2026–27 Common App cycle · Washington, DC
American University supplemental essays
1 prompt, 0 required, 1 optional, about 250 words in total. Below: each prompt, what it is really asking, where drafts go wrong, and the shape of an answer that works.
Free, no card. Paste a draft and Admitify reads it line by line against the prompt. It never writes for you.
The prompts, one by one
- Changemaker passion essay (optional)up to 250 words · Intellectual curiosity
“American University students identify as changemakers and describe themselves as passionate. Describe a belief, hobby, idea, issue, or topic about which you're excited.”
What it's really askingWhether you think about things when nobody is grading you. American University wants a specific idea, question or project and the way your mind moved through it.
Where drafts go wrongName-dropping a big topic (AI, climate, quantum) and describing it instead of your own thinking about it. Essays that could have been written from the Wikipedia page.
The shape of a strong answerOne specific question or thing you made. The wrong turns and what you tried next. What you still don't know. Curiosity reads as unfinished; that's the point.
Every US applicant also writes the Common App personal statement: 650 words, seven prompts. Don't repeat it here; the supplements are for what the statement didn't show.
A self-check before you submit
Cover the school name and read the essay. Then cover your name and read it again. It should fail the first test (it only makes sense for American University) and pass the second (only you could have written it). If it passes the first test, it's a brochure. If it fails the second, it's a template.
Run your draft through Admitify, free →Prompts verified September 2026 against American University's published application. Admission facts and requirements for American University are on its university page. Spotted a change? Tell us.