Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire is the first Ivy League college to officially release its 2023-2024 supplemental essay prompts for first-year applicants. As most high school seniors applying to Dartmouth do so through the Common Application, most Dartmouth applicants will also need to respond – and respond well – to one of the Common App’s main essay prompts in order to be considered for admission at Dartmouth.
This year’s supplemental prompts are a mix of old and new; some were kept from last year, while others are brand new.
To watch my detailed advice from last year regarding how to get into Dartmouth, which includes advice on last year’s supplemental essay prompts, some of which are used again this year, click here or watch it below. At the very bottom of this article (and here) you will find my latest video discussing Dartmouth’s newest supplemental essay prompts.
The admissions offices at most highly selective universities have been slower than usual in releasing their supplemental essay prompts for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle as a result of having to reassess their practices in a new post-affirmative action environment. Dartmouth does seem to have added a few new prompt options to give students more ways in which to highlight their unique identities and future potential.
Without further ado, here are Dartmouth’s prompts for prospective first-year students applying for Fall 2024 entry.
Dartmouth 2023-2024 Supplemental Essay Prompts
1. Required of all applicants. Please respond in 100 words or fewer:
Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth’s Class of 2028, what aspects of the College’s academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest? In short, why Dartmouth?
2. Required of all applicants, please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer:
A. There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today. (New this year)
B. “Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself.
3. Required of all applicants, please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer:
A. What excites you?
B. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. “We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things,” she said. “That is what we are put on the earth for.” In what ways do you hope to make—or are you already making—an impact? Why? How?
C. Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth’s Class of 1925, wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” As you wonder and think, what’s on your mind?
D. Celebrate your nerdy side. (New this year)
E. “It’s not easy being green…” was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook? (New this year)
F. As noted in the College’s mission statement, “Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…” Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you? (New this year)
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My “How to get into Dartmouth” video from last year:
My new video discussing Dartmouth’s 2023-2024 supplemental prompts for first-year applicants:
