Michigan State University supplemental essays

• Prompt 1Optional650 words max

  Interest or talent

  Share a meaningful interest or talent that would make your application incomplete without it.

• Prompt 2Optional650 words max

  Challenge and growth

  Describe a challenge, setback, or failure and what you learned from it.

  How to approach it

  For a challenge prompt, the challenge is the setup, not the essay. Spend most of the words on what you did and how you changed. Readers are wary of trauma used as currency; growth is the currency.

• Prompt 3Optional650 words max

  Questioning beliefs

  Discuss a time you questioned or challenged a belief or idea.

  How to approach it

  For a challenge prompt, the challenge is the setup, not the essay. Spend most of the words on what you did and how you changed. Readers are wary of trauma used as currency; growth is the currency.

• Prompt 4Optional650 words max

  Kindness and motivation

  Reflect on an act of kindness and how it affected or motivated you.

• Prompt 5Optional650 words max

  Personal growth

  Explain an accomplishment or realization that sparked personal growth.

• Prompt 6Optional650 words max

  Captivating topic

  Describe a topic that captivates you and why it engages you deeply.

• Prompt 7Optional650 words max

  Topic of choice

  Submit an essay of your choice—previously written or on a different topic.

Program-specific prompts

These apply only if you are applying to the named program or school.

• Honors CollegeOptional

  Honors unique approach

  For roughly 70 years, the Honors College has valued academic flexibility and innovative approaches to learning. Please tell us about an experience that shows how you have approached your high school career in a unique way.