Boston College Supplemental Essays 2025–26: Prompts & How to Write (with Examples)
Boston College asks you to write one 400-word supplemental essay (unless you’re applying to Human-Centered Engineering, which has its own prompt). These Boston College supplemental essays 2025–26 reward reflective storytelling grounded in BC’s Jesuit values: intellectual curiosity, care for community, and the Common Good. This guide focuses on the Boston College essays 2025–26—essay prompts, strategy, and examples—to help you stand out.
What BC is looking for
Clear, specific moments that reveal who you are and how you think
Reflection that connects experience to values and impact
A sense of how you’ll contribute to a conversation‑driven campus community
The 2025–26 Boston College Essay Prompts
Choose one of the first four prompts (400 words). HCE applicants respond to Prompt 5.
Prompt 1 — Tradition & Community
Strong communities are sustained by traditions. Boston College’s annual calendar is marked with both long‑standing and newer traditions that help shape our community. Tell us about a meaningful tradition in your family or community. Why is it important to you, and how does it bring people together or strengthen the bonds of those who participate?
Best for: Applicants who center family or community life; culture‑keepers; organizers or mentors who build belonging; students with a tradition they’ve helped evolve.
What to Do
Start with a vivid scene—the sights, sounds, or rituals of the tradition
Explain why the tradition matters (identity, belonging, resilience, service)
Show your role (organizer, bridge‑builder, quiet glue) and how you’ve evolved
Connect the tradition’s values to how you’ll engage at BC
What to Avoid
Listing every detail of a holiday or festival without reflection
Treating culture as a backdrop instead of a living practice you shape
Grand claims about “unity” without a specific moment that proves it
Example Snippet
The first time I braided palms for our parish’s Palm Sunday procession, my knots kept slipping. Mrs. Delgado’s hands moved like a metronome, and mine, like static. By the third try, I understood: the braids hold because every strand does its part. That lesson—care makes community—now guides how I mentor ninth‑graders in our youth choir.
Prompt 2 — Conversation & Big Questions
The late BC theology professor, Father Michael Himes, argued that a university is not a place to which you go, but instead, a “rigorous and sustained conversation about the great questions of human existence, among the widest possible circle of the best possible conversation partners.” Who has been your most meaningful conversation partner, and what profound questions have you considered together?
Best for: Curious debaters, podcast‑or‑book lovers, mentees/mentors, students who can show growth through dialogue and humility.
What to Do
Introduce the conversation partner and why their perspective matters to you
Share one or two big questions you revisit together and what changed in your thinking
Include a brief exchange (paraphrase is fine) that shows intellectual humility
Close with how you’ll extend this habit of dialogue at BC
What to Avoid
A resume of every topic you’ve ever debated
Treating your partner as a prop; show mutual growth, not one‑sided teaching
Platitudes about “agreeing to disagree” without a concrete takeaway
Example Snippet
On late bus rides home, Coach Singh never let my “I’m just not a math person” slide. “What if perseverance is a muscle, not a trait?” he’d ask. We mapped proof strategies the way we mapped press defenses. I began to see patterns as invitations, not threats—a mindset I now bring to philosophy podcasts and policy articles.
Prompt 3 — The “Single Story”
In her July 2009 TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned against assigning people a “single story.” Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?
Best for: Students whose identities or interests are often reduced to one label—and who can show agency, nuance, and allyship in response.
What to Do
Describe the specific moment you were reduced to one label
Name the impact (missed opportunity, self‑doubt, friction at home/school)
Show agency—how you complicated that story through action
Reflect on what this taught you about empathy and leadership
What to Avoid
General complaints about stereotypes without a concrete scene
Centering only the harm; include growth, boundaries, or advocacy
A triumphalist ending that ignores ongoing work
Example Snippet
When a classmate introduced me as “the coding kid,” teachers stopped asking me to join humanities projects. I started a lit‑and‑logic club where we debugged arguments as carefully as code. By mixing short stories with algorithms, I reclaimed a fuller self—and learned to build rooms where others can be more than one thing.
Prompt 4 — Add a Fourth “Be”
Boston College’s Jesuit mission highlights “the three Be’s”: be attentive, be reflective, be loving—core to Jesuit education. If you could add a fourth “Be,” what would it be and why? How would this new value support your personal development and enrich the BC community?
Best for: Values‑driven leaders and builders who can define a principle they live by and show how it guides choices—with tangible campus impact.
What to Do
Propose a clear, actionable verb (e.g., “Be Curious,” “Be Courageous,” “Be Responsible”)
Define it through a story that shows the value in action
Explain how your fourth “Be” will shape daily choices at BC (courses, clubs, service)
Tie to discernment—how your value guides decisions, not just aspirations
What to Avoid
Abstract definitions without a personal anchor
Buzzwords like “Be Innovative” without a human impact
Repeating the existing three Be’s in new words; add something distinct
Example Snippet
My fourth “Be” is Be Courageous—the quiet kind. After my grandmother’s fall, I learned to advocate at medical appointments, asking questions that felt impolite but changed her care. Courage, to me, is steady attention in hard moments—a habit I’ll carry into peer‑led dialogues and research on equitable health systems.
Prompt 5 (HCE Applicants Only) — Engineering for the Common Good
One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human‑Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?
Best for: Builders focused on people first—students who pair technical curiosity with ethics, stakeholder empathy, and feasible pilots.
What to Do
Define one focused problem (e.g., heat risk for outdoor workers, hospital readmissions, food waste in urban groceries)
Show your roots in the issue (lived experience, research, a project with measurable results)
Outline specific next steps you’d pursue at BC (design, data, policy, community partners)
Name the human stakeholders and ethical tradeoffs you’ll consider
What to Avoid
“Solve climate change” scale goals with no scope
Tech‑for‑tech’s‑sake; center people and outcomes
A shopping list of resources without a plan to use them
Example Snippet
After tracking heat index on our construction sites, I prototyped a low‑cost alert badge that blinks when hydration breaks are due. At BC, I want to pressure‑test the design with public‑health mentors and labor partners, pairing sensor data with worker feedback to raise compliance—and dignity—on crews like my dad’s.
Choosing the Best Prompt for You
Pick the prompt that lets you show change over time and name what’s at stake
If your Common App essay is inward‑looking, consider a prompt that highlights community impact; if it’s activity‑heavy, consider one that leans into values and reflection
HCE applicants: prioritize depth and feasibility over breadth; demonstrate systems thinking and empathy
Quick Prompt Picker
Prompt 1 if your strongest story lives in a tradition or community practice you’ve helped carry forward.
Prompt 2 if a conversation partner sparked real intellectual growth you can demonstrate.
Prompt 3 if you’ve complicated a stereotype and can show the actions you took.
Prompt 4 if you can articulate a guiding value and how it will shape daily choices at BC.
Prompt 5 (HCE) if you can define a focused problem and outline human‑centered experiments you’ll run at BC.
How to Make Your Boston College Supplemental Essay Stand Out
Open in action and earn your reflection
Use concrete language (specific nouns, strong verbs) over generalities
Name a belief or habit you changed—and why
Land the ending on what you’ll contribute to BC’s learning community
Include a brief BC connection—a course theme, service‑learning approach, or student‑led dialogue you’re excited to join (keep it authentic and specific)
Keep it to about 400 words; trim repetition and let the best details breathe
Final Thoughts
Your story doesn’t need to be loud to be powerful. Boston College essays 2025–26 reward honesty, clarity, and care for others. Let your voice show how you question, listen, and act—then point to the community you’ll build next.
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