Supplemental essays · 2026–27 application
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation supplemental essays.
All 3 essay questions Jack Kent Cooke Foundation asks this year, word for word, with the word limits and how to approach each one.
Checked against jkcf.org and the Common App application on October 17, 2026
What you write: Two essays (up to 650 and up to 100 words), plus an optional note on income.
This is the Cooke College Scholarship application in the Common App, not a college.
Write every word yourself
Cooke asks that your answers be wholly your own and says AI-written stories come out generic. The form also asks whether you used any AI tools, so if you get feedback here, say so. Our free review only comments and never writes for you, so every change stays in your words.
What motivates you
What motivates you – purpose, play, potential, or something else? How does this influence your current plans for how you will use your time in college (in and out of the classroom)?
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.
When others saw it differently
Describe a time when your goals, vision, or dream (for yourself or something that matters to you) was different from what other people believed. How did you respond, and what have you learned?
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.
Optional: income circumstances
You may provide an explanation of any special circumstances affecting your income here.
How to approach it
- Answer the exact question asked, in the first few lines.
- Use one real example instead of three general ones.
- Read it out loud before you submit.
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