The University of Virginia (UVA), located in the city of Charlottesville, was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson. With a 19% acceptance rate, UVA remains a selective research institution with a preference for in-state applicants. UVA’s accomplished alumni include Tina Fey, Ted Kennedy, Robert Mueller, and Steve Huffman. This year, a supplemental essay is only required for those applying to the School of Nursing. If this applies to you, let’s dive in!
UVA’s 2026-2027 Prompts
School of Nursing Question
- Describe a health care-related experience or other significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying Nursing. (300 words or fewer)
UVA School of Nursing Question
Describe a health care-related experience or other significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying Nursing. (300 words or fewer)
This prompt asks you to pinpoint a moment that moved nursing from an idea to a plan. The admissions committee at the School of Nursing wants to know what you have actually seen, felt, or done in a health care setting (or in a meaningful interaction outside of one) and how that experience deepened your interest in the field. Note the word “deepened.” The prompt assumes some interest already existed, so your job is to show a turning point, not to explain why nursing matters in the abstract.
Start by brainstorming the experiences that come to mind when you think about nursing. The prompt is broader than it looks. A “health care-related experience” could be a hospital volunteer shift, a job as a certified nursing assistant or medical scribe, or a summer program, but the phrase “other significant interaction” opens the door to caring for a sick family member, translating for a grandparent at a doctor’s appointment, or a conversation with a nurse who changed how you understood the profession. Some possibilities:
- A shift or volunteer experience where you watched a nurse handle a difficult moment with a patient
- A family member’s illness that put you on the other side of the bedside
- A clinical, shadowing, or research program that gave you hands-on exposure to patient care
- A conversation with a nurse, EMT, or other provider that reframed what nursing actually involves
Once you have chosen your experience, structure the essay around the before and after. Briefly describe what you thought about nursing before this moment, then narrate the moment itself with concrete, sensory detail, and finally explain what shifted. The reflection is the heart of this essay. Did you learn that nursing is as much about advocacy and communication as it is about clinical skill? Did the experience test your commitment and confirm it? Be honest about anything that unsettled you. Applicants who can acknowledge the hard parts of the job and still want it come across as mature and ready. With a tight word limit, keep the setup short and get to the moment quickly.
The key here is using concrete examples rather than generic statements about helping patients. I would avoid statements simply about “helping people” that aren’t grounded in real experiences and overly dramatic language that focuses on the mission of saving lives. As long as you’re genuine about your compassion and competence, your essay should be ready to go!
If you need help polishing up your UVA supplemental essay, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.
