unc essay prompts 2020

The Admissions Strategist

How to write the unc-chapel hill essays 2020-2021: the tarheel guide (with examples).

Did you know that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the first public university in the country in 1789?

Now, ranked #5 in Top Public Schools by U.S. News and World Report, UNC-Chapel Hill has a 26% acceptance rate.

On top of a stellar application, well-written supplemental essays are essential to be a part of that narrow 26%.

UNC-Chapel Hill Supplemental Essay Requirements

When you complete the Common Application , you’ll choose one essay prompt to complete.

There are still two supplemental essays to write, for UNC-Chapel Hill specifically, before your application is considered complete.

• On the UNC-Chapel Hill website, the admissions staff states that they hope to learn “what being a member of such a community would mean to you.”

UNC-Chapel Hill uses the few hundred words you write in these supplemental essays to select students for admission, and also to select first-year students for merit scholarships and other opportunities. It’s important that you take the time to make every word count.

Click above to watch a video on UNC-Chapel Hill’s Supplemental Essays.

UNC-Chapel Hill provides three prompts to choose from for your supplement essays.

You will choose two to complete and submit with the rest of your application. Each of the essays must be 200-250 words.

Here are your three options:

• “Expand on an aspect of your identity – for example, your religion, culture, race, sexual or gender identity, affinity group, etc. How has this aspect of your identity shaped your life experiences thus far?”
• “If you could change one thing about where you live, what would it be and why?”
• “Describe someone who you see as a community builder. What actions has that person taken? How has their work made a difference in your life?”

UNC Supplemental Essay 1: Your Identity

Expand on an aspect of your identity – for example, your religion, culture, race, sexual or gender identity, affinity group, etc. How has this aspect of your identity shaped your life experiences thus far?

This prompt shows that UNC-Chapel Hill cares about what’s not going to show up on a piece of paper. They know that you’re so much more than what your application is going to tell them, and your personal identity is a large part of this.

It’s important to note that if you are not comfortable sharing this personal information, you do not have to. You can always choose the other two prompts and leave this one behind.

However, if you are comfortable sharing, there is something special about a person’s identity. Answering this question will show UNC-Chapel Hill a new side of who you are.

It will show them what shapes and forms you, as well as how you will add to the diverse community on their campus.

You may have listed your race, ethnicity, and/or gender on your application, but that doesn’t show the admissions team how this piece of you has affected your life and turned you into who you are today.

To start this essay, choose the piece of your essay that has most prominently affected who you’ve grown up to be.

You can write about more than one of these aspects if you would like to, but with only 200-250 words available, it may be smart to just choose one.

After sharing your religion, race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, or affinity group, it’s time to write about how it has shaped your life so far.

We recommend sharing only a few sentences on the personal aspect of your choosing, and saving the rest of your word count for how it has affected your life.

After all, this is what UNC – Chapel Hill is looking for. If they only wanted to know who you were, they would have just gone off the bubbles you filled in on your application. However, they want to gain a deeper understanding of who you are.

• Maybe you moved to a new country as an older child, and had to learn about and live in an entirely new culture. What have you held onto from the culture you were born into, and how have these qualities affected who you’ve become (even in a new country)?
• Do you identify with a non-binary gender? How has your gender identity shaped who you’ve become? Has it made you more independent as you stand up for who you are to those around you?
• Do you follow a religion that not many of your local peers believe in? What aspects of your religion have made you who you are today?

No matter what you choose to write about, make sure it’s a significant part of who you are. Take this opportunity to show UNC-Chapel Hill that your identity is so much more than a label, and that you will be an excellent addition to their wonderfully diverse and accepting college community.

Get personalized advice!

Unc supplemental essay 1 example.

Use this essay as a guide to writing this question. Never plagiarize. It’s a serious offense to copy someone else’s work.

I lived a happy childhood in Mexico. I clearly remember playing soccer in the streets with my neighborhood friends when my dad came outside and told me I needed to hurry in. I didn’t understand, but his tone was stern so I followed. That was the last time I’d ever play soccer in the streets of my small Mexican city. Violence had moved in, and our home was no longer safe. We abruptly moved to the United States to live with my aunts and cousins. I loved my aunt and cousins, but the change was hard. I had to learn a whole new language when I started school, and I missed my friends. I am thankful for my childhood in Mexico and for my family, because these parts of my life allowed me to keep my Mexican culture alive. I still live in the United States today, but I’m proud of where I came from. My culture provides a significant piece of my identity. To my culture, I owe my work ethic, my strong family ties, and my determination to build a better life for myself in the future. My culture will stay with me always, as I hold true to who I am and celebrate all of the things it’s given me so far.

UNC Supplemental Essay 2: Changing Where You Live

What do you hope will change about the place you live and why?

Whether you love or hate the place you currently live, this prompt can be intriguing. It is fairly vague and can be taken in a bunch of different directions.

At first glance, the question seems to be talking about your hometown. However, it literally says “where you live.” This could be about your physical house, your street, your city, your state, or even your country.

Keep in mind that you only have 200-250 words, so you want to make sure that the thing you’d change is extremely specific, even if you choose a large space such as your country or state.

After you choose what area you will write about, choose something you’d love to see change.

There are many ways in which an area can change. Consider choosing a difference that relates to your passions, concerns, or even your individual talents or skills. If you’ve done something to work on this issue already, be sure to include the steps you’ve taken so far.

• If you want to be a teacher after college and your elementary school lacks funding, wright about this issue and the negative effects it has had on your community. Let your passion for education and difference-making shine through.
• Maybe you’re a DACA recipient, and you’re feeling the stress of the country going back and forth on whether the program will be allowed to continue. Write about how DACA benefited your life, and how you plan to make your voice heard when it comes to keeping the program going for future generations.
• You may come from a large family living in a home that is much too small. Write about how this has affected your family and how affordable housing could make a difference in the lives of your family members as well as many others in your area.
• Maybe you love the place you live, but you know everything could be improved one way or another. Speak about how a beautification team could benefit the aesthetics of your town, bringing more families into an excellent city. Write about that vacant building across from the high school that could make an awesome youth center and the benefits that could come from its opening.

No matter what type of change you write about in this essay, remember to be creative and showcase your passions, concerns, talents, or skills, and if applicable, one of your past difference-making experiences.

When you take a vague, almost unrelated essay question and turn it into something that reflects who you truly are, UNC-Chapel Hill is sure to take notice.

UNC Supplemental Essay 2 Examples

In my hometown, houses are expensive. The minimum wage is just $7.25 per hour, and a mortgage on a medium-sized home in an average neighborhood starts at $250,000. I live with my parents and my 5 siblings. We share a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom home. If I could, I’d change the home we live in by moving us to one that has adequate space for us all. However, I understand why my parents have been unable to move us out of our home. To allow families like ours to afford living in a safe, fitting home, the housing market has to change. I also understand that even though my home is small, it is a safe place to live and that is much more than other members of my community have. If more affordable housing was available, our homeless resident rate would drop instead of rise, and more children could be able to grow up in healthy, stable homes. More affordable housing, whether that be through government housing, significant minimum wage increases, or a drop in the value of new homes, is a necessity in my hometown. On some level, it affects every member of our community. Fixing this issue would lead to better lives for every person around me. No potential change could be better than that.

UNC Supplemental Essay 3: Describe a Community Builder

Describe someone who you see as a community builder. What actions has that person taken? How has their work made a difference in your life?

When it comes to college application essays, you are likely expecting to write about yourself. This prompt has a unique twist, as it is asking you to share all about someone else.

Stephen Farmer, the Vice Provost for Enrollment and Undergraduate Admissions, has said in an admissions blog for the university he “thinks some of the best essays have come from students writing about something or someone other than themselves.”

Since they believe some of the best essays are written about someone else, it’s pretty generous of UNC-Chapel Hill to offer a question like this.

This prompt takes them a step further in figuring out who you are exactly and why you’d make a good fit for the UNC-Chapel Hill community.

It shows that they truly aren’t trying to stump you. They’re trying to give you access to prompts that spark your desires and passions because those aspects of your identity are just as important as the grades you earned and the extracurricular activities you participated in.

While you are writing about someone other than yourself, make sure that the person indirectly displays your passions, interests, or skills. Even though this essay prompt is not about you, your application still is.

• Maybe your science teacher is a community builder in your life. Talk about the real-world experience he has in the field, and how he brings that to the classroom. Share a quick story that shows his dedication to helping every student grow. Add in a section at the end that states your passion for science and research would not be the same without his guidance and support.
• Your best friend who spends every evening after school tutoring younger students could be your community builder. Write about the passion she has to make a difference in the lives of younger students. Your choice in friends will show the admissions team that you associate yourself with others that are on the path to success, and therefore would fit in well with the UNC-Chapel Hill community.
• It might even be your mom who is a community builder. Maybe you see her up late at night searching for the perfect host family for next year’s foreign exchange student. She may have opened up your own home to many students in the past until she was able to find their ideal match. She cares deeply about diversity, belonging, and educational opportunities, in hopes to better the future of kids around the world.

This essay is meant to be about someone else, so make sure that you use the majority of your word count to describe your difference-maker. You can consider taking the last 2 or 3 sentences to share how they’ve made a difference in your life (allowing the admissions team to get to know you, your passions, and your beliefs.

• Talk about how your science teacher has included you in research projects and sparked your interest in finding a cure for M.S.
• Mention how volunteering for your best friend’s tutoring program has taught you about dedication and your real opportunity to make a tangible difference in the world around you (even though your passion is in medicine).
• Describe what you learned throughout your mom’s years working with Foreign Exchange students. Share how the relationships she has helped you build have given you a more worldly perspective, and how that perspective is going to shape your future.

You can share these monumental details in just a few sentences when you make every word count, ensuring that the essay’s main focus is still about the community builder, not yourself.

UNC Essay 3 Example

After graduating from MIT with a degree in Computer Science and Molecular Biology, Mr. Smith spent 10 years working in a well-known lab studying evolutionary genetics. Later, he got his Master’s of Education and became our new science teacher at Roosevelt High. From the start, I knew that Mr. Smith was different. He didn’t just come to class and teach us lessons from a textbook. He would find an issue, and tell us to solve it. He would create an imaginary virus, and make us cure it. He shared stories of his real-life experience working in a lab and taught us about the real differences that scientists make in our world today. Mr. Smith also cared more about his students than any teacher I’ve had before. He didn’t care about grades; he cared about the level on which we were learning. He didn’t want us to circle the right multiple choice answer, he wanted to see our brains transforming. Mr. Smith got to school early and invited us for extra study time. If we had an interest, he’d create a lesson to let us learn all about it. He started a club that allowed future science majors to participate in real-life research projects, similar to what we will experience in college. Mr. Smith changed my life, making me the future scientist that I am today. He allowed me to find my passion for changing the world around me, one scientific discovery at a time.

Conclusion: Writing the UNC-Chapel Hill Essays

As has been mentioned a few times, these supplemental prompts are important. Here are a few last-minute tips to help you write your very best essays:

• Don’t forget to proofread your work
• No matter what you’re writing about (someone else, a change to your community, etc.) make sure it reflects who you are. The prompts may be about topics other than yourself, but they are still being used to allow the admissions team to get to know you .
• After you’re done writing, go back through your piece and make sure every word counts. With only 200-250 words available, not even one should be wasted.

When you follow these tips, you’re sure to write an excellent supplemental essay for UNC-Chapel Hill. Follow the directions, show who you are, and let your passion shine through. Take what some call a challenge and turn it into an opportunity to show this college who you truly are. Your spot in that 26% is waiting for you.

Learn how we can help you with college and career guidance! Check out our YouTube channel!

Click Here to Schedule a Free Consult!

Stay on track and ease your anxiety with our second-to-none college application assistance.

• Ethics & Honesty
• Privacy Policy
• Join Our Team

(732) 339-3835

[email protected]

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

2 Strong UNC Chapel Hill Essay Examples

What’s covered:, essay example #1 – topic of interest, essay example #2 – change one thing about where you live.

• Where to Get Your UNC Chapel Hill Essays Edited

UNC Chapel Hill is the flagship institution of the University of North Carolina system and is often regarded as a “ Public Ivy ” because of its academic excellence. Not only that, UNC Chapel Hill has a spirited fan base that loves to support the Tar Heels, especially in basketball. 

In this post, we’ll go over two essays that real students submitted to UNC Chapel Hill, and we’ll discuss the strengths and some potential areas of improvement. (Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved)

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized.

Read our UNC Chapel Hill es say breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

Prompt: Discuss an academic topic that you’re excited to explore and learn more about in college. Why does this topic interest you? Topics could be a specific course of study, research interests, or any other area related to your academic experience in college. (250 words)

Armed with pink playdough, I transformed my bedroom into a dimly lit laboratory. Every squish and mold orchestrated the crinkled folds into an organ capable of choreographing life. 

As I grew older, the brain’s complexity surpassed what I had explained to my stuffed-animals. Volunteering alongside OB/GYNs, I witnessed newborns’ painful prelude to existence with their fragile bodies scarred from incomplete neural tubing and spinal cysts. Between infancy and old age, the brain fades into memory loss. The severity of Alzheimer’s draped a cruel fog over events I organized in a senior home as residents kept forgetting where they were. Playdough was no longer enough to mend the brain’s crinkled folds. 

“Apples in a tree, cars in a garage,” a simple saying that bridges the natural world with genetic expression. When apple trees don’t bloom and adenine fails to bind with thymine, both landscapes and DNA become distorted. By examining the mechanisms of DNA damage through a neurobiological lens, I can develop targeted treatments focused on enzymes that untangle molecular threads in neurons. Learning to genetically map expecting mothers for fetal defects opens avenues for proactive interventions before NICU visits. As I experiment with CRISPR alongside Professor Dowen, I’ll be able to modify altered DNA sequences seen in Alzheimer’s. The intersection between genetic variation and neural pathways drives me to translate my knowledge into technology capable of diagnosing psychological illness from nerve activity. 

Using my pink playdough, I hope to construct genetic blueprints that build a brighter future amid neurological disorders. 

What the Essay Did Well

The student who wrote this essay is able to convey two critically important things: their passion for and knowledge of this topic. As a result, we get a complete picture of how captivated this student is with neurobiology, and how they will be an engaged neurobiology student on campus.

Their passion is conveyed right from the start. The introduction is short and sweet—just long enough to get the reader hooked, without wasting precious words on recounting their entire childhood. Thanks to the descriptive details of “ pink playdough ” and complex concepts “ explained to my stuffed animals ,” within the first three sentences we immediately understand the child-like fascination this student has had for neurobiology for most of their life.

Once the early spark of passion is established, they provide details on their extracurricular involvements related to this topic, to show how they furthered their interest. Although the prompt doesn’t specifically ask you to discuss your extracurriculars, in any college essay you want to use examples to illustrate your points.

For this student, their activities–working with an OBGYN and at a senior center–allow them to show how passionate they are about going into medicine. This strategy is far more effective than the student simply telling us “ I am fascinated by this topic .”

To further establish their interest in this field, and why their passion would make them a good addition to the UNC campus, the student displays their knowledge of the topic. Again, they don’t accomplish this by saying “ I’ve read countless books on this topic and have learned a lot about Alzheimers.”

Instead, this essay shows us they know what they are talking about by providing technical details like “ neural tubing and spinal cysts ,” “ adenine fails to bind with thymine ,” and “e nzymes that untangle molecular threads in neurons. ” Seamlessly including technical details, in a way that feels accessible even to people who don’t know much about this topic, conveys a sense of confidence in your knowledge and shows admissions officers you are prepared for college-level coursework.

Finally, although not explicitly asked for in the prompt, this student accomplishes one of the higher level goals of a “ Why Major ” essay and tells the reader what they hope to accomplish with their degree. (Note: this prompt is a little different from a typical “Why Major?” prompt, in that you have the freedom to write about a topic other than your intended major, but many of the same general principles apply.)

A forward-looking ending like this is always a smart move, as showing the admissions committee that you already have longer term dreams for how you’ll use your degree gives them confidence that you’re ready to take full advantage of the resources their school has to offer. Even better, this student alludes to a specific professor they want to work with to help make those dreams a reality, thus bringing UNC into the picture as an integral player for achieving their goals.

What Could Be Improved 

A 250 word limit is fairly restrictive, so we don’t want to nitpick too much, but one area that could have been expanded on in this essay is how the student hopes to engage with the UNC community. 

As mentioned above, they do tie their goals back to UNC by mentioning a professor, but the conclusion would have been even stronger if they went farther than just name dropping one professor. This could have been done in a few ways:

• Including one or two classes that are unique to UNC (so, not neurobiology 101) that they are excited to take, and a specific lesson or piece of information they hope to take away from their coursework.
• Mentioning a club or research lab on campus they hope to join and what they will learn/achieve through it.
• Elaborating on the professor’s research or lab they are involved with–that extra detail shows they’ve done their homework and didn’t just pick a random name.

While the details they include earlier on in the essay to prove their knowledge of neurobiology are certainly effective, they could afford to sacrifice one or two, to buy themselves some extra space at the end. Their point would still come across, and doing one of the things listed above would make an already excellent essay even better, by further building their case for why they need to attend UNC, specifically, to make their aspirations reality.

Prompt: If you could change one thing about where you live, what would it be and why? (200-250 words).

Sitting behind the loaded plates on our dinner table, I predicted my mom’s first question with 100% accuracy: “So, how did you do on the trigonometry test today?” Notorious for failing math classes, my brother paused from chewing his chicken wing. 

I knew he’d be in trouble. 

Indeed, after hearing his grade, my mom scolded: “Look at our neighbor’s kid; then look at you! She never gets anything below a 90!”

There it is again: “the neighbor’s kid,” a Chinese concept that I wish would serve a different purpose. Upon learning about their children’s unsatisfactory academic performance, Chinese parents often bring up a so-called perfect neighbor’s kid for comparison. It saddens me to see individuals raised under the shadow of “the neighbor’s kid” not able to simply enjoy exploring knowledge. They toil through years of schooling for good grades and a prestigious college’s acceptance letter at the cost of their mental well-being. Worse, some measure their self-worth by grades alone: my brother believes he’s not good enough, despite all his admirable traits outside of academics. 

Instead of “the neighbor’s kid who got a good grade” at the dinner table, I suggested my parents discuss “the neighbor’s kid who sells bracelets to raise money for charity”  or “who had a hot discussion with the teacher about whether animals have consciousness.” I look forward to a more vibrant and colorful dinner conversation, where families talk about their roses and thorns of the day, rather than a neighbor’s kid defined by numbers.

This essay does a great job of opening with a strong anecdote and seamlessly transitioning the anecdote into an answer to the prompt. The reader feels the suspense of sitting at the dinner table with the student and their family waiting for the response to their mom’s question, and might even relate to hearing the student’s parents complain about their grade. It’s a simple and quick story, but everyone can find something in it they relate to, which makes the reader want to keep reading.

The essay was also successful at transitioning from a personal anecdote to a broader topic that addresses the prompt. The anecdote is connected to the larger issue the student has with their home environment and provides context for their reasoning that growing up surrounded by this mentality is harmful. The use of the anecdote bolsters the entire essay by perfectly setting up the student’s response to the prompt, rather than being an out-of-place inclusion to add some empathy or imagery, which is a common mistake with anecdotes.

Another positive aspect of this essay is how the student’s passion for the issue shines through. The reader learns a good deal about the student’s family life and familiarity with the “the neighbor’s kid.” The student’s sadness and disapproval at not being able to enjoy learning because the immense amount of stress their parents place on them to get good grades is evident when they say, “ They toil through years of schooling for good grades and a prestigious college’s acceptance letter at the cost of their mental well-being.”

The inclusion of the student’s brother also shows how close this issue is to the student’s heart, because they are watching stereotypes harm someone they love. The details and direct language included provide strong evidence for why the student wants to change this aspect of where they live, which is the most important part of the prompt to address.

What Could Be Improved

For the most part, this is a great essay. The one thing that could be improved is the last paragraph that explains what the student wants to change. As far as the reader knows, the suggestions the student makes to discuss “the neighbor’s kid who sells bracelets” or “the neighbor’s kid who had a hot discussion with the teacher” are random topics the student chose to contrast with the idea of valuing a kid for a numerical grade. Since these appear as random topics, it distracts from other qualities the student and their brother might possess and want to showcase to their parents.

In an essay that is focused on changing the norm of equating worth with a grade, it would reveal more about what the student wants to be recognized for if they mentioned topics of conversation that related back to their interests. For example, if the student liked to ice skate and play the trumpet they could say:

“Instead of the dreaded question about my grades, my parents would ask about how my axel is coming along or what new song I’m considering for the winter concert.”

An ending more like this, that discusses the student’s interests rather than randomly mentioning other students, still achieves the same goal of the student not wanting to solely be measured by a number, but conveys the idea while also providing more insight into the student and what they value.

Where to Get Your UNC Chapel Hill  Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your UNC Chapel Hill essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

UNC Supplemental Essays 2024-2025

Unc supplemental essays 2024-25, unc supplemental essays: quick facts.

• UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate: 19%— U.S. News ranks the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill as a most selective school.
• 2 short answer (~250 word) essays 
• UNC application note: Students applying to UNC Chapel Hill can do so via the Common Application . In addition to the UNC Chapel Hill essays, students will also be required to complete one Common App essay. 
• #1 UNC Chapel Hill Essay Tip: We recommend answering all of the UNC Chapel Hill essays carefully and authentically. This will help maximize your admissions odds.

How many essays does the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill require?

This year there are only two UNC supplemental essays. They are short answer UNC application essays that have a word limit of 250. These are required essays. Therefore, every student wishing to attend UNC Chapel Hill will need to complete both of the UNC supplemental essays.

Additionally, students will also need to write one personal statement from the Common App essay prompts. In all, students will write a total of three UNC essays: two UNC supplemental essays and one Common App personal statement.

What are the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supplemental essays?

UNC requires all applicants to complete several UNC supplemental essays in addition to the personal statement found on the Common App . You can find the full prompts for the UNC application essays on the UNC website and in the Common App. We’ll also break down each of the UNC supplemental essays in this guide. 

The two short answer prompts and personal statement that each applicant must submit form part of UNC-Chapel Hill ’s holistic evaluation process. According to UNC, the university’s goal is to build a diverse and inclusive community. They hope to learn from each candidate what membership in a community means to them.

Highlighting community

In reading the prompts for the UNC supplemental essays below, you’ll notice that first one asks about aspects of community. As we break down how to address each prompt, we’ll show you how to think through your definitions of community. The best answers to these UNC essays will show that the student has a thorough understanding of what community means to them. They will also address how community impacts them. Successful UNC Chapel Hill supplemental essays will also discuss how students’ actions in a community affect others.

If writing the UNC Chapel Hill essays sounds like a lot to think about, don’t be discouraged! Instead, view the UNC supplemental essays as your chance to introduce yourself to the UNC admissions team. With the UNC supplemental essays to write , you have two opportunities to showcase what makes you unique. Use each response to show UNC admissions why UNC-Chapel Hill should admit you.

UNC Supplemental Essays: Short Essays

As a part of the UNC admissions requirements, all applicants to UNC will write two UNC Chapel Hill essays. Each student will write their UNC essays on the same two prompts. While each of these UNC essays has a maximum of just 250 words, these are the longest UNC supplemental essays you’ll write!

UNC Chapel Hill Supplemental Essays- Short Answer Prompts

Discuss one of your personal qualities and share a story, anecdote, or memory of how it helped you make a positive impact on a community. this could be your current community or another community you have engaged., discuss an academic topic that you’re excited to explore and learn more about in college. why does this topic interest you topics could be a specific course of study, research interests, or any other area related to your academic experience in college..

As you may have noticed, the first prompt focuses on identity and community. When considering how to write UNC Chapel Hill essays, you’ll need to think about your communities and how they’ve shaped you. Long before the UNC application deadline, start your brainstorming for these essays. That way, you can make sure that you choose the most meaningful topics possible. 

The second of the UNC essays focuses on your academic interests. You’ll want to think about what truly ignites your academic curiosity. However, you’ll need to show why you want to pursue that interest at UNC Chapel Hill specifically.

Both of the UNC supplemental essays are fairly typical college essays. In fact, you might have seen similar prompts as you apply to other schools. So, it’s good to understand how to best write the UNC supplemental essays. It will help you with not only your UNC application, but also with other college applications!

Now, let’s further break down each of these prompts so that you know just how to tackle them. 

UNC Supplemental Essays # 1

The first of the short answer UNC supplemental essays revolves entirely around you and one of your communities. The category of “community” is quite broad. So, successful UNC essays will look quite different for each applicant. 

When approaching this essay, you could focus on a number of qualities that may shape your personality: leadership, perseverance, humor, creativity, innovation, etc. While other things may be important to your identity—such as a love of reading or a deep-seeded interest in classical music—these interests might not belong in this UNC supplement essay unless they connect back to your communities. Successful UNC Chapel Hill essays will need to show just how this aspect of your personality has impacted one of the communities you belong to or have engaged with.

Getting started

As you begin the first of the UNC Chapel Hill supplemental essays, think about how your personal qualities affects the ways you relate to the world. After all, while everyone occupies a variety of personality traits, these identities will impact every person in different ways.

Indeed, “personal qualities” is a broad topic. You could choose to focus on aspects of your identity. For example, maybe you’ve faced difficulties as a disabled student working in a field not designed for you; maybe you’ve encountered challenges as a BIPOC student working to cross systemic barriers and access educational opportunities. Whatever you discuss, make sure it feels unique to you and your experience.

On the other hand, you could focus on personality traits. For example, do you view the world through a comedic lens? Or are you extremely innovative and love finding unique solutions to different problems? Maybe you’re a compassionate and empathetic person and those qualities have affected how you relate to and improve your communities. There are certainly plenty of ways to write the first of the UNC supplemental essays. The key is finding the best topic for you!

And of course, make sure to avoid any bigotry or offensive language. The only exception is if you are describing an incident where you’ve experienced bigotry. Then, you could use this incident as a starting point to draw your reader in. However, it shouldn’t be the focus of your response.

Community essays

It’s important to note that in the first of the UNC supplemental essays, community is a huge theme. Of course, you need to relate a personal quality of yours to a positive impact in a community to which you belong or have engaged with. Like “personal qualities,” “community” encompasses many things. This may feel overwhelming at first. However, in reality, this just means you can write on a myriad of topics.

The community essay is a favorite among colleges; therefore, understanding how to best respond to this prompt will help you with many college application essays. But, let’s focus on the UNC supplemental essay prompt.

First, consider the communities to which you belong or have engaged with. In this particular prompt, you need to specifically share a story or anecdote that shows the impact you have made on that community. In this case, it may be easier to first think of a specific story. Either way, you’ll need to show how you personally made a positive impact. What did you bring to the table that brought about positive change?

Consider that admissions teams look for students that will engage with the community campus. Therefore, you need to show that you are an active participant in your community and are looking to better the world with which you interact. In fact, you might even mention a story where you positively impacted a community other than your own. Share a story that shows what you would potentially bring to UNC Chapel Hill’s campus.

Complete answers

Be sure to answer this prompt in its entirety. The personal quality and anecdote that you mention doesn’t matter as much as its positive impact it has on one of your communities. So, when choosing which personal quality and story to focus on, make sure that you can expand on its influence on the communities with which you engage. 

If you have a couple of options, try brainstorming each quality or story’s impact. Then, choose the one that feels the most important to you. Additionally, make sure you have an engaging and interesting story or anecdote to share that relates to that personal quality. Most importantly, you need to actually be excited about what you choose to write on. If you’re passionate about your topic, your essay will have a better chance of impressing UNC admissions. Remember that successful UNC essays will do more than just check another box off on your UNC admissions requirements. It will further show the admissions committee who you are.

UNC Chapel Hill Essay Reflection Questions:

• Do you discuss a personal quality that has positively impacted one of your communities?
• Do you share a relevant and engaging story or anecdote?
• Is your essay free of any bigotry or offensive language?

UNC Supplemental Essays #2

The second of the UNC supplemental essays is a fairly common college essay topic: academic interest essay. Obviously, UNC admissions wants to admit students that are passionate about learning, particularly at their school. Therefore, successful UNC supplemental essays will show not only that you are academically motivated and curious, but also that UNC is the perfect place for you to explore those particular interests.

Academic topic

You might have an academic topic or interest that comes immediately to mind. If so, write on that! The academic area that most excites you will make for the best UNC supplemental essays. However, if no area immediately comes to mind, you’ll need to do some brainstorming.

Consider your different high school classes: which did you most enjoy? Were there any that had you exploring on your own time, outside of the classroom? Being academically curious and motivated are important qualities that college admissions teams look for in their applicants. Therefore, successful UNC supplemental essays to this second prompt will need to show that students have a passion for learning.

Now, the prompt particularly asks students to share an academic topic that they are excited to explore in college. Therefore, you could write on an academic topic that you haven’t yet had the opportunity to explore. But, one that you will be able to learn more about during your time at UNC. In summary, successful UNC supplemental essays could expand upon a current academic interest or delve into a new area.

Don’t feel limited to only talk about a major that you plan to pursue. Many students applying to colleges are undecided on their major and course of study. That’s perfectly ok! In fact, this essay isn’t a “why major” essay. It’s much broader than that. You are free to speak about any academic interest! Showing intellectual curiosity is the key in writing this essay, as well as mentioning specific programs only found at UNC.

Sharing an academic topic and why it interests you is important but only partially answers this prompt. The second of the UNC supplemental essays gives students an opportunity to show that they have done their research and know exactly why they want to attend UNC. Therefore, you’ll need to show what opportunities only available at UNC will allow you to explore the academic topic that you’ve explained.

You may already know exactly what you want to write about. For example, perhaps UNC made the top of your college list because of its Center for the Study of the American South . As a history buff, from the south, hoping to further explore where you’ve come from and maybe even apply it to a future career, this center will allow you the unique opportunity to do so. Of course, this is just an example, however, you get the idea! The more specific, the better!

You may choose to mention a major, professor, research opportunity, or even an extracurricular club. As long as it relates to an academic topic of interest and is an opportunity unique to UNC, then it will work perfectly for your essay!

Reflection Questions for UNC Supplemental Essays:

• Do you describe an academic topic of interest?
• Does your essay clearly show why you’re interested in that academic topic?
• Do you use specific examples to show how you would explore your academic interest at UNC Chapel Hill?

Choosing topics for your UNC essay prompts

As you consider your UNC essays, think about what stories make you who you are. Essentially, the UNC supplemental essays ask you to discuss your community and academic interests. However, there are plenty of potential ways to respond to the two UNC supplemental essays. If one topic for the UNC-Chapel Hill supplemental essays particularly speaks to you, follow your instinct! However, if you’re struggling to choose topics for you UNC supplemental essays, then it might be time for a structured free-write.

Here’s how it works: choose a potential topic and set a ten-minute timer. Write about that topic for the full ten minutes without editing, revising, or reading over your work. Once you finish your first topic idea, move to the next. Do this for both of the UNC supplemental essays. If you find yourself with a lot to say about a given topic—or you just enjoy writing about it—you’ve found the topic for your UNC supplemental essays.

The power of free-writing

If you still feel stuck after your free-write , don’t worry! Look over your free writes for each of the UNC supplemental essays and think about how an admissions officer might view them. Which of these stories tell the reader the most about you? What narratives are the most engaging? Which responses showcase your unique traits? The most authentic stories will make the strongest UNC supplemental essays.

Once you’ve chosen your topics for your UNC supplemental essays, it’s time to start drafting. Reference the previous sections, as we broke down each of the short answer UNC essays. Remember, while we discussed both of the UNC Chapel Hill supplemental essay prompts, you will only choose two of these UNC supplemental essays to complete.

If you’re still struggling with choosing topics for the UNC supplemental essays, look over (or write) your college application letters . You may recall important moments within those letters that could trigger some ideas for the UNC Chapel Hill essays. 

Passion and relevance

The key to choosing the best topics for the UNC Chapel Hill supplemental essays are finding the topics that you are most passionate about. And, there’s no faking passion and interest in these UNC essays. Therefore, take the time to choose a topic that really resonates with you. If you have many, then choose the one that shares something new about yourself that hasn’t yet been mentioned in your UNC application.

While passion is important, your topics also need to be relevant to the prompts at hand. While you may be extremely passionate about singing, if it doesn’t relate to either of the UNC essay prompts, then it’s not worth mentioning here. Therefore, brainstorming a list of potential topics for each of the UNC supplemental essays will help you get started. Just make sure that each item on your list is relevant to the prompts. Can you write a UNC essay on the topic and will it fully respond to the prompt?

How do I answer the supplemental essays at UNC-Chapel Hill?

Your UNC supplemental essays should complement the rest of your UNC application to help the admissions team understand who you are and why you belong at UNC.

Wondering what it looks like to build a personal narrative in your application? Check out our expert’s dive into the personal narrative .

Remember to use dynamic, descriptive language in each of your UNC Chapel Hill supplemental essays. Your reader should be able to sense your passion and enthusiasm in your UNC supplemental essays. As a rule, authentic, genuine responses make for the strongest UNC Chapel Hill essays. The UNC admissions team read thousands of applications—it’s easy to spot shallow responses meant only to impress admissions officers.

Show, don’t tell

The golden rule of writing applies to your college essays. The best UNC supplemental essays will engage the reader from the start, and take them on a narrative journey. Of course, you only have 250 words to do so. Therefore, you’ll need to use your words wisely. Finding the perfect balance of being descriptive, yet concise, will lead to the most successful UNC Chapel Hill essays.

You’ve probably heard your English teachers talk about showing rather than telling in narrative writing. However, let’s look at this example provided by Reedsy’s blog on the topic:

Tell: Michael was terribly afraid of the dark.

Show: As his mother switched off the light and left the room, Michael tensed. He huddled under the covers, gripped the sheets, and held his breath as the wind brushed past the curtain.

Which has the greater impact and engages the reader? It’s clear that showing is the best way to truly hook your reader and take them on a narrative journey. Remember, you can still be creative and show off your writing skills in college essays. In fact, you absolutely should do so!

Just remember to find the perfect balance when writing your UNC supplemental essays. You need to engage the reader, tell a narrative, and also completely respond to the prompt. Oh, and you only have 250 words to do so! Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to write your UNC supplemental essays. We can assure you that the best college essays weren’t written overnight. They most certainly required multiple drafts to get to their best version. So, do yourself a favor and start preparing your UNC essays early so you can write the best essays possible!

Unsure of where to start when it comes to the UNC Chapel Hill essays? Figuring out how to get into UNC Chapel Hill will require a strong overall UNC application. Start by reading this how to get into UNC Chapel Hill guide . After you understand the process as a whole, then reference this guide as it will give you the tools to craft strong responses to the UNC supplemental essays.

Common App Personal Statement

When applying to UNC, you’ll not only write two UNC supplemental essays, but you’ll also need to write the personal statement found in the Common Application. Luckily, the personal statement can be used for various schools. Most schools will in fact require that you complete the personal statement and their school-specific supplemental essays.

Unlike the UNC supplemental essays, where students write on the same two prompts, the personal statement allows students 7 different prompts to choose from. Here are the prompts found on the Common App for 2024-25:

Common App Essay Prompts

• 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.

If one of these prompts jumps out to you and excites you, then that is the prompt you should write on! However, if you’re between a few prompts or are completely unsure of which prompt to choose, you can use our previous tips on choosing a topic for the UNC supplemental essays. Brainstorming and free-writing will allow you to choose the prompt that you have the most to say about.

Additionally, consider any gaps in your overall UNC application. Ideally, your UNC essays will fill in those gaps, adding new information to your application. You most certainly should not simply repeat what’s already been stated. Use the Common App personal statement and the UNC supplemental essays as opportunities to show a new part of your personality, values, and interests to admissions. In the case of UNC, you have three opportunities to do so: two UNC supplemental essays and the personal statement.

Indeed, you can recycle the personal statement. That is to say, you can send the same essay to various schools. In fact, you should do this in order to streamline the application process. The only case in which we wouldn’t recommend reusing your personal statement exactly as it is, is if it repeats information from one of the UNC supplemental essays. However, you can reuse parts or adjust your UNC supplemental essays accordingly. That is to say, if you choose to write your personal statement on prompt #6, and speak about an academic interest, you’ll want to write the second of your UNC supplemental essays on a completely different academic topic. Don’t use the same theme or topic in various essays as this will waste a valuable opportunity to share more about yourself to UNC admissions.

The personal statement is an important part of your UNC application as well as your other college application. Check out this article on how to write the personal statement. In addition to providing you with in-depth information on writing the essay, it also includes 5 personal statement essay examples. Reading these examples can help you see what impresses college admissions. But remember, don’t try to copy essay examples. Simply use them as inspiration to write your own unique story.

5 Tips for Writing the UNC Supplemental Essays

The UNC supplemental essays are in integral part of your overall UNC application. The UNC admissions team has a holistic evaluation process when considering potential applicants. This means they don’t simply look at grades or standardized test scores. They look at the big picture. So, yes, your grades are important, but so are your UNC supplemental essays.

Indeed, your UNC essays are opportunities to share new information about yourself not seen elsewhere in your application. As such, you should place importance on writing the best UNC essays possible! Let’s take a look at some tips you can follow in order to write your best UNC supplemental essays.

5 UNC Essays Tips

Start early..

There are two UNC supplemental essays you’ll need to write. In order to write the best versions possible, you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to prepare. Brainstorming, writing, revising, rewriting, and editing will take you some time. Additionally, you have other parts of the application to prepare, such as getting letters of recommendation. Therefore, plan your time wisely and start crafting your UNC essays long before the application deadline.

Be authentic.

Of course, you want to impress UNC admissions with your UNC supplemental essays. However, that doesn’t mean your essays should read as something you think will impress admissions. Your UNC supplemental essays should share more information about who you are and what you’ll bring to the campus. Therefore, be authentic and genuine when writing your essays.

Choose topics wisely.

The topics you write on should excite you. If they don’t, then consider choosing a different topic. The UNC essays are purposefully rather open-ended. This means that students can tailor their responses to what they are truly most passionate about. There is no right or wrong essay topic. In fact, there are thousands of possible topics that students can write on. The best topic for you will be one that shows your passion and authentic self.

Answer the prompt.

Choosing a topic is important, but remember that you need to fully respond to the prompt. Find the balance between writing creatively and comprehensively responding to every part of the prompt. At the end of writing your drafts, be sure to ask yourself, “Did I fully and completely respond to the prompt?” This may seem obvious, but when trying to meet the word limit, show your passion, and engage the reader, it’s possible that you may forget the main purpose at hand: responding to the UNC essay prompts.

Draft, revise, and repeat.

You’re not going to get the best versions of your UNC essays on your first draft. Instead, you’ll need to write multiple drafts. Give yourself the time to do so! Editing and rewriting are an important part of the writing process, so factor that into your timeline. Additionally, enlist the help of friends, families, or mentors when editing. Having an extra set of eyes on your work can help to avoid careless grammatical and spelling errors. Your UNC essays should be engaging and impeccably written. Just remember to maintain your unique voice when implementing the feedback of others.

Use these 5 tips to help you write your best UNC supplemental essays. And, keep in mind that these tips can be applied to all of your college essay writing. Staying organized is key when it comes to applying to colleges. Essay writing is a time-consuming task, so you’ll need to plan your time accordingly. However, don’t discount the importance of the UNC application essays! They could be what makes or breaks your admissions decision.

Are the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supplemental essays important?

Yes! As #27 on U.S. News’ Best Colleges list and with a competitive acceptance rate , UNC Chapel Hill places plenty of emphasis on the UNC supplemental essays. It is in fact one of the most important UNC admissions requirements, especially since UNC has extended their test-optional policy for this admissions cycle. However, effective Fall 2025 some students will be required to submit standardized test scores; it will depend on your GPA. Students with a weighted GPA between 2.5-2.8 will be required to submit standardized test scores. Students with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or higher will continue to have the option to submit standardized test scores.

Whether you have excellent grades or not, don’t let the UNC Chapel Hill essays intimidate you. Think of the UNC Chapel Hill essays as your chance to address the admissions team on your own terms. Use this opportunity to show them what you’ll bring to UNC! Indeed, the UNC supplemental essays are an important factor in the UNC admissions process. Since admissions uses a holistic evaluation process, every part of your application matters. Therefore, you’ll want to do everything you can to craft the best application narrative possible, including writing your best UNC supplemental essays!

More CollegeAdvisor resources

In addition to this UNC Supplemental Essays guide, CollegeAdvisor has plenty of valuable resources to help you write your best UNC essays. Take advantage of these free resources to give you some guidance on writing college essays. Especially if you are in the beginning stages of the college application process, understanding how to write a college essay will only help ease your application journey.

Remember, a well-crafted set of UNC Chapel Hill essays can make a huge difference in admissions. There are many UNC admissions requirements, but the UNC supplemental essays are the best way to show your personality and impress admissions. Take your UNC essays seriously—you’ll be glad you did. You may even find inspiration in reading college essay examples . Remember not to mimic other essays, but use them in order to understand how to write your own successful UNC supplemental essays. 

As we mentioned, the UNC supplemental essays center around common college essay prompts. For example, the first of the UNC supplemental essays asks students to talk about how they’ve positively impacted one of their communities. Well, “community essays” are a favorite among colleges. Reading community essay examples can help you prepare to write not only your best UNC supplemental essays, but also other college essays.

We gave you some ideas on choosing an essay topic in this essay guide, however, choosing a topic is arguably the most important part of your college essay writing process. The topic you choose will set the tone for the entire essay. Therefore, you’ll want to be sure you choose the best topics for your UNC supplemental essays. Read our Essay Writing Topics article to help you get started. This will help you with not only your UNC supplemental essays, but also your other college essays.

Finally, sometimes learning about what not to do can provide valuable information in the college essay writing process. Watch our webinar on College Essay Mistakes When Writing About Yourself in order to avoid some common errors that students make. In addition to reviewing some common mistakes, you’ll also learn more about what admissions looks for in essays and how to best tell your story in your unique voice.

Using these free CollegeAdvisor resources, in addition to this essay guide, will give you even more guidance when writing the UNC supplemental essays.

More details about UNC Chapel Hill

UNC Chapel Hill is not only a high ranking national university, but is also ranked #1 in value amongst public universities. To many applicants trying to figure out how to pay for college , quality yet affordable universities are at the top of their lists. Check out UNC’s scholarships and financial aid opportunities.

To learn more about how the UNC Chapel Hill supplemental essays fit into the UNC application, visit their admissions page for a list of the UNC admissions requirements. When considering how to get into UNC Chapel Hill applicants will need a strong overall UNC application, including the UNC supplemental essays. 

Be sure to check the UNC application deadline and UNC admission requirements in addition to your UNC supplemental essays. The UNC essays are important, but at a selective school like UNC Chapel Hill, every part of the application matters. 

UNC Supplemental Essays: Final Thoughts

Before diving into the UNC supplemental essays, first do your research on UNC Chapel Hill . It may be exciting to think about getting your college acceptance letter and figuring out the college enrollment process, but first make sure to be passionate about the schools you apply to . When considering how to write UNC Chapel Hill essays, understanding the university’s mission and values is key. From there, you can build strong essays that focus on who you are and why you want to attend UNC Chapel Hill. 

Remember that completing the two 250-word UNC Chapel Hill essays are an important part of your application. The UNC application essays are opportunities to share new information about yourself with the admissions team. Indeed, your UNC supplemental essays are your time to show off what makes you unique. Don’t be intimidated by the UNC application essays. Rather, take advantage of the chance to shine!

Don’t forget to revise

Finally, don’t forget to revise your UNC application essays multiple times. In fact, you’ll want to start your writing process for these UNC application essays early, a least a few months before the UNC application deadline. Once you’ve completed a draft, you might also ask a trusted adult to proofread your UNC Chapel Hill essays for spelling, grammar, and clarity. However, it’s best to stay away from heavy edits that erase your voice from the UNC supplemental essays. Remember, the admissions officers want to know more about you, not the person who helped you edit your UNC Chapel Hill supplemental essays.

After reading this UNC Supplemental Essays guide we hope that you feel better prepared to tackle writing the UNC application essays. However, we know that college essay writing can be a stressful task for many students. If you’re feeling like you need extra help or personalized attention to get started, then College Advisor has plenty of experts that can guide you along the way. From essay writing to applying for financial aid, our advisors are here to help students and families through every step of the application process. Reach out to learn more!

This 2024-2025 essay guide on UNC – Chapel Hill was written by Sarah Kaminski. Want help crafting your UNC supplemental essays? Click here to create your free  account , or call (844) 343-6272 to  schedule your free advising consultation  with an Admissions Specialist.

Personalized and effective college advising for high school students.

• Advisor Application
• Popular Colleges
• Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice
• Student Login
• California Privacy Notice
• Terms and Conditions
• Your Privacy Choices

By using the College Advisor site and/or working with College Advisor, you agree to our updated Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy , including an arbitration clause that covers any disputes relating to our policies and your use of our products and services.