2026–27 application cycle
The Juilliard School supplemental essays
Every writing prompt on the The Juilliard School application, with word limits. All of it taken from the application itself. 2 prompts, including program-specific ones.
These prompts are program-specific.
They apply only if you’re applying to the named program or school.
- Bachelor of Music (all instruments/voice/composition)Optional
Additional Context
Should you have a personal or academic circumstance to share that you feel can provide context for a particular point on your resume—for example, a gap year, unusually low grades in a semester or year—you have the option to submit an additional short essay.
- Bachelor of Music (all instruments/voice/composition)Required
Growing into yourself
Begin by explaining in a few sentences what this quote means to you: "As you grow older, self-knowledge becomes one of the hardest things to acquire….The first level of mastery occurs over self. And the first test of mastery over one's self is humility….[Y]ou have to develop the requisite humility to learn, to love to learn. Humility engenders learning because it beats back the arrogance that puts blinders on. It leaves you open for truths to reveal themselves….You have to become the center of your education. Once you accept that, you'll understand that learning means figuring out what you need to do to get where you want to be." (Wynton Marsalis, To a Young Jazz Musician: Letters from the Road, 2004, p. 10). Then write about a moment, musical or otherwise, when your knowledge of yourself changed—when an experience, and your reflections on that experience, deepened your understanding of who you are.
Common questions
What do students ask about these essays?
How many essays does The Juilliard School require?
The Juilliard School lists 2 writing supplements for the 2026–27 cycle, and 1 of them is required. That’s on top of the main personal statement.
Do the The Juilliard School supplemental essays matter?
Yes, and more so at the hardest schools to get into. Grades and scores put you in the pool. Supplements are one of the few places you control what the reader learns about you. A generic why-us essay is one of the most common mistakes students make.
What Spike does with this
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