The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia. UVA was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and it currently offers 49 majors to its 17,000 undergrads. Legally, UVA is required to enroll two-thirds of its student body from in-state, but that hasn’t stopped students from all 50 states to be included in their class of 2023. Because of this, in-state admission for UVA sat at 36%, while out-of-state admission is almost half at 19%.
UVA hasn’t changed their supplemental essays from last year, which makes it easier for us to give you the deets on how to master these supplemental essays. When applying to UVA, you’ll need to select which undergraduate college you want to study in and write an essay about that school in particular. Once you select the college you’re applying to, the school-specific question will pop up.
We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. Answer this question, which corresponds to the school/program you selected above, in a half-page or roughly 250 words.
College of Arts and Sciences - What work of art, music, science, mathematics, literature, or other media has surprised, unsettled, or inspired you, and in what way?
This is a great question that lets us dive into a part of yourself that you haven’t been able to express through your application so far. It might be hard to find one piece of anything that made you feel surprised, unsettled *and* inspired, so your best bet will be finding something you connected with on a deeper level and exploring the why. Don’t just explain what it is, explain how it made you feel. If you pick literature, make sure to pick something unique. Everyone has read The Great Gatsby, and UVA will think you haven’t picked up a book outside your English classes. You want to show them something new about yourself with this prompt, so if you already have orchestra in your extracurriculars list, don’t pick a piece of music. Find something niche!
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Describe an engineering feat that serves the common good and why it inspires you to study engineering.
It might be easy to say “roads” or “the internet” for this question, but steer clear of giant sweeping concepts. What is something small, maybe even personal, that makes you fascinated with engineering? What is a solution you’ve seen in your community that makes you excited to help others with your own engineering degree? Maybe you’re interested in biomedical engineering because of the special kind of stint they used on your grandfather in the ER. Like all the prompts on this list, UVA is asking you to tell your story to see how you’ll use their education in the real world.
School of Architecture - Describe a significant experience that deepened your interest in studying in the School of Architecture.
This can be a harder question to answer due to its wide scope, but nothing we can’t tackle. It might be hard to define a “significant experience,” here but we will say that this is not the essay to sneak in a humble brag about your trip to New York City or Rome. Talk about your favorite building in your hometown, or how the details in your own home make you feel. By making the essay more personal to you and your surroundings it will give UVA a better feel for who you are as a person. If you get stumped, look up a professor or an upper-level Architecture course at UVA that connects to your interest and talk about how studying with that professor will help you learn more.
School of Nursing - Describe a health care-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying Nursing.
Most people who want to study nursing immediately have an experience in mind for this prompt. UVA is looking for a clear story here, one that brings the reader into the room with you and provides as much detail as possible. Did you hold a family member’s hand during a difficult treatment? Do you remember a time a nurse gave you exceptional care and kindness? Talk about these experiences with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Kinesiology Program - Discuss an experience that led you to apply to the kinesiology major.
Similar to nursing, you probably have an experience that jumped into your head while reading this prompt. Maybe you had an injury that took you out of a game that made you fascinated with how your body works, or you volunteered with the student trainers at your school. Use this prompt to dive into the “why” you picked this major. Make sure to tell a story that brings the reader into the world with you.
And then, regardless of which school you apply to, you’ll have to answer one of the following General Prompts. Your response has to be capped at 250 words and not all the questions were created equally.
What's your favorite word and why?
We’re going to be honest with you – this is a bad question. Unless you have a really good story about how “precocious” shaped your identity, we advise steering clear of this one and picking one of the ones below. If you do pick this prompt, tell a story about how you first heard this word, or how this word changed the way you saw something. Add some humor and punchiness and stay away from SAT words.
We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are.
This is a really fun question. It might be hard to define your own quirks, so we recommend asking your friends and family to help give you a list to work from. But remember, quirks are something individual to you, so don’t pick something like always needing a snack before bed or enjoying late-night drives. Use this prompt to highlight something unique about yourself and tell a story. Maybe your penchant to talk as your dogs in their own voices got you funny looks at a party. Maybe your insistence on only wearing blue shoes was a conversation starter with a new friend. This prompt is a great place to show off some of your personality and humor.
Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the UVA culture. In her fourth year at UVA, Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why?
This is one of our favorite questions. Have you ever spent days on a combo Wikipedia-YouTube hole to learn more about The Unicorn Tapestries? Do your friends ever wish you’d shut up about legal battles between fast-fashion sites and indie clothing designers? This is the perfect place to talk about it, in fact, they’re practically begging you to talk about your favorite topic. Find something outside of your intended major or current extracurriculars that you’re excited about because this is where we’re going to add depth and character to your application.
What you need for this prompt is a title for your flash seminar, a list of 3-4 readings, and questions that would guide your discussion. Anything after that is your own creativity. This is also a prompt where you can play with form a little – maybe you even write a mock syllabus for the seminar.
Another way to tackle this question is by researching a problem on UVA’s campus. A good source for this would be the student newspaper. Show UVA that you know what’s happening on campus and how you would be a proactive problem solver. How would you lead a discussion to solve an ongoing issue with sustainability on campus? What kinds of books would you suggest your peers read to tackle mental health accessibility? What’s important with this route is explaining why these issues matter to you and why it matters to solve them at a bigger level.
UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message?
This is a challenging prompt. Drake’s motto might be “YOLO,” but adopting it for yourself doesn’t show creativity or uniqueness. If you do choose this prompt, it should be something unique to you that you can tell a story about. If your grandmother gave you a quote-worthy piece of advice that you think about often, this would be a place to talk about it. When did she tell you this advice, what was her tone, and what did it mean to you at the time? Why has this message stuck with you for so long? Like all the prompts for UVA, this is where they want to hear a story that explores who you are at a deeper level.
Rita Dove, UVA English professor and former U.S. Poet Laureate, once said in an interview that “…there are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints.” Describe a time when, instead of complaining, you took action for the greater good.
This prompt can be hard, especially with “the greater good” there at the end. Don’t be afraid to think small here. When was the last time you showed flexibility or dedication to solving a problem? You want to pick an example that benefitted more than just yourself. Did you help take the reins when a road trip with the family went awry? Did you start going to city council meetings because the pothole on your street got too annoying to drive over? This is another excellent opportunity to tell a story that adds depth to your application.
UVA’s prompts want to learn more about you as a person. Instead of regurgitating facts from your resume, use these as an opportunity to show UVA a different side that they can’t learn from your grades or extracurricular history. We know these supplemental essays are difficult, and they are just as important as the Common App essays.
If you feel stuck or need assistance, feel free to contact us here