Supplemental essays · 2026–27 application
Claremont McKenna College supplemental essays.
All 2 essay questions Claremont McKenna College asks this year, word for word, with the word limits and how to approach each one.
Checked against cmc.edu on October 17, 2026
What you write: Answer both.
CMC's page doesn't list a word limit; check the application. CMC's other prompts are for an optional video, not writing.
Why CMC
Claremont McKenna College's mission is to prepare students for thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership in business, government, and the professions. With this mission in mind, please explain why you want to attend Claremont McKenna College.
How to approach it
- Name things you could only find at this college: a class, a professor, a program, a tradition.
- Tie every detail to something true about you.
- Swap test: if another college’s name fits your sentence, it’s too general.
Changing a mind
Describe a time when engaging with someone about a specific topic resulted in you changing your attitude, belief, or behavior, or you changed the belief or behavior of someone else. What was the change that occurred for you, and what facilitated that change? What did you learn from that experience, and how has it informed how you engage with others?
CMC introduces it with its Open Academy commitments: freedom of expression, viewpoint diversity and constructive dialogue.
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.