William & Mary supplemental essays

None are strictly required, but they are strongly encouraged. W&M offers six optional prompts and asks you to answer one or two, each with a 300-word maximum. Because the essays are optional, writing one or two signals genuine interest, so most serious applicants answer two.

The six options are: communities important to you and how you would join theirs; a personal academic interest or career goal; how your family, culture, and/or background shaped your lived experience; what led to your interest in W&M; a challenge or adversity and its impact on you; and what you would show us if we visited your town. You pick one or two.

Each response has a 300-word maximum. That is short, so pick narrow, specific topics and make every sentence carry weight rather than trying to cover a lot of ground.

Yes. W&M is test-optional for first-year applicants. You may submit SAT or ACT scores if you think they help, but it is a fully optional part of your application, and a large share of a recent class applied without scores.

Early Decision I is due November 1, Early Decision II and Regular Decision are both due January 5. ED I decisions arrive in early December and Regular Decision notifications come by April 1. ED is binding.

Yes. The 650-word Common App personal statement is required and is separate from these supplements. Avoid repeating its topic in your W&M answers; use the supplements to show new sides of yourself.