mcdaniel college supplemental essays

McDaniel College

• Cost & scholarships
• Essay prompt

Want to see your chances of admission at McDaniel College?

We take every aspect of your personal profile into consideration when calculating your admissions chances.

McDaniel College’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Select-a-prompt essay.

Pick One Optional Question

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

Discuss some issue of personal, local, national or international concern and its importance to you.

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence.

Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you and explain that influence.

A range of academic interests, personal perspectives and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or describe an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

Write about a topic of your choice. This can be a previously written sample you wrote for a class or project.

Extracurricular Essay

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.

Common App Personal Essay

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you‘ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?

• Narrative Essay Structure
• The Paramedic Method
• Thesis Statements
• Understanding Audience
• Introductory Paragraphs

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McDaniel College Requirements for Admission

Choose your test.

What are McDaniel College's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

• GPA requirements
• Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
• Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into McDaniel College and build a strong application.

School location: Westminster, MD

Admissions Rate: 82%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at McDaniel College is 82% . For every 100 applicants, 82 are admitted.

This means the school is lightly selective . The school will have their expected requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores. If you meet their requirements, you're almost certain to get an offer of admission. But if you don't meet McDaniel College's requirements, you'll be one of the unlucky few people who gets rejected.

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies . We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools , from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

McDaniel College GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.74

The average GPA at McDaniel College is 3.74 .

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.74, McDaniel College requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need at least a mix of A's and B's, with more A's than B's. You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes. This will show that you're able to handle more difficult academics than the average high school student.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

McDaniel College hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to McDaniel College will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

McDaniel College SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1154

The average SAT score composite at McDaniel College is a 1154 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes McDaniel College Competitive for SAT test scores.

McDaniel College SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1030, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1230. In other words, a 1030 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1230 will move you up to above average .

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

McDaniel College ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, McDaniel College likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 25

The average ACT score at McDaniel College is 25. This score makes McDaniel College Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

The 25th percentile ACT score is 23, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 29.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 23 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to McDaniel College, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 23.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

McDaniel College considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require it.

Final Admissions Verdict

Because this school is lightly selective, you have a great shot at getting in, as long as you don't fall well below average . Aim for a 1030 SAT or a 23 ACT or higher, and you'll almost certainly get an offer of admission. As long as you meet the rest of the application requirements below, you'll be a shoo-in.

But if you score below our recommended target score, you may be one of the very few unlucky people to get rejected.

Admissions Calculator

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are. Pick your test: SAT ACT

• 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
• 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
• 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
• 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
• 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program . We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.

Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:

• PrepScholar customizes your prep to your strengths and weaknesses . You don't waste time working on areas you already know, so you get more results in less time.
• We guide you through your program step-by-step so that you're never confused about what you should be studying. Focus all your time learning, not worrying about what to learn.
• Our team is made of national SAT/ACT experts . PrepScholar's founders are Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers . You'll be studying using the strategies that actually worked for them.
• We've gotten tremendous results with thousands of students across the country. Read about our score results and reviews from our happy customers .

There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program , or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:

Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of McDaniel College here.

Application Requirements Overview

• Common Application Accepted
• Electronic Application Available
• Essay or Personal Statement Required for all freshmen
• Letters of Recommendation 2
• Interview Not required
• Application Fee No fee required for domestic applicants
• Fee Waiver Available? Available
• Other Notes

Testing Requirements

• SAT or ACT Considered if submitted
• SAT Essay or ACT Writing Optional
• SAT Subject Tests
• Scores Due in Office None

Coursework Requirements

• Subject Required Years
• Foreign Language 3
• Social Studies 3

Deadlines and Early Admissions

• Offered? Deadline Notification
• Yes February 1 March 7
• Yes December 15 January 15
• Yes November 1, January 15 December 1

Admissions Office Information

• Address: 2 Westminster, MD 21157-4390
• Phone: (410) 848-7000 x7000
• Fax: (410) 857-2729
• Email: [email protected]

Other Schools For You

If you're interested in McDaniel College, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to McDaniel College.

Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than McDaniel College. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for McDaniel College, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for McDaniel College, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If McDaniel College is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2023 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.

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Extracurriculars.

How to Write the Most Common Supplemental College Essays: A Complete Guide

Note: This post focuses on supplemental essays. If you want advice on the Common App prompts, check out our guide to the Common App essays .

Your grades are in, your test scores have been sent, and recommendation letters have been uploaded…but there’s one last component of your college applications left: the essays. For many students, essays are the final and most daunting hurdle to clear before hitting submit.

Your essays, however, are your opportunity to tell admissions officers how you want them to remember you. Maybe you didn’t do so well on the SAT, or maybe you got a lower grade than you hoped for in Honors Chemistry, but you can’t change your grades or scores.

The essays, however, are entirely in your control. There is so much freedom to tell your story and what makes you unique. Our mission at CollegeVine is to make the essay-writing as stress-free as possible. Read on for our tips and tricks on writing a college essay that will give you the best chance at getting that thick envelope!

Content overview:

• Why this college?
• Why this major?
• Elaborate on an extracurricular activity or work experience.
• Discuss a community you belong to that has impacted who you are today.
• Crafting the essay
• Avoiding pitfalls

Want to learn more about Supplemental Essays? Check out one of our popular recorded live streams on this topic.

Common Types of College Essays

Colleges will find a hundred different ways to ask a question, but most of the time, the prompt boils down to one of the following common essay themes.

Common Essay #1: Why this college?

Students’ most common mistake on a “Why this college?” essay is lack of specificity; in particular, some students will list attributes that can apply to multiple schools, which is what you want to avoid at all costs.

When it comes to a “Why this college?” essay, you need to discuss qualities and programs specific to that school. It is not enough to merely list or name-drop, however. Instead, talk about why this item is important to you. Here’s how this plays out:

What not to do:

I want to go to the University of Southern California because it is a highly ranked school in Los Angeles. In addition, I like its Cosmic Writers Club, as well as the Incubate USC program. I am especially excited about the abundant film resources.

Why the previous response doesn’t work:

There are many reasons you want to avoid a response like this. Let’s start with the first sentence: replace the school’s name with UCLA and the accuracy doesn’t suffer. What this means is that the sentence is not specific enough to USC. In addition, you never want to state, or even imply, that you’re applying to a school due to prestige or ranking.

The exception for the previous rule is if a school is ranked highly for a specific program of interest. For example, if you want to pursue creative writing and a school has the number one creative writing program in the country, you can mention this because it is a quality specific to that school. A school’s overall prestige, however, should not be mentioned in your essay.

Why else doesn’t this response work? Let’s look at the second sentence. The writer does well to mention specific programs within USC. However, the response fails to discuss why they liked these programs or how they would benefit from having access to them.

What to write instead:

As someone with a lasting love for writing and a blossoming passion for entrepreneurship, I was so excited to find a large urban school like the University of Southern California that would give me the resources to pursue both. From classes with award-winning authors—amongst them Professor T. Boyle, whose environmental fiction works are similar to those I hope to someday publish—to clubs like the Cosmic Writers Club, which unites author hopefuls, USC offers more resources than I could ever exhaust in my journey to publish my first book.

On the business side, USC is known for fostering the type of creativity and innovation needed in pursuing start-ups. In particular, I was so excited to learn of the Incubate USC program, a unique mothership of ideas that nurtures the creativity of students. With the help of this program, I would be able to pursue my growing interest in the world of start-up ventures.

Why the previous response works:

This response not only mentions programs and resources specific to USC, but it shows how the student would take advantage of these opportunities. In addition, this response portrays passion and ambition, infusing elements of the student’s personality while still staying focused on answering the prompt.

Other things to keep in mind:

• The first time you say the school’s name, you should write it out. After that, you can abbreviate.
• Avoid writing what every other applicant is going to write. For example, every NYU applicant is going to mention NYU’s location in New York City. Unless you have a unique twist on this, you should skip it.
• Don’t mention frivolous things like dorms or dining halls. Your reasons for liking a school should be more substantial.
• Do your research. For example, don’t say you’ve always wanted to go to a city if you’re writing an essay for a rural school.
• Do not copy and paste your “Why this college?” essay and simply change the school name. Many non-Harvard admissions officers have received essays from students about why they want to go to Harvard. If your “Why this college?” essay is so general that you can copy and paste it, your reasoning will not impress admissions officers.

For more tips on writing this essay, see our complete guide to the “Why this college?” essay , including a real sample essay.

Common Essay #2: Why this major? 

One of the most important things to remember is that admissions officers are not looking for a résumé. This is not to say you can’t discuss your activities and how they culminated a passion for a specific major. The challenge, however, is to use these activities to tell a story rather than a mere list of achievements.

How do you do this? Share your thought processes. Many times it is the thoughts surrounding an activity more than the activity itself that will show the reader your journey to choosing a major.

Other tips:

• Don’t ever say that your reason for choosing a major is money-making potential. If you want to mention life beyond college, then talk about how this major will help you achieve your dreams. If your dream is to produce a feature-length film and a film major will help you get there, say that. But don’t say your dream is to be a rich film producer.
• Undeclared? That’s totally okay. Just be sure to list a couple potential majors, and explain your interest in those. Under no circumstances should you say you have absolutely no idea, as that will make you look like you don’t care. For more tips, see our post on how to write the “Why this major?” essay if you’re undecided .

For more tips on writing this essay, see our complete guide to the “Why this major?” essay , including a real sample essay.

Common Essay 3: Elaborate on an extracurricular activity or work experience.

Is there an activity or work experience in your application that you have more to say about? Maybe there’s a story behind it that you want to tell. Some questions to consider are:

• How did you become interested in this extracurricular?
• What is your role in the activity or work experience?
• Why do you do it?
• Have you experienced growth within the activity over time?

There are endless angles you can pursue here, but your essay should, in short, show your motivation behind participating in a certain activity or job.

What you don’t want to do, however, is simply restate something that’s been said elsewhere. If you have already spotlighted an activity in another essay for a given college, don’t write about the same activity. Your goal here is to share new information and your breadth of experiences.

As with the “Why Major?” prompt, it is more powerful to share a story with the reader rather than to detail the activity itself.

For more tips on writing this essay, see our complete guide to the Extracurricular Activity essay , including a real sample essay.

Common Essay 4: Discuss a community you belong to that has impacted who you are today.

“Community” can mean many things, so there are many possible approaches to this prompt. Some applicants respond with a community they’re linked to through culture, and others through sports or a club.

One thing you can emphasize is personal growth—or other aspects of who you are as a person—that has come from belonging to this community. The majority of the essay should, in fact, center around how being part of this group has changed or impacted who you are as a person.

What to avoid:

• Do not discriminate against other communities in your response.
• Try not to talk about your community in broad terms, but instead focus on your place within this community.
• Avoid using the essay as a chance to complain. If you choose to talk about challenges in a certain community, find a way to give your essay a sense of resolution. This can consist even of talking about how you’ve grown as a person or learned how to confront these obstacles in a productive way.

Writing the Essay

Phase 1: ideation.

Highlights of this section:

• Thinking of an idea
• Portraying individuality
• Staying true to yourself
• General tips and tricks

Now that you’re familiar with some of the most common types of essay prompts, let’s dive into the ideation process. Here are some questions that it’s good to ask yourself when you’re just starting out, particularly when the prompt deviates from the more straightforward archetypes above:

• What makes you unique?
• What is your story?
• Is there something you weren’t able to say in your application that you think admissions officers should know?
• Did you mention something earlier in your application that you want to elaborate on?

Remember that your essays, and application in general, should read like a portfolio in which all components are complementary without being redundant. If the application is like a drawing, then the essays should contribute to creating one coherent image without sketching the same line more than once or leaving gaps in the drawing.

Don’t shy away from being quirky! The more you present yourself as your own unique person, the more likely the admissions officer is to remember you. Take the following cases, for instance:

• A football player who scores a winning touchdown in the last five seconds of the game.
• A football player who knits scarves for residents of a retirement home in his free time.

In the first case, telling this story doesn’t do anything to differentiate this football player from others. However, the second story portrays a unique student with two interests the reader might not otherwise have paired together. Individuality is the goal here.

Of course, don’t exaggerate , lie, or pretend to be someone you’re not. In particular, don’t write something just because you think the admissions officer wants to hear it. They have read enough applications to separate the genuine voices from the insincere. As such, your only job is to put your true self on the page!

Here are some other things to keep in mind while brainstorming college essay topics:

• Narratives will always be more successful because they engage the reader emotionally. They are also an easy way to demonstrate how you’ve changed and grown over time.
• If you have already emphasized something in your application, don’t dedicate an essay to it unless can share an entirely new perspective. When in doubt, choose a new topic.
• Your essay doesn’t have to be about something rare and incredible. You don’t have to have started a company or traveled the world to write a solid essay. In fact, some of the strongest essays have taken a simple, perhaps even everyday occurrence, and portrayed it in a beautiful way that shows a unique way of thinking.
• Be sure to answer all aspects of the prompt while still giving the reader insight into who you are. It’s very easy to speak about some topics in third-person or broad terms (example: “What is your idea of success?”). Don’t do this. Instead, find a way to link the prompt to your own life.

Overall, think of the essays as a way to let the admissions officer get to know you on a personal level. Humanize yourself.

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

Phase 2: Crafting the Essay

• Show, don’t tell.
• Perfecting the first and last sentence
• What does the essay say about me?

You have likely heard this next tip a hundred times throughout high school, but it’s vital to writing a strong essay: show, don’t tell . The whole point of essays is to give insight into who you are and how you think. Can you effectively do that if you’re merely listing off things that happened? Nope. Let’s take a lot at two examples:

• An example of telling: The cat ran out the door, and I got scared.
• An example of showing: The doorbell rang, accompanied by the creak of the mailbox as the mailman slipped the day’s envelopes inside. I ran downstairs and threw the door open, knowing today was the day I was going to hear back. My excitement made me oblivious, though, and it wasn’t until I saw a blur of dark fur dash through the open door that I realized my mistake.

The second example takes the facts and turns it into a story. It gives the reader a sense of anticipation as well as a character to identify with and root for. That’s what “show, don’t tell” does for your essay.

Now let’s talk about the two most important parts of your essay: the first sentence and the last sentence.

Your first sentence’s job is to hook the reader. Aim for a first sentence that surprises, even slightly jars, the reader to wake them up and get their full focus on your essay. Here are some examples:

• It wasn’t supposed to be blue.
• Was the car meant to sound like that?

In both cases, the writer has intentionally withheld information, providing just enough to leave the reader wanting to know the rest of the story. What isn’t supposed to be blue? What happens next?

As for the last sentence, its job is to resolve the essay, leaving the reader with a sense of peace and finality. Give the reader one last great impression to remember you by. Here’s an example:

“I’ve learned to hold my failures close; not so close that they burden me, per say, but just

close enough that they can guide me as I journey onward.”

This sentence works because it gives the reader a sense that, though the story continues on in the form of the narrator’s ongoing journey, the story on the page has been resolved. It feels peaceful.

Now then, after you’ve completed your first draft, the next thing you want to do is ask yourself the following question : What three things about me can the reader get from reading this essay? If you’re having trouble answering this question, then the essay needs to share more about you. Otherwise, you’re ready for revision!

Phase 3: Revision

• Careless errors
• Staying under the word limit
• Getting a second opinion

You’ve done the hard work. You came up with a brilliant idea and poured your heart and soul into the writing. Now comes the tedious part: revision.

Most importantly, college essays need to be absolutely devoid of grammatical or spelling mistakes . You don’t want to give your admissions officer the impression that you didn’t care enough to proofread, especially after all of your hard work.

Another aspect that tends to frustrate students is the word limit. If you’ve made it under the word limit, great! If not, here are some methods of cutting down.

• Example: In visiting your campus, it occurred to me that the method with which you schedule your classes is ideal because…
• This can be cut down to: The way you schedule your classes is ideal because…
• Most times phrases such as “I think,” “I believe,” “it seems,” and other similar wording is not necessary and simply takes up extra space. Use your judgement, but generally, these phrases get the boot.
• Keep an eye out for the word “that.” This can almost always be cut.
• If you use a long hyphen (—), no space is needed between words. This will bring your word count down. Don’t get too hyphen happy, though!

If the above tips are not enough to get you below the word limit,  you may need to remove entire paragraphs. If a paragraph does not drive the story forward, or is unnecessary in understanding the progression of the story, you may want to remove it.

Once your essay is mistake-free and below the word limit, your next task is to send it to at least three trusted individuals. Ask them the following questions to guide their suggestions:

• Does it make sense?
• Does it sound like me?
• What does it say about me? (Check that this aligns with what you want it to say about you).

Take note of their responses and decide what changes you want to implement. Be receptive, but remember to stay true to yourself and your vision.

Avoiding Pitfalls:

• Avoid discussion of taboo subjects or things that can be perceived as controversial. Everyone is entitled to their own views, but you don’t want to chance saying something controversial that your reader might disagree with.
• Never appear discriminatory in any way. Colleges tend to be vastly left-wing and progressive.
• Don’t turn in work that isn’t your own. When does accepting another person’s edits become plagiarism? If they are rewriting entire sentences in their own words, it is no longer your own work.
• Avoid clichés! It is okay to write about a common experience (like a sports injury or service trip), but only if you have a unique take on them. Don’t write on a popular topic if you will simply describe the same lesson that everyone else learned.
• Don’t write your essay directly into the application text box or it may not save your work. Write it in a separate document and copy and paste it later. Then, double check that the format is correct.

At the end of the day, your essays should just leave the reader thinking: I want to have a conversation with this student. You want to show that you’re an multifaceted, mature person with an interesting story to tell. At CollegeVine, we’re rooting for you all the way—go get writing!

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

A Customized Curriculum

The McDaniel Plan is our version of a general education program. With the goal of equipping critical thinkers and excellent communicators, the McDaniel Plan is versatile and customizable while still ensuring that each McDaniel student graduates with a strong academic foundation.

McDaniel Commitment

The McDaniel Commitment guarantees that every student will engage in strategic, guided exploration to complete a program of courses and experiential learning that will prepare them for personal and professional success.

Integrated Study in the Liberal Arts

The unique academic opportunities offered at McDaniel are intentionally designed to get you out of the classroom to apply what you’ve learned to the real world. The integrated study of the Liberal Arts provides the academic foundation needed to equip McDaniel students to become critical thinkers and excellent communicators.

At McDaniel, there are so many majors and minors to choose from that it’s hard to pick just one. That’s why so many students pick two or three. With the help of your advisors, you can pick a combination of majors and minors that is completely unique to you and perfectly aligns with your interests. 

Electives and Special Opportunities

An engaging, high-quality academic experience is compelling and immersive. At McDaniel, you'll find ways to engage your mind in new ways, with a support team of faculty alongside you each step of the way.

The McDaniel Commitment

The McDaniel Commitment has four components—My Place, My Design, My Experience, and My Career—that provide students with a sustained, intensive, and scaffolded process leading to both the identification of career and life goals and the mapping of a path forward to pursue those goals.  All students must complete the four components of the McDaniel Commitment.

McDaniel Local is one of the college's signature McDaniel Commitment experiences. Serving as your first introduction to Westminster, Maryland, McDaniel Local is a mandatory two-day, one-night event designed to help you get to know your new community and make connections with fellow McDaniel students. McDaniel Local will hone your sense of purpose as you head into college and provide you with the opportunity to connect with faculty advisors and register for your fall classes. My Place counts as one of two required experiential learning (EXP) opportunities. 

Over the next four years, you’ll build on this foundation as you discover all the ways you can make McDaniel Your Place .

In this 2-credit course completed in the first year, students will identify their strengths, life goals, and areas for personal improvement, and learn how the liberal arts can help them identify and achieve their vocation.  Most students complete My Design during their first-year Jan Term and the course fulfills the Jan Term requirement when taken during that term.  My Design is optional for transfer students.

Upon completion of My Design, you'll be ready to complete Your Design , a personalized action plan that sets the stage for the rest of your time on the Hill.

My Experience

Participation in experiential learning (i.e., courses, internships, independent studies designated as EXP) requires the application of classroom knowledge to experiences beyond the traditional classroom setting. Students must engage in at least two experiential learning opportunities and transfer students must complete at least one.  Completing additional experiential learning opportunities is encouraged.  Participation in McDaniel Local meets one experiential learning requirement. The second experiential learning requirement is typically fulfilled by an internship, study abroad, a course with a substantial experiential learning component, or other approved opportunity.

Your Experience collaborating with faculty on meaningful research, completing internships, and studying abroad, will provide you with the professional skills and knowledge you need to excel in your field.

All students must complete My Career, a one-credit online course typically taken during the junior or senior year. Honors students may take My Career during their sophomore year.  My Career guides students through the next steps for professional success by providing support as they research and identify their next pursuit after graduation (e.g., career, graduate school, fellowship), prepare for interviews, and learn to write resumes and cover letters.

In the culmination of your McDaniel Commitment, you’ll use everything you’ve learned to prepare for Your Future after the Hill.

With an academic foundation in the liberal arts, we help you become an empowered critical thinker, with the knowledge and adaptability to succeed no matter where the future takes you. 

First Year Seminar

A small seminar. A close relationship with a faculty member. Intense and challenging classroom debate and discussion. We often think of these experiences as ones reserved for college students in their senior year. But at McDaniel, your McDaniel Plan experience begins with this kind of challenging and rewarding classroom environment. It's all part of your First-Year Seminar.

First-Year Seminars are designed to develop a variety of skills including writing, speaking, critical thinking, and the ability to discuss and debate with others who think differently than you do. You'll walk away with lifelong friends, a close relationship with a faculty mentor, and the skills you need to be successful in future coursework.

Selecting Your Seminar

Once you submit your deposit to McDaniel College in the spring of your senior year of high school, you will be asked to review as many as twenty different First Year Seminar course descriptions. Taught by some of McDaniel's most compelling and beloved faculty, these courses are interdisciplinary, engaging and challenging. You'll identify 3-5 seminars that capture your interest and imagination, and will submit them through your New Student Academic Survey. Prior to registration, you'll be assigned to your seminar. Over 98% of new students are placed into one of their top three seminars of interest.

Here are just a few recent examples: 

Learn to Think Like A Computer

Students set out to discover technical knowhow through exploring and surveying popular technologies.

Shakespeare's Game of Thrones

Students discover the connections and similarities between the works of the renowned Renaissance playwright and the wildly popular HBO series.  

The Examined Life

Students will explore classic philosophical questions while developing the ability to think critically about their own lived experience.

Completing Your Plan Additional McDaniel Plan Requirements

Foreign Language

The study of other languages introduces important avenues of communication and promotes linguistic, cultural, historical, and international understanding. McDaniel students must demonstrate proficiency in a second language. Popular languages at McDaniel include Arabic, French, American Sign Language (ASL), and Spanish.

Global Citizenship

To fulfill the Global Citizenship requirement, students must take one course with a multicultural focus, and two courses with an international or cross-cultural focus. Multicultural education will give students an understanding of the cultural pluralism of American society. International education is a critical component of global education.

Introduction to College Writing

The U.S.-based National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) recently asked employers what they look for on a recent college graduate candidate’s resume, to screen for those they will interview and potentially hire. The results? Employers are looking for leaders who can work as part of a team and communicate effectively. In fact, 73.4% of employers surveyed sought written communication skills, and it was the third most-desired quality for potential employees. It's for this reason that we provide general and program-specific writing coursework for every student. All first-year students will be given introductory instruction in writing, and students further develop their writing through a department's writing-in-the-major plan.

Departmental Writing

Students will further develop their abilities in writing through a program of departmental writing. Each department or major program at the College provides a course or courses or a strategy to develop writing skills appropriate for its majors. Students must complete the requirement in Departmental Writing as indicated in their declared major. In some cases, this is incorporated into the course requirements for the major; in other cases, it is in addition to the requirements for the major. For further information, see the listings for the individual departments and programs or consult with the chair.

Critical Inquiries in the Liberal Arts

As part of your McDaniel Plan curriculum, you'll select Critical Inquiry courses. These courses explore vital areas of knowledge in ways that stretch your ability to inquire and imagine. They focus on key practices and methodologies that are central to the academic search for knowledge and are designed to advance the capacity for clear, critical, and creative thinking and communication across the breadth of the liberal arts. The areas of knowledge covered by these categories are important for the development of thoughtful, informed, and imaginative citizens. The Critical Inquiry Categories include:

• Quantitative Reasoning and Scientific Inquiry
• Textual Analysis and Creative Expression
• Social, Cultural, and Historical Understanding

January Term

January Term is a three-week term between the fall and spring semesters in which students and faculty explore new areas and expand their intellectual horizons. Students choose from specially designed courses offered on and off campus. Some students take advantage of January Term for independent off-campus study or join one of the popular study tours abroad. Examples of Jan Term opportunities include:

• Jan Term Abroad
• Stress Management 101

All students must complete a major. Each major offers a basic program, involving up to 50 credit hours of required course work within the discipline and sometimes from supplementary disciplines. The McDaniel Plan provides a liberal education that combines proportionate general education and major programs of study, in addition to complementary electives and a range of special opportunities. A double major, which requires the completion of all requirements in two separate majors, is allowed. Many departments offer students the option of combining work from two or more disciplines to create a dual major.

Explore Majors

At McDaniel, your major doesn’t dictate what you learn — it starts the conversation. Combine subjects, follow interests, and customize a degree on your own terms.

In addition to completing McDaniel Plan required courses for Integrated Study and the Major, students are encouraged to take electives courses in departments across the College. Electives should be selected with care and imagination in consultation with the academic advisor to provide valuable perspectives, information, and skills.

Student-Designed Major and Minor

The option of a student-designed major/minor is available to students whose academic interests and goals cannot be served by existing programs. Approved Student-Designed Majors have included such titles as Art in Deaf Culture; Bio-Cultural Anthropology; Classical Civilizations; Criminal Psychology; Medical and Biological Illustration; Public Relations and the Performing Arts; Sports Journalism; Theatre Arts Management; and Women’s Studies.

Minor Programs

Many students have strong secondary interests and elect one or more minor programs in addition to their primary commitment to a major program. This option not only gives students a format for exploring secondary areas, it also gives recognition on a student’s transcript that the student has completed a significant amount of study in an area outside the declared major. Most departments offer minors, various departments cooperate to sponsor interdisciplinary minors, and some offer vocational or career minors.

Independent Studies

Independent studies provide students with the opportunity for individual study under the direction of a faculty member. The study, agreed upon by the sponsoring faculty member and the student, should be an experience not available within the regular college offerings.

Internships

McDaniel College conducts an active program of student internships through cooperative programs with government, business, industry, institutions, and individuals. An internship is an on-site work experience that can be paid or unpaid, held during the summer or throughout the academic year, and is often a student’s first experience in a professional setting. 

Continuing Education

The College encourages applications from adults who have not begun or who have interrupted their college educations. They may enter as either full- or part-time students. Full-time students are eligible for financial assistance. Annually the College enrolls a significant number of these nontraditional students and makes efforts to be sensitive and responsive to their unique academic situations and needs. 

Second Bachelor’s Degrees

The second bachelor’s degree program at McDaniel College is designed to meet the needs of students who have completed an undergraduate degree in one field and wish to become proficient in another. Students may elect any major offered at the College and must meet all academic requirements for that major as well as the general education requirements. 

"My time at McDaniel allowed me to gain a broader perspective on life and education. The liberal arts education gave me knowledge not just in my major, but in a variety of subjects providing me the ability to think outside the box."

Welcome to the McDaniel Application!

First-Time College Students

• You have not earned your high school diploma (even if you are currently enrolled in college courses through a dual enrollment program); or
• You have graduated from high school but have fewer than 12 transferable college credits.

Submit the  McDaniel Application for First Year Students or the Common Application .  Degree-Seeking Undergraduate Students Our undergraduate applications for degree-seeking students are designed to be easy to use and should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. With our goal of increased access, we do not require an application fee. Create an account below or login to get started. 

• Aug. 1 : Undergraduate application for fall and spring terms opens
• Nov. 1 : Summer and fall application opens
• April 1 : Spring application opens

Graduate applications are accepted on a rolling basis. 

Non-Degree Undergraduate Students Students wishing to register for undergraduate courses as a non-degree student should contact the Registrar's Office at  [email protected] .  Non-Degree Graduate Students Students wishing to register for graduate courses as a non-degree student are required to submit the  Graduate Non-Degree Registration Form .  

Highly-selective colleges and universities often require supplemental application materials. These materials help further personalize the admissions process so that each college’s admissions committee has the information it needs to select a vibrant and diverse incoming class. 

In this article, we will look at 10 supplemental essay prompts from top colleges and universities for the 2022-23 admissions cycle. Once you get a better sense of what to expect from a supplemental essay prompt, we will outline key strategies for answering these prompts, as well as provide practical writing tips to help you get started.

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What are supplemental essays and are they important?

Each college has its own sets of values and criteria that it looks for in applicants. This is why determining college fit is so important. By carefully researching each school on your college list and having several clear and compelling reasons for wanting to attend, you will increase your overall chances of admission.    

One way that colleges gauge whether or not a student would be a good fit for their university is by posing unique supplemental essay prompts. This is why knowing how to write a supplemental essay is so important. Most colleges with supplemental essays will have applicants write the “why this college” essay . 

Many selective colleges will require additional supplemental essays as well. In some cases, you will need to prepare an additional five essays per school, so give yourself plenty of time to complete each essay thoughtfully, write multiple drafts, seek out feedback, and proofread. The college application process can feel overwhelming at times, so make sure you brainstorm ways to stay organized during the college application process . 

Although the style and content of the actual prompts can vary greatly, at the core these prompts have one thing in common: They are designed to get to know who you are as a person, what your values are, and whether you demonstrate compatibility with the university’s overall mission. 

How to write supplemental essays

If you’re looking for supplemental essay tips, you’ve come to the right place! In this section, we will discuss how to write a good supplemental essay, by providing several key application essay tips. 

To start, it’s important to remember that the process of writing supplemental essays is similar to the process of writing a successful personal statement . Review components of a strong personal statement to give yourself a fresh perspective before beginning your supplemental essays.

Tips for writing supplemental essays

Supplemental essays are typically pretty brief. This is why it’s important to learn how to write concisely and powerfully. Having very few words to respond does not mean that you should prepare your responses casually or that your responses shouldn’t include lots of details. Rather, approach each word limit creatively. Whether you have 50 words, 200 words, or 500 words, try to use each sentence and detail to your advantage. One of the best ways to do this is to begin by freewriting. Write down everything that comes to mind. Take time to fully flush out your ideas. Then review what you’ve written and see what feels most important. These are the details you will want to highlight in your response.

Some colleges will require three to five additional essays. Maybe even more! This is why it’s important to be prepared and plan ahead. Supplemental essays are an important part of your college application and they require a lot of time and effort. While some supplemental essay prompts may be similar between schools, in general, you want to avoid recycling your college essays. Admissions officers can tell when a student is tweaking an existing essay to fit a prompt.

While some essay prompts are required, others are optional. In general, try to answer each prompt thoughtfully and creatively. After all, it’s no secret that college admissions are highly competitive so it’s great to give your application “an edge” whenever possible. That said, there are times when you should pass on writing an optional essay. If you’re not sure whether or not you should submit an essay for an optional prompt, begin by drafting a response. Then ask yourself if the essay feels forced or genuine. Does the essay convey something new about you that isn’t included in the rest of your application? If the question doesn’t seem to apply to you and you are genuinely unsure what to contribute, you should probably skip that particular essay. After all, no one wants to read an uninspired essay that doesn’t contribute to your overall application.

2022-23 supplemental essay prompts

As mentioned, supplemental essay prompts can vary significantly. Some prompts ask you to respond in 50 words while other prompts ask you to respond in 500 words. Some prompts focus on academics while others ask you to reflect carefully on your cultural upbringing or life philosophies. Still, other prompts will ask you to introduce who you are as a person or discuss something that you enjoy.

Just as supplemental essay prompts vary in style, your responses will also vary. Some prompts will require you to be thoughtful and serious, while other prompts may encourage you to be humorous or creative. It all depends.

Brown University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Brown University requires three supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

Brown’s culture fosters a community in which students challenge the ideas of others and have their ideas challenged in return, promoting a deeper and clearer understanding of the complex issues confronting society. This active engagement in dialogue is as present outside the classroom as it is in academic spaces. Tell us about a time you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond? (200-250 words)

Columbia University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Columbia University requires the following supplemental materials: 1 list of 75 words, 1 list of 125 words, 3 essays of 200 words each, and 1 short answer of 35 words. One of their supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

For the following questions, we ask that you list each individual response using commas or semicolons; the items do not have to be numbered or in any specific order. No explanatory text or formatting is needed. (For example, it is not necessary to italicize or underline titles of books or other publications. No author names, subtitles or explanatory remarks are needed.)  

List the titles of the books, essays, poetry, short stories or plays you read outside of academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (75 words or fewer)

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Dartmouth college supplemental essay prompt.

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Dartmouth College requires three supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

“Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself in 200-250 words. 

Duke University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Duke University requires at least one supplemental essay, with the option to submit an additional two supplemental essays. One of the optional supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?

Emory University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Emory University requires two supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

Emory If you could witness a historic event (past, present or future) first-hand, what would it be, and why?

Harvard University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Harvard University requires three supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (50-150 words)

MIT supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, MIT requires five supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it.

Princeton University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Princeton University requires three supplemental essays and three short responses. One of the short-answer prompts is as follows:

Please respond to each question in 75 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!

What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?

What brings you joy? 

What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?

Stanford University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Stanford University requires three supplemental essays and five short answer responses. One of the short-answer prompts is as follows:

How did you spend your last two summers? (50-word limit)

UPenn supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, UPenn requires three supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows: 

Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words)

Yale University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Yale University requires the following supplemental materials: 1 list; 6 short answer questions; 1 additional short essay of 400 words. One of the short answer prompts is as follows:

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What would you ask them to discuss? (200 characters or fewer)

Supplemental essay examples

One of the best ways to prepare your supplemental essay responses is to look at successful past examples. In this section, we will look at three examples and explain why each response is successful. 

This first example was submitted as a part of Harvard’s college application. This essay is in response to the prompt: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (50-150 words).

Feet moving, eyes up, every shot back, chants the silent mantra in my head. The ball becomes a beacon of neon green as I dart forward and backward, shuffling from corner to far corner of the court, determined not to let a single point escape me. With bated breath, I swing my racquet upwards and outwards and it catches the ball just in time to propel it, spinning, over the net. My heart soars as my grinning teammates cheer from the sidelines. While I greatly value the endurance, tenacity, and persistence that I have developed while playing tennis throughout the last four years, I will always most cherish the bonds that I have created and maintained each year with my team.

This essay uses rich, descriptive language to evoke a clear sense of movement and place. The first paragraph shows a creative and expert control of language, whereas the second paragraph uses straightforward language to highlight key characteristics. Overall, this response is creative, well-balanced, and uses each word to its advantage. 

Source: https://www.collegeadvisor.com/essay-guides/harvard-university-essay-examples-and-why-they-worked/  

This essay was submitted as a part of an MIT college application. The supplemental essay prompt that it addresses is: Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?

We were moving away from my home of thirteen years to go miles and miles away, from my whole life. Worst of all: away from New York City – the only place in the world worth knowing – or so I thought. The town might as well have been called “Miniscule Ville”. I resented every second of it. The real shocking thing to me was almost that anything existed outside of New York City. NYC is a world of its own, with its own pulses and lifeblood. I still think it’s a great place, and I’ll likely at least visit it someday, but right now, I want to visit everywhere. My move humbled me. I began to love nature walks, the friendly camaraderie of the small town, and saw a world I never imagined. I thought I knew it all just because I lived in New York. Here was a great place, hidden from view. I loved experiencing that new world, learning local history, and most of all, learning the life stories of my new neighbors, each one of whom had a fascinating life. My greatest dream is to be a journalist, covering other countries, and learning about new worlds and neighbors. My old perspective feels so limited. If I can share global stories, I can open up my perspective, and I can share those stories with a thousand homes so readers can learn about other perspectives as well. The world is full of different lives. Everywhere is somebody’s home.

This essay covers a lot of material; most impressively, it shows a shift in perspective and its effect on the student’s lived experience. It also clearly explains the student’s academic and professional goals. The tone of this essay is both confident and humble. It demonstrates who this student is as a person, what their goals are, and what they value.  

Source: https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/mit-supplemental-essay-examples  

This essay was submitted as a part of a Duke college application. The essay addresses the prompt: What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?

Most teachers who taught me talked a big game about wanting students to engage in debate, or “dialectic” as they called it, and to challenge their ideas. In my experience, most of this was a fabrication. The best essay grades and participation marks were found through parroting what was dictated from on high. Did the teacher think such-and-such is the “correct” interpretation of a novel? You did, too, or you lost points. None of that was true for Ms. Jackie Winters. The first essay I sent her came back with the note, “This doesn’t sound like you; it sounds like me.” I asked her about the note, and this initiated a marvelous learning environment, in which I grew faster than I ever have in any other class. Discussions were lively, and the more I presented my authentic views, the more I was respected. My grades were dependent on being backed up by rhetoric, sources, and logic, not by compliance. Due to this engagement, this was the most enjoyable English literature class I had, and I feel like my viewpoints were challenged. I learned to question my ideas and dig into a text for the best results. Best of all, I was putting in more and more effort to find good, quality sources to back up my arguments. I was held to a high standard and shown respect, and I believe that those qualities made for the best learning environment possible

This essay clearly shows a shift in perspective and the effects it had on this student’s ability to think, speak, and write critically. Structurally, this essay uses an anecdote to introduce and contextualize a topic, but the essay itself isn’t overly narrative. Rather, the student explains, in detail, how this teacher’s encouragement and guidance have influenced their willingness and ability to engage with the source material and academic discourse.

Source: https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/duke-supplemental-essay-examples  

Key takeaways and moving forward

Supplemental essays are an important part of your college applications. In fact, they are a key factor in what college admissions officers look for in an applicant . Highly-selective colleges and universities use supplemental essays to further personalize the college admissions process. After all, thousands of qualified students apply to Ivy League institutions each year and only a small fraction are admitted. Supplemental essays allow you to share more about who you are as a person and as a student. Use each prompt as an opportunity to add something new to your college application. If you feel like you could benefit from professional guidance throughout this process, reach out to learn more about our services .

Frequently asked questions and answers

Still have questions about supplemental essays and the effects they have on college applications? Review the following frequently asked questions and answers for further insight on supplemental essays. 

How important are supplemental essays?

Supplemental essays are an incredibly important part of your college applications and should be properly prioritized. If a college didn’t care about your response, they wouldn’t ask you in the first place. Put plenty of time and care into your responses. Write several drafts, seek out feedback, and always proofread.

How long should supplemental essays be?

Always follow directions. Colleges will specify how long each supplemental essay should be, usually right after the prompt itself. Depending on the college, and the prompt, a supplemental essay’s word count may range anywhere from 50 to 500 words.

Do supplemental essays change every year?

It all depends on the college. Colleges often reuse past prompts, but there are no guarantees. This is why it’s important to plan ahead and make a list of supplemental essay prompts early on in the college application process.

Are supplemental essays required?

Sometimes colleges will have both required and optional supplemental essays. That said, the essay prompts are clearly labeled. In short, each college will specify whether supplemental essays are required. 

Do all colleges have supplemental essays?

No, not all colleges have supplemental essays. Highly-selective colleges, however, often require at least one additional essay.

• December 14, 2022

Supplemental Essay Guide for 2022-23 Prompts

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Program Coordinator: Laura Doolan

Program Modality: Online, 8-week sessions

Total Credits: 30

Admission Cycle: Fall, Spring, Summer (6 entry points per year)

Graduate Admissions: Crystal Perry [email protected] (410) 857-2516

Graduate and Professional Studies Advising - [email protected] (410.857.2500)

The Master of Liberal Arts Program is an online interdisciplinary graduate program for adults interested in crossing the boundaries of a traditional, career-oriented approach. It is of particular interest to those who want to explore new disciplines in the liberal arts, who wish to supplement their professional education by continued intellectual growth, or who simply wish to satisfy their continuing intellectual curiosity and creativity.

The Master of Liberal Arts program has become popular with recent college graduates who want to continue their education, as well as educators who desire an alternative to traditional education graduate programs. A number of elementary, middle, and high school educators have used the program to accumulate graduate credits required for recertification.  The MLA program does not lead to initial teacher certification.

McDaniel College is a member of the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs.

Admissions Requirements

Candidates required to submit:

• Completed application for graduate study. https://admission.mcdaniel.edu/apply/
• Official transcript verifying completion of an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.00. Students with a GPS between 2.75 and 2.99 will be admitted provisionally which requires a student to maintain a 3.0 GPA in the first 9 to 12 credit hours. Students with less than a 2.75 GPA can be considered for provisional admission on a case-by-case basis but may be required to provide additional documents or participate in an interview. Admission may also require additional conditions.

Required Courses: 18 credits

• RSM 560 - Humanities: Research Methods
• MLA 502 - Our Historic Heritage
• MLA 503 - Creativity: The Aesthetic Journey
• MLA 504 - #CriticalTheory
• MLA 506 - Introducing Modern World Philosophies
• MLA 511 - Final Project

Electives:(12 credits)

Students are required to successfully complete four elective courses with program coordinator approval.  These courses may be from graduate programs at McDaniel and must be selected with the approval of the Program Coordinator. Suggested options for focus area for certified teachers include the following:

• Equity and Excellence in Education
• Writing for Children and Young Adults
• STEM Instructional Leadership*
• Gifted and Talented Education*
• Learning Technologies
• Educational Leadership

Focus areas listed above use courses from various Post-bachelor’s certificates, some of which can lead to MSDE endorsement/certification. Teachers who enroll in the MLA program who are seeking MSDE endorsement will be required to complete additional courses in addition to the 30 credits required for this degree program, including any required internships. 

* denotes focus areas with Post-bachelor’s certificates which lead to MSDE certification.

This program is delivered entirely online.  McDaniel is a member of SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement) and as such can offer this program to students in any state except for California. Students completing an internship in lieu of the capstone course will be required to receive approval prior to entering internship in a state outside of Maryland. Request for internship must be made to the Program Coordinator prior to enrolling in the internship course.  Students who live or will be studying in a state outside of Maryland may be required to complete the capstone course if the internship is prohibited by the state reciprocity regulations.

While McDaniel teacher education programs provide reciprocity for licensure in other states, students who seek advanced certification via a focus area are advised to contact the appropriate state department of education for additional requirements. Students seeking licensure in another state should confirm that the specific subject area they wish to pursue is available for licensure in that state. Contact information related to licensure for states outside of Maryland can be found here .

Total Credit Hours: 30

Supplemental Essay Guide 2023-24

What do the 2023-24 supplemental essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA's experts are here to break them all down.

Acceptance Rate

Undergrad population.

• Liberal Arts (51)

* Tuition filtering is based on out-of-state fees

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Alvernia University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide  

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• 110 Baker St. Moscow, ID 83843
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A Classical & Christ-Centered Education

Classical Christian Education

Christ-centered.

In all its levels, programs, and teaching, Logos School seeks to: Teach all subjects as parts of an integrated whole with the Scriptures at the center (II Timothy 3:16-17); Provide a clear model of the biblical Christian life through our staff and board (Matthew 22:37-40); Encourage every student to begin and develop his relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 19:13-15).

In all its levels, programs, and teaching, Logos School seeks to: Emphasize grammar, logic, and rhetoric in all subjects (see definitions below); Encourage every student to develop a love for learning and live up to his academic potential; Provide an orderly atmosphere conducive to the attainment of the above goals.

Grammar : The fundamental rules of each subject. Logic : The ordered relationship of particulars in each subject. Rhetoric : How the grammar and logic of each subject may be clearly expressed.

What Do We Mean by Classical?

In the 1940’s the British author, Dorothy Sayers, wrote an essay titled The Lost Tools of Learning . In it she not only calls for a return to the application of the seven liberal arts of ancient education, the first three being the “Trivium” – grammar, logic, rhetoric, she also combines three stages of children’s development to the Trivium. Specifically, she matches what she calls the “Poll-parrot” stage with grammar, “Pert” with logic, and “Poetic” with rhetoric (see The Lost Tools Chart ). At Logos, the founding board members were intrigued with this idea of applying a classical education in a Christian context. Doug Wilson, a founding board member explained the classical method further in his book, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning. Logos School has been committed to implementing this form of education since the school’s inception.

Victor Mukhin

• Scientific Program

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

However, up to now, the main carriers of catalytic additives have been mineral sorbents: silica gels, alumogels. This is obviously due to the fact that they consist of pure homogeneous components SiO2 and Al2O3, respectively. It is generally known that impurities, especially the ash elements, are catalytic poisons that reduce the effectiveness of the catalyst. Therefore, carbon sorbents with 5-15% by weight of ash elements in their composition are not used in the above mentioned technologies. However, in such an important field as a gas-mask technique, carbon sorbents (active carbons) are carriers of catalytic additives, providing effective protection of a person against any types of potent poisonous substances (PPS). In ESPE “JSC "Neorganika" there has been developed the technology of unique ashless spherical carbon carrier-catalysts by the method of liquid forming of furfural copolymers with subsequent gas-vapor activation, brand PAC. Active carbons PAC have 100% qualitative characteristics of the three main properties of carbon sorbents: strength - 100%, the proportion of sorbing pores in the pore space – 100%, purity - 100% (ash content is close to zero). A particularly outstanding feature of active PAC carbons is their uniquely high mechanical compressive strength of 740 ± 40 MPa, which is 3-7 times larger than that of  such materials as granite, quartzite, electric coal, and is comparable to the value for cast iron - 400-1000 MPa. This allows the PAC to operate under severe conditions in moving and fluidized beds.  Obviously, it is time to actively develop catalysts based on PAC sorbents for oil refining, petrochemicals, gas processing and various technologies of organic synthesis.

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

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