Selective High School Essay Questions for the SY21-22 Admissions Cycle - Admission Cycle Questions

Sep 22, 2026

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A compilation of essay and response prompts for SY21-22 admissions to multiple DC selective high schools. It includes Bard High School Early College DC personal and text-based prompts with a 5000-character response limit, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School motivation essay requirements, and program-specific prompts for Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Other schools are listed with either required essays, interest surveys, or no essay, each with stated character limits and submission guidance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Bard High School Early College DC

Personal Responses

Text-Based Responses

Essay Character Limit

Benjamin Banneker Academic High School

Essay Question

Essay Character Limit

Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC)

Student Interest Survey Requirement

Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Essay Questions

Essay Character Limit

Additional Program Based Essay Questions

Early College Academy at Coolidge High School

Essay Question

Essay Character Limit

McKinley Technology High School

Application/Essay Submission Requirement

Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering High School

Essay Question

Essay Character Limit

School Without Walls High School

No Essay Required

Selective High School Essay Questions for the SY21-22 Admissions Cycle BARD HIGH SCHOOL EARLY COLLEGE DC Personal Responses-Respond to any two of the following four questions (recommended length per response, at least two paragraphs): 􀁸 What are your plans, goals, or aspirations after high school? How will an early college education help you achieve them? 􀁸 Describe a challenge that you've faced (in or outside of school) . How have you tried to address or overcome it? What did you learn from it? 􀁸 Describe yourself as a student, now and in the future: How do you currently interact with your classmates and your instructor? What sort of role do you see yourself playing in the classroom in high school? How do you plan to contribute to the Bard DC community? 􀁸 What is an issue that matters to you, and why? How would you go about making the change you want to see? Text-Based Responses-Read the poem by Yusef Komunyakaa, Slam, Dunk, & Hook. Answer one of following two questions (recommended length, at least two paragraphs): 􀁸 Describe something you believe Komunyakaa had hoped the reader would think about after reading his poem and explain what in the poem makes you think that. Please cite the text in your response. 􀁸 Describe something in your personal experience that connects to the lines or message of the poem. Please cite the lines you reference. Essay Character Limit: 5000 character limit per response BENJAMIN BANNEKER HIGH SCHOOL Essay Question: Discuss why you wish to attend Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. Essay Character Limit: 5000 characters COLUMBIA HEIGHTS EDUCATION CAMPUS (CHEC) No essay; however, a student interest survey is required. DUKE ELLINGTON SCHOOL OF THE ARTS Essay Questions: Please write a paragraph explaining why (Dance, Instrumental Music, Literary Media and Communications, Museum Studies, Technical Design and Production or Arts Management, Theatre, Visual Arts, or Vocal Music) is important to you and what role art plays in your life. Essay Character Limit: 5000 characters Additional Program Based Essay Questions: 􀁸 Literary Media and Communications: o Please write a paragraph explaining your personal goals as an artist and any experiences you may have had that could impact your decision to pursue Literary Media and Communications. (5000 characters) 􀁸 Technical Design and Production or Arts Management o Please define "Technical Design and Production or Arts Management". (2000 characters) o Explain why you are interested in Technical Design and Production or Arts Management, including your interest in specific aspect of technical design and production (example: lights, costume, sound, set, stage management, etc.,), and what you plan to do with the training you receive from Ellington's Technical Design and Production department.(5000 characters) EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY at COOLIDGE HIGH SCHOOL Essay Question: What are your college/career goals after high school? What steps have you already taken to prepare for those goals? How do you believe the Coolidge High School Early College Academy will help you achieve those goals? Essay Character Limit: 5000 characters McKINLEY TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL Essay to be completed through McKinley Tech; not through the My School DC application. PHELPS ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION, AND ENGINEERING HIGH SCHOOL Essay Question: Describe and evaluate one experience that significantly influenced your academic interests in Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School. Essay Character Limit: Character limit: 5000 SCHOOL WITHOUT WALLS HIGH SCHOOL No essay required.

FAQs

What are the required essay and response formats for Bard High School Early College DC?

Personal Responses require answering any two of four questions with at least two paragraphs. Text-Based Responses require reading Yusef Komunyakaa's poem Slam, Dunk, & Hook and answering one of two questions with at least two paragraphs.

What character limits apply to the listed essays and responses?

Bard High School Early College DC uses a 5000 character limit per response. Other schools specify their own 5000-character limits, and Duke Ellington program-based prompts include limits such as 2000 and 5000 characters for different questions.

Which schools require no essay for SY21-22 admissions?

Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC) requires a student interest survey instead of an essay, and School Without Walls High School requires no essay.

Sep 22, 2026

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