The infamous written supplementary application — one of the most dreaded parts of the university application. We know it can be daunting, but this article is here to help you feel a little better about the process. The written application format varies largely between universities and even from program to program. Some applications require a couple paragraphs while some have a 400 word limit and may or may not be timed. The main goal of this part of the application is for the university to get a better sense of who you are as a person. Writing the best application you can largely depends on its format but, there are a couple key rules that apply for pretty much any written application.
1. Grammar Grammar Grammar
This may go without saying, but always make sure that what you are writing makes grammatical sense, otherwise you run the risk of someone not understanding your answer even if your ideas were amazing. This gives you a chance to show off your written communication skills which will be essential during your post-secondary experience. Ensuring that there are little to no spelling errors as well makes it easier for the reader to understand ideas you are trying to get across which is the most important aspect of these written assessments: they want to understand how you think, which brings us to our next point: including your thought process.
2. Make sure to include your thought process
Many post-secondary institutions pride themselves on the type of students that they accept into their programs: students who think outside of the box meaning inclusively, critically, with detail-oriented perspective and so on. Keep in mind, not everyone thinks in all these different ways and that’s okay! Having all of these criteria is not necessary to do well on this kind of assessment or in life because everyone has a different and unique thought process. Including your thought process in your writing helps your reader get a better sense of who you are and if you would fit well with the university’s or program’s mission statement and goals. Portraying at least some sort of unique thought process is what will help get you through the door.
3. Express yourself
This sometimes goes hand in hand with the point above, however, it still is important to explicitly make sure it is present: expressing yourself. More often than not, the admissions office will want to see that you are passionate about the program, the university and its mission. Including bits and pieces of yourself in your written application (not literally) can also help intrigue the admissions reviewers, which is the goal of this part of the application. It may also help you to fill in the space when you do not know what to talk about 😉
4. Showcase yourself outside academics
Many universities will be more inclined to accept students who show that they are well-rounded. This means showing off any clubs, sports or other initiatives you’ve been a part of. You’ll want to include a bit about how they have impacted you or how you have impacted others through this experience to display that these are activities you are genuinely passionate about and did not passively participate in them. Remember to keep a point-evidence based answer: stating your point at the beginning and supplying evidence for the point in the sentences right after.
Specifically for timed assessments, they will likely be situational based to get a better idea of who you are especially in a timed environment. Our biggest tip in this kind of a situation is to keep a list of extracurriculars/qualifications near you. Some questions may ask about how you’ve given back to the community, how you show a certain trait etc. In this case, it is very helpful to keep a list of key experiences you’ve had or projects you’ve initiated.. You’ll want to back your answer up with evidence and this list will supply it. For example, a question they may ask is how you have shown generosity in the past. How you should approach this kind of question is by listing the different ways you’ve shown generosity through your extracurriculars or academic experiences, why they show generosity and how it impacted you and others.
For more tips on your supplementary application, check out our other article about video interviews!
