<p>Like many others here, I'm new to the world of college essay writing. I'm just not sure what to expect or where to start with them, especially the prompts asking why you chose that college. My main problem is I'm not sure what angle to take, should I make them very personal, 1st-person from the start such as "I like this school because" (except more intellectual of course), or should I start with information, not necessarily 1st-person, describing the reasons why I like the school?</p>
<p>I'm writing about 10 different essays (4 why essays) and I'm applying early to as many as possible, so I'm trying to get a jump start. Thanks everyone! </p>
<p>Honestly, this might come off harsh, but these should be the essays that flow the easiest. You should only be applying to schools that you like. If you can’t identify why you like it to write this essay, which is what this question asks you to really thoroughly address, you should not be applying to that school.</p>
<p>You should write down your career goal and then just let yourself pour out as to why different resources at that school can help you succeed. </p>
<p>Yes – they should be first person along the lines of “I’m applying to this school bc I want to study x, and this school offers fantastic resources nos. 1, 2, and 3 which will allow me to further my study of x.” Then you expound upon 1, 2, and 3.</p>
<p>I think the “why this school” essays are better if they are simple and show a lot of research and thought about the school. I think the cutesy creative stuff doesn’t work on these bc some adcom member wants to read it quick and get a good sense of your education/career goals – not what happened to you at age 4 that made you inclined to apply to this school.</p>
<p>Remember that the “Why X School” essay is really designed for you to show what you can bring to that school that no one else can. I’m sure Columbia, for example, gets tens of thousands of essays that say that applicants love the school because of its core curriculum and its location in NYC, but those who get accepted are able to convey what they’ll do with those characteristics: how they’ll best utilize the core curriculum to pursue their academic interests, how they’ll use the surrounding city to further their goals, etc.</p>