2026–27 application cycle
Bowdoin College supplemental essays
Every writing prompt on the Bowdoin College application, with word limits. All of it taken from the application itself. 2 prompts.
- Prompt 1Optional250 words max
A line that speaks
Generations of students have found connection and meaning in Bowdoin's "The Offer of the College," written in 1906 by Bowdoin President William DeWitt Hyde. Which line from The Offer resonates most with you?
- Prompt 2Optional250 words max
Navigating difference
Bowdoin believes that its broadly diverse and inclusive campus community prepares graduates to be contributing and useful citizens of the world. Every graduate of this institution should be confident in their preparation to be able to navigate through differences and in all sorts of situations. A Bowdoin education does not guarantee these skills, but it does impart a set of tools necessary to bravely enter unfamiliar conditions with the confidence to deal effectively with ambiguity. If you wish, you may share anything about the unique experiences and perspectives that you would bring with you to the Bowdoin campus and community or an experience you have had that required you to navigate across or through difference.
How to approach it
Here, specific beats important. A small, true community described from the inside beats a broad label. Write it as someone who was there, not as an observer. End on what you carry into a campus, not on a moral.
Common questions
What do students ask about these essays?
How many essays does Bowdoin College require?
Bowdoin College lists 2 writing supplements for the 2026–27 cycle, and 0 of them are required. That’s on top of the main personal statement.
How long are the Bowdoin College supplemental essays?
Word limits across the listed prompts add up to about 500 words. Budget real time for them. Supplements are where admissions sees your real interest in Bowdoin College.
Do the Bowdoin College supplemental essays matter?
Yes, and more so at the hardest schools to get into. Grades and scores put you in the pool. Supplements are one of the few places you control what the reader learns about you. A generic why-us essay is one of the most common mistakes students make.
What Spike does with this
Get help planning Bowdoin College essays.
Spike helps you tie each prompt to something you’ve actually lived. It helps you outline and revise, and it won’t write the essay for you.
The full counselor launches in November.