Supplemental essays · 2026–27 application
Houston Christian University supplemental essays.
All 3 essay questions Houston Christian University asks this year, word for word, with the word limits and how to approach each one.
Checked against hc.edu and the Common App application on October 17, 2026
What you write: Two required answers (100 and 300 words) and one optional, up to 300 words.
Your career goals
What are your career goals, or what do you plan to do after earning your degree at HCU?
HCU uses this to check that your major fits and to send you program information.
How to approach it
- Start with the moment the interest began.
- Show what you’ve already done about it: a class, a project, a book, a job.
- Say where you want to take it, even if you’re not sure yet.
Who you are and the difference you hope to make
At HCU, we value students who are authentic, purpose-driven, and Kingdom-minded. Share an experience, belief, or passion that reveals who you are and how you hope to make a difference—on campus at Houston Christian University, in your own community at large or beyond.
How to approach it
- Say plainly what the community is.
- Show your place in it with one real scene.
- End with what you’d bring to campus.
Optional: get to know you
Feel free to share a story, interest, challenge, or insight that helps us get to know you better. If you’ve already written something you’re proud of, you’re welcome to use it here!
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.