1. Please tell us why you want to attend UMass Amherst?*


Get started on your UMass Amherst supplemental essays today! With the right approach and tools like at your disposal, you'll craft compelling essays that showcase your unique story and aspirations.


Are you ready to tackle the University of Massachusetts Amherst's new supplemental essays? This year, UMass Amherst has introduced three thought-provoking essay prompts, each with a 100-word limit. Here's how to approach them:

Submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should not submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay. Also, if you have submitted an analytical essay in response to the "essay topic of your choice" prompt in the Common Application writing section, you should not select Option B. Instead, you should respond to one of the four quotation prompts in Option A.

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If you were an applicant to Amherst’s Access to Amherst (A2A) program, you may use your A2A application essay in satisfaction of our Writing Supplement requirement. If you would like to do so, please select Option C on either the Common Applications or the Coalition Application. However, if you would prefer not to use yourA2A essay for this purpose and you wish to submit a different writing supplement, select either Option A or Option B. (Please note that Option C is available only to students who were applicants to Amherst’s A2A program.)

This essay prompt examines how your community or group has influenced you and your potential contributions to the UMass Amherst campus. Here’s how to ace it:

For this prompt, focus on specific aspects of UMass Amherst that excite you. Mention programs, faculty, or campus culture that resonate with your academic and personal goals. Highlight what unique opportunities UMass can provide for you—and vice versa. Personalized details show genuine interest, which admissions officers value. Need help brainstorming? Check out , where you can get feedback on your essay drafts!

Ask how this essay adds to your Amherst application as a whole. That likely will require you to brainstorm and choose your topics before you start writing, not just for Option A, but for the Additional Personal Information and Activities prompts too. Why approach it this way? With each application you submit, you want to show as many sides of yourself as possible; each prompt is yet another chance to show your schools of choice why you’re a great fit for their campus. What experiences/skills/values/insights do you want Amherst to know about that you haven’t already shared in your Common App personal statement? If there’s a cool extracurricular activity you want to talk about, for example, maybe save that for the Activities prompt, and talk about a different set of experiences or activities here—one that doesn’t overlap too much with what you want to write about in the Additional Personal Information essay.


UMass Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts:

Do you want feedback on your UMass Amherst essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Please tell us why you want to attend UMass Amherst?

We love that Amherst gives you the freedom on campus to pursue the things you’re curious about and interested in, and this prompt is a great way to show them the curiosity and passion you’ll be bringing to campus. In some ways, this could be considered an extracurricular activity essay (which we’ve got ). But Amherst doesn’t just want to know what you did. Instead, this is for some deep introspection about how you’ve changed because of your pursuits. How did you grow because of your experiences?

Harvey Mudd College Essay Prompt

UMass Boston allows students to self-report SAT and ACT test scores. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will use self-reported test results for the purposes of completing an application, rendering an admissions decision, and, if applicable, awarding merit scholarship.

Applicants who enroll at the university will be required to submit official SAT or ACT scores prior to enrolling. Students who falsify self-reported test results and/or do not provide official scores prior to enrolling may have their admissions decision rescinded and/or scholarship revoked. To submit your official test scores, please contact:

How to Write the UMass Amherst Essays 2024-2025

UMass Boston allows students to self-report SAT and ACT test scores. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will use self-reported test results for the purposes of completing an application, rendering an admissions decision, and, if applicable, awarding merit scholarship.

Applicants who enroll at the university will be required to submit official SAT or ACT scores prior to enrolling. Students who falsify self-reported test results and/or do not provide official scores prior to enrolling may have their admissions decision rescinded and/or scholarship revoked.

UMass Amhersts 2024-25 Essay Prompts

These are the secondary application essay prompts for University of Massachusetts School of Medicine. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our .