How to Write the Fordham University Essay 2023-2024

If you’re unsure about responding because you don’t know what to write about, don’t worry! That’s what we’re here for, as we’re going to break down each prompt for you below.

Read these Fordham essay examples to inspire your writing.

Fordham Supplemental Essay Prompts

This is a take on the classic “Diversity” essay, which also incorporates some elements of the “Community Service” archetype. You’ll want to discuss your values, viewpoints, and personal growth in relation to a specific story, preferably one that involves you actively working to make your community a better place. The important thing is to pick an anecdote that demonstrates your character and the good qualities that you will bring to Fordham. 

The prompt specifically asks for an event or experience, so though it may be tempting, you shouldn’t take this opportunity to list a variety of qualities or even a few quick examples of you demonstrating different qualities. While in theory you’re giving your reader more information with this approach than by focusing on a single story, in reality trying to fit multiple anecdotes into just 300 words often leads to the essay feeling rushed or disjointed.

Instead, you should pick a single story, as one experience, if chosen well, can actually tell your reader just as much about you as a range of experiences can. So, dive deeply into the story you choose, and think about what it tells Fordham about you. If there is a culture, organization, or movement that you have deep involvement with, this is a good time to mention it, but you’ll still want to pick a specific event from that work, rather than summarizing across a period of months or years. If you don’t have a specific cause, can you think of a time that you showed particular strength of character? Either way, here are some questions to get you thinking:

• What qualities are you most proud of? What qualities do others admire in you? How did you develop them? Can you think of a story that showcases them especially well?
• Describe a time that you helped someone, or a group of people. What did you do? What led you to help? What did you learn?
• Reflect on some important beliefs that you hold. How did you come to those beliefs? Have they ever been tested? In what ways have you expressed or stood up for those beliefs?
• Name a time that your worldview changed or expanded. What prompted this change or expansion? How did you respond?
• Have you ever felt particularly inspired by a person or an event? What touched you about this experience? What did you do with the inspiration you felt?

Remember that the point of the essay is to set yourself apart from other applicants, so, while you of course want to be honest and share an experience that was genuinely meaningful to you, you also want to be mindful of stories that might also be told in a lot of other students’ essays.

For example, talking about making a new friend from another culture and learning about their background is a nice story, but it’s an experience that many people have had. That doesn’t mean you need to pivot to something entirely different, however. Rather, you could instead write about an argument the two of you had about something seemingly unrelated to culture, and how it helped you recognize certain cultural values that you had taken for granted.

Let’s say your friend is Muslim, and couldn’t attend your birthday party during Ramadan one year because she was fasting and didn’t want to be around so much food and activity. You could write about how you initially struggled to not be frustrated with her, and fully accept this part of her identity. By taking an unusual approach to a common story, you’ll teach admissions officers much more about yourself than if you just rehashed a story they’ve seen literally thousands of times before.

Once you’ve decided on your story, it’s time to start writing. While 300 words is medium-length for a supplement, that doesn’t mean you have all day, so you don’t want to waste words providing a bunch of background context on, for example, whether you drove or biked to the animal shelter. Just jump right in! You could start in the middle of the incident, or reflect back from present day, to make your essay dynamic and engaging from start to finish. 

However you choose to structure your response, the majority should be focused on the event itself, which you should describe with vivid, sophisticated language. Then, incorporate a thoughtful reflection on this event and what it meant to you. Remember to talk specifically about what you took away from the experience and how you carry those changes with you now. Fordham wants to understand why you’re a good fit for their school, so the connection between this experience and your potential as a college student should be clear.

This prompt is broader than the first, and allows you to explicitly connect yourself to Fordham. Rather than starting by looking backwards into the past, this option asks you to look to the future, imagining your growth over the next four years, and the contributions you would make to Fordham. 

But to describe what you’ll look like as a college student, you’ll need to explain how you got to the place you are. Once again, the best way to showcase your unique personality, attributes, and viewpoints is through a story or concrete example. That will be much more memorable to admissions committees than a bullet-pointy list of qualities you possess, or a series of identities that are important to you.

While picking your example, you have more flexibility than with the first option. You might focus on a long-term commitment you have outside the classroom, like a local book club, or the ways you consistently go above and beyond to engage in classes, like when a book you read in class intrigued you so much that you attended a talk by the author, or you continued a science project after the deadline just to see how your research continued progressing. The words you want to focus on in this prompt are active engagement, leader, and close collaboration. Do any of these spark a story for you?

Some essays that could make for a strong response to this prompt include:

• A student who applied what she had learned in her science class to her after-school work at a daycare, where she led the older children in simple experiments.
• A student who learned that some of his high school bandmates couldn’t afford to travel to a major competition, and worked with the band to set up fundraising efforts so they could all compete
• A student who wrote about a local performance for her journalism class and ended up being published in her town’s newspaper
• A student who organized carpools for his swim team to increase team cohesion and keep younger teammates, or teammates without cars, from having to walk or ride the bus to and from the pool

As you write, remember to outline the background of your story quickly, including all relevant details, and then describe the actual events in detail, focusing most on the aspects of the narrative that demonstrate the qualities you want to display. 

Finally, reflect on how you will bring what you learned from this experience to Fordham. There is an element of the classic “Why Us?” supplement here, so you want to make sure to connect your story to a niche you know exists at Fordham, to flex your knowledge of the school and show you’ll be ready to contribute as soon as you step on campus. If you’re not sure how to make this kind of specific connection, the course catalog and clubs page are great places to start.

Let’s say that learning about Picasso in your art class inspired you to look more closely at the way African and African-inspired art has been received in the Western world. You might write about your personal research into the topic, and conclude by saying that you can’t wait to bring your passion and research skills to art classes in Fordham’s Africanist Group. 

Whatever you choose to write about, make it unique, focus on you and your best qualities, and then come full circle by connecting it to Fordham! It’s only 300 words, so keep it simple, focused, and make sure to put your best foot forward.

There are some similarities between this prompt and the previous one, but here you’re being asked to picture yourself not just as part of the Fordham community, but as a resident of New York City. There are probably a million reasons why you’re excited about the prospect of living in New York, but, as we’ve noted in our breakdowns of the previous two prompts, remember that quantity over quality is the name of the game in college essays.

You also want to make sure you stand out–anyone can talk about the museums, the melting pot of cultures, or going to see Broadway shows. Although the prompt is asking you about New York, you should really be talking about yourself. So, rather than approaching this prompt from a touristy lens, and listing all the sights you want to see, think of this question as an opportunity to share what path you’re hoping to take in college, and how New York will help you along it. Consider the following example:

All my life, I’ve longed for the simplicity of a grid, and New York is the apex of griddiness. In my hometown, unplanned growth means a tangled sprawl of city streets, all with random names. My family says it’s my fault that I “can’t find my way out of a paper bag.” Maybe that’s true, but my horrendous sense of direction has helped me grow, believe it or not, even if I have accidentally ended up in the next town over when I was just trying to go to the grocery store..

I didn’t have a smartphone until I was sixteen, but was able to bike around town at age ten. That meant carrying a fold-out map in my back pocket which I was frequently (like, every block) stopping to consult. Initially, I was embarrassed by times when I pedaled in the wrong direction and added fifteen minutes to my rides, but as I matured, this insecurity shifted into a strange sense of certainty. Maybe I didn’t choose the right path at first, but I developed faith in my ability to notice my errors, reassess, and try again without breaking a sweat, unless I was at the bottom of the infamous Spring Street hill. Getting things wrong and having to backtrack stopped fazing me, and this resilience and confidence in my problem-solving skills eventually stretched beyond my treks around town, to trying new things in school, sports, and various other adventures. When people ask me how I can set off into college with such confidence, I tell them it’s not because I know I’m right; it’s because I know that I’ll be okay if I’m wrong. So I know whatever New York throws at me, I’ll be able to handle it.

This student did two things well here. First, she’s picked a seemingly surface-level aspect of New York, that most people wouldn’t think to write about. Second, she’s connected that aspect to herself in a unique, compelling way by taking a seemingly negative quality and reframing it as a positive opportunity for growth. Her creativity with both evaluating New York City and reflecting on her own experiences will both help her stand out to Fordham’s admissions committee. What unique attributes, narrative structures, or aspects of New York and yourself can you use to stand out to Fordham?

Where to Get Your Fordham University Essays Edited 

Writing essays can be tricky, especially when you’ve spent so long on them it’s hard to tell what sounds right and what doesn’t. A fresh pair of eyes can really help spot areas for improvement that might not occur to you, or other ways to make you stand out to the admissions officers at Fordham. CollegeVine has created a free Peer Review Essay Tool, where you can get feedback on your essay, and give feedback to other students just like you!

CollegeVine also offers essay review by our team of experienced advisors, who have helped hundreds of students submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you and get the feedback you need to make your application a success!