In addition to the personal essay which you will submit through the Common Application or QuestBridge, Barnard asks first-year applicants to respond to an institution-specific short answer question. Your response to this question, in conjunction with the other components to your application, will help the Admissions Committee gain a deeper understanding of you.
Below is the 2025-2026 question for first-year students.
- Required: Rooted in a history of trailblazing women, Barnard College is a collaborative community of care shaped by bold women with a multitude of perspectives. Choose one woman— historical, fictional, contemporary, or personally significant— whose views differ from your own. Imagine a conversation with her. What would you discuss? How might her perspective challenge or shift your own? Share how this new mindset could influence your approach to learning and engagement both in and beyond the classroom at Barnard. (200-250 words).