Many applicants to the University of Washington often forget that the essays are not just about answering the question directly, but also about showing how you as a person are a valuable addition to the school; as such, we will show you how to write the University of Washington essays correctly.

First, let’s go over a few basics. The University of Washington is one of the top public schools in the nation, ranking #62 in US News and World Report’s national universities list. Because of this, you’ll need to write stellar admissions essays to stand out from the competition.

Here’s how competitive UW can get.

University of Washington Freshman Admissions profile.

1. High school GPA: 3.72–3.95
2. ACT: 27-33
3. SAT: 1240–1440

To have an average admissions chance, you will need to be in the upper percentile of students. If you meet the average, which is already an impressive feat, you’ll still need something to stand out.

With that said, here’s how to write the university of Washington essays to stand out from the admissions pool and get accepted. Note: they use holistic admissions, so your essays need to be unique.

Essay prompt [required]. Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it. Maximum length: 500 words

This prompt follows the general “tell us how an experience shows your character or changed you” format in a lot of college admissions essays. All topics are open but remember this: you need to make sure it “demonstrates your character” or “helped shape it”. This is the most important part, because you need to have a story that reveals to the admissions officers of the University of Washington your best character trait. Also, don’t forget the experience should shape you in a way that makes you a valuable asset to the school. It’s not just about your benefit, but theirs too! Your structure would therefore start with the story and then how that experience resonates today. For instance, your internship working at JPL showed you how to work in synergy with people instead of only relying on your own brains. Whatever it is you talk about, keep in mind that it is not the content of the story that is important. Rather, it is the lessons learned, the self-growth, or the changes you’ve made over time as a result of your experience that matter. This needs to be written clearly enough such that the University of Washington can see you as a worthy candidate for their campus.

Short response [required]. Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW. Maximum length: 300 words

Be very careful with the wording of this question. When thinking of how to write the University of Washington essays, many people tend to answer this incorrectly. Consider this tip from them.

“Tip: Keep in mind that the UW strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values and viewpoints.”

“Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW.”

The key word here is “Diverse.” Think in terms of what diversity you can provide to the campus. The admissions officers are not just looking for a candidate with good marks, but also someone with a unique story that will diversify their campus community. No college campus wants to be labeled as “the place where 4.0 students come and go.” Like other schools, they want academically competent applicants who can add their unique story to the community. Think of how you were molded by the community you were in and how your new identity will benefit the University of Washington. For instance, joining an online fiction writing community may be beneficial because your creative talents may resonate in a major that does not have as much creative strength.

Another way to think of this is this: what is your polar opposite or your “other side”. You may be majoring in a STEM field, but also heavily invested in the arts. Or, perhaps you have an affinity for sports while also implementing strategy from military science. Whatever your opposite is, it should be a community or group that you invest in that will add an aspect of diversity to your essay.

Additional information about yourself or your circumstances [optional] Maximum length: 200 words

“You are not required to write anything in this section, but you may include additional information if something has particular significance to you. For example, you may use this space if:“

• You have experienced personal hardships in attaining your education
• Your activities have been limited because of work or family obligations
• You have experienced unusual limitations or opportunities unique to the schools you attended

The Additional information section of the UW essay prompts is recommended for those with unforeseen circumstances or unusual cases. This means that if you’re adding random extra fluff just to fit the word count and have more words than other applicants, it won’t be considered. Therefore, please be sure to write about relevant information when answering this question, otherwise, ignore it. If you are unsure whether the additional information you want to talk about is considered relevant “particular significance”, we recommend talking to us for a free revision and advising session here.

If you have a minor learning disability, an unusual error in your transcript, or a stressful mental health situation that got in the way of earning a high grade in one of your classes, you may talk about those topics here. Beware not to write, “my teacher was a bad teacher and they were not giving me the grade I deserve,” unless you have proof of discrimination and the problems were kept in record. Admissions officers tend to side with teachers, so you should avoid treading this topic unless you’re very certain.

Lastly, there’s an exception. We know the prompt is asking about “something” of “particular significance”. This can mean anything, which includes writing about how much you want to attend UW. Keep in mind that the example topics for this prompt included mostly emergencies and dire explanations. They already know that you want to apply because you put in the effort of sending in an application. Here’s how to write the University of Washington essays without annoying them –be concise and straight to the point. If you want to write about your future plans to dive into your major and build your career with UW, make it short and sweet. This is only 200 words for a reason. Giving them another section to read when what you say is redundant can hurt your chances.

Additional space [optional]  You may use this space if you need to further explain or clarify answers you have given elsewhere in this application, or if you wish to share information that may assist the Office of Admissions. If appropriate, include the application question number to which your comment(s) refer.

Compared to the third UW essay prompt, we would recommend just about every applicant write this one. Although the third one was optional, this is less so because it essentially asks if there are extra details you would like to add to any of the essays you wrote. This should almost always be a yes because the word count for admissions essays are short enough already. Adding a little bit of extra clarification, detail, and support for your story can shed a light that the admissions officers may not have seen beforehand. If there’s nothing else you feel is necessary to clarify for the admissions officers about your previous essays, you can leave this blank.

 If you feel that there are a few points you need to clarify about your previous essays in order for the admissions officers to fully understand your perspective or story, then you should write this.  

If you feel that you need expert admissions experts to take a look at your essays, we can help you. Not everyone knows how to write the University of Washington essays correctly and effectively so that they can stand out from the rest. Schedule an advising session with us; we will answer your questions and help redirect you to the right path to get you accepted.