<p>just answer these essay questions like you would answer your girlfriend</p>
<p>"Why did you apply to this college"</p>
<p>Answer: Cuz you're hot and I wanna get in ur pants.</p>
<p>It WAS a featured discussion until duke replied! haha.</p>
<p>lol nice one duke</p>
<p>I wasn't too sure whether to go with something creative/interesting or just plain straightforward either. In the end I went with something rather direct but I made it a bit personal and tried to show them how I'd be a good fit, instead of just listing the things I like about the school. In fact, I quite liked my Why Vassar essay. But they probably won't like it as much seeing as to how I spelt 'Vassar' wrong six times in the essay. Go me!</p>
<p>i think you should mix straight forward reasons (like academic performance, faculty...) with personal stuff (like clubs and talking to an alumnus or teacher)</p>
<p>Ahh Administrator Roger Dooley's post on why Columbia just reminded me of why I so badly wanted to go there.. <em>sniffles</em>...</p>
<p>Perhaps I will transfer... Oh boy......</p>
<p>me too chris! <em>tear</em> hey lemme know when you hear from other schools k? PM me or something</p>
<p>Of course there are exceptions to what I posted. Obviously Penn is a great school :)</p>
<p>Yeh of course.. you too as welll.. hey katie, how come ur not online nemore on aim?</p>
<p>i wouldn't consider caltech 2nd tier either.
for my essay, i wrote about an intense summer program with the same "feel" as caltech that also has informal ties with the school for 400 words and linked it back directly to caltech in the last paragraph. i don't know if this is what you're supposed to do, but those "why" questions really annoy me, because i think you only need 100 words to answer that, not 500.</p>
<p>OK, maybe I'm being an optomist, but I believe that while you want to address some of the schools strengths, write a coherent essay, and look interested, there is one overall answer to the question "Why do you want to attend this school?":</p>
<p>Write about your true reasons for the school. If you don't have any, then don't apply. Otherwise, let them know who you are and what you want, that way, they can decide not based on who has the best application, but which student fits best. Hopefully, if it truely a school you want to go to, it will come out in the essay.</p>
<p>Yeah you're an optimist, and the essays are mostly BS (in my opinion). If you're attracted to 5 schools that require such an essay, it's almost impossible to write 5 impassioned essays Furthermore, writin such an essay makes me feel like a total suck up - almost like I'm begging for admission.</p>
<p>yeah, I'm a bit bitter lol</p>
<p>lol i couldn't agree more. you just write "i really really really really really like your school" in good english and in 5 different ways</p>
<p>iono.. i didn't have much trouble with my why statement, just answer it honestly. That's what i did. but it was probalby easier for me because the school (Northwestern) really was my first choice..and i had a reason for it and i explained it , and i got in ED.=D</p>
<p>Vassar, Kenyon, and Macalester require "why" essays as well. They're definitely not second-rate schools. My approach to answering this sort of question was to first study the school literature extensively and then write to that, adding in my own personal interests and goals, etc.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Vassar, Kenyon, and Macalester require "why" essays as well. They're definitely not second-rate schools. My approach to answering this sort of question was to first study the school literature extensively and then write to that, adding in my own personal interests and goals, etc.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Really? I always assumed that they were. Don't read into that, though, because I know nothing about them <em>shrugs</em></p>
<p>i dont think they r second rate</p>
<p>4 why MIT(program or dept), i did an essay startin off as MIT bein the pioneer of chem engg since im applying for the same. I even mentioned the name of the professor who introduced chem engg <em>huh!?! ????</em> <em>skeptic</em>
anyways,,, done my best, :)</p>
<p>I dread having to write "why" essays nexty year. I agree it's nearly impossible to write a passionate essay for every school if 5 want them. For your first choice, it's always the best, but by the time you've written 3 or 4 of them, I'm sure they all start to sound alike</p>
<p>I agree, these essay are tough.
But sit down with a friend and a tape recorder (or imagine yourself doing this) and just talk about why you wanna go there.
Let it come out naturally, as it should. Focus on your passions, especially academic ones (professors, books, achievements, locations, history of program, etc.) (Academics, academics, academics . . .) Because if you wanna go there for other reasons (prestige, etc.), then maybe you need to rethink your choice.
Avoid the lists, because you want to stand out.</p>