2026–27 Common App cycle · Wellesley, MA

Wellesley College supplemental essays

1 prompt, 1 required, about 400 words in total. Below: each prompt, what it is really asking, where drafts go wrong, and the shape of an answer that works.

1prompt · 1 required
400words, all prompts at max
14%admit rate · Highly selective
2026–27current cycle
Check your Wellesley College drafts against these prompts →

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The prompts, one by one

  1. Build bridges essay250-400 words · Community

    “Wellesley students actively seek ways to build bridges and to change the world for the better. Tell us about an experience working with and alongside people of different backgrounds and/or perspectives from your own. Why was this important to you, and what lessons from this will you bring with you to Wellesley?”

    What it's really asking

    Two things at once: which community actually shaped how you think, and what you will bring to Wellesley 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 Wellesley 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 Wellesley 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.

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Other schools' prompts

Prompts verified September 2026 against Wellesley College's published application. Admission facts and requirements for Wellesley College are on its university page. Spotted a change? Tell us.