Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, MD, is renowned for its research advancements in the biomedical sciences, as well as for being America’s first research university. From its 19th-century Maryland Quaker origins to its present-day impact on the global stage, Johns Hopkins has remained a prestigious educational institution. For applicants seeking admission to Johns Hopkins, the supplemental essay prompt can feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Let’s break it down.
Johns Hopkins University’s 2023-2024 Prompt
- Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you as an individual and how that influenced what you’d like to pursue in college at Hopkins. This can be a future goal or experience that is either academic, extracurricular, or social. (350 words or fewer)
General Tips
When brainstorming essay topics, you may want to start with identifying any gaps in your application (in context). If your Common App essay, teacher recommendation letters, and other application materials all emphasize certain aspects your academic or personal background while neglecting other elements, your supplemental essay(s) can be a great place to fill in the blanks. For instance, if your cultural background isn’t explored anywhere else in your application, this supplemental essay might be the best place to dive into it.
That said, you don’t want to force a topic in where it doesn’t otherwise belong. Thus, make sure that whatever topics you choose for your supplemental essay(s) fits the context of the essays. Your response needs to be directly related to the prompt at hand! Only pursue this strategy if it makes sense for your application and the essay prompt you’re working with. It’s better to be slightly redundant than to miss the point of the prompt.
That said, for this particular prompt, there is no need to be redundant with your Common App personal essay topic. Even if your personal essay discusses your identity, this essay can (and should) focus on a different aspect of your identity. Now, let’s dive into the prompt specifically.
Johns Hopkins University Supplemental Essay Question
Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you as an individual and how that influenced what you’d like to pursue in college at Hopkins. This can be a future goal or experience that is either academic, extracurricular, or social. (350 words or fewer)
This prompt is in part a response to the recent Supreme Court ruling that prevents admissions officers from considering a student’s racial background unless it is “an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life” and the student is “treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.” You can read more about why Johns Hopkins created this prompt at the end of this article on their apply.JHU.edu website.
Based on this background provided by the admissions team about their prompt, a student should feel welcome to write about their race if it is an important part of their identity or experience of the world. That said, the Johns Hopkins supplemental essay prompt is expansive in its wording. An essay about “gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.” is also more than welcome. Just remember that the prompt says “an aspect,” which means focusing specifically on one aspect of your identity. Of course, you can respond to this creatively by writing about an area where two or more identities overlap. If you take this path, be sure to keep your essay focused and cohesive.
You can also look beyond this list. Think about your culture, immigration status, demographic, ethnicity, disability, or other identities that may have had a meaningful impact on your life. If none of these categories speak to you, you can also discuss a particular life experience you have had.
Regardless of what identity you choose to write about, don’t forget the second half of the prompt. Your essay shouldn’t just focus on an aspect of your identity. It should also express how this identity has impacted “what you’d like to pursue in college at Hopkins.” This doesn’t have to be academic, although it can be.
Here are some examples of how you could address this part of the prompt. Perhaps coming from a rural, homogeneous community, you are looking forward to studying abroad. Perhaps you are seeking to join an affinity group at JHU to connect with others who share your background. Or perhaps your experience as a future international student has led you to want to study international relations. Whatever aspect of identity you discuss, your essay must also touch upon how that identity will impact your Johns Hopkins experience.
Authenticity and specificity are keys to helping this essay stand out. Many students applying to Johns Hopkins will likely have overlapping identities with you. Yet, in an ideal world, your essays will all be unique. How could this be possible? Even if your identity isn’t “unique,” your life experience is. No one has lived life just like you have. Writing vividly and specifically about your life experience as a result of your identity will give your essay the dimension it needs to make an impact on the admissions team.
Lastly, don’t forget to check out the webpage for Johns Hopkins essays that worked.
If you need help polishing up your Johns Hopkins supplemental essay, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.
