virginia tech supplemental essay prompts

Ut Prosim Profile: 2024-2025 Short Answer Questions

The Ut Prosim Profile is required for all degree-seeking applicants. Each question has a word limit of 120 words for your response. The Ut Prosim Profile is your opportunity to let us get to know you beyond what is on your application or academic materials. We encourage you to use your own voice and answer each prompt as fully as possible. Once you submit your application, your responses to the Ut Prosim Profile questions are final and cannot be updated.

Please take your time to form responses that you feel confident about and help to support your application for admission.

Virginia Tech's motto is "Ut Prosim" which means 'That I May Serve'. Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech?

Virginia Tech’s Principles of Community supports access and inclusion by affirming the dignity and value of every person, respecting differences, promoting mutual understanding and open expression, and strives to eliminate bias and discrimination.   Have you had an experience when you or someone you know were not being included? Did you reach out to anyone for assistance, direction, or resources? Were you able to affect change and/or influence others? Did this experience change your perspective and if so, how?

Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time?

Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from and how do they support your progress as you work on this goal?

Virginia Tech 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Early Action: Nov 15

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 15

The Requirements:  4 short essays of 120 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s):   Community ,  Additional Info

Each of the Ut Prosim Profile questions are required with a limit of 120 words in length per answer. Once you submit your application, your responses to the questions are final and cannot be updated.

Virginia tech’s motto is “ ut prosim ” which means ‘that i may serve’. share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. how long have you been involved what have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at virginia tech.

Chances are, you’ve done some community service at some point in your life, and this prompt asks you to reflect on that experience. The prompt is clear about what it wants you to cover and lays out a basic list of questions that we’d expect you to answer regardless: from details about your involvement to the lessons you’ve taken with you. You only have 120 words, so you will have to cut straight to the chase. In some ways, this is a glorified resume entry, but you can bring it to life by devoting more of your word count to concrete, personal details than a verbatim recitation of the organization’s mission and vision (or worse, a bloated list of clichés related to the value of service). Why do you care so deeply about a particular cause or community? What change do you hope to see in the world? Remember that, fundamentally, community service is not about personal glory or achievement. Did you volunteer at a hospital over the summer? Describe how this affected your beliefs about what doctors owe their patients or why bedside manner is as important as medical knowledge. Have you been fundraising for girls’ education in developing countries? Reflect on what drew you to this cause and how you knew your efforts had paid off. Finally, address about how you’d like to continue your service on Virginia Tech’s campus.

Virginia Tech’s Principles of Community supports access and inclusion by affirming the dignity and value of every person, respecting differences, promoting mutual understanding and open expression, and strives to eliminate bias and discrimination. Reflect on a time when you were not able or allowed to express a different or diverse position or opinion (or you witnessed another person or group experience the same situation)? How did you respond or wish you would have responded? Did your viewpoint change in any way after this experience?

The Virginia Tech admissions committee wants to hear about a time when you were (or someone you know was) silent or silenced while adverse opinions were being discussed. Admissions knows that engaging with others in meaningful conversations about important issues is both intimidating and integral to progress, and we’re not always able to get the words out. If you could do it over again, what would you change? What did you take away from this experience? Maybe your relatives were discussing gun control during Thanksgiving last year, and you watched as your cousin was dismissed for having an adverse option. Do you wish you would have added your two cents and offered your solidarity? Maybe you learned that one of your friends was a passive supporter of an organization that you vehemently disagree with. After mulling it over, did you broach the subject? What was the outcome of your conversation? In order to impress admissions, you just need to show that you’re capable of reflection and bravery when it comes to engaging with those who have different opinions than you. College will present you with a plethora of opportunities to meet and interact with people who are very different from you, so show VT that you’re game to listen, learn, call in, and grow.

Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time?

At a glance, this might seem like a question about leadership, but secretly, it’s about collaboration. Which role do you choose in group situations and how do you connect to others? The greatest challenge may be choosing the right story. Any time you worked or engaged with others is fair game, so don’t restrict yourself merely to your science fair project or the baseball team. This is also a great opportunity to write about a professional experience (your first time working as a hostess!) or even community service (organizing the county coat drive!). Since the word limit is relatively tight, you’ll want to zero in on a specific moment or challenge. And remember that this question is about collaboration; it’s not just about how you paved the way or saved the day, but about how you interacted with and supported a larger group. How did your contribution affect your team’s ultimate success (or failure)? In the end, you should be driving at a lesson that you will be able to carry with you into the future. In other words: an experience that will have a positive impact on your collaborative work at Virginia Tech.

Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from as you work on this goal?

So many questions! We all have goals we hope to achieve in the future, whether that’s learning how to decorate a cake, running for public office, or leading an expedition to space! Describe a goal that you have set for yourself and then let admissions in on how you plan to make that dream a reality. Your response will demonstrate your grit, tenacity, and determination. No goal is too small, so long as you’re showing admissions that you can follow through and challenge yourself. After all, you’ll be setting new goals and accomplishing them as you earn your degree!

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How to Write the Virginia Tech Supplemental Essays 2024–2025

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The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (aka Virginia Tech) values interdisciplinary studies, experiential learning , and service to the community. Their educational model produces many accomplished alumni, including numerous CEOs: Jim Buckmaster of Craigslist, Bridget Ryan Berman of Victoria’s Secret, Clifton C. Garvin of Exxon, and Thomas L. Phillips of Raytheon, among others. Looking to join their ranks? First, you’ll need to nail down your Virginia Tech supplemental essays. Let’s break them down.

Virginia Tech’s 2024-2025 Prompts

Here are the four Virginia Tech supplemental essays. Each one is required, and each has a limit of 120 words. Note that 120 words is approximately half of a page, double-spaced.

Virginia Tech’s motto is “Ut Prosim” which means ‘That I May Serve’. Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech? (120 words or fewer)

Virginia tech’s principles of community support access and inclusion by affirming the dignity and value of every person, respecting differences, promoting mutual understanding and open expression, and strives to eliminate bias and discrimination.  have you had an experience when you or someone you know were not being included did you reach out to anyone for assistance, direction, or resources were you able to affect change and/or influence others did this experience change your perspective and if so, how (120 words or fewer), share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. what specific skills did you contribute to the experience how did others rely on you for guidance what did you learn about yourself during this time (120 words or fewer), describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. what made you set this goal for yourself what is your timeline to achieve this goal who do you seek encouragement or guidance from and how do they support your progress as you work on this goal (120 words or fewer), we’ll review your essay.

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General Tips

The four Virginia Tech supplemental essays ask multi-faceted, in-depth questions. However, you only have 120 words in which to answer all parts of each question. Therefore, it’s important that you write concisely and precisely. In addition, you should continue to re-read the prompts as you work on the essays to make sure that every part of the prompt in question makes it into your essay. There’s no need to re-state the phrasing of the prompts, but you should not leave any aspect of the questions at hand untouched.

Writing concisely is easier said than done. If you’re looking to cut down on your word count in some of the essays, consider the following techniques:

• Avoid passive voice. Although the passive voice is a useful rhetorical technique and often unavoidable, it tends to add extra words to your writing. For instance, the sentence “I was chased by the dog” (passive) requires more words than “The dog chased me” (active).
• Avoid repetition. Avoiding repetition can often be as simple as confirming that each sentence in your essay contains new information. If a given sentence or even phrase contains information communicated elsewhere in the essay, then you might want to consider deleting it. Comb through your essay carefully to find instances of redundancy.
• Avoid descriptive language. Descriptions can make your narrative more vivid and readable, but if they lengthen your essay to the point that you’re over the word limit, then it might be time to cut back. Look for adverbs and adjectives in your essay. Is each one absolutely necessary? If you use multiple descriptive words, is there any way you could get away with just one?
• Read your essay out loud. This strategy is simple but effective. Hearing your words can help you identify illogical transitions and overlong phrases. Additionally, you may notice that you naturally skip over certain words in your writing when reading it aloud. If so, these words may not be necessary for your essay to function.

Virginia Tech Short Essay Questions

The admissions team at Virginia Tech isn’t just seeking to admit intelligent, motivated individuals. Instead, they are seeking to build a well-rounded, diverse community of students. In this essay, you are expected to demonstrate how you have contributed to the communities in your life. An effective essay response will demonstrate to the reader that you will continue to be a contributing community member at Virginia Tech.

When the admissions team poses this question, they also provide insight regarding Virginia Tech’s values. In short, Virginia Tech values service to others. You can imagine this value broadly, from literal community service and civil service to the intangible impacts of leading your life with empathy and respect for others. In other words, your response to this prompt doesn’t need to be limited to traditional definitions of service.

After you’ve briefly described your service experience, you will need to express what you have learned and how you will bring those lessons to Virginia Tech. Essentially, the admissions team is looking for the ways your service experiences have helped you become a better community member. Consider the times when you have acted in service of others. Who were you before that service, and who were you afterward? Describe that transition in your essay clearly and concisely.

In order to effectively write this essay, you will need to do a bit of research. Read about Virginia Tech’s Principles of Community to prepare yourself to write this essay. In summary, these principles expect mutual respect for all community members. This mutual respect extends diversity, freedom of expression, and, of course, inclusion.

In your essay, you are expected to recount an experience in your life when these Principles of Community were not upheld. In that moment, either yourself or someone else was the victim of exclusion. Define what exclusion means to you, and the context of the exclusionary act.

Ideally, you are the focus of this essay, not someone else. Because this is one of your college essays, it is one of your opportunities to show the reader who you are. Writing about someone else can only give the reader a partial view into your character. That said, if you do not have any experiences that align with the prompt’s expectations, you can describe an occasion when you witnessed someone else’s experience and exercised empathy in understanding their experience. If you were able to actively improve the exclusionary situation, even better. In your essay, be sure to detail the actions you took to resolve or improve the situation.

Note that this narrative can be an experience of failure and/or a time when you learned a lesson. The prompt asks, “Were you able to affect change and/or influence others?” In other words, you need to reflect on this experience and your reaction, and whether your reaction was genuinely impactful. It doesn’t need to have been a perfect response, as long as you learned from the experience. Throughout life, we will all face adversity and make mistakes. What distinguishes people is their response to adversity and ability to learn from their mistakes. That’s what the Virginia Tech admissions team is seeking in your response.

In sum, what was your response to this situation, and what could be improved upon? What were your takeaways? If you wished you behaved differently in that moment, then you have evidently learned a life lesson from the experience. Showing your growth in this essay will evidence your maturity to the reader. As long as you write authentically, this essay will successfully show who you are to the admissions team.

This prompt seeks to understand who you are as a leader. While the prior two prompts sought to understand you as a community member or team player, this essay question seeks a different side of you. Remember, you’re not restricted to discussing traditional leadership roles in this essay. Any occasion when others looked up to you or you guided the trajectory of a project, group, event, etc., could work for this essay.

This is not just one question, it’s three, so you’ll need to budget your words wisely. For instance, you could spend approximately 30 words describing a time when you were a leader or role model, 30 words about the skills you brought to the table, 30 words about how others relied on you, and finish up with 30 words of reflection regarding the lessons you learned.

Of course, if you find that some of these parts of the essay require fewer words, then you’ll have more to devote to the other parts. That said, this multilayered prompt will definitely benefit from some forethought given the amount of content you’re expected to pack in. An outline can help you organize your ideas before you begin writing.

Whether an outline is your speed or not, you should focus on just one moment in your essay. Attempting to squeeze too much into such a short essay will just leave your ideas undeveloped. Moreover, the prompt expects you to share “a time,” versus a few times. If you’re having trouble deciding which experience to write about, make a short list of the ideas you’re torn between. Then, free-write a few different drafts, one for each idea. After doing so, you will likely notice that some ideas speak to you more than others or translate to page more fluidly than others.

As the Virginia Tech admissions team evaluates your application, they look for signs that you will succeed as a college student. Successful college students manage complex, long-term academic assignments alongside their social lives, extracurricular activities, and self-care. In order to identify the best candidates for admission, Virginia Tech’s admissions officers hope to understand how their applicants handle difficult projects.

While brainstorming for this essay, you may want to make a list of the different projects or achievements that have been significant for you in your high school years. Perhaps you learned to play an instrument, wrote a novel, or fixed your mom’s car. Alternatively, you may have completed a meaningful independent research project, won an athletic event, or founded a club at your school. Whatever goal you choose to discuss, make sure it’s something that was important to you.

Like the last prompt, this one may benefit from an outline and careful budgeting of your words. In this essay, you’ll also need to address four topics. First, what did you achieve? Second, why did you pursue this project? Third, how much time did it take to complete this project? Fourth, who has supported you in this endeavor? Note that this project could be ongoing.

Most importantly, be specific in your response. Focus on one project, achievement, goal, or other endeavor in your essay. Budget your words carefully, and be sure to address all aspects of the prompt. You’ve got this!

If you need help polishing up your Virginia Tech supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.

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2022-23 Virginia Tech Essay Prompts and Tips

July 21, 2022

Unlike many other public institutions with notable strengths in the areas of business, computer science, and engineering, Virginia Tech’s acceptance rate does not yet strike fear into the hearts of prospective applicants (although it has fallen from 70% to 58% in the past two years). However, it is important for wanna-be Hokies to be aware that the admissions process at this university is becoming highly-selective. This is particularly true for the aforementioned popular majors. Thus, prospective Virginia Tech students need to take advantage of every component of the application in order to stand out. This includes the Virginia Tech supplemental essays.

 (Want to learn more about How to Get Into Virginia Tech? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into Virginia Tech: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

Virginia Tech’s motto “Ut Prosim” is Latin for “That I May Serve”. The school requires all undergraduates to complete the “Ut Prosim Profile” which consists of four service-related essay prompts. These essays are “very important” to the admissions committee. Therefore, it is vital that all Tech applicants dedicate a significant amount of time to these short answer questions.

Below are Virginia Tech’s supplemental prompts for the 2022-23 admissions cycle along with our advice for composing winning essays.

2022-2023 University of Virginia Tech Essay Questions

Prompt 1:  virginia tech’s motto is “ut prosim” which means ‘that i may serve’. share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. how long have you been involved what have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at virginia tech (120 words).

The term “community” can have many meanings. In this instance, it could be an ethnic, religious, or neighborhood community or a group of individuals who gather for a club, sport, or service project. Pretty much everyone applying to Virginia Tech is deeply involved in some semblance of a “community”. Perhaps you are the captain of a team, the editor-in-chief of your school paper, or the president of a club. On the other hand, you may simply be a valuable contributing member. Regardless of whether you are a leading man/woman or a still-essential bit player, make sure that you use your writing ability to show the admissions officer what type of community member you are rather than merely telling them.

You can also discuss how you have engaged with your high school local/community and what you have learned from interacting with people of a different ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual identity, etc. Draw on past evidence of your commitment to being a positive force in your community and speculate how that is likely to manifest on Virginia Tech’s campus. Research and cite Virginia Tech student-run organizations or local nonprofit groups. The admissions committee wants to understand precisely how you will contribute to their campus community of 30,000+ undergrads. Drawing the link between your past efforts and future aims is critical here.

For example, if you’ve done work with Habitat for Humanity throughout your teens, it will be most impactful if you express your commitment to joining Tech’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity in the future.

Prompt 2:  Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt and learn from a difficulty. Reflect on a time that you have exhibited resilience. What growth did you see in yourself after this experience? (120 words)

Colleges like students who demonstrate grit, perseverance, and resilience as these qualities typically lead to success in a postsecondary environment. No matter what type of example you offer, demonstrating these admirable traits can do wonders for your admissions prospects. Challenges can be anything from disabilities, depression, anxiety, or attentional to a tumultuous event like: you moved in the middle of junior year, the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with your activities, your parents got divorced, a grandparent passed away, or any number of other personal/family traumas one can name.

Remember that the problem/roadblock itself is just a prelude to a recounting of your resilient actions. Even with a fairly tight 120-word count, be sure to answer the final part of the question. Sum up how you grew as a result of this experience. Be as emotionally honest and nuanced as possible. Trust us—the admissions reader will appreciate your honest thoughts (even if they are a bit scary to share) more than clichés and platitudes.

Prompt 3:  Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time? (120 words)

Leadership is an admirable quality, but it can manifest in many different forms. This essay is not only for those who captained a varsity team to a state title, started a charitable organization, or made sweeping changes as student body president. Teamwork and collaboration are also valued leadership skills both in academia and in the workplace, and students with strong interpersonal skills and a high EQ can be an asset to any university. Think beyond the title that you may have held and more about the action(s) of which you are most proud.

To sum up, this essay is about leadership, broadly defined. You can chronicle anything from mentoring others on your debate team to a simple instance of conflict resolution within your peer group. Along the way, just make sure that you provide answers to each question embedded in the prompt. This includes what you learned about yourself through this role modeling/leadership moment.

Prompt 4:  Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from as you work on this goal? (120 words)

Through this prompt, Virginia Tech wants to know more about your goal-setting, work ethic, and level of executive functioning. Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that becoming a master or expert at anything takes 10,000 hours of practice. Consider talking about the grind and sacrifice it will take you to become great at a given skill. Further, explain how you see that skill becoming even more finely-tuned/developed over time. If this goal fits into your future academic/career plans, all the better—share that too! As with the other three prompts, #4 packs in a lot of questions into a single prompt.

Ultimately, you’ll need to produce a well-edited, concise piece of writing that chronicles not only your goal, the steps you will take to achieve it, the timeline of the steps, but also who will help you along the way. Answering the last question is key in showing that you are a mature learner who understands that you will need mentorship, assistance, and other resources along the path toward achieving your dreams.

How important are the Virginia Tech supplemental essays?

The essays are “very important” to the Virginia Tech admissions committee. This places them the same tier of importance as the rigor of your coursework, GPA, first-generation status, geographical residence, state residency, and race/ethnicity.

Want Personalized Essay Assistance?

Lastly, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Virginia Tech supplemental essays, we encourage you to get a quote  today.

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Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).

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4 Tips for Writing Stellar Virginia Tech Essays

College Essays

Are you hoping to be part of Virginia Tech's next matriculating class? If so, you'll need to write strong Virginia Tech essays to supplement your application.

All Virginia Tech applicants are required to answer four short answer questions as part of their application. In this article, we'll break down what the Virginia Tech essays are and what the admissions committee is looking for in your answer.

Why Does Virginia Tech Require Applicants to Answer Essays?

Virginia Tech requires all applicants to answer four short answer questions. If you're applying to the Honors College, your answers will also be shared with the Honors College admissions committee. You don't need to answer any separate questions as an applicant to the Virginia Tech Honors College.

The Virginia Tech essays are designed for the admissions committee to get a better sense of who you are, both as a student and a person. The short answers questions ask about your character, leadership, and goals. The admissions committee will use your answers to better understand you as a person—who are you? What do you care about? How will you fit in on Virginia Tech's campus?

It's important to put some serious effort into your Virginia Tech essays so that you represent yourself well to the admissions committee. These essays are your chance to present a well-rounded version of yourself that makes the admissions committee say, "We have to admit this student!"

What Are the Virginia Tech Essays?

Virginia Tech requires that every applicant answer four short answer questions. These short answer questions are just that—short! Each has a word limit of 120 words. Let's take a look at the 2022-2023 essay questions:

#1: Virginia Tech's motto is "Ut Prosim" which means 'That I May Serve'. Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech?

#2: Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt and learn from a difficulty. Reflect on a time that you have exhibited resilience. What growth did you see in yourself after this experience?

#3: Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time?

#4: Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from and how do they support your progress as you work on this goal?

Virginia Tech Essays, Analyzed

Now that we know what the Virginia Tech essays are, let's break down how to answer each one as best as possible.

Since the Virginia Tech essays are so short, the key is to be super targeted in your responses. For each prompt, we'll break down what the essay is asking and how you can tailor your response to make sure it's what the admissions committee wants to hear.

Essay Question 1

Virginia Tech's motto is "Ut Prosim" which means 'That I May Serve'. Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech?

This essay question is asking about your involvement or service with a specific community. The admissions committee is looking for you to demonstrate a genuine commitment to a cause —what the cause is doesn't matter as much as the fact that you genuinely care about it.

To start, think about the communities that are important to you. This could be your family, neighborhood, school, place of worship, a club, etc. Then think about how you've worked to have a positive impact  there. Finally, consider the lessons you've learned from helping the community that you'll bring with you to Virginia Tech. 

You should pick a community that you've made real, lasting change at. Don't choose something that sounds the best if you haven't actually done a lot for them. For instance, if you were a member of your school's Habitat for Humanity club but didn't actually attend very many meetings, don't talk about how meaningful it was to build houses for disadvantaged people just because you think it sounds nice. Any insincerity in your application will be very obvious.

Essay Question 2

Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt and learn from a difficulty. Reflect on a time that you have exhibited resilience. What growth did you see in yourself after this experience?

This second question can seem intimidating—you'll need to reflect on a tough time and analyze how you grew as a person because of it.

Fortunately, this doesn't need to be an all-out catastrophe that happened in your life. Anything that you found a challenge but were able to overcome and learn from is fair game. For example, you could discuss not making the school basketball team, even though it was your dream to play on it, then deciding to rededicate yourself to practicing so you wouldn't let this failure define you. 

Your goal isn't to impress the admissions committee with the most tragic tale they've seen, but instead to show how you learn and grow from challenges.  So, as you're writing, keep the actual description of the setback short and focus most of your response on how you showed resilience because of it.

Essay Question 3

Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time?

This prompt wants to know two things: first, have you taken on the responsibility of leading other people? Second, what did it teach you about yourself?

The admissions committee wants to know that you don't shy away from mentorship roles and growth opportunities. You don't have to be president of a club or captain of a sports team to demonstrate leadership. Perhaps you took on the role of project coordinator for a classroom project or are section leader of a few instrumentalists in the band. The size of the role isn't as important as the scope of your influence—how did your choices and actions influence others as well as your perception of yourself?

The question also specifically asks you to explain how you relied on others for guidance, so be sure to make it clear that you weren't just making decisions unilaterally. In this essay, you want to show that you're capable of making decisions, but also that you're capable of cooperation and self-reflection.

Essay Question 4

Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from and how do they support your progress as you work on this goal?

The final Virginia Tech short essay question assesses your commitment to growth. Notice that the question asks about a personal goal—that means you don't have to pick something lofty or world-changing. You just have to pick something that resonates with you.

Maybe you decided to wake up 30 minutes earlier every day so you can meditate or do yoga before school. Maybe you made it a goal to complete all of your essays two days before they were due so you could revise your work. Maybe you made it a goal to try a sport this year when you normally hate sports.

Whatever your goal is, you want to demonstrate that you're capable of self-reflection and of positive growth —that you're constantly assessing how to better yourself.

You also want to show humility in this prompt—that you can rely on or ask for help from others when you need it. The admissions committee doesn't expect that you'll have all the answers yourself. They want to see that you can collaborate with and learn from others when you need to.

Tips for Answering Your Virginia Tech Essays

Follow these general tips for making sure that your Virginia Tech essays are as strong as possible.

#1: Demonstrate Growth and Self-Reflection

Virginia Tech places a strong emphasis on service and self-reflection. These qualities are reflected in the choices of essay topics.

You should demonstrate these qualities in your answers. Show that you're constantly working to better yourself. Demonstrate humility and understanding. Virginia Tech wants students who will grow on their campus—not ones who will matriculate already thinking they're perfect.

#2: Be Honest and Sincere

All of the experiences that you outline in your Virginia Tech essays should be real—they need to have actually happened to you.

It can be tempting to lie about or exaggerate your experiences to make them seem more impressive. Don't do this!

First of all, lying on your application is a major ethics violation and can get you in some pretty serious trouble if you're caught.

Second all, insincerity will be super obvious. The admissions committee reads thousands of applications every year. They can easily sniff out people who are lying. Be as honest as possible in your Virginia Tech essays and remember—they WANT to hear about how you've grown.

#3: Proofread!

It should go without saying, but your Virginia Tech essays should be the best examples of your work possible. Don't just write your essays and be done with them. Take the time to formulate an answer and then go back and edit it. Make sure to proofread and run your work through a spelling or grammar checker to ensure it's polished.

#4: Get a Second Opinion

Getting a second opinion on your work can be a helpful way to assess whether your Virginia Tech essays are demonstrating your best qualities. Ask someone to read your work who really knows you, so they can tell you whether or not you're underselling yourself or missing a key feature of your personality that the admissions committee should know.

That being said, there's a fine line between getting a second opinion and plagiarism. It's okay to ask for someone's opinion on your work. It's not okay to steal their ideas and pass them off as your own. Make sure you're doing the former, not the latter.

Recap: Responding to the Virginia Tech Essay Prompts

The Virginia Tech essays are designed to show who you are as a student and how you'll fit in on Virginia Tech's campus.

• Be honest and sincere.
• Highlight opportunities you've taken to grow and change.
• Edit and proofread your work to make sure it's as strong as possible.
• Lie or over exaggerate to make yourself seem better.
• Steal anyone else's ideas.
• Sweat the short answers too much. They're important, but they won't make or break your chances at admission to Virginia Tech.

What's Next?

Want to know how to make your extracurriculars stand out even more? Check out this guide to four amazing extracurricular activities and learn why they're so impressive to colleges.

Thinking of applying to other great schools like Princeton , Brown , or Columbia ? Then be sure to check out our guides to learn how you can write amazing essays for these schools' supplements.

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Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females.

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Mastering Virginia Tech's Supplemental Essays for 2024 Admissions

Applying to Virginia Tech? You're in the right place! Virginia Tech’s 2024 application process includes a set of supplemental essays designed to give the admissions committee deeper insight into who you are as a person and a community member. Let's dive into how to approach these prompts and make your application stand out!

Essay Prompt 1: "Ut Prosim" - That I May Serve

Prompt: Virginia Tech’s motto is "Ut Prosim" which means 'That I May Serve'. Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech? (120 words)

Advice: Highlight your commitment to a community that resonates with you, whether it's local, online, or even within your school. Be specific about your role and experiences. What leadership positions have you taken? How have your experiences shaped your understanding of service? Try using Sups AI to brainstorm impactful stories and get feedback on your narrative. Remember, Virginia Tech wants to see how you’ll continue this ethos on their campus.

Essay Prompt 2: Principles of Community

Prompt: Virginia Tech’s Principles of Community supports access and inclusion by affirming the dignity and value of every person, respecting differences, promoting mutual understanding and open expression, and strives to eliminate bias and discrimination. Have you had an experience when you or someone you know were not being included? Did you reach out to anyone for assistance, direction, or resources? Were you able to affect change and/or influence others? Did this experience change your perspective and if so, how? (120 words)

Advice: This prompt is about showing empathy, leadership, and a commitment to inclusion. Reflect on a specific instance where you stood up for someone or helped to create a more inclusive environment. What actions did you take? How did you collaborate with others? Use these details to demonstrate your proactive nature. If you're struggling with articulating this experience, use Sups AI for one-on-one chats with current students who can offer insight and guidance.

Essay Prompt 3: A Proud Moment

Prompt: Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time? (120 words)

Advice: Showcasing a proud moment is about more than just the outcome. Focus on your leadership skills and the impact you had on others. Think about a time when you managed a project, led a team, or supported a friend in need. Use Sups AI to identify key experiences and refine your essay. Make sure your story reflects personal growth and the qualities that Virginia Tech values in its students.

Essay Prompt 4: Goal Setting

Prompt: Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from and how do they support your progress as you work on this goal? (120 words)

Advice: This prompt is an opportunity to showcase your ambition, planning skills, and persistence. Start by defining a clear, specific goal. Outline the practical steps you’ll take to achieve it and the support system you’ve built around yourself. Use Sups AI for brainstorming sessions and receiving iterative feedback on your essay. Ensuring your response is well-structured and reflects your determination will leave a lasting impression on the admissions committee.

Virginia Tech’s supplemental essays are your chance to showcase your unique experiences, ambitions, and the values that align with the institution. Start early, refine your drafts, and consider using Sups AI to elevate your application with personalized support from experts and current students. Good luck!

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Virginia Tech Supplemental Essays Guide: 2021-2022

Not sure how to write Virginia Tech supplemental essays? CollegeAdvisor.com ’s guide to the Virginia Tech application essays will show you exactly how to write engaging Virginia Tech essays and maximize your chances of admission. If you need help crafting your Virginia Tech supplemental essays, create your free account or schedule a free advising consultation by calling (844) 343-6272.

Virginia Tech Essay Guide Quick Facts:

• Virginia Tech’s acceptance rate is 67% 
• U.S. News considers Virginia Tech a selective school.
• Virginia Tech is ranked #75 on the U.S. News ‘ list of National Universities .

Does Virginia Tech Have any Supplemental Essays?

Yes. In addition to the personal statement that you will write for the Common App or the Coalition App , you’ll also answer four Virginia Tech essay prompts. The Virginia Tech essay questions are designed for the admissions committee to get a better sense of who you are as a student, peer, and person.

Need some help writing your Common App essay? Get great tips from our Common App essay guide .  

How Many Essays does Virginia Tech Require?

You must answer four Virginia Tech essay questions when you complete your application. Each of the Virginia Tech essay questions requires a response of no more than 120 words. It is just as challenging to write a short essay as it is to write a long essay, so take time to brainstorm, outline, draft, and revise each of your four Virginia Tech supplemental essays. There should be a targeted message in each of your Virginia Tech essays. 

What are the Essays for Virginia Tech?

The Virginia Tech application essays for Virginia Tech are about four topics: service, resilience, leadership, and goals. Each of the Virginia Tech essay prompts is relatively broad. This gives you lots of freedom and flexibility to choose your topic and articulate the story you tell in each of your Virginia Tech supplemental essays. At 120 words each, your Virginia Tech essays must be clear and concise. 

How do I Write the Essays for Virginia Tech: Question 1

Prompt 1: Virginia Tech’s motto is “Ut Prosim” which means ‘That I May Serve’. Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech? (120 words)

Question #1 of the Virginia Tech supplemental essays is a bit of a twist on the classic community service essay. Since the school incorporates its motto into the prompt, you will also want to look at the school’s core values and mission statement. These will help you learn what should be reflected in your Virginia Tech application essays. 

“Community” is defined very broadly. Successful Virginia Tech essays can be written about families, teams, project groups, neighborhoods, religious groups, or any other group of people with whom you spend your time. The key to writing a strong Virginia Tech supplemental essay is to choose a community that is important to you. The best Virginia Tech supplemental essays show how you have been an active member of your community. Through your Virginia Tech supplemental essays establish clearly how you would be an active member of communities on campus.

Address each part

This prompt asks that you include a few specific details in your Virginia Tech supplemental essays: how long you have been involved, what you learned, and how you would share it at Virginia Tech. The best Virginia Tech essays will not only answer these but also discuss the “why.” Why do you choose to spend time impacting this community in particular? In your Virginia Tech supplemental essays, articulate how what you do has shaped who you are.

Importantly, this prompt is not asking you to describe the community in your Virginia Tech application essays. Rather, you should discuss your role in the community in-depth. How has your involvement transformed you? How have you transformed the community? Service is inherently about others, but your 120-word Virginia Tech supplemental essays should contain vivid stories that illustrate your qualities and character traits. 

Connecting your cause

What cause are you committed to? This is the essential question that effective Virginia Tech supplemental essays will answer. Then, you can connect your passions to opportunities at Virginia Tech. Perhaps, you could highlight an initiative or two that you would get involved in through VT Engage or in volunteer opportunities in Roanoke in your Virginia Tech supplemental essays.  In your Virginia Tech essays, make an authentic connection between what you do now and what activities and organizations you plan to be involved in at Virginia Tech. 

In this and all your responses to the Virginia Tech essay questions, avoid writing a monologue on the meaning of service in general or using cliche examples and phrases. Also, be sure to hone in on a specific and personal story in your Virginia Tech essays. This should not be a laundry list of your community service endeavors. 

Essay Draft Key Questions:

• Do you answer all parts of the Virginia Tech essay questions in your essay? 
• Does your essay tell a compelling story?
• Do you clearly establish your “why” in your essay?
• Does the reader learn what is important to you through your Virginia Tech application essays?

How do I write the essays for Virginia Tech: Question 2

Prompt 2: Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt and learn from a difficulty. Reflect on a time that you have exhibited resilience. What growth did you see in yourself after this experience? (120 words)

This Virginia Tech application essay is almost identical to the common ‘overcoming challenges’ essay archetype, but with an emphasis on resilience. The best Virginia Tech application essays that answer this prompt will be authentic; the adversity that you overcame does not have to be traumatic or monumental. 

How you handled the challenge is more important than what the challenge was. So, don’t force a topic into your Virginia Tech supplemental essays. Your Virginia Tech essays will be better if you discuss a low-stakes challenge authentically than if you fabricate a high-stakes challenge that doesn’t have implications for your character, skills, or growth. 

Be specific and personal to make your Virginia Tech application essays stand out among the many other qualified applicants. Illustrate the traits and skills that you showed in your resilience. What motivates you? What enabled you to persevere? Your choice of topic is one way to stand out in your Virginia Tech essays, but so is your ability to write about your chosen topic. 

The best Virginia Tech application essays will incorporate elements of vulnerability and transparency. Before drafting your responses to this and each of the Virginia Tech essay prompts, take time to reflect on how your essay conveys your values. Also, remember that rarely do we overcome adversity alone. In your Virginia Tech essays, you can write about how you relied on others as part of being resilient.

Virginia Tech supplemental essays answering this prompt are only 120 words, so let’s talk about structure. In your Virginia Tech essays, take a few sentences to lay the foundation, elaborate descriptively on your story, and emphasize the “so what?” — why does it matter? 

The best way to maximize the 120 word limit in your responses to the Virginia Tech essay prompts is to show instead of tell. Use vivid descriptions instead of simple narration to make the reader feel like they are part of your story. How did you feel? What was your environment like? Who did you interact with? 

Avoid overused cliche examples such as losing a sports game or getting a bad grade unless you can make them extremely unique and personal. 

• Do you show instead of tell your message in your Virginia Tech supplemental essays?
• Is your choice of topic specific and personal?
• Do you focus more on your resilience in handling the challenge than the challenge itself?
• Did you thoroughly proofread your Virginia Tech essays for grammar and content?

How do I write the essays for Virginia Tech: Question 3

Prompt 3: Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time? (120 words)

When choosing your topic to write about for this Virginia Tech supplemental essay, you can discuss being a role model through one of several avenues: influencing others, leadership, resolving a dispute, or contributing to group goals. You have a lot of freedom when answering the Virginia Tech essay prompts! Think about a situation in which you took an active role in a group setting among peers, adults, or your family. In your Virginia Tech essays, highlight how your leadership demonstrates your problem-solving abilities and other character traits. 

When writing your Virginia Tech application essays, don’t worry if you don’t have an official leadership title such as president of a club or student council representative. Virginia Tech does not expect that every leader has a title. The impact you had in your role is significantly more important to discuss in your Virginia Tech supplemental essays than the title or size of the role you held. 

Different kinds of leadership

The leadership you discuss in your response to the Virginia Tech essay questions can be academic, professional, social, or otherwise. Regardless of the type of leadership you choose to discuss, the best Virginia Tech essays will reveal what role you play in group settings and how you build connections with those around you. 

The secret to this one of the Virginia Tech essay prompts is that it’s about collaboration more than leadership. After all, what is a leader without people to lead and other leaders to work with? The stories you select to write about for your Virginia Tech application essays should reveal how your leadership is cooperative in nature; you’re not in it alone!

Though you will inevitably write about other people in your Virginia Tech essay prompts, make sure that you are focusing on your own redeeming qualities and traits. 

• Do you discuss leadership in a collaborative way in your Virginia Tech supplemental essays?
• Do your Virginia Tech admissions essays reveal redeeming qualities about your character?
• Does your choice of topic enable you to highlight your leadership style?
• Do you fully answer all parts of the Virginia Tech essay prompt?

How do I write the essays for Virginia Tech: Question 4

Prompt 4: Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from as you work on this goal? (120 words)

In your Virginia Tech supplemental essays for this prompt, you can write about many types of goals. You are not limited to just academic goals! Perhaps you have career goals, personal goals, or others. Interestingly, this prompt asks you for a goal that you are currently working toward achieving. Therefore, in your Virginia Tech essays, you must be able to articulate the steps that you are taking — not ones you plan to take or already took.

Another consideration when choosing which goal to write about for your Virginia Tech supplemental essays is the message that the goal and your progress send about what type of person, peer, and student you are. How does what you strive for show who you are?

Don’t forget the “why”

The Virginia Tech essay prompts you with guiding questions: What is your motivation? What is your timeline? Who do you seek help from? But, the most important question is implied: Why? In your Virginia Tech essays, fully answer each of these questions while demonstrating your commitment to learning and growing. 

You should not feel pressure to talk strictly about your academic and career goals in any of your Virginia Tech essays. However, of these Virginia Tech essay questions, that discussion likely fits in this one the most seamlessly. Nevertheless, you should not choose to write about your future plans if they are not clearly articulated or you are applying relatively undecided. With more than 150 majors and 130 minors to choose from, one likely aligns with your interests and goals. Investigate which clubs , classes , and research opportunities could fit your goals.

Whether you choose to write about an academic, personal, social, or another goal in your Virginia Tech essay questions, tell a compelling story about your motivations and aspirations. Help the admissions committee learn more about who you are in a way that your other Virginia Tech essays have not yet revealed.

• In your Virginia Tech essays, do you clearly articulate your goal?
• Is your goal one that you are currently pursuing?
• Do you clearly and concisely answer all parts of the question in 120 words or less?

Additional tips for Virginia Tech essays

In each of your responses to the Virginia Tech essay questions, strive to be honest and sincere while demonstrating growth and reflection. You only have 120 words to use in your response to each of the Virginia Tech essay prompts, so carefully consider the purpose of each word and sentence. Ultimately, aim for your Virginia Tech essays to be meaningful and memorable.

In combination with your Common App or Coalition App personal statement, your Virginia Tech essay prompts will round out the full package of your application. Consider how you can reveal another side of yourself in each of your essays responding to the Virginia Tech essay prompts. If you are applying to the Honors College, that admissions committee will also review your Virginia Tech supplemental essays. 

Virginia Tech Supplemental Essays — Final Thoughts

Before submitting your application, re-read your application and think about how the Virginia Tech admissions team will perceive each aspect of it. Make sure that your Virginia Tech supplement essays say something about you that the reader doesn’t learn in other parts of your application. 

The Virginia Tech essay prompts are only slightly altered from last year’s version, so it is clear that the school values the responses you write in each of your Virginia Tech supplemental essays. Clearly and concisely show the admissions readers who you are through your Virginia Tech essays. Highlight what will make you a star college student. Good luck!

This 2021-2022 essay guide on Virginia Tech was written by Caroline Marapese , Notre Dame ‘20. For more CollegeAdvisor.com resources on Virginia Tech, click here . Want help crafting your Virginia Tech supplemental essays? Create your free account or schedule a free advising consultation by calling (844) 343-6272.

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The Ultimate Guide to the Virginia Tech Supplemental Essays

If you’re here looking for a guide on how to write the Virginia Tech supplemental essays, you’re in luck! This guide deconstructs everything you need to know to answer each of the Virginia Tech prompts well and stand out from the rest of the admissions pool.

But, before we get to that, we’ll need to cover some important statistics.

In particular, we want to demonstrate just how important the Virginia Tech supplemental essays are to the admissions process.

Here’s a hint: it’s more important now than ever before.

We’ll be using two points: the acceptance rate through the Data Commons and the Common Data Set.

First, let’s see what the VT Data Commons has to say about acceptance rates over time.

Within the past 5 years, the admissions rate for Virginia Tech decreased by 13.1%. They also received 17,898 more applications.

In the past 2 years, the number of students applying has spiked up significantly; so, you can be sure that you’ll be competing against more students now than ever before.

With that said, the essays are going to be one of the only parts of the application where you can truly use your words to stand out from the admissions process.

Think about it like this: practically every part of your application is going to be based on numbers and letter grades. One of the only parts showing who you are beyond grades is your VT supplemental essays and descriptions in your extracurricular list.

If you want to have a solid shot at getting accepted, you’re going to need to write solid essays. And, we’re going to show you exactly how to do that below.

Table of Contents

Virginia Tech Essay Prompts

How to answer virginia tech’s ut proism prompt., how to answer virginia tech’s resilience prompt., how to answer virginia tech’s role model and leadership prompt., how to answer virginia tech’s goal and plan to achieve it prompt., virginia tech essay examples..

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One of the interesting things you’ll notice is that Virginia Tech has a very, very short word count for each of its essay prompts.

This limits you in how much you can really say.

Now, does that detract from its importance in the application process? No. Does it mean you’ll have a much harder time writing an essay that will stand out from the rest of the admissions pool? Yes.

That’s why you can’t stand out in the Virginia Tech supplemental essays without also writing something creative and unique for each of the prompts.

It’s going to take a little bit of work. But, it’s certainly worth it.

Each of the  Ut Prosim  Profile questions are required with a limit of 120 words in length per answer. Once you submit your application, your responses to the questions are final and cannot be updated. Virginia Tech’s motto is “Ut Prosim” which means ‘That I May Serve’. Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you.  How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech? Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt and learn from a difficulty. Reflect on a time that you have exhibited resilience.  What growth did you see in yourself after this experience? Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership.  What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time? Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it.  What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from as you work on this goal? Virginia Tech Ut Prosim Supplemental Essay Prompts.

Tips on How to Write Each of the Virginia Tech Supplemental Essays.

The keywords here are “serve” and “community.”

Often, students will approach this far too simply. They’ll think of “serve” as “helping” and “community” as their physical location’s population such as their residential city or town.

But, remember: you need to approach the admissions essays from an unconventional and unorthodox perspective in order to stand out. This is the best way to stand out.

So, perhaps “serving” can mean more than just planting trees or donating to the homeless. You may want to think of some of the other ways your activities come to “serve” the community. Chances are, your actions have served the community more than just what you’ve done on the outside.

For instance, if you planted trees, you’ve served your community not just saving the environment. You’ve also beautified your city and contributed to the artistic vision of your area. In addition, your work also helps the overall atmosphere feel more alive and positive for students, parents, business owners, and future residents to come. Think and consider all the dimensions that your work benefits the community.

Secondly, there’s the word “community.”

Again, you’re not just limited to the physical community in you’re area. It can also include the community in abstraction. Do you belong to a group of people who all enjoy or like a certain group of musicians such as K-pop groups? Or, perhaps, you belong to the gaming community. They may be more abstract and span across the whole world. But, they’re still a community and not limited to the physical restraints that so commonly constitute college essays.

Also, if you do in fact belong to these two communities, you may want to consider reading our sister articles on writing your college essays about K-Pop here and gaming here .

This essay prompt is more straightforward. However, we believe this is one of the stronger essay prompts to answer.

We would argue that this topic is an easier one to write about compared to the other ones because it gives you both a moment of adversity and growth to write about. This is fantastic, as the admissions office can therefore see how you adapt to challenges over time and use that as a measurement of your success in their school.

Now, that also presents you with a problem. Other students will also write fantastic resilience essays.

Therefore, the question is this: how do we show our resilience is stronger than that of other students?

Well, you don’t!

Resilience is not an objective measurement that can be compared in the same way that the level of adversity and difficulty can’t be compared between others. Everyone endures adversity differently.

For instance, one may find cleaning their room to be a simple mundane chore; but, a person with depression may see it as a monumental task that requires an overwhelming level of mental fortitude.

With adversities being incomparable in magnitude due to their relativity, it’s important to know that you’ll need to instead explain what your resilience felt like in as specific of a manner as you can. This can be a bit hard. But, you’ll need to find the right words which describe the feeling you went through when overcoming obstacles.

For some, it’s like a physical level of excruciating. For others, it’s a matter of mental fortitude. And, if you want to get creative, it can be a mental obstacle so difficult it hurts you physically.

As with the other Virginia Tech essay prompts, the role model and leadership prompt can be approached creatively through the choice of diction.

What does being a role model mean? To whom? What does being a leader mean?

You can get creative with what these words mean in the prompt.

Does being a leader mean that you need to be the smartest in a group, and therefore take the front rows whilst others follow your lead? Or, could it also mean that you’re the least competent; and, therefore rely on others’ talents whilst they rely on your management skills?

You’ll find that there are a lot of directions you can take with this prompt.

But, if there’s one element we would highly recommend incorporating into the application essay, it’s humility.

Often, students have a hard time answering the leadership or role model essay without being too humble or not being humble enough.

We get it: the balance is hard. But, you need to know how to answer the prompt in a manner that balances your strengths and humility in a manner that is impressive (especially to admissions officers who will also be judging you for your character and compatibility with the VT community.)

To do this, we recommend tying the definition of humility into your words. So, for instance: one cannot be a role model unless they are humble. Or, one cannot truly lead without first being humble. This is but one way of balancing between bragging and being humble. How you decide to keep that balance is up to you.

This is perhaps one of the most important Virginia Tech supplemental essay prompts.

For one, the Virginia Tech Goal and Plan supplemental essay prompt answers one of the questions AOs are vying to know. When an admissions officer is thinking about your application, they want to know about your future plans.

Note: this does NOT mean you have to know what you want to do for certain. Instead, they want to know that you have a mature and wise form of planning.

Now, why is this? Wouldn’t admissions officers value students who know what they want for their futures more than those who don’t?

Well, sort of.

It’s a bit more complex than that.

Sure, college essays that have a clear goal or career path in mind will intrinsically be more impressive than those that don’t have a clear goal.

However, there’s a lot you can write about in your Virginia Tech supplemental essay even if you don’t know what you want to do in the future.

For instance, there are some who don’t know what kind of major they want to get into. But, they are determined to get into a career that has a good work-life balance, scalability, and intellectual challenges. So, students may make the plan and goal of networking with other students and exploring their curiosity whilst in college.

This is a fantastic response because it is honest. It’s open to the idea that students your age can still be uncertain about what they want; and, they don’t have to pretend otherwise.

In addition, it’s a great way of showing intellectual curiosity for things beyond your initial interest. This is a fantastic trait for admissions officers and shows AOs that you have the kind of character they need to constitute a good incoming class.

Virginia Tech Resilience Essay Example:

Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt and learn from a difficulty. Reflect on a time that you have exhibited resilience.  What growth did you see in yourself after this experience? “We often hear from the victories; but, what of the defeats? My most significant challenge: having it easy. Homework? Minimal effort. Tests? Minimal studying. Sports? Long legs compensated. Life was good. That is, until I met Diana. Diana would be my Speech and Debate tournament competitor; and, she was proof I wasn’t as strong as I thought I was. She had a counter to everything… and more. She saw angles I never even conceived… and more. Despite how terrifying it was, this experience made me both resilient to failiure and even excited about meeting other equally interesting people. I’ve never felt so impassioned to meet others like Diana; and, I plan to do so at VT.” Virginia Tech Resilience Essay Example: PenningPapers

Virginia Tech Role Model and Leadership Essay Example:

Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership.  What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time? “My first management heuristic: channel Wednesday Addams. S he’s the embodied cool, collected, and scary intelligence of Netflix’s show Wednesday. Last year, we were at an impasse. Club members couldn’t agree on a worthy business project. Digital marketing research? Great. Social media affiliate? Fair. I too was in doubt. But, I channeled Wednesday Addams. Slow breathing. Lowering the chin. Think. Funnily enough, it’s the calm amongst a storm of ideas that got everyone to settle. It’s that calm during uncertainty that helped me decide. It’s that calm that showed me logic is one thing; but, personality is another. “Organic Search Engine marketing it is, then; we’ll test AI copywriting efficacy along the way. Oh, and no piranhas.” “No what?” “What?”” Virginia Tech Role Model and Leadership Essay Example: PenningPapers

Got any more questions about the Virginia Tech supplemental essay prompts? Don’t worry; we’re here to help. Schedule a free consultation with us , and our expert college admissions advisors and editors will help you craft a winning essay that stands out from the rest of the admissions pool. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours!

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, getting started on virginia tech essays: examples.

Hey everyone, I'm starting to work on my application for Virginia Tech, and I'm kinda stuck. Does anyone have any examples of successful Virginia Tech essays to give me some inspiration? Looking for stuff related to the Ut Prosim part as well.

Hey! Working on the Virginia Tech essays is an excellent step in showing your interest and fit for the school. The Ut Prosim part is important as it reflects the school's motto, 'That I May Serve,' so it's good to focus on that.

CollegeVine can help you find everything you're looking for. Here are four strong essay examples by real accepted students, along with feedback on what works and what could be improved: https://blog.collegevine.com/virginia-tech-essay-examples

In addition, check out CollegeVine's guide that breaks down each supplemental prompt to help you write the best essays you can: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-virginia-tech-essays

Finally, check out their article all about the "Ut Prosim" essay: https://blog.collegevine.com/virginia-tech-ut-prosim-essay

Make sure your essay reflects your personality and writing style. Focus on clear, concise storytelling, and connect the dots between your experiences and the values of Virginia Tech. By doing this, you'll be able to create a unique and engaging essay that will set you apart.

Best of luck, and remember to proofread and revise your essays before submission!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the Virginia Tech Application Essays 2017-2018

Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi! Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, better known as Virginia Tech, is a public university located in Blacksburg, Virginia. Virginia Tech serves around 31,000 students , making it the third largest university in the state.

Because Virginia Tech uses its own application — rather than the Common Application or the Coalition Application — the 1-3 supplements stand alone as each applicant’s writing sample(s). Virginia Tech evaluates the same essays whether an applicant chooses to apply to the Engineering School or the College of Humanities and Sciences.

For the 2017-2018 admissions cycle, Virginia Tech has provided seven essay prompts, from which applicants are free to choose one, two, or three prompts to answer. Each prompt has a word count limit of 250 words .

With an acceptance rate of 73%, Virginia Tech admissions are somewhat competitive, meaning that stellar supplemental essays have the potential to push an otherwise below-average applicant over the top. Here is how CollegeVine suggests you tackle each prompt.

What are the top five reasons you want to be a Hokie?

This prompt is an excellent opportunity to convey interest in attending Virginia Tech and to show that you have thought seriously about how you might take full advantage of your Virginia Tech experience.

To answer the prompt, first you should visualize how you might spend your four years at Tech — what classes, extracurriculars, and social aspects would you be most excited to explore? These three categories can serve as the basis for drafting your five reasons. Your essay should strike a balance between what you’ll pursue inside the classroom, what you’ll spend your time doing outside the classroom, and what aspect(s) of the Tech community appeal to you most.

For example, a well-rounded essay could include (1) two specific reasons related to academics (such as a class you would like to take and research opportunity you would like to pursue); (2) two activities you can either start or continue pursuing at Tech (such as intramural soccer and Hiking Club, for example); and (3) an aspect of dorm culture that interests you (such as the living-learning labs in some dorms).

Aside from this academic-extracurricular balance, the most important tactic for writing an essay for Prompt 1 is specificity. Cite specific examples within your reasons — writing “I’m eager to pursue PSCI 3034: The CIA In Today’s World ” is much more effective in showing interest and commitment than writing “I’m eager to pursue classes in my major, Political Science.” Look for clubs or extracurricular opportunities that appeal to you at Tech and call them out by name, showing your dedication to Tech’s academic and community offerings.

If there is something you think would be beneficial for the Admissions Committee to know as we review your academic history, please take this opportunity to explain.

Prompt 2 provides an opportunity for applicants whose academic careers have been affected by adverse or unanticipated circumstances to explain precisely how the situation(s) was/were detrimental to their academic performances . Moving during the school year, suffering a prolonged illness, being in an accident that required extended time off of school, or caring for an elderly relative or younger sibling are just a few examples of circumstances that could impact your academic performance.

The Virginia Tech Admissions Committees want the whole picture as they review your application, so if you feel that something in your academic history requires additional explanation, take this opportunity to engage in a candid dialogue about how the situation affected you as a student.

The essay you’ll write for this prompt will necessarily be personal, so there’s no “right” way to write it effectively. As you brainstorm, think of specific circumstances in which your academic career was affected by the topic of the essay. Don’t say “recovering from the accident made it harder for me to do my homework, which is why I did poorly my sophomore year.”

Instead, say, “Even after returning home from the hospital, waking up in the middle of the night to change my bandages often left me unable to focus effectively in my early classes.” Instead of “It took so much time to feed and get my little sister to bed that I just didn’t have time for my homework,” try, “Some nights, an unexpected stomach bug left me preoccupied caring for my little sister until late in the night; my chemistry reading was left untouched as I administered pink medicine and took her temperature at 30-minute intervals.”

As you write this essay, make sure that you’re honest and candid about how a situation or experience impacted your ability to perform academically, and keep in mind that the goal is to provide context for the evaluators of your academic credentials.

Our motto is Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). How is service to others important in your life?

Service is an integral part of Virginia Tech’s community, so this is a great essay choice if you prioritize serving others in any way and on any scale. You may wish to talk about your servant leadership in a school or community club, a service capstone project you organized to benefit those in need, or simply how you incorporate the ideal of service to others in your day-to-day actions.

Whatever you choose to write about, make sure that you hit not only the specific consequences of your service but also the reasons why your service is important to you personally . It’s not enough to say, “I love to serve others because it gives me a chance to help my community, and it makes me feel fulfilled.” Instead, try something like this: “Video chatting with the overseas beneficiaries of my used bike drive and hearing about how Sofia was able to spend two more hours each day with her son because of her new work transportation inspired me to continue my work with Bikes for the World.”

It may be appropriate for you to touch on how you plan to continue a prolonged service activity in college. For example, if you tutor elementary students in math each week as a volunteer service, you may want to cite your plans to join or create a similarly-oriented service club at Virginia Tech. Showing that you’ve taken the time to research service opportunities at Tech will help to show your commitment to service and its importance to your identity.

We believe strongly in the Virginia Tech Principles of Community and the value of human diversity affirmed therein. Share a perspective or experience related to your culture, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status that might explain how you will enrich the climate of mutual respect and understanding here.

By this question, Tech strives to help potential students see that the admissions office and the university as a whole understand these aspects of identity to be complex and individualized facets of character rather than descriptors that can be answered for by simple yes/no check boxes. If you believe that there is an aspect of your identity that warrants special consideration of how you’ll fit into and benefit the Tech community , then this question is for you.

It’s easy to get carried away while discussing an aspect of your identity, so the important tip to remember while writing this essay is to stick to the prompt as much as possible. You want to write about your identity through the lens of Tech’s commitment to “mutual respect and understanding.”

This means you’ll want to discuss how your perspective can help others learn something about their community and the world. For example, your religion might give you a unique perspective on Eastern literature that would enhance your English class discussions. Alternatively, you might be committed to changing the narrative about disabilities on campus because of your physical or mental disability.

One of the most important factors that admissions readers consider is how each applicant will contribute to the school community. This essay is a direct opportunity for you to explain in a personal fashion how you would be able to contribute to Virginia Tech. So be sure to keep your essay focused on how you will use your identity to enrich your community at Tech both inside and outside the classroom.

Virginia Tech is one of six senior military institutions in the country. How will this setting contribute to your college experience?

This prompt is specifically tailored to students hoping to participate in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets . This is an immersive, residential program that provides a military training experience that’s comparable to the college experience at a U.S. military institution. Participants include all ROTC participants as well as some students who participate in the Corps of Cadets but not an ROTC program.

Most students choosing to pursue the Corps of Cadets have distinct personal reasons for their commitment. This is the time to convey those personal reasons – your convictions, career goals, and other motivators for your pursuing the program. Additionally, you’ll want to touch on what about the program appeals to you. This could include the residential aspect, the opportunity for leadership responsibilities, or the tight-knit community feel of the program, among many other possible motivators.

While the Corps of Cadets will likely serve as a track to your future career goals, it’s important that (if you choose to make this point in your essay) this not overshadow your answering the prompt – how will the CoC contribute to your college experience? Think about what you want to get out of your college experience, do your research on the CoC and all that it entails, and then speak candidly about why you would benefit from the program and what you would bring to it.

For example, if you participated in JROTC in high school, this would be a good time to describe a situation during training in which you exhibited honor, courage, leadership or another foundational value of the program — whether establishing a tradition to welcome new members, finding a way to motivate your peers during training, or enabling community by facilitating bonding outside of training. Then you’ll be able to tie your potential contributions into what you’re hoping to get out of the program.

You could write about how having a strong bond with a team of committed peers would help you stay on track in and out of the classroom. You might be eager to engage in the leadership training and education offered by the program. Explain your reasons for wanting to be a part of the Corps of Cadets community, keeping in mind the residential, immersive nature of the program in shaping your college experience.

Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

Writing a narrative, anecdotal account of an important experience can be an effective method for showing the admissions committee who you are as a person and what kind of Hokie you would be on campus. It’s an open-ended prompt — the story can be about something good or bad, seemingly insignificant or monumental, a failure or a triumph, as long as you can convey why and how the experience made you who you are today.

The most common mistake applicants will make on this essay is falling into the trap of “telling” rather than “showing.” Don’t just say what happened, set the scene and appeal to the senses of the reader . You want to give the reader a deeper understanding of the situation by making them feel a personal connection to the scene — this will help them understand better its impact on you.

For an essay about navigating your parents’ divorce, you’d want to avoid general “telling” statements like, “I had to calm down my little sister, who was upset about having to split time between our parents’ new houses.” Instead, you could “show,” saying, “As the blue-grey facade of my mom’s house faded out the car window, I distracted my sister with a game of tic-tac-toe. By the time we approached dad’s apartment, her tears had dried and she happily pressed her face against the glass to get a glimpse of dad.”

Remember that the focus of the essay is on how the experience changed your character. It may be helpful to use parallel examples from before and after the experience. For example, you could recount the ease with which you wrote, ate, and ran before an accident, and then detail the struggle of relearning these previously taken-for-granted abilities afterward.

If you choose to write about an experience that demonstrated your character rather than shaping it, choose one of your defining character traits and think of a situation or experience that was emblematic of that value.

For example, if you’re hardworking, you may want to write about a project that you gave your all and poured your heart into. No matter what topic you choose, “showing” by appealing to the senses rather than “telling” objectively will help you to write an effective narrative supplement.

Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

If you have a topic that you’re eager to write about but it doesn’t fit any of the above prompts, you might consider creating your own prompt and writing the essay under Prompt 7. It could be your favorite essay from school or an essay you wrote for another school’s supplement or the Common Application or Coalition Application.

Regardless, make sure that you’re sticking to the rule of “showing” rather than “telling” and writing about something that resonates with you personally. Essays are an opportunity to show passion, character, and personality, so let your voice shine through.

Ideally, you should pick a topic that ties in with your admissions theme and that tells the readers something about you that hasn’t been explained in your previous essays. Other than that — anything goes! Have fun and write about something you love to write about.

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Virginia Tech “essay” prompts

I’ve been monitoring VT’s admission department stumbles for the last couple of years. Tech is on the short list for one of my sons. As I watch the turmoil of high stat students being deferred, and then waitlisted this cycle, the specter of exceptional essays and their potentially disproportionate value are now forefront in my mind.

What were the essay prompts from this year’s application?

The link to the “essays”:

https://vt.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/short-answer-questions.html

Limit of 120 words per essay.

Essay Question 1 Virginia Tech’s motto is “Ut Prosim” which means ‘That I May Serve’. We are interested in learning more about your interests and how you have been involved and/or served. Briefly describe a group, organization, or community that you have been involved with. Is this a special area of interest for you, and why? How long have you been involved? What role did you play? What contributions have you made to this group? Were you able to influence others and/or influence decisions for the good of the group?

Essay Question 2 Describe a situation where you were involved or witness to an act of discrimination. How, or did, you respond? Do you wish you would have responded differently? Did this situation cause any change to happen based on this event and did you have a role in that change? What did you learn from this experience?

Essay Question 3 Describe an example of a situation where you have significantly influenced others, took on a leadership role, helped resolve a dispute, or contributed to a group’s goals. What was your role, what responsibilities did you take on? Did you encounter any obstacles, and if so how did you respond, were you able to overcome them? What would you do differently?

Essay Question 4 Briefly describe a personal goal you have set for yourself. Why this goal, what is your timeline to achieve this goal, what precipitated this goal? Have you turned to anyone for advice or help, what was their role, what did you learn about yourself, are you still working toward this goal?

There’s something slightly unfair about an answer limited to 120 words for a question that has 89 words.

Answering these in 120 words is even harder then it looks at first glance. You need to answer all parts of the question and consider what else they are asking. Each one has a deeper meaning or question to it.

I would truly love to see an example of a good essay for each prompt. The more I think about these essays the madder I get. 89 word questions and 120 word answers for what could be really broad questions. And tell me these questions may have kept hard working deserving kids out of VT…SAD

Essays can’t be the be all end all - just another item in a long data set. It does sound like they may have been a little more of a factor this year but definately not a majority factor. Just lots of good kids sending in good stuff! I would hate being the decider.

I see a common thread to the first 3 prompts - leadership. The 4th looks like perserverance to me, and setting of tangible, measurable goals (no “I’m going to be better person this year” blather). Not sure if I would consider the limit on response to be unfair, but certainly challenging. IMO, they are rightly trying to measure how an applicant can distill their response into a concise, pursuasive package. Think elevator speech, or consider current research on what email correspondence actually gets read. It’s pre-prep in a way for how communication works in the business world in the 2020’s.

I would love for everyone to pick the essay prompt they feel most comfortable with. The collective forum can then grade their 120 word response.

I’m willing to share a couple of my responses to these essays if anyone would like to see them. You can message me or, depending on the prompt, I could share it on here.

@drewh02 I don’t think you should share yours publicly, but thanks for offering.

I would love to read, if you share privately, and give feedback because I have read my friends essays who did get in.

did you think your friends essays were anything special?

They were not special but they were very well written. So I could do an comparison if needed and tell if it was really the essay that mattered.

It’s the poor grammar in some of the prompts that drives me nuts. I really hope they revise the prompts in the future, if only to make Virginia Tech look better.

I’ve read my daughters essays (accepted). I wouldn’t say they were super stellar. They were honest, they answered the questions and I suppose to a trained eye they might give some insight into her character. But I wouldn’t say they were so superb it would’ve put her over the top. My opinion is the essays were just one factor. An important factor to be sure but they were only one part of the bigger picture. And that bigger picture includes more than just test scores and GPA.

FWIW - Those appear to be the same prompts that S19 answered. I don’t know how often they change them because S16s were different. I don’t remember all of them, but they were cheesier. I do remember “list your top 5 reasons you want to be a Hokie.”

I’ve been reading these with interest. As an alum who got married on campus, I remember being turned off by their whole admission process. And both of mine were accepted.

I believe prompts this year were identical to last year … from what I remember.

Yes, this is only the second year with the new prompts. Prior to that they had 4 essay topics to choose from and they were more traditional (that’s what I remember anyway). The changes to the admissions process corresponded to a shake up in admissions staff. I really hope they keep tweaking the process, and the mini-essays would be a good place to start imho.

Could you please share it with me?