For essays like "Why do you want to attend ______?"

College Essays
1

<p>Do the Admissions officers WANT you to be creative with it, like some of the general application essays? Or are they really looking for serious, down-to-earth answers?</p>

2

<p>Bump. I’d also like to know.</p>

3

<p>Don’t copy the viewbook or the website. Give a serious answer, but feel free to be unique. That makes you seem more honest than “I want to attend _______ because of its academic opportunities and reputation in the community.”</p>

4

<p>billy/
do you mean i shouldn’t use the school website??
what i was planning to do was

  1. state my passion/future career
  2. explain the academic programs of that school (how fantastic it is… etc)
  3. this is why i need to attend this school…</p>

<p>thinking of it now, it’s incredibly lame :frowning: but i have no idea what the structure should be…
can you give a more detailed explanation?</p>

5

<p>Pick a couple specific and unique attributes/programs that particular school offers.</p>

6

<p>If your parents asked you that question, what would you respond?</p>

<p>Tell the truth. Write it well.</p>

7

<p>I’m struggling with this as well, but the two (vague) things I’ve found to be effective: blatant honesty, like overcoming an initial disinterest; and specificity, like a very specific major or opportunity (worked best for me when specifically contrasted to other top schools).</p>

8

<p>I would try to be more specific about what major/program you’re interested in. Colleges want to see that you’re truly interested in their school and that you have done your research. But I agree, if possible, try not to sound like you’re quoting from the website or viewbook.</p>

9

<p>Okay, I’ve just gotten up from alternately lying on my bed and sitting on my floor crying for the past hour and a half because I can’t figure out how the eff to write this thing. (“Thing” being the ‘Why?’ essay for my top-choice college, which I’m applying ED I to.) Everything I write just makes me cringe. It’s so incredibly bad. I think I’d be better off giving them a bullet-pointed list of why I want to go there. I have academic stuff and stuff about the people, and little quirky things about the college that I picked up during my visit there. All told, that seems to be what people advise you to write. But still, it’s turning out worse than anything I have written in my life. Including stuff written when I was 4.</p>

10

<p>^ Write the bullet-point list and then turn each bullet into a sentence. Then you can worry about the style.</p>