<p>This section on the supplement is optional…will it be looked at badly if I don’t fill it out, or should I just suck it up and fill it out?</p>
<p>honestly, if you are very passionate about attending brandeis, i would fill out the “why brandeis?” question. a thoughtful, honest answer can only help your chances.</p>
<p>Brandeis accepts students who WANT to be there. If you are serious about Brandeis, leaving this question blank would be a big mistake. This question is where you get to show why you are interested in attending Brandeis. Not taking the time to answer the question would give off the impression that you aren’t serious about the school.</p>
<p>IMHO, this is the single most important question on the application.
It’s also one thing I <em>always</em> ask candidates when I interview them.</p>
<p>If you can’t come up with a good reason why you want to go to Brandeis (and by “good reason” I mean something unique to Brandeis that you couldn’t also say about the other schools to which you are applying) then perhaps Brandeis is not for you.</p>
<p>The supplement to our application (including the Why Brandeis? essay) is actually not optional. It’s a mandatory part of applying to Brandeis.</p>
<p>Jeff Wong
Admissions Counselor
Brandeis University</p>