Sarah Lawrence College supplemental essays

These are Sarah Lawrence College'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 sarahlawrence.edu before you submit.

The prompts, one by one

1. Hyphenates essay (optional)250-500 words · Intellectual curiosity

   “Sarah Lawrence students are often described as hyphenates: filmmaker-sociologist-historian, environmentalist-photographer, psychologist-novelist, economist-poet. In 250-500 words, tell us about seemingly disparate interests you have brought together, or hope to bring together at Sarah Lawrence.”

   What it's really asking

   Whether you think about things when nobody is grading you. Sarah Lawrence College wants a specific idea, question or project and the way your mind moved through it.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Name-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 answer

   One 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.

2. Research project essay (optional)250-500 words · Intellectual curiosity

   “Students at Sarah Lawrence are asked to design their own research questions directly with faculty, and then answer them through intensive semester-long projects that frequently inspire a blend of intellectual rigor and creativity. In 250-500 words, tell us about a text, problem, or topic you would love to explore over a semester or a year, and what you would hope to achieve through that work.”

   What it's really asking

   Whether you think about things when nobody is grading you. Sarah Lawrence College wants a specific idea, question or project and the way your mind moved through it.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Name-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 answer

   One 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.

3. Liberal arts and career essay (optional)250-500 words · Challenge

   “Liberal arts and sciences colleges have a long and robust history of providing the educational foundation for the careers of influential politicians, financiers, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, CEOs, and more. Many of them cite their liberal arts degree as foundational and transformative for how they took on challenges in the world and for shaping their lives after college. How do you see your upcoming college studies leading to your future career (or careers)?”

   What it's really asking

   How 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 wrong

   Spending 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 answer

   State 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.

4. Contemporary issue essay (optional)250-500 words · Community

   “In today's rapidly changing world, many social, political, and ethical issues spark intense debate and demand nuanced understanding. Choose a contemporary issue that you find both challenging and urgent—whether it relates to identity, justice, artificial intelligence, environment, or another area—and critically explore your perspective on it. How have your previous experiences, background, and/or values shaped your viewpoint? How do you envision engaging with this issue during your college education and beyond?”

   What it's really asking

   Two things at once: which community actually shaped how you think, and what you will bring to Sarah Lawrence College because of it. The second half is where most drafts stop short.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Describing 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 answer

   Pick 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 Sarah Lawrence College: a specific contribution, not "bring my perspective."

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 Sarah Lawrence 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.