How to Write the Emory Supplemental Essays [2026-27]

Emory University requires two supplemental essays for the 2026-27 application cycle: one 200-word response about your academic interests, and one 150-word essay selected from four prompts covering community, cultural awareness, service to humanity, or engaging with disagreement.

If Emory is on your list, you’re in the right place. In this article, I’ll break down both required prompts and walk you through how to write the Emory supplemental essays.

What Are the Emory Supplemental Essay Prompts?

Emory’s ’26-27 supplemental essays are:

Essay 1: Academic Interests (Required, 200 Words)

What academic areas are you interested in exploring at Emory University, and why?

Essay 2: Getting to Know You (Choose One, 150 Words)

1. Emory has a strong commitment to building community. Tell us about a community you’ve been part of where your participation helped change or shape it for the better.
2. Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.
3. Emory’s mission calls for service to humanity. Share how you might personally contribute to this mission.
4. In a scholarly community, differing ideas often collide before they converge. How do you personally navigate disagreement in a way that promotes progress and deepens meaningful dialogue?

Emory Supplemental Essay #1: The “Why Major” Essay (200 Words)

For this supplemental essay, you need to be specific. Emory wants to know what classes, programs, projects, activities, and experiences led to your decision to pursue your intended major. And, perhaps more importantly, they want to know why Emory is the best place for you to do so.

Start with online research to dig into the specific opportunities Emory offers within your program. Are there particular classes you’d be excited to take or professors whose research matches your interests? Explore academic clubs, research opportunities, labs, internships, department events, and other offerings that align with your past experiences and/or future goals.

Next, pair the research you’ve done about a major with information about yourself.

Don’t be afraid to get personal. While it’s important to reference Emory’s specific programs and academic offerings, admissions readers don’t want to read what they already know. Ensure that everything you mention about Emory comes back to say something about you.

Emory Supplemental Essay #2: Choose One “Getting to Know You” Prompt (150 Words)

Emory values critical thinking and creative problem-solving, so the second required supplemental essay lets applicants choose between four prompts.

At only 150 words, these essays are short. Everything you write must be absolutely clear and essential to the essay. Think of it as an added challenge: Can you write something attention-grabbing and reflective in just a paragraph?

The best strategy for selecting a prompt is to choose the one that excites you most, since that enthusiasm will come through in your writing. Sometimes, though, none of the prompts stand out right away. Let’s break down each of the ’26-27 Emory application prompts to help you choose.

Prompt #1: The Community Essay

Emory University has a strong commitment to building community. Tell us about a community that you have been part of where your personal participation helped to change or shape the community for the better.

A trend in many schools’ supplemental essay prompts is to ask students to discuss their families, backgrounds, or communities. This is a good choice for students who feel deeply connected to the people and places around them.

Many students interpret community as cultural or familial, but the truth is, a community is any group of people who share commonalities. If the chess club has become meaningful to you, you’re welcome to write about it.

But the keyword is meaningful. The community you choose should have shaped you, and you should have helped shape it in return. Give specific examples of how you participated in your chosen community, and how that community changed over time.

Prompt #2: The Cultural Awareness Essay

Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.

Emory hosts students from across the country and around the world. Emory is looking to enroll students who are smart, outgoing, and curious about the people they meet. If you’ve taken a language class, joined a cultural club, or had an international pen pal, this is the prompt for you.

Students who are culturally aware realize how similar people are, while still honoring their differences. A culturally aware student is knowledgeable about their own culture, but eager to explore other cultures.

The key word in this prompt is intentionally. Unfortunately, eating exceptional pasta while on vacation in Italy might have been life-changing, but it wasn’t intentional. A better essay shows how you learned something and decided to take action.

Here’s an example: on a trip to your favorite National Park, you learn about the Native populations who once lived on that land. With that new information, you decide to help your school’s Native American Student Alliance circulate a petition for a land acknowledgment during morning announcements. Along the way, you make new friends who introduce you to new traditions.

Prompt #3: The Service to Humanity Essay

Emory University’s unique mission calls for service to humanity. Share how you might personally contribute to this mission of service to humanity.

This may be the toughest prompt for prospective students to write. Serving humanity is a huge undertaking, but Emory students are up to the challenge.

The important word to note in this prompt is might. Emory isn’t asking every applicant to have already served humanity, just to think about how they might contribute to the world at large.

While this essay should stay grounded, students are allowed to speculate what they might achieve with an Emory education. Start with what you’ve been doing. Students with volunteering experience or relevant extracurriculars are a great fit for this prompt. Detail the work you’ve done. Maybe you volunteer at a local homeless shelter. Then expand outward to encompass Emory’s mission.

There will be plenty of service initiatives at Emory. Do a little research and write about the ones that call to you. Which projects or movements do you hope to join at Emory? How will your Emory education shape what you do in the future?

Prompt #4: The Disagreement Essay

In a scholarly community, differing ideas often collide before they converge. How do you personally navigate disagreement in a way that promotes progress and deepens meaningful dialogue?

Colleges actively seek to promote dialogue among students. They want to know that applicants are willing to engage in constructive conversation on topics that may seem charged, like politics or beliefs.

This is an excellent prompt if you have strong opinions and feel comfortable articulating them. It’s also a strong choice for students interested in business or politics. Much of your college education will revolve around learning to communicate and advocate for others, so this prompt shows the reader you’re ready for that.

When writing this essay, use concrete details to prove you’ve had constructive disagreements. You can even open with a scene, showing rather than telling how you navigate difficult conversations.

Emory Supplemental Essay FAQs

How Can I Get Expert Help Writing Emory Supplemental Essays?

HelloCollege’s Essay Coaches work one-on-one with students to develop stand-out supplemental essays that bring their stories to life, helping them become more than a name on a page and leaving a lasting impression on admissions readers.

Schedule your free consultation to learn more.