The birthplace of American civil engineering education, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute takes seriously its pedigree as the English-speaking world’s oldest technological research university. Both its curricula and its campus, nestled in the hillside of Troy, N.Y., are hardwired with a commitment to research and technological innovation—emphases you’d notice whether you’re majoring in games and simulation, mechanical engineering, music, or philosophy.
But as an aspiring RPI undergrad, you already knew that—heck, it’s probably why you’re applying. So, to get deeper insights into how the home of the RPI Engineers wants to grow and evolve, check out its strategic plan. You’ll also find an extensive, by-the-numbers look at its offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set.
What are the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute supplemental essay prompts?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (300 words)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Supplemental Essay Prompt #2
Why are you interested in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute? (250 words)
How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
How to Write Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (300 words)
This is a pretty common college essay prompt, designed to probe for details and insights on how you spend your time outside of school. These essays are a great tool for highlighting an area of focus that’s meaningful to you, while also letting you flex some values, traits, and experiences you want RPI to know about you.
You’ll find a really in-depth step-by-step guide at this link, with tips and exercises for brainstorming your topic, and a bunch of great examples. But if you want the SparkNotes version, here’s what to do:
Go to your Common App Activities List and pick 3-5 possible topics.
Then, go through the Best Extracurricular Activity Brainstorm I’ve Ever Seen (aka BEABIES exercise), either mentally or by filling out the chart. This will help you decide which topic might yield the most content for your essay. If you’re unsure, maybe do a simple outline for two different topics.
Write a draft! To guide you, each of those columns could provide a sentence or two of your first draft that you can tweak later.
Pro-tip: Be careful about writing about an activity you’ve already shared a lot about elsewhere in your application. If you’ve already written about your most important extracurricular activity in your main Common App personal statement or the RPI “Why us?” supplemental (more on that below), for example, maybe write instead about your second or third most important activity.
Here’s a particularly strong extracurricular essay example:
Example 1:
For the past two years, I have volunteered in the special education needs (SEN) department at my school. In Swiss schools, whether public or private, there are very few programs of this nature for students with disabilities. The fact that my school has an SEN department is quite unique, it has provided me the unique opportunity and privilege to work with these students. This work allows me to advocate for human rights for every student, and work towards ending the stigma surrounding disabilities. I believe that this stigma is far too prevalent today, especially in schools.
During my time in the department, I have spent many hours with the same children, working to both gain their trust and better understand their needs. It’s been fascinating working closely with the students and observing how winning games of Bananagrams motivated them. From working on simple maths problems to sensory art projects, I have observed a steady increase in their self esteem and self reliance. Spending time with them has improved my communication skills, taught me to be a better listener and made me realize just how much work there is to be done to get rid of the stigma that those with different abilities face.
At RPI, I intend to continue advocating for human rights through RPI’s Autism Self-Advocacy Network. I also want to further reduce this stigma by joining the Autism Society and continue to encourage students not to surrender to the barriers that society creates.
— — —
Tips + Analysis
Identify the problem you hoped to help solve (if relevant). If your essay doesn’t address a problem or a challenge, that’s okay—not all of them do, or even should (as the guide linked above explains)—so feel free to skip to #2. If it does address a problem, consider naming the problem or challenge, and perhaps how you recognized its impact on the world around you. For this student, it was about working “toward ending the stigma surrounding disabilities,” which she suggests “is far too prevalent today, especially in schools.” Making this point offers context and insight into her motivation for volunteering for the SEN department. It also shows some important values (compassion, empathy, meaningful work, purpose—just to name a few).
Show impact. Did you add value in your participation in this activity, either on a team or in your position? Use details to describe that impact. This is especially important for the challenge/problem essays, but it could even be true for broader, value-based essays that take the montage approach. This student shows impact first by noting the quality time she spent with her students (“many hours with the same children”), then follows up with clear specifics (emphasis added): “It’s been fascinating working closely with the students and observing how winning games of Bananagrams motivated them. From working on simple maths problems to sensory art projects, I have observed a steady increase in their self esteem and self reliance.”
Share how you grew from the experience. Whether your activity involved a hobby, a job, or a project, or anything in between, you no doubt learned some valuable lessons and/or skills along the way. RPI wants to hear you describe that growth, both for what the learnings say about you and for insights into the things you value. Here’s how this student did that (emphasis added): Spending time with them has improved my communication skills, taught me to be a better listener and brought me realize just how much work there is to be done to get rid of the stigma that those with different abilities face.
Connect it back to RPI, if possible. The prompt isn’t asking you to make this activity relevant specifically to your imagined future at RPI. But taking the extra care and time to make that connection gives you an extra opportunity to demonstrate values you and the school share. A nice bonus: It allows admission officials to envision you on their campus, giving back to the community (a priority for many schools, especially RPI). This is what making those connections may look like: “At RPI, I intend to continue advocating for human rights through RPI’s Autism Self-Advocacy Network. I also want to further reduce this stigma by joining the Autism Society and continue to encourage students not to surrender to the barriers that society creates.”
How to Write Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Supplemental Essay Prompt #2
Why are you interested in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute? (250 words)
This is your classic “Why us?” essay prompt. But, since it’s capped at 250 words, it’s on the short-ish side. We recommend checking out this complete guide on how to write the “Why us?” essay. Pay close attention to the “Why Cornell” and “Why Penn” examples, which are our favorites.
Here’s the short version of how to write the “Why us?” essay:
Spend 1 hr+ researching 7+ reasons why RPI might be a great fit for you (ideally 2-3 of the reasons will be unique to RPI and connect back to you).
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!
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.
Below is a great sample essay for a “Why us?” essay prompt, written for another school (Brandeis), but you’ll see in the tips below that you can learn a lot for your own “Why us” essay:
Example 2:
Bahrain is among the top ten most polluted countries in the world. I want that to change by pursuing a major in Environmental Studies at Brandeis.
I’m particularly interested in the Geographic Information Systems course, as GISs are becoming more common in Bahrain, as well as the Sustainable Agriculture & Watersheds elective, through which I hope to better understand the design of policies that can help create more sustainable cities and communities. As housing is another priority in Bahrain, I’m interested in the Housing for Good course, as I would like to have a more hands-on experience improving people’s living conditions, bringing back what I learn to my country.
Brandeis has a wealth of clubs and student activities that leave me spoiled for choice. In particular, the Muslim Student Association will provide the opportunity to do voluntary community work and join gatherings during Ramadan and Eid. I’m also keen on joining the Students to End Alzheimer's Disease club, since two of my grandparents suffer from Alzheimer's and I’ve seen firsthand how difficult coping with this disease can be for families.
Last but not least, the Skydiving Club at Brandeis is a dream come true, as I have been training in indoor skydiving for two years and flying professionally for almost a year and that there is a training facility just 45 minutes from campus means I can follow my athletic dream while continuing my education.
Finally, I have family living in Boston who can help me adapt to my new environment.
— — —
Tips + Analysis
Show how you and RPI share key values. There’s that V-word again. If you search this guide for the word “value,” you’ll notice we repeat it a bunch. On purpose. Demonstrating your values—i.e., the principles you hold dear—is one of the most important insights your supplemental essays (and your personal statement) should telegraph. So keep this Values Exercise handy as you write, and pay particular attention to values you and RPI share. Reflecting those in this essay will show not just that you get what RPI is all about, but also that the two of you are a perfect match. Take a page from how this student conveys values while imagining herself at Brandeis: using the Environmental Studies major to help solve Bahrain’s pollution problem (values: responsibility, meaningful work, my country, purpose, leadership), joining clubs and student activities like the Muslim Student Association (values: culture, religion, heritage) and the Students to End Alzheimer’s Disease club (values: family, purpose, empathy, helping others), and flying high with the Skydiving Club (values: adventure, freedom, excitement).
Show a range of interests. As the values scan above shows, the wider the range of your interests, the more values you’ll have a chance to convey. You also get to show RPI that you’re serious about your studies and all the other opportunities the school offers (read: multidimensional contributor). So think beyond listing academic interests to exploring clubs, Greek life, leadership development opportunities, athletics—whatever gets you jazzed about life at RPI.
Be specific. Admission officials at most any school, RPI included, will tell you that they like to see “Why us?” essays peppered with specifics about their school—from courses and the professors who lead them to clubs, activities, and research and internship opportunities. That tells them you’ve taken a particular interest in their school—and that you can envision yourself there. One quick/easy way to check if you have enough specifics is to look for capital letters, like the names of courses and programs and clubs, and bold them. This student has 7 examples in his essay, a solid return for a 250-word prompt.
Remember, this is also a “why me” essay. This is key to showing the “you” side of why you and RPI are the perfect match. Note how this student weaves in his excitement about Brandeis with relevant experiences and details from his life, like this: “As housing is another priority in Bahrain, I’m interested in the Housing for Good course, as I would like to have a more hands-on experience improving people’s living conditions, bringing back what I learn to my country.” And this: “I’m also keen on joining the Students to End Alzheimer's Disease club, since two of my grandparents suffer from Alzheimer's and I’ve seen firsthand how difficult coping with this disease can be for families.” And this: “Last but not least, the Skydiving Club at Brandeis is a dream come true, as I have been training in indoor skydiving for two years and flying professionally for almost a year and that there is a training facility just 45 minutes from campus means I can follow my athletic dream while continuing my education.”
Want advice on dozens of other supplemental essays? Click here.
Special thanks to Nicole for contributing to this post.
Nicole learned how to tell other people’s stories after a 30+-year career as a newspaper reporter, covering both the mundane and the unforgettable, from serial killer Duane Owen’s retrial, to the Bush/Gore nail-biter, to the homeless family of four who found refuge in a storage unit. Her ideal day is spent playing Cribbage with her dad, beating her husband at RummiKub and planning the next girls trip with her teenage daughters.
Top values: Creativity | Growth | Meaningful Work
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