Santa Clara University (SCU) is a private Jesuit university located in, you guessed it, Santa Clara. It’s also the oldest college in California. SCU is known for their social sciences (just look up how many politicians and fancy government people have gone here – it’s wild!) and business programs and the proximity to Silicon Valley is great for students who want to break into tech. We think SCU is a bit of a sleeper school, and think it’ll jump in popularity over the next few years. Last cycle, SCU had a record-breaking number of applications and had an acceptance rate of 47%. They’re also test-optional through this year, and it’s good to note that 41% of admitted students didn’t submit scores.
SCU has 2.5 supplements. We say .5 because one is 50 words. They’re all pretty regular in terms of college essay prompts, so let’s get into it.
Why are you interested in pursuing the [Division or Major] selected above? (50 words)
While this may be a “Why” question, it’s 50 words. You ’t write a traditional why essay in 50 words; you can barely do it in 100 (looking at you, Dartmouth). Instead, this answer should focus on what is generally the first step of a Why essay: your origin story.
Your origin story is basically your lightbulb moment, or why you’re excited about the topic you say you want to study. If you want to study poli sci, talk about how you used to watch CSPAN for fun as a kid or analyzed political speeches. If you want to study business, maybe you read a book that inspired you to want to start your own business. If you want to study bio and be pre-med, you might have an experience with a medical professional that changed your life or left a big impact on you. With only 50 words (basically two sentences), this will be a brief and straight to the point story.
At Santa Clara University, we value our diverse and inclusive community. Our campus learning environment is enriched by the lived experiences of people from different backgrounds. What people, places, events, or circumstances have shaped the individual you are today and how you could contribute to our community? (150- 300 words)*
This is your classic community essay! These prompts are a little, well, vague, and it can be hard to think of what you want to write immediately. When students see a community essay, we find that their gut instinct often falls into two camps: identity or organizations. Students might feel that they must talk about an ethnic, religious, gender, or sexual identity, but you absolutely do not have to do this to get into college. The other camp, organizations, means students want to talk about things in their activities section, community service, a sports team, or a club at school. We don’t advise writing about those things, because it doesn’t tell them anything new about you! When you think about how to answer this question, don’t be afraid to expand your idea of community, because a lot of students are writing about the things above, and we want you to avoid the cliche whenever possible. However, that doesn’t mean you ’t write about the things above, you’ll just need to make sure you put your own original spin on it.
So, take a moment, and think about all the things you do with (or for) other people – like maybe you’re super close with your neighbors, or you have a family tradition you think is really rad. You might play board games with your friends every week, or have a book club, or have a rag-tag group of guys you go to the gym with. Once you have your idea, you want to tell a story about it, preferably one where you learned a lesson or skill, or that showcases a moment in time that’s indicative of the community itself. No matter what you choose to write about, the story should focus on a small moment in time. Don’t speak generally, especially if you chose one of those topics that a lot of students choose. Instead, zoom in on a specific day or time with your community and bring us into that moment with lots of detail or dialogue. The story should have a distinct beginning where you set the scene, a middle that shows action or conflict, and a nice resolution as your ending.
At Santa Clara University, we push our students to be creative, be challenged, and be the solution. Think about an ethical dilemma that you care about that our society is currently facing. This can be something happening in your local community or more globally. How can an SCU education help you prepare for and address this challenge? (150- 300 words)*
Okay first of all, you’re 17, so we know you have a lot of really grand ideas about how to save the world (we love that for you), but take a beat before you write about your plan to end global warming. While they include global issues, you should focus on something local. We recommend using this essay to talk about something actionable you’re already doing but then expand to talk about what more you want to do with the thing you’ve already done.
If climate change is your passion, maybe you helped start a local recycling program. You could write a story about how you started a GSA at your school in the wake of new laws in your state, and now you want to implement fundraising for homeless LGBTQ+ youth in the neighborhood. If you work with homeless youth in your free time, maybe you have an idea of how to increase housing access in your town. Maybe you founded a nonprofit that’s interested in the nexus between climate and racial justice, and you want to start a vegan food festival to attract more people to the cause.
Now, you want to connect it to SCU. Look up clubs or organizations you can get involved in, study abroad opportunities, local outreach programs. As a Jesuit school, service is a massive part of their mission, so talk about it! Maybe there are special freshman seminars about these topics, or you found a professor who’s doing research in this area, and you want to work with them. If this topic overlaps with your major, you can pull in specific classes you want to take and talk about why you like them and how they will help you with your future goals.
And, of course, 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 Santa Clara app? We got you, reach out today.