University of Rochester

Essay prompts (1)

1. why us2026-27250 words

   Applies to: All applicants (required)

   The University of Rochester is a place where curiosity and creativity meet. How will you combine our academic flexibility and co-curricular opportunities to create an experience that reflects your interests and ambitions?

   source

Rochester says AI tools may be helpful for generating essay topic ideas and for editing or refining writing, but the university discourages the use of AI to compose application essays or short answer responses, because it often stifles an applicant's authentic voice.

How reviews use this page

When you request a review for a University of Rochester supplement, the feedback is grounded in exactly what you see here: the prompt itself, its word limit, and what the school publishes about its values and programs. That's the whole claim — calibrated to the prompt and the school's own published guidance, scored against a consistent rubric. Not insider knowledge, and never a rewrite: Second Read is a coach, not a ghostwriter. It flags weaknesses and tells you what to fix and why; it never writes a sentence of your essay.

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