Yale has released their supplement for this year. Here are the essays!
Students applying to Yale with the Coalition Application or Common Application are asked to respond to a few Yale-specific short answer questions in addition to the Common Application’s personal statement essay (link is external) or the Coalition Application’s general essay (link is external). Those who submit the Coalition Application are also asked to upload a digital file of their creation along with a short reflection. Those who submit the Common Application are asked to respond to two short essay prompts. See additional details below.
You may begin your freshman application to Yale by visiting the Coalition Application (link is external) or Common Application (link is external) online. We recommend reviewing Yale’s advice on putting together your application before you begin.
If you would like to begin working on your short answer responses and essays before beginning your application, please see the 2016-2017 Yale-specific questions for the Coalition Application and Common Application below.
Short Answer Questions
Applicants submitting either the Coalition Application or Common Application are asked to respond to the following short answer questions:
- Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.
- Why do these areas appeal to you? (100 words or fewer)
- What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)
- What inspires? (35 words or fewer)
- Yale’s residential colleges regularly host intimate conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? (35 words or fewer)
- You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called? (35 words or fewer)
- Most first-year Yale students live in suites of four to six people. What would you contribute to the dynamic of your suite? (35 words or fewer)
Essays – Coalition Application
In 300 words or fewer, write on one of the two essay topics below. In addition to writing on your chosen topic, upload an audio file, video, image, or document you have created that is meaningful to you and relates to your essay. Above your essay, include a one-sentence description of what you have submitted.
- What do you most enjoy learning?
- Reflect on your engagement with a community to which you belong. How do you feel you have contributed to this community?
Please limit your upload to the following file types: mp3, mov, jpeg, word, pdf. Note that advanced editing of audio/video/image/documents is not necessary. While we are not providing limits to the length of the material you upload, the Admissions Office may not have time to review the entirety of your submission. Sometimes, less is more.
Uploads provided via the Coalition Application will be reviewed by the Admissions Office only. If you wish to submit material that may be evaluated by Yale faculty, please see our Supplementary Material instructions.
Optional Engineering and Computer Science Essay
If you selected one of the computer science or engineering majors, please tell us more about what has led you to an interest in this field of study, what experiences (if any) you have had in computer science or engineering, and what it is about Yale’s program in this area that appeals to you. (Please answer in 500 words or fewer.)
Essays – Common Application
Please choose two of the following topics and respond to each in 250 words or fewer.
- What do you most enjoy learning?
- Reflect on your engagement with a community to which you belong. How do you feel you have contributed to this community?
- Write on something you would like us to know about you that you have not conveyed elsewhere in your application.
Optional Engineering and Computer Science Essay
If you selected one of the computer science or engineering majors, please tell us more about what has led you to an interest in this field of study, what experiences (if any) you have had in computer science or engineering, and what it is about Yale’s program in this area that appeals to you. (Please answer in 500 words or fewer.)