How to Write a 100-Word College Essay Supplement

Short answer: Write a lot, then edit down to only what earns its place.

Longer answer: Start with a clear sense of the trait or quality you want to reveal. Write one sentence that captures it cleanly. Then expand just enough to give it context — not backstory, not explanation, not qualifiers. Context.

At 100 words, every sentence is load-bearing. The most common mistake is using half the word count to warm up before saying anything. Start in the middle of the thing. Cut the runway.

The edit is where the essay gets written. Most students stop too early.

Fun fact: Think of these as mic drops. One clean idea, landed hard, then silence.