2025-26 prompts · 2026–27 not yet confirmed · Greencastle, IN
DePauw University supplemental essays
1 prompt, 0 required, 1 optional, about 100 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.
These are DePauw University's 2025-26 prompts. The 2026–27 wording was not yet published when this page was verified. Most schools keep prompts the same or change them lightly; confirm on depauw.edu before you submit.
The prompts, one by one
- Leadership short response (optional)up to 100 words · Leadership
“DePauw's mission is to prepare the leaders the world needs; in what ways do you intend to enhance your leadership strengths during your time at DePauw?”
What it's really askingNot your title but a moment where you changed what a group did. DePauw University reads "leadership" broadly; the youngest sibling organising a family can answer this as well as a club president.
Where drafts go wrongDescribing the role instead of a decision. "As president, I led the team to success" contains no information. Taking credit for a group's work.
The shape of a strong answerOne situation, one decision you made that others didn't have to accept, how you got them to, and what happened. Include what it cost you or what you'd do differently. At 100 words there is room for exactly one example, explained properly.
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 DePauw 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 DePauw University's published application. Admission facts and requirements for DePauw University are on its university page. Spotted a change? Tell us.