Supplemental essays · 2026–27 application
Dickinson College supplemental essays.
All 3 essay questions Dickinson College asks this year, word for word, with the word limits and how to approach each one.
Checked against dickinson.edu on October 17, 2026
What you write: All optional: answer any, all or none, in 50 words or less each.
Dickinson calls these the start of a conversation, not an essay.
Optional: something you could talk about endlessly
What topic or idea could you write or converse about endlessly?
How to approach it
- Every word counts. Cut warm-up phrases like “I believe that”.
- Specific beats impressive: a real song, a real food, a real place.
- It’s fine to be funny if that’s you.
Optional: something new you'd try
What is something new that you'd like to experience, learn or try that might surprise your friends and family?
How to approach it
- Every word counts. Cut warm-up phrases like “I believe that”.
- Specific beats impressive: a real song, a real food, a real place.
- It’s fine to be funny if that’s you.
Optional: what makes you proud
What are the qualities that make you proud to be you?
How to approach it
- Every word counts. Cut warm-up phrases like “I believe that”.
- Specific beats impressive: a real song, a real food, a real place.
- It’s fine to be funny if that’s you.
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.