<p>Hey guys,
I have been looking at supplements lately, and nearly every school I am applying to has been asking this question for one of the essays.
My problem is that I feel my essay will be very cliche and bland.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best waay of approaching this essay is?</p>
<p>Actually research each school and find out what specifically appeals to you, whether it be a program, class, etc. The more specific your essay and the more genuine, the better.</p>
<p>Furthermore, it will really help you figure out whether or not you should bother applying to all the schools on your list.</p>
<p>Do you know why you want to go to each of the schools you're applying to? Then this is what you write in this essays. Do NOT, reapeat--DO NOT use the same generic essay for all "Why ___?" essays. The admissions people want to know that you've done research and that your applying to their school means you feel you are a good fit. If you just picked your schools based on geographic location or US News & World Report rankings--keep researching them. Unerstand WHY.</p>
<p>Personal connections are key. Colleges don't want you to repeat what's in the viewbook - they know that they have extraordinary academics, great athletic facilities, etc. What they want to hear is that their special study abroad program in Mexico connects perfectly with your interest in Latin American politics, or that as a runner you're drawn to their successful track team.</p>
<p>I found this helpful and posted it here..</p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/429255-why-college-essays-aaargh-nightmare-help-plz.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/429255-why-college-essays-aaargh-nightmare-help-plz.html</a>
From a blog that begins with Admissions posted by Carolyn Z. Lawrence</p>
<p>Tackling "Why This College?" Essay Prompts </p>
<p>One of the most perplexing essays for many students is the one that asks the most important question of all: Why do you want to attend this college? Here are some tips for handling this essay.</p>
<p>First, let’s talk a bit about why colleges ask this question in the first place. These days most colleges, especially highly selective ones, get many more applications than they have places for in their freshman class. Obviously, the admissions office does not want to waste an admittance on an applicant who is not likely to attend – and they also want to make sure that every student who does attend next fall has thought through their reasons for wanting to be there. In short, they are looking for evidence that you didn’t just toss in an extra application on a whim, but that you truly are interested enough to have thought through your decision to apply.</p>
<p>They’re also looking for clues to your personality, interests, and goals, and how you will contribute to or participate in all that the college has to offer. So, this question isn’t just about why the college is a fit for you, but why you’re a fit for the college. It’s a subtle but important difference to keep in mind as you work on this sort of essay. Don’t just tell the college why they are right for you – also tell them why you are right for them.</p>
<p>Here are some tips to help you tackle “Why This College?” essays:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Brainstorm before you start writing. Make a list of the five or ten most important things you are looking for in any college, not just this one. Next, write a list of your most important goals and interests. Then, brainstorm how this particular college might meet those needs, desires, and interests. </p></li>
<li><p>Do your homework. Learn everything you can about the college and its programs. If you’ve visited, think back over your visit and jot down anything that particularly struck you during the visit. Try to remember conversations you had with faculty or students, and places on campus that particularly resonated with you. What made you decide that this college was worth considering during your visit? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>College websites are also loaded with information. Use them! Ignore the pretty pictures and catchy slogans in the admissions section this time around. Read the descriptions of departments you’re interested in, explore a few faculty bios, find out the details of graduation requirements and advising for freshmen, examine the school’s mission statement, read the online archives of the student newspaper, and scroll through recent press releases issues by the college news office.</p>
<p>Then, refer back to your list of what you are looking for in a college and match up the data points you’ve uncovered in your research with the most important things you’re seeking in any college. What makes this school a particularly good match?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Make it personal. Don’t write about things that any applicant can say about the school. Tell the admissions committee why everything you mention relates specifically to you. Instead of “I like University XYZ because it has a wonderful science program” say “I have a lifelong interest in zoology and the opportunity to work in University XYZ’s on campus primate research center in Professor Smith’s undergraduate research program will allow me to get hands on experience working with chimpanzees."</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t comment on the obvious. The admissions office already knows they have a beautiful campus, a world-renowned faculty, rank high in U.S. News & World Reports, and are located in an exciting city. If you keep it personal, and focus on why this college or university and you truly are a match, your essay will stand out.</p></li>
<li><p>Be specific. Don’t just say, “I was impressed with your library when I visited.” Look up the name of the library, and tell them exactly what impressed you (beyond, of course, the coffee bar in the lobby.) Sometimes little details can speak loudly. I once read an excellent essay from a student which began, “When I entered the drawing and painting studio on the third floor of Smith Hall, felt the warm sun streaming through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, and smelled the pungent aroma of fresh turpentine, I knew that I had found a place where I could not only create art, but live it.” Here's the litmus test to know if you've been specific enough: Try changing the name of the college in your "Why this college?" essay. If you can drop in the name of a different college, and the essay still makes perfect sense, it's a sign that you've written too generic of an essay. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Finally, if you find yourself truly struggling with explaining why this school is a unique match for you, it may be time to sit down and consider whether this college or university is truly right for you. Think about your college expectations and dreams, do some additional research, but if you still find yourself unable to express why you want to attend beyond general platitudes, think twice about applying.</p>
<p>Thanks for starting this thread! I too was stumped by the dreadful "Why (blank)?" question. :P</p>
<p>It definitely took me a long time of sitting and staring to find inspiration for my two "Why?" essays. At first I thought I would just use the same basic framework for both of them, but looking at it, I realized the two schools were radically different.</p>
<p>My suggestion? Go on the website and read the course catalog if you can find it. Look in the specific areas you're interested in... imagine actually taking those classes. That's definitely a lot of what I did to get myself started.</p>
<p>Do people generally get really creative with these essays? Or are they written in a really straightforward conversational style?</p>
<p>Be specific! Use that old writing adage, "Show, don't tell." My son had to write a 6 or 7 of these. Every school that got a very generic "LAC, small, quirky" waitlisted him, but the schools that got a Why essay that had concrete details accepted him. You can get those details all kinds of places. He wrote one about the Livejournal community for the school, and how the kind of discussion there echoes what he'd like in a college.</p>
<p>That's a good suggestion. The campus newspaper (usually available free online and searchable) also has great insider articles and information that might spark ideas.</p>
<p>I wrote a "Day in the Life" of me at _______. I found it to be much easier for myself to picture a day there. It took a lot of research (looking up which clubs I would join, which classes I would take, what professors I was interested in, which dorms I would live in, etc.), but it paid off in the end. I was accepted to the schools that asked "Why us?"</p>
<p>When I applied ED to my top choice, I didn't really demonstrate much evidence of research, although mentioning a few specifics probably wouldn't have been a bad idea. Instead I wrote a story that revealed why I want to study engineering (engineering is one of my school's strengths), and then talked about how every time I visited I just felt "right." Large school, very diverse, people quizzing each other as they were throwing around a Frisbee... So if you're having trouble, something like this might help...</p>
<p>And, as it turns out, my hunch was right... I can't imagine going anywhere else.</p>
<p>My ds2 applied to one of the top LACs and had to write the 'why us?' essay. He wanted to be in engineering and wrote a very short essay - these were the things he was looking for, 1, 2, 3, ... and they got those, so he was applying. Simple, specific, straightforward, just like him. I was a bit worried because the school was supposedly putting heavy emphasis on well-written, creative, unique, etc., etc., essays (I might even have read that on one of the CC threads) and his was not like that. However, the school must have recognized that he had thought through what he wanted and had searched enough to find schools that fitted his criteria. He got in.</p>
<p>Just be honest. Colleges are looking to get to know you. So I would say don't worry about it too much. Highlight what you like about them, how you came to them, how they fit in with your future plans (like what you plan to do or interest you have). Straight forward. You should also try to tie it into your personality and what you do. Like, give a better picture of yourself through why you want to go.</p>
<p>As the person who wrote the blog quoted above, here is the quick litmus test of whether your "Why this college?" essay is ready to go:</p>
<p>Substitute the name of another college. If the essay still makes perfect sense, you still have work to do. </p>
<p>Writing about: the attractiveness of the campus, its location, or how prestigious it is shows an admissions committee you haven't really looked beyond the superficial. Dig deeper. As always, trust your gut instinct. If you really can't say why a college is right for you without a struggle, maybe you should take it off your list.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Take absolutely everything that you love about the school, especially it's unique features, and explain why you like it and want to be around it. What are you looking for in a school, why, and how does that school give it to you? Also, get extremely personal with this essay. Have you visited the school? How did your visit positively affect your decision to apply? What were your favorite aspects? Don't just write about how beautiful the campus is or how prestigious and great its classes are, but also take into consideration other important factors of a college - community, spirit, attitude, feelings, etc.</p>
<p>As Shrinkrap's post notes, don't forget that many of the "why____ college" prompts ask not only why you like this college, but why you would be a good fit for the college. </p>
<p>As you prepare to write your college essays, brainstorm about those things that make you stand out from the crowd. Think about things that otherwise wouldn't make their way into a college essay; not necessarily the major awards you have won (if you have these, they will be highlighted elsewhere) but distinct interests you may have, things that you have done that demonstrate something different about who you are or something in your background that has shaped who you are today. In other words, put together a list of the things you think will make admissions officers know and remember you. </p>
<p>Then, as others have suggested, do the careful research you need to do about the college to which you applying. Read the websites, school papers, college confidential sub-forum etc. and create a list of the things you like or find intriquing about this school. Be as specific as you can be.</p>
<p>And finally, match up your list of things that are distinct about you with the list of special features you have discovered about each college. Where there's overlap, you've got a great essay in the making.</p>
<p>This process worked very well for my DD. Two years ago, she didn't know where she wanted to go to school or what she wanted to study when she got there, making the "why ____ college" essays particularly challenging. She hadn't even had the opportunity to visit any of the campuses of the schools to which she was applying. In the process of writing the "why ____ college" essay for one particular school, she spent a great deal of time online looking at the website and course offerings and found a unique interdisciplinary major that she had never seen before. This interdisciplinary program had three prime components which matched up perfectly with three things on her list of special items she wanted to highlight to admissions committees. She wrote a very strong essay demonstrating what a great fit she was for this program, and was surprised to gain admission to this highly selective reach school. Today she is a sophmore there, happily enrolled in the interdisciplinary program she discovered during her research two years ago.</p>
<p>Someone had PM'd me about my suggestion to write "A Day in the Life" for whatever school. I thought I'd share this essay about Barnard with you. I don't have the original essay on hand, but I wrote another in the same style to give you the gist of what I was talking about. Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.</p>
<p>"I like to start my mornings drinking coffee at Java City and reading the Columbia Spectator. This morning, I'm especially excited because my byline is on the front page. As I read my article on the expansion into Manhattanville, I think about my responsibilities tonight as the new Associate News Editor. There's no time to check my email for stories now, however, because my Dynamics of American Politics class starts in five minutes.</p>
<p>After class, I ask Professor Richard Pious about the possibility of creating a combined Political Science-Middle Eastern Studies major. He assures me that it is quite possible, but refers me to the department chair, Kimberly Marten, for more information.</p>
<p>As I'm leaving Barnard Hall, I run into my friend who's on McAC (McIntosh Activities Council) with me. She reminds me that we have a meeting tomorrow to discuss one of the biggest activities of the year, Midnight Breakfast. We only have two weeks left to plan, and we've stumbled across a problem: the Columbia Marching Band has scheduled Orgo Night (their annual march through the library and all over campus) for the same night. Hopefully, we can change the time of breakfast to 11pm without much trouble so that everyone can enjoy both.</p>
<p>After dropping my books off in my room in Sulzberger Hall, I go to Career Development in Elliot Hall to talk to Program Director Will Simpkins about internship opportunities for next summer. I'm interested in government-related internships both in New York and in Washington, DC. By the end of the meeting, I've decided to apply to several in both places. I know that through the entire process, Career Development will be a great resource because they have drop-in office hours every day and will critique your resumes and cover letters.</p>
<p>Following my meeting with Will, I meet up with some friends at the Hungarian Pastry Shop to relax a bit, eat some great eclairs and study for our anthropology midterm in Paige West's Interpretation of Cultures class. Later, I have practice for the Columbia University Women's Ultimate Frisbee team, and then I'll head down to the Spectator office at 113th and Broadway for my shift. Afterwards, some friends might meet me for a giant milkshake at Tom's. Overall, a great day at the greatest college in the world, Barnard College."</p>
<p>I got in with a similar essay and am now a very happy first-year.</p>
<p>wow writing essays is hard</p>
<p>bad107- that really just comes off as cheesy and lame, it looks like you went to their website, looked up every teacher's name and the activities and plastered it onto your essay.</p>