Brown University

Brown University Supplemental Essay Outlines

Q: Open Curriculum: Describe academic interests that excite you and how you might pursue them at Brown.

Brown University asks applicants to respond in up to 250 words. A complete paragraph-by-paragraph strategy guide for this prompt and a Wiz rough draft are available with AdmitPro Plus, Pro, or Elite.

Q: Growing Up: Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.

Brown University asks applicants to respond in up to 250 words. A complete paragraph-by-paragraph strategy guide for this prompt and a Wiz rough draft are available with AdmitPro Plus, Pro, or Elite.

Q: Growing Up: Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.

Brown University asks applicants to respond in up to 250 words. A complete paragraph-by-paragraph strategy guide for this prompt and a Wiz rough draft are available with AdmitPro Plus, Pro, or Elite.

Q: 3 Words: What three words best describe you?

Brown University asks applicants to respond in up to 3 words. A complete paragraph-by-paragraph strategy guide for this prompt and a Wiz rough draft are available with AdmitPro Plus, Pro, or Elite.

Q: Teach a Class: If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be?

Brown University asks applicants to respond in up to 100 words. A complete paragraph-by-paragraph strategy guide for this prompt and a Wiz rough draft are available with AdmitPro Plus, Pro, or Elite.

Q: Why Brown: In one sentence, Why Brown?

Brown University asks applicants to respond in up to 50 words. A complete paragraph-by-paragraph strategy guide for this prompt and a Wiz rough draft are available with AdmitPro Plus, Pro, or Elite.

Here is our suggested essay outlines for every prompt.

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Essay outlines

Every Brown prompt, outlined

Long Essays

Open Curriculum

250 words

Open Curriculum: Describe academic interests that excite you and how you might pursue them at Brown.

Paragraph 1: The Academic Spark

Best to include a specific, narrative scene of active learning or problem-solving from recent high school years that immediately introduces a localized, narrow question that sparked your academic curiosity.
What not to include is any broad, unrealistic childhood cliche, such as claiming a specific toy permanently decided your career path.
What to avoid is stilted meta-commentary, overused analogies like comparing the Open Curriculum to a buffet, or making puns using the school's name or color.

Paragraph 2: Academic Investigation

Best to include a description of how you pursued your initial interest inside the high school classroom. Explain how you systematically navigated rigorous coursework, a special class project, or independent study, highlighting your specific intellectual growth.
What not to include is a dry recitation of your transcript, classes, or grades.
What to avoid is treating this space as a resume biography, and instead focus entirely on revealing how you think and learn when grappling with difficult concepts.

Paragraph 3: Real World Practice

Best to include details on how you applied your academic interest in practical, real-world settings outside of school, such as self-directed pursuits, community projects, internships, or family responsibilities. Highlight a specific challenge or setback and how you pivoted to show your dynamism and grit.
What not to include is a simple list-dump of extracurricular activities.
What to avoid is the lone hero or savior trap, and instead weave in unexpected personal values to show a complex, ready intellect.

Paragraph 4: Why Brown Fits

Best to include a hyper-specific explanation of how you will pursue your interdisciplinary goals at Brown. Name upper-level courses, specific concentrations, research centers, or designated programs that align with your background.
What not to include is introductory, 100-level courses.
What to avoid is generic flattery about prestige or ranking, and make sure you properly capitalize Open Curriculum.

Paragraph 5: Future Trajectory

Best to include a reflective, forward-looking vision of how your interdisciplinary studies at Brown will prepare you to solve real-world problems and contribute back.
What not to include is any mention of post-graduation salary, parental pressure, or social clout.
What to avoid is a dry recap of the previous paragraphs, and instead close by returning directly to your opening narrative hook or central metaphor.

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Growing Up: Inspiration

250 words

Growing Up: Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.

Paragraph 1: Childhood Scene and Inspiration

Best to include a specific, vivid scene from your family, cultural, or community background that serves as a positive inspiration for your identity.
What not to include is generic introductions like stating your name or where you were born.
What to avoid is starting with stilted essays about how growing up was not always easy, and instead plunge the reader straight into your local environment using microscopic sensory details.

Paragraph 2: Gained Empathy and Lessons

Best to include an earned insight or lesson that you noticed from this environment, showing how you developed empathy, active listening, or patience. Frame your character growth through collaborative moments, such as tutoring younger siblings or resolving community friction.
What not to include is passive descriptions of an inspiring family member where you are not the protagonist.
What to avoid is relying on generic moral labels, cliches, or simple declarations.

Paragraph 3: Personal Growth

Best to include an analysis of how these learned values transformed your perspective and prepared you for a collaborative, residential college community. Focus on how you transitioned from receiving care to taking responsibility for others.
What not to include is details regarding winter or summer homes.
What to avoid is performative perfection, and instead build trust with the reader by showing vulnerability and reflecting on your early mistakes.

Paragraph 4: Contributions to Campus

Best to include concrete connections showing how your upbringing shapes what you will bring to campus life. Name specific student-led organizations, cooperative projects, or active campus spaces at Brown where you plan to engage with peers.
What not to include is generic, widely publicized campus traditions.
What to avoid is offering a strong work ethic or generic resilience as your unique contribution, which fails to distinguish you.

Paragraph 5: Student Body Integration

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Growing Up: Challenge

250 words

Growing Up: Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.

Paragraph 1: Navigating Socioeconomic Challenge

Best to include an immersive, sensory-rich scene of a specific socioeconomic, geographic, or linguistic challenge you navigated within your upbringing. Plunge the reader straight into a real-world setting, such as acting as a translator for non-English speaking parents or managing home responsibilities.
What not to include is general, abstract lists of hardships.
What to avoid is a victim narrative, and instead establish your active agency from the very first line.

Paragraph 2: Developing Resilience

Best to include a detailed explanation of the concrete steps you took to adapt, manage, and grow through this adversity. Highlight your internal cognitive processing and emotional intelligence during this period.
What not to include is a passive description of circumstances.
What to avoid is using empty, standard admissions words to describe your determination, and instead show your resilience in action.

Paragraph 3: Gaining Perspective and Empathy

Best to include a deep reflection on how navigating this challenge rewired your perspective and taught you to value diverse viewpoints. Show intellectual humility and vulnerability by admitting to your early moments of self-doubt, fear, or frustration.
What not to include is cliches like learning the importance of never giving up.
What to avoid is portrayals of standard, absolute success, and instead show your willingness to coexist with different frameworks.

Paragraph 4: Active Peer Contributions

Best to include specific, practical details of how the resilience and emotional maturity you gained will translate to supporting your peers on campus. Identify designated collaborative spaces or support programs at Brown, such as the Kessler Scholars or U-FLi Center, where you will help others.
What not to include is resume repetitions.
What to avoid is generic statements of work ethic, and focus on collaborative peer-level citizenship.

Paragraph 5: Integrating on Campus

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Short Questions

3 Words

3 words

3 Words: What three words best describe you?

Paragraph 1: Personal Words Portrait

Best to include exactly three precise, descriptive, and contrasting words separated by punctuation. You may use compound, hyphenated words to capture highly specific, concrete facets of your life, hobbies, or leadership style.
What not to include is generic admissions terms such as curious, hardworking, resilient, or passionate.
What to avoid is politically divisive terms or overly clever phrases that read as a performative application pitch.

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Teach a Class

100 words

Teach a Class: If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be?

Paragraph 1: Course Topic and Beginning

Best to include a creative, pithy course title and an immediate description of what your students will physically do in week one. Align the subject with your primary academic interests but feature an engaging, interdisciplinary angle.
What not to include is broad, massive subjects like happiness, leadership, or world history.
What to avoid is opening with how much you have always loved teaching and helping others learn.

Paragraph 2: Syllabus Units and Purpose

Best to include a brief outline of specific, creative units and explain the pedagogical method you will use to engage your students. Focus on a question or skill that students will actively debate and analyze rather than memorize.
What not to include is a repackaged list of your extracurricular accomplishments.
What to avoid is naming a course title without ever explaining what happens inside the classroom.

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Why Brown (One Sentence)

50 words

Why Brown: In one sentence, Why Brown?

Paragraph 1: One Sentence Fit

Best to include a single, dense, and highly purposeful sentence that connects your personal academic goals to a specific, unique structural element or resource at Brown. You can use either a targeted deep dive on one research opportunity or a synthesized list of distinct resources.
What not to include is generic praise of Brown's prestige, rankings, or beautiful campus.
What to avoid is lazy, non-original phrases or cliche references to the school color, and make sure it is exactly one sentence.

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