Colgate supplemental essays

Colgate lists three supplemental prompts, and all three are officially optional. Two are 250-word essays (one on diversity, one on what inspires you and why you'd pursue it at Colgate) and one is a set of 13 fill-in-the-blank statements. Because Colgate is test-optional and highly selective, strong applicants answer all three rather than skipping them.

The diversity essay and the intellectual and social pursuits essay are each capped at 250 words or less. The third prompt is 13 fill-in-the-blank statements, and each response can be no more than 13 words.

Not as a standalone prompt. The pursuits essay asks why you want to pursue your inspiration at Colgate, which functions as a fit essay, and the final short-answer line, "I am drawn to Colgate University because," is your shortest Why Colgate. Both should name concrete, Colgate-specific reasons.

Technically yes. They are not required and do not appear inside the Common App itself; they show up on Colgate's applicant portal. In practice, with about 17,000 applications for roughly 800 seats and a test-optional policy, leaving them blank works against you. Treat them as required.

Yes. Submitting SAT or ACT scores is optional, and Colgate states that applicants who do not submit scores are at no disadvantage. Applications are reviewed holistically, which makes the essays and short answers more important.

Early Decision I is November 1. Early Decision II and Regular Decision both fall on January 15. Colgate accepts the Common Application, the Coalition Application on Scoir, and the QuestBridge Application.