Brown University, nestled in Providence, Rhode Island, is part of the Ivy League and boasts a dynamic campus that emphasizes individual learning with its open curriculum, an academic program that encourages exploration beyond concentrations (Brown’s word for majors), and strong artistic community with an emphasis on liberal arts education. While less academically selective in admissions that most other Ivies, Brown prioritizes highly involved, intellectually curious students. It also boasts one of the best BS/MD programs in the country for students interested in a direct med school program.
The best way to showcase these qualifications on your application is through strong essay writing. Brown boasts an admissions rate of 6.9%, so every essay counts. This is our ultimate guide on how to write the Brown supplemental essays, with writing tips and tricks to better help you craft your essays!
What are Supplemental Essays?
Supplemental essays are short, thematic essays every college includes with their application to get a better sense of an applicant. Common themes include addressing prospective majors, your interest in a specific school, or even speaking further to background and influences of the applicant. This is a great time to focus on showing both how well you fit a given school as well as how you researched each school’s unique factors to demonstrate that you’re applying with intention.
Personal Statement vs. Supplemental Essays
As you may know, the personal statement is an essay about some aspect of your identity or character. For students applying through the Common Application, the personal statement is submitted once and sent to every school on your Common App list. Applicants choose from one of several prompts, all designed to give colleges a deeper understanding of who you are beyond your transcript.
The personal statement is different from supplemental essays in the following ways:
- It is a longer essay (up to 650 words) whereas supplemental essays are typically shorter, ranging from a sentence to several hundred words.
- It’s included with nearly every application, while supplementals are unique to each schools.
- It focuses entirely on the student, while supplementals often explore the connection between the student and school.
What Are the Brown Supplemental Essays?
The Brown supplemental essays for 2025–2026 are as follows:
- Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might pursue them at Brown. (200–250 words)
- Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community. (200–250 words)
- Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy. (200–250 words)
Additionally, there are a few very short questions:
- What three words best describe you? (3 words)
- If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be? (100 words)
- In one sentence, Why Brown? (50 words)
How to Write the Brown Supplemental Essays
The Brown supplemental essays may seem daunting, but we’ll break down the prompts one by one. We’ll address each of the long-form essays first:
Brown Open Curriculum Essay (250 words)
This question is Brown’s take on the classic “Why Major?” essay, which asks students to elaborate on their academic interests and planned major. However: it’s important to read the prompt and not simply write a straightforward essay on your prospective major.
Here’s the key part of the prompt: “Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might pursue them at Brown.”
The admissions committee wants to see you:
- Explain what you’re interested in academically
- Why and how it excites you
- And, importantly, how you plan on pursuing it at Brown
Be sure to showcase a narrative of how you became interested in a subject, what you’ve done to pursue it so far, and, in detail, what you would do at Brown. Are there extracurricular groups that also pursue that interest? If applicable, name labs and specific research that appeals to you. It’s important to showcase you’ve done your research.
Background Essay (250 words)
This essay asks the student to reflect on their own upbringing and cultural background and how it will help them make unique contributions to campus culture. This is a tricky essay, as it can go in many directions: family influences, cultural heritage, sexual orientation, etc. Not only that, but it’s looking for a specific challenge or inspiration story within the context of this background.
When thinking about what to write, start with challenges you’ve navigated so far, and see how they connect to your broader upbringing. If you had to navigate moving a lot as a child, consider what that could help you bring to campus—empathy, a diversity of perspectives, skills at packing, etc. To help you brainstorm, ask friends and family what some of your bigger challenges have been, or even do a “gut check” and think about what comes to mind first.
It’s best to frame this essay as a narrative story with some space for reflection at the end to demonstrate how you will bring the experience you have to campus specifically. Start with your story, and then consider your takeaways and how those strengths might improve a campus.
What Brings You Joy?
This very open-ended question is a chance for you to delve deeply into your extracurricular activities, hobbies, or interests beyond academic concentration. What brings you joy, and why?
It’s important to really emphasize the “why” in this essay. How do you pursue this joy, and why do you love it? When did you first start pursuing this joy, and what did you think about it initially? How do you pursue it, and what are your favorite aspects of it? The more details you can put in to really illustrate your passion completely, the better.
Brown Short Answer Questions
Here are the three short-answer questions, which are too short to really craft a narrative, but nevertheless important:
- What three words best describe you? (3 words)
- If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be? (100 words)
- In one sentence, Why Brown? (50 words)
For each of these, it’s really important to read the prompt. For example, “Why Brown?” must be answered in a single sentence; if you need two complete thoughts to do so, use a semicolon to follow directions.
Additionally, for the class question, explain why and how you’d teach it—100 words should be just enough to do so.
And as for the three words to describe yourself, avoid common descriptors and don’t try to hard to sound “impressive.” Instead, focus on revealing something about yourself as a person. Maybe you’re really into thrifting, making you a “treasure-hunter.” Or you like to cook meals you find online, making you a “recipe-tester.” Or you’re an avid camper and environmental activist, making you a “leave-no-trace enforcer.”
Start writing today!
Now that you’ve gotten in-depth explanations of the Brown supplemental essays, it’s time to start writing. Take plenty of time to brainstorm, and leave time for editing to make sure your best writing makes it in your application.
It’s always a good practice to have a parent or teacher look over your essays, but if you want more dedicated help, schedule a free consultation today to learn about our essay coaching services. Good luck!
