<p>I am applying to Smith with the common application and its supplement. I have to answer the question: 'Why did you choose to apply to Smith College?' Honestly, I do not find the three given lines sufficient to express my reasons to choose Smith over other colleges. But, on the other hand, that is the space that I have. I was thinking about two approaches:
1. Simply list Smith's features that attract me the most. or
2. Attach a sheet with a nearly 250-word answer in which I talk in detail about the reasons I consider Smith a match for me.
After I did my research on the school, I realized I am quite eager to apply there. So, how can I better show my interest?
What would you suggest?</p>
<p>Yeah! I'm so sad we get like... no space at all. I think it's more htan 3 lines but I only wrote like...2 sentences except i have so many reasons for wanting to go to smith. i think you should fill out the short thing in a straighforward manner and also send in the essay in additional info or mail it in.. couldn't hurt</p>
<p>As I recall, our D typed her answer to that and alot of other parts of the application, then pasted them on and copied the whole thing before sending it. That way she could fit more in and her handwriting is terrible. Good luck, it is a wonderful school.</p>
<p>All I did was write about wanting to be like the Smith women that I've met because they're my role models (my aunt, my mom's friends). And I'm in haha. Enough said for them. :) Trust me, I did have a hard time deciding what to say but then I had to decide why Smith is truly different from other colleges. Other colleges that I applied couldn't produce these fabulous women!</p>
<p>as much as i wanted to fill pages and pages with words to answer this seemingly complicated question, i realized that if those in admissions wanted a long responce, more space would have been provided.</p>
<p>Realized that if those in admissions wanted a long response, more space would have been provided.]</p>
<p>The space is dictated by the common app. ADD a supplement of your own. A nice type written supplemental page if perfectly ok. Just dont write anything as long as War and Peace. One page should suffice.
Also have your parents write the non-required essay about anything else they feel Smith should also know about you from a parents perspective. Smith takes the demonstrated effort and info seriously. Ours was pretty funny. I dont know if it made a difference, but it gave the admission staff some giggles. If you fax ANYTHNIG or email a file to be printed, call and make sure they received it and put in you file or printed it out. No offense to the work study students, but they bobod more than once in the past.</p>
<p>[So, how can I better show my interest?
What would you suggest?]</p>
<p>Vesselina. .Interview to show interest. It helps immensely. If Smith is truly your first choice, say so in no uncertain terms. But dont lie. You have to be truthful</p>
<p>Ah, Vesselina was from last year's batch...wonder how she turned out.</p>
<p>But I agree about the parent's optional essay. I ran mine past a former Smith admissions officer who said it was good enough that I should include it, unrequested, with D's other apps. </p>
<p>My suggestions for the essay are: write nothing that the applicant herself would write about herself and write nothing that was likely to emerge in standard letters of rec. </p>
<p>I chose to write about three incidents in D's childhood, from toddler to high school student, that showed unusual qualities in how her beady little mind works. Very human, somewhat touching, somewhat funny. Not a whiff of anything resembling bragging.</p>
<p>But I think there are nine and sixty ways...just avoid platitudes and cliches and avoid writing anything that pop up in any other part of the application.</p>
<p>I didn't have any problems when I did the early decision application ( got in, by the way) with the length of why I chose Smith. Maybe it was because I wasn't really looking for an excuse to write alot.</p>
<p>What i did is say that I tend to make all my decisions in life based on intutition and I have yet to make the wrong decision. I feel that Smith College would be the college that could best prepare and mold me into the person i want to be. </p>
<p>After i sent in the application, i realized my answer was somewhat cliche but it was the truth and that was all that mattered.</p>
<p>I'm not looking forward to writing a page on "Why Smith?" (especially since I've 15 more colleges to still apply to). I'd like to ask if anyone here (besides Shadowfire) has been accepted with the 3 lines offered by the Common App. My Common App. essay is excellent. So, Is it really worth writing an additional essay on "Why Smith?"...?</p>
<p>It depends on how strong a candidate you are. If you're at the top of the applicant pool, no worries. If you think that you're in any way marginal, a more extensive response can only help you, assuming it's well done.</p>
<p>Yeah, I tried to get my D to start on her application essays during the preceding summer. Well <em>that</em> didn't work.</p>
<p>My D applied ED II, and will hear in about a month. When she wrote her essay on "Why Smith" she was very succinct in her reponse, and kept it to the space provided on the common app. I think TheDad's response is correct; if you're a good candidate I wouldn't worry a great deal, if marginal, a little extra writing won't kill you. Best of luck.</p>
<p>You still only get 4 lines. If you write more than that you get cut off. I wrote something like this: After thorough research I discovered Smith is the only place for me (I applied early decision). I love the great location, environment, academic freedom and challanging classes. I assure you that I will take full advantage of you resources and I know that whatever I study at Smith I will get the best education. </p>
<p>I recently got accepted. Make sure to mention something that is unique to Smith. If I were you I would think twice about writing a lot more because I think part of the question is how clear and concise you can be with your explanation.</p>
<p>I didn't think The Dad is correct. I doubt Smith would accept you without a good response for the "Why Smith" part. Plus, how would you know if you were a great canidate. I stayed to the 3-4 lines and got accepted. It's just a matter of writing and re-writting until you get it right.</p>
<p>[Ah, Vesselina was from last year's batch...wonder how she turned out.]</p>
<p>Shes at Smith.</p>
<p>{Hey,</p>
<p>I'm another Bulgarian girl heading for an all-women's college. I'll be quite close to you - at Smith, so I hope to see you around
By the way, there is a girl from my school who is also enrolled at MHC, so you'll probably see a lot of her as well.
And yea, all-women's college sounds a little scary, especially when you're leaving your boyfriend in Bulgaria }</p>
<p>Are you by any chance from Plovdiv? My Smithie d. - a music composition major - had a wonderful violin made for her by a maker from Plovdiv, and someday I'd like to surprise him with something brought over by a Smithie..</p>
<p>I am sorry, I am not from Plovdiv. However, we have a lot of family friends at Plovdiv that we visit often. So, if I go over there during summer, I might help you surprise your D's violin maker :-))</p>