How to Write the North Carolina State University Essays 2024-2025
North Carolina State University has one required prompt and one optional prompt for all applicants. The required prompt asks why you selected the academic prompt that you chose on the application and why you wish to study it at NC State. The optional prompt asks you to discuss any other obstacles or hardships and how you dealt with them. There is also a required prompt for applicants to the University Honors Program that asks about your intellectual curiosity.
NC State receives thousands of applications from academically strong students, so your essays are your best chance to stand out. In this post, we’ll discuss how to craft an engaging response to each of these prompts.
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North Carolina State University Supplemental Essay Prompts
All Applicants
Prompt 1 (required): Explain why you selected the first choice academic program above and why you are interested in studying this at NC State. (250 words)
Prompt 2 (optional): Discuss any other obstacles and/or hardships that you have encountered that have affected you personally or academically and how you dealt with them. (250 words)
Honors Program Applicants
Prompt: Tell us about an event, realization, or project where your curiosity inspired you to take action. What initially sparked your interest, how did you pursue further understanding, and what specific actions did you take as a result? (250-600 words)
All Applicants, Prompt 1 (required)
Explain why you selected the first choice academic program above and why you are interested in studying this at NC State. (250 words)
This is the classic “Why This Major?” prompt. Reading this prompt, it would be easy to fall into the trap of simply listing your extracurriculars that relate to your intended major. For example, if you want to major in engineering, you might list that you participated in Science Olympiad and other STEM activities. However, avoid the urge to do this.
While you should certainly mention if there is a particular extracurricular that drove you to love this field, do not simply list the things that you have done relating to this major or program. Instead, you want to support your decision with specific content that the NC State admissions officers have not yet seen on your application.
For example, you could tell a story about a moment during the Science Olympiad when you encountered a project with applications beyond the club. Perhaps you discovered a robotic device to assist others and from that moment, you realized that this was a field where you could make a tangible impact.
It might be helpful to consider these questions to guide your writing:
When did you decide to pursue this major/program? Why?
Think back to the things that first got you interested in the program you intend to pursue. For example, if math has been a passion of yours for a long time, then you could make a joke about how doing a math problem is your earliest memory. Or perhaps you always considered yourself a math person until you challenged yourself in a humanities class and discovered your passion for the subject.
What are the broader applications of this program?
Another factor that admissions officers will be looking for is your ability to exhibit the ways in which a degree from their school in this major would help you achieve your goals and make the world a better place. Try citing your career goals and discussing how your major will help you achieve them. The admissions officers want to see your passion—they do not want to accept someone who is pre-med just because it is financially lucrative or because their parents want them to be a doctor.
How does your major connect with some of your other interests?
Admissions officers appreciate students who realize that their major can connect to other subjects and activities. Briefly referencing your other interests will portray you as a multidisciplinary person, making you appear more interesting. Such a response could look like this:
“Philosophy, much like the jazz music I play on my piano, is all up to interpretation and how you see things. You can give any jazz pianist the same chords to improvise over, but you’ll never get the same song. Similarly, after posing a question to a group of philosophers, you will get myriad and innovative responses.”
Why this major/program at NC State and not another school?
The most important thing for this part of your response is doing research! If you choose to incorporate NC State into your essay, you should avoid hackneyed statements like: “NC State will help me pursue my dreams of becoming a civil engineer because they have a really good engineering program.” NC State puts a heavy focus on research and will appreciate someone who is ready to positively contribute to their community, but this person has to also be genuinely interested in the subject.
You could look at the research that professors in your major are conducting that you might be interested in. Also consider researching clubs on campus and learning about the kinds of projects they’re working on and events they’re holding. By citing specific resources you plan to take advantage of, you will help admissions officers picture you as part of the NC State community.
All that being said, it’s also okay to be undecided. One of the wonderful things about college is that it is a time to explore your interests and try new things! If you are unsure about your potential major, then provide examples of things that you want to try out at NC State.
You could discuss how you may want to be an engineer, but how you’ve recently worked with little kids as a camp counselor and would like to explore teaching. For this strategy, the same rules as above apply—do not simply list! Instead, be specific and tell a story about your background, or about how you would fit in at NC State as you try new things and gain value from a multidisciplinary education! Here are some more tips on how to write the “Why This Major” essay if you’re undecided.
Now that you have an understanding of what elements to include in your essay, let’s look at an example of a weak essay, and then discuss how it can be improved:
“I have a passion for learning about different cultures. I have studied French for six years and participated in an exchange trip after my freshman year for two weeks, allowing me to live with a family in Oyonnax, France. This experience, along with continued political discussions in the midst of the French and American elections, sparked my interest in global affairs. I love communications, diplomacy, and politics. I want to go into international public service with a focus on human rights so I can be a voice for those who lack one.”
One of the main reasons this essay is not very strong is due to its “listiness” quality. Many of the items included in this essay are ones that the admissions office will already have read from the activities list on the Common Application. Including them here is a waste of space that could better be used to share new information.
How could it be improved? Telling a story and showing why you want to study this major is a good place to start. Focus on what was mentioned in the last sentence: “be[ing] a voice for those who lack one.” Have you had experience with this? Why is this important? Why have you enjoyed it in the past? The focus could also be placed on the part about the French and American elections—What was interesting about these discussions? How were those elections similar and different? Give specific details to strengthen your response. Here is a much stronger example:
“‘Macron a gagné,’ my host mom said with a relieved sigh. It was 2017, and I was studying abroad as a homestay student in Oyonnax, France. The murmur of BFM TV became muted as I tuned into my own thoughts—I had just lived through my first French election!
Since that day, I have been interested in the differences between French and American elections, and most of all, democratic power transitions. Elections to me are a universal human right—the peaceful transition of the torch of Lady Liberty, the keys to the kingdom, is a historical marvel.
I want to keep democracy alive; by combining what I learned about political accountability in Oyonnax and in Durham as a poll worker, I aspire to start an election-monitoring NGO that works in my mother’s home country of Mali. Majoring in Political Science at NC State, with its unique Honors Program and faculty advisors who conduct comparative elections research, is the best stepping stone I could take to make my goal a reality…”
All Applicants, Prompt 2 (optional)
Discuss any other obstacles and/or hardships that you have encountered that have affected you personally or academically and how you dealt with them. (250 words)
This prompt is an example of the common “Overcoming Challenges” prompt. A successful response will use strong, specific evidence to convince the reader of your ability to manage adversity. College can be full of challenges, and admissions officers need to see that you’re able to handle those challenges.
Although it’s optional, we highly recommend responding to this prompt in order to provide admissions officers with as much information about yourself as possible. You don’t want to make something up, of course, but nobody goes through high school totally unscathed, and how you respond to adversity can tell admissions officers a great deal about who you are, and give them confidence that you’ll be able to hurdle the obstacles you inevitably encounter in college.
As you brainstorm for this essay, reflect on your life and experiences. Think about moments when you faced hardship and consider what you did to overcome that hardship. Keep in mind that this does not need to be a traumatic event—admissions officers are not evaluating students based on the severity of their problems. They are most interested in knowing how you overcame the challenges in your life, regardless of how big or small the actual challenge was.
That being said, you shouldn’t pick a challenge that is too trivial or unimportant. This can negatively impact the profile presented by your overall application. When you’re choosing the challenge that you will write about, you should pick one that demonstrates one or more personal qualities that you want to highlight. Some of these qualities may include:
- Curiosity
- Creativity
- Cooperation
- Willingness to take risks
- Leadership
- Initiative
To highlight some of these qualities, you might choose a topic like this:
Once, during your sophomore year, you had a big biology research paper due in a few days and no idea what to write about. You decided to take a walk to help ease your anxiety over the looming deadline, and that’s when you noticed a metallic green beetle clinging to a nearby tree. You could have passed by it without a second thought, but instead you did some research—it was an emerald ash borer, an invasive species in your area.
Your fascination with the beetle and its impact on the environment went on to become the focus of your research paper. Additionally, you were inspired to volunteer to help educate your community about the emerald ash borer, and this work has encouraged you to pursue a minor in Applied Ecology at NC State’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
The above topic highlights curiosity, cooperation, and initiative. Your curiosity led you to research the strange insect you saw on your walk. By describing your volunteer experience, you illustrated your ability to cooperate with others and work towards a common goal. Finally, your initiative to make a positive impact on your environment guided your desire to learn more about ecology.
As a bonus, your topic is specific enough to be memorable, and you have expressed the exact reasoning behind your interest in NC State. Most importantly, your topic answers the prompt; it allows you to explain that by combining your values of curiosity, cooperation, and initiative, you were able to not only overcome your obstacle, but turn it into a positive experience.
Some topics for this prompt, despite being valid challenges, are not the best choice for your essay because they are too overdone. When writing, try to avoid challenges like:
- Sports injuries
- Immigration stories
- Tragedies like death, divorce, or abuse
- Challenging academic classes
- Volunteer trips
- Moving
- Romantic relationships or breakups
- Family pressure
Unless you have a way to make these types of challenges unique and worth employing a cliché, try to come up with something more original.
Here’s how you might structure your essay:
Section 1: Describe the challenge
- Give a fairly brief overview of the challenge here.
- If you can, try to move away from the more traditional essay structures. Maybe discuss a challenge you’re currently overcoming, one that spans multiple activities or events, or one that you can write about in a narrative style.
Section 2: What did you do to overcome the challenge?
- Focus on your internal struggle in this section. Let the reader know about the feelings you had as you faced your challenge. Were you frustrated? Anxious? Despondent? Continue to describe how your feelings changed as you overcame the challenge. Perhaps finding the solution made you feel motivated? Triumphant? Empowered?
- For example, you might write: “When I started my own store, I was nervous. Would anyone like my designs? Would I be able to pay my bills? I wasn’t sure. However, as more and more people began ordering, I became increasingly confident in my work.”
Section 3: Reflect on your growth as a result of the challenge
- Conclude your essay by ensuring that the reader has a clear understanding of what you learned from this experience.
- Rather than explicitly stating “this experience taught me X,” show the reader what you learned by reflecting on your feelings and on the outcomes of the experience.
Remember, the goal here is to show admissions officers why your experiences make you a great candidate for admission through your resilience and problem-solving skills.
Here is an example of a good “Overcoming Challenges” Essay:
“I knew I had to quit my job.
I struggled to balance working long hours against doing my best in school. Work stress was keeping me from completing my assignments, and at school I was a blanked-out zombie. I was scared to quit because I had to pay my bills, but I also recognized the importance of maintaining my grades. I knew I needed to find a better solution.
I started by taking inventory of my interests and skills. I had always considered myself to be an artsy person, and I had seen others build successful small businesses selling their crafts online. One day, while researching, I glanced at my water bottle and suddenly I had my solution: I would start my own line of stickers, just like the ones that adorned my bottle.
I spent weeks working out the designs before I launched my creations. At first, I was nervous. Would anyone like my designs? Would I be able to pay my bills? I wasn’t sure. However, as more and more people began ordering, I became increasingly confident in my work. Within three months, I was making what I needed, without sacrificing my mental health and academic progress.
At that moment, I knew I could do whatever I set my mind to. Because of this hardship, I realized that a challenge in life can also be an opportunity to grow. I have since decided to study design in college so I can continue creating art as a career.”
This example is specific and personal, as it clearly outlines the challenge and the steps taken to overcome it. It shows personal growth and reflects on the importance of community support and perseverance. Crucially, the emphasis is on handling the obstacle, and how it impacted the student’s development, as opposed to the circumstances or context, which means there’s ample room for genuine reflection, rather than just bullet point facts.
Honors Program Applicants
Tell us about an event, realization, or project where your curiosity inspired you to take action. What initially sparked your interest, how did you pursue further understanding, and what specific actions did you take as a result? (250-600 words)
This prompt asks you to reflect on a moment of curiosity that led you to take meaningful action. The key is to show how your intellectual inquisitiveness drives you to learn and engage with the world beyond the classroom.
To begin, you’ll want to identify a topic or question that you are genuinely interested in and have taken concrete steps toward further understanding. That could be by conducting research, initiating a project, beginning a new related hobby, or seeking out mentors, but your pursuit of this topic should be obvious.
If there were any particular challenges you faced as you dove deeper into this subject, be sure to mention them and elaborate on how you overcame them. That resilience helps underscore your passion.
You should also take a forward-looking perspective, by explaining how this curiosity-driven experience influenced your academic or professional goals. How has it shaped your dreams, values, or future aspirations? Why is it relevant to understanding your aptitude for an Honors College experience? Showing how your curiosity continues to drive you is crucial.
In terms of what to avoid, here are some common mistakes:
- Focusing too much on the spark: While the initial moment of curiosity is important, don’t spend too much time on it. The essay should focus more on what you did as a result of this curiosity.
- Listing instead of storytelling: Simply listing the actions you took is not enough. Instead, tell a story that includes reflection on your actions and shows your intellectual growth – in short, show, don’t tell.
- Generic interests: Don’t focus on a topic that feels generic or superficial. Select something that genuinely excites you and has had a meaningful impact on your life and intellectual interests, and that’s unique to you–you don’t want to pick something that thousands of other students will also be writing about.
- Overemphasizing challenges: While it’s okay to mention the obstacles you faced, don’t let them overshadow your curiosity and the actions you took. The focus should be on your pursuit of knowledge.
Let’s examine an excerpt of a potential response, from a student who enjoys studying astronomy and might have begun stargazing as a hobby, then used digital resources to learn more.
“I’ve always been curious about astronomy. I remember looking at the stars as a kid and wondering what was out there. So, I decided to learn more by taking a few online courses and reading books. I learned a lot and even bought a telescope. This experience showed me how much I love space and why I want to study astronomy in college.”
The writer’s interest in astronomy is evident, but the response lacks depth. It mentions the actions taken, but only vaguely, and lacks specific details or a growth arc. Here’s a revised example:
“Staring up at the stars on a clear night, I felt a profound sense of wonder about the universe. This curiosity grew when I read about the discovery of exoplanets in a science magazine in elementary school.
I wanted to understand how scientists find these distant worlds, so I continued reading about the study of space and eventually enrolled in an online astrophysics course and began researching exoplanet detection methods. To deepen my understanding, I bought and assembled a small telescope and started observing the night sky more regularly.
I took notes about what I saw and even designed a school project where I used data from NASA’s Kepler mission to identify potential exoplanet candidates. This journey from gazing at stars to conducting my own research has fueled my desire to study astrophysics in college, where I hope to contribute to the search for life beyond Earth.”
Here, the writer provides a clear, detailed narrative of how their curiosity led to tangible actions and results. It shows initiative and leadership, and connects to the student’s future goals, giving us a concrete sense of how this experience will help them thrive at NC State’s Honors College. Finally, their strong word choice and meaningful reflections make the essay more engaging and emotionally impactful.
Overall, initiative is the key to this prompt. NC State wants ambitious leaders on its campus, especially in the Honors College, so really emphasize how you proactively took steps to learn more about an intellectual interest.
Where to Get Your North Carolina State Essays Edited For Free
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