2026–27 Common App cycle · Claremont, CA
Harvey Mudd College supplemental essays
2 prompts, 2 required, about 750 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
- Problems you want to solve essayup to 500 words · Community
“Share how an experience you've had or community you belong to has shaped the kinds of problems you want to solve and the impact you want to make.”
What it's really askingTwo things at once: which community actually shaped how you think, and what you will bring to Harvey Mudd College because of it. The second half is where most drafts stop short.
Where drafts go wrongDescribing the community instead of your role in it, or choosing the one that sounds impressive rather than the one that changed you. "Diversity" as an abstraction, with no scene.
The shape of a strong answerPick a community you can describe with a scene, not a label. Show one moment where it taught you something or asked something of you. Spend the last third on what that means you'll do at Harvey Mudd College: a specific contribution, not "bring my perspective."
- Asking for help short essayup to 250 words · Challenge
“Describe a time when asking for help made a difference in your work or wellbeing. What led you to reach out, and what did you take away from the experience?”
What it's really askingHow you behave when something goes wrong. The challenge itself matters less than the steps you took and what you now do differently.
Where drafts go wrongSpending most of the words on the problem and two sentences on the response. Picking a tragedy for weight when a smaller, more honest problem would show more of you. Tidy endings where everything was fixed.
The shape of a strong answerState the problem in two or three sentences. Then the specific actions, in order, including the one that didn't work. End with what changed in how you operate, with one example of it since.
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 Harvey Mudd College) 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 Harvey Mudd College's published application. Admission facts and requirements for Harvey Mudd College are on its university page. Spotted a change? Tell us.