How to Write the DePauw University Essay 2025-2026
DePauw University is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, founded in 1837. The school is known for its rigorous academics, vibrant campus life, and strong emphasis on leadership and service.
For the 2025-2026 application cycle, Depauw has one optional essay for applicants to respond to. While applicants don’t have to submit an essay, we strongly encourage them to. This is your only chance to speak directly to the admissions officers and share personal information they can’t find anywhere else in your application—don’t pass it up!
DePauw University Supplemental Essay Prompt
Optional: DePauw’s mission is to prepare the leaders the world needs; in what ways do you intend to enhance your leadership strengths during your time at DePauw? (100 words)
At only 100 words, DePauw’s supplement is short and to-the-point. DePauw isn’t looking to hear a story about a time you demonstrated leadership—they want to know how you will build upon the skills you already have during your college career.
However, just because they don’t explicitly ask for an example of your leadership, doesn’t mean you cannot provide it. In fact, the strongest essays will have a brief explanation of how you’ve already exhibited leadership to serve as a foundation for how you will enhance it at DePauw. So, think of examples when you stepped up in a class, extracurricular, community, or social setting. The following are all options of how students might be leaders:
- Being president of your school’s Mock Trial team
- Organizing a fundraiser event in your community
- Serving as an editor of your school newspaper
- Mediating a disagreement within your friend group
- Being an older sibling
- Launching a new program or initiative in your community
With only 100 words total, you shouldn’t spend more than a sentence or two establishing your prior leadership experience. The key here though, is to not just say “I’ve become a leader on my basketball team because I’ve served as co-captain and captain the past two years.” Sentences like this are a waste of your limited space because they just summarize your leadership roles that can already be found on your resume. Instead, share why this particular leadership experience is meaningful to you and what being a leader means to you—information that cannot be found elsewhere in your application—with a sentence like this:
“Missing the winning free throw was brutal, but knowing my team was looking to me to lead by example made me take a deep breath, pick up my head, and treat myself with the same kindness I showed them as captain.”
The rest of your response should focus on how you will build upon your leadership by attending DePauw. In order to respond to this, you need to know where you have room to grow as a leader. Do you struggle with giving feedback? Do you push yourself towards perfection too much and need to work on progress, not perfection? Maybe you want to hold a leadership position in politics or government one day and you want to learn the skills required to lead a diverse group of people. Wherever you see room for improvement, identify it and share that in your essay. This will connect the bridge between your past and future as a leader.
When it comes to identifying how you will enhance your leadership at DePauw, this is where you’ll want to get specific. Don’t just say something generic like “I want to learn how to listen and learn from others more.” Pinpoint specific resources or opportunities that will help you grow your leadership. Maybe that’s taking a specific class that will help you learn how to be a cross-cultural leader or perhaps you will join the Connections Mentor Program to support other students of color in their transition.
You can also enhance your leadership in less obvious ways. For example, a student who leads hiking trips for elementary schoolers might enhance their leadership at DePauw by founding a hiking club. Similarly, a student who exhibits leadership by asking hard questions others don’t want might build on their leadership by pursuing an Independent Interdisciplinary major at DePauw to connect topics no one has thought of before. These examples still show ways students are expanding on their leadership skills, just through less traditional avenues than mentorship programs or pursuing DePauw’s Leadership minor.
Here’s an example that ties it all together:
“Leading our school’s startup club taught me that leadership is about turning ideas into action. At DePauw, I hope to deepen this skill by joining the McDermond Center’s Entrepreneurship and Innovations group, where collaborating on real-world business projects will challenge me to make decisions under pressure, motivate teammates, and adapt to unexpected obstacles. By taking ideas from concept to execution, I aim to grow as a leader who not only inspires others but also guides a team through practical problem-solving and innovation. These experiences will prepare me to lead with both confidence and creativity.”
All in all, in just 100 words, you should provide an example of your previous leadership, explain how you want to grow as a leader, and share what you will do at DePauw to make it possible. It’s a lot for such a short supplement, but with these tips, it should be manageable!
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