A historically Black college in the heart of Washington, D.C., Howard University is a world-renowned leader in STEM fields, as well as social work, business, and communications. As one of the only HBCUs in the country with an extensive doctoral research program, Howard has produced thousands of Black scholars, athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, and politicians. The university's motto, Veritas et Utilitas (Truth and Service), represents a key part of its identity, and all undergraduate students complete a university-wide core curriculum. These elements are on full display in the Howard supplemental essay prompts, as we’ll explain in a bit.
But before diving into the prompts, get an extensive, by-the-numbers look at Howard’s offerings in its Common Data Set, and for deeper insights into the university’s vision for the future, read its strategic pillars, Howard Forward.
What are the Howard University supplemental essay prompts?
Howard University Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Diversity of all kinds is important to enriching the educational experience at Howard University. Please share with us anything in your background or lived experience that has shaped your perspectives and how that would contribute to the classroom and community at Howard. (500 words max)
Howard University Supplemental Essay Prompt #2
Please describe the major you intend to study and how you hope to use your Howard education to support you in achieving your passions and goals. Please address your first-choice and second-choice major selections. (500 words max)
How to Write each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Howard University
how to write Howard Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Diversity of all kinds is important to enriching the educational experience at Howard University. Please share with us anything in your background or lived experience that has shaped your perspectives and how that would contribute to the classroom and community at Howard. (500 words max)
This is a pretty standard “How will you contribute…” prompt—for a full guide to those prompts (and other kinds of “diversity” prompts), head here.
Here’s a shorter version:
In this essay prompt, Howard wants to understand how your life experiences have prepared you to contribute to their diverse student community. Let's break down the key components of the prompt to guide your approach.
Which of your life experiences have had the most impact on your personal development? This essay offers the opportunity to delve into specific experiences that have shaped your perspective on life, education, and more.
How will you contribute? Make sure your answer to this question is clear. How have these experiences positioned you to make an impact at Howard? What do you bring to the school and community (in ways that maybe others don’t)? While it doesn’t have to be truly unique, it’s great to aim in that direction: the best response will highlight a contribution that only you (or maybe you plus a few other applicants) would think to make.
Again, one important aspect with this prompt is its focus on your contribution to the Howard community.
Another detail to note is Howard’s encouragement to show where you come from—the people, places, and things that have shaped who you are today. This is your chance to connect your unique upbringing, in a very broad sense of the word, with what has helped make you unstoppable. So take it.
While there are many things outside of “community” that might fit this prompt, if you’re looking for a way to brainstorm ideas, that’s a good place to start. (Especially since “community” and “identity” tend to overlap a lot. But keep in mind that you’ll want to include some “how will you contribute” details in your essay—this isn’t just a “tell us about a community” prompt.)
For a full guide to “community” essays, head there.
Here’s how to brainstorm possible essays:
Step 1: Brainstorm (all about you).
Do the “If You Really, Really Knew Me” Exercise.
Step 2: Research the college (learn all about them).
Make a copy of the “Why us” Essay Chart 2.0, research the school you’re writing your essay for, and fill in the first two columns.
Once you’ve done these exercises, you’ll have a better sense of:
YOU: A bunch of different talents/skills/identities/qualities that you’ll bring to a college campus, and
THEM: A variety of programs/courses/clubs/affinity groups that your college offers.
Step 3: Connect you… to them (i.e., the college you’re applying to).
Make connections between what the school offers and what you’re interested in.
Here’s an example essay (written for MIT’s version of this prompt) with analysis (though note that, for Howard, you have double the word count space:
Example:
“I don’t have a mommy – and no, I was not adopted.” This was an early attempt, (albeit from a five-year old’s perspective), to proudly explain to my classmates that I had two dads (yes they are gay!) and was conceived via invitro-fertilization. Looking back, this statement undoubtedly triggered several conversations around my classmates’ dinner tables. Years later, I learned how my simple declaration broadened many family’s perspectives.
I was raised as part of a community that proudly celebrates diversity and encourages change through personal interaction. My parents and I are not the kind to go to protests. While we greatly respect those loud voices, we find influencing others on a personal level can be a more effective way of instigating change. Throughout my formative years, being part of one-on-one personal interactions within a predominately heterosexual community allowed me to witness the dismantling of stereotypes one person at a time.
At MIT, I aspire to perform similar roles, broadening perspectives and strengthening the LGBTQ+ climate through personal relationships. By being open with my gender identity, having a great sense of humor, and embracing my peers and professors in thoughtful, relaxed one-on-one conversations, I hope to develop strong bonds founded in mutual respect. Just as MIT can be considered the home of science, MIT should be a home for the LGBTQ+ community. My dream is to form relationships that have a cascading effect at MIT through developing new champions and strengthening the climate for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff. (247 words)
Tips & Analysis:
Share (a core part of) your world view. We’d recommend thinking about everything that Howard is getting elsewhere, through your personal statement, activities list, and additional info section. Then assess: what aren’t they seeing yet? Remember, your essays’ primary function is to help a reader see who you are, what you value, what you bring to their campus and community. This essay uses the prompt as an opportunity to share a core part of their growing up, and how that shaped their values (celebrating diversity, encouraging change, personal engagement)
Half for you, half for them. Give or take—it doesn’t have to be a perfect 50/50 split. But notice that about 60% of the word count here is used to share specific details and insight gained from the student’s background. Then, about 40% is used to connect to specific aspects of the college community that the student wants to engage with, and how they want to do so (using specific examples and verb phrases) in order to show how they’ll contribute to the school. For Howard, if you use the full 500 words, maybe you have more like a 70/30 split. Be sure you’re including a decent amount of word count that gets really specific with how whatever aspects of background/identity you’ve discussed in the first half will allow you to add to the lives, perspectives, and understanding of other students in the second half. (And for more on how to mostly show, but probably tell a little in college essays, head there.)
And here’s an essay that was written for an older Howard prompt, but would still work well here with some tweaks (like saving the academic details for the “Why us” essay).
Example:
My involvement as a key figure for orchestrating a Guinness World Record, specifically the 24 hour longest indoor soccer match, reflects not only my dedication to pushing boundaries but also my commitment to creating a culture of unity within diverse communities.
As one of the organizers, I was committed to conquering cultural differences. By deliberately assembling a diverse group of participants, my aim was to blend cultures, traditions, languages, and histories. I did this by designing the event with inclusivity in mind. We structured the activities and discussions to be culturally enriching for all participants, regardless of their cultural or linguistic backgrounds.
It was clear that I could overcome language hurdles since I was able to explain the importance of the event to a larger audience using English and Arabic. As I had strong relationships with other sports teams, I assembled a varied participant group beyond event organizers, uniting individuals ranging from 15 to 30 years old, from different nationalities—US, UK, and Bahrain—and sports backgrounds.
Overcoming personal challenges, such as promoting the event while battling illness, highlighted my balance and adaptability. My role extended beyond logistics. I also created an atmosphere where each individual felt valued and empowered by conducting a post-event chat with my team. Discussing what went well and what could have been improved. Collaborating with the Bahrain Football Association ensured the event's credibility, showcasing my attention to detail and effective management.
As a semi-professional club athlete and sports enthusiast, I’m eager to use my teamwork and strategy to engage in Howard University’s lively sports-focused events such as its Soccer and Volleyball Clubs. I can assure you I will bring my experience to the team, help us work better together, and learn from my teammates. Being a part of these clubs is not just about playing but also about contributing to the team's success.
Howard University's vibrant community is an absorbing factor in my eagerness to apply. Coming from Bahrain, a small and homogeneous community, I value the growth and understanding that diverse environments offer. I can contribute by providing insights into Arab and Muslim cultures that may not be commonly understood. Moreover, the academic landscape at Howard University resonates with my goals. With a specific interest in international relations and diplomacy, Howard's renowned faculty and programs in this field align perfectly with my academic aspirations. Howard University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion creates a welcoming space that celebrates the uniqueness of each individual, making it an ideal place to begin on a journey of learning and exploration, both academically and personally.
My experience aligns with the university's values, illustrating unity through diversity, leadership, and inclusivity. My ability to foster connections, overcome cultural barriers, and create an environment of diverse voices makes me an exciting addition to the vibrant university community.
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how to write Howard Supplemental Essay Prompt #2
Please describe the major you intend to study and how you hope to use your Howard education to support you in achieving your passions and goals. Please address your first-choice and second-choice major selections. (500 words max)
This prompt is what we call a “Why us?” essay, with an option for some “Why major” detail. We recommend checking out this complete guide on how to write the “Why us?” essay and paying particular attention to the “Why Cornell” and “Why Penn” examples, which are our favorites. For a full guide to “Why major” essays, head here.
Here’s the short version of how to write the “Why us?” essay for Howard:
Spend 1 hr+ researching 10+ reasons why Howard might be a great fit for you (ideally 3-5 of the reasons will be unique to Howard and connect back to you and your core values and interests).
Make a copy of this chart to map out your college research.
Create an outline for your essays based on either Approach 1, 2 (recommended), or 3 in the full guide above.
Write a first draft! Then revise. And revise ...
As you write, try to avoid these common mistakes:
Six Common Mistakes Students Make on “Why Us?” Essays
Mistake #1: Writing about the school's size, location, reputation, weather, or ranking
Mistake #2: Simply using emotional language to demonstrate fit
Mistake #3: Screwing up the mascot, stadium, team colors, or names of any important people or places on campus
Mistake #4: Parroting the brochures or website language
Mistake #5: Describing traditions the school is well-known for
Mistake #6: Thinking of this as only a “why them” essay
*One thing to note is that the 750-word budget makes for a pretty long “Why us?” essay. So organization and structure will be key to staying focused, writing with clarity, and keeping the reader’s attention. We find that outlining before you write really helps. So ...
Here’s a sample outline for longer “Why us?” essays (which you can adapt for your own essay):
Intro/thesis (say what you want to study and why)
Really specific academic offering at the school that’s in your intended major/concentration (this should connect to you in a really specific way)
A second really specific academic offering that’s also in your intended major/concentration (and that also connects back to you)
Something academic that’s not in your intended major/concentration (this keeps the focus on academics, but also brings in some variety)
Best/most important extracurricular offering that connects to you in a really specific way, and that ideally connects to either “what interests you in the Arts or Sciences,” and/or “how studying at Howard University will help you achieve your overall goals.”
Miscellaneous extracurriculars paragraph (2-3 things to demonstrate social/non-academic fit)
Closing (this can be short and, in shorter “Why us? essays, can be a single line)
Here’s an example essay written for an older version of this prompt, with a larger word count, that can show you the direction to head.
Example
I was my mom’s shadow. Starting from age three, I would accompany her to work every day at a local nonprofit group home. I would follow closely behind as she went to check on her patients. This served as my first introduction to the healthcare industry. The nonprofit was dedicated to helping and supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. It was from there I learned how to be gentle with others and interact with a wide array of individuals, aware of their disabilities but never treating them any differently. The lessons I learned stuck with me, and I understood them more as I matured.
One of the most important takeaways I got from the experience is that healthcare is a complex, ever-evolving system, standing at the center of human life. The industry needs professionals who are imaginative architects for the further development of care for diverse populations and who look beyond the traditional scope of health into its social origins and implications. Healthcare providers must be innovators with the goal of health equity and justice.
As innovation becomes the forefront of the healthcare industry, studying Health Sciences Management at Howard will prepare me to become a leader in a field where minorities are both underrepresented and underserved. The program will provide me with a cross-pollination of knowledge regarding the intersection of Healthcare and Management. Courses such as HLMN 405: Health Care Finance will teach me effective health care financial management, budgeting, and strategic planning, which is instrumental in ensuring that quality care is given and can serve many people. Other courses such as HLMN 402: Health Management Internship will allow me to go into a community and put my classroom skills to the test, learning how health organizations are run and teaching me how to interact with other healthcare workers and patients effectively. Ultimately, courses like this will teach me how to build and manage healthy communities to attract investment into those that are underserved.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman.” During COVID-19, I have seen how health care systems suffer when politics and mismanagement obstruct their goals, resulting in care that is less than optimal, and leading to countless deaths. My personal goal is to bridge the gap between health management and public health by putting public health analysis to action. Courses such as HLMN 406: Epidemiology and Public Health will help me understand the applicability of demographics, assessment techniques, and health indicators useful for health systems designs.
Complex issues require complex, interdisciplinary solutions. Opportunities that the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences offers beyond the classroom will allow me to network and create partnerships with others across various disciplines, both within and outside the Howard community. The college’s council would provide me with a plethora of leadership and community service opportunities. Through the health connect program, I would have a chance to serve as a teaching assistant at a local high school, reinforcing my leadership skills and confidence within my area of study. The program would also allow me to learn from other students in the mentoring program.
Other programs, such as GlobeMed will connect me to grassroots health organizations around the globe. I’ll learn how to mobilize resources for global health and have the opportunity to participate in discussions about social justice, access to health care, and more. I could also travel abroad on an internship to work on community development programs.
Being in the capital of the nation, where significant decisions related to change and policies that impact human life are made, I’ll be able to learn how such instrumental changes are implemented with internship opportunities at the American Public Health Association where I can participate in health equity hearings, and meetings, as well as interact with senior leaders within the health field. A Public Health Policy internship would allow me to see how science, policy, and health intersect.
With the goal of breaking barriers within the healthcare industry, I believe there’s no place better to do so than at the cultural mecca that is Howard University. I would be surrounded by students who are like me in terms of values and goals, but unlike me in terms of approaches and ideas. This would allow us to both learn and expand on each other’s knowledge. Thus leading to groundbreaking discoveries and limitless possibilities in the field of Health.
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Tips + Analysis
Add personality. The opening anecdote of this essay tells of early moments in the author's life that show when the seed for her academic interests and professional goals was planted. From those specific experiences emerge a budding medical professional who has thought deeply and critically about the impact she’d like to make in the healthcare field and why Howard will be the best place to help her develop the skills needed to make that impact. Just because the prompt here is relatively generic doesn’t mean your answer should be. Invest some time thinking about how you can stand out, both at Howard and in this essay, and try to inject some of that personality into your answer.
Make connections between Howard’s values and yours. Mistake #6 above (Thinking of this as only a "why them" essay) is maybe the biggest of the 6: Instead, be sure to approach this essay as Why You + Them. In other words, use the “Why us?” essay to demonstrate how you and Howard make a great match, as this student does, as opposed to focusing solely on how much Howard has to offer her. Notice that she continually connects her own values and experiences to specific information about Howard, demonstrating why she and the school belong together, while also showing how Howard will propel her to success.
Be specific. Speaking of specificity, clearly, this applicant has done her research. She references specific programs, clubs, and classes she’d like to explore if she were admitted. If you’re a Howard admission reader, the specificity of those references makes you feel certain the student values the school. When she includes academic courses, she explains exactly what those courses will do in helping her on her professional journey. She also goes beyond the classroom and explores how the community will be of support, much like her mother’s work at the local nonprofit group home. She even includes information about Howard’s location in DC as a center of policymaking. Note, though, that she doesn’t overly focus on the location alone (Mistake #1 on our things-to-avoid list above), but instead integrates it firmly into her interests. Think about your core values or what resources you absolutely need in a college setting, then try to find places to explore and engage those values at Howard. Doing that research ahead of time pays off in the long run in a detail-rich essay.
Take the reader on a journey. While you’re under no obligation to use all 750 words, Howard is offering applicants an opportunity to go deep in this supplemental essay. In this response, there’s a clear trajectory that the author sees herself taking, and she makes a convincing case that Howard is the ideal institution for her to continue on that path. We see her starting the essay in the shadows and concluding as an innovator who plans to break barriers within the healthcare industry by providing access for all.
And here’s another great sample essay for this Howard prompt:
Example:
I’d love to explore engineering at Howard University’s College of Engineering because of its practical approach to learning. Its hands-on approach will prepare me to make a real impact on energy efficiency and transportation systems, making life better for people. I have also enjoyed studying global issues that impact businesses and learning how to analyze companies through efficiency metrics, which I will continue to further develop at Howard University. I will do this by looking into Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Howard University’s engineering not only aligns with my current interests but also strengthens them by offering a diverse student community that shares my passion for addressing real-world challenges.
Outside the classroom, I’ll participate in the Howard University American Society of Civil Engineers club, not only to meet new people but also to challenge myself and gain insight into the incredible projects they undertake.
Engineering is an incredibly versatile major that equips students with essential skills. It's like having a toolbox for solving problems, thinking critically, and mastering technical challenges. At Howard University, I will be keeping my options open and exploring many different engineering fields, from mechanical to industrial and civil engineering. This education will provide me with a well-rounded understanding of how things work and how to create and improve complex systems.
Another major I've been exploring is Sports Management. Studying sports management at Howard will equip me with the knowledge and skills required to navigate the sports industry's unique demands and complexities. This program aligns perfectly with my passion for sports, which I have developed since I was a little kid watching and enjoying various sports events. By engaging myself in the field of sports management, I am eager to dive deeper into the dynamics of sports organizations, event planning, athlete management, marketing, and the business side of the sports world. The experiential learning opportunities at Howard, such as internships with professional sports teams, sports marketing agencies, or sports event management companies, will provide invaluable hands-on experience in the sports industry.
Finding out Howard University was founded in 1867 proved to me that it is a distinguished institution with a legacy of excellence. The main thing that caught my eye was how it's known for its diverse and inclusive student body, attracting students from various backgrounds and countries. It fosters a vibrant and multicultural campus environment.
Studying engineering while pursuing a career in professional soccer represents a distinctive and ambitious path.I want to be a part of Howard University because I believe it's a place where I can learn from some of the best minds in the world. But it's not just about what I can get; I also want to give back. My mix of interests and experiences, from engineering to professional soccer, brings something unique to the table.
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Julia published her first “book” on the elusive Pika in elementary school and has been writing fervently ever since. She’s thrilled to unite her quirky love of grammar and master’s in psychology to help students tell their most meaningful stories. Her favorite punctuation mark is the apostrophe because, in the words of Imagine Dragons, it’s “a symbol to remind you that there’s more to see.”
Top values: Collaboration | Family | Productivity
