How to Write the Howard University Essays 2024-2025
Howard University has two essays for all applicants: a diversity essay, and a why major essay. While both are optional, we always recommend that you take advantage of any extra opportunities to share yourself with admissions officers, especially at schools that receive thousands of applications from talented students like Howard.
Read this Howard University essay example written by a real student to inspire your own writing!
Howard University Supplemental Essay Prompts
All Applicants, Optional
Prompt 1: Diversity of all kinds is important to enriching the educational experience at Howard University. Please share with us anything in your background or lived experience that has shaped your perspectives and how that would contribute to the classroom and community at Howard. (500 words)
Prompt 2: Please describe the major you intend to study and how you hope to use your Howard education to support you in achieving your passions and goals. Please address your first-choice and second-choice major selections. (500 words)
Prompt 1 (Optional)
Diversity of all kinds is important to enriching the educational experience at Howard University. Please share with us anything in your background or lived experience that has shaped your perspectives and how that would contribute to the classroom and community at Howard. (500 words)
This diversity prompt asks you to reflect on how your unique background and experiences have shaped your worldview, and how you will contribute to Howard’s already diverse academic and social community. Your goal is to demonstrate both self-awareness regarding your own identity, and an ability to engage with those who hold different perspectives.
Understanding the Prompt
While the word “diversity” usually makes people first think of things like race or sexuality, our identities encompass much more than that. Howard places a high value on diversity in all forms—cultural, racial, socioeconomic, intellectual, and experiential. Of course, you can write an excellent essay about one of the conventional markers of diversity, but you could also write about something like an unusual hobby, so long as that thing is a genuinely important part of who you are.
As you evaluate potential topics, keep in mind that this prompt is asking you to:
- Reflect on the parts of your identity or experiences that have most shaped your worldview.
- Show how your unique perspectives will enrich the learning environment and contribute to the inclusive community at Howard.
- Emphasize how you’ve engaged with diversity in the past, and how those experiences will help you fit into Howard’s diverse, vibrant student body.
Brainstorming Questions
To get started, consider these questions:
- What parts of your background (race, culture, family, socioeconomic status, religion, etc.) have influenced your view of the world?
- Have you faced or witnessed challenges related to diversity, inclusion, or equity? How did those experiences shape your perspectives?
- What communities or groups do you belong to that have had a significant impact on your identity?
- How have you engaged with people who have different life experiences from your own? What did you learn from those interactions?
- What values or lessons from your background do you want to bring with you to Howard?
What Makes a Good Response
A good response will:
- Show a unique aspect of your identity: Be specific about the parts of your background or lived experiences that have most shaped your views.
- Provide thoughtful reflection: Explain how those experiences have influenced your worldview, values, or goals.
- Show how you engage with diversity: Offer examples of how you’ve interacted with people from different backgrounds and what you’ve learned.
- Demonstrate what you’ll contribute to Howard: Explain how your perspective will add to specific classes, clubs, or broader campus initiatives at Howard.
- Highlight your eagerness to learn from others: Show an openness to engaging with new perspectives and contributing to an inclusive community.
Hypothetical Student Examples
- Nia, a Black student who attended a predominantly White school: Nia could share how growing up in a community where she was often one of the few Black students taught her resilience and the importance of representation. She might discuss how she used her position on the student council to advocate for Black History Month programming and why she’s excited to see how she grows while being surrounded by mostly Black students at Howard, especially through clubs focused on understanding your identity, like Black Women For Themselves.
- Max, a first-generation student: Max might talk about growing up in a tight-knit, Spanish-speaking household while attending an English-speaking school. He could describe how navigating both worlds gave him a strong appreciation for cultural exchange. At Howard, he looks forward to engaging in conversations about immigration reform through classes like AFRO 301: Racism, Law & Injustice, and continuing to broaden his own perspectives through study abroad programs like “Politics, Social Justice & Language” in Santiago, Chile.
- Angela, an aspiring doctor: Angela could write about the challenges her parents faced in navigating the healthcare system for her aging grandparents. This experience sparked her interest in patient-centered healthcare policy and inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. At Howard, she hopes to build a robust foundation in medical concepts, through opportunities like the Comprehensive Medical Mentoring Program, so that she can start working towards change even early in her career as a physician.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Being too vague: Don’t generalize about diversity or inclusion. Be specific about your experiences and how they have influenced your thinking–don’t fall into the buzzword trap of just saying what you think admissions officers will want to hear.
- Forgetting to reflect: Don’t just tell the story of your background. Make sure to also reflect on how those experiences have shaped you and how they’ll impact your life at Howard.
- Overusing clichés: Avoid common phrases like “we are all the same” or “diversity is important.” While those are nice sentiments, they’re ones many students are likely to touch on, and the point of the essay is to distinguish yourself from other applicants. If you’re going to incorporate them, make sure you can connect them to meaningful personal experiences.
- Missing the connection to Howard: Howard admissions officers are specifically asking you to build a bridge from your past experiences to your potential future at Howard. To do that, you need to include resources or opportunities that can only be found at Howard. Rather than just saying “I’d like to study abroad to continue expanding my perspective,” which you can do at any school, find a particular program that aligns with your personal interests, like Max did.
Excerpts From Good and Bad Examples
Good Example:
“The smell of jasmine flowers and street food—fried plantains, chapati, and marinated goat—fills the air as I walk down the dusty roads of Nairobi. My skin feels the dry heat of the Kenyan sun, but my mind is focused on the rhythm of the Swahili words spilling out of every shop and market stall. The phrase “habari gani” (how are you?) greets me more times than I can count. But I always feel like a foreigner.
Born in Atlanta to Kenyan parents, I’ve spent much of my life balancing the richness of two worlds—one where I’m seen as “too American” and another where I’m “too African.” In America, I was the girl with the different lunch, my ugali and sukuma wiki earning confused stares from my classmates who had peanut butter sandwiches. In Kenya, my English-tinged Swahili drew skeptical glances from cousins who asked why I couldn’t speak the mother tongue fluently.
This constant duality has shaped me into someone who never sees the world in absolutes. Instead, I see the power of intersectionality, as my dual identity has allowed me to navigate vastly different social and cultural landscapes, which in turn has allowed me to bridge gaps between people from disparate backgrounds.
At Howard, I would work to ensure students who may not immediately feel like they belong, such as international students and first-generation college students, find community. Student organizations like Howard University International Pals would allow me to both mentor others using my existing skills, and continue refining my perspective by learning from older students.
Through my experiences straddling two worlds, I’ve learned to be adaptable, empathetic, and open-minded. By drawing on my unique experiences as a Kenyan-American, I look forward to working to ensure all students feel welcome at Howard.”
Why this works: This essay clearly outlines the student’s background and how it has shaped their perspective on inequality. The student reflects on specific experiences that have influenced their worldview and connects those experiences to what they hope to contribute to and learn from Howard, through a specific opportunity that can only be found at this institution.
Bad Example:
“Diversity has always been important to me because it allows us to learn from one another. I grew up in a diverse community where I was exposed to different cultures and perspectives. This experience taught me the importance of inclusion and accepting everyone for who they are. At Howard, I hope to meet people from all walks of life and share my perspective. I believe that my experiences will allow me to contribute to the community, and I’m excited to be part of such a diverse environment.”
Why this doesn’t work: This response is too vague and doesn’t provide specific examples of the student’s background or how their experiences have shaped their perspective. There is no depth or reflection, only generic statements about diversity that have no connection to their personal experiences.
In Conclusion
Start by reflecting on your background and lived experiences. Then, show how they’ve shaped your current perspective on the world. Finish by explaining how your past has set you up to thrive at Howard. If you do those three things, you’ll be well on your way to showing Howard admissions officers what you’d bring to campus that nobody else would.
Prompt 2 (Optional)
Please describe the major you intend to study and how you hope to use your Howard education to support you in achieving your passions and goals. Please address your first-choice and second-choice major selections. (500 words)
This is a classic “Why This Major” prompt, which asks you to explain your academic interests and how Howard will help you achieve your long-term goals in those fields. Note that, unlike many “Why Major?” essays, you’ll need to discuss both your first-choice and second-choice majors, but fortunately you have 500 words at your disposal, which is plenty to cover two distinct topics.
Understanding the Prompt
This essay asks you to:
- Discuss your first-choice and second-choice majors: Why are you drawn to these fields? What experiences or goals have led you to choose them?
- Connect your goals to a Howard education: How will Howard’s specific programs, resources, and opportunities help you grow in your chosen field and pursue your goals?
- Show that you have a clear vision of how your Howard education will support your personal and professional growth.
Brainstorming Questions
To get started, consider the following:
- What sparked your interest in your first-choice major? An experience, a class, a book you read?
- Ask yourself the same question about your second-choice major, and reflect on whether the field is related to your first choice, or is entirely different.
- What specific opportunities at Howard (courses, professors, research opportunities, extracurriculars) will help you develop in these areas?
- What are your long-term career goals, and how will these majors prepare you to achieve them?
What Makes a Good Response
A strong response to this prompt will:
- Show clear motivation for both majors: Explain why both your first-choice and second-choice majors excite you and how they align with your interests or experiences.
- Be specific and personal: Use examples from your life—such as projects, internships, or personal experiences—that clearly show how you became interested in these fields.
- Demonstrate a connection to Howard’s academic offerings: Reference specific programs, courses, professors, or opportunities that can only be found at Howard that will support your goals.
- Show long-term vision: Clearly explain how your Howard education will help you achieve your career goals or personal aspirations.
Hypothetical Student Examples
- Lila, first-choice: Biology, second-choice: Psychology: Lila became interested in biology after volunteering at a healthcare clinic in an underserved community, where she saw the need for more doctors who understand the challenges of marginalized populations. Her second-choice major, Psychology, stems from her interest in mental health advocacy and understanding the intersection of physical and mental health, especially in underserved populations. She’s drawn to Howard’s focus on health disparities and opportunities for undergraduate research in that area, through programs like the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), as she feels this is exactly the environment that will prepare her to become a doctor herself.
- Isaac, first-choice: Computer Science, second-choice: Mathematics: Isaac’s passion for problem-solving and technology led him to his first-choice major, Computer Science. He’s been coding since middle school, when he began developing small apps to help his parents manage their business. Isaac is excited about Howard’s supportive environment for Black tech innovators, which he feels will help him continue to expand his skills, through opportunities like the Robotics Organization. He’s also interested in Mathematics as a second-choice major because of the overlap in concepts with programming and data science. He plans to use his Howard education to launch a tech startup focused on addressing economic inequality in urban areas through infrastructural initiatives.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Being too vague: Avoid general statements like “I want to study biology because I like science.” Be specific about what aspects of the major excite you, and how Howard will help you pursue those particular interests.
- Not addressing both majors: Be sure to explain why both your first-choice and second-choice majors appeal to you, even if your first-choice is your primary focus. You can spend more space on your first choice, but make sure to leave at least 150-200 for your second choice.
- Forgetting Howard-specific details: Don’t just talk about your goals—connect them to Howard’s resources, courses, or opportunities, and make sure these things are genuinely unique to Howard. Rather than saying something like “I want to research the origins of democracy,” which you could do at any school, find a particular professor at Howard who is working in that area. Show that you’ve done your research and already have a sense for how Howard will help you succeed.
Excerpts From Good and Bad Examples
Good Example:
“I’ve been passionate about understanding global politics ever since I attended a Model United Nations conference in high school. The experience of debating with students from all over the world about pressing issues like climate change and international security sparked my interest in political science, and I quickly realized that I wanted to pursue a career in diplomacy.
At Howard, I’m particularly drawn to the Political Science department’s emphasis on global perspectives, especially the courses on African politics and public policy. The opportunity to learn from professors like Dr. Ravi Perry, who focuses on political leadership and social justice, excites me, because learning from students who come from such different backgrounds has been key to my own intellectual growth, and I want to explore how political systems can be more inclusive and equitable.
I’m also interested in International Business, as understanding global economics will be essential to my future career in international relations. Howard’s international business program, with its focus on cross-cultural management and global trade, will help me develop the skills I need to navigate complex economic and political landscapes, far better than a more general business degree. I’m also eager to deepen my understanding of international diplomacy firsthand, through study abroad opportunities like the International Affairs program in Geneva, one of the most historically significant cities for international diplomacy there is.
With a Howard education, I hope to combine my passion for politics and international business to become a diplomat focused on promoting human rights and social justice on a global scale.”
Why this works: The essay shows clear, specific passion for both majors and connects those interests to Howard’s resources. The student not only explains their long-term goals, but also why Howard is the right place to achieve them.
Bad Example:
“I want to study business because I’ve always been interested in how companies are run and how they can succeed in the modern world. Howard University is known for its strong business programs, and I’m confident that it will help me reach my career goals. In high school, I took several business courses and participated in a business club, which confirmed my interest in the field. I know that Howard will provide me with the tools and knowledge I need to succeed in the business world.
My second-choice major is psychology because I think it would be interesting to learn about how people think and behave. I’m curious about human behavior and how it influences decision-making. Howard’s psychology program will allow me to explore these interests further.
Why this doesn’t work: This essay is too vague and lacks specific details about Howard’s programs or how they connect to the student’s goals. The reasons for choosing both majors are generic, and lack personal insight or reflection.
In Conclusion
By explaining the origins of your academic passions, and then connecting them to specific opportunities at Howard, you’ll craft a compelling essay that demonstrates how a Howard education will help you achieve your goals in your first-choice and second-choice majors.
Where to Get Your Howard Essay Edited For Free
Do you want feedback on your Howard 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.
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