how to write the wake forest supplemental essays

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Wake Forest Supplemental Essays 2024-25 – Prompts and Tips

June 26, 2024

Admission is highly competitive at Wake Forest University, a mid-sized private school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They accept only one-fifth of applicants and standards are high. In fact, almost 70% of enrolled students finished in the top decile of their high school class. At a school that rejects four of every five applicants, every aspect of your application needs to shine. The Wake Forest supplemental essays are one such component.

 (Want to learn more about How to Get Into Wake Forest University? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into Wake Forest: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

Wake Forest’s four optional essay prompts (which we highly recommend answering) are “very important” to the admissions process. Therefore, it is vital that all Demon Deacon applicants dedicate a significant amount of time to these short answer questions. Below are the Wake Forest supplemental essays for the 2024-25 admissions cycle along with our brainstorming/writing tips.

2024-2025 Wake Forest Supplemental Essays

1)  List five books you’ve read that intrigued you. (OPTIONAL)

In the real world, one way human beings connect is through a shared love of stories, true or fictional. In the application world, this Wake Forest prompt can facilitate some level of connection between you and an admissions reader. The goal is not to appear as well-rounded as possible. If you happen to be a person with wide-ranging interests, that’s cool—feel free to share your eclectic tastes. However, if you tend to favor books about Zen Buddhism, the Civil War, or fantasy, for example, it can be great to communicate this primary passion by unleashing a list of five books on that lone topic.

Note: On last year’s application, you were provided with individual text boxes for each book and author, and you’ll need to select whether or not they were required reading. We’ll have to see if this is still the case when the official application is released in August.

Wake Forest Essay Prompts (Continued)

2) Tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world’s complexity. This can include a work you’ve read, a project you’ve completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved. (OPTIONAL, max 150 words)

Out of everything on this Earth, what makes you tick? What keeps you up at night? What subject makes you read books and online content until your eyes bleed? This prompt essentially invites you to share a topic about which you are a) an expert and b) extremely passionate. This may be the subject that your friends and family (even those who love you dearly) are getting tired of hearing about every day. You shouldn’t have to think too hard about this topic. Instead, go with the topic that you could easily write 50,000 words about and condense those thoughts down to just 150 words.

Alternatively, you could discuss how something you’ve read or an experience you’ve had—academic or extracurricular—helped you understand the world’s complexity. Given the extremely tight word count, you’ll need to be as specific as possible. To help you brainstorm, here are some common areas of complexity that can be addressed:

• Good, evil, and everything in between
• Religion and spirituality
• Fate vs. free will
• Family issues
• Mental health
• Love and friendship
• Issue of race, class, and gender

3) Dr. Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former Wake Forest University Reynolds Professor of American Studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person’s dignity. Choose one of Dr. Angelou’s powerful quotes. How does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the Wake Forest community? (OPTIONAL, 300 words)

Firstly, you’ll need to select one of Dr. Angelou’s quotes, which will involve some research. The quote you choose isn’t as important as how well you’re able to connect it to your own experiences and goals, so don’t worry about whether your quote is popular or more obscure. Whether you choose “I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life” or “If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?” or “I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn,” be inspired by Dr. Angelou’s wisdom and use that inspiration to communicate something important about your experiences, background, values, or perspective. In addition, researching the context of the quote might give you even more inspiration.

4) Give us your Top 10 list. (The choice of theme is yours.) (OPTIONAL, 100 characters per line)

This is a fun opportunity to share something genuinely unique about yourself and/or your interests. Perhaps you want to showcase your sense of humor, your love of music, your obsession with Titanic documentaries , your favorite coding languages, your extensive sneaker collection, or your best Scrabble words, among many, many others. The sky is the limit here! We’d also recommend sharing a brief “why” for each item on your list to further highlight your personality.

How important are the Wake Forest supplemental essays?

The essays are “very important” to the Wake Forest admissions committee. There are only four other factors rated this high in the process. Those are: GPA, class rank, standardized test scores, character/personal qualities, and the rigor of your secondary school record.

Want personalized essay assistance?

Lastly, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Wake Forest supplemental essays, we encourage you to get a quote  today.

Looking for more writing resources? You might consider checking out the following:

• Common App Essay Prompts
• 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• How to Brainstorm a College Essay
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topics
• “Why This College?” Essay Examples
• How to Write the Community Essay
• College Essay

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How to Write the Wake Forest Supplemental Essays 2024–2025

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Wake Forest University , founded in 1834, fosters leadership , altruism , and international exchange in their student body. With campus buildings all around the world and an NCAA Division I football team , Wake Forest provides many unique opportunities for their students. If you’re hoping to cheer on the Demon Deacon , you’ll need to nail your Wake Forest supplemental essays. Let’s dive in.

Wake Forest’s 2024-2025 Prompts

The four Wake Forest supplemental essays may look intimidating, but two of them are only lists. Moreover, all of the Wake Forest supplemental essays are optional. In other words, with some forethought and intention, these essays don’t have to monopolize your time during a busy college application season. That said, you’ll have the best shot at writing a strong essay if you fully understand what each prompt is asking before beginning your drafts. So let’s break those prompts down.

• List five books you’ve read that intrigued you.

Tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world’s complexity. This can include a work you’ve read, a project you’ve completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved. (150 words or fewer)

Dr. maya angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former wake forest university reynolds professor of american studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person’s dignity. choose one of dr. angelou’s powerful quotes. how does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the wake forest community (300 words or fewer), give us your top ten list. (the choice of theme is yours.) (100 characters or fewer per line).

General Tips

All four of these prompts seek to understand who you are as a person. Moreover, your Wake Forest supplemental essays most likely can’t be reused easily for another school’s application. For this reason, you’ll need to set aside some extra time to answer these prompts and revise your drafts. This being said, here are some tips to make that revision process go just a bit faster.

• Free-write before you start drafting. This might sound like it’ll just make the process go slower, but many students’ writing processes are stalled by using the drafting process as a brainstorming exercise. Instead of taking the time to explore different essay ideas, they jump directly into writing. As a result, that writing turns out directionless and takes longer to edit. By giving yourself a 10-minute free-writing session before you begin drafting, you can get all those messy ideas out on the page. Although a 10-minute session doesn’t sound like much, it will feel pretty long if you make yourself write the whole time. Afterward, you should have a much better sense of what you’d like to focus on in in your writing.
• Start with intention . Following on that last point, you’ll want to start your essays with intention. For prompts 2 and 3, this might look like composing an outline. Alternatively, you can come up with a thesis statement or guiding idea to reference as you write. Regardless of your methodology, starting with intention will help you accelerate your revision process by producing a stronger draft the first time around.
• Be specific. Perhaps the number one issue students face in college essays is a lack of specificity. Essays that use generalizations or rely on abstract language instead of concrete details tend to be less vivid and personal. Remember, these are personal essays . That means that any essay you write should sound like you. With each sentence, think to yourself, could someone else have written this? If so, perhaps a different, more specific sentence would be better. Ultimately, specificity will help your essays stand out from the crowd.

Wake Forest Short Essay Questions

List five books you’ve read that intrigued you. .

This is a very open-ended short essay question, but you’re not expected to write anything about the books you choose to list. Nor are you expected to explain why they intrigued you. There is no official maximum word count, but don’t take that as license to write whatever you please. For this prompt at least, the assignment is as simple as it seems. A list of any five books that have intrigued, for whatever reason, will suffice.

Can it really be that easy? Many students worry that their list has to be especially intellectual or diverse. If the books that have intrigued you happen to be especially intellectual or diverse, then that’s great. But if not, it’s best to be authentic. All the admissions team is looking for in this response is to learn more about you. There’s no secret trick or unspoken expectation.

Again, authenticity is key here. Having combed through the rest of your application materials, possibly conducted a virtual interview with you, and read your teacher recommendations, the admissions team will have a pretty good sense of who you are. If your list of books doesn’t sound quite right given everything else they know about you, it’s not a good look. In other words, it’s in your best interest to list five books that you have actually read and found intriguing. Don’t stress about it! This should be one of the easiest college essays you have to write.

This essay question follows the prior question by digging deeper into your interests and pursuits. More than the prior question, your response to this question should have an intellectual element. You can write about a book you’ve found engaging (including one from the list above), and explain how you learned about the world in the process of reading it. Alternatively, you can discuss something you’ve accomplished or pursued, whether as a personal project or an assignment for a class.

The prompt also provides room for “co-curricular activities” as a topic for your essay. Unlike extracurricular activities, co-curricular activities are complementary to your school’s curriculum. That said, extracurricular activities that are important to you might still fit in this prompt’s purview. The prompt uses the word “includes,” so it clarifies that a flexible interpretation is encouraged.

The important part is in the first sentence of the prompt: “what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world’s complexity.” Therefore, whatever you choose to discuss must fit this description. Whether the topic of your essay is extracurricular or co-curricular, pursued individually or with in a group, read or seen or heard, is less important. Most important is that you name something that has intellectually engaged you and briefly explain that engagement to the reader.

This prompt has the highest word limit of the four Wake Forest supplemental essays. Therefore, it will likely take the longest time to compose and polish. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to work on your response, and consider writing this essay response first to get it out of the way. Note also that there is a bit of research required. You will need to identify a quote by Maya Angelou that speaks to you.

While researching your quote of choice, be sure to only use reputable sources. The internet often lists false quote attributions, and if you’re not paying attention, it can be easy to fall for them. Consider taking a Maya Angelou book out from the library (or e-library) to read. You may not have time to read the book thoroughly, but you can focus on a particular passage or section and choose a sentence or two that speaks to you.

Make sure that whatever quote you choose, you understand the context behind it. Again, it can be helpful to read some of Dr. Angelou’s work in conjunction with your quote, even if the quote itself is brief. Doing so will allow you to better understand what Dr. Angelou meant when she wrote the quote.

Ultimately, though, this essay is about sharing your life experience with the reader. This experience could be past, present, or future. For instance, you could explain that you resonate with your chosen quote because of a specific past experience. Alternatively, you could describe how the philosophy behind the quote reflects your choices and behavior today. Or, if you prefer, you could focus on how you hope to take in this quote’s message to guide who you hope to become at Wake Forest.

However you choose to approach the second part of the prompt, be sure to devote at least half of these essay to discuss your relationship with the quote. Although this essay is ostensibly about Dr. Angelou’s words, ultimately, her quote is just another avenue through which the Wake Forest admissions team hopes to get to know you.

This prompt is perhaps the most open-ended of all the Wake Forest supplemental essays. You’ll need to compose ten lines of writing, each line limited to 100 characters or fewer. This means you have 1,000 characters to work with total, or approximately 140-250 words. That looks like a half to a full page of writing double-spaced. However, you might not need (or want) to fill out all of those lines completely.

This prompt seeks to understand your interests, preferences, what you find fun, and/or what intellectually engages you. Like the first prompt, there is no hidden agenda here. You can go in a variety of directions with this prompt. List your top ten movies, your top ten quotes, your top ten national parks, or anything else that comes to mind.

Consider the parts of your personality that aren’t otherwise coming through in your application. What passions, interests, or hobbies are important to you? If they’re a part of who you are, then they may be worth delving into here. If you’re having trouble coming up with topics, try researching top ten lists online to get some inspiration. Good luck!

If you need help polishing up your Wake Forest supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.

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How to Write the Wake Forest Supplemental Essays 2021-2022

Padya Paramita

October 18, 2021

Consistently ranked among the top 30 schools in US News’ annual rankings, Wake Forest University is a strong option for many talented students. Located in Winston-Salem North Carolina, this university offers over 45 programs, including 60 minors. Whether you have your eyes on their unique Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies program, or you want a small college vibe with access to brilliant research facilities, you need to stand out in your answers to the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2021-2022. 

The Wake Forest supplemental essays 2021-2022 want to understand your personality. While there are no right answers to these questions, admissions officers will be looking to learn as much about you as possible in order to then determine whether you’re a strong fit for the school. These questions are a little bit unconventional, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you share new information about yourself that can paint a clearer picture of who you are. 

Prompts for the Wake Forest Supplemental Essays 2021-2022

List five books you have read that intrigued you. (Spaces have been left for you to include each book’s title and author and mark whether the selection was required or not required.)

Don’t just mention the classics just for the sake of letting admissions officers know you’ve read them. They are aware of the usual high school reading lists, so they have a good idea of the kinds of books most applicants have read. Think honestly about what you actually enjoyed. High school students often tend to think of “books” as only novels. The term is much broader than that. You could have been intrigued by a history book, a graphic novel, or even a collection of poems. Each entry to the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2021-2022 should add something new about your interests while remaining cohesive with your application persona, or the theme of the rest of your profile.

Explain how a book you’ve read has helped you to understand the world’s complexity. (150 words)

This is the place where you choose one of the books from the previous question and elaborate on exactly what about it has shaped your perspective. It’s easy to lean towards the classics and say To Kill A Mockingbird gave you a clearer idea of prejudice in America, but you have to be more unique than that because everyone has a high school English reading list like that. Your answer should be unconventional, such as a young adult novel that might have taught you important lessons about sacrifice, or a comic book that helped you see a certain issue in a completely different way. The more out of the box (while remaining uncontroversial) your choice, the more it will help you stand out. 

Tell us more about the topic that most engages your intellectual curiosity. (150 words)

This is a more academic-leaning question than the other prompts among the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2021-2022 . Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to name a school subject such as “math” or “history,” as long as the topic sparks an intellectual interest within you. There are many video games that require logic and puzzles, and that wouldn’t be a too far-fetched topic. Or, you might be fascinated by the chemistry of baking and have been trying to master the exact proportions needed to make a certain kind of cupcake. Think about how your different hobbies challenge you to think harder and what kind of problems you enjoy solving. And that is your answer!

Give us your top ten list.

Theme: _____________________________

The final question among the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2021-2022 is a rather fun one. You can literally pick any theme and then choose your top 10 within that theme. While it makes sense to write about your top 10 movies or TV shows, you should go beyond that. Do not be afraid to be quirky because the more niche and pertaining to your interests these are, the better the admissions officers can get to know you. You can write about anything from your top 10 favorite Formula One drivers to what is, according to you, the top 10 greatest banana desserts. Don’t worry too much about this being connected to your academic interest, because this is a great way to show how you would add to the Wake Forest community!

Further Tips for Writing the Wake Forest Supplemental Essays 2021-2022

• Use Anecdotes and Examples: The Wake Forest supplemental essays 2021-2022 are all about gauging your intellectual pursuits and engagements outside the classroom. Since the word limits for the prompts aren’t generous, each of your essays should focus on being as specific as possible in depicting your personality and interests. Adding specific examples lets admissions officers understand your perspective better and envision the areas of campus where you’d contribute and how you’d fit in with the Wake Forest community.
• Use the Word Limit Wisely: While 150 isn’t the most restrictive word limit range in the world, it’s not extremely generous either. When writing your Wake Forest supplemental essays 2021-2022 , prioritize the content necessary to get your narrative across, and cut any unnecessary statements. Each sentence should provide new information that makes you memorable in the reader’s mind. If you go over the limit—or start repeating your personal statement—it’s time to make cuts and keep what’s new and relevant.
• Have Fun!: This might sound silly, but you need to think about what genuinely brings you joy when writing the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2021-2022 . Don’t focus too much on books that you’ve read in class or writing about the top 10 historical moments if those don’t genuinely interest you. Think carefully about how you might introduce yourself to a friend and don’t be afraid to let yourself be weird. These are all about standing out, so aim to do exactly that!

After many grueling components that ask about your academic endeavors and extracurricular activities, the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2021-2022 provide an outlet for you to talk about who you are outside school and related activities. Take advantage of these prompts to highlight what makes you unique and hopefully, you’ll give yourself a fighting chance in the admissions process. 

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How to Ace the 23/24 Wake Forest Supplemental Essays

Prior to coming to Scholarships360 for her first internship in 2022, Savannah utilized her campus publications by joining various fashion publications that are offered at Ohio University. One of those publications is Thread Magazine, where Savannah has had the opportunity to work on articles related to world-wide related fashion news and events, as well as articles closer to home, such as a fashion piece on Athens hometown-hero Joe Burrow. This year, Savannah also had the opportunity to be a content writing intern for Aiken House, as well as a section editor for Southeast Ohio Magazine. In 2023, Savannah served as the Chapter President of her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. These collective experiences, as well as her experience currently working for Ohio University’s Undergraduate Admissions, has led her to Scholarships360 and aided in her passion for helping students better understand the college admissions process and financial aid. In her free time, Savannah enjoys horseback riding, watching Formula One races, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. Savannah will graduate from Ohio University in May 2024 with a degree in Journalism News and Information and a certificate in Italian Studies.

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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Wake Forest University is a private university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Wake Forest supplemental essays are a great opportunity for you to showcase who you are in a way that your resume can never do.

Unlike a lot of other college essays, Wake Forest’s prompts are primarily academic focused (although there is some fun to be had!). They want to know about you intellectually, which can feel a bit overwhelming at first. But not to worry– we are going to break down each of the optional prompts to make them easier to understand. Let’s get started!

Related: College supplemental essay database

“List five books you have read that intrigued you. (Spaces have been left for you to include each book’s title and author and mark whether the selection was required or not required.)”

This is a great question as it is simple, easy, and straight to the point. To start, think about all of the books you have read and why you liked each of them. 

From there, you want to try and choose five books that are different from one another. Try to go beyond the books that you’re assigned for your classes, and choose some that you read in your own free time.

This will show depth of thought, along with the fact that you are able to read different genres and authors, and have a wide variety of intellectual information. An example of this might be in the novel The Alchemist , which reminds readers that they are ultimately in charge of their own destiny.

Questions to consider

• What about each of the books have intrigued you?
• Is it the genre that intrigues you, or each book individually that draws you in?
• What made you pick up the book in the first place?

“Tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world’s complexity. This can include a work you’ve read, a project you’ve completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved.” (150 words max)

This question is nice because it is extremely open ended like the rest of Wake Forest’s supplemental essay prompts. To help inspire you with what to write about, you can think about a class that you took in high school that you really enjoyed. 

If there was a topic that stood out to you in one of those classes, do some more research about it to figure out why you are passionate about it. This question applies to more than formal academic subjects, so if there are certain art, music, or philosophical ideas that engage you outside of school, do share. This could be analyzing movies, music, or discussing the meaning of life with your grandfather. 

150 words go by pretty quickly, so try to be concise with your words.

• What’s something profound that you’ve learned from a book or experience? 
• How have your perspectives changed throughout the years? What caused it?
• What do you want to learn about the world? Why?

Also see: How to write an essay about yourself

“Dr. Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former Wake Forest University Reynolds Professor of American Studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person’s dignity. Choose one of Dr. Angelou’s powerful quotes. How does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the Wake Forest community?” (300 words max)

As Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Therefore, leave your mark on Wake Forest with your supplemental essay by showing vulnerability. 

Tell the university what moves you, and how you plan to use your perspectives on campus. Dr. Angelou was a powerful and influential voice, so how might you showcase your own?

• What is one of your favorite works of Dr. Maya Angelou? Why?
• What does this quote mean to you?
• How can you relate to Dr. Angelou?

Don’t miss: How to write a 250 word essay

“Give us your top ten list. Theme: __________________________”

The fourth and final prompt in the series of Wake Forest supplemental essay prompts is one of the most interesting prompts that we have seen among the college supplemental essay prompts. You have so much creative freedom with this prompt that it almost makes it more difficult to think of what to write. 

To start, don’t overthink it. Picking the theme is the easy part, but actually thinking of a list of things that represents you well is tricky. You want to be unique so that your personality shines to the people who are reading the essay. 

Do you have a Top 10 favorite musicians list? Want to dig deeper? Write about your top 10 most influential people to have ever existed. Things like these will make you stand out and get the reader thinking. 

• Why have these things made it into your top 10?
• What are some of your favorite things? Why are they important?
• How does your list put who you are into context?

Final thoughts for students

The Wake Forest supplemental essays are open-ended, which can seem daunting at first glance. But as long as you stay true to yourself in your writing and write what you know, you cannot say the wrong thing. 

This is a chance for Wake Forest to see your sense of humor, your intellect, and what kind of student you are. In the end, these responses  will show them what makes you unique. Have some fun with it!

Don’t miss: Tips for a successful college application

Additional resources

Once you’ve completed your Wake Forest supplemental essays, give yourself a pat on the back. But remember, the journey is not over! As a student working through your college applications, we understand that you have a lot on your plate.

Luckily, we can alleviate some of that stress by walking you through some of your next steps. Whether you are confused about how to fill out the FAFSA , or possibly the cost of college applications , we have you covered with tons of resources right at your fingertips. Good luck on the rest of your college application journey!

Additional supplemental essay guides

• Duke University (Durham, NC)
• Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)
• Tulane University (New Orleans, LA)

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Art of Writing the Wake Forest University Supplemental Essays '23-'24

With its holistic approach to education and emphasis on character, Wake Forest University seeks students with intellectual curiosity and personal integrity. The Wake Forest supplemental essays are a critical aspect of your application, providing you the opportunity to showcase your personality, passions, and commitment. Let's dive into each of the prompts.

Wake Forest University Supplemental Essay Prompts

• List five books you have read that intrigued you. (No word limit)

This prompt aims to understand your intellectual interests and how you engage with ideas. Choose books from different genres that you have found intriguing, and be ready to discuss why they captivated you if asked in an interview.

• "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
• "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking
• "1984" by George Orwell
• "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
• "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
• Talk about a work of art that significantly influenced you. (300 words)

Consider an artwork that had a profound effect on you. It could be a painting, sculpture, film, song, or novel. Discuss why it affected you and what you learned or experienced from it.

Van Gogh's "Starry Night" has had a profound impact on me. I was struck by its enchanting yet turbulent portrayal of the night sky. The swirling blues and yellows, the haunting cypress tree, and the serene village illuminated under the celestial spectacle made me realize that beauty and turmoil often coexist.

This painting taught me that the perception of reality varies greatly among individuals. Van Gogh captured the night not as he saw it, but as he felt it. This perspective changed the way I interpret the world around me, encouraging me to seek and value subjective experiences over objective facts.

The influence of "Starry Night" extends to my passion for psychology. The painting's intensity reflects Van Gogh's internal strife, underscoring the intimate link between our psychological state and our interpretation of reality. I aspire to delve deeper into this fascinating interplay at Wake Forest through a major in Psychology.

• Who or what has influenced you in the pursuit of knowledge? (300 words)

This prompt wants to know about a significant influence on your intellectual curiosity. Reflect on individuals, experiences, or books that have inspired your love for learning.

My grandfather, a World War II veteran, significantly influenced my pursuit of knowledge. His vivid stories of the war were filled with valor, horror, loss, and resilience. I was enthralled and deeply moved, leading me to explore historical accounts and documentaries to understand the war's complex socio-political context.

His stories ignited in me a passion for history, particularly the intricate ways in which events of the past shape the present. His personal narrative made me realize that history is not just a series of dates and events but a profound study of human nature and societal evolution.

This passion for history continues to drive my intellectual curiosity. At Wake Forest, I look forward to engaging in rigorous historical analysis, understanding how past societies inform contemporary issues and future trajectories.

• What piques your curiosity? (150 words)

Here, you have an opportunity to showcase your inquisitive nature. Talk about an idea, a topic, or a question that stokes your curiosity, and explain why.

The paradoxes in quantum mechanics pique my curiosity. The dual nature of light as both particle and wave, Schrödinger's Cat's simultaneous state of being dead and alive until observed—these fascinating concepts challenge our traditional understanding of reality.

This enigmatic field urges me to question, explore, and continually expand my intellectual boundaries. At Wake Forest, I hope to dive deeper into quantum mechanics, unraveling its paradoxes and contributing to its exciting advancements.

• Describe an experience that transformed the way you view the world and how this perspective prepares you for Wake Forest. (300 words)

Reflect on a significant experience that reshaped your perspective. Discuss how this transformed view aligns with Wake Forest’s values and prepares you for your time at the university.

My volunteer experience at a local homeless shelter profoundly transformed my perspective. Interacting with individuals from diverse backgrounds facing severe adversity made me recognize my privileges and instilled in me a deep sense of social responsibility.

One encounter that left an indelible mark was with a young girl named Lucy. Despite her circumstances, she was full of hope, eagerly talking about her dream to become a teacher. Her resilient spirit in the face of hardship altered my worldview, fostering in me a desire to actively contribute to societal betterment.

This experience aligns with Wake Forest's Pro Humanitate motto, embodying service for humanity. It has prepared me to participate meaningfully in the university's service-oriented initiatives. I hope to leverage Wake Forest's resources to tackle social issues, particularly homelessness, and strive for a more equitable society.

In answering these prompts, be authentic and personal. The admissions committee wants to understand you better — your interests, inspirations, and viewpoints. Show them the individual beyond the grades and test scores.

Remember to stay within the word limit. Write concise and precise responses. Don’t attempt to impress with big words or grand gestures. Instead, communicate your truth in your unique voice.

Reflect on your experiences, and make sure each essay complements the others and your overall application. Through your responses, provide a holistic picture of who you are and how you align with Wake Forest's ethos.

Proofread your essays for grammatical errors and typos. Ensure your ideas are clear and well-articulated.

Lastly, express your enthusiasm for Wake Forest. Research the university thoroughly. Understand its mission, values, academic programs, campus culture, and communities. Show them why you believe Wake Forest is the right place for you.

There you have it, aspiring Demon Deacons! With these strategies, you're well on your way to crafting compelling essays for Wake Forest University.

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Wake Forest Supplemental Essays 2023-24

The Wake Forest supplemental essays are an important part of the overall application process . Moreover, with five different Wake Forest essay prompts, you’ll have ample opportunity to display your unique strengths and interests. That way, you can build a narrative that will give the Wake Forest admissions team greater insight into your background and potential.

Your Wake Forest essays provide additional context to your application, allowing you to express your personality. So, make sure to complete the Wake Forest supplemental essays with enough time for editing and feedback. This will ensure you submit the best essays you can.

While the Wake Forest essays may be optional, it’s important to complete them. With such a competitive admissions process, it’s crucial to take every opportunity to connect with the Wake Forest admissions office. With the high overall Wake Forest ranking, the competition can be fierce. This guide will detail each of the Wake Forest University supplemental essays and provide tips on how to tackle them.

Wake Forest Essays: Quick Facts

Wake forest university essays: quick facts.

• Wake Forest Acceptance Rate: 25% – According to U.S. News , Wake Forest is considered highly selective
• Wake Forest Essay Requirements: Personal statement essay (required); 5 supplemental essays (optional)
• Wake Forest Application: Students must submit the Wake Forest application through the Common App or Coalition App . Students can also submit a paper application via mail if they prefer. See the Wake Forest application page for more information. 
• Early Decision I & Early Action: November 15 th  
• Early Decision II: January 1 st  
• Regular Decision: January 1 st  
• Wake Forest Essays Tip: Be creative with your Wake Forest supplemental essays! With such unique prompts, the Wake Forest essays offer a great opportunity to showcase your creative side. Experiment with your responses – you may be surprised with what you come up with! 

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.

Does Wake Forest have supplemental essays?

Yes, Wake Forest has 5 different supplemental essay prompts. The Wake Forest University supplemental essays are optional. However, there are many advantages to completing them.

Supplemental essays provide a great opportunity for you to highlight your personality and unique experience. Additionally, consider the competitive Wake Forest acceptance rate. You don’t want to miss the chance to differentiate yourself from other applicants and make your application stand out.

Here are the 2023-2024 Wake Forest essay prompts: 

Wake forest university essay prompts, 1. list five books you‘ve read that intrigued you., 2. tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world‘s complexity. this can include a work you‘ve read, a project you‘ve completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved. (150 words or less), 3. dr. maya angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former wake forest university reynolds professor of american studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person’s dignity. choose one of dr. angelou’s powerful quotes. how does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the wake forest community (300 words or less) , 4. give us your top ten list. (the choice of theme is yours.), 5. why have you decided to apply to wake forest share with us anything that has made you interested in our institution. (150 words or less).

If you’re feeling intimidated by the Wake Forest essay prompts, don’t panic! This guide to the 2023-2024 Wake Forest Supplemental Essays will go over how to approach each prompt in detail. The Wake Forest essays are designed to enhance your application, and we’ll show you just how to get started writing them. So, keep reading for helpful tips and tricks on the Wake Forest University supplemental essays! 

Wake Forest Essay Requirements

There are no formal Wake Forest essay requirements outside of your personal statement . However, the Wake Forest supplemental essays should be taken seriously and submitted alongside your application. With Wake Forest ranking so highly, it’s important to take every opportunity to stand out in the admissions process.

In addition to your Common App essay, the Wake Forest essays work to build a cohesive narrative. That means giving Admissions a complete picture of who you are and what you hope to accomplish at Wake Forest. With so many different prompts, it’s easy to see the importance Wake Forest places on their supplemental essays. So, you should plan to treat the Wake Forest supplemental essays as a requirement, as they will help your application tremendously.

Wake Forest Essay – Identity Essay

The first two Wake Forest supplemental essays can be categorized as “identity essays.” Essentially, they aim to get a sense of what inspires you and has contributed to your personal growth.

These short answer questions allow you to add specificity and humanity to your application. We’ll break down each of these Wake Forest essay prompts and explain the best way to respond. 

List five books you’ve read that intrigued you.

For this prompt, you should consider including any book that has left a lasting impression on you. Out of all the Wake Forest supplemental essays, this one is the shortest. That’s because you aren’t able to provide context or explain how these books intrigued you. Regardless, your book list will create a narrative around the kind of reader you are.

Think through each book and take a look at your list as a whole. What do these books say about you and your interests? Note that you have the option to note whether or not the book was required reading. So, you can include a mix of books you’ve connected with from class and on your own.

Tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world’s complexity. This can include a work you’ve read, a project you’ve completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved. (150 words or less)

This supplemental essay prompt wants to know what makes you a curious learner. Was there a moment where you realized the world was more complex than you thought? Think about a piece of art (book, movie, TV show) that has left a lasting impression on you. Or, was there a class lesson, a podcast, or a conversation that you distinctly remember?

If there’s something in your application you want to highlight further, this is a great prompt for it! You can build upon an important aspect of your resume, classwork, or extracurricular learning to help bolster your application. Overall, your Wake Forest supplemental essays help create a larger narrative around your application. And, this essay is a great way to directly communicate what makes you unique.

Choosing a quote for your essay

The next Wake Forest essay requires you to do some outside research on Dr. Maya Angelou. This is also the longest out of the Wake Forest essay prompts. In this essay, you’re asked to reflect on Dr. Angelou’s work and connect it to the community at Wake Forest: 

Dr. Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former Wake Forest University Reynolds Professor of American Studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person’s dignity. Choose one of Dr. Angelou’s powerful quotes. How does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the Wake Forest community? (300 words or less)

This prompt may be the most helpful for admissions officers to understand how you’ll connect to the Wake Forest community. You will first need to select a quote from Dr. Maya Angelou. There are plenty of sources online that have collected quotes, but make sure you fact-check any quote you find online. (A great source for quotes is Goodreads , but it’s good practice to include what original text your quote is from!)

Additionally, think about the larger context of the quote you select. Building this context into your essay can show a deeper understanding of Dr. Angelou’s work. 

You may need to spend some time researching potential quotes – you’ll want one that speaks to your idea of community. It may help to start by thinking of Wake Forest’s community. What clubs or student organizations do you hope to join? How do you hope to connect with your peers? Then, keep an eye out for a quote that you can build off of.

Wake Forest Essay Prompt – The Top Ten List

The next Wake Forest essay prompt directs students to create a top ten list: 

Give us your Top Ten list. (The choice of theme is yours.)

Out of all the Wake Forest supplemental essays, this is the most free-form. Your top ten list can be just about anything , so it may be hard to pick a focus. Give yourself plenty of time to think through what items, topics, or events you’d like to rank.

One idea is to connect your essay to the Wake Forest majors you’re interested in. If you’re planning to study history, consider ranking historical events that tailor to your interests. On the other hand, if you’re studying the sciences, think about ranking some of the most recent top scientific breakthroughs. 

If you want to showcase your personality beyond what you plan to study, the world is your oyster! Maybe your list includes the top ten fashion icons or cities you want to visit one day. The Wake Forest supplemental essays help admissions officers see what matters most to you. A top ten list allows you to bring the admissions officers into your particular interests and expertise, so get creative! 

Try to think beyond what your initial instinct may be. With such a competitive Wake Forest acceptance rate, it’s in your best interest to stand out amongst other applicants. Common top ten lists may be books, movies or T.V shows. While you can still showcase your personality through these topics, you may want to consider something more personal to you.

How to write the Why Wake Forest essay

The final supplemental essay prompt can be summarized as the Why Wake Forest essay. It’s also likely you’ve answered this question for other schools, as the Why This College essay is a popular supplemental essay prompt: 

Why have you decided to apply to Wake Forest? Share with us anything that has made you interested in our institution. (150 words or less)

Doing your research is the most important step of writing the Why Wake Forest essay. The Wake Forest admissions office wants to know the specific reasons why you want to attend Wake Forest.

Here are some tips on how to start the research process for your Why Wake Forest essay.

Spend ample time on Wake Forest’s website exploring different aspects of the university. Do some research on the many Wake Forest majors listed on their academics page . Exploring the Wake Forest majors can help you learn about:

• Different majors and minors
• Research projects
• Individual classes and professors

All of these are great details to highlight in your Why Wake Forest essay. In addition to academics, it can be helpful to read up on Wake Forest news , student organizations , and campus events . The more you know about Wake Forest, the more details you can add to your Wake Forest supplemental essays. 

Brainstorming Questions

The Why This College essay is a crucial part of many college applications. For your Wake Forest essays, it’s important to communicate the specific reasons why you’re interested in Wake Forest. Is it Wake Forest’s location or beautiful campus? Do they offer a specific major that you can’t find anywhere else? Do you have a special connection to their community? Thinking through these questions can help you decide what to focus on. 

The challenge with this essay is the condensed word count. Even if there’s a thousand things you’re excited about, it’s important to focus on just one to two elements. The more specific you can get, the better. If you need some inspiration, you can read some essay examples here . 

Does Wake Forest care about essays?

With Wake Forest ranking high among National Universities ( #29 according to U.S News), every part of your application matters. It’s hard to say exactly how the Wake Forest essays factor into admissions decisions. Regardless, it’s important that students take them seriously. The Wake Forest University supplemental essays help strengthen your overall application and allow the person behind the application to shine through. 

Without the Wake Forest supplemental essays, admissions officers would have far less material to help them make their decisions. The Wake Forest essay prompts also provide insight into what values Wake Forest looks for within their admissions process. The Wake Forest supplemental essays focus on:

• Your curiosity
• How you’ll form community
• The ways you’ve engaged with art and literature.

If you’re excited about the Wake Forest essay prompts, that’s great. It’s a promising sign that Wake Forest is a good fit for you and your goals.  

In short, it’s clear that the Wake Forest supplemental essays, while not required, are an important part of your application. Be sure to take your time and start the writing process early . As one of the best colleges in North Carolina , Wake Forest has a very selective admissions process. The Wake Forest University supplemental essays can help you stand out in the admissions process. Be sure to take them seriously! 

How can I make my Wake Forest essays stand out?

The pressure to make your Wake Forest supplemental essays stand out can be high, but CollegeAdvisor is here to help! The best way to help your Wake Forest essays stand out is to make sure they reflect your unique personality. In general, supplemental essays help colleges get to know you better beyond your resume and personal statement essay. The Wake Forest supplemental essays help you demonstrate your interests, giving you the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself to admissions officers. 

Authenticity

The best supplemental essays feel genuine. Writing about yourself can be challenging, but it’s well worth it. Try to focus on elements of your high school experience that may not come through in your larger application. Your Wake Forest supplemental essays offer you ample opportunity to write in your voice. You can communicate directly with admissions officers on impactful experiences that have helped you grow. (And, how Wake Forest will help foster experiences that will continue that growth.)

The Wake Forest University supplemental essays should create a consistent narrative around who you are. Try to think of your Wake Forest essays as one, cohesive assignment, rather than several separate essays. What are your essays communicating about you as a whole? Is there anything you feel they are missing about your application, or experience? What do you think the reader is walking away with after reading your Wake Forest supplemental essays? Thinking through these questions can help your Wake Forest essays stand out. 

It’s equally important that your Wake Forest supplemental essays reflect the high-quality research you’ve done as well. Be sure to read our guide on How to Get into Wake Forest University , and the acceptance rate for Wake Forest. You can also read the Wake Forest supplemental essays from past years to help get some inspiration. And, be sure to always double check the Wake Forest website for the most up-to-date application information. 

Overall, the best way to help your Wake Forest essays stand out is to two-fold. Submit polished, cohesive essays that help tell a story about your passions and goals. Think through how you want to portray your interests and past experiences. Then, map them out amongst the Wake Forest essay prompts. Ask for feedback through the editing process on the essays as a whole. This can help you make sure your overall narrative comes through each essay.

Wake Forest Supplemental Essays – 5 Takeaways

The Wake Forest University supplemental essays can be intimidating. But, they can also provide an amazing opportunity to connect with the admissions officers reviewing your application. When writing your Wake Forest supplemental essays, it’s important to stay grounded and think carefully through your responses. Here are 5 takeaways for writing your Wake Forest supplemental essays: 

1. Be creative 

The Wake Forest essay prompts encourage creative responses, so it’s important to bring a creative energy to your responses. Really push yourself to think outside the box, and use the prompts as a way to display your unique personality. Try reading other Wake Forest essays for inspiration – the more creative, the better. Experiment with different writing prompts that will help build up your creative muscles. Channeling your creativity will help you with many different supplemental essays, not just the Wake Forest essays.

2. Have your essays reflect your personality 

The Wake Forest essays create many opportunities for you to share your personality with the admissions team. The goal is to give admissions officers insight into who you are and why you’re interested in Wake Forest. Think carefully about how your essays reflect your true personality. What will a stranger walk away with after reading your essays? Your essays should paint a cohesive picture of your goals, experiences, and passions. The stronger the profile you build through the Wake Forest supplemental essays, the bigger the impression you’ll make.

3. Take advantage of each essay prompt

It can be easy to rush through the shorter Wake Forest essay prompts. However, each essay prompt is equally important. Try to give as much attention to the shorter essay prompts as the longer ones. Each of the Wake Forest essays are meant to provide more context to your application. All of your essays should work to achieve this goal. Bounce ideas off of your peers and mentors for all the prompts before writing your first drafts. This can help you feel focused and energized as you start the writing process. 

4. Aim for cohesion 

Cohesion is key to making a great impression on the admissions officers that will be reviewing your application. Your Wake Forest supplemental essays should work in concert to create a comprehensive picture of who you are. The admissions team will be trying to connect the dots between different aspects of your application. This is a great perspective to keep in mind when building out your essay topics.

With so many different Wake Forest essay prompts, it can make sense to tackle them separately. However, you should map out what you’ll mention for each essay and try to build connections where you can between prompts. Spending time looking at the Wake Forest supplemental essays as a whole can help ensure you avoid unnecessary repetition.   

5. Make sure to edit and collect feedback

It is crucial that your Wake Forest essays are edited and reviewed before you submit your application. The editing process can feel burdensome or time consuming. But it’s the best way to ensure that you end up with the very best versions of your essays. Have a mentor, teacher, or advisor read through all of your Wake Forest supplemental essays and give feedback. Try to have them read your essays as a whole entity – this will help your narrative building. Make sure to read through your essays multiple times before submitting them as well. This will help you catch any distracting spelling or grammatical errors.

This essay guide was written by senior advisor, Jess Klein . Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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How to Write the Wake Forest University Essays 2020-2021

We’ve updated this post! Read the  2021-2022 Wake Forest essay guide .

Wake Forest University is a private university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that is known for its emphasis on a premier liberal arts education for its students. With an undergraduate enrollment of just over 5,000 students, and an average class size of 20 students or fewer, Wake Forest is dedicated to its students.

Currently ranked #27 in the nation, the selective university admits 29% of its applicants. The university maintains accomplished programs in the social sciences, business, and a variety of other fields. Wake Forest also holds a unique status as a prestigious liberal arts school with a robust research focus.

For the 2020-2021 cycle, Wake Forest does not require applicants to send any test scores with their application if they do not wish to do so, therefore a crucial part of a student’s application is their essays. In addition to the required Common App essay, students have to submit four additional supplemental essays. 

With this comprehensive guide, we will provide you with all the tools necessary to tackle the Wake Forest application essays. Want to know your chances at Wake Forest? Calculate your chances for free right now.

Want to learn what Wake Forest University will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take?  Here’s what every student considering Wake Forest University needs to know.

Wake Forest Supplemental Essay Prompts

Part a: list five books you’ve read that intrigued you. (you’ll need to indicate the title, author, and whether it was required), part b: explain how a work of fiction you’ve read has helped you to understand the world’s complexity. (150 words).

Prompt 2: Tell us more about the topic that most engages your intellectual curiosity. (150 words)

Prompt 3: Describe a community that is important to you. How has that community prepared you to engage with, change, or even build the Wake Forest community? (150 words)

Prompt 4: Give us your Top Ten list. There is a space to name the Theme of the list, and 10 separate lines for each item, with a character limit of 100 each.

The first prompt Wake Forest requires is made up of two parts and gives the admissions officers insight into your interests and perspectives through literature. 

Before you list the first five books that pop into your head, take some time to consider the importance of choosing the right books. This is an easy way for you to express your personality—simply by picking books that show you are an experienced reader with intellectual drive, passions, and specific interests—to help you stand apart from other applicants. So picking the books you were required to read in your AP Literature class might not accomplish everything you want. 

The prompt asks you to pick books that have intrigued you. So what does this mean? Well you could pick a book you read that sparked your interest in the topic you want to major in. Perhaps you read a book about bioengineering that influenced your decision to pursue a career in that field. Or maybe you read Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s autobiography and that motivated you to become a public servant. Choosing books that tie into your interests and aspirations demonstrates your personality, the types of people you look up to, and what kind of person you might become.

You don’t just have to pick books that are over 500 pages long and seem “impressive” for a high school student to have read. Don’t put down War and Peace if you struggled to get through the book and didn’t enjoy it. Consider including books that are meaningful to you and hold a special place in your heart. Maybe Green Eggs and Ham was the first book you ever read by yourself and it was the reason you started reading. If there is a book you used to read with your parents every night when you were little, you can also include that in your list.

When you are compiling the list of five books, the most important thing to remember is that each book should reveal something about your personality. If you don’t feel a book is an accurate representation, try picking a different one. 

Once you have your five books, you can go onto the second part of this prompt which requires you to elaborate on your choices. Since the prompt asks for any work of fiction, you don’t necessarily have to write about one of your five books—especially if you chose five nonfiction books.

The process of writing this essay is very similar to your thought process for picking the previous books. You only have 150 words to convey your attachment and this book’s significance to you so don’t spend too much time discussing the plot of the book. Instead, jump right into the essay with an anecdote or maybe even your favorite quote from the book. The point of this essay is to show the admissions committee your ability to process and analyze books, and how your analysis of books helps you confront the world.

While “understanding the world’s complexity” might sound confusing, think about any example from a book that you think about in your daily life and use to cope with reality. If there is a certain character who faced similar challenges to yourself and found a way to persevere, you could write a personal story about how that character inspires you. Or maybe you read a dystopian novel like the Hunger Games or 1984 that helped you see parallels between a fictional society and your own.

Just be careful and remember that if you choose a mainstream, pop-culture book, your essay has to be very personal to show how the book affected you in a way different from anyone else. For example, anyone can say that Katniss from the Hunger Games helped you understand the importance of standing up for what is right. Instead, you could consider talking about how her rebellion against the government made you look into injustices in your own country, and after seeing what she was able to accomplish, you found the courage in yourself to reach out to local officials, or start a club in your school to demand change.

Tell us more about the topic that most engages your intellectual curiosity. (150 words)

This supplemental question is designed to give the admissions officers more insight into you and how you think. They want to hear about your intellectual curiosity, or more simply put: why you like to learn. Every university is looking to admit engaged students who are generally intrigued by learning, so it’s very important that your voice and excitement come through in this essay.

You aren’t limited to only discussing a subject in school you enjoy. Here are a few different approaches to this essay you could take:

• Philosophical concept
• Piece of art
• Mathematical enigma

Think about what interests you, something you could talk about for hours on end, or something you desperately want to find the answer to. Asking yourself these questions will help you come up with a topic that you can delve deeper into. You want to be sure your topic is not only exciting for you, but also can be connected to something more personal and intellectual.

For instance, a student who is fascinated by Latin American culture could discuss her interest in the Carnival celebrations of Brazil and how learning about these celebrations have helped her to connect with her Brazilian roots, as well as the world history surrounding those roots.

Alternatively, a student could use this essay as an opportunity to discuss his favorite hobby. For example, a student who loves to collect coins could discuss how the sheer volume of coins produced fascinates him, how he’s gotten to meet people across the country because of his collection, and that coins have helped him to develop a deeper understanding of the financial underpinnings of America.

Whatever route you decide to take in this essay, make sure that you truly express the nuances of your fascination with the topic. As long as you can show how the topic sparked your desire to continue learning, whether that be about yourself or the world, you will be in good shape.

Describe a community that is important to you. How has that community prepared you to engage with, change, or even build the Wake Forest community? (150 words)

This next prompt is a chance for you to build on your involvement in something that is meaningful to you. A community can be justified in a multitude of ways, so feel free to get creative and pick a community that expresses your passions, involvement, dedication, and leadership.

There are two important aspects to this prompt. The first is describing a community you are currently engaged in and why you value that community. The second, and arguably more important part, is to translate your involvement in your community to the Wake Forest community. Especially since Wake Forest is not requiring students to write a “Why Wake Forest” essay this year, we strongly recommend you use this essay to communicate your interest in the school.

So how do you go about doing that?

One approach you can take is to talk about your involvement in a community you notice might be lacking on Wake Forest’s campus and discuss your interest in introducing your fellow students to this community. For example, if a student was a part of a rap group in his hometown, he might see that Wake Forest doesn’t have any student organizations specifically dedicated to rapping. He might choose to focus his essay on the creative outlet rap provided him and how he learned to observe injustices in the world and express his feelings through rap. He could then transition his essay to describe his plan to start a club on campus so other students can share their hardships and perspectives in this community that has helped him grow over the past few years.

Another student might wish to talk about an intellectual community they were a part of that they wish to continue their involvement in at Wake Forest. For this essay, a student could describe working at a neurobiology lab and explain experiences she had that provided her with an insight to the field and more hypotheses she wants to pursue. She would then mention her desire to continue her research with the faculty at Wake Forest, possibly discussing current projects that she is intrigued by on campus.

Other students may focus on ethnic or religious communities that shaped who they are as a person, thus allowing them to be a unique and active member of the Wake Forest community. This choice is a little more traditional, so if you do choose to go this route, be careful not to get caught up in cliches. Rather than talking about the general importance of family you learned from your Latino community, tell a specific story about the time you helped your neighbor because there are certain ideals that are the pillars of your community. Don’t simply say you want to continue to uphold these values on campus, but describe how you intend to extend your community’s values to your new peers who might be unfamiliar with them. 

As you write this essay, keep the idea that you have to show how you fit into the campus community in the back of your mind. Everything you write in this essay should prove to the admissions officers you are a dedicated and passionate community member who would be an asset to the Wake Forest community!

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Give us your Top Ten list. (There is a space to name the Theme of the list, and 10 separate lines for each item, with a character limit of 100 each).

The final prompt is where students get to use all their creativity, so don’t hold back! Like the first prompt, this one asks students to make their top 10 list. Unlike the first one however, they don’t provide any specifications as to what the list should include.

The first few things that come to your head will probably be generic: favorite movies, bucket list destinations, favorite singers, favorite foods. However, we urge you to give this prompt some thought and come up with a really creative list that is distinctively you.

• Instead of your favorite movies try top 10 scenes you rewatch
• Instead of bucket list destinations try top 10 places to watch the sunset
• Instead of your favorite singers try top 10 songs about the summer
• Instead of you favorite foods try top 10 best kitchen utensils

You might also consider something even more personal, such as:

• Top 10 ways that people have misspelled your name
• Top 10 moments that you knew you were the middle child
• Top 10 phrases you say all the time
• Top 10 times you cried while watching a movie

While these examples are fun and more creative, the bottom line is that this question is all about you and your personality. Just be cautious that you don’t pick things that require more than a few words because you are only allotted 100 characters per response. Picking your top 10 quotes might be a cool idea but you might not have the space for it.

At the end of the day, admissions officers are using this question to see how creative you are and what interests you, so make sure, whatever you choose, your personality shines through.

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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The Admissions Strategist

How to write the wake forest university essays 2020-2021: the all-in-one guide.

Nestled in the South, Wake Forest University’s campus is an integral part of the Winston-Salem community in North Carolina. The private school’s legacy goes back over 180 years, where it was first created as a manual labor institute.

WFU is an institution comprised of an undergraduate college, along with its well-known School of Business, School of Law, School of Divinity, and School of Medicine.

While the multitude of programs available might seem intimidating, the undergraduate college actually maintains a small-school vibe, with an average of only 21 students per class .

Small classes are not the only benefit to attending the college. 61% of Wake Forest’s graduating class in 2015 received academic credit for studying abroad. This is the highest percentage among the greater than 300 colleges ranked by the U.S. & World News Report.

This same class had an incredible 98% of its students go on to higher education or become employed within 6 months of graduation.

Wake Forest University gives prospective students the option to apply via its own application , the Common App , Coalition Application , or through the College Foundation of North Carolina (which directs you back to their own application).

Click above to watch a video on how to write Wake Forest Supplemental Essays.

What are the Wake Forest Supplemental Essay Requirements?

Regardless of the application method you use, you will need to write both the main essay and answer supplementary questions.

In this guide, we will cover the Wake Forest University supplementary questions that appear identically on all of the application platforms.

Do note that you will have to write a different essay if you are applying through the Common App or Coalition for Access and Affordability Application.

• We have written specific guides for the Common App essay here and the Coalition App essay here .

The Wake Forest University Application Essay

This essay is only applicable to students applying through the Wake Forest University application on the WFU website. If you are applying through the Common App or Coalition App, you can skip down to the first writing supplement.

Other than using the essay to “share on a topic of your choice,” there are no other directions for completing the essay.

If you’ve already tackled the Common App essay, you may certainly use it here. If you opt to go another route, here are some tips to keep in mind as you draft your response.

• While there is no specified writing limit, be mindful of the admissions committee’s time. An essay that is too long will likely be skimmed and therefore not convey all of the information you hope to get across. They will be reviewing thousands of applicants and reading their essays too.
• As a general rule, try to keep your essay shorter than two double-spaced pages. This should give you enough space to elaborate any ideas you have on the topic and give you around 1,000 words to utilize.
• It’s also a good idea to submit your essay via PDF. This way, you know that it will be formatted exactly the way you want it to be when it’s opened up on another computer.
• Life Pro Tip: As you grow older, you want to apply for internships and jobs with PDF versions of your cover letter and resume.

Get personalized advice!

Wake forest writing supplement 1a: books that inspire curiosity.

List five books you have read that intrigued you.

In the application, you will have to list the title of the work, the author, and identify whether it was required reading or not.

You will not have the opportunity to explain why you chose to list the books. Therefore, it’s important that each book (or at least a quick Google search of the titles) can speak for itself.

This question does not ask you to rank the five books, so you should feel comfortable listing them in any order of your choosing. While the process is simple, the difficulty in this prompt lies in choosing five titles to list.

• First, brainstorm every book that you have read that has intrigued you. Maybe you wished there was a sequel or follow-up book because you wanted to read more.
• Perhaps your literature teacher started a unit on dystopian fiction and assigned Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World , and you decided to go one step further and compare it with the world Suzanne Collins created in The Hunger Games for an assignment.
• Ask yourself “What do these books say about me as a potential student and human being?” If you feel a book will diminish your chances of getting accepted for some reason, search for another book that is just as meaningful to you to replace it on the list.
• Depending on the activities you pursued in high school and those you hope to pursue during your undergraduate career, you may want to include a book that relates to those topics.

You want to be sure that your choices have a positive reflection of your character. Even if you read How to Cheat Your Way Through High School out of pure curiosity and had no intention of using the strategies, don’t list it.

You will not be able to explain your choice, and, therefore, the title could mislead the admissions committee.

Overall, you do not need to list five literary masterpieces, and you shouldn’t list five comic books you’ve read either. Aim for a variety of book types that really show off your personality and character.

• For example, if you have a passion for self-help books (and they truly pique your curiosity), include them on your list, but perhaps include only 2-3 titles.
• Then, think about your reading patterns overall. Beyond self-help books, what have you read? Biographies? Dystopian science fiction? Religious texts?

Don’t feel the need to shy away from listing a title simply because it was required reading for school. Oftentimes, these will be the titles that the admissions committee is most familiar with.

If you can’t remember those titles, search online for “common titles for high school required reading” or ask your teacher what they assigned.

You should easily be able to find a list to jog your memory or, at the very least, be able to give a summary of the book to get the title from someone else. If you can’t recall what the book was about, it probably did not intrigue you enough to make this list.

If you find yourself well and truly stumped, take a look at the reading list recommended by well-known figures in academia and industry.

For example, there is a list of thirteen books recommended by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and other prominent leaders. These span everything from George Orwell’s 1984 to David Deutsch’s The Beginning of Infinity. You can take a look and see the rationale behind why they would recommend such books to others. In fact, look at your selections as a recommended reading list for the admissions committee, and you will be able to organize what story about yourself you would like to tell them.

Once again, find balance by not listing all five titles as required or as self-selected reading.

Once you’re all done making your list, take a step back and ask yourself what these books say about you on the whole. Be honest. If you like the general message, move on to the next question.

Wake Forest Writing Supplement 1B: The Impact of Fiction on Your Understanding of the World

Explain how a book you’ve read has helped you to understand the world’s complexity. 

In this prompt, you have the opportunity to explain your relationship with a book, unlike in the previous list. Since the question doesn’t specify whether it should be a work of fiction or nonfiction, you’re free to pick the work that speaks to you the most. 

If you’re not an avid reader, this might seem an overwhelming question in terms of identifying something that was truly impactful on your thinking. 

• Consider why you read. If you read to gather information, consider whether you have ever read something that gave you an “ah-ha!” moment, and why. 
• Reflect on whether anything you’ve read has ever provoked a strong emotional response, and why. 
• Consider the list you made in the previous question, which may be a good place to start. However, try to avoid repeating a book you already used. You have a chance to show additional insight into your interests by choosing an additional work.

Conversely, you might be struggling to choose one book among several that you identify as having influence in teaching you about the “complexity of the world.”

• Reflect on what books have had the most profound intellectual or emotional impact on you. The choice between fiction and nonfiction reflects something about your personality. A more analytical reader who values information might choose nonfiction, whereas a more literary person may choose fiction.
• Identify the message or complexity the work helped you understand and assess why it is personally meaningful to you. A work of fiction might have lent itself to insight into the human experience or the nuance of a certain social theme, whereas a work of nonfiction may have transformed your understanding of the gears that make our world turn.
• If this is true, rank these works, starting from the one you are most passionate about discussing.
• It’s important that your enthusiasm shines through your writing.

Keeping with our previous example of Brave New World , let’s take a look and see how we might construct this essay.

The directive “explain” in the prompt is vague enough to be interpreted in many ways. You might consider:

• Describing the impact that the work had on your understanding of society
• How the work influenced your life
• How the work influenced your perspective on the world
• The experience of reading the work for the first time and reflecting on it
• Describe what it is about the work that effectively conveys complexity about the world
• The influence of the work on your relationships with your peers
• The impact the work had on your vision for the future
• The change in your politics after reading the book

However you decide to discuss the work, don’t forget to spend time explicitly stating what, in particular, the work taught you. It’s easy to get caught up describing the work and forget to be specific about your experience. This is not a book report where you summarize what you read.

In fact, spend less time discussing the premise of the work. Worst case, the admissions officer can Google the book.

• What’s critical is demonstrating the book’s impact on you.
• So, make sure you write about the tangible changes the book had on your thinking or actions.
• This is the time to show how you interpreted the book and its meaning in your life.
• Give brief examples of your newfound understanding.

In the case of Brave New World , it is a very well-known dystopian science fiction novel so you can assume that the admissions committee is familiar with at least the synopsis.

As mentioned above, there are many points you could elaborate on, but it would be best to focus on two to three at most.

• You could start off with a theme in the book, such as “knowledge vs. ignorance” and give textual examples of where that features prominently.
• Then develop that further by detailing the character arcs that occur through the development of the theme.
• Draw any parallels from the book with today’s society to show your understanding of one of the complexities of the world. Brave New World is seen as a somewhat prophetic piece of literature, so finding commonalities between that world and reality shouldn’t be difficult.

If you can discuss how the book has shaped how you perceive the world around you, how you have learned something through example rather than by firsthand experience. By doing so, you will be able to write a convincing essay on how fiction has impacted your understanding of the world.

Wake Forest Writing Supplement 2: Your Curiosity

Tell us more about a topic that engages your intellectual curiosity.

A common theme in Wake Forest’s writing supplements is passion. In this prompt, you should, once again, reflect on what you are passionate about. Consider what truly piques your intellectual interest. What topic can send you down a virtual rabbit hole because you’re interested in learning as much as you can?

This prompt is tricky because you do not know what the mindset of your admissions committee might be and you have the freedom to choose any topic you want. As academics, the committee will approach your stance with an open mind so long as you articulate your argument and do not cross into inappropriate territory.

Choose a topic that holds weight and is truly important to you.

• Pull up your browsing history and see what patterns you find. If you consistently find yourself searching for similar content, articulate that content as a theme or pattern that interests you.
• Think about a project you completed that you really enjoyed what you learned.
• Consider the major you’re applying for and why that piques your interest. Discuss what topic first got you interested in that field.
• Pick up a copy of the Wall Street Journal , Washington Post , or Foreign Policy . These are some of the preeminent issues of our time. They cover topics that are critical to events, people, and ideologies currently shaping our world.

When crafting your answer, don’t get too high-minded or lofty. You can keep it simple rather than listing everything you know on the subject. Remember, the admissions committee wants to hear about you, not your ability to summarize an entire topic. If you spend over 50 words defining the topic, you’re spending too much time on background info.

Here are some examples of topics you can choose for this prompt.

• If you’re interested in environmental conservation, you may write about how all restaurants should get rid of plastic straws due to the strain they put on the environment. You could choose to focus your short response on the damage plastic does to the ocean and to suggest an alternative such as reusable straws.
• Some computer programmers spend their spare time viewing code and learning new languages. Talk about what programming languages you have learned, are currently learning, and how you educate yourself on them.
• There are millions of blogs, and maybe you have started one. How did you choose the niche for your blog? How do you come up with new content to populate it for readers?

Wake Forest Writing Supplement 3: Community

Describe a community that is important to you. How has that community prepared you to engage with, change, or even build the Wake Forest Community?

Every college wants to know that its new freshmen are going to be happy and successful at their university of choice, and Wake Forest is no exception. Community is an important theme at Wake Forest, and the admissions committee wants to know why you personally care about fostering a sense of community in your life. 

To tackle this question, first consider what groups of people have had the most profound impact on your life over a significant period of time. Perhaps it’s a sports team, a club, or a volunteer group you participate in. After you identify your group, delve into the nuance of its influence on your life. 

• If this group revolves around a particular theme or cause, reflect on why this unifying element is so important or valuable to you. 
• Identify positive ways that you have evolved as a person through your participation in this community. 
• Discuss various ways you have contributed to this community or supported others and their personal or collective development. 

Once you’ve identified your community, you’ll want to connect what you’ve reflected on to your future at Wake Forest. 

• Make concrete links between your prior community involvement and how you’ll involve yourself on the Wake Forest campus. If you’ve been a leader in the past, how will you continue to lead on campus? 
• If there are specific causes you’re passionate about, connect those with existing clubs or organizations available at Wake Forest. If there’s not one, consider whether you’d like to build one. 
• If your community helped make a change in broader society that you wish to see expanded, consider how you might replicate your impact at Wake Forest. 

Wake Forest Writing Supplement 4: Self-Selected Top 10

Give us your top ten list.

Yes, you get to create your own top ten list! There are no explicit instructions as far as assigning a theme to your list, but it is a good idea to give your list some structure. What else do I want admissions to know about me?

• If you are really proud of your progress in cross country over the past four years, you might list your race times from 10 to 1.
• Are you a Nicholas Sparks fanatic? Rate his novels from 10 to 1 based on how emotional they made you feel when reading them.
• Drawing back on the computer programmer example, rate your favorite programming languages.
• You might even consider the future. Provide a top 10 list of achievements you hope to accomplish.

Perhaps you are a connoisseur of foreign food or music buff or an amateur film critic, whatever it is that you find interesting and worthy of sharing with the admissions board, be as specific as possible.

By assigning a theme to your list, you will help admissions understand another aspect of what is important to you. Also, you might consider staying away from providing another list of books. You’ve already done this in the first prompt. This is where you can express another side of yourself that the admissions committee has not learned about yet. Don’t waste it by creating a list that is similar to one of your previous essay responses. Alternatively, you can make this list random, a Top Ten list of the world. Use this as a chance to include some of the things that have had the most profound influence on your life. You might include your favorite album, artist, country, season, food, person, etc. Unlike the themed version of this list, you have the chance to paint a diverse picture of your passions when you go this route. 

Conclusion: Writing the Wake Forest Essays

Wake Forest University’s list of writing supplements paired with your personal essay will give the admissions committee a variety of information on who you are as a person and potential student.

Before submitting your essays, be sure to proofread .

Having a parent, friend, or someone else you trust to read them over is a good idea if you’re comfortable sharing them. Authenticity is sought after in these essays so having someone who knows you well can help determine if your essay “sounds like you.”

Above all, spend some time on your topics by brainstorming, outlining, and writing multiple drafts.

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Last updated July 11, 2023

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Blog > Essay Advice , Private University , Supplementals > How to Write the Wake Forest Supplemental Essays

How to Write the Wake Forest Supplemental Essays

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University Admissions

Key Takeaway

Applying to Wake Forest involves optional short answer questions that focus on books that intrigued you, texts influencing your worldview, your intellectual curiosity, and a unique Top Ten list. The answers should align with your application narrative and reveal genuine insights about you.

Applying to Wake Forest? You have four optional short answer questions to go along with your Wake Forest application.

As you can see in the prompt below, you can answer whichever ones you want or none at all.

We welcome the opportunity to get to know you beyond the numbers. You are invited to answer any, all, or none of the following optional short-response questions.

1. list five books you've read that intrigued you..

For this question, you don’t get room for explanation, so the books will have to stand on their own. You also have to indicate whether the book was required reading or not.

A good rule of thumb is to mix a few serious titles that relate to your worldview with a few fun, insightful, whacky, etc. ones that showcase your personality. You can include a classic or two, maybe ones from different authors, and a fun one for some interest.

In the name of honesty, these really should all be books that you’ve actually read.

2. Explain how a text you've read – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or literature of any kind – has helped you to understand the world's complexity. (150 words)

Let’s face it. There’s a lot that’s complex in the world. Don’t feel like the work you choose has to touch on every single worldly complexity you’ve ever thought of.

Instead, pick a work that’s influenced your worldview, and analyze how it changed your perspective on a specific part of the world’s complexity.

The kind of text you choose doesn’t matter as much as how you write about it. But because this is a more serious question, it’s probably a good idea to choose a more serious text. If you’re going to choose a less serious one, just be sure that your analysis is good.

It also may be a good idea to choose a part of the world’s complexity that relates to your cohesive application narrative .

A quick note on cliches: it’s probably best to avoid common books like Dr. Seuss’s Oh the Places You’ll Go , which will undoubtedly appear in many other applications.

3. Tell us more about the topic that most engages your intellectual curiosity. (150 words)

Like an academic interest essay , this prompt urges you to geek out a little and describe a topic that makes you curious.

The topic can be related to your intended major, but it doesn’t have to be.

Your essay is an opportunity to show the kinds of critical thinking skills and creativity you’d bring to the Wake Forest classroom. It’s a way to demonstrate academic fit and values alignment with Wake Forest.

So think about a topic that suits your application narrative , and get to writing.

4. Give us your Top Ten list.

Wake Forest also gives you space to describe the theme of your list.

The most common Top Ten lists probably include songs, movies, books, TV shows, foods, podcasts, cars—you get it!

If you want to stand out with this question, either your theme or your list should be unique.

Don’t go so over-the-top with uniqueness that your list seems out of place, but try to be creative with how you approach it.

You might list the Top Ten sock brands, for example, or the Top Ten chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Find a theme that aligns with what you have in the rest of your application, then try to be creative but not overly quirky.

Remember: you don’t technically have to answer any of these questions. You can choose to answer one of them, just a couple of them, all of them, or none.

Because they’re optional, you want to make sure that they’re adding great value to your application. Each answer should still reveal something important about you to admissions officers. Think of them each as opportunities to advocate for your admission.

If you need more guidance about writing supplemental essays, check out our giant supplemental essay guide next.

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Wake Forest Supplemental Essays 2022-2023

By Eric Eng

When it comes to applying to the top schools in the country, your application is vitally important. In order to give yourself the best chance of gaining admission, you need to make sure all aspects of your application are top-notch. In this post, we’re going to do a deep dive into how to write Wake Forest supplemental essays for 2022-2023 and everything you need to keep in mind as you write.

Wake Forest uses the common app, and this means that you will be asked to answer essay questions contained in the common app. But like many top schools, Wake Forest also requires that you complete a short activity-based essay as well as an additional essay about your personal or intellectual growth. The Wake Forest supplemental essays 2022-2023 allow applicants a certain amount of freedom when choosing their supplemental essay topic, but we’re going to look at each essay prompt and discuss the best way to respond to each topic.

The Wake Forest Supplemental Essay Prompts 2022-2023

So, let’s start by looking at each supplemental essay prompt, and then we will discuss how to approach each one individually.

The Wake Forest supplemental essays 2022 requires that students respond to four prompts that each have their own guidelines. If you apply to Wake Forest using the common app, you will also have to respond to the common app essay prompts . So, let’s take a look at the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2022-2023.

List five books you have read that intrigued you. (Spaces have been left for you to include each book’s title and author and mark whether the selection was required or not required.)

Explain how a text you’ve read – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or literature of any kind – has helped you to understand the world’s complexity. (150 words)

Tell us more about the topic that most engages your intellectual curiosity. (150 words)

Give us your top ten list.

Theme: _____________________________

As you can see, the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2022-2023 are a mix of serious topics regarding your intellectual development and curiosity, and fun, laid-back topics. Because all of the topics are required, you need to take all of them seriously.

How to write Wake Forest supplemental essays?

If you are wondering how to write Wake Forest supplemental essays, the key is to use your unique voice and demonstrate your passion for learning. While some of the topics may seem intimidating, we’re going to look at each prompt and craft a strategy for your response. Let’s look at the first essay prompt.

The Wake Forest supplemental essay word limit varies from prompt to prompt, so make sure you are only supplying the information they have asked for. For this first prompt, you only need to make a list of the books that have intrigued you. You are not required to write why these books were intriguing, but you are asked to indicate if it was required reading or not.

When you approach this topic, keep in mind that there are no “correct” answers, and listing the most impressive books you’ve read isn’t the point. Instead, you should choose books that have had a special meaning to you over the years or recently. There may be a book that you just finished that fascinated you, or you may include a book that you read as a child that still holds meaning for you.

The point of indicating if the book was required speaks to what you choose to read when it is not required. This says a lot about you because it gives insight about what you are interested in, and your curiosity. Still, it can be hard to narrow your list down to five books.

The best way to approach this is to give the admissions department some variety. If you like sci-fi, that’s great, but it’s not necessarily a good idea to only list sci-fi books. Wake Forest wants to see that you have curiosity about different subjects, so make sure your list reflects that.

This prompt is similar to the first one, but it asks you to focus on one text. And it asks that you go a bit further with your reasoning because it asks you how this text helped you better understand the world. The key to responding to this prompt is to choose a text that isn’t obviously required reading. Catcher In The Rye might have opened your eyes to the relationship between privilege and life’s expectations, but this is an observation that nearly any high school student could make.

In order to stand out, pick something with personal meaning to you. It doesn’t have to be a scholarly work, but it should be a text that gave you a new insight. The Giving Tree may seem like a simple children’s book, but maybe it gave you an indelible sense of the relationship between greed and sacrifice. The point is to have a unique perspective.

This prompt gives you a lot of leeway in terms of choosing your topic, but again, the goal is to make the essay personal. The topic you choose doesn’t need to be academic or scholarly in any way. It just needs to be something that captivated you.

When preparing to respond to this prompt, consider the topics that you have become “obsessed” with. Did you learn about something and then needed to find out everything about it? What was it that was so engrossing about the subject? And finally, how has this subject contributed to your life as a whole? Have you taken on new activities as a result? Did the subject change your academic plans? Regardless of what you choose, your passion needs to come through in your essay.

This last supplemental “essay” is mostly for fun, but it can be the most difficult prompt for some applicants. The main problem is that it is so broad, you could choose nearly anything. If you’ve noticed a theme with the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2022-2023, it is things that have affected you on a personal level.

So, when approaching this prompt, think about the things that mean a lot to you, or things in which you are deeply interested. If you are tech-oriented, you might want to list your top ten technological innovations of the 21st century. If you are a film buff, you could list your ten favorite movies. Are you fascinated with the American legal system? Tell us about your ten favorite Supreme Court rulings. The possibilities for this prompt are nearly endless, so make sure to use your creativity and have fun.

At AdmissionSight, our goal is to help you with every step of the college admissions process. The Wake Forest supplemental essays 2022 can seem daunting at first, but our experience and expertise will help you navigate the entire process with confidence. Hopefully, this guide to the Wake Forest supplemental essays 2022-2023 has been helpful, but if you want more information about how AdmissionSight can help you realize your dreams, set up your free consultation today.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, can anyone share successful wake forest supplemental essay examples.

Hi! I'm working on my Wake Forest application right now and would love to read some successful supplemental essay examples for inspiration. Has anyone here been accepted to Wake Forest and willing to share their essays? Thanks a lot!

Hello! While I can't provide specific essays that were successful for Wake Forest admissions, I can definitely offer some guidelines and tips to help you craft a strong supplemental essay. It's essential to remember that you must tailor your essay to Wake Forest and focus on the unique qualities and programs the university offers.

First, make sure to do thorough research on Wake Forest; their academic offerings, extracurricular activities, community culture, and even campus traditions. For example, you might emphasize your interest in their Pro Humanitate Institute and how its mission aligns with your volunteer work or your desire to make a difference in local communities.

When it comes to your essay, avoid generic statements and focus on specifics that are unique to Wake Forest. For instance, discuss a course or professor at the university that intrigues you, or mention how you appreciate the university's commitment to small class sizes and personalized education.

Likewise, personalize your essay by sharing anecdotes that illustrate your experiences and interest in Wake Forest. This could be through an interaction with a current student or alumni, a campus visit, or particular experiences that led you to discover the university and the programs it offers.

Lastly, don't forget to showcase your personality, passion, and ambition – it's essential that the admissions officers get a clear sense of who you are and how you would contribute to the Wake Forest community.

For more information click here: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-wake-forest-university-essays/

In summary, research Wake Forest thoroughly, focus on specifics that are unique to the university, share personal anecdotes, and let your personality shine through your essay. Good luck with your application!

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How To Tackle The Weirdest Supplemental Essay Prompts For This Application Cycle

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Writing the college essay

How do you write a letter to a friend that shows you’re a good candidate for the University of Pennsylvania? What reading list will help the Columbia University admissions committee understand your interdisciplinary interests? How can you convey your desire to attend Yale by inventing a course description for a topic you’re interested in studying?

These are the challenges students must overcome when writing their supplemental essays . Supplemental essays are a critical component of college applications—like the personal statement, they provide students with the opportunity to showcase their authentic voice and perspective beyond the quantitative elements of their applications. However, unlike the personal essay, supplemental essays allow colleges to read students’ responses to targeted prompts and evaluate their candidacy for their specific institution. For this reason, supplemental essay prompts are often abstract, requiring students to get creative, read between the lines, and ditch the traditional essay-writing format when crafting their responses.

While many schools simply want to know “why do you want to attend our school?” others break the mold, inviting students to think outside of the box and answer prompts that are original, head-scratching, or downright weird. This year, the following five colleges pushed students to get creative—if you’re struggling to rise to the challenge, here are some tips for tackling their unique prompts:

University of Chicago

Prompt: We’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed”? Or “tickled orange”? Give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents. – Inspired by Ramsey Bottorff, Class of 2026

What Makes it Unique: No discussion of unique supplemental essay prompts would be complete without mentioning the University of Chicago, a school notorious for its puzzling and original prompts (perhaps the most well-known of these has been the recurring prompt “Find x”). This prompt challenges you to invent a new color-based expression, encouraging both linguistic creativity and a deep dive into the emotional or cultural connotations of color. It’s a prompt that allows you to play with language, think abstractly, and show off your ability to forge connections between concepts that aren’t typically linked—all qualities that likewise demonstrate your preparedness for UChicago’s unique academic environment.

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How to Answer it: While it may be easy to get distracted by the open-ended nature of the prompt, remember that both the substance and structure of your response should give some insight into your personality, perspective, and characteristics. With this in mind, begin by considering the emotions, experiences, or ideas that most resonate with you. Then, use your imagination to consider how a specific color could represent that feeling or concept. Remember that the prompt is ultimately an opportunity to showcase your creativity and original way of looking at the world, so your explanation does not need to be unnecessarily deep or complex—if you have a playful personality, convey your playfulness in your response; if you are known for your sarcasm, consider how you can weave in your biting wit; if you are an amateur poet, consider how you might take inspiration from poetry as you write, or offer a response in the form of a poem.

The goal is to take a familiar concept and turn it into something new and meaningful through a creative lens. Use this essay to showcase your ability to think inventively and to draw surprising connections between language and life.

Harvard University

Prompt: Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.

What Makes it Unique: This prompt is unique in both form and substance—first, you only have 150 words to write about all 3 things. Consider using a form other than a traditional essay or short answer response, such as a bullet list or short letter. Additionally, note that the things your roommate might like to learn about you do not necessarily overlap with the things you would traditionally share with an admissions committee. The aim of the prompt is to get to know your quirks and foibles—who are you as a person and a friend? What distinguishes you outside of academics and accolades?

How to Answer it: First and foremost, feel free to get creative with your response to this prompt. While you are producing a supplemental essay and thus a professional piece of writing, the prompt invites you to share more personal qualities, and you should aim to demonstrate your unique characteristics in your own voice. Consider things such as: How would your friends describe you? What funny stories do your parents and siblings share that encapsulate your personality? Or, consider what someone might want to know about living with you: do you snore? Do you have a collection of vintage posters? Are you particularly fastidious? While these may seem like trivial things to mention, the true creativity is in how you connect these qualities to deeper truths about yourself—perhaps your sleepwalking is consistent with your reputation for being the first to raise your hand in class or speak up about a cause you’re passionate about. Perhaps your living conditions are a metaphor for how your brain works—though it looks like a mess to everyone else, you have a place for everything and know exactly where to find it. Whatever qualities you choose, embrace the opportunity to think outside of the box and showcase something that admissions officers won’t learn about anywhere else on your application.

University of Pennsylvania

Prompt: Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge.

What Makes it Unique: Breaking from the traditional essay format, this supplement invites you to write directly to a third party in the form of a 150-200 word long letter. The challenge in answering this distinct prompt is to remember that your letter should say as much about you, your unique qualities and what you value as it does about the recipient—all while not seeming overly boastful or contrived.

How to Answer it: As you select a recipient, consider the relationships that have been most formative in your high school experience—writing to someone who has played a large part in your story will allow the admissions committee some insight into your development and the meaningful relationships that guided you on your journey. Once you’ve identified the person, craft a thank-you note that is specific and heartfelt—unlike other essays, this prompt invites you to be sentimental and emotional, as long as doing so would authentically convey your feelings of gratitude. Describe the impact they’ve had on you, what you’ve learned from them, and how their influence has shaped your path. For example, if you’re thanking a teacher, don’t just say they helped you become a better student—explain how their encouragement gave you the confidence to pursue your passions. Keep the tone sincere and personal, avoid clichés and focus on the unique role this person has played in your life.

University of Notre Dame

Prompt: What compliment are you most proud of receiving, and why does it mean so much to you?

What Makes it Unique: This prompt is unique in that it invites students to share something about themselves by reflecting on someone else’s words in 50-100 words.

How to Answer it: The key to answering this prompt is to avoid focusing too much on the complement itself and instead focus on your response to receiving it and why it was so important to you. Note that this prompt is not an opportunity to brag about your achievements, but instead to showcase what truly matters to you. Select a compliment that truly speaks to who you are and what you value. It could be related to your character, work ethic, kindness, creativity, or any other quality that you hold in high regard. The compliment doesn’t have to be grand or come from someone with authority—it could be something small but significant that left a lasting impression on you, or it could have particular meaning for you because it came from someone you didn’t expect it to come from. Be brief in setting the stage and explaining the context of the compliment—what is most important is your reflection on its significance and how it shaped your understanding of yourself.

Stanford University

Prompt: List five things that are important to you.

What Makes it Unique: This prompt’s simplicity is what makes it so challenging. Stanford asks for a list, not an essay, which means you have very limited space (50 words) to convey something meaningful about yourself. Additionally, the prompt does not specify what these “things” must be—they could be a physical item, an idea, a concept, or even a pastime. Whatever you choose, these five items should add depth to your identity, values, and priorities.

How to Answer it: Start by brainstorming what matters most to you—these could be values, activities, people, places, or even abstract concepts. The key is to choose items or concepts that, when considered together, provide a comprehensive snapshot of who you are. For example, you might select something tangible and specific such as “an antique telescope gifted by my grandfather” alongside something conceptual such as “the willingness to admit when you’re wrong.” The beauty of this prompt is that it doesn’t require complex sentences or elaborate explanations—just a clear and honest reflection of what you hold dear. Be thoughtful in your selections, and use this prompt to showcase your creativity and core values.

While the supplemental essays should convey something meaningful about you, your values, and your unique qualifications for the university to which you are applying, the best essays are those that are playful, original, and unexpected. By starting early and taking the time to draft and revise their ideas, students can showcase their authentic personalities and distinguish themselves from other applicants through their supplemental essays.

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Wake Forest University 2017-18 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision: 

Before you dig in…

The Wake Forest supplement always gives our students a run for their money and the 2017-18 Wake Forest application is no exception. (Six short answer questions plus an essay? What gives?!) That’s why we made you a guide that explains the purpose of each of these thought-provoking prompts and how to answer them in a way that presents a varied and comprehensive package to admissions.

The Requirements: Answer each of six short answer questions and one long essay.

Supplemental Essay Type: Short Answer , Oddball , Community

General Approach Tips:   Try to approach each of these questions as an opportunity to reveal something new about yourself to admissions and try your best not to be repetitive. If you discuss your passion for current events in question 3, try to discuss something completely unrelated in the other prompts to paint a picture of your diverse interests and the various components that come together to make you, you.

NOTE: A lot of these short answer questions require more time for idea generation than for writing (they are short answers, after all). Don’t rush to simply submit the first ideas that come to mind. Read through the prompts and let things roll around in your brain for a while. The more space and time you have to brainstorm, the more likely you are to have an ah-ha moment for each of these prompts that combine to create an impressive picture of who you are at your core.

Wake Forest 2017-2018 First-Year Application Essay Question Explanations

Brief responses.

Wake Forest asks students to respond briefly to the following questions. They encourage students to be creative and have fun with it, no research necessary!

1a. List five books you have read that piqued your curiosity. (Spaces have been left for you to include each book’s title and author and mark whether the selection was required or unrequired.)

The name of the game with prompts like this one is variety . Each of these books is an opportunity for you to reveal an interest or passion of yours to admissions, and you don’t want to come off as one-note. Did Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel series Sandman blow your mind? Were you horrified by Jon Ronson’s revelations about social media in So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed ? Also, admissions is giving you the option of checking “required” or “unrequired” for a reason – they want to understand what interests you both in a formal academic setting and on your own. So make sure you’re not just listing To Kill a Mockingbird , Romeo and Juliet and 1984 . They’re all works of art, but everyone’s read them, so what will they really say about you? When you only choose one or two of those oft-assigned classics, admissions gets a chance to see what from the modern English (or other!) curriculum really resonated with you.

1b. Discuss the work of fiction you have read which has helped you most to understand the complexity of the world. 

CEA Explains: This prompt asks you to discuss a work of fiction that has impacted your view of the world. As much as you can, try to choose something unexpected. Yes, 1984 showed many students a bleak picture of what a Big Brother takeover might look like. But almost every student in the country is assigned that book and takes a look at those lessons. What else have you read that stuck with you because of who you are and what you care about? The book has to be fiction, but it doesn’t have to be about politics. Has a book you’ve read made you look at relationships differently? Try to be as creative as possible with your selection here, and think about what books have really struck you at your core, and why.

2. While division in American politics suggests that the art of persuasion has lost value, dialogue and debate helps define the Wake Forest community. On what issue do you wish to persuade others? What is your argument?

This can be a tricky prompt in that, while you are aiming to find an argument worth fighting for, you also don’t want to choose something so controversial that it might alienate an admissions officer. Remember, you never know who will be reading these applications. That said, in this divided political climate, academic institutions seem to be embracing of honest, thoughtful conversation, from a variety of perspectives. Whatever you choose, you should be invested in the topic and construct an argument that you think would be likely to win someone over. You have limited number of words to work with here, so choosing a small slice of a larger argument might help you summarize your argument in a way that is more convincing .

3. 59% of Wake Forest’s Class of 2017 received academic credit for faculty-directed research across academic disciplines. Describe a specific academic assignment that sparked an academic curiosity you hope to explore further in college.

Wake Forest wants to know that you will take advantage of the unique resources their school has to offer. And in order to do that, you need to be someone who isn’t afraid to take charge of your own education, identify your interests and follow the lead of your own intellectual curiosity. Identifying an assignment that has excited you is a fantastic way to showcase your interest in a subject and your ability to look into a subject in a self-directed way. Don’t forget to detail why this was the assignment that floated your intellectual boat.

4. What have you learned about yourself from engaging with someone different from you?

Think about what it means for someone to be different than you. How do things like race class, gender, age, political affiliation, temperament or any other qualifier factor into your interactions with others? When have you had an honest epiphany from a moment that could have otherwise been confrontational? When were you shocked by your former ignorance about an issue? When has someone been able to show you something, simply by holding up a mirror from where they were standing?

5. Give us your top ten list. Theme: _____________________________

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

This is one of our all-time favorite short-answer questions. It’s also one students dread initially, because they don’t know how to approach it. Like many of the other questions on this list, think about what you do or what you are interested in that might also be of interest to admissions. What else about who you are and what you do have you not yet revealed about yourself? Our founder always jokes that she would list her favorite kinds of pasta in order (because she is an actual pasta addict). Maybe she would make a list of the top ten pasta meals of her life and who she ate them with, to showcase how much pasta is a part of her social life and how she connects with others (it truly is the centerpiece of her world). Think about how you can add dimension to your list and take a collection of favorite movies or music beyond the ordinary. If someone else could submit your list, it’s not specific or creative enough and probably won’t tell admissions anything they really want or need to know.

6. You have a popular podcast. What’s the title? What’s the topic?

Start with the topic here. What of your interests and hobbies might you not yet have elaborated on for admissions? Is there a way for you to put a new twist on a subject that already comes up on your activity list or in your main Common App essay, but that will showcase the depth to which that interest can be explored? How can you best showcase your ability to think creatively about the subjects you engage in? Also spend time playing around with the title to create something catchy – don’t let your presentation of the podcast be an afterthought. This whole application is an exercise in personal branding, so take some time to really think on the hypothetical marketing exercise admissions is asking you to engage in here, and show them what you’ve got!

*This prompt is only available on the Common Application

How did you become interested in Wake Forest University and why are you applying? (150 words or less)

This is a pretty straightforward question, and your answer should be relatively straightforward. Who told you about Wake Forest? Did you find it in your research? From a guidance counselor? Through a friend? And what about the school is really calling to you? You only have 150 words to communicate to admissions why Wake Forest is the school for you, so pick the two or three most important points and keep the message focused. What does Wake Forest offer that interests you, and how can you prove your interest in these areas through your past experiences? Draw the line for admissions to sharply and succinctly make your point.

*These prompts are only available on the Wake Forest University application.

On a separate page, use the following essay to give the Admissions Committee insight into your character and intellect.

During the 2017-2018 academic year, Wake Forest University is launching a year-long Rethinking Community initiative. Use your imagination to rethink your school community and your place in it. (Word limit unclear.)

This is a community essay, with a slight twist. Admissions wants to wrap their head around how you will contribute to their campus. What will you bring to the table? The important thing to pay attention to here is the “Rethinking Community Initiative.” This is, as hinted at in the prompt, an actual Wake Forest initiative, so make sure you research the mission behind it . Then think about how your own experience contributing to your community could help enhance this new program and the Wake Forest community, overall. How would you like to see students interacting on campus?

In the space provided, briefly discuss which of the accomplishments listed above has had the most meaning for you and why. (Word limit unclear.)

You’re going to have to poke around to find this one (we did!) but it exists, so we thought you should be prepared. This is a pretty typical activity essay. Just try and distill your most meaningful extracurricular in a few sentence and give context for why it has meant so much to you. The word count should become clear when you enter it into the app itself (we hope!)

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