<p>Just wondering if you have suggestions as to what angle to take on these essays....potential student doesn't have a clue what he's going to study or why he wants to go to a certain institution of higher learning other than the most basic reasons. IE:----it has a fine academic reputation and it's in a cool city that he'd like to explore?!! </p>
<p>The sports teams are really good and I really like sports?? The school colors look good on me??!! My neighbor went to XYZ & he's a nice guy who said I'd have a good time there, so thought I'd apply and see if I can get in??!!</p>
<p>Should he do the research that makes it sound like he knows the school or be straightforward and say that he honestly doesn't have a clue!!?? Should he say 'I might study premed and XYZ has a great history of placing med school students?' Gee, journalism really interests me (although I'm not declaring a major just yet) and ABC has a terrific J school? </p>
<p>Not sure what's gained by this kind of essay....It can't be all that insightful into what kind of person the applicant is....Do the kids just BS their way through these?? I'm just wondering how other indecisive potential students have handle this essay topic!!</p>
<p>Usually, they're trying to find out how interested you are in the school. So, that means you need to do some homework on the school, find out what makes it great, different, etc. </p>
<p>I'm sure they already know how great they are, so what they really want to know is why they're so great to you (how do your goals compare to those of the college/program?). </p>
<p>Some students who have visited the college describe their experiences on the tour, creating a unique essay (or is it?). </p>
<p>I would say not to sweat it, but it'll really sound fake to take some of the approaches you talked about.</p>
<p>I'd make it as real as possible. Pundit is right about describing the personal experiences of a tour. Talk about this intangible thing called FIT. How you've been searching for schools that would be right for YOU. How stepping on the campus made you feel instantly that your search was over. Relief. Exhilaration at finally making a decision., blah blah....</p>
<p>Don't try to over-engineer the answer to that prompt.</p>
<p>Schools already know why they good and where they best. It is about you...
you have a chance to show what it is so good about you that this particular school might be interested in. That is where your knowledge of the school comes in, your visit impressions, readings on the web about teachers in the area of your possible interest. Read what kind of reseach those teachers do, what kind of culture you might find,where you might fit in the pciture, imagine yourself there. Schools are interested in you...</p>
<p>I think it goes without saying that this can be a hard assignment if you've never visited. For instance, D is currently writing two of these essays for her reach schools. She visited one, a top LAC, and sat in on a class in her intended major. She's shy, and when she saw how few kids would be attending, she almost chickened out. But she ended up really enjoying it, and the teacher gave the last five minutes of the class over to her to discuss the college with the other students. My daughter walked out of the classroom sold on the school, and that was a very easy essay to write. </p>
<p>On the other hand, she has never visited the other school, which is pretty far away, and without setting foot on the campus it's really hard to make it sound real. That essay will not have the flavor and immediacy of the first one.</p>
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Not sure what's gained by this kind of essay....It can't be all that insightful into what kind of person the applicant is....Do the kids just BS their way through these?? I'm just wondering how other indecisive potential students have handle this essay topic!!
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<p>Depends on the school. Swarthmore's admissions dean has repeatedly pointed to the Why Swarthmore? essay as perhaps the most telling part of the application. Basically, all of their applicants have the "stats" and stuff. So, they look to the students who have carefully researched their choice, identified specific attributes of the school, and made a convincing presentation about how the applicant's interests mesh with those attributes. A student who can accomplish that (in any one of a million ways) will get accepted over an equal student who says, "highly ranked, top academics, beautiful campus, great location".</p>
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Do the kids just BS their way through these??
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<p>No. I don't think the best applicants BS their way thru these (allowing for the fact that all college applications are BS in some sense!). The best applicants really have researched the school (ideally through overnight visits, meeting with professors, talking with alumni, searching topics of interest in the school newspaper, etc.) and can come up with specific reasons for a good match with the school's campus culture. Actually, the best applicants have some fun with this essay. I've seen examples of good essays that go in many different directions.</p>
<p>BTW, Emory gives a clue in the way they word this question, "Other than our academic ranking, beautiful campus, and great location......."</p>
<p>My D did a lot of research on college choices. She had spent several days or weeks at several colleges. We did tours of numerous other schools. By the time she actually applied had made her choices and she knew the specific reasons for those choices. During the selection process she gained a good understanding of the differences between colleges and also started to understand her goals and ideas about college academics and college culture. Her response to this type of essay was very likely a strong factor in gaining admission to her reach, "dream" school.</p>
<p>If your S has does not have a clear idea of his goals and college choices, I suspect it will be difficult to BS this. This is a really good time to start thinking about choices. There can be some serious disappointments if the college choices are dependent on some vague idea of reputation, school colors and the recommendation of a neighbor.</p>
<p>If you don't have time to visit the campus, look at the website, read the course catalog, talk to alums or current students (some websites give links for this). They want to hear from your student that he/she knows something about xyz and will contribute something valuable to that community. It's a writing sample too, though arguably you could pay someone to do it. But an individualistic, authentic student voice will shine through. Your kid doesn't need to have cured cancer or even need to have a clue about a major, but he/she hopefully can find a way to sound interesting. Most people do have interests; schools want to hear about that.</p>
<p>In my S's case, his school is also DH's alma mater. He wrote about his whole family being diehard school abc supporters and how he had been going to ball games there all his life and how DH taught him the school fight song while he was still in preschool. S even wrote that others had told him that he could go to other more highly ranked schools but had no desire and didn't even apply to those because all his life he had wanted to be part of the school abc tradition. It was an easy essay for him because it was all true. He really didn't talk about how great the school was but more about how he could see himself going to class there, fitting in with the student body and on Saturdays screaming the fight song from the student section with thousands of other diehard school abc fans.</p>
<p>As a psychologist, I often am amused at the idea that many on these boards write about various schools as though they suffer from "inferiority complexes" and view "Why XYZ?" essays as though they were requests from the schools for ego massages. Schools care about these essays, as well as other demonstrations of "expressed interest", because they are interested in admitting students who will create the kind of synergy with one another that will perpetuate the particular kind of vibe by which they want to be defined. As previous posters (especially interesteddad and edad) have said, the case students make for the fit between themselves and the school can be the critical factor in determining whether a student is accepted or not. </p>
<p>I think of college admissions as being much like marriage. Long-term happiness hinges largely on the soundness of the match between partners even before the wedding takes place. You need to have not only common interests, but also well-aligned values and vision for your future together. Superficial features like looks, money, and family pedigree may be factors in initial attraction, but much deeper thought is required to create the foundation of enduring relationships. (BTW, the NYT has a great article apropos of this topic - <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/fashion/weddings/17FIELDBOX.html?em&ex=1166677200&en=9cbe5538cb1d2c45&ei=5087%0A)%5B/url%5D">http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/fashion/weddings/17FIELDBOX.html?em&ex=1166677200&en=9cbe5538cb1d2c45&ei=5087%0A)</a>. Just as there are many guys/girls you might think are great and whom you'd enjoy dating but with whom you wouldn't do well in marriage, there are many schools and students who may see one another as wonderful but who are not "meant to be". Partners who choose one another for the wrong reasons too often end up miserable and/or divorced. One function of the "Why XYZ?" essay is to do some screening at the front end to ensure that the students schools admit are the ones with whom they are most likely to live "happily ever after".</p>
<p>I agree that's the ideal, but "arranged marriages" can work well too if the motivation and attitude are there. The pure joy of a best fit college is something I think I would sacrifice to offer my son, but going $150,000 into debt for a prestigious name may not make sense for most people.</p>
<p>You make excellent points, and I agree with you. My musings were in response to the purpose of the "Why XYZ?" essay, and thus not very relevant in the case of "arranged marriages".</p>
<p>One clue how to write such essay is to answer a questions- Imagine yourself a student at XYZ school. What you are doing at any given day? How are things happening for you?</p>
<p>I love the way Emory words it: "Other than our academic ranking, beautiful campus, and great location......."</p>
<p>I think these essays are very important (and to doublecheck, a student should look at the school's common data set and see how important "level of applicant interest" is rated). I think honesty is very important. I also think (and I have no basis for this, but it makes sense to me) that schools value originality. Imagine how many Columbia and NYU applicants say they want to live in NYC? Or how many Brown applicants only discuss the open curriculum? I would imagine that after reading the thousandth student saying how much they love the open curriculum, the Brown admissions reps must relish a student who talks about the great opportunities at the Swearer Center for Public Service. Every school has unique elements. Every school believes it is special in some way, that it attracts a certain type of learner and doer. I also think that schools are looking not only for what a student will get from their institution, but what you will be giving to them.</p>