Gonzaga keeps it refreshingly short. You write one supplemental essay, capped at 300 words (5 to 10 sentences), and you pick from three options: a Jesuit-values question about standing with others, a question about who you would invite to speak on campus, or a free "topic of your choice." Gonzaga is test-optional, so this little paragraph carries real weight in showing who you are beyond a transcript.
Nursing applicants add one short answer about why they are drawn to nursing. The core challenge here is compression. With only 300 words, you cannot ramble toward a point; you have to open on something specific and land it fast. Vague good intentions get read all day at Gonzaga. A concrete moment where you actually did something does not.
01Action over attitude. The signature prompt asks how you have shown commitment in your actions, not how you feel about justice. Gonzaga, a Jesuit school, wants evidence: a thing you did, repeatedly or at some cost, that put a value into motion. Name the action.
02Solidarity, not charity. Gonzaga's language is 'standing for and with others.' The word 'with' matters. They reward students who worked alongside people, not students who swooped in to help the less fortunate. Show partnership and humility, not a savior pose.
03Genuine curiosity about the world. The Speaker's Series prompt is really a test of what you pay attention to. The person you would invite, and the questions you would ask them, reveal your intellectual appetite more than any list of activities. Curiosity reads as fit.
04Specificity in a small space. With 300 words, Gonzaga rewards writers who can be vivid and exact. One sharp scene beats three abstract claims. The students who stand out treat the limit as a discipline, not a cage.
2 prompts for Gonzaga, each broken down with annotated examples.
Jesuit Values / Standing With Others300 words (5-10 sentences)
A Gonzaga education promotes dedication to human dignity, social justice, diversity, global engagement, solidarity with the vulnerable, and environmental stewardship. Reflecting on these values, how have you shown your commitment to standing for and with others in your actions?
Presidential Speaker's Series300 words (5-10 sentences)
Gonzaga's Presidential Speaker's Series invites leaders from around the world (such as LTC Olga Custodio, America's first Latina military pilot or Cotopaxi founder Davis Smith) to share their work and passions with the GU community. If you were able to invite any living person to come and speak to the GU community, who would it be? Why would you want to invite them?