Supplemental essays · 2026–27 application
Chatham University supplemental essays.
All 3 essay questions Chatham University asks this year, word for word, with the word limits and how to approach each one.
Checked against chatham.edu and the Common App application on October 17, 2026
What you write: One personal statement, uploaded as a file: answer one of three.
Chatham sets no length limit for this upload.
A story that completes your application
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
Pick one of the three.
How to approach it
- Pick one moment and stay there. Readers remember a scene, not a summary.
- Spend at least a third of the essay on what you thought and how you changed.
- Read it out loud. If a line doesn’t sound like you, it isn’t done yet.
A period of growth
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Pick one of the three.
How to approach it
- Keep the hard part short. Most of the essay is what you did next.
- Show the steps you took, with real details.
- End with what you understand now that you didn’t before.
Any topic
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
Pick one of the three.
How to approach it
- Pick one moment and stay there. Readers remember a scene, not a summary.
- Spend at least a third of the essay on what you thought and how you changed.
- Read it out loud. If a line doesn’t sound like you, it isn’t done yet.
Want a mentor on your essays?
Clarity Prep members get a mentor who reads every draft with them, knows their whole application and checks in every week until it’s done.