<p>Hi, I am a rising senior, and I have been looking into college websites to find out if there were any additional essays I would have to write. I've been noticing some "Why ______?" questions, and I am not sure how to approach this. Would this be based on what we see from college tours/visits? It seems kind of difficult to glorify a college without actually attending it. </p>
<p>Any opinions/advice about this?</p>
<p>Basically these questions are to make sure you didn’t just decide to apply on a whim (or for a safety). This essay will show how much you know/care about the school. It helps them gauge whether or not if accepted you’ll attend.</p>
<p>Ok, that makes sense. Would writing about an experience at the college in question be acceptable for this question? For example, I did a program at Northwestern for 10 days; would relating that experience in the essay work to my benefit?</p>
<p>Lagging of course is spot-on. </p>
<p>This is a good way to weed out people who just want a bunch of schools to apply to. Stay away from the “good reputation” essay or the essay that tells the admissions officers statistics (i.e. student-to-teacher ratios, or amount of students in the school) UNLESS you are able to say so much more than just that. </p>
<p>It would be a good idea to read the mission statements and any additional info of the schools to get an idea of what they’re all about.</p>
<p>About Northwestern, if you are talking about writting that in your Why Northwestern essay than YES that’s exactly what they’re looking for! That will set you apart from all the people who only know the school from college websites. (They just blurred out the actual name, so I had to change it to “college websites” haha!)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Best regards,
<p>It’s to see if you know the school and what it specifically offers you that makes you see it as a fit. Make it real, no brown-nosing. Yes, you can talk about an experience there and your reaction to being on campus, people you met or the general atmosphere. But not just focused on the program, which was, I’m guessing, different than regular attendance. Dig a bit deeper and wider, make it personal. Too many kids blow this question by only knowing superficials about the school. That doesn’t just suggest a whim app; it suggests the kid isn’t the sort who can dig and consider.</p>