Boston University has released its supplemental essay prompts for the Class of 2031. Applicants in the 2026-2027 cycle must submit one supplemental essay with an upper word limit of 300, and those applying to the Kilachand Honors College must submit an additional 600-word essay by responding to one of two prompts. These essay prompts are a strategic tool Boston University admissions officers use to distinguish students who are serious about earning admission from those who are simply phoning it in. 

Here’s how you can give BU the assurance that you’re an applicant who means business by strategically penning your response(s).

2026-2027 Boston University Required Essay Prompt

All applicants to Boston University must respond to the following prompt in 300 words or less:

What about being a student at BU most excites you?

Many college supplements include “why college?” essays to help admissions readers distinguish applicants who have sincerely researched the specific details that draw them to the institution from those rushing through their applications without much thought about how they want to spend their four years of college. Boston University values students who have familiarized themselves with the resources and opportunities that will help them make the most of their time there. Before writing your answer, spend time learning about academic programs and extracurricular opportunities that align with your interests and intended field of study. Dig into the Boston University website and identify unique elements of the undergraduate experience.

As you compose your 300-word essay (and yes, hit that upper limit of the word count!), skillfully integrate the insights you’ve collected, keeping in mind that not every detail is equally impactful. Listing course names or faculty members may fall flat, since these can change from semester to semester. Aim instead for more substantive features: research initiatives, established student groups, campus traditions, specialized advising systems, and other elements unique to Boston University that will define your college journey. Reflect on what sets these opportunities apart from those at other schools and explain how you plan to take advantage of them. You might even paint a picture of a typical day at Boston University to show how you’ll engage with the dynamic campus community.

Kilachand Honors College Required Essay Prompts

Students applying to the Kilachand Honors College must submit a response to one of the two following prompts in up to 600 words:

1. What about the Kilachand Honors College resonates with you, and how would Kilachand’s curriculum fulfill your academic, creative, intellectual, and/or professional goals?

If you’re applying to the BU Honors College, you had better come equipped with a singular hook that serves as a blueprint for how you’d use your time in this program. And what is the singular hook, you ask? Think of it as the specific topic, cause, discipline, or passion that has formed the bulk of your extracurricular pursuits in high school. For many students, it’s the passion that underlies their intended major; for others, it’s a specific set of goals they set out to achieve by getting involved in their local community. Either way, your singular hook should ideally provide a roadmap for how you would use Kilachand’s curriculum to fulfill your goals. 

In your response, reflect on how this passion would be best served by leveraging the academic and intellectual resources and opportunities that would be at your disposal as a Kilachand student. But be careful not to overlap with anything you’ve already mentioned in the previous essay (which should focus on non-Honors College specifics anyway).

Some potential examples include writing about a specific research lab, fellowship, or work-study opportunity exclusive to Kilachand that would let you continue the mathematics research you started in high school into a distinct topic related to your hook. Or, perhaps Kilachand has a special advising structure that would put you in touch with graduate students who could inform the anthropological field research you’ve dreamed of conducting since volunteering at the natural history museum in high school. No matter the specifics of your hook, the goal is to establish a throughline between the intellectual pursuits you’ve already been doing in your free time and what you could do as a potential Kilachand student.

2. If you could create a new Kilachand course, what would it be? How would your imagined course align with the core values of Kilachand?

Before you even begin to think about your answer to this prompt (should you choose this one and not the previous one), take some time to research the core values being referenced. Your goal is to construct an imagined course that explicitly weaves in these values and symbolizes the type of academic inquiry you’d take part in as a member of the Honors College. And yes, it goes without saying, but write about a potential course that relates back to your singular hook! 

If you’re a literature student, write about a course that takes students on a journey through Boston’s literary tradition and allows students to explore BU archives and libraries, all building towards a final research project that captures the enduring values and priorities of Kilachand. If you’re the computer science kid, describe how you’ll forward a core value of the program through a course designed around AI ethics and experimental programming, one that weaves in the BU computer science resources and cutting-edge research already being conducted in this field on campus. Get creative, and avoid specific faculty names, as these can change from semester to semester.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Your Boston University Supplemental Essays

If you would like to submit an essay supplement to Boston University that optimizes your odds of admission, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our college counseling services for seniors, led by our team of former elite college admissions officers.