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Dartmouth Essay Prompt 2 (2026-2027)
Dartmouth College's supplemental essay 2 of 3 for the 2026-2027 application: the prompt, the limit, when it is due, and how to answer it. Verified on August 7, 2026.
“Required of all applicants, please select and respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer: Option 1: There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today. Option 2: "Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken." Introduce yourself.”
Limit: 250 words. Deadlines: Early Decision: November 1, 2026. Regular Decision: January 1, 2027.
What Dartmouth is really asking
What is the one detail about you that makes an admissions reader look up?
The mistake most applicants make
Option 2 written as a list of traits. 'I am curious, driven, and kind' is not an introduction.
Do this instead
Choose the option where you have one vivid scene. Open inside the scene, not with a summary. Let the reader figure out the trait from what you did.
How to spend 250 words
250 words is two or three short paragraphs: the specific moment, what it revealed or changed, and why it points to this school. Cut any sentence that could appear in another applicant's essay.
How to start
Jim starts by asking you: “What is a detail about your life that would make a stranger want to hear the rest of the story?” Answer it with Jim, free →
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What is the Dartmouth essay 2 prompt for 2026-2027?
"Required of all applicants, please select and respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer: Option 1: There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today. Option 2: "Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken." Introduce yourself." The limit is 250 words.
How long should the Dartmouth essay 2 be?
250 words. 250 words is two or three short paragraphs: the specific moment, what it revealed or changed, and why it points to this school. Cut any sentence that could appear in another applicant's essay.
When is the Dartmouth essay due?
With the application: Early Decision: November 1, 2026. Regular Decision: January 1, 2027.
Can Jim help me write the Dartmouth essay?
Yes. Jim, the AlphaApply.ai counselor, has every Dartmouth prompt and deadline loaded. He asks the questions that surface your story and gives feedback on each draft. He never writes it for you. Free to start.
The other Dartmouth prompts
Prompt and limit for 2026-2027, verified on August 7, 2026. Always confirm on Dartmouth College's official admissions site before submitting.