2025-26 Cornell University Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

In fourth grade, I was one of only two girls in advanced math. Math has always been my favorite subject, but I felt disheartened by the underrepresentation of girls. In high school, my sister encouraged me to join GSTEM, a club that supports women in science and math. Despite being the only underclassman, I immediately found a supportive community of women, both teachers and older students, who went out of their way to include me in after-school presentations and field trips. I connected with a senior, who nurtured my interest in STEM and empowered me to take on a leadership role, working collaboratively with the entire executive board.

I was excited to be part of this community and helped them organize guest speakers, inviting women from various universities to share their experiences, giving us the opportunity to ask questions and hear firsthand about being a woman in STEM. My favorite experience was leading a session with an anesthesiologist who taught us how to intubate and practice using medical tools.

By junior year, as the oldest member of the club, I took on a more significant leadership role and continued the traditions I had grown to love. I was excited to lead the annual activity fair, recruiting new freshmen passionate about science and math, and be a mentor to them just as that senior was for me. I recruited over twenty girls to join and was part of an initiative to enroll more girls in Physics C, the most rigorous science class offered, increasing the number of girls from only one last year to ten this year.

GSTEM helped me find a community at school where I could explore my fascination with science and math, organizing hands-on activities and fostering discussions that allowed me to grow as both a leader and a student. At Cornell, I’m eager to bring this same passion for learning and community to the Society for Women in Business (SWIB), where I can connect with others who share my interests and continue growing as a leader and a student in the field of business.

“Brrr–rrr-rrr,” my horse nickers as his sounds and head tilts show me his affection. After I lost a friend in a tragic accident, he always lifted me up when I felt sorrow. In a quiet setting, I confided in him and appreciated the emotional outlet he gave me. Just as horses have taken care of me, I have vowed to care for them, with steadfast loyalty driving my ambition to major in Animal Sciences and become an equine veterinarian. 

Growing up, I loved spending every day at the stables and sought ways to gain a deeper understanding of equine science. Before high school, whenever the horses’ veterinarians visited the stables, I watched with awe as they took and assessed X-rays. In high school, I approached the veterinarians and struck up inquisitive conversations. Whenever they invited me to assist them, I jumped at the opportunity. Sometimes, I helped insert nasogastric tubes through horses’ noses and looked for stomach ulcers. Other times, I followed the vet’s instructions to tenderly hand walk horses recovering from surgeries. Spending hours with horses and learning about their behavior and health further impassioned me to pursue equine veterinary medicine. 

In the Animal Sciences major at Cornell CALS, I would pursue the Pre-Veterinary concentration to put me in the best position to fulfill my aspirations to become an equine veterinarian. After taking Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Edinburgh as a rising junior and learning the foundations of animal instincts and interactions, my interest in taking more coursework involving animals amplified. Through Cornell’s Core Coursework in Animal Sciences, I would develop a strong science foundation tailored to animals by learning Domestic Animal Biology, Principles of Animal Genetics, and Biology of Reproduction. The Mechanisms of Animal Growth and Development course would provide insight into animals’ behavior patterns and factors that aid their health and growth. Courses specific to equine studies, such as Equine Biology and Management would not only teach me the fundamentals of horse care but provide me hands-on lab opportunities to apply those concepts.  

Cornell’s equine research opportunities would be the perfect complement to the Animal Sciences major coursework. By joining the Equine Immunology Lab, I could study under Dr. Maria Julia Bevilaqua Felippe, whose emphasis on equine internal medicine and immunology would enable me to test samples from horses with immunologic disorders and contribute to equine clinical immunology. Moreover, I hope to assist Dr. Aimee Colbath, the principal investigator of a clinical trial at Cornell’s Equine Hospital and become involved in research involving stem cell therapy in horses to help them regenerate tissue and thus recover from injuries more quickly and comfortably. Having such in-depth knowledge about horses’ health and therapies would place me at the forefront of equine science and thus provide higher quality care to horses.

Cornell offers unparalleled opportunities for me to engage in a unique array of Animal Science courses and valuable experiential learning that will help me pay it forward and fulfill my goal of helping horses thrive.

At one of the first club meetings I attended in high school, we had a guest speaker—a young child who had undergone surgery for their cleft lip. As she spoke, I couldn’t help but relate her experience to my passion for helping others to feel confident in themselves. As president of Operation Smile junior year, I organized a fundraiser, raising enough to fund surgeries for 20 children in Jordan. Later, we received a letter from one of the children thanking the club, which provided a renewed sense of purpose across the entire school.

From the age of 5 to 15 years old, I dedicated about 45 hours each week to horseback riding and taking care of multiple horses at the barn where I rode. I became seasoned in the care of horses; I know how to do everything from turnout, mucking stalls, and mixing feed to identifying when a horse is lame. I also have experience training a young horse. When I left for boarding school, I was too far from the barn to continue my work there. However, I did join clubs such as EAC (Environmental Action Coalition) and Modern Agriculture Club.

From a young age, I’ve been fascinated by the intricate layouts of cities and the factors that shape them. My early explorations, initially through geography games and later through Google Street View, sparked a realization: The urban environments we inhabit are not static but are the product of deliberate (or sometimes, undeliberate) design choices with profound consequences. I observed how past planning decisions in my home city contributed to present-day challenges, particularly in managing traffic congestion amidst economic growth. This insight fueled my desire to pursue a major in Urban and Regional Studies at Cornell, with the ultimate goal of designing cities that are both sustainable and accessible.

To deepen my understanding, I enrolled in Cornell’s pre-college course The Just and Sustainable City, offered by the City and Regional Planning (CRP) department. This immersive experience exposed me to pivotal moments in urban history, from the transformative projects of influential urban planners to the complexities of suburban development in the U.S. and the remarkable urban solutions implemented in cities like Curitiba, Brazil. My final project for the course allowed me to propose an urban revitalization plan for my home city’s historic downtown. My vision included transforming traffic-heavy areas into pedestrian-friendly thoroughfares, lined with trees to provide shade and enhance the public space for vendors and residents alike.

My visit to Cornell’s website further solidified my interest, particularly after discovering courses like Observing the City: Introduction to Field-Based Analysis. This course resonates with my informal hobby of analyzing urban environments, and I am eager to learn the formal methodologies that will enable me to effectively communicate my observations and contribute to urban discourse. My home city, like many others, often struggles for recognition within the broader urban planning community. I believe this course will equip me with the skills not only to advocate for its unique urban challenges and opportunities but also to collaborate with experts to implement meaningful improvements.

Another aspect of Cornell’s CRP department that deeply inspires me is its commitment to public engagement. Opportunities like Design Connect and the Preservation Studies Student Organization exemplify this dedication. Design Connect, through its work with local governments and non-profits, offers a direct pathway to understanding and addressing community needs through urban planning and collaborative implementation. Similarly, the Preservation Studies Student Organization’s efforts to restore historical structures highlight the importance of preserving a city’s architectural identity, a critical component of public engagement that considers community concerns and fosters compromise between technical expertise and public perspectives.

I am also particularly excited about the prospect of contributing to the Mui Ho Center for Cities, especially its Just and Equitable Cities initiative. The initiative’s focus on upgrading informal housing settlements presents an invaluable opportunity to learn skills and strategies from globally renowned urban planners and scholars. Their diverse expertise will undoubtedly provide the knowledge and tools necessary to make a tangible impact on my own community.

My pre-college experience provided a glimpse into the depth and breadth of Cornell’s CRP department, making me all the more eager to engage in the collaborative research and public engagement opportunities available within the major. By studying the built environment, governance, urban policymaking, and daily life at Cornell, I am confident I will gain the expertise to undertake future-proof urban planning.

Language and visual expression shape ideas—and this power fascinates me. How do literature and art influence identity, freedom, and community? What role can they play in creating change, discovering solutions, and expanding justice? These questions drive my intellectual curiosity and draw me to Cornell’s College of Arts of Sciences.

Pursuing English and History of Art at A&S, I am excited to examine the powerful intersection of literature, culture, and art as a means of sparking positive social change. Indeed, Cornell’s commitment to interdisciplinary exploration and impactful learning most compels me. A&S will not only challenge me to think critically but also encourage me to study the connections between literature, visual art, and history. I’m excited by Cornell’s emphasis on questioning assumptions and exploring ideas from multiple angles through research and dialogue.

Whether studying Audre Lorde’s poems, Ken Liu’s science fiction, or Simone de Beauvoir’s feminist philosophy, I trace connections between words and lived realities. My passion for literature stems from its ability to illuminate the human experience, and I’m excited to explore this in courses like Writing Across Cultures, examining how texts explore cultural identities, collective memories, and the intricate ways communities narrate their experiences. And studying under A&S mentor-faculty like Professor Lindsay Thomas will give me the tools to deepen my thinking about how contemporary fiction intersects with data innovation, transforming how we understand cultural storytelling. Grounded in A&S’s coursework, I then plan to develop a comparative research project that analyzes narrative techniques across different cultural contexts, potentially creating a multimedia presentation that highlights the power of storytelling.

I’m also drawn to the Zalaznick Reading Series, which brings renowned writers like Toni Morrison and Claudia Rankine to campus for readings and class visits, offering students direct access to learning about contemporary literary voices. These opportunities to engage with others and their creative processes centered around identity and narratives would deepen my understanding of storytelling and contemporary writing.  

I want to intertwine journalistic writing with creative storytelling to explore diverse experiences through courses like True Stories, with the goal of producing a long-form narrative piece that gives voice to an underrepresented community’s lived experiences.

My interest in literature naturally extends to the visual arts, both of which reflect and influence how individuals develop within communities. The History of Art department’s courses on South and Southeast Asian art excited me, as well as the Nexus Scholars Program, where I would build on my current research into trans-oceanic trade networks by developing a comprehensive study on how artistic exchanges reflect cultural migrations. Courses like The Arts of Southeast Asia would offer the chance to explore how epic narratives like the Ramayana shape artistic traditions across different cultures, while Comics as a Medium would let me analyze the global traditions of comics and graphic novels and their interactions with cultural representation. Supported by the Office of Undergraduate Research, I aim to create a research project that maps the cross-cultural influences in graphic storytelling.

A&S’s emphasis on the universality of learning also resonates with me. I envision late-night discussions on topics ranging from conspiracy theories to improv in the Olin Library. As a journalist for the Cornell Daily Sun, I would continue my advocacy for local communities, such as immigrant neighborhoods and first -and second-generation student groups, that are being overlooked. And empowered by Cornell’s rigorous education and community-focused initiatives, such as the Public Service Center and the Cornell Global Programs, I would develop a mentorship program connecting students with published writers who understand the complexity of navigating multiple cultural identities through writing. 

I want to be at Cornell’s College of Arts Sciences because its ethos of “any person, any study,” where discovery is anchored in interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to service, speaks deeply to me. My Cornell education would well prepare me to transform knowledge into action—serving the most vulnerable, addressing pressing global challenges, and fostering a more just and inclusive society.

I was seated against a concrete fence on the New York High Line, a 1.5-mile-long park fashioned out of an abandoned railroad. With my phone in hand and backpack as a cushion, I sat back and documented my surroundings, determined to capture a snapshot of the approximately 30,000 people who traversed the park each day. This exercise was more than just an observational activity; it was a window into understanding the intricate systems that shape our daily lives. It served as a perfect case study for demonstrating such complexities around us. After just 15 minutes, I realized that the seemingly small High Line marketplace contained numerous systems working together: economic, social, political, cultural, technological, environmental, and even international. Each system had its subsystems, which, when analyzed together, gave me insight into the world around me.

I have always approached life and learning with this spirit of curiosity. In my view, the best education is one that offers me the opportunity to enroll in an interdisciplinary curriculum that would allow me to broaden my perspectives, challenge myself to re-examine settled ideologies and sharpen my critical thinking skills. It is also one that would allow me to effect positive change. This is precisely what draws me to the Brooks School. The Brooks School offers me the opportunity to study public policy from a social science perspective, enabling me to analyze policies and issues in their proper historical and moral context. 

I have been interested in the study of politics, history, and economics since middle school. This interest deepened to a passion after my family’s experience with our healthcare system. I vowed to work within the political system to drive change. To do that, I knew I would have to educate myself on why healthcare has historically been viewed as a privilege rather than a right in the United States. I designed my high school coursework to focus on studying those disciplines that underpin American public policy to understand the factors influencing government decision-making and policy development. At the Brooks School, I would be privileged to educate myself further and explore classes such as The U.S. Health Care System; Pharmaceutical Management and Policy; and Health Equity, Politics and Policy.

In addition to healthcare, I am passionate about broadly shaping public policy. Every issue that affects our daily lives – from economic development to national security to climate change – is intertwined with decisions made by policymakers in our government. I am eager to learn how our government systems impact society and explore practical ways in which to solve pressing policy problems. At the Brooks School, I would develop strategies for dealing with controversial issues through classes such as Social Problems in the United States while at the same time gaining a better understanding of our legal systems by taking classes such as Introduction to U.S. Law and Legal Systems. In addition to coursework, I am also excited by the opportunity to have a tangible impact on the broader community by participating in the Brook School’s extensive public engagement programs. Opportunities such as the State Public Advocacy Clinic and the Capital Semester would allow me to play a critical role in the evaluation and design of state-level policy initiatives, including those on healthcare, criminal justice reform and economic development.

Finally, Cornell’s vivacious culture and expansive campus cannot be overstated—similar to my beloved New York High Line but exponentially magnified. The opportunity to study in a closeknit and focused academic community while still being part of a large research university is electrifying. I hope that a year from now, I will find myself perched on a bench in North Campus, assembling a new list of notes.

One cold winter evening in first grade, I was playing with my best friend when my mom called us for dinner. We filled our cups at the sink, but instead of being clear, the water was brown. This wasn’t a one-time occurrence—many of my baths were in murky, yellow water, and even my dog suffered from digestive issues after drinking from the tap. These ongoing issues made me realize something unsettling: the water in my community wasn’t safe to drink. Growing up in a village that relied on outdated wells that produced hard, discolored water, I saw how quality issues affected daily life. Eventually, our village made a $6 million investment in a reverse osmosis treatment system. Although it significantly increased water rates, problems persist. We still receive boil-water notices whenever maintenance is required and have to rely on the old wells, and recently, the village notified residents that the water contains lithium, an unregulated contaminant. 

Seeing the financial challenges our village faced to secure safe drinking water made me realize the critical role that effective financial strategies play in public well-being. I began to understand that business solutions—when designed thoughtfully—could address pressing community needs and make a real difference. This insight drove me to explore finance and economics through a bootcamp and a macroeconomics course, where I learned how effective budgets, economic frameworks, and sustainable financial planning could create viable solutions for long-standing issues, like the water crisis in my hometown. Drawing on my early experiences with finance, I’ve considered possible solutions to address my community’s water issue. Switching to Lake Michigan water would provide safe drinking water, but the village still faces debt from the treatment plant. I believe selling our well water to businesses for non-potable use—like golf courses and industrial parks—would be a financially sustainable way to generate revenue while transitioning to a cleaner water source for residents. This solution could reduce residents’ costs while addressing both public health and fiscal sustainability, showing how business strategies can help address societal challenges in innovative ways. This approach reflects a long-term vision for the community—one that prioritizes public health, fiscal responsibility, and the effective use of local resources. 

I’m a business student who enjoys tackling complex problems and finding precise solutions that improve the quality of life for humanity. The Applied Economics and Management program at Cornell, with a minor in Sustainable Business and Economic Policy, aligns perfectly with my passion for tackling complex problems in the environment and becoming a principled business leader who will build a better world. I would love to join the Cornell Global Business Club, learning to become a future business leader with a global perspective—even working to implement safe water for communities beyond my own. Projects like the SMART project, working to remove schistosoma in Senegal and transform submerged aquatic vegetation into valuable farmland, connect perfectly with my desire to ensure safe water beyond my community, in the context of agriculture. The Global Water Labs, including the New York State Water Resources Institute and the Water In, Water Out Lab, is another opportunity for me to get involved in research that takes action and implements safe water globally. I’m also eager to participate in the Grand Challenges curriculum, where I can tackle projects alongside peers and gain experience working on issues affecting actual businesses. Also, Cornell’s commitment to hands-on learning, especially through its student-led consulting clubs, would allow me to work directly with organizations facing sustainability challenges, applying my skills to make real-world impact.

Learning to apply economic theories to real-world human issues will prepare me to lead responsibly and creatively, addressing public health and sustainability challenges that affect communities globally. For me, being a principled business leader means balancing innovation, fiscal responsibility, and a commitment to improving lives. I believe business has the power to protect human rights, uplift quality of life, and build a more equitable world.

From an early age, my grandfather emphasized how everything connects to engineering, a belief I didn’t fully appreciate until I took AP Physics 1, where I realized that nearly everything could be explained through math and science. This revelation only deepened as I engaged in engineering projects, where math and physics became universal tools for problem-solving.

Through my experience in robotics, specifically through FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), I saw firsthand how physics principles enhance robotics technology. The intricacies of rotational dynamics, force calculations, and image classification even opened my eyes to the potential of robotics in healthcare, inspiring me to pursue additional projects such as my robotic venipuncture system. As I dove deeper into the world of robotics, from FRC to my BattleBots team, the connection between theory and application became clear. Physics became a lens for understanding the world around me, and engineering offered a way to actively make a tangible impact.

Studying biomedical engineering will allow me to build upon these experiences, combining my passion for physics with practical problem-solving applications such as medical robotics. I am eager to apply my engineering knowledge to biomedicine, where robotic medicine and telemedicine can transform patient care and redefine healthcare.

What draws me most to Cornell Engineering is the EmPRISE Lab, where robotics is used to enhance the quality of life for people with mobility challenges. The RABBIT system, a Robot-Assisted Bed Bathing System, and the FLAIR project, which aids in feeding individuals with disabilities, demonstrate Cornell’s commitment to integrating technology with real-world impact. These projects resonate with my past work, such as designing assistive technologies for people with multiple sclerosis and visual impairments and I am eager to engage in similar work at EmPRISE.

The projects at the EmPRISE Lab not only embody Cornell Engineering’s broader ethos of integrating advanced technology with real-world impact but they also represent the future of assistive robotics, where the human needs are prioritized, not the complexity of the engineering. This alignment between empathy-driven innovation and cutting-edge technology is something I’ve experienced firsthand and continuously strive for in my own work. 

Additionally, the New York-Presbyterian LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery, along with Weill Cornell Medicine, excites me to further my own research. I aspire to connect with researchers there to further my much simpler work in medical robotics, allowing me to contribute to impactful robotics research while forging connections that bridge engineering and medicine.

Throughout high school, I’ve explored biology, medicine, and public health through enrichment programs and a research assistantship, bridging the gap between scientific research and the intricate world of health policy. Ultimately this has guided me towards the goal of becoming an influential health policymaker through the Global & Public Health Sciences (GPHS) major in CHE.

Initially exploring biology and infectious diseases at Northwestern, my interest in anatomy led to questions about societal factors influencing health disparities. This curiosity steered me towards a medical career, delving into the journey of a cardiac arrest patient at Wake Forest’s Summer Medical Institute. Discovering the impact of social determinants of health ignited my passion for addressing health inequities in medical practice. Taking a social medicine and public policy course at Georgetown deepened my realization that I prefer addressing health equity from a policy perspective rather than in clinical settings.

To extend this experience, I undertook a research assistantship at Michigan State University focused on health equity in cancer clinical trials. This project aimed to provide a corpus of information that will be analyzed using natural language processing to create models of patient pathways through cancer treatment, plotting moments of decision-making and what elements comprise those decisions. From there, the team will create decision support tools to aid in the navigation of the clinical trial process. Currently, we are using the information I archived to design patient decision aids through a user-centered design approach. 

Just as these design tools are curated around the patient’s needs, CHE will ensure that I have ample opportunity to explore the myriad of career paths that the holistic knowledge of a GPHS major can provide.

By fulfilling the experiential learning requirement, I have the chance to retrace the path that initially sparked my interest in health policy. Whether courses such as Epidemiology reignite my fascination with infectious diseases or Political Ecologies of Health reinforce my passion for health policy, engaging in experiential learning opportunities will afford me the flexibility to learn from experts. Whether exploring infectious diseases at the CDC or delving into health policy at Cornell in Washington, I am confident that CHE will actively support my pursuit of interests within the diverse Global and Public Health Science major.

My time at Georgetown has taught me the critical role community involvement plays in the success of health policy interventions. CHE knows this too. The values of translational research emphasize the important connection between academic knowledge and knowledge of the community in which you are working. At CHE, I anticipate that my research pursuits will extend beyond the confines of the classroom, allowing me to actively engage with communities. My first step into this immersive research experience will be working alongside Dr. Roger Figueroa as he uses transdisciplinary thinking to address health equity issues in nutrition. The emphasis on translational research at CHE resonates with my belief that impactful change arises when academic insights are translated into tangible benefits for the community. By integrating these values into my work at Cornell, I am confident that my endeavors will not only be meaningful but also contribute to fostering positive change within the community. 

CHE and the GPHS major specifically are an ideal fit for me to continue pursuing a career addressing health inequities. The mission of CHE, to improve human lives, matches my own desire to increase health access for all. Moreover, my journey through health over the last several years through an interdisciplinary approach that has included science, technology, design, politics, and culture aligns me perfectly with Cornell’s commitment to fostering a diverse and multidimensional understanding of global and public health. My post-graduate aspirations are also very clearly pathways through CHE and GPHS. Whether I pursue graduate study in law or health policy and management or go directly into health care strategy and analytics, I know that I will be well positioned to continue on my journey.

Throughout my life, I have always felt deeply connected to the environment. From constantly playing in the mud and making snail terrariums as a kid to working on my farm, with my chickens, and around my community, I have seen the complexity and beauty of the environment. I have also seen how many people take it for granted and disregard the importance of protecting our environment. Our society has neglected signs of environmental stress for too long. As climate change intensifies, we are leaving more people to fend for themselves against unprecedented weather, agricultural failures, and exacerbated socio-economic struggles. These conditions cause more people to be taken advantage of by companies that lack safety and environmental regulations, which perpetuates unfair and unsafe working conditions. Additionally, a large increase in the demand for sustainable energy will put pressure on companies and workers to expand and produce more, which may create dangerous working situations. I want to ensure that everyone works under safe conditions by advocating for environmentally friendly and sustainable policies and by protecting workers’ rights. Cornell’s ILR program will help me do this by providing me with the education, skills, and opportunities I will need to promote environmental consciousness in the workplace and equal protection for all workers.

In the ILR college, I would like to pursue a minor in Environment and Sustainability. This interdisciplinary pathway will help me better understand the relationship between the environment and business, how to advocate for workers, and how to ensure that companies prioritize protecting the environment. I am especially interested in taking courses such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace: Intergroup Dialogue and An Introduction to the Economics of Environmental and Natural Resources, which would prepare me to help people and achieve my goals. Furthermore, I would like to apply for an undergraduate research fellowship with the Climate Jobs Institute to learn more about the sustainable energy field and how to support its rapid growth while maintaining safe and fair conditions. Through this fellowship, I hope to connect with Dr. Lana Skinner and participate in her research on the economic effects of clean energy technologies and the relationship between the climate crisis and labor. 

I would also like to study abroad through one of Cornell’s international programs. The India Global Service Learning Program would allow me to make a positive impact with a hands-on project. It would be invaluable to learn about the different approaches to labor, the workplace, and the economy that other countries practice. While in India, I hope to initiate an environmental service project that supports the advancement of clean and accessible energy, which would also create jobs to stimulate the economy and protect workers from exploitation and hazardous conditions. Through this program, I hope to have a lasting impact on the community that I serve.

At Cornell, I would like to participate in the Food Recovery Network. Not only does this program address a major problem in our food system and help the community, but it also serves as a large-scale food operation, which demands a significant degree of coordination and organization. As a volunteer, I would help Ithaca and other local communities, while learning more about how time-sensitive and fast-paced operations function, and how the organizers coordinate all the moving pieces. I would also contribute my experience of volunteering on a nonprofit farm that donates their produce to food banks around my community. I learned about safe food storage and transportation, along with farming and harvesting practices. 

With all the academic and experiential opportunities at Cornell’s ILR College, I am confident that I would grow and contribute tremendously as a student and a person. At Cornell, I know that I will gain the knowledge, skills, and experience that I need to address socioeconomic disparities and workplace issues caused by climate change.