补充文书
School-specific · varies
补充文书是各校单独要求的短文书，用于评估申请人与该校的具体匹配度。
Supplemental Essays are school-specific writing requirements that sit alongside the Common App main essay. Each college sets its own prompts, word limits and number of essays, ranging from a single 50-word short answer to multiple 250-650 word pieces. They let a school assess fit: why this campus, why this major, what you would contribute. Strong supplements require genuine research into each institution and should never be reused verbatim across schools.
五大常见类型：Why School / Why Major / Activity / Community / Diversity。
| Why School (为何选校) | Why this specific college fits your goals; requires named programs, courses, clubs |
| Why Major (为何选专业) | How your academic interest developed and how the school will advance it |
| Activity Essay (活动文书) | A meaningful extracurricular, often 150 words; show impact and reflection |
| Community Essay (社区文书) | Your role in a family, school or local community and what you learned |
| Diversity Essay (多样性文书) | What perspective or background you would add to the campus community |
| Short Answer (短回答) | Very brief (50-200 words) prompts testing voice, curiosity or creativity |
核心是具体到校的研究：列出每个学校独有的资源，避免空泛套话。
讲清"兴趣如何产生—如何发展—未来如何延伸"的脉络。
短回答字数有限，每一句都要有信息量，避免铺垫。
| Cut the throat-clearing (去掉铺垫) | Open with the answer or the action, not "I believe that..." or "In my opinion..." |
| One idea per answer (一题一意) | Do not cram two stories into 100 words; depth in a narrow frame reads better. |
| Voice matters (语气更重要) | In very short prompts, personality and phrasing carry more weight than content. |
| Use the word count (用足字数) | A 50-word limit is a ceiling, but aim close to it; 20 words reads as under-invested. |
| Specific nouns (具体名词) | Name the book, the tool, the city; specifics signal authenticity in tight space. |
| Revise ruthlessly (狠心删改) | Write long, then cut. Every word in a short answer must earn its place. |
先列代表性学校的文书要求框架，后续可逐校扩展。