2026–27 Common App cycle · Cincinnati, OH
University of Cincinnati supplemental essays
1 prompt, 1 required, about 500 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
- First-choice academic program statementup to 500 words · Goals
“What motivated you to choose your first-choice academic program? In your response, please share personal insights, interests, goals, or experiences—especially those not already included in your application.”
What it's really askingWhether you've thought past admission. Cincinnati wants a direction and the reasoning behind it, not a guaranteed career plan.
Where drafts go wrongA job title with no reasoning, or a mission so large it can't be checked ("change the world"). Plans that don't connect to anything you've done.
The shape of a strong answerThe problem or kind of work that pulls you, one thing you've already done toward it, and what you'd need next that Cincinnati provides. It's fine to say the plan might change; say what wouldn't.
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 Cincinnati) 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 Cincinnati's published application. Admission facts and requirements for Cincinnati are on its university page. Spotted a change? Tell us.