Photo Credit: Soorim Lee
Your common app is ready to go. Your honors and awards are meticulously listed out. Your rec letters are in. All that’s left is the “Why This College” Essay, staring you down.
Suddenly you draw a blank. You’ve dreamed about attending this college since 7th grade… but now it seems like you can’t even summon a single concrete reason why you want to go. You’re at your wits’ end.
Sound familiar?
Fear not, Cassandra’s here with the goods. Here are some starting points of how to approach that “Why Us” essay:
What’s the vibe? Do your research
Every school has its own unique flavor or personality. You can discover this by digging into the general perceptions of the school (after all, stereotypes are often grounded in truth). You can talk to current students and alumni about their experiences, or research the school’s famous alums and start to get a sense of that school’s personality, the type of students they like to recruit, that they see as fits for their campus. Better yet, if you have the chance to visit the school, you can see for yourself the various quirks and personality traits that school has overall.
Now that you have a general vibe, investigate how and why that came to be. What are some institutional structures that produce that environment? For example, when I researched Yale, I felt an artsy vibe. I first noticed this when many of my slightly older peers—playwrights that I had admired through seeing their works at student festivals—chose to pursue theater at Yale. Why Yale? I found out that Yale’s artsy vibe is institutionally supported by the many different types of grants the university offers to students to put on original shows or publish lit mags or record albums. Another thing I sensed was an emphasis on celebrating diversity—Yale has numerous different cultural houses that are home to a wide assortment of student-led clubs. And finally, I found Yale students to be genuinely kind, welcoming, and caring. I could tell Yale cares about the mental health of its student body from things like establishing a student wellness institution called The Good Life Center to having FroCos (First-Year Counselors) rather than RAs, who serve to guide students rather than discipline them.
You can think about specific academic programs, extracurriculars, university organizations, residential living arrangements, volunteer opportunities, and even geographical location and weather. All of these areas are possibilities to bring up and strengthen your essay. Establish what exactly it is about the school you’re attracted to, and what the school does to institutionally lay that foundation.
Be specific–this essay should be unique to you
The next key step is to make it specific to you. Remember, your dream college knows its own programs, appeal, prestige. If your essay reads like a pamphlet that can be handed out to any prospective student, that’s not particularly effective as part of your application because admissions officers want to get to know YOU. They are evaluating whether or not you are a good fit for the campus. What is it about you and your passions that would allow you to thrive at their college?
Think about your values, priorities, and your career goals. What do you hope your college experience will look like, and how do you think it will launch you into your future? Of course, you don’t need to know all the answers right now, but at the very least, you know what’s important to you right now. When I was applying, all I knew was that I wanted to be surrounded by equally passionate artists that would inspire me to create and collaborate. I highlighted the most artistic aspects of each school I applied to and how I saw myself contributing to that culture in ways that are specific and unique to me.
Ultimately, your research about this school should continuously fuel your passion, which will shine through your essay. If you find your passion for this school decreasing instead of increasing as you research the opportunities available to students, it might be a sign that the school is not a fit for you—and that’s okay. Use this insight to curate your college application list and spend your time primarily applying for schools you can see yourself thriving at.
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