Admission

Optional Supplemental Essay

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The supplemental essay is optional for students applying to Colorado College. Take a look at the prompt and consider whether it gives you another way to tell your story.

2026-27 Essay Prompt

One of the benefits of Colorado College’s Block Plan is the opportunity to immerse yourself fully in a single subject for 3.5 weeks. We see this as the luxury of focus—the joy and value of directing your full attention to one thing. Tell us about a time when you experienced this kind of deep focus in an academic or extracurricular setting. What were you doing and how did it turn out?

Optional: If you’d like to share the outcome—a project, performance, paper, or other result—you may upload a document or provide a URL.

Your response will be limited to 300 words.

How we use the supplemental essay

We understand that it can be confusing when colleges describe parts of the application as "optional." At Colorado College, we mean it.

You are welcome to submit a response to the supplemental essay if you'd like to share more about yourself, your experiences, or the perspectives you'll bring to our community. If you choose not to submit the essay, it won't negatively affect your application. The rest of your application provides us with ample information to evaluate your candidacy through our holistic review process.

Some students appreciate having another opportunity to tell a story, reflect on an experience, or explain why Colorado College feels like a good fit. If the prompt gives you a chance to share something meaningful that isn't reflected elsewhere in your application, we encourage you to submit a response.

Should you submit a supplemental essay?

You might consider submitting the essay if:

  • You have a story about deep focus, intellectual curiosity, or meaningful engagement that is not already reflected elsewhere in your application.
  • You want to provide additional context about an academic or extracurricular experience that has shaped your perspective.
  • You are excited about Colorado College's Block Plan and would like to show how you've thrived in an immersive environment or why this approach resonates with you.

You may choose not to submit the essay if:

  • Your application already provides a complete picture of your experiences, interests, and accomplishments.
  • You believe your personal statement and other application materials already tell the story you want us to understand.
  • You are balancing multiple application deadlines and would prefer to focus your time and energy elsewhere.
There is no advantage to submitting an essay simply because the opportunity is available. We would rather read no supplemental essay than a response that feels rushed, generic, or doesn't add something meaningful to your application.

Tips and Advice on Supplemental Prompts

If you choose to respond to the supplemental prompt, here are a few tips:

  • Think broadly: Your response could come from an academic experience or a personal one—we don't have a preference for one over the other. Additionally, your topic may align with your intended major or area of study, or it may not! Colorado College students have a wide range of interests and talents.
  • Describe how it felt: During your experience of deep focus, time might have felt like it was slowing down or passing quickly, depending on the activity. Perhaps you felt a sense of control or spontaneity. Maybe the task came so easily that your thinking was effortless, or maybe it left you feeling depleted and needing to rest. Maybe you felt a profound sense of wonder or enjoyment, or maybe you felt numb until you were finished, and then felt a deep sense of accomplishment.
  • Share the outcome, if there was one: Not every instance of deep focus leads to something you can share, but some do. Maybe it was a paper you wrote after spending hours researching one paragraph from a novel you were assigned in English class. It could be a photo of the bike you spent the weekend rebuilding. There's no pressure to share a result, but, if you want it, the option is there.
  • The story is the most important part: Whatever your experience was, we want to hear about what pulled you in, and what it felt like to stay there. The story is more important than the outcome.

A few tips that apply to any supplemental essay, at any school:

  • Get to know the college: Having a deep understanding of the institution you're applying to will help you write a strong supplemental essay, because you'll know how your values align with the institution's values.
  • Be specific: You probably have several short essays to write for a variety of institutions, but take the time to customize your response to the colleges where you're applying.
  • Be authentic: Admission readers want to better understand who you are as a student and community member. Share what is true to who you are.
  • Proofread: Take the time to carefully review your response before you submit. Read it out loud, ask a friend or family member to take a look, and don't rush!
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