<p>On the supplement the essay question reads "what do you hope to learn from, and what can you contribute to, the Penn community?" </p>
<p>But in literature and marketing, and in the words of information session speakers, it is referenced as the "Why Penn?" essay.</p>
<p>My skill set and interests won't change if I dont go to Penn, so I'd probably contribute the same thing at another school.... it's Penn's unique qualities that make me want to contribute to and learn from them rather than another school.</p>
<p>So is it ok to make the supplement more "why Penn" than not?</p>
<p>Keep in mind the first part of the question, which directs you to consider both (1) the specific school within Penn to which you’re applying and (2) the unique aspects of Penn. Relate what you hope to learn and contribute to those two items.</p>
<p>Don’t downplay this part. They want to know not just how you will benefit from PENN but how you can contribute - mainly to clubs that you have a background in or classroom discussions again on a subject matter you might have real world experiences on. The why penn must be about the school and you, not just the school.</p>
<p>My advice for this essay is to write it in a way so that if you changed the name of the school from Penn to say Stanford, then the essay wouldn’t make sense anymore. </p>
<p>When I wrote this essay, I wrote about a hypothetical day at Penn, referencing specific professors, locations, facilities, and clubs.</p>
<p>Good Luck with your essay!</p>
<p>Thank you all… I tried not just to say that I have the same values as penn, but to show why I had those values, and why they were so important to me, relating that to the specific programs and courses that I would hope to be involved with at penn.</p>
<p>rahsosprout - great advice! :)</p>