Located in gorgeous Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado College (CC) is a very, very unique school that attracts unique students. They’re known for their innovative , where students immerse themselves in one class for a whole month, which allows for creative applications like going to D.C. to study policy, camping under the stars for astronomy students, living in the mountains while you get your rock on, or spending a whole month learning nothing but Spanish. Students who are drawn to CC are like, seriously drawn to the school. They’re known for having a crazy low RD acceptance rate (less than 10%), and accept of their students from ED, EA, and ED 2. CC is also test optional, and has a very wide range in their middle 50 (1250-1450 SAT, 29-34 ACT). This is because CC says: “Colorado College does not penalize those who submit test scores and will ignore scores that do not strengthen an applicant's candidacy.” Very unique!

CC has one mandatory question, which is a pretty standard community essay, and it’s very much trying to sus out whether or not you’re a good personality fit for them. Let’s get into it.

Colorado College values creating an equitable, environmentally conscious, and healthy community. Choose one of these areas – antiracism, sustainability, or wellness – and describe your experiences and the specific ways you plan to get involved in this area at CC. (300)

This question is all about personality fit, so if you’re rolling your eyes at any of these values, go ahead and remove CC from your Common App! This is a community essay, but they want you to choose one of these themes to expand upon, and they want you to connect your previous experience with what you want to do at CC. The most important thing to keep in mind with this essay is that it should draw a line from what you have done in high school to what you will do in college. Avoid nonsequiturs, so if you haven’t done anything in the realm of antiracism, sustainability, or wellness, then, well, a) maybe this is not your soul school and b) don’t try to force a connection.

You want to start by telling CC a story. Well, okay, first, you need to think of a story. Maybe you helped lead a walkout at school over racist dress code policies. Maybe you helped start a recycling initiative at your school, or started the yoga club. Perhaps you were on student government and got really involved in passing policy changes around any of these three things! Maybe it’s as simple as befriending a neighbor who didn’t look like you, how you finally convinced your family to take shorter showers, or that you’re a three-sport athlete, or that you recently got really into meditation. Some students feel the story needs to be huge and impressive, but we think a smaller story can be just as, if not more, impactful since it shows a personal, intimate commitment or interaction.

You want to write the story like we’re smack-dab in the middle of it with you. Lean on the senses! Are you sharing a new cuisine with your neighbor, and if so, what does it taste like? Are you a rower, power 10-ing your way to the end of your race? Then describe the backsplash and the shouting from your coxswain. Are you protesting, chanting, or marching? What all does that entail? The reader should be engrossed in the moment with you. The story should have a positive resolution – we know not all stories do, but for the sake of college essays, they should!

After you tell CC your riveting tale, you want to connect it to something . This could look like joining a club, or student government, or it could be joining something like becoming a leader for the , walking on to a team or playing intramurals, or getting involved in . Remember, and we know we’ve said it multiple times, but it needs to make sense with the story you’ve told in your essay. Won’t make sense to talk about your summer research project where you analyzed climate change in the Everglades if you then say you want to walk on to the lacrosse team.

That’s it for your mandatory question! If you ask to be considered for either winter start or gap year entry, you will have one extra question pop up:

Feel free to tell us about your interest in a gap term and potential plans. (100)

This is not a gotcha question, they’re not trying to trip you up. In fact, we think gap year is especially pretty on-brand with CC’s whole thing, and about 10% of the class each year takes part in gap year or winter start. BUT that’s only if you plan on doing something in your gap year, or in the months before a winter start, that is in line with CC’s brand.

Don’t select this just because you think it could increase your chances – instead, think of the values they listed in the mandatory question: antiracism, sustainability, and wellness. Are you planning on getting involved in these areas during your gap year? Then that’s what you can talk about here. It is better if you have a semi-concrete idea of what you want to do, don’t just speak generally about how chill it would be to backpack across Europe. Tell them that you want to spend time in the rainforest researching some rare bugs, or that you want to pursue an internship with a nonprofit like the ACLU. You can write this in a very straightforward manner, even if you don’t have a total plan in place, think of this like a proposal letter.

And that’s the Colorado College supplement! Make sure to have a friend (preferably one who’s a good writer), teacher, or otherwise trusted adult look over your essay for any edits. Best of luck!

With these limited supplements, the rest of your Common App needs to be in good shape, too. We have guides on the Common App essay, the activities section, additional information (if needed), and so much more. And, if you need help with those, we’re here too.

Need help with your Colorado College application? We got you, reach out today.