<p>How should one approach the why essays for every school (Why Cornell, Why BU, etc.)? Almost every school I'm applying to has one, and I really don't know what to say. Am I just supposed to mention a special class, a special academic program, etc. </p>
<p>Since everyone says that saying like I LOVE BOSTON <333 for schools in Boston is an awful idea, should my answers be strictly related to academics?</p>
<p>One does wonder why the schools ask these questions--surely they get a ton of very similarly written answers.</p>
<p>It is always best to be as specific as possible. Look at the website material of the majors you are interested in. Go back to the notes you took when you visited the college. Your answer should sound as though you could not have written this about another college.</p>
<p>Your answers should include, but not be limited to, academic information.</p>
<p>I honestly don't see the problems with these essays. You obviously want to go to the school, otherwise you wouldn't be applying and writing all the essays in the first place. So say why. Say it in your own voice, but just say why. Unless you're just applying for the name, in which case a) you shouldn't be applying because that's incredibly shallow and b) no one will hold your hand through BSing some other response.</p>
<p>For most of the schools I'm applying to that have these essays, I'm probably not going to focus on one program or the other. My Why Swarthmore? essay is the only one I've really worked on. I don't actually go into specifics that much about the college. I talked about how a friend told me I should go to Swarthmore, and how I was at first weirded out by that and wondering, "What's Swarthmore?" and later visiting and realized she was totally right.</p>
<p>I think writing something like, "Well I want to go here because it's a good school and I like X Program" is boring. They already know they're awesome. I think instead of having you spew compliments at them, they'd rather hear why YOU as an individual want to go.</p>
<p>At really selective small schools, this is especially important, because they really want to see that you have a genuine interest, not that you're applying just because it's ranked right next to five other schools that you're also applying to. If your essay is a bland "I want to go here because you have a good such and such program" it's more likely you cooked that up in the same pot as your other essays.</p>