The Common Application is officially open, and many college-bound high school students are hard at work on their college applications. In addition to the main Common App essay, many schools might also require supplements that include some thoughtful — and downright quirky — college essay prompts and short answer questions.
Key Takeaways
- Many schools require supplemental essays, in addition to the main application essay, as part of the admissions process.
- Some institutions are asking students to write their supplemental essays around unique college essay prompts, which can be a fun yet challenging experience.
- In order to help students get their creative juices flowing, here are the most quirky college essay topics we’re seeing at top universities.
These fun and funky essay prompts are meant to challenge students and make the college admissions process a little more enjoyable. After all, students love to write about what matters to them. However, because many of these prompts are so out-of-the-box, many students might struggle with how to address these quirky essay prompts. To truly stand out to admissions committees, it’s important for students to get creative and seek feedback when they need it.
2026 Quirky College Essay Prompts
Here are some of our favorite unique college application essay topics from the 2026-2027 college admissions season:
Princeton University: What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
Stanford University: What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed?
University of Chicago: Sometimes metaphors get mixed up. For one reason or another, one could say, “we’ll burn that bridge when we get there” or “the world is your china shop”. Make up your own mixed metaphor. Explain how it could make sense, be understood, or even applied.
Harvard University: Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.
Boston College: Share an account of a most meaningful conversation partner with whom you discussed big questions.
Northwestern University: Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?
California Institute of Technology: How do you learn when there is no easy answer?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: What’s a topic, academic or non-academic, that you could talk about for hours?
University of Pennsylvania: Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge.
Purdue University: Describe a topic, idea or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
William & Mary: A tour of your hometown or what you’d highlight about it.
And, finally, quite possibly one of the most interesting essay prompts…
Rice University: One of Rice’s long-standing traditions is “The Box,” a question on our application where we ask all of our applicants to share an image of something that appeals to them. The Box gives you the opportunity to present us with an image that shares something about yourself, your interests or what is meaningful to you. This image is not used for evaluative purposes in the application, but allows you to put your stamp on the application about who you are aside from what you have achieved. Be sure to choose an image that speaks for itself and does not need an explanation. The Box must be a two-dimensional image that is uploaded in the Common App or uploaded in the Rice Admission Student Portal.
Supplemental essay prompts and short answer questions are just as important as your personal statement, so take some time to carefully brainstorm, draft, and edit your responses. Don’t just rush through these because they seem easy! Be thoughtful and try to reveal something new about yourself.
Now that you know the quirky essay topics, here comes the next challenge — what to write. Head to our piece on how to answer college essay questions.
Get Expert Guidance on Your College Essays
Writing college essays is often the most challenging part of the application process, but your essays are key to showing admissions officers who you are and how you think. If you need expert guidance, IvyWise can help. Our team of expert counselors have all served on admissions committees at top colleges and universities, so they’ve read thousands of essays and know exactly how to position you for success.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2023 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
