So you've decided to apply to Michigan State University. You've made a great choice—not only is it one of the top public universities in the nation, 94% of undergraduates land jobs or go onto graduate school after graduation! Additionally, more than 25 of its undergraduate programs are ranked in the top 20 nationally, including the best supply chain management and logistics program in the country. And like most top schools, the MSU application requires you to submit an application essay.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about writing and submitting the Michigan State admissions essay, including:
So let's get started!
The Michigan State essay is a required (and important!) element of your Michigan State application. The essay is basically a personal statement designed to help admissions counselors get to know you better. Sure, they'll see your transcript and test scores, but Michigan State also wants to know who you are beyond the data, too.
The essay is also important because Michigan State has an acceptance rate of 83%, which means that 83 out of 100 students who apply to MSU are admitted each year. T hat means your essay can make a difference in an admissions counselor's decision-making process. (If you're not familiar with the school's admissions requirements, be sure to check out this comprehensive guide on Michigan State's admittance policies.)
As we mentioned earlier, you'll submit one finished essay as part of your complete Michigan State application packet. As of 2021, Michigan State allows prospective students to submit all their application materials—including the MSU essay—either via their own online application system or via the Common App, which are online platforms that let you fill out one application and submit it to multiple universities.
Luckily for you, Michigan State doesn't require you to fill out an additional application supplement. In other words, the Michigan State admissions essay is the same essay you'll fill out for either the Common App or the Coalition App! But that also means that you only have one chance to help MSU's admissions counselors determine whether you're a good fit for the university.
Now that you have a general idea about what the Michigan State admissions essay is and how to submit it, here are three final, important things to keep in mind:
#1: MSU doesn't favor one application over the other. They treat their application system and the Common App equally in their decision-making process.
#2: You can only submit one application per academic year. So if you have both applications filled out, send one or the other—not both. Sending two applications can cause errors in the admissions system and lead to your application getting rejected.
#3: The Common App and the Coalition App have different prompts. Each application asks slightly different questions, so it's important to pick the application that allows you to write the strongest essay.
Now it's time to take a closer look at the different Common App and Coalition App prompts and give you some general tips for picking the best MSU essay prompt for you.
1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
4.Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
For the Common App, you're given seven essay prompts and asked to answer one. The prompts themselves fall into a few general categories:
This list gives you a general sense for what admissions counselors expect to see in your essay. You will likely only discuss one or two of these in a prompt, so don't worry about having to address every single category in your response.
Having to choose just one prompt can be pretty overwhelming—it's hard to know where to start! Here are some things you can do to make picking a topic easier.
Keep in mind that no matter the topic you choose, the Common App limits your response to 250 to 650 words. It's harder to write shorter responses, so make sure you plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to write a great essay.
Image courtesy of Joel Dinda
By now you've had a chance to consider—and hopefully choose!—the perfect MSU essay prompt. Here are our top five tips for writing a Michigan State University essay that makes you stand out from the crowd!
If you're looking to beef up your résumé to make sure you're one of MSU's ideal candidates, try fitting some community service into your schedule. Here's a list of the nine best places to do community service, and here's a discussion of how volunteering benefits both your college application and your life!
One key piece of your application are letters of recommendation, so you need to ask for those as soon as possible. Check out this guide that goes over how—and when!—to ask for letters of recommendation.
