yale essays 2023 24

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Essay topics.

All first-year applicants will complete a few Yale-specific short answer questions. These required questions are slightly different based on the application platform an applicant chooses. The 2023-2024 Yale-specific questions for the Coalition Application, Common Application, and QuestBridge Application are detailed below.

Short Answer Questions

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application , Common Application , or QuestBridge Application  will respond to the following short answer questions:

• Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the  list provided.
• Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)
• What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Applicants applying with the QuestBridge Application will complete the questions above via the Yale QuestBridge Questionnaire, available on the Yale Admissions Status Portal after an application has been received.

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application  will also respond to the following short answer questions, in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words):

• What inspires you?
• If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?
• Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? 
• What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer. 

1. Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?

2. Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

3. Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

Yale University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 2

You Have: 

Yale University 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations

Short Answers dominate the Yale application. So, in brief, they’re looking for confidence. When an essay must clock in at under 100 words, you don’t have time to waffle. There’s no room for you to circle your main idea with broad statements. You’ve got to get straight to the point, and clearly. The successful applicant will choose precise words that can do double — even triple duty — telling your story (literally), bringing vivid details to life, and highlighting your overall intelligence.

The Requirements: 1 list; 6 short answer questions; 1 additional short essay of 400 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s):   Why ,  Short Answer , Community ,  Oddball

Short Answer Questions

Students at yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. as of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably please indicate up to three from the list provided..

There’s only one trick to generating a straightforward list of your academic interests: be honest. If you already know what you want to major in, or have it narrowed down to a few departments, you’re set! Don’t waste time trying to strategize. Choosing anything other than your true interests would be a misrepresentation of who you are and a disservice to you and the admissions office. This assignment will no doubt be most challenging for the undecideds, but to help you narrow your focus, try to tell a story with your choices. How can you use this to reveal something about what you value and what excites you intellectually? You could try to illustrate a general inclination (art history, studio art, and American studies). Or if you really feel like you could go any direction, try to show a balance, picking majors across domains that link to each other in a way that still makes sense (biology, psychology, classics)—you’ll thank yourself when answering the next question.

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

You’ve only got 100 words, but if you chose wisely (and honestly) in the previous question, answering this one should be a cinch. Whether you listed one or several interests, your goal is to tell a cohesive story about your intellectual curiosity. Ideally, you should try to recount an anecdote that illustrates your engagement with your chosen field, or demonstrates your ability to link seemingly disparate fields. Perhaps you’re interested in both religion and astrophysics because each offers a way for you to contemplate our place in the universe. But while you may be tempted to wax philosophical, you should beware of veering into overly abstract territory. This is a great opportunity for you to explain how your intellectual interests relate to who you are as a person. Don’t waste it!

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

This is a short version of the Why essay, the mini Why. Yale wants to make sure you are psyched for the full college experience at their school. So, we’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. As a top school, Yale attracts many applicants based on its reputation alone, so it won’t do you any good to go on and on about the world-class education you will receive. Yale admissions officers know — and they know you know. Locate specific opportunities within your department and related programs and centers that really make your heart sing with excitement.

And make sure you talk about yourself! Yale doesn’t need a summary of its website (even if you write about a forgotten page deep in the Math Department website). Talk about your academic and professional goals and how Yale will help you achieve them. What unexpected classes might you want to take to sate your curiosity? How will you drive yourself to succeed? Don’t forget to include details about personal growth. If you think you can accomplish this and that on campus, what experience do you have to back up those claims? What about the Yale experience will enrich your life overall? Which extracurricular activities and organizations will you take advantage of? Do they offer quidditch ? If so, you should definitely play. Figure out why you’re applying to Yale over all the other schools out there – and then deliver it with eloquence and confidence.

Applicants applying with the QuestBridge Application will complete the questions above via the Yale QuestBridge Questionnaire, available on the Yale Admissions Status Portal after an application has been received.

Applicants submitting the coalition application or common application will also respond to the following short answer questions, in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words):, what inspires you (200 characters or fewer).

200 characters is not a lot of characters, especially when it comes to a concept as broad as inspiration. You don’t have time to describe what the word means to you, and admissions officers don’t have time for vague answers (“nature”) or trite ones (“my mom”). First and foremost, have fun with this prompt. Think of the 200 character challenge as a game. Then, get specific. What experiences have launched some of your best ideas? Although you won’t have time to relate the whole story, you can draw upon your personal experience for a hyper-specific, memorable answer like “the color of fresh drosophila eggs” or “Goldie Hawn’s crazy eyes in Death Becomes Her .” You get the idea.

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be? (200 characters or fewer)

The previous question asked you what inspires you, and this one is asking you what you can do. What are you good at? It’s time to show your stuff. Reach beyond the traditional academic areas and toward skills you may have cultivated on your own time (e.g., gardening, rock climbing, baking, etc.). Then, think about how you might share this talent with others, whether that be through a course, book, or artwork. Maybe you’ve been making TikToks reviewing your favorite YA novels for some time now. Would you teach a class on the politics of the modern heroine in YA fiction? Perhaps you could talk about marine life for hours on end. Would you write a book on the idiosyncrasies of giant isopods? There is no right or wrong answer here, so write about the subject that interests you the most!

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? (200 characters or fewer)

Since you have so much to say in so few words, our advice is to summarize this person’s accomplishments succinctly and leave room to offer admissions deeper insight into their influence on you, what you value, and the kind of person you aspire to become. The person you choose to write about can be someone in your local community—a friend, a teacher, a community leader—or someone you haven’t yet had the chance to meet IRL. Maybe there is a renowned scientist who inspired you to pursue your chosen field. Perhaps an artist or thought leader has altered your understanding of what it means to be human. No matter who you choose, remember that this should say more about you than it does about them, so stay the course!

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application? (200 characters or fewer)

This is one of the hardest prompts! What do they want to know?! Where do you start? Birth? School? Puberty? First, take a breath and calm down. Think about why they’re asking you this question and it will all fall into place. While many applications look similar, with impressive grades, extracurriculars, and teacher recommendations, this essay makes it so you can stand out from the crowd with your personality. Do you have a very sarcastic sense of humor? Do you make more dad jokes than your own father? Do all of your friends refer to you as the “artsy” one? Yale wants to know that you’re more than your transcripts, so take this opportunity to share a piece of yourself that they wouldn’t otherwise get to see. This prompt also lends itself to recycling previously written essays for other schools quite well, so you might want to consider revisiting it once you’ve made a dent in writing your supplemental essays for other schools.

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer. 

1. reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. why did you find the experience meaningful.

Engaging with others in meaningful conversations about important issues can be intimidating and challenging, and the Yale admissions committee knows this. Nevertheless, we have all experienced standing up for our beliefs in some capacity, so scroll through your memory to identify a time when you had an uncomfortable conversation with friends, family, or even mere acquaintances. Maybe you engaged your grandparents in a conversation regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. Were you able to clearly communicate your perspective? What did you take away from the discussion? Perhaps you learned that one of your friends was a passive supporter of an organization that you vehemently disagree with. How did you broach the subject and what was the outcome of your conversation? You don’t need to have changed someone’s mind (or your own!) to impress admissions here. You just need to show that you’re not afraid to engage with those who may 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 Yale that you’re game to learn, listen, share, and grow.

2. Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

“A community to which you feel connected” could be anything: your family, a club at school, your dance troupe, women in STEM… you get the idea. If you’ve been wanting to spin your 8-bit video game obsession into an essay, this prompt is offering you the opportunity to describe your community of old-school gamers. Whatever community you choose, remember to define your place within it. Who are you to your fellow community members? How does being in this community add to your life or identity? Why is it meaningful? As always, try to be as concrete as possible as you develop your story, giving examples as you go. Just brainstorming your topic may remind you of a video you made or photo you took that you can use as a jumping off point. You might even consider digging through old photos and notebooks as a way to brainstorm!

3. Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

This is a fabulous prompt because it’s just about as open-ended as it gets. If the other two essay prompts didn’t speak to you, this one is here to save the day! Yale wants to know what has made you into the person you are today. What you focus on here can really run the gamut, but it should be something that you feel will help you to contribute to Yale’s community in a unique way. Is there anything you can teach your classmates about your hometown, traditions, culture, identity, race, or ethnicity that they might not already know? What has influenced your identity? What do you believe and how will your worldview bring something of value to the community at Yale?

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How To Answer Yale's 2023/24 Supplemental Essays: Tips & Insights

What's New in 2023/24

What Are Yale's Essay Prompts?

Answering the Short Answer Questions

Answering the Short Essay Questions

General Guidelines

Dive into Yale's 2023/24 supplemental essay updates, grasp the intricacies of each prompt, and garner insights on penning standout answers with our comprehensive guide, enriched with expert advice and links to exemplary Yale essay samples.

Yale’s 2023/24 Supplemental Essay Updates: What's Changed?

Securing a spot at Yale University , with its acceptance rate between 3-4% , is undeniably challenging . In such a competitive landscape, your supplemental essays become instrumental in distinguishing your application.

Every academic year, elite institutions like Yale refine their application process to ensure they holistically understand their applicants. For the '23/24 admissions cycle, Yale University has introduced some significant changes to its supplemental essay questions .

Previously, applicants were posed with questions about hosting a guest speaker in Yale's residential colleges and suggesting a title for a new Yale course they envision teaching. These have now been replaced.

The current cycle invites you to highlight personal academic interests and directions, and share unique insights into who has inspired you or influenced your personal growth.

The longer essay section appears designed to help Yale see how you engage with campus and community life. While this section retains two past themes — discussing opposing viewpoints and community involvement — a fresh prompt has been added. This third option encourages applicants to reflect on personal experiences that would enrich the Yale community .

These modifications underscore Yale's ongoing commitment to understanding its applicants' personal narratives, values, and potential contributions to a dynamic university environment.

What Are Yale’s Supplemental Essay Prompts for 2023/24?

For the 2023/24 application cycle, Yale University has introduced specific supplemental essay prompts to delve deeper into the profiles of its applicants in tandem with the Common App or Coalition App questions. These prompts are designed to uncover your academic interests, personal insights, and your unique connection to Yale.

Short Answer Questions — Academic Interests & Motivations

All applicants are required to address three core questions: one asks you to identify three academic disciplines of interest, another is a short essay about a topic of interest related to one of those academic disciplines, and the third is about your reasons for choosing Yale. The word limits are 200 words for the second item, and 125 words for the third item.

• Academic Exploration: Students at Yale often evolve their academic directions. As of now, which academic areas align with your interests or goals? Please select up to three from the provided list .
• Topic of Interest: Discuss a topic or idea related to one or more academic areas you selected above that genuinely excites you. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)
• Connection to Yale: What aspects of Yale have motivated you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Short Answer Questions (Common & Coalition App Applicants)

For those using the Coalition or Common Application, additional short answer questions are capped at roughly 35 words or 200 characters. These questions probe into personal inspirations, potential academic or artistic contributions, influential figures outside of family, and unique aspects of one's identity not mentioned elsewhere in the application.

• Inspiration: What inspires you? (Approximately 35 words)
• Creative Endeavor: If you could teach a college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art, what would it be? (Approximately 35 words)
• Significant Influence: Other than family, who has significantly influenced you, and how? (Approximately 35 words)
• Unique Aspect: What's something unique about you not mentioned elsewhere in your application? (Approximately 35 words)

Short Essay

Lastly, in the essay section, Coalition or Common Application users will select one of three prompts , responding within a 400-word limit . The options in this section include discussing opposing viewpoints, reflecting on community ties, or narrating a personal experience that you believe will help you enhance the college community.

• Discussing Opposing Views: Reflect on a time you discussed a vital issue with someone holding a contrary view. Why was this experience significant to you?
• Community Connection: Reflect on your membership in a community that resonates with you. Why is this community meaningful?
• Personal Enrichment: Reflect on a personal experience that you believe will enrich your college community. How has it molded you?

These prompts provide you an opportunity to present a comprehensive picture of your personality, background, values, and aspirations — ensuring Yale gets a multifaceted view of who you are.

Seeking some inspiration? Explore these Yale essay examples to understand what makes an application stand out!

How This Student Got Into Yale

How to Answer Yale’s Supplemental Short Answer Questions?

Three short answer questions about academic interests.

• Academic Exploration: Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please select up to three from the provided list .

Short Answer Question 1

Students at yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. as of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably please select up to three from the provided list. please select up to three from the provided list. please indicate up to three from the list provided., academic exploration — choosing one to three disciplines from the list provided..

Yale's reputation for academic rigor and intellectual engagement is renowned. The university fosters an environment where students are encouraged to explore various academic interests before settling into their major(s) . This flexibility is a testament to Yale's commitment to producing well-rounded individuals who are not just experts in their fields but also possess a broad knowledge base.

Be genuine when deciding whether to indicate one, two, or three disciplines from the list. There’s probably little to gain from selecting a discipline if it won’t tie into responses to other questions or essay prompts and doesn’t have any connection with academic interests and motivations you want to emphasize.

You may want to preview the other two questions in this section, as well as the remaining short answer and essay prompts — making sure to select a discipline from the list if you anticipate talking about it in other responses.

Short Answer Question 2

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. why are you drawn to it, - 200 words or fewer.

The subsequent question offers an opportunity to delve deeper into a specific academic topic or idea . This is your chance to demonstrate genuine passion. Instead of providing textbook answers:

• Discuss unique perspectives or insights you've developed about the subject.
• Share personal experiences or projects that have enriched your understanding.
• Reflect on contemporary issues or debates within the subject and where you stand.

1. Unveiling Your Academic Passion

Yale's second short answer question is a direct invitation to showcase your academic passion. The university, renowned for its intellectual vibrancy, seeks students who are not just academically competent but also deeply passionate about their chosen fields of study .

2. Diving Deep into Your Chosen Topic

This question is your space to "nerd out" and demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for a specific topic or idea. Reflect on:

• Personal experiences or projects that deepened your interest in this topic.
• Contemporary debates, research, or developments in the field that excite you.
• Unique perspectives or insights you've developed about the subject.

Avoid merely regurgitating textbook knowledge. Instead, offer a fresh take or a personal connection to the topic.

3. Connecting Past, Present, and Future

While the previous prompt may have focused on your broader academic interests, this question allows you to home in on a specific topic . You can:

• Draw connections from past experiences or studies that ignited your interest in this topic.
• Discuss how your current engagements (like readings, projects, or discussions) have further fueled this passion.
• Envision how deepening your understanding of this topic at Yale will benefit your future aspirations.

Yale's second short answer question emphasizes depth over breadth. It's an opportunity to delve into the intricacies of a specific academic topic that excites you . You can convey to the admissions committee why this topic resonates with you and how it aligns with your academic journey at Yale by showcasing genuine passion, thoughtful engagement, and a clear understanding of the subject.

Short Answer Question 3

What is it about yale that has led you to apply, - 125 words or fewer, 1. decoding the "why yale" question.

Yale's third prompt is a classic " Why this school? " question, albeit phrased with a twist. It's not just about why you want to attend Yale but what specific aspects of Yale resonate with your aspirations and interests .

2. Beyond the Generic

Avoid generic answers that could apply to any top-tier university. Yale's admissions officers are looking for applicants who have genuinely understood what makes Yale unique .

3. Research is Key

To craft a compelling response:

• Dive deep into Yale's academic programs. Are there specific courses, professors, or research opportunities that align with your interests?
• Explore Yale's extracurricular landscape. Are there clubs, organizations, or events that you're excited to join or initiate?
• Reflect on Yale's community and culture. What aspects of Yale's student life or traditions resonate with you?

4. Envisioning Your Yale Journey

Discuss how you see yourself fitting into the Yale community:

• How will Yale's offerings help you achieve your academic and personal goals?
• In what ways do you plan to contribute to the Yale community, both in and out of the classroom?

The "What is it about Yale?" question is an opportunity to demonstrate your genuine interest in the university and how it aligns with your goals . By showcasing a deep understanding of what Yale offers and articulating how it fits with your aspirations, you can convey a sincere desire to be a part of the Yale community.

5 Tips for the "Why This School?" Essay

Additional Short Answer Questions (35 words)

For applicants using the Common or Coalition App only.

Short Answer Question 4

What inspires you, - approximately 35 words, 1. understanding the question's intent.

The question aims to delve into your intrinsic motivations and passions . Yale wants to understand what drives you, what makes you tick, and what fuels your academic and personal pursuits. This is not just about what interests you but what deeply moves and motivates you.

2. Being Authentic and Specific

While it might be tempting to provide an answer you think the admissions committee wants to hear, it's crucial to be genuine. Reflect on moments, people, books, artworks, or experiences that have profoundly impacted your perspective or aspirations .

3. Connecting to Your Broader Application

Your answer should ideally resonate with other parts of your application. Discussing a related inspiration can create a cohesive narrative if you've mentioned a particular interest or activity elsewhere.

4. Avoiding Clichés

Steer clear of overused phrases or generic inspirations unless you can provide a unique twist or a deeply personal reason for why something commonly cited truly inspires you.

Question 4 offers a window into your inner world. By sharing what genuinely inspires you, you give Yale a glimpse of your passions, values, and potential contributions to their community . Ensure your response is both authentic and reflective of your unique perspective.

Short Answer Question 5

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be, 1. channeling your creativity.

This question is a playground for your imagination and intellectual fervor. Yale is keen to understand the depth of your interests and how you might bring a unique perspective to their campus.

2. Intersecting Passions

Reflect on the subjects or hobbies that resonate with you. This question allows you to merge different areas of interest to create something novel. If you're a history buff with a penchant for drama, perhaps you'd write a play set during the Renaissance. If you're passionate about biology and art, maybe you'd create an intricate sculpture representing cellular structures.

3. Beyond the Ordinary

While authenticity is key, strive to think outside the box. Consider topics or ideas that aren't just personal but also bring a fresh perspective or address contemporary issues. For instance, if you're intrigued by psychology and technology, you might design a course on "The Psychological Impacts of AI on Human Interaction."

4. A Nod to Yale's Ethos

Yale is a hub for innovation and interdisciplinary exploration. Your response should echo a spirit of inquisitiveness and a hunger to delve deep into subjects, reflecting how you'd enrich the Yale community with your unique insights.

Yale's Question 5 is more than just a query; it's an opportunity. You're offering a window into your intellectual and creative soul by suggesting a course, book, or artwork. Craft a response that's not just distinctive but also deeply reflective of who you are and what you'd bring to Yale.

Short Answer Question 6

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you what has been the impact of their influence, 1. identifying your influencer.

This question seeks to understand the people and experiences that have shaped you outside your immediate family . It's a chance to highlight mentors, teachers, friends, or even public figures who have left an indelible mark on your life.

2. Depth Over Popularity

While it might be tempting to choose a well-known personality, ensure that your choice genuinely reflects a deep personal connection . It's not about the prominence of the influencer but the depth of their impact on you.

3. Narrating the Journey

Discuss specific moments, lessons, or interactions that encapsulate the essence of their influence.

• Did a coach instill resilience in you?
• Did a teacher ignite your passion for a subject?
• Or did a friend's kindness redefine your understanding of empathy during a tough time?

4. Beyond the Obvious

While the direct influence is essential, it also reflects on the ripple effects. How did their influence shape your actions, decisions, or perspectives in broader areas of your life?

Yale's Question 6 is an introspective journey into the people who have molded your character and values . Yale aims to understand the external forces that have shaped your journey through this prompt. As you craft your response, focus on authenticity, detailing who influenced you and how their influence continues to resonate in your life.

Short Answer Question 7

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application, 1. unearthing the hidden gems.

This question offers a unique opportunity to share a facet of your personality, experience, or aspiration that hasn't been covered in your application. It's a chance to provide a fuller picture of who you are.

2. Beyond Academics and Extracurriculars

While your academic achievements and extracurricular activities are essential, this prompt seeks insights into your character, passions, or experiences that aren't necessarily tied to school or structured activities .

3. Personal Anecdotes Shine

Perhaps there's a hobby you're passionate about, a quirky tradition you uphold, or a personal project you've embarked on. Whatever you share, find a way to make your short response shine a spotlight on something unique, about yourself — perhaps something ingratiating, humorous, or compelling .

4. Reflect on the Why

It's not just about stating the 'what.' Be sure to share how this aspect of your identity, psychology, experiences, or personality shapes your values, your aspirations, or how you interact with others in friendships or in community settings.

Yale's Question 7 is a canvas for you to paint a more comprehensive picture of yourself . It's an invitation to share something special that make you unique. As you respond, ensure that what you share is relevant to an admissions context and offers a fresh insight into something that makes you unique and may make your application more memorable.

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How to Answer Yale’s Supplemental Short Essay Questions?

Applicants submitting the Common App or Coalition Application will respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer.

Essay Prompt 1

Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. why did you find the experience meaningful, - 400 words or fewer, 1. the essence of intellectual engagement.

Renowned for its academic rigor, Yale University values students who can engage in meaningful discussions , especially when faced with opposing views. This question seeks to understand your ability to engage in such dialogues, emphasizing your intellectual curiosity and interpersonal skills.

2. Narrating the Experience

Begin by setting the stage.

• What was the issue at hand?
• Why was it important to you?
• Who were you discussing it with?

The depth of your reflection on this experience is crucial. It's not just about the disagreement but about understanding and learning from it .

3. Showcasing Growth and Understanding

Discussing an opposing view can be transformative. Reflect on how this conversation changed or solidified your perspective . Did it teach you the value of understanding different viewpoints or the importance of effective communication?

4. Beyond the Conversation

This prompt isn't just about a single discussion; it's about how you approach disagreements and challenges in general . Reflect on how this particular experience is indicative of your broader approach to challenges and learning.

Yale's Question 1 is an opportunity to showcase your ability to engage in meaningful, constructive dialogues and to learn from them . It's about demonstrating intellectual curiosity, respect for diverse viewpoints, and personal growth.

Essay Prompt 2

Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. why is this community meaningful to you you may define community however you like., 1. defining your community.

Begin by clearly defining the community you're discussing . This could be based on ethnicity, shared interests, geographical location, a shared challenge, or any other binding factor. Remember, the definition of 'community' is broad, and Yale gives you the freedom to interpret it in a way that's most meaningful to you.

2. Your Role and Connection

Discuss your role or membership within this community . Have you been an active member, a leader, or an observer? How have you engaged with this community, and how has it shaped your identity or perspective?

3. The Significance of the Community

Delve into why this community is meaningful to you . Is it a source of support, a platform for shared experiences, or perhaps a space where you've faced challenges and grown from them? Reflect on the emotions, experiences, and lessons this community has offered you.

4. Personal Growth and Reflection

End by discussing how your connection to this community has influenced your personal growth . Has it taught you the value of diversity, the importance of support, or perhaps the strength in unity? Reflect on the broader implications of your membership in this community and how it might influence your future endeavors, especially at a place like Yale.

Yale's Question 2 is an opportunity to showcase your understanding of community, your place within it, and the personal growth that arises from such connections . It's about demonstrating empathy, understanding, and the ability to connect with diverse groups of people.

Essay Prompt 3

Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. how has it shaped you, 1. identifying the experience.

Start by pinpointing a specific personal experience or element of your life. This could be a unique cultural background, a challenging obstacle you've overcome, a hobby or passion you've pursued, or any other experience that has significantly impacted your life.

2. The Value to the College Community

Discuss how this experience or element of your life will enrich the college community . Perhaps your unique background offers a diverse perspective, or maybe a challenge you've faced has equipped you with resilience and adaptability. Consider how your experience can contribute to classroom discussions, group projects, extracurricular activities, or casual dorm conversations.

3. Personal Transformation

Reflect on how this experience has shaped you as an individual . Has it instilled certain values in you? Has it changed the way you approach challenges or interact with people? Dive deep into the personal growth and self-awareness that emerged from this experience.

4. Future Implications

Consider how this element of your personal experience will influence your future at college and beyond . Will it drive you to join certain clubs, advocate for causes, or pursue specific academic interests? How will it continue to shape your journey?

Yale's Question 3 is an invitation to introspect and share a facet of your life that not only defines you but also adds value to the diverse tapestry of a college community. It's about showcasing self-awareness, growth, and the potential for future contributions.

General Guidelines for Answering Yale's Supplemental Essay Questions

• Research and Specificity : Yale's prompts often ask about your interest in the university or a specific program. Always back your claims with specific details. Mention professors, courses, clubs, or traditions that resonate with you. This shows genuine interest and that you've done your homework.
• Show Self-awareness : Yale values introspective students who can reflect on their experiences. Whether discussing an intellectual interest or a community you belong to, always tie it back to your personal growth or what you've learned about yourself.
• Diversity of Thought : Like many top-tier institutions, Yale values diversity in all its forms. This doesn't just mean ethnic or cultural diversity but also diversity of thought, perspective, and experience. Highlight experiences or viewpoints that make you unique.
• Be Authentic : It's tempting to write what you think the admissions committee wants to hear, but they can spot inauthenticity. Be genuine in your responses, even if it means discussing failures or weaknesses. Authenticity often resonates more than a polished facade.
• Quality Over Quantity : With word limits on these essays, it's essential to be concise. Focus on depth rather than breadth. Dive deep into one or two experiences or ideas rather than skimming over several.
• Narrative Storytelling : Engage your reader with narrative storytelling when possible. Instead of just stating facts, weave a short story that captures the essence of your experience. This makes your essay memorable and showcases your writing skills.
• Proofread and Revise : Always proofread your essays multiple times. It's not just about catching grammatical errors but also ensuring that your essay flows well and effectively conveys your message. Consider getting feedback from teachers, peers, or mentors.
• Connect to the Bigger Picture : Always tie your responses back to how you'll contribute to the Yale community and how Yale will facilitate your personal and professional growth. This shows forward-thinking and a commitment to being an active member of the university.

Remember, the supplemental essays are an  opportunity to showcase aspects of yourself that aren't evident in other parts of your application . Use them wisely to provide a holistic picture of yourself and why you'd be a great fit for Yale.

Looking for inspiration? Dive into these  Yale essay examples  to see what successful applications look like!

Final Thoughts

Embarking on the journey to Yale is about more than showcasing academic excellence; it's about weaving a narrative that deeply resonates with the admissions committee. Your supplemental essays offer a unique lens into your character, aspirations, and the distinct contributions you'll make to the Yale community.

Every Yale hopeful possesses a unique story. This is your golden opportunity to narrate yours. Approach your essays with authenticity, introspection, and a genuine enthusiasm for your narrative.

If you're uncertain whether your essay truly encapsulates your essence or if it will distinguish you amidst the sea of applications, our essay review service is here to assist. Our seasoned experts will meticulously review and provide feedback, ensuring your essay strikes a chord with admissions officers. Explore our ebook , which features essays from students who secured places at elite institutions for added inspiration. And for those aiming for Yale, our collection of successful Yale essay examples will offer invaluable insights.

For those at the onset of their college application journey, consider booking a free consultation with our experienced college counselors. We're committed to guiding you in crafting an application that amplifies your chances of walking through Yale's historic gates. Your dream of becoming a Yalie is attainable, and we're here to support you every step of the way.

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Key Resources & Further Reading

• Everything you need to know about US Application Supplemental Essays
• Acing your College Application Essay: 5 Expert Tips to Make it Stand Out from the Rest
• How to Tackle Every Type of Supplemental Essay
• 2023-24 Common App Essay Prompts
• What are the Most Unusual US College Supplemental Essay Prompts?

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Yale Supplemental Essays 2023-24 Prompts & Advice

August 17, 2023

Yale’s acceptance rate of 4.35% for the Class of 2027 is not the type of number you want to simply glide past as you proceed through the application with blind optimism. It is not our intention to inject unnecessary anxiety and fear into the highly selective admissions process (you likely already have plenty of sources for that). Rather, we feel it is in your best interest to process the implications of the fact that there were 52,250 applicants to Yale in the 2022-23 cycle—many of whom were valedictorian or salutatorian of their respective high school class and brought 99th percentile SAT/ACT scores to the table, along with a dizzying list of extracurricular achievements. However, in the end, only 2,275 individuals were admitted. One thing all of those individuals had in common is that they composed stellar Yale supplemental essays.

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

It will take perfect(ish) academic credentials to make it past the hyper-competitive “first cut” in the Yale application process. From there, you need to find a way to stand out from your place in a crowd of impeccably credentialed high schoolers. The numerous essays and short answer prompts required by Yale present one of the best opportunities you will have to stand out in the eyes of the admissions committee.

Yale Supplemental Essays for the 2023-24 Admissions Cycle

Yale supplemental essays: academic interests, 1)  students at yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study.  many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. as of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably please indicate up to three from the  list  provided..

In this space, you are simply being asked to pick the three areas that you are most excited about and align with your background. There is likely some degree of overlap in your three areas of interest or, at least, some interdisciplinary connection that you envision. If so, you’ll have a chance to explain those connections in the next short answer…

2) Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

This is the place to succinctly and effectively explain why your area(s) of academic interest have sparked your interest. Your answer should contain a narrative that shows the depth of your interest, when it began, how you have cultivated it, and where you see it going in the future. Common mistakes here include citing that you want to go into a particular area because it is prestigious, well-compensated, or will satisfy your parents.

Instead, focus on things like: How did you become interested in your chosen topic or idea? What books have you read on the subject? Which podcasts have you listened to? What museums have you visited? What interests and excites you most about it? Perhaps the words of former Yale President, Kingman Brewster (who has the most  Yale  name ever) best capture what this prompt aims to uncover: “I am inclined to believe that the person who gives every ounce to do something superbly has an advantage over the person whose capacities may be great but who seems to have no desire to stretch them to their limit.”

Yale Supplemental Essays: Short Takes and Essays

1) what is it about yale that has led you to apply (125 words or fewer).

When penning a “Why Us?” essay, you want to avoid areas that will be touched upon by tens of thousands of your peers. These include the following: how “prestigious” Yale is, how highly it is ranked by  U.S.   News , or how beautiful the campus is. Rather, you want to be incredibly specific in citing reasons why Yale is the perfect academic and social home for you. This will likely include discussing particular:

• Academic programs
• Residential College experiences
• Study abroad opportunities
• Undergraduate research programs
• Yale’s mission and values.

All applicants must respond to the following four short answer questions. Responses should be no more than 200 characters (roughly 35 words).

1) What inspires you?

This can be relevant to the area of academic interest cited in the first Yale essay, but you want to avoid being redundant. This may be a bigger-picture idea, mission, or goal that undergirds much of what you want to do with your academic, career, and personal future. On the contrary, this entry can be completely outside of your academic/professional interests. It could be about a historical occurrence, the natural environment, or a philosophical/religious idea that you find inspirational. It could be focused on a musical artist that moves you, your pet cat, or a work of fiction. There are limitless possibilities to this one—if you follow your heart/gut, include the all-important “why,” and write with passion, you’ll nail this one.

Yale Supplemental Essays (Continued)

2) other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you what has been the impact of their influence .

When you think about who has shaped your life—beyond your family members—who comes to find? Is it a friend, a teacher, a mentor, a coach, or a coworker? How has this person influenced, challenged, encouraged, or inspired you, and how has that impacted you as a person?

3) If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?

Yale has expanded its horizons this year to include books and art alongside college courses. If you opt to stick with the college course direction, know this is a chance for you to showcase the unique and distinct area where you are a genuine expert (or hope to become one). Make sure that the topic of your course is not overly broad (or currently offered). For inspiration, research some of the more interesting elective courses actually offered at Yale such as: The Criminal Mind, Is That Racist?, The Search for Extraterrestrial Life, and Cocktail Culture: The History, Ethics, and Aesthetics of Drink.

If you opt to discuss a prospective book or original piece of art, think about what type of book or artwork you would create. Chapbook? Biography of a particular historical figure? Novel that centers on a mother/daughter relationship? Sculpture involving found objects? Pen-and-ink drawing of your childhood home? Whatever you choose, your answer should reveal something about your interests, passions, or background.

4) What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

This is an opportunity to share something genuinely unique about yourself that may not shine through anywhere else on the application. The key to answering this one is to pick a key aspect of your personality/background that truly reveals something deep and meaningful about you. To accomplish that, first inventory what already appears on your application before deciding what’s not present. Is it your love of running? Thrifting? That you cook dinner with your sister every Friday? That you grow your own vegetables in the summer?

Furthermore, as you brainstorm, consider the following avenues:

• Your role in your family.
• Your role in your social group.
• A formative experience.
• A favorite food, place, object, item of clothing, etc.
• Cultural, religious, community influence.

Yale Supplemental Essays: Choose 1 of 3

Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to choose one of the following three prompt choices, which require a response of 400 words or fewer:

Option #1: Reflect on a time when you exchanged ideas about an important issue with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?

It’s no secret that we live in a polarized culture, where there seems little room for constructive dialogue between individuals with competing viewpoints. This is a chance to show that you are an open-minded, intellectually curious, truth-seeking young person who is willing to engage in conversations/debates with people who hold opposing positions on important topics. One key thing to remember when addressing this prompt is that you don’t have to be the hero of the anecdote—in fact,  you  may be one who learned to expand their thinking. Most importantly, though, you’ll want to reflect on why this particular conversation was so important to you.

Option #2: Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

First, remember that you are the boss of this prompt—you get to decide what “community” means to you, whether that’s a religious or ethnic community, your neighborhood, a sports team, club, or class, an online forum, your beach clean-up crew, or your four crazy, lovable aunts who constantly seem to be over dispensing advice and making lasagna. Pretty much everyone applying to Yale is deeply involved in a number of activities, both formal and informal, so your mission will be to bring your involvement to life. After you’ve described your chosen community, you’ll then, of course, need to tackle the ever-important “why?” Why do you appreciate this particular community? How has it impacted you?

Option #3: Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

This is an opportunity to share something about your background that you feel will positively impact Yale’s residential community. To do so, consider discussing how your role in your family, important aspects of your upbringing, or a particular cultural, religious, or community influence either impacted your core values and beliefs or helped develop a particularly important attribute.

How important are the Yale Supplemental Essays?

The Yale supplemental essays are “very important” to the evaluation process. Seven other factors are “very important.” These factors are: rigor of coursework, class rank, GPA, recommendations, talent/ability, character/personal qualities, and extracurricular activities. Clearly, Yale places enormous value on the quality of your supplemental essay.

Want personalized essay assistance with your Yale supplemental essays?

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

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How to Write the Yale Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

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Sitting down and writing college essays for any school can be a daunting task — and even before you start putting pen to paper or hand to keyboard, you want to have the right approach. Yale University is an Ivy League school founded in 1701 and known for its robust liberal arts program, along with its wide array of extracurricular offerings and out-of-the-classroom pursuits. Located in the diverse city of New Haven, Connecticut, it’s an institution like no other that fosters strong community through its residential colleges and various campus organizations. In this article, we’ll help you nail your Yale supplemental essays.

And now that you know that, it’s time to step away from every assumption you’ve ever made about Yale. Although you will want to extensively research Yale during this process, it needs to be in tandem with the soul-searching that these prompts require. Writing these essays, though it’s not always fun, can be a rewarding learning experience for you and help determine what makes you unique. Strive to write essays that no one else could have written — that’s how you know you’re putting down a true, honest, genuine representation of yourself before the admissions officer.

Yale’s 2023–2024 Prompts

Short response.

• Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the  list provided.

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

What is it about yale that has led you to apply (125 words or fewer), coalition/common app short response (200 characters/roughly 35 words or fewer).

• What inspires you?
• If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?
• Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence?
• What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Essay Prompts (400 words or fewer, choose one)

• Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?
• Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.
• Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

Yale’s Short Responses

Students at yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. as of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably please indicate up to three from the  list provided. (125 words or fewer).

This question is asking you to list three things that interest you at the moment, with the understanding that they might change.

The key is to be honest: what do you truly want to major in? Ideally, you have shown interest in these topics already and these interests are reflected in your transcript and/or extracurricular activities, but sometimes that’s not possible. For instance, you may not have had the opportunity to pursue anthropology while in high school, but you have read books on human history that have led you to want to pursue it in college. Or perhaps your heroes are economists, but economics wasn’t a course at your school.

For reasons like these, some students will put a major they think admissions officers want to see or is more evidenced by their high school experiences. There’s a middle ground to consider: discuss your interest in this topic in the next question, so that you can clarify your interest without seeming inconsistent!

Here, try to laser focus on one or two (at most) of those academic interests you mentioned above. You have 200 words to work with in this question, but this is not the place to cram in everything you like. Instead, you should bring in anecdotes, experiences, or conversations that contributed to your decision to follow your interest(s).

Dig deep and find examples that are meaningful: if you like math, why is that the case? Do you enjoy finding and applying patterns in real life? Did a teacher show you a number trick that blew your mind? If you like literature, was it because you had a debate about a book that changed your perspective on a story? Was it because you want to be a storyteller? Don’t be afraid to invoke some of the most heartfelt and creative moments of your life as you explain why you’re passionate about the idea you’re bringing to this essay.

Avoid writing about all the standard reasons (prestige, academics, resources…) unless you have a unique reason for doing so. Even writing about standard aspects of Yale, like New Haven or the residential college system, should be approached carefully because you can be sure that admissions officers have just about read every single possible answer relating to these topics.

You want your “Why Yale?” to be unique, so if you’re going to be writing about academics or resources, you need to show that you’ve done your research. Much like you want every essay to be unique to you, this essay should be unique to Yale (essentially, you shouldn’t be able to use it as a supplement for any other school ). Yes, making each “Why X University?” essay unique creates extra work, but it’s the ability to put in that extra work that often differentiates the strong high school student from the future Ivy Leaguer.

When you try to imagine yourself at Yale, you can consider the following questions:

• What would be your niche?
• Who would be your community?
• What about Yale fits into your personal narrative?
• What would you contribute to the Yale community?
• Is there a department you’re passionate about that offers cooler classes than anywhere else?
• Is there a program unique to Yale that fits your interests?
• Is there a club you long to join?
• Is there something about Yale’s philosophy that you deeply resonate with?

Whatever your answers to these questions, make them specific and spirited.

Yale’s Coalition/Common App Short Responses

What inspires you (200 characters/roughly 35 words or fewer).

The most important part of this question is your explanation. Barring truly problematic inspirations, there are no wrong answers here, which means that what matters is how you justify your answer. You want to dive beneath the surface and find an answer that speaks to the narrative you’ve been crafting through all of these essays, while hopefully pulling in something fresh from your personality. Provide specificity in your answer.

Most of all, don’t feel the need to impress the admissions officer. It’s perfectly okay to sound like a teenager in these answers (of course, without being immature).

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be? (200 characters/roughly 35 words or fewer)

Here’s another chance to explore an interest you might not have quite made clear through your transcript so far. Be creative with your choice of course, book, or artwork— you can certainly draw from Yale’s “Blue Book” (the course offerings listed online), or from a real library or gallery. At the same time, you can also draw from fantasy and niche topics, and you don’t have to limit yourself to an existing field or major.

The ideal result is that if someone read the title, they’d be interested in taking your class, reading your book, or viewing your artwork. A little creativity goes a long way. But there’s no need to overthink it! As long as you describe one of your genuine interests, and/or a genuine aspect of your personality, you’ll be able to successfully answer this question.

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? (200 characters/roughly 35 words or fewer)

Questions about heroes and mentors are common on college applications, so you may very well have written a similar essay for another school already! If so, feel free to repurpose some of that essay for this one; it does not (and in most cases should not) be Yale-specific. The most important thing is that this essay is you specific.

Think about the teachers, coaches, friends, and even historical figures or people online who may have impacted you. This question is two-fold, requiring you to discuss both the person and their impact on you in only around 35 words. You’ll need to pick someone who you can explain their relation to you quickly. As a result, don’t feel pressure to describe the most esoteric person who’s impacted your life. Respectfully and briefly describe the person you chose and don’t shy away from vulnerability when elaborating on their impact.

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application? (200 characters/roughly 35 words or fewer)

This short response essay is another great chance to showcase something you haven’t yet mentioned before in your application—make it meaningful! Remember that even the mundane can be meaningful too: this answer doesn’t necessarily need to be about a hidden achievement or a secret passion for quantum physics.

When you write a college application, you craft a multidimensional picture of yourself based on your academics, extracurricular activities, athletics, and/or other endeavors you’ve followed. This question gives you the unique opportunity to showcase another dimension that doesn’t fall within those standard categories.

Yale’s Essay Prompts

Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. why did you find the experience meaningful (400 words or fewer).

If you end up attending Yale, you’ll likely be thrust into a community more diverse than any you’ve experienced in the past. Everyone handles culture shock differently, so you’ll want to show that you’re ready to face it with both an open mind and an open heart. Think of a time you approached conflict in a positive or productive way. You want to avoid sounding like you simply engage in debates to be right, or like you’re unwilling to change your opinions even when provided with compelling evidence.

Important lessons can come out of dealing with disagreement or disharmony within a group, some of which can be incredibly formative. Some of those lessons can include accepting a time you were wrong, finding the resilience to defend a position you strongly cared about, or learning through debate what it is that really matters to you.

When describing the meaning behind your experience interacting with someone who holds an opposing view to yourself, you can focus on the lesson you feel you learned from that experience. Remember to center your valuable 400 words around one moment ; doing so will guide you toward exploring its depth and making the conclusions you drew from it more concrete and specific to your unique life experiences.

Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like. (400 words or fewer)

Yale places a huge emphasis on community, and admissions officers are keen to find out what piece of the puzzle you’ll fill once you’re there. Think expansively about the concept of community: your extended family, a club you’re part of, a religious group, etc. Furthermore, consider what you’ve done to remain a dedicated member of that community. Writing about how you’ve fostered your relationship to your community over time will allow you to demonstrate why and to what extent the community is meaningful to you.

If you’re having trouble articulating why the community is meaningful to you, consider a time when your connection to your community faltered or you questioned your place in it. Understanding why you chose to re-establish your role in the community after this point of doubt may help you articulate its meaning to you. Invite the reader into your world, let them feel what you feel, and open a window into why you cherish all of that.

Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you? (400 words or fewer)

This prompt is much broader than the previous two prompts, so if writing about only about the meaning of your community or the way you respond to opposing viewpoints feels limiting to you, then you should select this prompt as your Yale essay question.

Nevertheless, this prompt’s broadness can be a trap for many students as they respond to the prompt with a broad answer. Before writing this essay, it’s advisable to write a brief outline so that you can keep your response contained, focused, and specific to you and your experience.

One way to keep this essay response cohesive is to consider a specific experience you have had and using that experience as the basis for your essay response. For instance, maybe you lost the final in your state tennis championship. How did bouncing back from that disappointment change you, and how will you bring your resilience to your college community? Or, as another example, maybe you hold a marginalized identity. Narrating a specific occasion when discrimination had the potential or reality of holding you back, and describing how you responded to that experience, can also be a strong response to this question.

The question is multilayered, because the Yale admissions officers would like to know not only about your experience, but how the experience changed you and how you will bring the lessons you’ve learned to your college community. Considering the three parts of this question, try to work backward by thinking of a life lesson you might want to bring to a Yale residential college community and then turning back the clock to recall how you learned this lesson in the first place.

If you need help polishing up your Yale 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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6 Awesome Yale University Essay Examples

What’s covered:.

• Essay 1: Immigration Reform  
• Essay 2: Artificial Intelligence
• Essay 3: Shaping Education Systems
• Essay 4: Biomechanics
• Essay 5: Why This Major
• Essay 6: Why Yale
• Where to Get Your Yale Essays Edited  

Yale is one of the top universities in the country, and a member of the prestigious Ivy League. Earning a spot at this highly coveted university is no easy feat, but having strong essays is one step in the right direction.

In this post, we will share six essays real students have submitted to Yale. We will also be covering what each essay did well and where there is room for improvement. Hopefully, you will have a better idea of how to write your Yale essays after reading through these!

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our Yale essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

Essay #1: Immigration Reform

Prompt: Yale students, faculty, and alumni engage issues of local, national, and international importance. Discuss an issue that is significant to you and how your college experience could help you address it. (250 words)

A chaotic sense of sickness and filth unfolds in an overcrowded border station in McAllen, Texas. Through soundproof windows, migrants motion that they have not showered in weeks and children wear clothes caked in mucus and tears. The humanitarian crisis at the southern border exists not only in photographs published by mainstream media, but miles from my home in South Texas.

As a daughter of immigrants, I have heard countless stories of migrants being turned away by a country they desperately seek to love. After seeing the abhorrent conditions migrants face upon arriving in the U.S., I began volunteering with Loaves and Fishes, an organization that shelters and provides necessities to undocumented immigrants. This year, my experiences collecting donations and working at pop-up soup kitchens have made me realize that the communities in South Texas promote true American values of freedom and opportunity. The U.S. government, however, must do better.

During my university career, I aspire to learn how our immigration system can be positively reformed by considering the politics and economics that shape policy-making. Particularly, classes such as Institutional Design and Institutional Change will prepare me to effect change in existing institutions by analyzing various methods to bolster the economy. 

Additionally, I hope to join the Yale Refugee Project that volunteers at the southern border and prepares asylum cases for court. With the numerous opportunities offered by YRP, I will be part of a generation of activists and lawmakers that builds a more empathetic immigration system.

What the Essay Did Well

This essay draws its strength from its roots in the applicant’s personal experience and its connections to Yale-specific opportunities. Here, we learn a bit about the applicant’s story, values, and fit for Yale, all well-encapsulated within the 250-count word limit. 

The essay starts off with a fantastic imagery-rich anecdote, a strong way to draw your reader in. The student quickly establishes not only the problem’s dire extent but also a personal connection; this issue resides in her own backyard. Here, she establishes that immigrant mistreatment is more than a faraway crisis to her, offering crucial background behind her passion for it.

Her attitude towards getting things done is evident through her concise writing. She succinctly describes the steps she has taken like “ volunteering with Loaves and Fishes ” and “ collecting donations and working at pop-up soup kitchens. ” She then goes on to plainly explain the classes and organization at Yale that closely align with her goals, making it quite easy to imagine the role she would play on campus. Being concise and intentional with your ideas maintains the reader’s interest as they grow to trust that each sentence will carry interesting content that differs from that within the sentence before it.

This essay is wise in that it honed in on very specific opportunities at Yale that align perfectly with the student’s passions. Notice how YRP’s mission mirrors that of Loaves and Fishes in their shared goal to better southern immigrant communities. YRM’s opportunities for helping immigrants through the world of law offer an almost “grown-up” version of the work this student has already completed; here, she shows a willingness to build upon her experience and to push herself even further.

What Could Be Improved

If there is one area of this essay that could be strengthened, it is the conclusion. As the word count is tight, this student doesn’t have space for an entire paragraph, so at the moment she used this sentence: “ With the numerous opportunities offered by YRP, I will be part of a generation of activists and lawmakers that builds a more empathetic immigration system. ” 

This sentence is more a conclusion for her discussion about the Yale Refugee Project, although alluding to a “generation of activists and lawmakers” and building a “more empathetic immigration system” suggests a forward-looking conclusion statement. That being said, it could be made stronger by separating the conclusion from the Yale Refugee Project and possibly tying back to previous ideas like the situation at the border or her call for the government to improve. 

Essay #2: Artificial Intelligence

Prompt: Think about an idea or topic that has been intellectually exciting for you. Why are you drawn to it? (250 words) 

Her name is Sophia. Described by many as compassionate, sexy, and a witty twitter icon, Sophia embodies success and holds a level of intelligence humans can only dream of. Sophia is not your average girl. In fact, she’s not a girl at all. Created in an artificial intelligence lab in Hong Kong, Sophia is the most famous android in the world. 

When I first read about Sophia the Robot and its apparent ability to feel emotions, I was intrigued yet perplexed. For years, A.I. has revolutionized technology, enabling tasks to be performed rapidly and skillfully. But the single characteristic I long believed separated humans and A.I. was humans’ ability to express emotions. Today, with emotional A.I. undergoing expeditious development, I find myself wondering what actually makes us human. Can only humans have a mind with consciousness and thought? Will machines be able to imitate the human mind or can they perceive emotions only through algorithms? How do humans learn to feel emotions? What is the mind? 

As a philosophy enthusiast, I am fascinated by the potential for A.I. to recreate the human mind. From Descartes postulating that the mind is identified by a self-awareness to early monists arguing that the mind is a purely physical construct, philosophical theories seek to understand the mysterious minds of humans that science cannot fully explain. In college, I hope to study the Philosophy of Mind and Artificial Intelligence in order to better understand our minds and the technology that is increasingly resembling them. 

This is an amazing essay because not only do we see this student’s fascination with AI, but we see the effect it has had on their outlook on the world. By the end of the essay we are left wondering “what is the topic that intellectually excites this student?” Is it AI or the philosophy of the mind? Seamlessly intertwining these two topics is quite impressive.  

So how did this student convince us of their fascination for two ideas? They showed us. Although they tell us “ I was intrigue d” about AI, we see their interest in their discussion of Sophia. Describing Sophia as “ compassionate, sexy, and a witty twitter icon ” makes the AI appear on a pedestal. Using cliche phrases like “ Sophia is not your average girl ” emulates a discussion you would have about a real person you are in love with, which becomes all the more humorous when we are told right after Sophia isn’t human. 

While this student employs descriptive writing, humorous cliches, and subverted expectations to demonstrate their fascination with AI, we see their interest in philosophy through the use of rhetorical questions. Similarly with the topic of AI, the student plainly states their interest in philosophy by referring to themself as a “ philosophy enthusiast. ” But we see that enthusiasm jump off the page when they ask four consecutive philosophical questions. Bringing the reader into their head is such an effective way to convey your inner-most thoughts without losing the reader’s attention. We are a part of this inquiry and suddenly become just as curious to the answers as the student is.

Through these varied writing techniques—another way to keep your essay interesting—both of this student’s fascinations are well-represented. The last line brings everything together in a neat package, explaining how they can explore both topics as one in college.

There is honestly very little this essay needs to improve upon, but one suggestion would be to include Sophia in the latter half of the essay. Since Sophia epitomizes the fusion of AI and the human mind, this is such a perfect symbol for this student. Adding a rhetorical question about Sophia (ie “ Does anything separate me from Sophia? “) or referencing their hope to understand Sophia’s role in humanity after a Yale education in the conclusion would be easy ways to keep the idea sustained throughout the essay. 

Essay #3: Shaping Education Systems

Each time we handed homework back, our primary school students would anxiously start counting and comparing the number of corrections. The warning that “ a mistake on the Gaokao will cost you thousands of places to your dream university! ” had already been drilled into their heads. 

The combined efforts of generous government spending and unreserved sacrifices of parents have guaranteed education for most Chinese children. After two summers of teaching English in rural Chinese schools, I’ve realised that the problem isn’t funding, but a redundant system.

My friend and I founded Project Take Flight to propose learning driven by curiosity rather than pressure, earned by exploring rather than memorising. After two weeks with quirky essay prompts, vocab games, improvised debates and a lesson titled ”How to Fail”, students’ creativity flowed and the stigma of making mistakes seemed forgotten.

But there’s a limit to the impact of two high-school students; education systems around the world need nation-wide policies that do not just provide the resources but also ensure they are used effectively. Putting students in school might equip us with the skills necessary in the “world of tomorrow”, but education at its best – the type I hope to experience at Yale – enables us to have a say in what that world will look like. I want to understand the processes of curricula development and policymaking through taking courses in Educational Studies alongside my major so I can contribute to shaping an education system where every student can learn for causes greater than themselves.

The prompt asks for an issue that is significant to you, and this student certainly did that! Although education reform is a fairly general topic on its own, the focus is on the work this student has done through the club they founded and the problems they have observed because of their hands-on experience. This is a good example of making a broad idea personal and therefore successful.

The student is able to show the difference between the traditional education system and the innovative approach they implemented with concrete examples. The mantra they include about every mistake affecting your chances of college echoes the sentiments of stressed high school students, but the fact it has been adopted by kids in primary school is this student’s way of demonstrating how broken the system is. They contrast the old with the new by showing how they made learning fun and stress-free with “ q uirky essay prompts, vocab games, improvised debates and a lesson titled ‘How to Fail’ .”

Although this essay hints at how this student wants to reform the education system, we are largely provided with very little about their actual plans. We have seen their ingenuity at starting Project Take Flight in high school, but we want to know how they will expand on their passion with a Yale education.

Rather than telling us “ I want to understand the processes of curricula development and policymaking through taking courses in Educational Studies, ” this student should have 1) included more resources at Yale and 2) described their idea to improve the education system. Admissions officers know you are young and can’t accomplish much yet, but they also know you have dreams—tell us about them!

Something like this would have accomplished both point more effectively: “ I want Project Take Flight to spread its wings and touch students all over the globe. Through the course Money in American Politics I will learn the tools needed to lobby Congress to adopt a student-focused curriculum. Working under Professor Nancy Close, I will acquire an expertise in child psychology to reform my proposed curriculum to best suit the needs of children from the New York city public schools to the rural villages of China that started it all.”

Essay #4: Biomechanics

Prompt: Yale’s extensive course offerings and vibrant conversations beyond the classroom encourage students to follow their developing intellectual interests wherever they lead. Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it? (250 words)

My heel strikes the pavement, calf muscles flexed to brace for the mechanical load of the impact. As my weight shifts forward, I imagine horizontal velocity vectors extending directly ahead. The angle created by my knee increases as I hit the propulsion phase of my stride, and with a final drive of force, I push off from my forefoot.

I discovered my fascination with sports biomechanics in the USC Biomechanics Research Lab. In my research project, I apply scientific principles to running to prevent stress-induced injuries in athletes. By analyzing video frames of PAC-12 athletes in motion and linking them to force plate data, I seek to understand the forces behind running. Comparing these conclusions to the data of athletes after a stress fracture, I can deduce the tangible differences that increase susceptibility to injury. To accomplish this goal, I have learned to use Python and MATLAB to sync the video and force plate data to create graphs for analysis. I have also used sports analysis programs to identify the locations of joints in individual frames and create videos overlaid by force vectors. Through this work, I hope to use my passion for sports biomechanics to improve the health of athletes.

My interest in sports biomechanics also extends outside of the lab, where I see my knowledge in motion. Neighborhood runs are scientific feats where I analyze my movements with principles of physics. With every step, I seek to improve my performance, putting sports biomechanics into action as an athlete.

This is a very detailed essay that is able to convey complex academic ideas in a manner that is easily understood by the reader. Not only that, but the high level of detail also demonstrates the passion this student has for sports biometrics.

Right off the bat, the hook at the beginning brings a high level of energy and excitement to the essay: “ My heel strikes the pavement, calf muscles flexed. ” However, the introduction isn’t just for sheer shock value; they introduce the intellectual aspect of running. Details about “ horizontal velocity vectors ,” the “ angle created by my knee ,” and the “ propulsion phase ” immediately demonstrate the depth of knowledge this student has.

Their intellect only grows in the second paragraph with the multitude of details they use to describe their research project. Breaking down their process step-by-step allows the reader to appreciate all this student has accomplished, even if we know nothing about sports biometrics. We walk away from this essay blown away with this student’s abilities and a clear understanding of their intellectual vitality. 

This essay does an excellent job explaining how this student has explored their passion for sports biometrics, but a key detail is missing: why are they passionate about it.

They tell us about how their goal of pursuing sports biometrics is to “ prevent stress-induced injuries in athletes, ” but how did this become this student’s purpose? Maybe this student sustained an injury when they were younger that prevented them from playing for two seasons and made them feel like they had lost a part of themselves. That would have made a great introductory anecdote. Or perhaps organization is a cornerstone of their personality which led them to fall in love with charts and data analysis and sports biometrics allows them to combine the thrill of sports with their detail-oriented side. Whatever the reason is, this essay needed to include details that demonstrate why this student chose sports biometrics.

Essay #5: Why This Major 

Prompt: Why do these areas appeal to you? (Biomedical Engineering; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Neuroscience) (125 words)

Tearing past layers of wrapping paper, I blink twice at the box in my hands: The Squishy Human Body. Little did I know that this strange seventh birthday gift would inspire a curiosity in biology and a desire to pursue medicine. Snapping open the plastic head, I would seek to understand the brain’s inner workings. Squeezing the rubber heart would turn into countless questions about the molecular properties of its tissues. Using the tweezers to remove the small intestine, I would perform my own surgeries, each time with improved equipment that I designed to fit the patient’s needs. I hope to continue my exploration of biology at Yale, working to understand functions on a cellular level while applying my knowledge to the field of medicine.

While this essay is short and sweet, it works! Focusing on a singular moment in time, a singular object, allows this student to tell us a lot about their passion for biology and medicine in a very limited amount of space.

The reader is taken on a journey through the human body—via the toy—and at each stop along the way we learn another detail about the student. This is a clever way to convey information, especially when you are tight on words. Using symbols and giving each sentence a specific focus helps the reader quickly take away the main point so we finish the essay feeling like we’ve learned a great deal about what this student wants to learn and do with their degree.

Additionally, this essay is a breezy read because of the use of action verbs keeping the reader in the moment. The repeated structure of beginning sentences with -ing verbs (“Tearing,” “Snapping,” “Squeezing,” “Using,” etc) suggests that these actions are currently taking pace. This is a nice trick to draw your reader in without wasting any space.

This essay could be even better if it told us more about this student in detail. Using the head, heart, and intestine as symbols for what they will learn and do in the future good, but including concrete details would make it great. We could see research projects they conducted, volunteer work at a hospital they engaged in, or clubs that they joined at school to demonstrate their hands-on experience with medicine. The whole point of  The Squishy Human Body is to give kids hands-on experience, so let’s see it!

Reworking sentences to be more like these would have made the essay stronger: “ Snapping open the plastic head, I found the brain I performed countless CT scans on to locate tumors. Squeezing the rubber heart, I see my report on addressing high rates of female cardiovascular disease.”

Essay #6: Why Yale

Prompt: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Coin collector and swimmer. Hungarian and Romanian. Critical and creative thinker. I was drawn to Yale because they don’t limit one’s mind with “or” but rather embrace unison with “and.” 

Wandering through the Beinecke Library, I prepare for my multidisciplinary Energy Studies capstone about the correlation between hedonism and climate change, making it my goal to find implications in environmental sociology. Under the tutelage of Assistant Professor Arielle Baskin-Sommers, I explore the emotional deficits of depression, utilizing neuroimaging to scrutinize my favorite branch of psychology: human perception. At Walden Peer Counseling, I integrate my peer support and active listening skills to foster an empathetic environment for the Yale community. Combining my interests in psychological and environmental studies is why I’m proud to be a Bulldog. 

A strength of this essay is how it acts like this student is actively a student at Yale, subconsciously tricking the reader into thinking that they belong. While many students in a “ Why School? ” essay say things like “ I want to ” or “ I would “, being quite literal in the sense they are viewing attending Yale as a future possibility. However, this student employs present verbs and specific locations to make Yale a current reality, for example: “ Wandering through the Beinecke Library, I prepare for my multidisciplinary Energy Studies capstone. ” While this approach requires more confidence, it can help you stand out from other applicants who approach Yale as a hypothetical.

Another positive aspect is how this student explains what Yale resource they are taking advantage of and how they will benefit from/contribute to it. Incorporating both of these is what gives your “Why School?” essay meaning. Admissions officers need to see you have done your research and found opportuniites that relate to you, but they also want to see what you will do on campus and beyond. This student applies this method of description to a class, professor, and organization to thoroughly demonstrate how Yale uniquely aligns with their goals.

One issue with this essay is it tries to cover too much, ultimately leaving many things unsaid. Take the introduction for example. While the notion of embracing “and” not “or” is a good way to demonstrate all the possibilities they can pursue at Yale, this student shares details about themselves that pique the reader’s interest, but unfortunately aren’t expanded on. We want to know about their coin collection and their Hungarian and Romanian roots, but they are never referenced again.

Although the Yale opportunities are slightly more focused around the idea of the environment and psychology, the essay lacks a clear link between the two topics until the last sentence. This makes the essay feel disjointed and overwhelming for the reader because we can’t process how all of this information relates.

To overcome this issue, the student could present the idea of the environment and psychology as their end at the very beginning, cutting out the other identities they present. Not only would this make the entire essay more streamlined, it would make the second paragraph far more manageable because the reader would go into knowing this student’s two interests. Yes, some interesting facts would need to be sacrificed, but when you only have 125 words you need to prioritize the main idea of your essay.

Where to Get Your Yale  Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Yale essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Yale University’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Why this major short response.

Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it?

Why This College Short Response

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply?

Select-A-Prompt Essay

Short Takes:

Please respond in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words or fewer), to each of the following questions:

What inspires you?

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence?

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Select-A-Prompt Short Response

Please respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer. Please indicate the number of the prompt you choose.

Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?

Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

Common App Personal Essay

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

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.

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?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

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?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

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?

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.

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?

14: How to Write the 2023-24 Yale University Essays (Part 1‪)‬ The College Essay Advisors Podcast

Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the 2023-24 Yale University supplemental essay prompts. Part 1 of 2! Access our 2023-24 Yale University Supplemental Essay Guide: https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com/supplemental-essay/yale-university-2023-24-supplemental-essay-prompt-guide/ Watch some of our YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MaLsIu1vdE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6VxiKDeqQc Work one-on-one with an Advisor from our team: https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com/one-on-one-advising/ Follow us on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegeEssayAdvisors Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollegeEssayAdv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collegeessayadvisors/ Website: https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com/   *Details have been changed as it relates to any and all essay examples mentioned in the podcast to protect the privacy of our clients. Don't forget to subscribe so you can be notified when we release new episodes!

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Yale Supplemental Essays 2023-24

Yale Supplemental Essays

Want to know how to get into Yale? Well, every strong application starts with well-crafted Yale supplemental essays. 

As one of the nation’s top schools, the Yale application process is highly competitive. Therefore, by crafting unique and interesting Yale supplemental essays, you can ensure you impress the admissions team. 

In this article, we’ll go over each of the Yale supplemental essays in detail. Additionally, we’ll review tips for responding to the Why Yale essay, as well as the other Yale short answer essays. 

Yale Essay Prompts: Quick Facts

• Yale University Acceptance Rate:  5%–  U.S. News  ranks Yale University as one of the  most selective  schools in the nation
• 2 short answer essays (125-200 words each)
• 4 “short take” questions (35 words each)
• 1 longer response essay (400 words)
• Yale University Application:  Students must submit their Yale University application through either the  Common Application , Coalition Application , or Questbridge Application . Make sure to have all of your Yale University supplemental essays and other  required application materials  ready when applying. 

Single Choice Early Action: November 1 st  

Regular decision: january 2 nd.

• Yale University Essay Tip:  Though there are several Yale supplemental essays, make sure to answer each one in detail, demonstrating why Yale is a great fit for you.

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website. 

Does Yale have supplemental essays?

Yes, there are Yale supplemental essays.

Students should think critically about the Yale essay requirements. There are a total of seven Yale supplemental essays. These vary in length and format. 

You’ll submit the Yale supplemental essays in addition to your main personal statement, sometimes called the Common App essay . As such, you will need to submit eight essays as part of your application. 

Writing all of these Yale supplemental essays by the Yale application deadline might seem daunting. However, if you plan ahead, you can ensure all of your Yale supplemental essays highlight your strengths. 

Overall, make sure you have a strategy when working on your Yale supplemental essays. To help you get started, let’s review the Yale essay prompts in detail. 

Does Yale have a Why Yale essay?

Yes—one of the Yale supplemental essays is a Why Yale essay. The Why Yale essay is a short answer essay that can be a maximum of 125 words long. The objective of the Why Yale essay is the same as it is for other Why School essays—to demonstrate that you have researched the school well and explain what makes it the right fit for you. 

The Why Yale essay for 2023-24 is worded as follows:

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? 

The keywords in this essay question are “Yale” and “you.” In short, in your Why Yale essay, you must demonstrate that you have done research on Yale. You can do so by emphasizing aspects of the school’s academics, culture, clubs, research opportunities, or anything else that stands out to you. By the end of your Why Yale essay, a Yale admissions officer should have a clear sense of why you belong at Yale. 

Secondly, every one of the Yale supplemental essays is a chance to showcase more about yourself. As such, use the Why Yale essay as a chance to talk more about passions, values, and interests that make you unique. Since you only have 125 words to write for the Why Yale essay, it’s important to be concise.

Yale Questbridge Essay Requirements

Yale University is a Questbridge partner . Students wondering how to get into Yale should explore Questbridge further, as it is one of the three ways to apply to Yale.

But, what is Questbridge? Questbridge is a scholarship program for students from low-income backgrounds who wish to attend elite colleges. Some of these, like Yale, are Ivy League colleges . As part of their application, students rank schools that they would like to attend. If a school they ranked admits them, then they are considered a “match” and receive a full scholarship to attend the school. 

Check out this virtual information session for 2022 Yale Questbridge Finalists to learn more about Questbridge at Yale and how to apply.

Understanding the Yale requirements for Questbridge

Students who apply via the Yale Questbridge application complete slightly different Yale supplemental essays than students who apply regularly through the Common App or Coalition App. Indeed, the Questbridge application only requires two short answer essays.

Specifically, the Questbridge Yale essay prompts only include the academic interest and why Yale essay. They do not include the “short take” or longer response questions. Instead, the Yale Questbridge application gives more space for students to discuss their backgrounds and unique circumstances. 

In the next section, we’ll go into further detail on the Yale short answer essays, which are required of all students regardless of whether they are applying to Yale through the Common App, Coalition App, or the Questbridge Scholarship application.

Yale Short Answer Essays

The first set of Yale supplemental essays are the three short answer essays. These Yale supplemental essays are required for all applicants, regardless of which application they use to apply.

The Yale short answer essays are as follows:

Short Answer Question 1: 

Students at yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. as of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably please indicate up to three from the  list  provided., short answer question 2: , tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. why are you drawn to it (200 words or fewer), short answer question 3:, what is it about yale that has led you to apply (125 words or fewer).

Since we already discussed the Why Yale question above, we’ll focus on breaking down the first two short answer questions.

Question 1: Your Academic Interests

The first of the Yale supplemental essays asks you to identify three academic areas of interest. Yale is a liberal arts school that allows students to choose a major but also requires them to take courses outside of their major via their distribution requirements. As such, it is important to demonstrate your flexibility in learning many different subjects. However, these subjects do not have to be related. In fact, in some cases, it may be more intriguing if they are not. For example, a student who states an interest in Asian American history and evolutionary biology definitely makes an intriguing candidate.

However, you should respond to this question as you do all of your Yale supplemental essays—genuinely. Indeed, Yale wants to know what you are truly interested in. Therefore, listing majors simply to impress or seem intriguing won’t serve you well.

Question 2: A Topic that Excites You

The next short answer essay asks you to discuss a topic that excites you. This should be directly related to one of the academic interests you described in the first question. 

In this question, focus on the “why.” What makes this topic interesting or meaningful to you? How does it relate to your background, experiences, or future goals? The more specific you can be, the better. 

Wondering how to select a topic or idea to highlight in your Yale essays? Here are a few tips:

Tips for Selecting a Yale Essay Topic

1. brainstorm 3-5 ideas..

Take a few minutes to jot down specific memories you have associated with this topic. For example, if you are interested in evolutionary biology, maybe you remember learning about how birds evolved from dinosaurs. Use descriptive language to show us what you learned and bring the topic to life. 

2. Choose a meaningful topic.

After you have brainstormed, note which topic makes you feel excited. Don’t choose the topic that you think sounds more impressive to others. Choose the one that impresses you.

3. Write a lot and then edit it down.

Don’t limit yourself by focusing on the word count. Instead, begin by writing freely. From there, edit out words or sentences that don’t seem essential. Additionally, you can ask mentors or friends to help you revise.

A successful response to these Yale essay prompts will have the following characteristics:

How to Respond to Yale Essay Prompts

1. relate to yale’s academics..

As supplements must be specific to each school, it’s important that you highlight topics and majors that you know can study at Yale. First, think about Yale’s academic strengths, and then use these as a basis for your essays. 

2. Demonstrate a passion for learning.

Yale values students’ intellectual curiosity. As such, the topic you discuss must demonstrate your passion for learning. 

3. Tell us why you are drawn to the topic.

As the question denotes, Yale doesn’t just want to know what you are interested in, but why. Does the topic have some kind of personal relevance? Does it excite you because it’s baffled scientists for centuries? Make your reasoning clear.

Now that we’ve looked in detail at these Yale requirements, we’ll explore the Yale short answer essays that are even shorter. Indeed, these Yale supplemental essays are sometimes known as the “short takes.”

Additional Yale Supplemental Essays

In addition to responding to the Yale short answer essays above, you’ll need to respond to four “short takes” and one longer response which offers you three Yale essay prompts to choose from. First, we’ll discuss the “short takes.”

Inside the Yale “Short Takes”

There are four Yale “short takes.”  These Yale supplemental essays ask students to respond in 200 characters or less, which roughly equates to 35 words. As such, you must be extremely concise in your response while still answering the question. Still, use these essays to showcase your unique brand or personality, helping the admissions team understand who you are.

Below are the Yale essay prompts for the “short takes,” followed by tips for responding well: 

1. What inspires you?

For this prompt, take some time to simply free-write and brainstorm a list of things that inspire you. Don’t limit yourself by thinking your response must relate to academics. There is no right response to this question. The key is to express what inspires you in a way that enriches your profile. 

2. If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?

As we shared above, Yale is a liberal arts college very interested in intellectual curiosity. This question allows you to showcase your creativity and passions. Rather than trying to think of an idea that will impress admissions officers, focus on choosing one that speaks to you. 

3. Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? 

This question alludes to Yale’s focus on “improving the world.” By asking you to highlight a person who has influenced you, they get to see what you value in others and whether you can recognize the interdependence of the world. Note that the question asks you to highlight someone “other than a family member.” So, logically, avoid writing about family members in this Yale essay. Lastly, even though you are writing about someone else, the core of your response should demonstrate more about who you are. Therefore, briefly name the person and their relationship to you. And then, mainly focus on how they impacted you. 

4. What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

The final of the Yale supplemental essays “short takes” could potentially be the most challenging one to answer. This question is open-ended on purpose. Unsurprisingly, Yale values diversity as much as most elite schools. As such, they provide space for you to share something that they may not have asked you about yet. To brainstorm, perhaps ask friends and family to read your application and then tell you a few aspects of your personality or experience that aren’t represented. Then, express that uniqueness in 35 words or less. Additionally, this could be a space to express more about any challenges or unique circumstances you have faced that impacted your life or academics significantly. However, those details may also be better suited for the “Additional Information” section. So, think about what information is best suited where.

Breaking Down the Yale Longer Response Essay

The Yale longer response essay is the final of the Yale supplemental essays. While it is indeed the longest of the short answer essays, it is still only 400 words maximum in length. You can choose from three Yale essay prompts for this question. 

Here are the three Yale essay prompts, along with guidance on how to respond:

1. Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?

With this question, Yale hopes to gauge whether you can engage in the “free exchange of ideas” they mention in their mission statement. To respond well, choose an example of a conversation that truly did impact you. Describe the conversation with enough detail to make it clear what the opposing views were. In the end, the most critical piece of this essay is showing how the experience impacted you. Since Yale values learning, Yale hopes to see whether you can find opportunities to learn in your day-to-day life just as much as you do in the classroom.

2. Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

This Yale supplemental prompt seeks to learn more about the communities you are a part of and how you interact with them. Consider your neighborhood, school, family, religious group, or any other group of people to which you feel closely connected. Remember that the focus of this essay is still you, so avoid spending too long describing the community. Instead, jump right into why it is meaningful to you.

3. Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

As we noted above, Yale values diversity in the broadest sense of the word. As a result, they look for students who can bring new experiences to campus. However, those experiences don’t have to be grand, like living in five different countries as a child. In fact, perhaps you lived in the same house for all your childhood and this taught you to value history, tradition, and legacy. As with all the other Yale essays, the right answer is the one that resonates most with you.

At this point, you may be wondering which of the Yale essay prompts to choose. While there isn’t one essay prompt that Yale admissions officers value more than another, there might be one that feels more authentic to you. Another way to decide is to choose a prompt that allows you to talk about an aspect of yourself that you haven’t yet divulged. In this way, you can fit more about yourself on the page and avoid repeating previous information.

What does Yale admissions look for in essays?

If you’re wondering how to get into Yale, you’re probably also wondering what Yale looks for in Yale supplemental essays. Here are a few tips to make your Yale essays stand out:

Each year, Yale aims to build an incoming class that reflects a diverse array of identities, experiences, and interests. Beyond that, admissions officers are skilled at reading for authenticity. This means that trying to impress them will likely come across on the page and discourage them from accepting you.

2. Passion for Yale.

Each of the Yale supplemental essays gives you space to highlight aspects of your experience that overlap with Yale in some way. As such, they must be Yale-specific in some sense, even if only by highlighting how your values align with Yale’s mission. 

3. Stick to your own voice.

While your essay must be written formally, only use vocabulary words that you would use. Avoid looking for the fanciest possible vocabulary word (unless it’s one you actually use), since this will only come off as ingenuine.

4. Proofread.

As Yale is a prestigious academic institution, they are looking for writing that reflects conventionally proper grammar and spelling. Make sure you have multiple people read your essays. In fact, reading your Yale supplemental essays out loud can help you catch errors or missing words.

What is the application deadline for Yale?

In addition to understanding the Yale requirements, students must choose one of two Yale application deadlines.

You have two main options for your Yale application deadline. They are as follows:

Early Action is a Yale application deadline that allows students to apply early. SCEA means that you are only allowed to apply to one school’s Early Action deadline. 

If you apply to Yale through Early Action, you cannot apply to any other school’s Early Action or Early Decision program. There are a few exceptions to this restriction. For instance, students may apply to public institutions as long as they are non-binding. At Yale, applying SCEA tends not to dramatically increase students’ admissions odds. However, for some schools, applying early can make a huge difference in terms of demonstrated interest. 

This is the date by which most students apply. There are no restrictions on how many schools you can apply to through Regular Decision.

A note on Questbridge students’ application deadlines :

Students applying via Questbridge must complete their application by September 26 . Then, they will be notified of whether they matched with Yale on November 1. 

Starting early on your Yale supplemental essays is key to a successful application. By starting early, you have time to brainstorm ideas, get multiple people’s opinions, and incorporate feedback. Plus, starting early helps you avoid feeling stressed by the Yale requirements.

More Yale Essay Resources from CollegeAdvisor

As always, CollegeAdvisor is committed to helping you find your way in the college admissions process. As such, we have several tailored resources to learn more about how to get into Yale. 

To learn more about the Yale supplemental essays, check out this webinar for more tips on responding to the Yale essay prompts. In addition, our college admissions experts will share guidance on writing efficiently so you can complete your other applications as well. 

Want to hear from a Yale alum about their admissions pathway to Yale? Listen to one of our experts talk about how they aced the admissions process. This webinar includes an excerpt from their Yale supplemental essays. It also discusses how this student put together their application so their profile stood out.

Lastly, check out this article full of sample Why Yale essays. Inside, you’ll get a clear perspective on how students responded fully to this question using their own unique flair.

Yale Supplemental Essays – Takeaways

In this article, we broke down the Yale requirements, ranging from Yale supplemental essays to Yale application deadlines. We talked about how to write compelling essays that showcase your unique personal brand, even in your Why Yale essay. We also provided resources for you to continue with your research on Yale requirements.

As you continue researching, read the Yale website regularly for updates . Consider reading sample essays for other Ivy League schools’ applications and make sure you research other schools’ supplemental essay requirements to find overlap in essay topics.

Most importantly, reach out to CollegeAdvisor for additional customized support. We’re here to make your college journey as successful and stress-free as possible.

This essay guide was written by senior advisor, Courtney Ng . Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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How to Approach the Yale Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

August 23, 2023

When crafting the perfect Yale supplemental essays for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, it is crucial to reflect on the reasons that led you to choose Yale. Is it the chance to delve into the fascinating realm of " Mathematics & Philosophy, " blending two of your greatest passions? Or perhaps it's the incredible opportunity to immerse yourself in the wonders of reefs and rainforests during a semester in Australia ? Yale highly values knowing what motivates your academic pursuits, and the supplemental essays provide the opportunity to show the school that you're curious, ambitious, and intellectually driven. To help guide you through the Yale supplemental essays 2023-2024 , I’ve outlined each prompt, with insights and additional tips to ensure that your essays shine brightly, setting you apart from the highly competitive pool of Yale applicants.

Short Answer Questions

Applicants submitting the coalition application, common application, or questbridge application will respond to the following short answer questions..

These questions are intended for admissions officers to get to know you better. InGenius Prep counselor Nick Strohl, who worked as the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Yale, recommends that you “aim to include topics that aren’t addressed elsewhere in the application. Be sure to write answers that are unique to who you are.”  Remember, there are no “trick” questions or right or wrong answers!

1. Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.

This is your chance to show your focus directly, and the three majors you choose should definitely be connected. Emphasize areas of choice that make sense alongside other parts of your application, and try to be as specific as possible within your major. Don’t just automatically say “biology” – look through options that match your aspirations and consider options such as “Biology (Ecology & Evolutionary),” “History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health,” and “Biomedical Engineering.” And avoid choosing a topic just because you think it sounds impressive. Admissions officers aren’t looking for any specific answers beyond what legitimately reflects your interests and goals. 

2. Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

This is the perfect opportunity to showcase your intellectual prowess and curiosity! Choose a topic or idea that deeply resonates with you, and allow your enthusiasm to shine through your response. What topics do you enjoy learning about in school? Is it environmental law, a physics formula, or a mathematical equation? A good way to narrow down your options might be to ask yourself, “What can I give a five-minute presentation on right now?”  Remember, with a strict limit of 200 words, it is crucial to focus on something specific – after all, they are seeking one topic or idea.

Avoid using generic phrases like  “studying Environmental Engineering can help scientists understand the world’s issues better.” The question asks why the topic excites you . Use a short anecdote to drive your point home. Take the time to explain the reasons behind your profound love for this particular subject and share the profound impact it has had on your life and how it has shaped your academic journey.

3. What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Now we get to the classic “Why Yale” question. When reading your responses, Yale wants to know two things : “Who is likely to make the most of Yale’s resources?” and “Who will contribute most significantly to the Yale community?” The key to answering this question is to keep it simple and specific while making sure your knowledge of the school comes through. You want to be presented as a one-of-a-kind candidate. Since the word limit is tight, you must pinpoint one or two things that make Yale special – not in general, but in connection to your interests.

For example, are you excited by the chance to explore your love for film and media through courses such as FILM 233: Children and Schools in Global Cinema and FILM 320: Close Analysis of Film, while becoming an active member of the Yale Film Society? Or are you more drawn by the chance to enrich your advocacy for global health care through the Health & Community: Globalization, Culture, and Care comparative study abroad program across five different countries? Keep your scope narrowed to features that can only be found at Yale so the reader knows you’ve done your research and are applying for the school itself, and not just the Ivy League name. 

Additionally, Yale is known for its strong sense of community and its unique residential college system. The residential college system at Yale fosters a close-knit environment where students can form meaningful connections and engage in collaborative and inclusive experiences. By living, learning, and socializing together, students have the opportunity to develop lifelong friendships and create a supportive network within their college community. As a result, you could also consider discussing how your collaborative, open-minded, and community-oriented nature would thrive at Yale by diving into your involvement in student organizations, participation in community service initiatives, or your love for engaging in intellectual discussions with fellow students.

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will also respond to the following short answer questions, in 35 words or fewer:

Based on your answers to these four very short questions, admissions officers hope to gauge how you think and who you are. There’s no need to spend hours coming up with the “perfect” response because it’s all about painting an authentic picture of your personality. For any of these responses, you should avoid the most basic or common answers such as inviting Bill Gates or Barack Obama to be the guest speaker or wishing to teach a course called “19th Century Literature.” Your goal is to stand out and 19th Century Literature courses already exist in every university. They won’t make you memorable!

1. What inspires you?

With only 35 words, you cannot get too elaborate. Nick notes, “The best answers will resonate with your application persona in some way. For example, if you love history, perhaps there is a historical figure or moment that inspires you; if you are an artist or musician, perhaps there is a piece of art or music that captures your imagination.” Additionally, avoid mentioning random and disconnected things – instead, stick to one answer here. For example, select a piece of media (such as a song or movie) or talk about a goal (such as achieving success in the future). 

Ultimately, admissions officers want to understand what inspires you to keep going when confronted with challenges. Their goal is to understand where you find the strength to persevere when faced with a demanding intellectual, physical, or social/emotional obstacle.

2. If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?

For this prompt, think about something more niche within your area of interest. You aren’t locked within traditional boundaries of academics – you could teach a social media course or a poster-making class! This is a great opportunity to discuss a personal interest that has not already been mentioned elsewhere in your application.

Nick also adds, “ Your course should be something that students would actually want to take and not just obscure for the sake of it. It should also be something different than what’s offered. Yale has a massive “blue book” with all of its courses. Make sure your course is different! ”

3. Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence?

When considering someone who has significantly influenced you, it is important to strike a balance between avoiding common answers and selecting someone who is too abstract. You want to choose someone that the reader can draw a realistic and logical connection between you and that person.

And while it may be tempting to select a famous individual or someone with impressive accomplishments, it is more important to focus on how this person has impacted you personally. The key is to highlight how you have been transformed as a result of their influence. Make yourself the main focus and consider how you have changed as a result of this person. How do you think, act, care, or navigate the world differently now? A before-and-after approach can help illustrate this person's profound impact on your personal growth and development.

Remember, the purpose of this question is to showcase your individuality and unique perspective. By delving into how this person has shaped you, you can provide insight into your character and values. So, take the time to carefully reflect on the person who has influenced you the most and share how they have truly made a difference in your life.

4. What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

You don’t have much space to dive deeper into one of your activities/awards, so be sure to write about something that is not already mentioned  in your application! Do you have a random hobby? A random way you like to spend your time? An unusual family routine? This could be a place to include a fun fact like  “my full name means Poetry of Ultimate Knowledge” or “Once I swam the English Channel.” – something quick, quirky, and memorable. This question is also a great opportunity to discuss a side of yourself best known by family or close friends – and one that ultimately may also become clear to a roommate or new friend in college. 

Pro Tip from Nick: “This question might be worth saving until later in your writing process, when you have a clear idea about what you have written about in your personal statement and other supplementary. Or, it could be a spot to adapt a response from another application that did not otherwise fit with the other Yale questions.”

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer.

For each of these essays, pay close attention to the final question of the prompt. For example, “Why did you find the experience meaningful?; “Why is this community meaningful to you”? “And how has it shaped you”? Whatever topic or experience you choose to write about, be sure that your response answers that final question.

1. Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?

This is a question that determines the candidate’s maturity and willingness to stand their ground—or have their perspective shifted for the better—and if this applies to you, I believe this is a great way to show Yale that you are a strong potential member of their “ethical, independent, and diverse” community. 

Carefully consider the incident you chose and make sure it’s not something that comes across as too controversial or offensive. Additionally, select an issue that truly resonates with you and avoid picking a trending social issue that you feel no connection to. Instead, focus on an issue you actively care about and have demonstrated interest in through other aspects of your application. Then, delve into your thought process and explore any changes or conclusions you reached during the discussion. Show empathy and understanding towards the opposing view, and reflect on whether or not your own perspective shifted as a result. Address how this experience helped you grow, such as whether your thoughts on the issue evolved or if your approach to dealing with opposing views changed. Did you learn effective communication tactics that will benefit you in the future? Consider if you would approach a similar conversation in the same way or if you would make adjustments. Remember, admissions officers are not only interested in how you navigate differences in a classroom setting but also in how you handle such situations with roommates or friends. Avoid the temptation to showcase winning an argument or simply agreeing to disagree. Instead, demonstrate your ability to listen, reflect, and evolve when encountering new ideas or perspectives.

2. Reflect on a time when you have worked to enhance a community to which you feel connected. Why have these efforts been meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

Think about a group or place that has impacted you—it could be your ethnic or religious community, or it could be a club at school, or an organization outside of school that matters to you. Consider the role you’ve played in the community, how you’ve improved it, how it has shaped your perspective, and how you’d be different without it.

The heart of this prompt lies in explaining how your leadership efforts have been meaningful. Were there situations where you had to lead the community when others couldn’t? Have there been any changes that you’ve successfully implemented? Make sure you come out looking like a person who isn’t afraid to take on a challenge or step out of their comfort zone and genuinely make an impact.

Nick also adds, “ Admissions officers are looking for what types of experiences and perspectives you will bring with you to Yale and what actions you will take, once there, to build communities of your own. They are especially interested in learning about how you build and sustain relationships with others.” Whatever you choose to write about, be sure to link your vision of community to the type(s) of community or communities you hope to join (or create) at Yale.

3. Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

This is a new prompt for the 2023-2024 application cycle and is the perfect opportunity for you to showcase your individuality and creativity, as there are no limits on the topics that can be explored. Whether it's a personal experience, family dynamics, academic pursuits, extracurricular activities, or even a unique personality trait, you have the freedom to choose what truly defines you.

The key focus should be on how these experiences have shaped you and contributed to your growth and development. It's about understanding how these personal elements inform your decision-making, shape your perspectives, set your values, and influence your passions and interests. Reflect on how you can bring these unique qualities and perspectives to the college community. What sets you apart from other students? How will your presence enrich the college environment and contribute to the diversity of thoughts, ideas, and experiences?

This prompt allows you to delve into your personal stories and share the aspects of your life that have had a profound impact on who you are today. It's an opportunity to demonstrate self-awareness, resilience, and a genuine commitment to personal growth. The goal is to show the admissions officers how your personal experiences can truly make a difference at Yale.

Additional Tips for Writing the Yale Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

As you brainstorm and jot down ideas to compose your Yale supplemental essays 2023-2024 , keep the following tips in mind:

• Be succinct but confident – None of the Yale supplemental essays 2023-2024 have a significantly high word limit. While obviously the short essays should get points across in 35 words, the word limit for the longer essay questions isn’t too high either. So in a matter of a few hundred words, you have to confidently answer questions by convincingly telling a story, providing a clear picture of yourself, and outlining your goals in relation to the programs at Yale. Don’t beat around the bush. Get straight to the point and go through multiple drafts while actively reflecting on how Yale is the right school for you.
• Don’t misrepresent yourself – For questions that ask about your academic interests or ideas that you find exciting, it might be tempting to try and guess what Yale wants to hear. Definitely avoid that, as it’s neither fair to you nor your reader. Yes, there comes a lot of pressure with applying to a school as selective as Yale, but if you try too hard, you’re going to put a lot of effort into an application that is dishonest. You want the admissions officers to evaluate you based on your real interests.
• Make sure to be specific – For a few prompts in the Yale supplemental essays 2023-2024 , such as the “Why Yale?” question, you might be misguided to list things straight from the Yale website to prove that you have done your research. Except, the website exists for everybody and if admissions officers wanted to read it, they’d pull it up on their web browser. Don’t just copy and paste cool features – tell the school something about yourself that they don’t know in connection to how you’d benefit from Yale’s resources. The goal of these essays is to see how you’d fit within the campus environment. Why do you think Yale is the best place for you ?

The best way to stand out from your peers in the Yale supplemental essays 2023-2024 is to emphasize qualities and experiences that are unique to you. If admissions officers come away from reading your responses knowing you’re making a well-informed decision, they’re more likely to go to bat for you. Ultimately, make sure your responses have highlighted the perspective you’ll bring and why Yale’s resources can help you achieve your goals. If you're seeking expert advice on how to effectively strategize your supplemental essays, sign up for a free consultation today with one of our college admissions experts.

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Decoding Yale's 2023-2024 Supplemental Essays

Tackling Yale University's supplemental essays might seem like an overwhelming task. Yet, with the right strategy, you can construct compelling narratives. This blog post will break down each of this year's prompts, offer practical advice, and share examples from successful past applications.

Prompt 1: Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? (125 words)

This prompt seeks insight into your academic interests. An impactful response from a 2021 applicant reads:

"As of now, I am intrigued by the intersection of computer science and cognitive psychology. The idea of creating human-like intelligence in machines fascinates me. I believe exploring this at Yale, with its strong interdisciplinary approach, could provide a dynamic blend of theory, research, and practical application."

Prompt 2: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words)

Show your enthusiasm for Yale and how it aligns with your aspirations. Here's an example from a 2022 applicant:

"The dedication of Yale to providing a liberal arts education within a research institution appeals to me greatly. The unique residential college system and its commitment to fostering a diverse and tight-knit community is another reason. I am eager to participate in the Yale Political Union, contributing to its rich tradition of debate."

Short Answers:

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests. If you could invite anyone—dead, living, fictional, real—to speak, who would it be and what would they discuss? (35 words)

"Marie Curie, to discuss her tenacity in overcoming societal obstacles, pioneering research in radioactivity, and how her legacy could inspire more women to break the glass ceiling in STEM fields."

You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called? (35 words)

"Artificial Intelligence and Society: Exploring Ethical Implications"

In addition to writing on your chosen topic, upload an audio file, video, image, or document you have created. The upload should complement your response to the chosen prompt. Above your response, include a one-sentence description of your upload.

A 2020 applicant's response: "Below is a piece of music I composed for a school play."

As you dive into Yale University's supplemental essays, focus on authenticity, and showcase your individual journey. Highlight your passions and intellectual interests. Remember, it's your unique experiences and perspectives that will set you apart.

Remember, the admissions committee is eager to meet you . So, let them meet you through your essays.

Best of luck with your writing!

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15: How to Write the 2023-24 Yale University Essays (Part 2)

About this episode.

Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the 2023-24 Yale University supplemental essay prompts. Part 2 of 2! Access our 2023-24 Yale University Supplemental Essay Guide: https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com/supplemental-essay/yale-university-2023-24-supplemental-essay-prompt-guide/ Watch some of our YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MaLsIu1vdE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6VxiKDeqQc Work one-on-one with an Advisor from our team: https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com/one-on-one-advising/ Follow us on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegeEssayAdvisors Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollegeEssayAdv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collegeessayadvisors/ Website: https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com/   *Details have been changed as it relates to any and all essay examples mentioned in the podcast to protect the privacy of our clients. Don't forget to subscribe so you can be notified when we release new episodes!

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7: The Common App's Prompt #6 (The Passion Essay)

5: The Common App's Prompt #4 (The Gratitude Essay)

3: The Common App's Prompt #2 (The Setback Essay)

6: The Common App's Prompt #5 (The Accomplishment Essay)

4: The Common App's Prompt #3 (The Challenge Essay)

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Yale MBA Essay for 2023-2024

Is the Yale School of Management on your list of target MBA programs? Then get ready to hit the ground running. The Yale MBA essay and deadlines for the 2023-2024 admissions season has been confirmed. After six years of asking the same single prompt, Yale SOM has broadened the possibilities for applicants to share what resonates most with them.

Required Yale MBA Essay

From the Yale SOM: We want to know what matters to you, and our essay question is designed to help us gain insight into your background, passions, motivations, responsibilities, ideals, identities, challenges, or aspirations, depending on where you take your response. To ensure that you’re able to write about something important to you, we offer you three essay prompts from which to choose:

Option 1) Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. Why is this commitment meaningful to you and what actions have you taken to support it?

Option 2) Describe the community that has been most meaningful to you. What is the most valuable thing you have gained from being a part of this community and what is the most important thing you have contributed to this community?

Option 3) Describe the most significant challenge you have faced. How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person?

Choose the prompt that speaks most strongly to you and about which you have the most enthusiasm. In answering the prompt – whichever one it is – you should think about the life experiences that have been most meaningful to you and that you most want to communicate to the committee, and pick the question that will best allow you to express that aspect of yourself. We find that the most compelling essays are the ones that are truly most important to you, so make sure that’s your guide in choosing what to write about; don’t try to guess what we’re looking for or what you think we want to hear. Importantly, regardless of which prompt you choose, you’ll want to support your essay with concrete examples.

Importantly, regardless of which prompt you choose, you’ll want to support your essay with concrete examples.

Optional Information

Per the SOM: The Optional Information section is truly optional. It’s not an additional required essay – if no aspect of your application requires further explanation, you should leave this section blank. In most cases, we get all the information we need from the various components of your application and there is no need to complete this section.

However, if you think the Admissions Committee would benefit from a brief explanation regarding any aspect of your application, you may provide it in the Optional Information section. Your general approach should be that if there is something you feel is material to your candidacy that you are not able to include in another section of the application, put it here.

Here are some examples: Consider providing additional context if it will allow us to better understand your academic performance, promotions or recognitions, or other information that is not apparent from the rest of your application. If you’ve taken concrete steps to mitigate a weaker element of your application or have an accomplishment that does not fit anywhere else in the application, you might include that here. Note that you should use the specific prompts provided in the Work Experience section to address gaps in work experience or choice of recommender. And if you would like to provide additional details to expand on any information provided in the Background Information section, you’re encouraged to do so in the “Supplemental Detail” area within that section.

For more information on applying, please visit the Yale SOM admissions website. If you need guidance on your Yale MBA essay and application or wish to discuss your business school plans, reach out for a complimentary analysis of your candidacy. We’re here to help! Meanwhile, here’s a snapshot of the expertise on our consulting team :

Did you know that SBC offers test prep services ? We’ve recruited a team of best in class instructors who will help you recognize your individual learning style, discover holes in your foundation knowledge and set manageable yet ambitious goals. We focus on a deep understanding of the content, and later a grasp of smart test strategies. Let SBC’s long tradition of excellence support all aspects of your application process.

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2023-24 REEESNe Essay Competitions

REEESNe is pleased to announce its 2023-24 Essay Competitions, which will be open during May 2024 to students at Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies Northeast  network institutions . Prizes of up to $1,000 will be awarded for the top English-language essays in three categories: Master’s-level long-form scholarly essays, Undergraduate-level long-form scholarly essays, and Open-level short-form essays (scholarship or public-facing pieces). See below for information on how to submit between May 1st and 31st, 2024.

The competitions:

The Marina Ledkovsky Prize: For short-form writing on REEES topics of at least 1,000 words but fewer than 3,000 words (including all appendices, but NOT including bibliographical materials or footnotes/endnotes, which may be counted separately). The competition is open to both undergraduate- and Master’s-level writing, as well as to essays written for scholarly as well as public audiences.

The Carlos Pascual Prize and the James Billington Prize: For long-form, scholarly writing on REEES topics of at least 3,000 words but fewer than 9,000 words (including all appendices, but NOT including bibliographical materials or footnotes/endnotes, which may be counted separately). These are two separate competitions for MA- and undergraduate-level writing; in each case, the essay should be aimed at an academic audience.

Student eligibility:  Entrants must be current students at REEESNe  member institutions  OR must have been enrolled at one in the 24 months prior to the competition deadline of May 31st, 2024. Students who have graduated within the past two years and have not moved on to a higher level of education during that time (i.e. who have not enrolled in a Master’s program in the case of Associate/Bachelor’s graduates, or in a doctoral program in the case of Master’s graduates) may submit to the competitions that match their most recent studies. Students who have advanced to doctoral candidacy are not eligible for these competitions. We encourage speakers from the REEESNe Student Conference to submit their revised papers, but participation there is not a prerequisite for the competition.

Essays requirements:  Each entry must be the REEES-related work (in English) of a single student author and must be submitted by that author. REEES-related work from any discipline is eligible. There is no restriction on when the essay was written, but students may not submit work currently or previously considered for another REEESNe competition. For long-form essays, students’ writing will be evaluated in the competition for which they are eligible based on their current level of study. Students may only enter one essay in each competition but may, in the same year, enter separate essays in the long-form competition for which they are eligible and in the single short-form competition.

How to enter the competition: Please do not submit your work before May 1st, 2024. We also ask you, to the extent possible, to stick to the May 31st submission deadline, but we also recognize that students might have institutionally dictated deadlines for producing new writing (e.g. a departmental deadline for a thesis or a newspaper deadline for a cover story) close to the due date for the REEESNe competition, and you may email Ian MacMillen before May 31st to petition for a slightly later submission date (this is to accommodate sickness or institutionally determined schedules for new writing; it is not intended to allow more time for revising previously written essays). Between May 1st and 31st, please submit your essay in PDF format along with a cover letter detailing:

·      Your name and essay title

·      Your institution, level of study (undergraduate or Master’s), and, if you are a recent graduate, when you graduated

·      A short description of the essay’s topic and the circumstances under which you wrote and (if applicable) published the essay – this could include a course for which you wrote it, a newspaper and/or website on which you released it, etc.

Conference Honors Professor W. Michael Reisman and Journal He Helped Inspire

This year marks two milestones for international law at Yale Law School — 50 years of a student-led journal on the topic and the retirement of Myres McDougal Professor Emeritus of Law W. Michael Reisman ’64 LLM, ’65 JSD, the champion of a scholarly movement that inspired his students to start the publication.

To celebrate both the Yale Journal of International Law ’s golden anniversary and Reisman’s work, the Yale Law School Center for Global Legal Challenges hosted a daylong conference on March 8 that drew legal scholars from around the world. Speakers, who included Reisman’s former students, presented research and discussed topics in international law ranging from the Russia-Ukraine War to the use of coercive economic sanctions.

The event drew more than 150 people to Yale Law School from as far away as Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Thailand. Conference participants included roughly 20 former editors of the journal, which is known as YJIL , and other Yale Law School alumni dating back to the class of 1971. The journal’s current editors were in attendance, along with Yale Law School faculty. Many others joined the event via livestream.

“What this conference has become is a celebration, really, of community,” said Professor Oona A. Hathaway ’97, Director of the Center for Global Legal Challenges. “It’s a community founded in a commitment to global justice. It’s a community committed to a world governed by law. And it’s a community committed to the power of ideas and ideals and a community committed to the world. I can think of no better way to celebrate a community that YJIL and Michael Reisman have together built over a half century.”

The Yale Journal of International Law  began in 1974 as  Yale Studies in World Public Order  without the official support of the administration. The students were adherents of an approach to international law known as the New Haven School, of which Reisman is the leading proponent. In a 2007 commentary , Reisman and co-authors described the school’s approach as adapting “the analytical methods of the social sciences to the prescriptive purposes of the law.”

Reisman’s work and legacy and the anniversary of YJIL  is also showcased in a new exhibit prepared by the Lillian Goldman Law Library. Reisman himself recounted the journal’s history in a 1999 essay for its 25th anniversary.

The New Haven School was developed by Sterling Professor of International Law Myres S. McDougal ’31 JSD (1906–1998) and Yale political scientist and Professor of Law Harold D. Lasswell (1902–1978) in the 1960s. Reisman carried on the school of thought after its founding era and is credited with adding new insights to the approach. Sterling Professor of International Law Harold Hongju Koh has called Reisman “ the Dean of the New Haven School ,” noting that he gave the movement “its modern relevance and vitality.”

Along with panels on the New Haven School and the application of Reisman’s work to present-day issues, the conference also had former YJIL editors and J.S.D. students sharing their memories of Reisman as a teacher. His courses have included international investment law, international commercial arbitration, jurisprudence, law of the sea, law of war, and peacemaking.

“I can still see in my mind … the classroom right now with him at the front and my classmates on either side of me,” said Kathleen Claussen ’10, now Professor of Law at Georgetown Law, who helped co-organize the conference. “And I know I’m joined by a chorus of hundreds more who were inspired or enabled to pursue our careers by those classes.”

The conversations gave the journal’s current editors a new perspective. 

“As a student editor, it is sometimes easy to become detached from  YJIL ’s history, which was to produce knowledge with the aim of promoting international justice, peace, and prosperity,” said Ali Hakim ’24, the current editor-in-chief. “Celebrating  YJIL ’s 50th anniversary alongside previous generations of  YJIL 's editors gave me a deeper understanding of our shared history.” 

The conference was co-organized Hakim and by Sarah Myers ’25, incoming editor-in-chief for the journal. 

Reisman said it was moving to hear from his former students how the New Haven School had affected them, noting that some acknowledged its influence on their research. 

“Recalling [New Haven School founders] Mac and Harold and how much I owe them, I feel that I have passed the torch,” he said after the event. “It was a wonderful conference.”

Papers presented at the conference will be published by the YJIL in its upcoming 50th volume.

Reisman, the Myres S. McDougal Professor Emeritus of International Law, has written more than 30 books on public and private international law, jurisprudence, and human rights. He has served as counsel in many international cases and has served as arbitrator in cases including the Eritrea/Ethiopia boundary dispute, the boundary dispute over the Abyei region of Sudan, and as presiding arbitrator in the OSPAR dispute between Ireland and the U.K. He has served on the Advisory Committee on International Law for the Department of State, Foreign Policy Association, and Policy Sciences Center, Inc.

In the Press

Michael braham’s journey from prison to law school, yale professors reflect on teaching about ukraine, eastern europe amid war, hong kong article 23: basic rights threatened as law enacted, critics charge, donald trump may be about to get $3 billion richer. but that likely won’t solve his cash crunch, related news.

AI’s Legal Revolution

Q&A: Michael Helfand ’07 on the Work of the Free Exercise Clinic

Professor Balkin Awarded Book Prize by Georgetown Center for the Constitution

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Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 24, 2023

Christina Harward, Riley Bailey, Angelica Evans, Nicole Wolkov, Karolina Hird, and Frederick W. Kagan

November 24, 2023, 7:30pm ET  

Click here to see ISW’s interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.

Click here to see ISW’s 3D control of terrain topographic map of Ukraine. Use of a computer (not a mobile device) is strongly recommended for using this data-heavy tool.

Click here to access ISW’s archive of interactive time-lapse maps of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These maps complement the static control-of-terrain map that ISW produces daily by showing a dynamic frontline. ISW will update this time-lapse map archive monthly.

Note: The data cut-off for this product was 2:30pm ET on November 24, and covers both November 23 and November 24 due to the fact that ISW did not publish a Campaign Assessment on November 23 in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday. ISW will cover subsequent reports in the November 25 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment.

Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces began a renewed offensive effort towards Avdiivka on November 22, although likely with weaker mechanized capabilities than in the previous offensive waves that occurred in October.  Ukrainian Tavriisk Group of Forces Commander Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi reported on November 23 that Russian forces launched a “third wave” of assaults as part of the Russia offensive operation in the Avdiivka direction, and Tavriisk Group of Forces Spokesperson Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun stated that this “third wave” began on November 22.[1] Shtupun reported a 25 to 30 percent increase in Russian ground attacks near Avdiivka on November 22 and stated that Ukrainian forces repelled several Russian columns of roughly a dozen armored vehicles in total during assaults.[2] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces repelled at least 50 Russian assaults in the Avdiivka direction on November 23 and 24.[3] Russian sources claimed that Russian forces continued offensive operations on Avdiivka’s northern and southern flanks but did not characterize any Russian assaults as heavily mechanized.[4] Russian sources claimed that Russian forces continued to advance north of Avdiivka and made further gains in the industrial zone southeast of Avdiivka but did not make any territorial claims consistent with a successful renewed large-scale Russian offensive push.[5]

Shtupun stated that Ukrainian forces destroyed three Russian tanks and seven armored fighting vehicles on November 22, suggesting that Russian forces are currently conducting a smaller set of mechanized assaults than in October.[6] Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces lost 50 tanks and 100 armored vehicles in renewed assaults on Avdiivka on October 19 and 15 tanks and 33 armored vehicles during the initial large, mechanized assaults on October 10.[7] Russian forces have lost a confirmed 197 damaged and destroyed vehicles in offensive operations near Avdiivka since October 9, and the Russian military appeared to spend the end of October and all of November preparing for a wave of highly attritional infantry-led ground assaults to compensate for these heavy-equipment losses.[8] Large infantry-led ground assaults will likely pose a significant threat to Ukrainian forces defending in the Avdiivka direction but will not lead to a rapid Russian advance in the area.

High-ranking Russian officials may be engaged in a wider scheme of forcibly adopting deported Ukrainian children.  BBC Panorama  and Russian opposition outlet  Vazhnye Istorii  published investigations on November 23 detailing how Just Russia Party leader Sergei Mironov adopted a 10-month-old Ukrainian girl whom Russian authorities forcibly deported from a Kherson City orphanage in autumn of 2022 alongside over 40 other children.[9] The investigations found that Mironov's new wife, Inna Varlamova, traveled to occupied Kherson Oblast, where occupation authorities issued her a power of attorney to deport two children—a 10-month-old girl and a two-year-old boy.[10] Both  BBC  and  Vazhnye Istorii  noted that Varlamova falsely introduced herself to the leadership of the children's home as the "head of children's affairs from Moscow," a position which she does not hold and that still would not legitimize the deportations of the children under international law.[11] Russian court documents show that Mironov and Varlamova then adopted the girl in November 2022, changed her name from her Ukrainian birth name to a new Russian name and the surname Mironova, and officially changed her place of birth from Kherson City to Podolsk, Russia.[12] Neither investigation could confirm the whereabouts of the two-year-old boy. Mironov notably responded to the investigation and called it a "fake from Ukrainian special services and their Western curators" meant to discredit him.[13]

Mironov and his wife, who reportedly holds a low-level unspecified position in the Russian Duma, follow in the footsteps of Russian Commissioner on Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, who has also adopted at least one Ukrainian child from occupied Mariupol.[14] While ISW can only confirm that these two Russian officials have forcibly adopted deported Ukrainian children at this time, the adoptions may be indicative of a wider pattern in which Russian officials adopt deported children in order to legitimize the practice in the eyes of the Russian public. Russian politicians may be adopting deported Ukrainian children to set administrative and cultural precedents for wider adoptions of Ukrainian children to further escalate Russia's campaign to deport Ukrainians to Russia. ISW continues to assess that the forced deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children likely amounts to a violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.[15]

Ukraine’s Western allies declared their commitment to further develop Ukrainian air defense capabilities during the 17th Ramstein Group virtual meeting on November 22.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Germany and France will lead a coalition of 20 countries to further develop Ukraine’s air defenses, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov added that the coalition will help Ukraine further develop its ground-based air defense systems.[16] Zelensky noted on November 23 that improved Ukrainian air defenses will save lives and resources, allow Ukrainian citizens to return from abroad, and deprive Russia of the ability to terrorize Ukraine.[17] Ramstein Group members also agreed on issues such as additional equipment and weapons for Ukraine during the winter of 2023–24, mine trawling and other security measures in the Black Sea, Ukraine’s NATO Interoperability Roadmap, and additional security assistance packages from the US, Germany, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Finland, the Netherlands, and Estonia.[18]

Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) Collective Security Council session in Minsk, Belarus on November 23 against the background of Armenia’s continued absence from recent CSTO events and exercises.  Putin attended the session alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and the CSTO’s Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov.[19] The summit marked the end of Belarus’ chairmanship of the CSTO, and Lukashenko stated that Kazakhstan will hold the chairmanship beginning December 31, 2023. Putin thanked the session’s attendees for contributing to the regional defense structure and highlighted expanding military-technical cooperation between CSTO member states. Putin stated during his bilateral meeting with Rahmon that Russia will deliver two air defense battalions equipped with S-300 air defense systems to Tajikistan as part of the CSTO’s unified air defense system.[20] [Correction Note: The previous sentence incorrectly referenced two air defense divisions equipped with S-300s. It has been corrected to read two air defense "battalions."]

Russian sources widely noted Armenia’s absence from the CSTO summit on November 23.[21] Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also did not attend the CSTO’s summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on October 13 after Armenian forces refrained from participating in the CSTO “Indestructible Brotherhood-2023" exercises in early October.[22] Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov stated on November 23 that the Kremlin regretted Armenia’s absence in Minsk but stated that Armenia remains “an ally and strategic partner” to Russia.[23] The Kremlin has previously attempted to dispel concerns about the deterioration of Russian-Armenian relations.[24] Kremlin newswire  TASS  reported that Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan reiterated that Armenia is not considering leaving the CSTO or asking Russia to withdraw its forces from Russia’s 102nd Military Base in Gyumri, Armenia.[25]

Chinese businesses, including a prominent state-owned Chinese construction firm, are reportedly working with Russian businessmen to plan the construction of an underwater tunnel that would connect Russia with occupied Crimea.  The  Washington Post  reported on November 24 that it corroborated information in emails provided by Ukrainian intelligence services that detail the formation of a Russian-Chinese business consortium that aims to build an underwater tunnel along the Kerch Strait connecting Russia to occupied Crimea.[26] Vladimir Kalyuzhny, identified by the emails as the general director of the consortium, reportedly messaged the Crimean occupation representative to the Russian President, Georgy Muradov, and stated that he has a letter from Chinese business partners attesting to the Chinese Railway Construction Corporation’s (CRCC) readiness to participate as a general contractor for the tunnel project.[27] The CRCC is under the supervision of China’s state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission and is one of China’s largest construction firms.[28] The emails reportedly indicate that the CRCC stipulated that its involvement would occur through an unaffiliated legal entity and that an unnamed Chinese bank was willing to convert dollar funds into rubles to fund the consortium's projects.[29] Kalyuzhny, Crimean occupation head Sergei Aksyonov, and Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov denied the  Washington Post ’s reporting.[30] The reported Russian interest in the tunnel project, which would likely take years to complete, is an additional indicator of deep Russian concern about the vulnerability of ground lines of communication (GLOCs) between Russia and occupied Crimea along the Kerch Strait Bridge.

European states are responding to Russia's continued orchestration of an artificially created migrant crisis on its northwestern borders.  The Finnish government announced on November 22 that Finland will close three more checkpoints on the Finnish-Russian border from November 23 to December 23, leaving only the northernmost checkpoint open.[31] Norwegian Prime Minister Johan Gahr Store stated on November 22 that Norway would also close its border to Russia “if necessary.“[32] Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated on November 23 that an increased number of migrants have also arrived at the Estonian-Russian border and that Russia is organizing the arrivals as part of an effort to “weaponize illegal immigration.”[33]  Reuters  reported on November 23 that the Estonian Interior Ministry stated   that Estonia has undertaken preparations to close its border crossings with Russia if “the migration pressure from Russia escalates.”[34] Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina stated on November 24 that Latvia has experienced a similar influx of migrants on its border with Russia, and Silina and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated that these are Russian and Belarusian “hybrid attacks.”[35] Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Finland on November 22 of “stirring up Russophobic sentiments” and interrupting border services that were an integral part of Russian–Finnish cooperation.[36] ISW previously assessed that Russia is employing a known hybrid warfare tactic similar to Russia’s and Belarus’s creation of a migrant crisis on the Polish border in 2021 that is likely similarly aimed at destabilizing NATO.[37]

The Russian Strelkov (Igor Girkin) Movement (RDS) called prior Russian regional elections and the upcoming Russian presidential election illegitimate, likely in an effort to establish Girkin’s inevitable presidential election loss as a long-standing grievance. [38] The RDS Congress issued a resolution on November 24 in which it claimed that unspecified actors are doing everything possible to preserve the existing system of power in Russia regardless of the political situation or Russian citizens’ will.[39] The RDS Congressional resolution issued a list of demands for Russian election reform and claimed that the RDS would not recognize any future elections as legitimate if the Russian government does not meet these demands.[40]

Russian law enforcement reportedly detained about 700 migrants at a warehouse in Moscow Oblast and issued some military summonses, likely as part of an ongoing effort to coerce migrants into Russian military service. [41] Russian sources reported on November 24 that Russian police and Rosgvardia raided a Wildberries (Russia’s largest online retailer) warehouse in Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast looking for migrants who had recently acquired Russian citizenship.[42] Russian law enforcement reportedly took about 135 detained migrants with Russian citizenship and transferred them to military registration and enlistment offices.[43] An unspecified Russian law enforcement official told Russian news outlet  Interfax  that Russian law enforcement conducted the raid as part of “Operation Migrant,” which aims to ensure that all naturalized citizens are registered for military service and issue them military summonses.[44] A Russian source claimed that Russian law enforcement also conducted a raid near the Wildberries warehouse on November 23, fined 16 migrants for violating migration protocols, and deported three.[45] The Wildberries press service stated this mass detention of migrants interrupted company’s shipments and put billions of dollars at risk.[46]

The Kremlin is reportedly renewing attempts to control all video surveillance systems in Russia, likely as part of ongoing efforts to intensify its tools of digital authoritarianism to increase domestic repressions.  The Russian Ministry of Digital Development proposed an initiative to create a unified platform for storing and processing footage from all video surveillance systems in Russia, which would reportedly cost 12 billion rubles (about $134 million).[47]  Kommersant  reported that there are about 1.2 million surveillance cameras in Russia, about half of which are currently accessible to the Russian government.[48] The Russian Ministry of Digital Development reportedly plans to increase the number of surveillance cameras across Russia to five million by 2030 and integrate all of them with facial and image recognition software.[49]  Kommersant  also noted that the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations attempted a similar initiative in 2020 to 2022 as part of the Hardware and Software Complex “Safe City” project aimed at standardizing and installing surveillance systems with artificial intelligence software in Russian regions but faced criticism from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and Russian Ministry of Economy.[50]

Key Takeaways:

• Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces began a renewed offensive effort towards Avdiivka on November 22, although likely with weaker mechanized capabilities than in the previous offensive waves that occurred in October.
• High-ranking Russian officials may be engaged in a wider scheme of forcibly adopting deported Ukrainian children.
• Ukraine’s Western allies declared their commitment to further develop Ukrainian air defense capabilities during the 17th Ramstein Group virtual meeting on November 22.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) Collective Security Council session in Minsk, Belarus on November 23 against the background of Armenia’s continued absence from recent CSTO events and exercises.
• Chinese businesses, including a prominent state-owned Chinese construction firm, are reportedly working with Russian businessmen to plan the construction of an underwater tunnel that would connect Russia with occupied Crimea.
• European states are responding to Russia's continued orchestration of an artificially created migrant crisis on its northwestern borders.
• The Russian Strelkov (Igor Girkin) Movement (RDS) called prior Russian regional elections and the upcoming Russian presidential election illegitimate, likely in an effort to establish Girkin’s inevitable presidential election loss as a long-standing grievance.
• Russian law enforcement reportedly detained about 700 migrants at a warehouse in Moscow Oblast and issued some military summonses, likely as part of an ongoing effort to coerce migrants into Russian military service.
• The Kremlin is reportedly renewing attempts to control all video surveillance systems in Russia, likely as part of ongoing efforts to intensify its tools of digital authoritarianism to increase domestic repressions.
• Russian forces conducted ground attacks along the Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, near Avdiivka, west and southwest of Donetsk City, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area, and in western Zaporizhia Oblast and marginally advanced in some areas.
• The Russian aviation industry is likely under significant constraints due to international sanctions and demands from the Russian defense industrial base (DIB).
• The Russian occupation authorities continue efforts to indoctrinate Ukrainian children in occupied Ukraine into Russian national and cultural identities.

We do not report in detail on Russian war crimes because these activities are well-covered in Western media and do not directly affect the military operations we are assessing and forecasting. We will continue to evaluate and report on the effects of these criminal activities on the Ukrainian military and the Ukrainian population and specifically on combat in Ukrainian urban areas. We utterly condemn Russian violations of the laws of armed conflict and the Geneva Conventions and crimes against humanity even though we do not describe them in these reports.

• Russian Main Effort – Eastern Ukraine (comprised of two subordinate main efforts)
• Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and encircle northern Donetsk Oblast
• Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast
• Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis
• Russian Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts
• Russian Technological Adaptations
• Activities in Russian-occupied areas

Russian Information Operations and Narratives

Russian Main Effort – Eastern Ukraine

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Luhansk Oblast  (Russian objective: Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and northern Donetsk Oblast)

Russian forces continued offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on November 23 and 24 but did not make any confirmed advances. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces unsuccessfully attacked in the Kupyansk direction northeast of Petropavlivka (7km east of Kupyansk) and near Synkivka (8km northeast of Kupyansk), Ivanivka (20km southeast of Kupyansk), and Stelmakhivka (25km northwest of Svatove) but did not conduct any offensive operations in the Lyman direction.[51] A Russian milblogger claimed on November 23 that Russian forces marginally advanced east of Petropavlivka.[52] A prominent Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations from Orlyanka (22km east of Kupyansk) and near Petropavlivka.[53] Another Russian milblogger claimed on November 24 that Russian forces are having widespread issues with electronic warfare (EW) systems along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, causing unnecessary casualties due to otherwise preventable drone strikes.[54] Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets stated on November 23 that Russian forces transferred an unspecified battalion of the Russian 380th Motorized Rifle Regiment (47th Tank Division, 1st Guards Tank Army, Western Military District) from Kursk Oblast to positions near Raihorodka (12km west of Svatove).[55] Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov claimed that the “Amura” detachment of Chechen “Akhmat” Spetsnaz are operating in the Serebryanske forest area (10km southwest of Kreminna).[56]

Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on November 23 and 24 and reportedly advanced on an unspecified date. The Ukrainian State Border Guards published footage on November 24 showing Ukrainian forces advancing and capturing Russian positions in an unspecified area of the Svatove direction on an unspecified date.[57] The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed on November 23 and 24 that Russian forces repelled Ukrainian attacks near Vilshana (15km northeast of Kupyansk) and Hryhorivka (10km south of Kreminna).[58] Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces counterattacked along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line and that fighting continues near Torske (15km west of Kreminna) and the Serebryanske forest area.[59]

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Donetsk Oblast  (Russian objective: Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, the claimed territory of Russia’s proxies in Donbas)

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed that Ukrainian forces unsuccessfully attacked in the Bakhmut area near Klishchiivka (7km southwest of Bakhmut) on November 23.[60]

Russian forces conducted offensive operations near Bakhmut on November 23 and 24 and made confirmed advances. Geolocated footage published on November 22 and 23 indicates that Russian forces advanced north of Klishchiivka.[61] Russian sources claimed that Russian forces advanced near Bohdanivka (6km northwest of Bakhmut), the Berkhivka reservoir (about 2km northwest of Bakhmut), Klishchiivka, and the railway near Andriivka (10km southwest of Bakhmut).[62] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces unsuccessfully attacked near Bohdanivka, Ivanivske (6km west of Bakhmut), Klishchiivka, and Andriivka.[63] Russian milbloggers claimed that fighting continued near the railway north of Klishchiivka and the heights west of the settlement, which a Russian source claimed that Ukrainian forces continued to control as of November 23.[64] One Russian source claimed on November 23 that Klishchiivka is a contested “gray zone.”[65] Ukrainian military sources stated on November 23 and 24 that Russian forces in the Bakhmut direction are focusing on small tactical gains, probing the frontline, and conducting drone strikes at night.[66] A Ukrainian sergeant operating in the Bakhmut direction characterized fighting in his sector of the front on November 24 as "static, trench warfare."[67] The Russian MoD reported that elements of the Russian 106th Airborne (VDV) Division are operating in the Bakhmut direction.[68] Russian sources claimed that elements of the 58th Separate Spetsnaz Battalion (1st Donetsk People’s Republic [DNR] Corps) are also operating in the Bakhmut direction.[69]

Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations northwest of Horlivka (20km south of Bakhmut) but did not make any claimed or confirmed advances on November 23 or 24. A Russian milblogger claimed on November 23 that Ukrainian forces unsuccessfully attacked near Mayorske (6km northwest of Horlivka).[70] Another Russian milblogger claimed on November 24 that there are meeting engagements near the waste heap northwest of Horlivka.[71]

A Russian milblogger claimed on November 23 that Ukrainian forces unsuccessfully counterattacked near Avdiivka southwest and west of Krasnohorivka (5km northeast of Avdiivka).[72]

Russian forces conducted offensive operations near Avdiivka but did not make any confirmed gains on November 23 and 24. Russian sources claimed that Russian forces advanced south of the Avdiivka Coke Plant northwest of Avdiivka; near the railways north and northwest of Krasnohorivka; in and near the industrial zone southeast of Avdiivka; near Novobakhmutivka (12km northwest of Avdiivka), Novokalynove (13km northeast of Avdiivka), Stepove (3km northwest of Avdiivka), Sieverne (6km west of Avdiivka), and Tonenke (5km west of Avdiivka); and in the direction of Keramik (14km northwest of Avdiivka), Berdychi (5km northwest of Avdiivka), and the “Tsarska Okhota” restaurant south of Avdiivka.[73] Russian sources also claimed that Russian forces attacked northwest of Avdiivka near Novobakhmutivka, Novokalynove, Stepove, Krasnohorivka, and the coke plant; south and southwest of Avdiivka near Pervomaiske (10km southwest of Avdiivka), Vodyane (7km southwest of Avdiivka), and Optyne (4km south of Avdiivka); and southeast of Avdiivka near the industrial zone.[74] Russian milbloggers claimed on November 23 that Russian forces conducted reconnaissance-in-force near Stepove, Vodyane, and Sieverne.[75] A Russian milblogger claimed on November 23 that Russian forces advanced 150-200 meters in the direction of Novokalynove and Ocheretyne (15km northwest of Avdiivka), but ISW has not observed visual evidence of this claim.[76] A Russian source claimed on November 22 that Russian forces control 80 percent of the industrial zone southeast of Avdiivka, and later claimed on November 24 that Russian forces control 95 percent of the area.[77] Another Russian source claimed on November 24 that Russian forces control the entire industrial zone but acknowledged that this claim is based on unconfirmed preliminary information.[78] A Russian milblogger claimed on November 23 that Russian forces are pushing Ukrainian forces out of Stepove but that Ukrainian forces still control a part of the settlement.[79] The Ukrainian General Staff reported on November 23 and 24 that Russian forces unsuccessfully attacked east of Novokalynove and Novobakhmutivka; north of Lastochkyne (5km west of Avdiivka); and near Stepove, Pervomaiske, Sieverne, Avdiivka.[80] A Russian milblogger claimed on November 24 that Russian helicopters have to fly at very low altitudes to avoid Ukrainian air defense systems near Avdiivka.[81] Ukrainian Avdiivka Military Administration Head Vitaliy Barabash stated that Russian forces are struggling to use a large amount of military equipment due to weather conditions.[82]

Ukrainian forces did not conduct any claimed or confirmed offensive operations west and southwest of Donetsk City on November 23 and 24.

Russian forces conducted offensive operations west and southwest of Donetsk City but did not make any claimed or confirmed advances on November 23 and 24. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces unsuccessfully attacked near Marinka (on the western outskirts of Donetsk City) and Novomykhailivka (10km southwest of Donetsk City).[83] A Russian milblogger claimed on November 23 that Russian forces conducted offensive operations in Marinka but did not specify an outcome.[84]

Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis  (Russian objective: Maintain frontline positions and secure rear areas against Ukrainian strikes)

Russian sources continued offensive operations in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area on November 23 and 24 but did not make any claimed or confirmed advances. The Ukrainian General Staff reported unsuccessful Russian assaults near and southwest of Staromayorske (10km south of Velyka Novosilka) on November 23 and 24.[85] The Russian Vostok Battalion, which is operating in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area, claimed on November 24 that Russian forces currently have an advantage in terms of fire power in this direction.[86] Russian sources additionally claimed that Russian forces attacked near Staromayorske and Urozhaine (10km south of Velyka Novosilka) on the evening of November 22 and throughout November 23, and northwest of Staromayorske on November 24.[87] Geolocated footage posted on November 23 shows elements of the 336th Naval Infantry Brigade (Baltic Fleet) operating a Lancet drone against Ukrainian positions near Vesele (33km southwest of Velyka Novosilka).[88]

Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted limited and unsuccessful counterattacks in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area on November 23 and 24. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported on November 23 and 24 that Ukrainian forces unsuccessfully attacked near Pryyutne (15km southwest of Velyka Novosilka) and elsewhere in the overall southern Donetsk Oblast direction.[89] A Russian milblogger claimed on November 23 that Ukrainian forces are trying to activate north of Pryytune and north of Novomayorske (18km southeast of Velyka Novosilka) but emphasized that Ukrainian forces are largely on the defensive on this sector of the front.[90]

Russian forces continued offensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast on November 23 and 24 and made confirmed advances. Geolocated footage published on November 24 shows that Russian forces have marginally advanced southwest of Novopokrovka, about 9km northeast of Robotyne.[91] A Russian airborne (VDV) affiliated milblogger claimed on November 24 that elements of the 7th VDV Division, including the 108th Air Assault Regiment, recaptured positions north of Verbove (10km east of Robotyne and 5km south of Novopokrovka), which generally coincides with confirmation of Russian advances in the area southwest of Novopokrovka.[92] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces unsuccessfully attempted to improve their positions near Robotyne on November 23 and conducted unsuccessful assaults near Robotyne, Novopokrovka, and west of Verbove on November 24.[93]

Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast on November 23 and 24 and made confirmed advances. Geolocated footage published on November 22 shows that Ukrainian forces have recaptured the westernmost trench in a series of three trenches that lie about 1km southwest of Robotyne, and other geolocated footage published on November 23 shows that Ukrainian forces have also made advances further west of the westernmost trench.[94] Additional geolocated footage posted on November 22 and 23 indicates that Ukrainian forces have marginally advanced near the T0408 Orikhiv-Tokmak highway north of Novoprokopivka (just south of Robotyne), between the outskirts of the aforementioned trench system and the northern outskirts of Novoprokopivka.[95] Russian milbloggers widely claimed on November 23 and 24 that Ukrainian forces launched a renewed attack on Russian positions along the Robotyne-Verbove line with up to 100 personnel, five armored vehicles, and one Western-provided tank.[96] The Russian MoD claimed that Russian forces repelled Ukrainian attacks near Robotyne and Verbove on November 24, and the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations in the Melitopol (western Zaporizhia Oblast) direction on November 23 and 24.[97]

Ukrainian forces continued combat operations on the (east) left bank of the Dnipro River on November 23 and 24, and both Ukrainian and Russian forces have made confirmed gains in Krynky (30km northeast of Kherson City and 2km from the Dnipro River). Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces intensified attacks on the forest area near Krynky on November 23, and then claimed on November 24 that elements of the Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade (Black Sea Fleet) and 144th Motorized Rifle Brigade (of the 40th Army Corps of the newly formed 18th Combined Arms Army) counterattacked and knocked Ukrainian forces out of positions in the forest areas near Krynky.[98] Geolocated footage published on November 23 confirms that both Russian and Ukrainian forces have advanced within Krynky, suggesting that intense fighting is ongoing in the settlement and positions are frequently changing hands.[99] Russian sources claimed that elements of the 188th and 144th brigades are facing extremely poor conditions and a lack of resources while trying to defend the Krynky area.[100] Ukrainian military officials confirmed that Ukrainian forces maintain positions on the east bank of Kherson Oblast.[101]

Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale drone strike against occupied Crimea on the night of November 23 to 24. A prominent Russian milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces launched a total of 13 drones in three waves from Kherson Oblast towards railway and military infrastructure in occupied Crimea.[102] Kherson Oblast occupation head Vladimir Saldo claimed that this was one of the largest Ukrainian air attacks on occupied Crimea since the beginning of the war.[103] The Russian MoD claimed that Russian air defense shot down all 13 drones over Crimea, and that Black Sea Fleet naval aviation also hit 12 unmanned aerial boats traveling towards Crimea.[104]

Russian Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts  (Russian objective: Expand combat power without conducting general mobilization)

The Russian aviation industry is likely facing significant constraints due to international sanctions and demands from the Russian defense industrial base (DIB). The Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported on November 23 that it obtained many documents from the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) detailing widespread issues within the Russian aviation industry.[105] The GUR reported that the documents show that there were 185 civil aviation accidents and 150 cases of technical malfunctions in the first nine months of 2023.[106] The GUR reported that the Russian aviation industry is transferring large portions of aircraft maintenance assets to Iran, where repairs occur without certification, due to a lack of repair capacity and specialists in Russia.[107] Russian aviation enterprises are reportedly increasingly using existing planes for component for new production.[108] The Russian United Aircraft Corporation announced on November 22 that it transferred a new batch of Su-34 frontline bombers manufactured at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant to the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD).[109] Widespread constraints on the civil aviation industry are likely also impacting defense aviation enterprises in Russia, but Russian officials are likely prioritizing military aviation production over the maintenance and production of civil aircraft.

Russian courts have reportedly considered over 4,000 criminal cases against Russian personnel for the unauthorized abandonment of their units since the start of partial mobilization. Russian opposition outlet  Mediazona  reported on November 24 that Russian courts considered 4,121 criminal cases for the unauthorized abandonment of a military unit and ruled in 3,740 cases as of November 21.[110]  Mediazona  reported that Russian courts have delivered sentences to roughly 100 Russian personnel a week on average since June 2023.[111]

Russian personnel from Russian federal subjects (regions) in Siberia and the Far East continue to represent a disproportionate number of Russian casualties in Ukraine. The  BBC  reported on November 24 that confirmed Russian military deaths per 10,000 males aged 16 to 61 in federal subjects of Russia show that the highest proportions of death happen in Siberian and Far Eastern regions.[112] The five highest proportions of military deaths occurred in the Tuva Republic (48.6 deaths), Republic of Buryatia (36.7 deaths), Nenets Autonomous Okrug (30 deaths), Altai Republic (26.5 deaths), and Transbaikal Krai (26.2 deaths).[113] St. Petersburg and Moscow have the lowest proportion of confirmed deaths with 2.5 and 1 per 10,000, respectively.[114]

Russian authorities continue to prevent the relatives of mobilized personnel from holding rallies calling for the demobilization of their relatives. Russian independent investigative outlet  Verstka  reported on November 23 that Russian authorities denied five applications for rallies by relatives of mobilized personnel in Moscow, Chelyabinsk, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Krasnoyarsk.[115] Russian opposition outlet  SOTA  reported that Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin denied an appeal to his office’s decision to refuse permits for a rally in support of demobilization by citing COVID-19 public health restrictions.[116] Russian opposition outlet  Mobilization News  reported that officials in Novosibirsk Oblast accepted demands from relatives of mobilized personnel that would cap mobilization periods at a year with rotations no less than every three months.[117] ISW cannot confirm that any Russian officials have accepted conditions from relatives to set forth terms for mobilization.

Russian Technological Adaptations  (Russian objective: Introduce technological innovations to optimize systems for use in Ukraine)

Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec debuted its new “Chistyulya” portable anti-drone system on November 24.[118] The device reportedly weighs eight kilograms (about 18 pounds) and can suppress drones within a one-kilometer radius.[119] Russian opposition outlet  Vazhnye Istorii  ( iStories)  reported that Chinese online retail service AliExpress sells a similar product with almost the same specifications.[120]

Activities in Russian-occupied areas  (Russian objective: Consolidate administrative control of annexed areas; forcibly integrate Ukrainian citizens into Russian sociocultural, economic, military, and governance systems)

The Russian occupation authorities continue efforts to indoctrinate Ukrainian children into Russian national and cultural identities. The Ukrainian Resistance Center reported on November 23 that the Kremlin instructed occupation authorities to ensure that 70 percent of Ukrainian students in occupied areas participate in educational exchange programs in Russia.[121] The Ukrainian Resistance Center reported that Russian occupation schools have started efforts aimed at indoctrinating as early as first grade.[122] The Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) Militia claimed on November 24 that 248 children from occupied Luhansk Oblast returned from a trip to Moscow City that the Kremlin-funded pseudo-volunteer “Movement of the First” youth organization planned.[123] Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) Head Denis Pushilin claimed on November 23 that over 60 students from occupied Donetsk Oblast are currently studying at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), an institute of higher education subordinate to the Russian Foreign Ministry.[124] Ukrainian Mariupol City Advisor Petro Andryushchenko published footage on November 23 showing Russian military personnel teaching children from occupied Zaporizhia Oblast basic military skills at an event in occupied Sevastopol, Crimea.[125]

Nothing significant to report.

Significant activity in Belarus  (Russian efforts to increase its military presence in Belarus and further integrate Belarus into Russian-favorable frameworks and Wagner Group activity in Belarus)

Belarusian military leadership reportedly hopes to increase the combat capabilities of Belarusian forces by equipping them with new drones and armored personnel carriers. Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets stated on November 24 that Belarus’ military leadership will equip Belarusian artillery brigades with Russian-produced “Supercam” S350 drones in early 2024.[126] Mashovets stated that Belarusian artillery brigades are currently equipped with quadcopter drones that do not provide adequate fire control and adjustment and that the Russian-produced drones have an increased range. Mashovets added that Belarusian forces are also testing the Belarusian-produced Volat V2 armored personnel carrier at the 227th Combined Arms Training Ground in Borisov, Belarus.

Note: ISW does not receive any classified material from any source, uses only publicly available information, and draws extensively on Russian, Ukrainian, and Western reporting and social media as well as commercially available satellite imagery and other geospatial data as the basis for these reports. References to all sources used are provided in the endnotes of each update.

[1]  https://t.me/otarnavskiy/354 ; https://armyinform.com dot ua/2023/11/23/rosijski-okupanty-chotyry-razy-namagalysya-vidnovyty-vtracheni-ranishe-pozycziyi-u-rajoni-robotynogo-oleksandr-shtupun/

[2]  https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign... https://armyinform.com dot ua/2023/11/23/rosijski-okupanty-chotyry-razy-namagalysya-vidnovyty-vtracheni-ranishe-pozycziyi-u-rajoni-robotynogo-oleksandr-shtupun/

[3]  https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid036KfemUabt3tVEWTuzf... https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0P7Ai2W5xERok38bmoa7... https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0gjV3tuoLYDrq26W7GsQ...

[4]  https://t.me/RVvoenkor/57059 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/16616 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12483 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12516 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12497 ; https://t.me/TRO_DPR/13280 ; https://t.me/dntskmedia/210 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/4947 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/52312 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/52313 ; https://t.me/readovkanews/69780 ; https://t.me/readovkanews/69828 ; https://t.me/multi_XAM/976 ; https://t.me/boris_rozhin/104620 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/16641 ; https://t.me/RVvoenkor/57059 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/16616 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12483 ; https://t.me/TRO_DPR/13280 ; https://t.me/dntskmedia/210 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/52313 ; https://t.me/readovkanews/69828 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/16641 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/29587

[5]  https://t.me/RVvoenkor/57059 ; https://t.me/vozhak_Z/535 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12483 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12537

[6]  https://armyinform.com dot ua/2023/11/23/rosijski-okupanty-chotyry-razy-namagalysya-vidnovyty-vtracheni-ranishe-pozycziyi-u-rajoni-robotynogo-oleksandr-shtupun/

[7]  https://isw.pub/UkrWar101223 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar102123

[8]  https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign...

[9]  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67488646; https://storage.googlea... https://www.severreal.org/a/vazhnye-istorii-deputat-mironov-usynovil-poh...

[10]  https://storage dot googleapis.com/istories/stories/2023/11/23/mironov-i-deti/index.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=mainpage ;  https://t.me/svobodnieslova/3404 ; https://t.me/astrapress/42804 ; h... https://www.severreal.org/a/vazhnye-istorii-deputat-mironov-usynovil-poh...

[11]  https://storage dot googleapis.com/istories/stories/2023/11/23/mironov-i-deti/index.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=mainpage ;  https://t.me/svobodnieslova/3404 ; https://t.me/astrapress/42804 ; h... https://www.severreal.org/a/vazhnye-istorii-deputat-mironov-usynovil-poh...

[12] y.  https://storage dot googleapis.com/istories/stories/2023/11/23/mironov-i-deti/index.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=mainpage ;  https://t.me/svobodnieslova/3404 ; https://t.me/astrapress/42804 ; h... https://www.severreal.org/a/vazhnye-istorii-deputat-mironov-usynovil-poh...

[13]  https://twitter.com/mironov_ru/status/1727649749107405152

[14]  https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-ass...

[15]  https://isw.pub/RusCampaignAugust23; https://isw.pub/UkrWar102622; https://isw.pub/UkrWar111222

[16]  https://armyinform.com dot ua/2023/11/22/ukrayinskyj-povitryanyj-shhyt-staye-sylnishym-za-pidsumkamy-ramshtajnu-stvoreno-koalicziyu-ppo-prezydent/ ;  https://armyinform.com dot ua/2023/11/22/uspih-nashogo-maksymalnogo-yednannya/ ;  https://armyinform.com dot ua/2023/11/22/rustem-umyerov-rozpoviv-pro-osnovni-rezultaty-17-yi-zustrichi-kontaktnoyi-grupy-z-pytan-oborony-ukrayiny/

[17]  https://armyinform.com dot ua/2023/11/23/volodymyr-zelenskyj-posylennya-ppo-cze-najkrashha-strategichna-investycziya-v-bezpeku/

[18]  https://t.me/SJTF_Odes/3015 ; https://t.me/spravdi/34838 ; https://t.me/rustem_umerov_mo/324?single

[19]  http://kremlin dot ru/events/president/news/72800

[20]  https://t.me/rybar/54424 ; https://www.rbc dot ru/politics/22/11/2023/655de2d29a794726821e31cf

[21]  io/news/2023/11/23/v-minske-proshel-sammit-odkb-na-kotorom-ne-bylo-armenii-v-kremle-skazali-chto-sozhaleyut-ob-etom ;  https://tass dot ru/politika/19364435

[22]  https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign...

[23]  https://t.me/youlistenedmayak/29551 ; https://meduza dot io/news/2023/11/23/v-minske-proshel-sammit-odkb-na-kotorom-ne-bylo-armenii-v-kremle-skazali-chto-sozhaleyut-ob-etom ;  https://tass dot ru/politika/19364435

[24]  https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign...

[25]  https://tass dot ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/19362479 ;  https://t.me/readovkanews/69802

[26]  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/24/russia-crimea-tunnel-china/ ; https://archive.ph/14Cs9

[27]  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/24/russia-crimea-tunnel-china/

[28]  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/24/russia-crimea-tunnel-china/ ;  https://www1.hkexnews dot hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2008/0229/01186_295219/c118.pdf

[29]  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/24/russia-crimea-tunnel-china/

[30]  https://t.me/Aksenov82/3558 ; https://t.me/rbc_news/84650 ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/24/russia-crimea-tunnel-china/

[31]  https://yle dot fi/a/74-20061648 ;  https://yle dot fi/a/74-20061790

[32]  https://www.tv2 dot no/nyheter/innenriks/store-apner-for-a-stenge-grensen-til-russland/16241924/

[33]  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/23/finland-russia-border-fr... https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/23/estonia-accuses-russia-wea...

[34]  https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/estonia-accuses-russia-helping-migr...

[35]  https://www.hs dot fi/politiikka/art-2000010015707.html

[36]  https://mid dot ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1916562/

[37]  https://isw.pub/UkrWar112023

[38]  https://t.me/RDS_Official_channel/323

[39]  https://t.me/RDS_Official_channel/323

[40]  https://t.me/RDS_Official_channel/323

[41]  https://t.me/readovkanews/69861 ; https://meduza dot io/news/2023/11/24/politsiya-ustroila-reyd-na-sklade-wildberries-v-podmoskovie-rabotayuschim-tam-migrantam-vydali-povestki-v-voenkomat

[42]  https://t.me/bazabazon/23176

[43]  https://t.me/bazabazon/23176 ; https://t.me/bazabazon/23168

[44]  https://www.interfax dot ru/russia/933030

[45]  https://t.me/breakingmash/49613

[46]  https://www.interfax dot ru/russia/933030

[47]  https://www.kommersant dot ru/doc/6352767

[48]  https://www.kommersant dot ru/doc/6352767

[49]  https://www.kommersant dot ru/doc/6352767

[50]  https://www.kommersant dot ru/doc/6352767

[51]  https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02HKTPFWmgq4q16wKZqE...

[52]  https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/52312

[53]  https://t.me/wargonzo/16616

[54]  https://t.me/notes_veterans/13679

[55]  https://t.me/zvizdecmanhustu/1422

[56]  https://t.me/RKadyrov_95/4189

[57]  https://t.me/luhanskaVTSA/15319 ; https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=885352229454340

[58]  https://t.me/mod_russia/32771 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/32783 ; http...

[59]  https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/52312 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomos... https://t.me/wargonzo/16616 ;  https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12527

[60]  https://t.me/mod_russia/32771 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/32784

[61] https://twitter.com/moklasen/status/1727431258094096727; https://twitte...

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https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02HKTPFWmgq4q16wKZqE...

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[65]  https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/52312

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[67]  https://suspilne dot media/624211-vijskovi-rf-vikoristovuut-nicni-droni-kamikadze-situacia-na-doneckomu-napramku/

[68]  https://t.me/mod_russia/32799

[69]  https://t.me/RVvoenkor/57079 ; https://t.me/nm_dnr/11303 ; https://t...

[70]  https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12497

[71]  https://t.me/wargonzo/16641

[72]  https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/52312

[73]  https://t.me/RVvoenkor/57059 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/16616 ; https:/... https://t.me/TRO_DPR/13280 ; https://t.me/dntskmedia/210 ;  https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/4947 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/5231...

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[75]  https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12516 ; https://t.me/voenkorKot...

[76]  https://t.me/RVvoenkor/57059

[77]  https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12483 ; https://t.me/negumanita...

[78]  https://t.me/vozhak_Z/535

[79]  https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/4947

[80]  https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0MHnF4AQYCC2nz5uW938...

[81]  https://t.me/wargonzo/16652

[82]  https://www.unian dot ua/war/viyna-v-ukrajini-ochilnik-avdijivskoji-mva-rozkriv-osoblivosti-tretoji-hvili-ataki-voroga-na-misto-12465069.html ;  https://uazmi dot org/news/post/deb6e23cc6342579fa47d4729e851ee9

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[84]  https://t.me/wargonzo/16616

[85]  https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid036KfemUabt3tVEWTuzf...

[86]  https://t.me/batalyon_vostok/262 ;  https://t.me/RVvoenkor/57117

[87]  https://t.me/readovkanews/69780; https://t.me/readovkanews/69828; http...

[88]  https://t.me/voin_dv/6052

[89]  https://t.me/mod_russia/32769; https://t.me/mod_russia/32804

[90]  https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/52312

[91]  https://t.me/WarArchive_ua/7773

[92]  https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/4965; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/4970

[93]  https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02HKTPFWmgq4q16wKZqE...

[94]  https://twitter.com/moklasen/status/1727442323532058769; https://t.me/B...

[95]  https://twitter.com/moklasen/status/1727660505400062155; https://t.me/B...

[96]  https://t.me/vrogov/12990; https://t.me/dva_majors/29520; https://t.me...

[97]  https://t.me/mod_russia/32805; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua...

[98]  https://t.me/rybar/54430; https://t.me/dva_majors/29577; https://t.me/... ttps://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/12527; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russia%E2%80%99s-military-...

[99]  https://t.me/Dnepro_Rub/1557; https://twitter.com/foosint/status/172791... https://twitter.com/moklasen/status/1727984954976403787

[100]  https://t.me/rodinarussia27/2194; https://t.me/rodinarussia27/2197

[101]  https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0MHnF4AQYCC2nz5uW938...

[102]  https://t.me/rybar/54448

[103]  https://t.me/SALDO_VGA/1466

[104]  https://t.me/mod_russia/32805; https://t.me/mod_russia/32794

[105]  https://armyinform.com dot ua/2023/11/23/voyenna-rozvidka-ukrayiny-pid-chas-kiberspeczoperacziyi-otrymala-dostup-do-zakrytyh-dokumentiv-rosaviacziyi/ ; https://t.me/DIUkraine/3122 ; https://gur dot gov.ua/content/voienna-rozvidka-ukrainy-zdiisnyla-kiberspetsoperatsiiu-shchodo-rosaviatsii-sanktsii-pryskoriuiut-aviakolaps-rf.html ; https://t.me/DIUkraine/3122 ; https://t.me/DIUkraine/3126

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Turn Your Curiosity Into Discovery

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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