CollegeVine College Essay Team November 16, 2024 19 Essay Guides 2024-25

How to Write the Washington and Lee University Essays 2024-2025

Washington and Lee University was established in 1749 in Lexington, Virginia. The institution is split into two undergraduate divisions: the College and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics. Staying true to the fathers who founded the institution, Washington and Lee University has produced a myriad of prominent politicians including three Supreme Court justices, 27 Senators, 67 U.S. representatives, and 31 State Governors.  

All students applying to Washington and Lee have the option to write two supplemental essays, which we strongly encourage you to do–you never know what could be the thing that sets you apart in the college process, so you always want to take advantage of any opportunity to share a new side of yourself with admissions officers, even optional ones! Applicants to the Johnson Scholarship will have one other, required essay to write.

Read this Washington and Lee essay example by an accepted student to inspire your own writing!

Washington and Lee Supplemental Essay Prompts

This is a standard “Why This College” prompt, where you have the opportunity to expand on the reasons that you are applying to Washington and Lee. 

The key to this type of essay is to avoid generic statements like “the campus is beautiful,” or “the students have a tight-knit community,” that apply to hundreds of schools across the country. Your answer should not be able to be copied, pasted, and used for any other school. Here is an example of a generic response and a specific response that a student might write when emphasizing Washington and Lee’s commitment to history:

Generic:

Specific:

You may be wondering how you can build such a specific response:

Step One

Take a minute and think about why you are applying to Washington and Lee. What is appealing about the school? Will their programs help you achieve your goals? Do you think you will feel at home in the community? Do the school’s programs align with your interests? Just think!

Step Two

It’s research time! Your reasons for attending Washington and Lee should be genuine, but you probably are not completely aware of all of the resources the school has to offer. That’s perfectly normal—just look on the school’s website to find programs, courses, professors, community events, traditions, campus organizations, and more that are appealing to you.

Step Three

Get writing. The key is to connect the specific and unique features of Washington and Lee to your specific and unique interests, goals, and values. Here are some examples of how this could play out:

• A student who grew up in poverty, but has worked hard to overcome the system writing about their interest in the Shepherd Program. Washington and Lee is clearly committed to helping others, which has always been this student’s top priority.

• A student who was obsessed with insects as a child writing about the importance of passion when learning. They are interested in the Spring Term Immersion program because faculty are encouraged to teach their “dream class”—whatever they are obsessed with! Though it probably won’t be bugs, this student is ready to learn about their professor’s passion for rocks, primates, botany, or whatever else.

• A student who will be studying Political Science writing about the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics. They have always been the friend who brings up the train dilemma at parties but have never found a place where these conversations are accepted. To further their career goals, they need an open space for casual theoretical conversation and the Mudd Center will be just that.

As you research, keep your goals, interests, and values in mind and ideas will start popping out at you. Then, write your essay in a clear and engaging way that focuses both on Washington and Lee as a university and you as an individual applicant.

Here, Washington and Lee gives you four options, each of which lends itself to showcasing a different aspect of your personality and experiences. There are two things you want to think about as you decide: which one you feel drawn to naturally, and what you’ve written about elsewhere in your application.

Listen to your gut feeling, as having a natural affinity to a prompt suggests you’ll have an easier time brainstorming for it, but make sure that your first idea isn’t redundant with something you’ve already discussed. For example, if you read Option A and immediately want to write about the band you’re in with your friends, but that’s already the topic of your Common App essay, you’ll likely want to pick a different prompt. 

College applications don’t give you many chances to share yourself with admissions officers, so make sure that with each one, you present a dimension of yourself that they can’t already see elsewhere.

This essay is sort of a combination of the Extracurricular or Impact on Community/Community Service archetypes. Your task is to describe something you do outside of school that has had a significant impact on your development, with the added layer of making sure this activity has also impacted those around you.

To fully answer this prompt, you’ll want to address the following three questions:

• What is the extracurricular, job, or family responsibility you dedicate the most time to, or that has had the most significant impact on your growth?
• How exactly has this experience influenced your character, work ethic, or values?
• In what ways have you impacted the people around you (your family, friends, neighbors, peers, community, etc.) through this involvement?

If you’re having a hard time brainstorming a topic, here are some additional questions you can ponder:

• How did you get involved in your primary activities? What motivated you to continue them?
• What challenges have you faced in your extracurriculars, and how have you overcome them?
• Which experiences outside of school have shaped your personality, skills, or values, and how?
• Can you recall a specific moment or achievement within that had a significant impact on you, or others?
• How have you interacted with and influenced your community or environment through your various involvements?

As you evaluate your options, remember that a compelling essay will be authentic, specific, and comprehensive. First and foremost, you’ll want to establish your personal connection to your topic. Your essay should demonstrate genuine passion for and commitment to this activity–having heart is much more important than just choosing the thing you think will impress admissions officers most.

To show that this activity is truly meaningful to you, you’ll want to cite examples of particularly impactful moments or experiences. Just saying “I’ve grown so much through my involvement” isn’t that informative for admissions officers. Instead, paint them a picture of how you’ve grown, and why that growth matters for understanding what kind of college student you’ll be.

For example, a student who has been the primary caregiver for a younger brother could discuss how this responsibility has taught them patience, time management, and mentorship. A specific example could be learning to get some of their homework done at lunch, so that they could play catch with him in the afternoons, or prioritizing attending his games over social events with friends.

To get a clearer sense of what you want your actual essay to look like, here are some example excerpts to evaluate. First:

This excerpt checks the boxes of personal growth and community engagement requested by the prompt, but doesn’t go any further. We are just told that these activities are meaningful to the student, and don’t get any specific details about how they grew. The essay is also too broad–trying to explore two distinct activities in 250 words will make your response feel rushed and/or cramped.

Let’s look at a revised version that zeroes in on the student’s work at the bakery:

This revised version feels like a true story, with vivid details and a clear narrative arc. The writer also incorporates more thoughtful reflections that give us a much more concrete sense of how they grew through this involvement. These are the two prongs of a strong response: the impact you made through your activity, and the impact it made on you.

This is a Diversity prompt, which focuses on how your unique identity, background, or perspective will contribute to the community at Washington and Lee. This kind of prompt is an opportunity to reflect on what part of your identity makes you different, and what that aspect would add to campus.

First, remember that diversity can mean much more than just race and ethnicity. You can definitely write a strong essay about one of those topics, but you can also focus on your hometown, family traditions, religion, socioeconomic status, interests, or hobbies. There are many different dimensions along which you can stand out–the only rule is that you choose one which is truly meaningful to your worldview and personality.

We do need to make one quick disclaimer, however. In 2023, the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action, so colleges are now forbidden from directly factoring a student’s race or ethnicity into their admissions decisions. Admissions officers can still evaluate race as part of your broader story, though, namely through the essay. So, if your racial or ethnic identity is important to who you are, you may want to highlight that here, as elsewhere admissions officers will be unable to consider it.

Regardless of which topic(s) you’re considering, the following questions will likely help you with your brainstorming:

• What unique experiences or challenges have shaped your perspective?
• How does your background influence your interactions with others, your perspective, or your goals?
• How will your unique identity contribute to a diverse and inclusive community at W&L?
• How do you engage with diversity in your current environment (school, community, etc.)?

A strong response will be both authentic and reflective. Go beyond simply stating the community or background you identify with–the “what” matters much less than the “why” and the “how,” of its impact on you as a person, your development, values, and so on.

With just 250 words, you’ll also want to make sure you’re focusing on a single aspect of your background or experience. We’re all multifaceted, of course, but trying to cover too much ground will cause your essay to feel scattered, as you won’t have enough room to expand on your ideas properly.

Finally, one way that you can take your essay to the next level is by describing in concrete terms how this aspect of your identity would enrich the Washington and Lee campus community. Ultimately, admissions officers are trying to imagine who you’ll become in the next four years, not just who you are now, and painting them a clear picture of something you hope to do at their institution is a great way to help them with that task.

To get a sense of how you should put all these different pieces together, let’s look at the example below, which might be someone’s first draft, and then analyze areas for improvement.

This example introduces a meaningful aspect of the student’s background, and explains how it will allow them to engage with the W&L community. However, the student only mentions growing up in a bilingual household. They don’t provide any specific anecdotes to show what this experience was like, nor deeper reflection on how it shaped their perspectives and values–“including everyone” is a cliché that lacks any personal touch.

Now let’s look at revised version, which has been made clearer and more detailed:

This much stronger version gives us in-depth reflection on how being raised by a Deaf mother shaped this student’s broader worldview, outside of just when interacting with her specifically. As a result, we can see more clearly what the student is hoping to accomplish in college and beyond, and how their goals were influenced by this aspect of their upbringing.

Unlike the Academic Interest essay archetype, this prompt is more about what captivates you outside of the classroom. Washington and Lee wants to accept students who love learning for learning’s sake, not those who just see a particular major as a stepping stone to their future career. So, don’t be afraid to think outside the box here, and dive into something you find fascinating that would never show up on a transcript.

To kick off your brainstorming, ask yourself if there’s something you spend considerable time thinking about or exploring, not because anyone asks you to, but simply because you’re curious about it. Perhaps you seek out articles, podcasts, movies, and books about this topic, and often bring it up when talking to family or friends.

For example, maybe you love American football, and have strong opinions about the right way to develop a quarterback. Or maybe your family has two macaws, and growing up with them has made you fascinated by the ways animal intelligence differs from, or can even be superior to, human intelligence.

Once you have some ideas swirling in your brain, the following questions can guide your drafting:

• How did this interest begin, and how has it evolved over time?
• How do you engage with this topic? Do you consume certain media, engage with it through online or in-person forums, or participate in related activities?
• What have you learned from this interest, and how has it influenced your way of thinking or your future goals?
• How does this interest reflect your personality, values, or aspirations?

The strongest responses will convey a genuine enthusiasm for the subject, not just a bland overview of something that you think will impress admissions officers. Your topic should also be narrow, so that readers get a sense of your distinct way of thinking. “The environment” is much too broad–“manatee protection initiatives in my home state of Florida” is more what you should be shooting for.

Additionally, you want to describe not just what you’re interested in, but also why, by citing examples of meaningful past experiences you’ve had related to it. And finally, you should answer how this interest has shaped your thinking or global perspective, so that admissions officers can see how it inspires you to grow personally or intellectually.

All that is to say, it’s not enough to just describe what you’re curious about—you need to reflect on its impact on you. Let’s examine some responses below: 

This example isn’t particularly compelling, as the description of the student’s journey is vague and bullet-pointy, without much depth. We’re missing details about why they like manatees so much in the first place, as well as which specific skills they harnessed to advocate for these animals, and what they learned from their efforts. The writing as a whole feels quite surface-level, so although the topic itself is intriguing, the essay is unlikely to be particularly impactful or memorable for admissions officers.

Let’s look at a revised version:

This example is much stronger. At each key point in the story, the student reflects on what they were thinking and feeling, and across the whole essay they present us with a clear arc of growth. We come away knowing not only that they’re passionate about protecting manatees, but also what that passion says about who they are more generally, and what kind of college student they’ll be.

This unique prompt focuses on Washington and Lee’s Speaking Tradition, which simply encourages members of their community to greet each other around campus. The tradition is designed to build interpersonal connections, to draw the overall community closer together. 

In this prompt, W&L connects the Speaking Tradition to your candidacy for the school by asking about the significance of a name you go by. That could be your first, middle, or last name, a nickname, or even a title that’s meaningful to you, like “tutor.” Your choice should allow you to reflect on your identity, culture, and personal history, so that admissions officers can see how this name has shaped who you are.

After you choose the name you’re writing about, think about its origin. Is there a story behind why you have this name, a cultural tradition it reflects, or a connection to your family history? Next, consider how this name has influenced your identity, your relationships, or the way others perceive you. Are there specific memories or experiences tied to this name that are meaningful to you? 

Finally, how do you feel about your name? Has your perception of it changed over time? The Speaking Tradition is based on the idea that greeting each other has power, so you want to show that you also have an appreciation for that power.

When you sit down to start drafting, you’ll want to use vivid storytelling to bring the significance of your name to life. Share specific anecdotes or memories that illustrate the importance of your name. Be honest about your feelings towards your name, whether they are positive, negative, complex, or have evolved over time. Prompts like this, which don’t align with any of the common tropes in college essays, are an opportunity to show off your most creative self, so don’t be shy!

What you don’t want to do is just explain the literal meaning of your name. Avoid focusing too much on the etymology or dictionary definition of your name. Instead, explore what the name means to you personally. The literal definition could be significant to you, of course, but you should cite examples from your personal life to explain why, not rely on information that anyone could find on google.

Finally, make sure to connect the story of your name to your broader identity and how you interact with the world. This essay should be about more than just the name itself, so reflect on how your name has shaped your sense of self or how you relate to others, and discuss any challenges or growth associated with your name. Admissions officers should come away from your essay understanding what your relationship to your name says about your potential as a college student.

Check out the examples below for some more concrete insight:

This is a weaker example, which is stuck at the surface level, without much depth or specificity. The student says they’re proud of their name, but in a general way, without personal anecdotes showing that pride or reflections on what having pride in their name has taught them.

Additionally, the essay doesn’t reveal anything unique about the student’s broader identity, and instead relies on broad statements about legacy and hard work that could apply to almost anyone. The connection to how these qualities would play out at W&L is also vague and doesn’t offer any specific insights into what the student has learned that would allow them to contribute to the campus community.

Overall, the essay fails to engage the reader with meaningful storytelling, and also lacks the personal connection that admissions officers need to bridge your past experiences to your future at W&L.

This essay works well because the student explains where this nickname comes from, provides examples of times where this name had a big impact on them, and illustrates what they’ve learned from having this name and how they see themself applying those lessons at W&L. The essay is simultaneously personal, reflective, and forward-looking.

This is a strong example which explains the deep connection the student feels between their name and their personal history. The student follows our advice above and doesn’t rely on just the definition of their name, but also describes how that definition has guided them on their personal journey. On a structural level, the essay also feels like a story, which is exactly what you want in your own response.

One last note on this particular example: although the student talks about their great-grandmother, the focus stays on them. If you’re going to tell admissions officers about your namesake, remember that ultimately, you’re the one they’re deciding whether or not to accept, so you should emphasize what you learned from this person, not the person themself.

Where to Get Your Washington and Lee Essays Edited For Free

Do you want feedback on your Washington and Lee 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. 

Need feedback faster? Get a free, nearly-instantaneous essay review from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!