The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMN) is known for their wide array of majors and strong health sciences program in particular. Founded before Minnesota was even a state, UMN counts among its accomplished alumni Arthur Fry (co-creator of Post-It Notes), Michele Norris (first African American female host for NPR), and Walter Mondale (42nd Vice President of the United States), among many others. Hoping to become a Gopher? First, you’ll need to nail your UMN supplemental essays. Let’s dive in.
University of Minnesota Twin Cities’ 2024-2025 Prompts
- Please include an explanation of why you would like to study the major(s) you have selected. You may also use this space to indicate your interest in other major(s) in the colleges listed above. (150 words or fewer)
- The University values diversity, broadly defined to include diversity of experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, and talents. Enrolling a diverse community of scholars interested in learning with and from each other fosters discussion and discovery inside and outside of the classroom. Please share briefly how you might contribute to, or benefit from, our community of scholars. (150 words or fewer)
General Tips
As addressed briefly in the explanation of the second prompt, the UMN supplemental essays benefit from a bit of research. Understanding which programs, courses, professors, clubs, and so on are available to UMN students, and which are of particular interest to you, can help guide your essays.
For instance, if you’re interested in the Dental Hygiene degree at UMN, it is worth pointing out that this program is unusual to be offered at the undergraduate level, hence your strong interest in it. Or, if the opportunity to join UMN’s Ag Business Club is exciting to you, then you should point this particular club out in your application. Showing you’ve done your research not only demonstrates your thoroughness and thoughtfulness but also your interest in UMN.
In summary, scour UMN’s webpages, read their brochures, and reach out to current students or alumni if this option is available to you. The more you know, the more you can use this knowledge to demonstrate your enthusiasm in your essays.
University of Minnesota Twin Cities Short Essay Questions
Below are the prompts for the UMN supplemental essays. Let’s break them down.
Please include an explanation of why you would like to study the major(s) you have selected. You may also use this space to indicate your interest in other major(s) in the colleges listed above. (150 words or fewer)
This question is straightforward, but difficult. Most applicants struggle to identify why their chosen major is important to them. If you do have a particular moment in mind, then that’s great. In this essay, take the time to explore that moment and how it continues to impact your academic journey to this day.
That said, your choice of major might be the result of a series of life experiences and interests, rather than a single “aha!” moment. Moreover, many students select majors on their college applications without much confidence that they’ll stick to it once they get to campus. If that sounds like you, you’re not alone! According to the National Center for Education Studies, about 30% of students change their major in college at least once.
Whatever the case, you definitely have at least a couple reasons for choosing your major(s). Before you begin this essay draft, try to write down ten reasons for choosing your major. That might sound like an excess of reasons, and it is, for the purposes of writing this essay. But it’s a useful brainstorming exercise. After creating your list, you might realize that some of your reasons can be recombined into fewer, more nuanced reasons. Alternatively, you might realize that some of your reasons are more important for you to write about than others.
You may also want to brainstorm occasions when this particular subject has brought you joy or fulfillment. In your essay, you can dive into these moments and build your narrative around them. Think broadly: has there been an occasion when you have seen someone with a degree in your field of interest make a positive impact on the world? If so, that moment could be part of your essay.
In addition, you could write about the career motivations behind your choice of major(s). What profession can you pursue as a result of obtaining this degree? Moreover, don’t feel restricted to describing a single reason behind your major of choice. That said, there’s nothing wrong with focusing on a single source of inspiration, if that is true to your experience.
If you’re having trouble deciding which reason(s) to focus on, try free-writing to figure out which topics you find most meaningful to explore in your writing.
The University values diversity, broadly defined to include diversity of experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, and talents. Enrolling a diverse community of scholars interested in learning with and from each other fosters discussion and discovery inside and outside of the classroom. Please share briefly how you might contribute to, or benefit from, our community of scholars. (150 words or fewer)
This prompt has two parts; understanding both parts is essential to composing an effective essay. The last part of the prompt is a direct question about your vision for your future role in the UMN community. The first part of the prompt contextualizes that question. The UMN “community of scholars” is not a group of like-minded people. Rather, it is a diverse group of peers all learning from, about, and with each other.
In your response to this prompt, you are expected to address the topic of diversity in terms of how you will contribute to the community and/or benefit from the community. Ideally, you address both your envisioned contributions and the ways you hope to benefit. If you only address your contributions, you risk sounding a bit arrogant that you have little to learn from your classmates. If you only address your benefits, you risk giving the impression you aren’t interested in giving back to the community. Addressing both of these aspects will balance your essay out.
In terms of your envisioned benefits, it can be helpful to do a little research. Understanding what opportunities UMN specifically offers will make your essay more vivid and individual. Most students will list different benefits from you or none at all, so listing the benefits of UMN’s scholarly community that particularly pertain to you will differentiate your essay from the crowd.
If you need help polishing up your UMN supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.
