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Orange, California

Chapman University

chapman.edu
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  • Overview
  • Cost & scholarships
  • Majors
  • Admission requirements
  • Essay prompts

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Chapman University's 2021-22 Essay Prompts

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Select-A-Prompt Short Response

Required
200 Words

When a student attends Chapman they join the Panther Family, including them in a community that is made up of an array of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Our family encourages students to learn from one another through open dialogue and to value each other’s experiences. With this in mind, please answer one of the following questions. (200 words or fewer)


Option 1

Every Chapman student holds multiple identities that create the diverse fabric of our community. Our committee would like to hear about the intersectionality of your identities and how those have played a crucial role in your life.


Option 2

Part of the Chapman student experience is to grow or transform your own perspectives. What impact would you like to have at Chapman and what legacy would you like to leave on our community?

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Why This College Short Response

Required
200 Words

Out of the thousands of universities and colleges, what excites you about attending Chapman University specifically?

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Dream Job Short Answer

Required
Sentences

What is your dream job?

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Describe Yourself Short Answer

Required
Sentences

Please list three words to describe yourself.

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Song Short Answer

Required
Sentences

What song should we be listening to while reading your application?

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Favorite Dish Short Answer

Required
Sentences

Name one dish you would cook for our admission team.

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Favorite Subject Short Answer

Required
Sentences

What is your favorite subject?

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Bucket List Short Answer

Required
Sentences

What is the top thing on your bucket list?

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Happiness Short Answer

Required
Sentences

What makes you happy?

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Hometown Short Answer

Required
Sentences

Created by a prospective student of the Fall 2019 class: If Chapman’s admission team came to visit your hometown, what site would you take them to?

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Presentation Short Answer

Required
Sentences

Created by a prospective student of the Fall 2020 class: What can you give a 30-minute presentation on without any preparation?

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College Course Short Answer

Required
Sentences

Created by a prospective student of the Fall 2021 class: If you could teach a college course that best describes you, what would it be called?

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Learning Short Answer

Required
Sentences

Created by a prospective student of the Fall 2022 class: What is something you have always wanted to learn but never had the chance to?

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Common App Personal Essay

Required
650 words

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.


Option 1

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.


Option 2

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?


Option 3

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


Option 4

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?


Option 5

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


Option 6

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?


Option 7

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you‘ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

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