Hi! Here is a question for anyone who got accepted into The University of Michigan recently, what were the main points of your why umich essay?
I essentially wrote about myself and how I would fit in at the University of Michigan. I described my habits, my passions, and how I finally ended up on deciding to apply to UMich - that UMich would aid me in my quest to do whatever I want to do in life (Engineering, in my case).
“Why [college]” essays are essentially just different “Why you?” essays. They don’t expect, 'nor want, you to just drop a big list as to why you ADORE UMich. This is YOUR application, so fit yourself into their picture.
My first campus visit was the summer between sophomore and junior HS year. Their presentation focused on where you would be in 5 years. So, I followed their lead.
Rather than talk about what was waiting for me when I got there, I projected where I would be - 5 years in time from when they would be reading my essay - with a UM diploma in hand.
I agree. Don’t make it looks like an advertisement for UM. They know how good the school is. You need to focus on why the school fits you and be specific. If you can replace the school name and submit to another school, that is a bad why this school essay.
I spoke on my intended major, how I came to be interested in it, and used my independent studies as an analogy for what I’d hope to study at UM. I specifically discussed the curriculum and university-sponsored resources and how I interpreted them as best befitting my career aspirations. Basically, my point was to demonstrate that I’d done research for their program and that my approach for doing that was similar to how I handle things I’m interested in, regardless of whether they accepted me or not. You have to be careful to not just write a list of things they want you to like about them, rather pick things that specifically cater to you and then speak thoroughly about them.
I’d like to add emphasis to billcsho’s comment “ If you can replace the school name and submit to another school, that is a bad why this school essay.” This is so true. I heard this from countless admissions officers at Michigan. I just got in first wave EA and my essay described my life growing up a Michigan fan but realizing that I didn’t actually like Michigan for any reason in particular other than that it was my family’s favorite football team. I then went into talking about how when it really came down to choosing a college based on more specific criteria, Michigan was still my favorite anyways. I discussed how I felt at home on campus and wanted to be there and how, going in undecided, I was sure Michigan would have a great program for whichever program I eventually choose. Good luck! Essays at umich are weighted stronger than a lot of people think. I’d be happy to look yours over for you when you write it.