Writing the Boston College Human-Centered Engineering Supplemental Essay
In addition to writing the personal statement in the Common Application, most applicants to Boston College (BC) are tasked with responding to one of four supplemental essay questions in 400 words or less. However, those interested in applying to BC’s Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) major must answer a different predetermined essay question.
The 2026–27 prompt for HCE majors reads:
One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?
This could look like another “Why Engineering?” supplemental question but that only scratches the surface of the ask. BC wants to know how you will use your engineering education in service of others, not just what you want to study or why you’ve chosen this major.
Understanding the HCE Major at Boston College
Before drafting your response to the prompt, it may be helpful to take a step back to understand the major first. The curriculum reflects an interdisciplinary approach with coursework that includes engineering foundations, design thinking, ethics, and weekly reflection. HCE asks students to consider the relationship between engineering and its impact on society (the Common Good). To learn more about BC engineering’s mission, objectives, and outcomes, visit the departmental webpage.
Getting Started
Now that you understand the program’s educational philosophy, it is time to break down the prompt itself. There are three questions to be answered in your response:
- What societal problem matters to you?
- Why does it matter to you?
- How will pursuing HCE at BC help you address the problem?
While it may seem straightforward, it can be easy to focus too heavily on one question and not weigh in enough on others. Let’s break down a strong supplemental essay response into a few parts.
Part 1: The Problem & Personal Connection
While the question asks applicants to name a societal problem that matters to them, there is no expectation that the depth of the challenge you hope to tackle can be fully explained in 400 words or less.
The goal is to identify a problem that is specific enough to discuss thoughtfully but broad enough to leave room for future exploration. Most importantly, do not choose a societal problem simply because it sounds impressive, or you think it is what an admission officer wants to read. The best topic is one you can discuss with genuine curiosity.
Your personal connection to the societal problem is the part that tells BC more about you. Are you connected to the topic because of its impact on your community, an academic experience you had, volunteer work, an extracurricular activity, or a problem that you have observed?
The societal problem on its own is not what makes a response compelling, but a student’s connection to it does.
Part 2: So, why HCE at Boston College?
This is where you are encouraged to dig deeper. Engineering can be an important part of addressing a societal problem, but the solution itself can create new challenges if engineers do not consider the communities affected by their decisions. HCE at BC asks students to think about both sides: How can engineering help solve the problem and how might an engineering solution affect the people that it is intended to serve?
With that in mind, explain why a human-centered approach is the right one for addressing the problem. You can reflect on questions such as:
- Who is being impacted by the problem, and what do these people actually need?
- What and/or who is being unintentionally overlooked?
- How might ethics, culture, or policy influence engineering solutions?
- How can engineers work towards a solution with those they are trying to serve?
These questions demonstrate why solving societal problems often requires more than technical knowledge.
Beyond why HCE, reflect on why you are interested in pursuing HCE at BC. Be specific but strategic. Rather than listing courses and professors, think about what draws you to the interdisciplinary approach of this major and what at BC will help you be successful in serving the Common Good.
Part 3: Future Impact
Your conclusion is an opportunity to briefly demonstrate your intellectual curiosity and purpose. What kind of engineer do you hope to become and who do you hope that your work will serve in the future?
Key Takeaway
The strongest responses to this prompt come from applicants who can identify a specific societal problem they care about, explain how they have begun exploring it, and articulate why they want an education that will teach them to approach that problem not only as engineers, but as people responsible for considering the communities their work affects.
