<p>A lot of the colleges I'm applying to have the "Why _______" college short essay. What are we supposed to write in those sections?</p>
<p>It depends on the college.</p>
<p>I have seen some answers that are basically "Great city. Strong math department.... " and a few short phrases like that.</p>
<p>I saw the essay of one successful applicant to a top 50 school who wrote "xxx has a strong business school and when I visited, I was impressed with professors and students that I met. Also, I am a bass player and want a school where I can continue to play. When the xxx rep came to our high school, I asked if there were student-run bands. When she said "Yes, and each year we have a battle of the bands, I knew xxx was the school for me."</p>
<p>For some of the most selective schools, the above probably wouldn't cut it. What you want to do is:
show that you know more about the school than what anyone can find on USN&WR rankings or a quick pass through the viewbook or website;
show that you know how it fits your academic and other interests;
try to convey what you might bring to the school - this might be talking about some activity you're going to pursue, or having your personality just show through in the essay;
if you have a very specific academic or research interest, find out about profs/research institutes in that area and show that you are familiar with what they do and that you'd like to take advantage.</p>
<p>Those are some examples.</p>
<p>thanks a lot</p>
<p>make sure you don't write something like "WELL THE SO AND SO PROGRAM IS REALLY GOOD AND NATIONALLY ACCREDITED ETC ETC." they know that. reveal something about yourself and how the college's programs can help to facilitate your passions.</p>