REALLY struggling with 'Why Northwestern' essay

College Essays
1

<p>This is the last supplement I have to complete, and I'm having a really, really tough time of figuring it out. I've heard admissions puts a lot of weight in viewing this, and for some reason or another, I can't seem to get it right. I've written bits and pieces of it, haven't really finished any of the paragraphs or proofread it or anything at all. I just don't feel like I'm on the right track at all ... does anyone mind taking a look at it, maybe give me some hints?</p>

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<p>Throughout my education, I am proud to say that I’ve put in the effort and work to have a successful academic career. I’ve taken the AP classes; I’ve studied for hours on end to pull out an ‘A’ in a class that I seemed destined for a ‘B’; I’ve met with teachers and gone in for extra help – and in the end, I’ve gotten as much out of it as I had to put in. </p>

<p>That being said, I’m not looking for a walk in the park after high school. At Northwestern, a university with thousands of courses, and hundreds of students who have achieved similar success in high school as me, I expect much the same challenge. </p>

<p>Yet, the truth is, there are numerous schools throughout the country which have programs similar to that of Northwestern. In today’s world, the desire for knowledge is abundant and the number of professors ready and willing to share it is even greater; college is no longer the black and white hierarchy that it used to be. Whichever school a student chooses, it is sure to have a challenging curriculum for all students. So why, I find myself often asked, are you applying to this school, rather than this one? If they’re all challenging academically, what makes this one stand out? And to be quite honest, this question isn’t always the easiest one to answer – sometimes, your decision might be based solely on what someone else has told you, or something you’ve read online, and personally, the choice might mean no more than the name. </p>

<p>But in the case of Northwestern, the answer to such questions comes to me as easy as any. Beyond the education and beyond the rigor of the program, no school offers the atmosphere and experience that this university does. </p>

<p>“The Rock,” the primal growl before finals and at athletic events, </p>

<p>Just miles from the city of Chicago, students are just minutes from an array of endless opportunities. The prospect of internships and employment at large corporations and businesses is right around the corner. As a student interested in both business and economics, Chicago’s designation as a world financial center and a large business district says to me that if you are interested in such a career, this city is the place to be. And if I had the ability to gain the necessary knowledge at the university, and then translate it into real-world experience, I would be well on my way to achieving not only a successful education, but whole experience as well.</p>

2

<p>You need to personalize it. Have you visited? If so, you can start the essay by dropping the reader right into the scene:</p>

<p>*“Why is it blue?” I asked the student next to me. I was staring at a large brightly painted amorphous shape. What was it, I wondered? Why was it here on campus? And why was it bright blue? The mystery increased with the answer I got from him, which came with a conspiratorial smile. “I’ve got a secret,” he said. “It’ll be yellow tomorrow morning.”</p>

<p>Isaac Asimov once remarked that the most exciting phrase in science is not “Eureka! (I found it)” but “That’s funny…” And sometimes it doesn’t hit you suddenly that a school is the perfect fit for a person. That attraction starts out as a little mystery where, as you delve deeper and deeper into solving that enigma, the love begins to grow. And so it began with Northwestern.*</p>

<p>Yada yada…</p>

<p>Only THEN do you go into some of the stuff you’ve got above, but you’ve gotta hook the reader first.</p>

<p>And then, in the final paragraph, you come back to the opening and leave with a little stinger that makes the reader smile and know you belong on campus:</p>

<p>Now I’m looking forward to the day my organization paints The Rock and promotes whatever event we’ll be sponsoring. I think I’ll push for Fire Engine Red."</p>

<p>I definitely would not advise copying this, but it’s here just to show you how to personalize and bring the reader into your essay.</p>

<p>If you haven’t visited, what are the moments that started to attract you to Northwestern at first, and how did investigation into that first interest grow into a full-blown love affair?</p>