<p>I'm still stuck on the why essay! I plan to write on Swarthmore's extremely rigorous academic (of course with examples from my research), gay-friendliness and just an overall learning community. However, I feel this could be applied to all other liberal arts colleges (although with various degrees). Browsing through the threads I saw some advice on why essay that you should mention which aspect of the college makes you 'tick'. Also, you should also mention about possible contributions to the school. I am an international student who is unable to visit the school to get the feel of it so these issues are, I believe, harder to write persuasively about (I'm still scratching my head on how I could contribute to Swarthmore. Does it mean academically like representing school in whatever? Or socially through club activities? Or what?)</p>
<p>So my question is: which aspect of Swarthmore just made you 'tick'? And in what ways would you contribute to the school if admitted?</p>
<p>PS. I know these questions might come up as exploitative but they are not. I just want some general direction in drafting my essay as I have little idea of how to personalize it (so it doesn't sound like a one-size-fits-all essay). So please help me!</p>
<p>This question is not intended to elicit what made other people tick, but what made you choose to apply to the school and attend if admitted. </p>
<p>If you are applying because it is a “prestigious” school, i.e. high on the “rankings”, you will not be happy there. If you are applying because the school and its student body has something of value to offer to you, then explain what it is that makes you excited about the prospect of attending. That should not be very difficult if you are really interested in the school. It becomes difficult when there is no real interest. Someone else’s “tick” will not be yours and will not come across as genuine.</p>
<p>dramatica, I do have my own reasons for attending Swarthmore, but as I stated above, I do not feel they are personalized enough so I guess the purpose of this thread is to gauge how others personalize their essay (and not to get ideas for mine) i.e. after all the wonderful things that attracted you to Swarthmore, which small thing/event e.g. from your visits that finally did you in or made you apply ED or whatever?</p>
<p>And you are right, I have not done a lot of research on Swarthmore esp. on the student body so I guess I might not be as excited as to write a really ‘genuine’ essay. I guess one way I could describe my situation is that my ‘heart’ is with my ED school (not Swarthmore) and I know many quirky bits and pieces about it that really made me feel excited to go there while my brain is with Swarthmore (and other schools) both in the sense of all the strengths of the school stated above and both in the practical sense that I don’t want to get stranded if I get rejected by my ED school. I hope I’m not confusing you, but I what I meant is how could I put more ‘heart’ in my essay?</p>
<p>Also re. the contribution stuff, this is not particular to Swarthmore (not that Swarthmore requires it, I just want to add to my essay due to advice from ppl in CC) as many schools do require me to respond to similar questions. Yet, I still do not get how to tackle those nor anything pops to my mind when I saw them (compared to all the ‘why’ and the ‘tell me about yourself’ questions). Hence, I just want some advice or (hypothetical) example on how specific or whatever I should make it out to be.</p>
<p>I am not a student at Swarthmore, so I cannot answer what “small thing” made me apply. I replied to your post because I know a thing or two about academia, having served both as an administrator and a faculty member at a university, and it bothers me to no end, the fixation with a select few schools due to the USN&WR rankings. </p>
<p>Swarthmore is not your first choice. You have applied ED elsewhere. Your heart is with that other school. So if you were my child I would tell you to chill out and wait and see if you get in at the other place. Get all of your other application materials ready and leave the “Why” essay alone in the meantime. </p>
<p>If you get in in your dream school, wonderful. If you do not, go back and reflect some more on Swarthmore and see if you are a good fit for the school. It is a wonderful place if it is the right fit for you. If it is not, keep in mind that it is very small and very intense, and not for everyone. All the prestige and great academic environment will not substitute for a bad fit and I say this with all sincerity.</p>
<p>My D attends Swarthmore. The school is a good fit for her and she loves being there. She would have been miserable at a school where football, fraternities and sororities controlled the social scene. I also know other kids, who are bright and who would have done very well academically at Swarthmore, but who love the whole football Greek scene and would have been miserable at Swat. One environment is not superior to the other, they are just different. Schools ask the “why” question because it is another tool that helps them figure out if the student will thrive or be a malcontent in their environment. Schools, like people, have personalities.</p>
<p>I realize that you are an international student and cannot visit, but there is something about your ED school that made you pick it. Hopefully it was not mere “ranking.” You can learn an awful lot about a school by perusing school websites, student newspapers, student blogs. So take the time while you wait for your ED to research each backup. </p>
<p>I have often compared choosing a college with buying a pair of shoes. If the fit is good, you will love walking in them. If the fit is bad, the most expensive pair will be pure misery… </p>
<p>@mcpheevn: I’m struggling through my Why Swat essay too but if it helps, there’s no point discussing some of the things you’ve mentioned. Gay-friendliness, for example, while important, is (a) quite true of most LACs (b) may trivialize the academic details of your essay. The academic rigor is fine, but at the same time, isn’t that true of most places? You can always challenge yourself if you wish to, regardless of where you choose to go to college. Swat does have some unique things going for it, I suggest you pay more attention to those things.</p>
<p>Since you cannot visit, I would suggest reading the website very closely, especially the news section which is updated with faculty lectures, articles and honors, student projects and guest speakers, all of which can help you piece together what makes Swarthmore unique. Also, read the Gazette and the Phoenix to get a sense of the students already there, and the Bulletin, to get sense of what is important to Swarthmore. Lastly, go to President Chopp’s Listening Tour page to see what is making an impression on one of our newest Swatties, as well as what is important to the alumni and parents in the audience at her appearances.</p>
<p>BUT, I wholeheartedly agree with dramatica, Swarthmore is not for everyone, and while it was absolutely perfect for my D, there are very few of her friends from high school who would have been happy there. Rankings or the generic “academic rigor” are not enough to make it a fit for most people. If it is a fit for you, something will jump out at you from your further research–good luck!</p>
<p>Hi all, thank your guys for your honest and helpful replies. I’m perusing the Gazette now in fact, and the student blogs do give valuable insight to the school. Hopefully I will be able to come up with something that shows Swarthmore really fits me.</p>
<p>I can tell you “Why Swarthmore?” was for my freshman daughter. She loved the academic intensity as well as the simple “nerdy” atmosphere. She loved the idea of a small student body (more intimate in her mind). She even wrote of the school’s proximity to NYC (one of her passions is drama) to be able to add to her college years’ experiences.</p>
<p>She emphasized how who she was would bring something to Swarthmore and help build the student body balance admissions looks for.</p>
<p>Her essay reflected who SHE was (not what they wanted to hear) and why she was drawn to Swarthmore as a result. “Speak” from your heart and show admissions why you feel so strongly you want to be there.</p>
<p>Imagine yourself an admissions officer. Thousands of applications with equally impressive academic/EC/stats etc. to wade through. Some unique quality, a well written (not “scripted”) essay is what will set apart a possible future “Swattie”. </p>
<p>By the way (sorry, a little mom bragging here) she wrote “Pterodactyl Hunt” under “Student Life” on the Swarthmore website! </p>
<p>I just used 2 examples of people who went to Swarthmore and loved it and recommended it for me. Both are successful graduates btw. I suppose I should be fortunate I had the “luxury” of knowing these people.</p>
<p>Also everyone, how long is your essay? Just curious, as no word limit was specified. Mine is 260 words.</p>
<p>i visited overnight and asked some of the people what they wrote in their essay, and it was a really wide range, They talked about the pretty campus, the study abroad program, a particular department (your major), and alumni who influenced them. Personally, I tried to blend my personal experience and relationships into my essay and relate them back to aspects of Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Once you get going you’re fine, but it is def harder than it sounds when you first read the prompt. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m thinking about writing about Quakers, their connection with my life and how I was drawn to Swarthmore partly because of its Quaker heritage and spirit (?). The tour guide when I visited Swat talked about how having been a Quaker institution influences a lot about Swat. My question is whether this is a little generic; there are other Quaker schools, the most obvious examples being Haverford and Bryn Mawr, though Bryn Mawr isn’t an option for me and there was nothing particular about Haverford that made me want to apply. I have other reasons for wanting to go to Swat, some of which I will work into my essay, would it be better to give more emphasis to the ones that are exclusive to Swat?</p>
<p>As the mom of 2 swatties, very different individuals each with a unique take on the Why Swat essay, I truly believe the MOST important thing about your Why Swat essay is that you communicate some important truths about YOU to the admissions committee, rather than end up telling them something about the school. They know the school. They need to learn about you. This is your opportunity. Don’t second guess what they want to hear. They don’t need to hear how great Swarthmore is. They need to understand what makes YOU tick and why YOU feel Swarthmnore’s the place for you. You need to be able to articulate that, with stories or anecdotes or something about you…</p>