Brandeis Supplemental Essays

Brandeis, a mid-sized university in Boston, was founded in 1948 to “to address antisemitism and discrimination in higher education.” Their supplemental essay question asks you to reflect on your own values and ideals.

Brandeis Supplemental Essay Question (2024-2025)

Brandeis was established 75 years ago to address antisemitism, racism, and gender discrimination in higher education, and today, the university remains dedicated to its founding values of inclusivity and justice. How has your educational experience shaped your perspective on these values? (250 words)

While this question reads a bit like a Contributions/Lived Experience prompt, it’s actually asking for something more specific: the relationship between your educational experiences and your perspective on inclusivity and justice. You can read a bit more about Brandeis’s intent behind this question by going to this page and scrolling to the very last section, called “Our Founding Values.”

Successful Brandeis supplements will have two components: 1) A clear statement of your views on inclusivity and/or justice, and 2) A story of how your education helped you develop that perspective (e.g. through a class, a teacher, a research project, an enrichment program, etc.)

This essay (new in the 2024-2025 admissions cycle) could be tricky to write, because it can be hard to figure out exactly where our values come from, and even harder to sum them up in a 250-word essay.

So keep it simple. Rather than trying to cram EVERYTHING you believe about inclusivity & justice into a short essay (hint: you can’t), plan for this essay by writing a sentence or two that articulates one of your beliefs, then ask yourself: what educational experiences helped me develop that perspective?

If you can tell that story and tie it to back to what you believe about inclusivity/justice, you’ll have a strong essay!

International Applicants Question

What excites you the most about being an international student at Brandeis University? (250 words)

In this essay, the admissions committee is looking to see a) Have you done your research (i.e. do you know what Brandeis has to offer, or are you just randomly applying to an American school in Boston)? and b) How would you contribute on campus?

Start this essay by doing some in-depth research on what Brandeis has to offer, as you would for a Why Our School essay. As you learn specific facts about the school, ask yourself: What excites me? Ideally, you want to describe both academic and extracurricular interests, with a focus on the academics.

Second, ask yourself: How might I contribute to the Brandeis community? As an international student, you’ll automatically be contributing unique perspectives and culture. This is the place to describe those, and also to give a sense of any other unique skills, character qualities, or perspectives you have to offer.

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