Brandeis University, located in the Greater Boston area, is known for its strong academics, strong need-based financial aid (even for international students), and inclusive community. With the middle 50% of admitted Brandeis students achieving a 1410-1510 SAT composite score or a 31-34 ACT composite score, admissions are competitive. Brandeis’ accomplished alumni include Angela Davis, Michael Horowitz, Thomas Friedman, and Debra Messing. Hoping to join their ranks? First, you’ll need to nail your Brandeis supplemental essays. Let’s dive in.
Brandeis 2024-2025 Prompts
There are two Brandeis supplemental essays. All applicants must answer the first essay question. The second question should only be answered by international students. Both questions require 250 words or fewer.
Required Essay Question
- Brandeis was established 75 years ago to address antisemitism, racism, and gender discrimination in higher education, and today, the university remains dedicated to its founding values of inclusivity and justice. How has your educational experience shaped your perspective on these values? (250 words or fewer)
Required International Students Essay Question
- What excites you the most about being an international student at Brandeis University? (250 words or fewer)
General Tips
A great college essay demonstrates that the writer is mature, thoughtful, hard-working, and ready to thrive in a challenging educational environment. But how can you show these qualities in your college essay? Here are a few ideas.
Share a story about yourself.
If your college essay revolves around a story you are share about yourself, then it will naturally show the reader what kind of character you possess. Through your actions in the narrative you share, the reader can interpret the extent of your maturity, understand your work ethic through a description of the fruits of your labors or the effort you expended, and so on. Your thoughtfulness can come through in your reflection at the end of the essay. Your college preparedness will be clear through the demonstration of all these characteristics.
Remember, “show, don’t tell.” This saying refers to when the reader deduces ideas and emotions from your story instead of being directly told what those ideas and emotions are. For instance, instead of writing, “I am more mature than I once was,” you can describe how you behaved in the past versus how you behave now. The contrast between these descriptions will “show” the reader your growth.
Share the lessons you have learned.
Everyone faces challenges in their lives. Everyone makes mistakes. But the people who stand out are those who face challenges, make mistakes, and learn from those experiences. The self-aware individual is able to go a step further and identify what they have learned. If your essay can successfully show how you went from point A to point B and then express your takeaways from this experience, then you’ll have an effective narrative on your hands. The admissions officer reading your essay will then feel that no matter what obstacles you encounter in college, you’ll still come out on top.
Stay humble, but confident.
The college essay requires a delicate balance between humility and confidence. Some applicants avoid sounding arrogant by writing self-deprecating narratives. Other applicants strive to sound confident and end up sounding self-satisfied. You’ll want to avoid both of these extremes.
Try to make factual—rather than subjective—statements about your accomplishments. For instance, if you write, “I recruited 15 volunteers, and together, we raised $1,000,” then the reader will not think you sound self-congratulatory—they’ll just understand what you literally achieved. Feel free to write about the pride you feel when thinking of what you have accomplished and how far you have come. Furthermore, avoid leaning hard into self-critique and focus more on your growth from where you once were.
Now, let’s dive into the Brandeis supplemental essays.
Brandeis Required Essay Question
Brandeis was established 75 years ago to address antisemitism, racism, and gender discrimination in higher education, and today, the university remains dedicated to its founding values of inclusivity and justice. How has your educational experience shaped your perspective on these values? (250 words or fewer)
This prompt seeks to understand how you will fit into the Brandeis community, which lies upon the foundations described in the prompt. In summary, Brandeis values what is colloquially known as “DEI,” or diversity, equity, and inclusion. Looking into your past and understanding how and when you became aware of these values, as well as what your perspective is on them, is the crucial first step in answering this prompt.
The next step in answering this prompt is describing the specific aspects of your educational experience that have shaped your perspective on “inclusivity and justice.” Have been inspired by a specific teacher? Have you ever felt excluded or witnessed a peer being excluded? How did you respond? What did you learn from this experience?
The core of your response to this question should be growth and evolution as a result of your educational experiences, specifically in regard to your perspective on inclusivity and justice. In other words, tell a story of how you changed your mind, let your perspective evolve, gained a new perspective, or developed a more nuanced perspective. Use concrete details where possible, and remember to reflect on the lessons at the end of your essay on the lessons you have learned.
Required International Students Essay Question
What excites you the most about being an international student at Brandeis University? (250 words or fewer)
This is your opportunity, if you are an international student, to tell Brandeis why you would like to attend. Your response to this prompt should be full of well-researched reasons. For instance, are there particular courses you hope to take or clubs you intend to join? Is there a professor you want to conduct research under? Are you especially excited to live in the Boston area, and if so, why?
Make a list of all your reasons for hoping to attend Brandeis, and then structure your essay around them. For instance, you could write one paragraph about academic reasons, one about social and personal reasons, and one about culture and value-based reasons. If you’re having trouble coming up with reasons, spend more time looking through the online resources provided by Brandeis and learning about student experiences. At the end of your essay, make sure to include a concluding paragraph that reflects upon how each of these reasons, as well as how they relate to your status as a future international student.
Alternatively, you could write an essay that envisions you as a student attending Brandeis. What are the opportunities you seize each day in the student life you imagine for yourself? Go through your imaginary day and describe it to the reader in detail. Be sure to express why you choose to seize the specific opportunities you do. This is just one of many ways of writing this essay, but if you choose not to go this route in your writing process, feel free to try this as a brainstorming exercise. You might impress yourself with what you come up with!
If you need help polishing up your Brandeis supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.
