How to Write the George Mason University Essays 2025-2026
A relatively young university, George Mason University was established in 1957 as a branch of the University of Virginia, before becoming an independent school in 1972. Today, the institution has gained recognition as a top research university.
For this application cycle, George Mason has one optional essay prompt that applicants can choose to respond to. However, this essay is required if you do not submit your test scores to George Mason, so please keep that in mind.
Additionally, there is a required essay for applicants to the Honors College. Applicants are given the choice of picking between two prompts for this essay.
Keep reading to learn all about this year’s George Mason supplemental essay prompts, including those for the Honors College, and how to tackle them!
George Mason University Supplemental Essay Prompts
All Applicants
Prompt (optional, but required if you don’t submit test scores): What is your motivation for pursuing higher education? Why do you believe George Mason University is the right institution for you? (400 words)
Honors Applicants
Prompt: To apply to George Mason University’s Honor College, please select yes below and respond to one (1) of the prompts below in no more than 500 words. (100-500 words)
Option 1: George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. As a Tier-1 research institution, every day, our faculty, staff, and students work to address unanswered questions, unresolved challenges, and problems that impact a wide variety of populations. In the Honors College, you’ll have opportunities to do this sort of work — and maybe even answer questions and solve problems that matter to you. Tell us about one question, challenge, or problem that you’d like to work to better understand or address during your time at Mason. Introduce this issue, and then explain why it matters to you and why it might matter to others. Feel free to be creative- research and inquiry can exist in unlikely places.
Option 2: The art we see, the stories we read, and the words we hear have the power to move us and to change us. Tell us about a time that you’ve been moved to act by something you read, a speech you heard, or a work of art that you experienced. What was it, and how did it impact you? What did you do — or what will you do — in response?
All Applicants Prompt
What is your motivation for pursuing higher education? Why do you believe George Mason University is the right institution for you? (Optional but required if you don’t submit test scores) (400 words)
While this essay is required for students who are applying test-optional, we recommend that you complete it even if you do submit standardized test scores.
This is a classic “Why This College?” prompt, asking you to explain why you’re interested in attending George Mason over other colleges. Remember, however, that it’s not just about the college and the qualities that appeal to you about it—it’s also about you: your personal and professional goals, what you hope to get out of your education, and how George Mason will support you in achieving these goals.
The “Why This College” essay may seem relatively straightforward on the surface, but it requires a certain amount of nuance. It also demands research on your part, in order for you to go beyond surface-level details like George Mason’s proximity to Washington, DC, and the opportunities the location provides. It must also go beyond details you can find from a cursory look at the website.
Instead, use specific details, taking a factual approach (which doesn’t mean it should be devoid of feeling) when describing your goals and how George Mason will enhance your journey.
For example, perhaps you plan to pursue conservation as a profession. Because George Mason is home to the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, the only program of its kind in the country, this is an opportunity to describe why this program appeals to you and how your background complements it.
You might offer anecdotes about your experience working with wildlife—perhaps you volunteered at a zoo in high school or led a fundraiser to support preserving endangered species. Then, draw a connection between your experiences and George Mason’s program, explaining why this is an ideal place to nurture your goals, since you’ll have the opportunity to receive hands-on training from leading Smithsonian scientists toward the goal of supporting a biodiverse planet.
Dig deep by finding specific names of prospective mentors and research or work they’ve done that you admire. Remember to keep connecting your experiences to what George Mason can offer you. This essay is about more than why George Mason is the right school for you; it’s also about why you are the right student for George Mason.
Honors Prompt, Option 1
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. As a Tier-1 research institution, every day, our faculty, staff, and students work to address unanswered questions, unresolved challenges, and problems that impact a wide variety of populations. In the Honors College, you’ll have opportunities to do this sort of work — and maybe even answer questions and solve problems that matter to you. Tell us about one question, challenge, or problem that you’d like to work to better understand or address during your time at Mason. Introduce this issue, and then explain why it matters to you and why it might matter to others. Feel free to be creative- research and inquiry can exist in unlikely places. (100-500 words)
Colleges seek students who will be a credit to their institutions. In other words, they want their graduates to make them look good. This prompt is a version of the archetypal “Impact on Community” essay, which asks you to describe how you plan to make a difference to a variety of communities and/or the efforts you’re currently undertaking.
Inquiry is at the heart of the Honors College at George Mason. The school seeks out students who are curious and want to solve problems. This prompt requires real thought and asks that you grapple with the issues that are most important to you. Avoid cliches here like solving world hunger and achieving peace in the Middle East. Instead, be specific in pinpointing an issue that means something personal to you.
For example, perhaps you’re passionate about children and young adults who attend school while struggling with homelessness. Discuss why this issue is important to you—maybe you volunteered with underserved communities or even have acquaintances struggling with this problem—and why you want to study it further.
Bear in mind that you don’t have to solve the problem in or with your essay. The admissions officers don’t expect you to have the answers at 18. They want to gain insight into your thought process and how you grapple with particularly challenging scenarios. They also want to see evidence of your curiosity and desire to work through complex issues.
Discuss some approaches you would take to further investigate the problem, such as the resources you would use, the research you would pursue, and so on.
Again, this prompt is not about answers—it’s about inquiry and curiosity, and above all, simply engaging with complex scenarios and the world around you.
Honors Prompt, Option 2
The art we see, the stories we read, and the words we hear have the power to move us and to change us. Tell us about a time that you’ve been moved to act by something you read, a speech you heard, or a work of art that you experienced. What was it, and how did it impact you? What did you do — or what will you do — in response? (100-500 words)
This essay gets at the heart of what motivates and inspire you. It’s purposefully open-ended to give you the freedom to pick any source of inspiration (from any medium) and any actions you’ve taken as a result. Here are a couple of routes you could take this essay:
- You could write about how a book inspired you to volunteer for a cause you learned about
- You could choose a speech a role model of yours gave that inspired you to become a better public speaker
- You could describe a statue you saw in Italy that sparked your interest in studying Classics
- You could pick a movie that touched you profoundly and changed the way you approach your familial relationships
- You could talk about a play you watched that made you realize you want to be a lighting director one day
As you can see, the definition of “work of art” can be incredibly broad which lets you get more creative.
One danger with this prompt is choosing something that’s cliche. George Mason will almost certainly receive numerous “I Had a Dream” or Becoming by Michelle Obama-inspired responses, and while it’s completely possible those did have a tangible impact on you, don’t simply choose it because you think it’s something the admissions officers will recognize.
Think outside the box. For instance, maybe you saw an episode of Law & Order: SVU about child trafficking, and it inspired you to research and get involved with efforts to combat it. You can write about how you were just flipping channels one day and were inexplicably changed by the episode and the realization the dramatized portrayal of the situation was a reality for so many.
Spend less time describing the piece and more time explaining the impact it has on you. A lengthy description of the item will take up too much space, and 500 words disappear quicker than you think. Plus, the goal of the essay is not to give a summary of something that inspires you but to demonstrate how and why you’re inspired by it and how it compels you to act.
Your essay will most likely take a narrative form and should include plenty of anecdotes to engage the reader and bring authenticity to the story. You should show how you feel, why you feel that way, and what your reaction is, without, of course, telling your reader those things bluntly.
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