Supplemental essays · 2026–27 application
College of the Atlantic supplemental essays.
The essay question College of the Atlantic asks this year, word for word, with the word limit and how to approach it.
Checked against coa.edu and the Common App application on October 17, 2026
What you write: One or two paragraphs, up to 650 words.
Why COA
College of the Atlantic is, in many ways, not a typical college. COA’s self-designed program, our close-knit community of 350 students from around the world, and our engaged and interdisciplinary curriculum tend to attract students who are looking for a different kind of educational experience. Please describe, in one or two paragraphs, what you’re looking for from your college experience and why you think COA could be a good school for you.
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.
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