I noticed that NC State has 3 supplements, but they do not have a word limit. What is the word limit for these essays? If there is no word limit, approximately how many words should I write?
Discuss your reasons for pursuing the Major/Academic Program selected above?
NC State is a community that is strong because of the diversity of our perspectives and experiences. Please describe how you could contribute to or benefit from campus diversity.
Discuss any obstacles and/or hardships you have encountered and how you dealt with them.
For what it’s worth, in years past (before they adopted the Common App), the essays were optional. And, I believe they had a fairly low word count…limited to something like 500 words for each essay. Good Luck!
I am currently working on the essays as well, and it seems as if the first one is required, but the other two are optional. On NCSU’s website, the FAQ “Is there an essay on the application for undergraduate admissions?” says:
“For a complete application, The Common Application requires all freshman applicants to submit one essay. You should submit one of the 2015-2016 essay prompts found on the Common Application website. In addition, as a part of the NC State section of the application, you will be asked to answer a few open-ended questions. These questions are optional for freshman and transfer applicants, but highly recommended. You can use this opportunity to explain anything in your academic record that may need clarification (for example, a poor academic semester in high school).”
I honestly think your essay should only be as long as you need to get your point across. Nobody wants to read 500 words about what you like on your pizza, you know what I mean? However, if you need that many words, you should write it in a way that fits the limit but still flows nicely.
But should they be very long? Like when it asks why I chose my major, it’s basically because I want to go to med school after getting my Bachelor’s and Genetics seemed like a good choice. That’s literally the only reason why I’m choosing that major, but I feel like that’s too little information. I could say it in 14 words.
For mine, I wrote about how my major would assist in achieving my future career goals. You could write about family or a love of helping people or something that tells about yourself in the process of answering the question.