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2026–27 application cycle

Pomona College supplemental essays

Every writing prompt on the Pomona College application, with word limits, taken from the application itself. 4 prompts.

  • Prompt 1Required150 words max

    Why this major

    What draws you to the subject(s) you selected as potential major(s)? If undecided, share more about one of your academic passions or interests.

    How to approach it

    This is a why-us prompt. The trap is describing the school back to itself; rankings and campus beauty read as filler. Name the two or three specific things (a program, a professor's work, a structure like open curriculum) you would actually use, and tie each to something you have already done.

  • Prompt 2Required250 words max

    What your community gave

    Reflecting on a community that you are a part of, what values or perspectives from that community would you bring to Pomona?

    How to approach it

    Community and identity prompts reward specificity over significance. A small, true community described from the inside beats a broad label described from the outside. End on what you carry from it into a campus, not on a moral.

  • Prompt 3Required250 words max

    An experience that changed

    Describe an experience you had outside the classroom that changed the way you think and/or how you engage with your peers. What was that experience and what did you learn from it?
  • Prompt 4Required250 words max

    How others see you

    Choose any person or group of people in your life and share how they would describe you.
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Common questions

Pomona College essays, answered

How many essays does Pomona College require?

Pomona College lists 4 writing supplements for the 2026–27 cycle, all required. That is on top of the main personal statement.

How long are the Pomona College supplemental essays?

Word limits across the listed prompts add up to roughly 900 words. Budget real time for them: supplements are where admissions sees your specific interest in Pomona College.

Do the Pomona College supplemental essays matter?

Yes, and more as selectivity rises. Grades and scores put you in the pool; supplements are one of the few places you control what the reader learns about you, and a generic why-us essay is one of the most common self-inflicted wounds in admissions.

What Spike does with this

Get help planning Pomona College essays.

Spike helps students connect each prompt to their own experiences, outline a response, and revise without ghostwriting.