<p>So I'm responding to an essay prompt from a school that's along the lines of "what do you like about our school?"</p>
<p>I read this question and it seems to want to hear what specifically about the school is there for me. And I'm actually quite well versed about the school as I'd quite like to attend (though, honestly, it's not my #1 choice, per se). But as I'm responding to the prompt, I find myself just spouting nonsense about the school and its quirks.</p>
<p>That is, I read over my essay (or the amount I've written so far) and I'm afraid it looks like I'm only telling them what I think they "want to hear". It honestly sounds a lot like a cheap college brochure.</p>
<p>Anyway, to what extent should I just feed them random tidbits about their program, campus, traditions? And where can I branch out from there since it all seems like junk I can just look up on their website?</p>
<p>I mean this is looking more like a flattery-filled research paper than an essay.</p>
<p>*** To clarify, I don't mean this to be specific to just this prompt/me writing an essay, but rather insight as to how much someone can give a college "what they want to hear" before it starts looking fake.</p>
<p>It is in your best interest to tell the college the real reasons you are interested. (Of course, you want to present it in a positive light.) Your goal is not just to get into college, but get into a college where you will be successful and happy.</p>
<p>With these questions they are a) looking to see that you’ve done your homework and b) that their school is a good fit for you. The two go hand in hand–if you’ve done your research, you should know specifically why a school is a fit for you, and that means your answer should go beyond the spiel they give on their homepage. That isn’t to say that you can’t incorporate their more typical selling points but that your answer should go beyond them.</p>
<p>For example, my Columbia essay is almost entirely focused around their creative writing offerings, though I mention things like the city and their Arts Initiative as well. My Brown essay likewise focuses on curricular offers but mentions that I can take advantage of all that I want to study because of a lack of general ed requirements. My original Brown essays, however, were so focused around the Open Curriculum that I started to sound like a brochure and lost any sense of myself.</p>