Amherst supplemental essays 2026-27

Answer one of these four

• “Option A, Prompt 1: "Hope and curiosity – these are qualities that are the foundation of what Amherst College means, of everything that we do here. Curiosity is at the core of a liberal arts education – a spirit of inquiry that shapes not only what our students do in the classroom, but also how they learn from and about each other." – Michael A. Elliott, 20th President of Amherst College, address at Amherst College’s 203rd Commencement. Question: What does curiosity mean to you? How do you experience curiosity in your own life?”

  Limit: 350 words max · Who: All first-year applicants must choose Option A (one of three quotation prompts) or Option B; Option C is for A2A applicants only · One of a choice

  Readers check this answer against your transcript and activities, so it has to match them. Name the specific question, course or project that pulls you, show where the interest started, and point to what you would use at Amherst by its real name.

• “Option A, Prompt 2: "We seek an Amherst made stronger because it includes those whose experiences can enhance our understanding of our nation and our world. We do so in the faith that our humanity is an identity forged from diversity, and that our different perspectives enrich our inquiry, deepen our knowledge, strengthen our community, and prepare students to engage with an ever-changing world." – from the Trustee Statement on Diversity and Community. Question: In what ways could your unique experiences enhance our understanding of our nation and our world?”

  Limit: 350 words max · Who: All first-year applicants, one of the Option A choices (same prompt as the A2A Writing Supplement) · One of a choice

  Pick one part of your background and one moment where it mattered, then show what it changed in how you act now. A survey of your whole life in 350 words reads as a list, and readers have the rest of the file for that.

• “Option A, Prompt 3: "We are working together to build a community that makes room for both true disagreement and true connection, one that practices the kind of recognition and robust negotiation that the everyday life of democracy requires, and one that explicitly prepares our students to work for the greater good in their professional and personal endeavors." – Presidential Priorities: Serving the Greater Good. Question: Tell us about a time that you engaged with a viewpoint different from your own. How did you enter that engagement, and what did you learn about yourself from it?”

  Limit: 350 words max · Who: All first-year applicants, one of the Option A choices · One of a choice

  Readers want the actual exchange: who it was, what each of you said, and what you did next. An answer that ends on everyone should listen more reads like all the others; the specific habit you changed afterward is what they remember.

• “Option B: Submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence.”

  Limit: Not stated · Who: Alternative to Option A. Not for applicants whose Common App or Coalition essay is an analytical 'topic of your choice' essay · One of a choice

  Answer the question as asked, with one concrete example rather than several thin ones.