How to Write the Tufts Supplemental Essays (with Examples!) [UPDATED FOR 2024-2025]

Let’s talk about how to write the Tufts supplemental essays (with examples)...

How do you write the Tufts supplemental essays, Lisa?  So many essay prompts(!), and the format is weird.  I don’t know where to start!

The Tufts supplemental essay prompts are out, and I’m already getting calls for how to start writing them!

It’s no surprise.  Tufts University has been a favorite destination for high-learning for decades  Established in 1852 in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, it is a private research institution renowned for its commitment to interdisciplinary learning and global citizenship. With a student body of approximately 13,000 across its undergraduate and graduate programs, Tufts offers a collaborative academic environment that emphasizes the creation and application of knowledge . The university's four campuses—Medford/Somerville, Boston, Grafton, and Talloires, France—provide diverse settings for students to engage in a wide array of disciplines, from the liberal arts to professional studies 

Tufts is distinguished by its strong emphasis on civic engagement, exemplified by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, the nation's only university-wide college dedicated to civic education and public service . The university's academic offerings span over 90 undergraduate and 160 graduate programs across ten schools, including the renowned Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the nation's oldest graduate school of international relations . 

As result, Tufts’ overall acceptance rate hovers around 10%, making it a highly-selective school, and one where spending time on your application is imperative! 

Let’s take a look at Tufts’ supplemental essays.  For this year (2024-2025), Tufts’ application includes multiple supplemental essay prompts…

Let’s take a look at all of Tufts’ supplemental essay prompts…

What Are the Tufts Supplemental Essay Prompts?

Tufts requires two short supplemental essays (or, as Tufts calls them, “short answer questions”), but they’re in an unusual format.

The Tufts School of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering Essay Prompts

For the Tufts School of Arts and Sciences and the Tufts School of Engineering, applicants must choose one of the following essay prompts (200-250 words):

• It’s cool to love learning. What excites your intellectual curiosity and why?

• How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – shaped the person you are today?

• Using a specific example or two, tell us about a way that you contributed to building a collaborative and/or inclusive community.

The Tufts School of Museum of Fine Arts Essay Prompt

For the Tufts School of the Museum of Fine Arts, applicants have the following essay prompt:

• Art has the power to disrupt our preconceptions, shape public discourse, and imagine new ways of being in the world. What are the ideas you’d like to explore in your work?   

The Tufts “Why Us?” Short Answer Prompt

And all, first year applicants to Tufts must complete the following sentence in 100 words or less (yes, it’s super-short!):

“I am applying to Tufts because…” 

Whew!  That’s handful!  Let’s break it down…

The Tufts supplemental essays can seem overwhelming at first glance!

The Tufts Supplemental Essays: a Breakdown

The Tufts supplemental essay prompts may seem overwhelming at first (so many!!!), but once you take a deep breath, they become much easier to get a handle on.  (I’m going to leave the essay prompt for the Museum of Fine Arts for another blog for now).

First of all, since almost all students are applying to the School of Arts & Sciences or the School of Engineering, yes, you only need to write ONE of the first three essay prompts.  So even though it may feel daunting the first time you see those three essay prompts, remember you only have to write one short essay to satisfy that essay requirement, and you can pick whichever of the three essay prompts you feel you can answer best.

And quite frankly, none of these essay prompts are especially unusual (more on this below).  You may already have written an essay for an essay prompt similar to one of these, so as long as you like that essay, you can probably do some judicious editing and repurpose it for Tufts.

But if you’re still at the beginning of your college essay writing journey, let’s take a closer look at these essay prompts…

How to Write the Tufts Supplemental Essay Prompts

The Tufts supplemental essay prompts are essentially “Supplemental Essays’ Greatest Hits”:  a “Why major?” essay, a “what’s shaped you?” essay, and a “community” essay.  Let’s take these supplemental essay prompts one-by-one:

How to Write the Tufts “Intellectual Curiosity” Essay (“Why major”)

It’s cool to love learning. What excites your intellectual curiosity and why?

The first Tufts supplemental essay option is a short “Why major?” essay, one of the most common and straightforward supplemental essay prompts out there.  Essentially, Tufts wants to get an idea of what you’re interested in and why: 

What are you passionate about?  What are your intellectual motivations and aspirations in this area?  What are you curious about?  And do you already have an idea of how you’d like to pursue it in college?

As common as this essay is, 200-250 words is pretty short! But there are a couple of key points you need to make with this essay.

The Tufts supplemental essay on intellectual curiosity is essentially a “Why major?” essay.

Tufts “Why major?” Supplemental Essay Point #1:  Why Are You Curious About this?  

Generally, the easiest way to answer a “Why are you interested in this?” kind of question is by describing the origin of your interest:  How did you get curious about this subject? 

Usually, there are generally 2 ways for this to go:

The first likely possibility is this is something you’ve always been interested in.  As long as you can remember, you’ve been interested in this topic.  Think:  

I’ve been bringing home sick puppies and kittens as long as I can remember.  I would patch up their wounds and nurse them back to health and that’s why I want to become a veterinarian…

(Please don’t write that as an essay.  It was for illustrative purposes only). 

The second likely possibility is that there’s a specific moment in which you knew that this was what your interest was.  Think:

… my grandfather suffered a heart attack, and as I was watching the doctors saving her life, I knew my calling in life was to become a cardiologist…  

(Again, please don’t write that for your essay).

So, do think back.  How did you become interested in this area?  Were you the child always starting businesses in your neighborhood that now dreams of going to school to study finance?  Was there a moment on a field trip to a NASA lab where you knew you wanted to study aerospace engineering?  

What sparked this desire to study this particular subject?

Tufts “Why This Major?” Point #2:  How Have You Pursued the Interest?

Okay, now that you’ve established where your interest comes from and that it comes from you, how have you specifically pursued that interest over time?

This could come in a variety of ways: taking college classes, doing research, shadowing professionals, interning and/or paid work, volunteering in the area, organizing a student conference, etc.  

What’s important is that you can show that you can show that you’ve put in time developing the interest.  It’s not something you thought sounded cool a week ago and/or you’re putting this down as your intended major because you heard it was less competitive.

Let’s take a look at an example… 

Here’s an example of the Tufts “Why major?” supplemental essay…

An Example of the Tufts “Why This Major?” Supplemental Essay:

I’ve always loved puzzles.  Ever since I was 3 years old, my parents had always bought me jigsaw puzzles.  I cherished spending late nights with my mother, visualizing all possible combinations of the pieces until I found one that fit.  Finishing a puzzle sparked joy within me; I felt a sense of accomplishment and enthusiasm once a puzzle was completed.  

Later on, I expanded expressing my problem-solving side towards mathematics.  As I took on more advanced math classes, I grew more fascinated by the subject and how the pieces of a math problem fit together. I began to construct my own problems and attempt to solve them like “how do you find the distance between two points on Earth using only coordinates” and “what is the relationship between a shadow’s area and the position of a light source.”

In high school, I discovered the field of engineering and using mathematics and science to solve real-world issues.  As a junior, I jumped on the opportunity to work on a real-world problem with a professor at Cal State Fullerton, helping him design a wearable prosthetic which helps those with reduced leg mobility walk.  

Holding the first models of the prosthetic was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and in the moment, I knew that my calling was to apply engineering to solve real-world problems abd improve the lives of people around me.

Here’s another example of an essay that could work for this Tufts supplemental essay prompt…

Here is another example of an essay that could work for this Tufts essay prompt:

Think about a song. Maybe Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen comes to mind, or something timeless like Chopin’s Winter Wind Étude—a personal favorite of mine. Inspired by the different music around me, I developed a fascination for composing my own melodies. Crafting a tune that lingers in the listener’s mind or creating a chord progression that builds tension and releases it like a held breath feels almost magical. This passion led me to explore the deeper ways music expresses emotions beyond words. With a small touch or tinker of melody, I’ve discovered how syncopations, key shifts, and harmonies can evoke joy, sorrow, or nostalgia.

My love for composition extends beyond the notes; it’s a fusion of creativity, math, and science. I’m fascinated by the overlap between music theory and structure—the symmetry and patterns in chords, the harmonic series, and even mathematical concepts like the Fibonacci sequence. Mozart’s use of the Golden Ratio and Bach’s fractal structures inspire me to seek balance between technical precision and emotional resonance in my own work. Composing feels like solving a puzzle, where each choice blends my analytical mind with my creative instincts.

My compositions are more than personal—they’re a gift to my community. For my school’s drama production, I composed an original score, tailoring motifs to mirror characters' emotions and plot. Watching actors move to my music and seeing the audience absorbed in the atmosphere showed how music connects people. For me, these moments show me that music isn’t just sound—it’s a language that unites, uplifts, and deepens understanding.

Now, let’s take a look at the second option for Tufts’ supplemental essay…

Let'‘s take a look at Tufts’ “What Shaped You?” supplemental essay prompt!

How to Write the Tufts “What Shaped You?” Supplemental Essay

How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – shaped the person you are today?

This is another one of those essays that you may have already written for another school.  If that’s the case, you may be able to tweak that essay to answer this essay prompt.  If not, let’s talk about what’s going on in this essay prompt.

Why Does Tufts Ask This Supplemental Essay Question?

Tufts is pretty straightforward in the supplemental essay questions it asks, and this is no exception.  In this supplemental essay prompt, Tufts, like a lot of schools, is trying to get a sense of your background and its impact on you:  essentially, what has made you who you are.

Of course, your answer gives them a sense of where you’ve from and its influence on you, but it also gives you a sense of who you will be in college and the influence you will have on others.

It comes down to three main points you need to make in answering this essay prompt:

Tufts “What’s Shaped You?” Supplemental Essay Point #1: Your Background

The first point you need to address in this essay is an element of your background, one that is important to you.  Of course, many elements of our backgrounds make us who we are: family, our towns, schools, culture, language, teams we’ve been on, etc.  But this is a short essay, so you’ll have to pick one to talk about here.

So, start making a list:  What are the facets of your background?  How have they influenced you?  And why are they important to you?  For example, is there a period in your life in which they played an important role for some reason?

And how does that overlap with…

Tufts second supplemental essay prompt asks how your background has shaped you.

Tufts “What’s Shaped You?” Supplemental Essay Point #2: How Your Background Has Impacted You

The second point you need to address with this essay is the “How has this shaped you?” part of this question.  In other words, what is the impact that this part of your background has had on you? 

A number of supplemental essays ask about how something has shaped you or how it’s made an impact on your life, and sometimes students have a hard time really coming up with an answer to those questions.  In those cases, I’ll often ask the student to think about the difference that’s been made on their life.  If you conceptualize the difference between who you were before whatever you’re writing about and afterwards, how would you describe it.

In this case of course, you’re writing about something in your background so there’s probably not the same as describing the impact of an event or a person who entered your life, but you can also think about how it has influenced how you act or something that you did.  Those are things that you can definitely write about in a short essay like this.

And it all leads to…

Tufts “Whats Shaped You?” Essay Point #3:  The “So What?”

Of course, the point of this essay, the point of all college essays, is for schools like Tufts to get a sense of how this matters in the context of you potentially becoming a part of their university.  So how has your background influenced who you might be in college?

This could be in any number of ways: things you participate in, what you may be interested in exploring, or it may be influencing how you approach college.

Here is an example of a Tufts “What’s Shaped You?”-type essay…:

Here’s an example of the Tufts “What’s Shaped You?” essay…

An Example of the Tufts “What’s Shaped You?” Essay

Buddhism is a significant part of my self-identity. My family's beliefs in Buddhist principles shaped my worldview, instilling values of compassion, mindfulness, and interconnectedness. When my family moved to the diverse San Francisco Bay Area, I encountered a mosaic of cultures and beliefs vastly different from those in Taiwan. Navigating this new environment, I leaned on my Buddhist teachings of listening and understanding others' perspectives.

In high school, leading the East Asian Affinity space, I aimed to bridge cultural divides within our student body, representing our space during DEI summit events and promoting inter-cultural conversation. Surprisingly, though, I also discovered the importance of facilitating discussion within the East Asian Affinity space between our first-generation students and students whose families have long been based in the U.S. and who often see racial issues differently. After a nearby shooting during Lunar New Year celebrations, a heated discussion of what it could mean for members of our group followed.  It was an eye-opening experience that raised my consciousness of understanding.   

Buddhism has taught me that embracing our differences and working together can create a more compassionate and harmonious world. At Tufts, I’m excited to bring these values to a community dedicated to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, engaging in the open exchange of ideas guided by equity and social responsibility. My Buddhist background and experiences will enable me to thrive as a bridge builder within Tufts’ global community, fostering collaboration and mutual growth.

Let’s take a look at the third option for the Tufts Supplemental Essay, the “Community” Essay

Tufts’ third supplemental essay is a “Community essay”. Let’s take a look (with an example1).

How to Write the Tufts “Community” Supplemental Essay (with an Example)

Using a specific example or two, tell us about a way that you contributed to building a collaborative and/or inclusive community.

Tufts is asking a variation of a very common supplemental essay: the so-called “Community Essay.”  And as all of my students know, I’m convinced that colleges are obsessed with the concept of “community.”  Supplemental essay prompts about “community,” how you think about community, communities you’ve belonged to, how will you contribute to our community… well, they’re one of the most common required essay prompts, and chances are you were asked to submit several of these kinds of supplemental essays during your college application process.

The Tufts Community essay is no exception:

Let’s take this apart…

Why is Tufts Asking this Question?  What Is this Supplemental Essay About?

I may be being slightly facetious when I say that colleges are obsessed with communities, but there really is a good reason for it.  

If you step back and think about it for a moment, what colleges and universities are are communities.  Yes, they’re institutions, but they’re communities of students, faculty, and staff coming together under the big college community umbrella.  It’s really no wonder that one of the things that colleges most want to find out about you is how you interact as a member of a community, contribute to your community, and how you think about your role in a community.

Now, let’s talk about how to answer Tufts’ version of the community essay, and the 2 main points you need to hit. 

The Tufts supplemental essay on community asks you to write about your contribution to a community you belong to.

Tufts Community Essay Point #1:  The Community You Belong To

The first thing that you need to do with this essay is to identify a community that you belong to.

So sit and think about this for a moment.  What are the communities that you belong to?  Of course, there’s the obvious: your hometown, your school, your church, your neighborhood, etc.  But there’s also the less obvious.  Are the communities that you belong to around an activity you’ve participated in?  What about places you’ve lived in and groups you’ve belonged to in the past?

The point of a community essay isn’t that your name is down on some community roll call somewhere.  What colleges want to know about is how do you think about a group that is greater than yourself?  How do you interact with that group?  And how do you play some role within it?

Be expansive as you need to be!  But write some notes down about the communities you belong to, how you think about your role in them, and how you’ve contributed to them.

Now, comes the fun storytelling part!   

Tufts Community Essay Point #2:  Your Contribution to Collaboration and Contribution

Once you’ve identified meaningful communities in your life, think about how you’ve helped build and contributed to them, and in particular how you’ve contributed to building collaboration or inclusivity within that community.  Remember, Tufts is trying to see how you would fit into their greater community and how you would contribute to collaboration or inclusivity at Tufts and beyond.

Are there some particular experiences you can tell about how you helped build a collaborative community?  What stories can you tell about inclusivity in your community? This is generally easier if you can identify one or two specific contributions that you’ve made.

Remember this is a pretty short essay, so you’re probably only going to be able to tell one story or so.  Make it a good one!  

Here’s one example of the Tufts “community” supplemental essay!

An Example of the Tufts “Community Essay”

Now, as you have your note for both of these points, take a look at them side by side.  How do you they connect?  Are any of them related?  Where is there an overlap or relationship that can pull an essay together?

This is a case where I think an example of an essay will really help!

Here’s an Example of the Tufts Community Essay

It wasn’t easy making an impact as a kid. But growing up in the backroom of my family dry cleaning business taught me about making the most of my limited resources, especially when it was important to me. 

One of the things that has been important to me has been building support for others’ wellbeing. Volunteering at Sugarloaf Special Education Ministry (SSEM) allowed me to foster a community of love. Working with special needs students opened my eyes to the insurmountable joy my community experiences through little moments. For example, Daniel, a non-verbal student, communicates with his mom through painting. The class cheers as Minyong sings. And every Sunday, I’m greeted with an irreplaceable spirit—one that gives these students excitement, fulfillment, a sense of belonging.

However, some students couldn’t feel this spirit—those with autoimmune diseases or physical handicaps couldn’t attend in-person. My role goes beyond volunteering—it’s about creating an inclusive community by fostering connections with those who couldn’t join us. I took the initiative to deliver arts and crafts supplies weekly and livestream the service so students who couldn’t participate before were now included and involved—singing, creating, praying with us no matter where they were. They could now feel connected to our community of love.

In creating an impact with limited resources, I found my purpose: to help others no matter with whatever resources I have.  Whether it be through limited resources as a kid, in my church community, or economically,  will leverage my impact towards the future.

Here’s another example of a student essay answering the Tufts supplemental essay prompt on community

Here’s another example of the Tufts Community essay:

I’ve been writing for the school’s newspaper, _________, for three years. It's been an effective way to improve my writing skills, but more importantly, it’s allowed me to connect with the community of writers at my school. As Co-Editor-In-Chief of the newspaper, I noticed that many staff members were not attending club meetings which fostered disconnect and a lack of collaboration; this absence of communication among writers ultimately caused publishing editions monthly to be a difficult task.

To help bring this community together, I reached out to one of my high school’s alumni, a writer for the Sun Chronicle: _______. I wanted him to speak about the importance of teamwork within the publishing room and how working with peer writers impacted his work. He emphasized that producing a newspaper was an essential part of our larger school community that could bring our small group of writers together as well as the entire student body. 

After taking the initiative to invite Mr. _______, I felt that staff members saw our community in a different light; instead of thinking of our club as writing a mandatory article every month, club members wanted to collaborate and saw publishing every month as a joint effort. We’ve been able to come together to put out an edition every month since then, even in September which we hadn't achieved for a few years. With this new energy, staff members are now eager to come together and communicate their ideas and contributions.

It all leads to finishing things off strong with a final “Why Tufts?” statement…

The last part of Tufts’ supplemental essays is a short answer: “Why Tufts?”

How to Answer the Tufts’ Short “Why Tufts?” Question

Tufts concludes their application with a simple question.  Complete the following in 100 words or less:

“I am applying to Tufts because…” 

This is a very short and very straightforward version of that most common of supplemental essays, “Why us?”  This is such a common essay that you may already be old hat at this already, but if you’re still early in your essay-writing process,  let’s take this apart for a minute…

Why Does Tufts Ask This Question?

Well, as I’ve said, this is a pretty common and straightforward question.  In this question, Tufts wants to know why you’re interested in Tufts.  What interests bring you to Tufts or what about the school and its values resonate with you.

Again, this is a short 100 words, so you don’t have much space to elaborate on your answer.  You have to be short and to the point.  Still, even though this has to very concise, you have to keep in mind that this is not supposed to just be a love letter to Tufts.

As I always tell students, schools already think that they’re great.  You do not need to tell Tufts all the amazing things there are about it as a school.  The point of this essay is why Tufts would be a great fit for you specifically.

So in answering this question, think about what the things about you really draw you to Tufts.  For many students this is about your academic interests, but it could also be about your approach to learning, or values that you share with Tufts.

Whatever it is, make sure that you are clear about what it is and tie that to specific aspects of Tufts.  For example, you could mention specific programs, Tufts’ approach to multidisciplinary learning, professors and the research they are conducting at Tufts.

However, you answer this question, remember… Everyone likes to feel special, even schools like Tufts!  So your answer should be one that you would not write for another school!

Here’s an example of how to answer the Tufts “Why us?” short answer question…

Here’s an example of how to answer the Tufts supplemental essay prompt: “Why Tufts?”

An Example of How to Answer the Tufts “Why Us?” Question

I am applying ot Tufts because…

Tufts’ emphasis on independent research and interdisciplinary learning aligns well with my passion for exploring biology and specifically, neurobiology and behavior. The biopsychology major excites me as it bridges my interest in brain function and biological mechanisms. I’m specifically motivated to join cutting-edge research at the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology, inspired by Dr. Michael Levin’s work on brain plasticity in tadpoles with ectopic eyes. Tufts is known for a close-knit environment and flexibility with majors. I strongly believe it would deepen my understanding of neuroplasticity while I explore other scientific fields at the same time.

Need more help with your college essays?  

Check out my college essay coaching!  

And for additional help with your college applications, check out my college admissions consulting and college interview preparation and coaching.

Are you applying to NYU? Check out my blog on How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay (with an Example!).

Are you applying to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)? Check out my guide: How to Write the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Supplemental Essays (with Examples!)

Are you applying to the University of Southern California (USC)? Check out my guide: How to Write the University of Southern California (USC) Supplemental Essays (with Examples!)

Or How to Write the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) Supplemental Essays (with Examples!)

Are you applying to Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) ? Check out my guide to How to Write the Carnegie-Mellon (CMU) Supplemental Essays (with Examples!).

Are you applying to Vanderbilt ? Check out my guide to How to Write the Vanderbilt Supplemental Essay (with an Example!).

Are you applying to Stanford ? Check out my guide to How to Write the Stanford Roommate Essay (with an Example!).

Are you applying to Brown ? Check out my guide to How to Write the Brown Supplemental Essays (with Examples!).

Check out my blogs on popular college admissions topics like:

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