Texas A&M Supplemental Essays 2023-24

Texas A&M Supplemental Essays 2023-24

If you’re thinking about how to get into Texas A&M, you’ve probably come across the Texas A&M supplemental essays. Texas A&M is one of the top public universities in the country (currently ranked #20 by U.S. News). As such, the Texas A&M application is comprehensive, requiring students to respond to multiple Texas A&M essay prompts. The Texas A&M admissions essays are a critical part of your application narrative. The prompts allow you to provide valuable information to Admissions about why you would be a good candidate for admission.

Writing strong responses to the Texas A&M admissions essays can be tough. Throughout this article, you’ll find tips for how to respond to each of the Texas A&M supplemental essays. This includes specific details about each of the Texas A&M essay questions and things to keep in mind when writing. We’ll also discuss what the Texas A&M admissions committee is looking for when it comes to reviewing these essays. And finally, we talk more generally about how to get into Texas A&M beyond just the Texas A&M supplemental essays. We’ll give you key information about application deadlines and other Texas A&M admission requirements.

Ready to learn more about the Texas A&M admissions essays? Let’s dive in! 

Texas A&M Admission Requirements Quick Facts:

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.

How many essays does Texas A&M require?

For the 2023-2024 application cycle, there are three required Texas A&M admissions essays. In addition to the required essays, the Texas A&M essay prompts include one optional question. Students may answer if they feel the prompt is relevant to their life experience.

We will go into more detail with each of the Texas A&M essay prompts later on in this article. And, we’ll offer specific tips for how to answer each of the different Texas A&M essay prompts. 

How long do the essays for Texas A&M have to be?

Each of the Texas A&M essay prompts has a certain maximum word count that you must stay within. The first of the Texas A&M essay prompts has a maximum word count of 750 words. This means that your response to this Texas A&M essay should be absolutely no longer than 750 words. You don’t need to get as close to 750 words as possible in your long Texas A&M essay. However, you should also not submit a Texas A&M essay that is too short either. About 600-750 words is a good length to shoot for in this Texas A&M essay.

The shorter Texas A&M admissions essays have more strict word counts. Responses to these Texas A&M supplemental essays should not be more than 250 words. For these shorter Texas A&M essays, using as much of the word count as possible is beneficial. At the same time, make sure the words you use have purpose in providing new and relevant information. When writing a personal essay for college, be sure to pay close attention to maximum word counts.

Texas A&M Essay Prompt – Tell your story

The first of the Texas A&M supplemental essays asks students to share some opportunities or obstacles that they’ve faced. The purpose of this Texas A&M essay is to help the admissions committee learn more about the writer’s resilience. They want to see how they behave in the face of adversity, specifically during their high school years. While exciting, college represents a significant challenge in a student’s life. The Texas A&M supplemental essays provide students the opportunity to demonstrate how they have overcome challenges in their lives.

Brainstorming Ideas

The most important step in writing the Texas A&M supplemental essays is the brainstorming phase. Start by coming up with a list of challenges you have faced in your life. Then determine which one or two topics you want to focus on for your Texas A&M supplemental essays.

It can be very tempting to write your Texas A&M essays about all of the challenges you have faced. But in fact, it is better to focus on one or two specific examples. That way you can provide more engaging details and evidence about the moments you choose. And, you can avoid simply recycling information from the rest of your application. 

Connecting to Character Traits

Here’s another helpful way to brainstorm for your Texas A&M essays. Think of three character traits you would like for your Texas A&M admissions essays to say about you. Then, use the challenges you thought of earlier to illustrate those characteristics.

For example, maybe you would like to demonstrate strong leadership qualities in your Texas A&M essays. So, you may describe how, despite setbacks, you put on a successful school dance as head of the prom committee. Or maybe you want your Texas A&M supplemental essays to showcase your interest in community service. In that case, you may write about how you organized a fundraiser after a natural disaster struck your neighborhood. 

Telling a Story

So, you’ve determined what you want to write about in your Texas A&M essay. Now you need to think about how you want to tell the story of these challenges to your reader. Remember that your reader does not know you or your background outside of what you write in your Texas A&M essays. Be sure to pick the details that are most relevant to write about.

Make sure the focus of your Texas A&M essays is on you and what you felt and accomplished.

Avoid simply listing facts that your reader can find elsewhere in your application. Instead, think about showing the reader your character through the actions you describe.

Texas A&M Essay Prompt #2 – Life Event

The second of the Texas A&M supplemental essays asks students to reflect on a single life event. Specifically, one that has helped them to prepare for and be successful in college. This event can be anything you want it to be. However, make sure it’s a different experience than the one you wrote about in the other Texas A&M essays. This event should also demonstrate your college readiness by showcasing your maturity, academic skills, leadership, or resilience. 

As with the other Texas A&M admissions essays, your writing should focus on one defining event. Remember, this is one of the Texas A&M essays with a more limited word count. So, be sure to focus on telling a specific story of the specific moment in your life. You want your reader to feel like they’re experiencing the life event with you, so illustrate your points with vivid information.

Concurrently, use the details to illustrate the larger point that you would be a good fit for Texas A&M. No matter what the prompt for a personal essay for college actually says, they’re all asking “are you a good fit?” Each of your Texas A&M admissions essays should provide the reasons why you deserve admission to Texas A&M.

Choosing a topic for your Texas A&M essay

Deciding your topic for your Texas A&M supplemental essays is your first hurdle. For your Texas A&M essays, it is important to choose a moment that is personal and meaningful to you. With open-ended Texas A&M essay prompts, it’s tempting to write about what you think the admissions committee will find impressive. However, it’s always better to write about your authentic interests and let your true character shine through in your writing.

There is no specific formula for choosing your topic for the Texas A&M supplemental essays. Just make sure your topic is new and has not been discussed already in other parts of your application. And make sure you are writing about your passions in your Texas A&M supplemental essays.

Any experience can be compelling, so long as you make it clear why you’ve chosen to discuss it. For example, you may describe how an improv comedy show going badly wrong taught you how to handle adversity, think on your feet, and use creativity in a difficult situation.

Still need help coming up with a topic for your Texas A&M supplemental essays? Check out this webinar or this article for additional resources.

Texas A&M Essay Prompt #3 – Impactful Person

This is arguably the hardest of the required Texas A&M essay prompts. That’s because it asks students to write about a topic other than themselves. The Texas A&M supplemental essays are all about getting to know the applicants on a more personal level. However, this is not easy to do when you’re writing about someone else. Therefore, it is important to both answer the prompt while keeping the focus on you.

The first step to writing this essay is choosing the person that it is going to be about. This is not about finding the most famous or well-recognized person you know. It’s about examining your life and identifying those who have genuinely pushed you to be the best version of yourself. You also want this person to have impacted your life recently so you can show details from your high school years. Or, if they are from your childhood, show how their influence has stayed with you during your high school years.

Let’s say you’ve found the person you will write about. Think about what you need your reader to know about this person in order to understand who they are. Remember that you have limited space in your Texas A&M supplemental essays. Avoid using too much of it simply describing who your person is. The central focus of your Texas A&M essays should be on you, the applicant. So, your job is twofold. Describe the person who has most impacted your life in your Texas A&M essays. Then, focus on what you learned from them and how you’ve used their influence in your academics, extracurriculars, or school community. 

How do I write the Texas A&M essay?

The Texas A&M supplemental essays will take time to complete. So, the best advice we have is to start your Texas A&M essays early. The Common App opens on August 1st, which is also when the Texas A&M essay prompts become visible. It’s never too early to start planning your responses to the Texas A&M essays! Often picking the topics for your Texas A&M essays can be the most difficult part of the process. Give yourself plenty of time to choose what your Texas A&M supplemental essays will be about.

We also recommend writing multiple drafts of your Texas A&M supplemental essays. And, it’s beneficial to seek help from others throughout the writing process from a teacher, parent, or college advisor. Sharing your Texas A&M essays can help you clarify your ideas and improve the grammar of your writing. And, a trusted editor may catch errors you did not see or offer insights you had not previously thought of. For additional tips and help on writing college essays, check out tips for writing better essays!

Optional Texas A&M Essay

In addition to the required Texas A&M supplemental essays, there is also an optional Texas A&M essay. This is the most open-ended of the Texas A&M essay prompts. It asks students to describe any challenges they have faced, particularly those which may have negatively impacted their academic performance. This is the only one of the Texas A&M supplemental essays that is optional. However, it could still be well worth writing for many students.

The optional prompt for the Texas A&M essays is a great place to explain worrisome aspects of your application. Here, you can address any potential red flags directly with the admissions committee. Perhaps your extracurricular resume is not as strong as those of other applicants. But, that’s because you need to spend time after school taking care of younger siblings while your parents work late. Or, perhaps your grades dipped towards the C-range for a semester while you were dealing with a close personal loss.

This optional choice in the Texas A&M essay prompts gives you the opportunity to provide context. Providing details regarding these unflattering parts of your application can only benefit you. Don’t hesitate to show Texas A&M Admissions why they should still consider you for admission despite these facts.

Is this optional essay really optional?

Many students wonder whether the optional Texas A&M essay is truly optional. We recommend that you complete all the required Texas A&M supplemental essays and also the optional essay if you have a personal challenge that applies to the prompt. Do the optional essay only after you have finished all of the other required Texas A&M supplemental essays. Starting with these essays ensures you are prioritizing the Texas A&M admissions essays that are required for your application. The optional Texas A&M essay can be a helpful addition to your other Texas A&M essays. Especially if you have some extenuating circumstances that affect other areas of your application. 

So yes, the last of the Texas A&M essay prompts is truly optional. But, responding to this prompt is a good way to communicate additional details about your personal situation to the admissions committee. Completing all the Texas A&M essay prompts not only shows the school that you are a hard worker. It can also help them get to know you better and explain any anomalies in your otherwise stellar application.

Are the Texas A&M supplemental essays important?

The Texas A&M supplemental essays are an important part of your Texas A&M admissions application. Your Texas A&M essays are your only opportunity to give Admissions information beyond your grades and extracurricular activities. The Texas A&M essays also provide important information to the admissions committee about your readiness for college. And whether you would be a good fit for the culture of Texas A&M.

Strong responses to the Texas A&M supplemental essays can help increase your chances of admission to Texas A&M. These Texas A&M admissions essays are your golden opportunity to stand out from the rest of the applicants. Plan to spend ample time on your Texas A&M supplemental essays. They’ll likely be the most time-consuming portion of crafting your application.

When are essays for Texas A&M applications due?

Students need to submit their Texas A&M supplemental essays by December 1st. So, be sure to satisfy all of the Texas A&M admissions requirements ahead of the deadline. The deadline is different for students applying for the Early Admission Deadline for the College of Engineering. If that’s you, your Texas A&M admissions essays must be in by October 15th. For more information about the timeline and deadlines for your application, check out their admissions website!

Five Tips for Writing the Texas A&M Essays

Texas A&M University Essay Writing Tips

1. Start early

Because there are so many Texas A&M supplemental essays, get started on them as early as possible. This is especially true if you want to complete all of the Texas A&M essay prompts, including the optional one. You’re probably not going to put all of your best ideas into your first draft of the Texas A&M supplemental essays. Setting aside time for multiple drafts will help strengthen the writing of your Texas A&M admissions essays. 

2. Brainstorm ideas before writing

The Texas A&M admissions essays require personal reflection and thought to answer effectively. Because of this, take time to write down some of the most important events and people in your life. That way, you have a bank of topics from which to pull for your Texas A&M supplemental essays. (And you can choose the very best ones to answer the Texas A&M essay prompts). The Texas A&M essays are not long enough to capture every one of your unique life experiences and qualities. Choosing a few to focus on will help streamline your essays!

3. Show, don’t tell

Following this guideline can strengthen not only your Texas A&M admissions essays but also your writing in general. The idea is to use relevant examples to demonstrate the qualities showcased in your Texas A&M essays. These stories are powerful tools because they do two things. One, they help your reader see the kind of person you’ve become. Two, they provide perspective into the kind of student you would be at Texas A&M.

4. It’s all in the details 

This tip is related to the last, because no personal essay for college would be complete without vivid, specific details. These details help separate your essay from the crowd and allow the reader to transport themselves into your memories. The more descriptive and specific your language, the better your message will come across to your readers. Avoid stringing together several different stories with only surface-level descriptions for each one. When responding to the Texas A&M essay prompts, use as much descriptive language as possible!  

5. Ask for help

The Texas A&M supplemental essays are not easy. Writing college essays is a skill and is very different from writing a paper for class. So, it can be helpful to have some other people that you trust edit and review your essay. They might even catch mistakes in your Texas A&M supplemental essays or see improvements that you would not have considered. Just make sure that anyone you ask for help is not writing the Texas A&M supplemental essays for you! Admissions officers are trained to look for essays written by parents or siblings. Nothing someone else writes will come close to the power of your original, authentic voice.

Texas A&M Supplemental Essays – Final Takeaways

The Texas A&M essays are one of the most difficult parts of the Texas A&M admission requirements. However, with the proper preparation and guidance, anyone can write strong responses to the Texas A&M essay prompts. Any personal essay for college is important. So be sure to put your best foot forward in your Texas A&M supplemental essays. 

We at CollegeAdvisor are here to help you with your Texas A&M admissions essays. Our advisor network includes Texas A&M graduates who have personal experience with writing Texas A&M essays. By signing up for a CollegeAdvisor.com account, you get access to individual coaching for your personal essay for college. (And help from admissions experts and our Essay Editing team!) To register for an account and get help with your Texas A&M supplemental essays, click here.

This essay guide was written by senior advisor, Alex Baggott-Rowe. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.