CollegeVine College Essay Team December 8, 2024 10 Essay Guides 2023-24

How to Write the Clark University Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

Founded in 1887 as the first all-graduate institution in the United States, today Clark University welcomes over 2,000 undergraduates interested in studying at a small university grounded in the liberal arts and a belief in the power of hands-on learning outside of the classroom, including through research and internships. It is important that your essays reveal insights about you as a person and what you value about Clark beyond generic attributes (such as a low student-to-professor ratio or reputation for providing significant research opportunities to undergraduates). Carefully research the school before writing any of your essays so that you can reference specifics and demonstrate your deep affinity for what Clark has to offer.

This year, Clark is offering an optional essay to all applicants with two choices of prompts, as well as another essay for Honors Experience applicants. Although the essay for all applicants isn’t required, we always recommend to take the opportunity to provide more information about yourself to maximize your chances of admission.

Read these Clark essay examples to inspire your writing.

Clark University Supplemental Essay Prompts 

All Applicants

This prompt has two main purposes. First, Clark wants to understand the communities that have been influential in shaping your identity, values, and worldviews. Then, based on your experience and connection to these communities, Clark can infer how you might interact with, contribute to, and enhance the Clark community. They’re interested not just in what you’ve done or experienced, but in how those experiences will translate to your future as a Clark student.

Tips on Choosing a Topic

• Reflect on communities you’ve been part of. Remember that community can mean many things. They can be based on a culture, common interest, language, family, geographical location, personality trait, physical ability, or more.
• Choose a community that had a tangible impact on you. This impact could be instilling a value, introducing you to a hobby or passion, or even challenging you in significant ways.
• Consider how the skills, values, or insights from this community might be beneficial to the Clark community.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Being too generic: Be specific about how this community impacted you and how you see that playing out at Clark. Make sure to reference specific resources at Clark that you see yourself contributing to.
• Missing the connection: Ensure that you make a clear link between the community you describe and what you will bring to Clark.

Examples of Approaches

• A student was a member of her high school robotics team and was the only girl on the team. This caused her to feel self-conscious until a new robotics team assistant advisor joined who was a woman. The advisor’s mentorship gave the student confidence, and she started speaking up more and even became the head programmer. Because of this experience, she wants to revitalize the Women in STEM club at Clark, which hasn’t been active for a few years, to do outreach to high school robotics clubs and mentor students there.

• While radio may seem obsolete to some, this student is passionate about radio’s ability to reach broad audiences. When he learned that the top radio shows in the US are mostly conservative talk shows, he decided to start working at a local progressive talk show to help engage younger listeners and expose them to different viewpoints. Thanks to his efforts, the show gained over 500 listeners under 25 in his small town of 60,000 people. At Clark, he wants to run his own progressive commentary radio show on ROCU, the school’s internet radio station.

This prompt falls under the Impact on Community/Community Service essay archetype. Clark University wants to see how you’ve collaborated with others to drive meaningful change, so the admissions committee is looking for evidence of your teamwork, leadership, and commitment to making a difference. Your response should focus on a specific event or project where you and others worked together to create a positive outcome.

To brainstorm, think about any longstanding involvements you have with a service-based club, organization, or activism project, situations in which you showed true altruism, activities you do that have a positive impact on your community, or your dedication to social change. Focus on a single project or event, as opposed to a resume-like slew of different activities. Detail your role and the roles of others involved.

Consider the following questions to help you brainstorm:

• Who did you collaborate with on this project (peers, teachers, community members, etc.)?
• What were the challenges you faced during this involvement, and how did you overcome them?
• How did your efforts lead to a specific, tangible positive outcome?
• What did you learn from this experience, and how has it shaped your understanding of teamwork and community service?

Generally, you should avoid short-term projects and stand-alone events. Deep involvement, ideally over several years, is what reflects genuine commitment to your cause, so a weeklong Habitat for Humanity trip or an afternoon working at the local food bank don’t pack much of a punch on their own. That said, sometimes a shorter term involvement, or even a single-day event, can make a big impact on you. If that’s true for you, you can discuss those experiences – just make sure to clearly connect them to your deeper commitments and values. 

Be sure to highlight how you worked with others, emphasizing teamwork, communication, and leadership and clearly describe the positive change that resulted from your efforts, whether it’s a social, environmental, or community impact. 

Finally, address how your values will continue shaping your life in the future, and demonstrate how you would positively contribute to the Clark community. It’s a good idea to do some research about Clark University’s mission and values so that you can directly discuss them in relation to your own work and priorities. Admissions officers should be able to clearly see why this story matters for understanding what kind of college student you’ll be.

The most important part of your essay will be the reflection in which you discuss what you learned from the experience and how it has influenced your perspective on working with others and making an impact on your community. This prompt isn’t meant for you to showcase your good deeds in great, verbose detail – while you should absolutely be specific about what project or activity you worked on, the emphasis is on the effect of your actions on yourself and your community, not the actions themselves.

Now that we’ve gone over the expectations and structure of the essay, let’s look at some possible examples. The first we’ll read is a weaker excerpt, and the second is a much stronger version of the same topic, so you can see the difference between the essays.

“During my junior year, I organized a community garden project in my neighborhood. I got a group of people together, mostly my friends and family, to clean up an abandoned lot and plant vegetables and flowers. The project was pretty successful, and the garden became a nice place for people to visit and tend to. I enjoyed working with others and learned a lot about teamwork and the value of shared labor. This project made me interested in urban planning and preserving green spaces in cities, and I hope to continue doing similar work in the future.”

This example is vague and lacks detail – it doesn’t provide a clear sense of what the project entailed, the challenges Sofia faced, or the impact on the community. It also lacks a connection to Clark University in particular and seemingly could apply to any institution in the country. The relation to urban planning as a career goal is mentioned but not developed, and the essay doesn’t convey the same sense of personal growth or the significance of the experience. It reads more like a summary than a compelling narrative.

“The lot on Maple Street had always been an eyesore in our neighborhood—overgrown weeds, broken bottles, and the occasional discarded tire. When I first brought up the idea of turning it into a community garden, I wasn’t sure anyone would join me. But my friends and family encouraged me, and as I stood in front of the community board, outlining my vision of a shared green space where neighbors could grow their own food, I saw nods of agreement. Soon, I had a team of volunteers from all walks of life: retirees eager to share gardening tips, high schoolers like myself who wanted to earn community service hours, and even a local nonprofit that donated seeds and tools. Together, we cleared the debris, tilled the soil, and planted the first seeds. The transformation was incredible. The lot became a vibrant space filled with tomatoes, sunflowers, and, most importantly, a sense of community. Watching neighbors chat over garden beds, share recipes, and swap gardening tips made me realize the power of collective action. This experience solidified my passion for urban planning and showed me that even the smallest patches of green can bring people together, something I see reflected in Clark’s efforts to take the needs of contemporary urban life into consideration of its campus.”

This example is much more specific and vivid, painting a clear picture of the transformation of the area and the community’s involvement. It highlights the writer’s leadership in organizing the project, her ability to bring people together, and the tangible impact the garden had on the neighborhood. The essay connects the experience to her broader interest in urban planning and Clark University, showing growth and insight.

This prompt is an iteration of the Academic Interest archetype and asks you to examine a piece of media that captivates you, explaining why it resonates with you and how it has influenced your life. The key is to connect your interest to your academic and personal pursuits and to envision how you’ll bring this passion to the Clark Honors Experience. The media you choose should reflect something significant about you and offer a glimpse into your intellectual curiosity and personality.

To begin, consider pieces of media that you find yourself returning to often, something you recommend to people and can write a lot about. Don’t fall into the trap of choosing something overly serious or prestigious in an effort to impress the people reading your essay – your response should be truly authentic, so make sure it’s something you feel a real connection to. You should also generally try to avoid overused or very common works unless you have a highly personal and unique angle. Think about how this media shaped your interests, beliefs, or actions? Have you explored this interest further through projects, classes, or extracurricular activities?

However, the essay shouldn’t just be about what the media is and what it’s about. Connect it to a topic or subject you’re especially interested in. Your essay should demonstrate your intellectual curiosity and the initiative you’ve taken to pursue that interest. Explain exactly why it captivates you: go beyond surface-level to explore how this media resonates with your values, interests, or goals. Show how this interest has influenced your academic pursuits, extracurricular activities, or personal growth in detail with meaningful reflection.

Finally, describe how you will bring this interest to life at Clark, contributing to the intellectual and social environment of the Honors Experience. How do you plan to share this interest with your peers at Clark? What unique perspectives or ideas could you bring to discussions in the Honors Experience? This is just as significant as the reflection section of your response, as it’s important to help admissions officers really visualize you as a contributing member of the Clark University community.

Let’s look at some possible examples of responses to this prompt: first, a weaker example, and then, a revised, stronger version.

“I really enjoyed the movie Amélie because of its unique style and heartwarming story. It inspired me to start taking photos in my free time of whimsical, happy scenes. I would walk around my neighborhood and take pictures of things that caught my eye, like flowers or sunsets and even had the chance to display some of my photos at a small local exhibit. I think Clark’s Honors Experience would be a great place for me to meet other creative people who like to express themselves through art and use media to understand the world around them.”

This example is too vague and lacks depth. While it mentions that Amélie inspired them to take photos, it doesn’t get into how this interest developed or what it means to them. The description of their photography is generic and doesn’t convey the same sense of personal connection or creative exploration, and the plan to engage with peers at Clark isn’t particularly compelling, with no clear vision for how she would contribute to the Honors Experience beyond casual discussions. The essay feels more like a superficial summary rather than a thoughtful reflection on her passions.

“The first time I watched Amélie, I was enchanted by the film’s vibrant colors and whimsical storytelling. But what truly captivated me was the way it captured the beauty of everyday moments—the flicker of a smile, the ripple of a windblown curtain. Inspired by this, I picked up my camera and began to see my surroundings differently. Weekends were spent wandering through my city’s overlooked corners, capturing fleeting moments of joy—a child’s laughter in a park, the sunlight filtering through autumn leaves, the warmth of a street vendor’s smile. Over time, my collection grew into an exhibit at our local library, where I shared my photos and the stories behind them with my community. At Clark, I’m excited to bring this passion for visual storytelling to the Honors Experience. I envision creating a photography club where we not only share our work but also explore how films like Amélie use visual language to evoke emotions and tell stories. Together, we can create a space that celebrates the art of seeing the world through a different lens.”

This example effectively ties the writer’s love for Amélie as a piece of media to her passion for photography. She vividly describes how the film inspired her to explore her city and capture its hidden beauty, leading to a meaningful project toward connection in her community. The essay shows her creative approach to visual storytelling and her enthusiasm for sharing this passion with her peers at Clark. The connection between her interest in photography and the potential for creating a collaborative environment in the Honors Experience is clear and compelling.

Where to Get Your Clark University Essays Edited For Free

Want feedback on your Clark University essays to improve your chances at admission? When you’ve proofread your essay a dozen times, it can be hard to even spot where there’s room for improvement. That’s why we’ve created our free Peer Essay Review tool, where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also sharpen your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays!

Need feedback faster? Get a free, nearly-instantaneous essay review from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!