learned it, who taught it, and how it challenged you. For example: - Whatever story you share, be sure to *connect the story to your interest*. You're showing the reader where your passion was born, and you're demonstrating that experiences can shape you. ### Question 2 *What do you hope to experience at Brown through the Open Curriculum, and what do you hope to contribute to the Brown community?  * ##### Tips: - Foremost, know what [Brown's Open Curriculum](https://www.brown.edu/admission/undergraduate/content/what-open-curriculum) is and talk about it with fluency. Incorporate the following keywords where appropriate. - Read course offerings and specific course descriptions to see how your interests align - Demonstrate *excitement*, *eagerness*, and *readiness* to design your own education. Don’t simply state your excitement; show it with your verb choice. Demonstrate it with your preparation. - Refer to Question 1’s approach to sub-interests. They are the framework for demonstrating your niche. ##### Approaches: - Answer the question with a *future vision*: show the reader what you expect, anticipate, hope for, are nervous about, and look forward to. Yes, it is okay to be nervous and/or anxious. You don’t need to fit the mold of an individual who has every week for the next 20 years planned. - Don't forget the second part of the question! In addition to what you will experience, give specific examples of how the Open Curriculum will *help you contribute* to the university community. ### Question 3 *Tell us about the place, or places, you call home. These can be physical places where you have lived or a community or group that is important to you. * ##### Tips: - You can define "home" in a unique way that really highlights your life experience, important places, and/or family structure. - You can name more than one "home" to show complexity, travel, change, or development. - Remember that whatever you call "home" should be about belonging, acceptance, love, embrace, kinship, togetherness, commitment, and shared values. - Even so, "home" is a complex idea. It's not always perfect or good. It's okay to have a complicated, imperfect relationship with your "home." ##### Approaches: - *Show*  the reader your "home." Invite them in with details, stories, names, dates, sights, smells, textures, dialogue, voices, emotions, and self-reflection. Paint a vivid picture and don't be afraid to use metaphors. - *Explain why* your "home" is important to you. Importance can be shown through what the home has given you; how the home has formed or changed you; how you've been helped or helped others; how you've learned and grown; how you've acquired values or learned skills; and how you plan to return. - Tell the story about how your “home” came to be. Integrate your journey to discovering, building, or accepting your home.   These three essay questions are your chance to show your passion, show you know Brown's structure, and show something special about your background. Use these tips to write a polished, stand-out set of supplemental essays that move you to the top of the application pile. For a more in-depth analysis of a Personal Statement that got one student into 5 Ivy League universities, check out our deconstruction of the notorious *Costco Essay*. 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