2026–27 Common App cycle · Waltham, MA
Brandeis University supplemental essays
1 prompt, 1 required, about 200 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
- International applicants: learning beyond classroomup to 200 words · Intellectual curiosity
“Brandeis believes in taking your education out of the classroom and into the world. Imagine your learning extended beyond the classroom. What topic would you want to explore, and how would you pursue it?”
What it's really askingWhether you think about things when nobody is grading you. Brandeis 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 Brandeis 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 Brandeis University's published application. Admission facts and requirements for Brandeis University are on its university page. Spotted a change? Tell us.