Why this college essay?

This essay gives you the opportunity to reveal more about your interests, goals and ambitions. Simply put, colleges are interested in knowing "Why you choose us?" The colleges want to know "Why are you choosing us?"

Admissions officers want to know how much you care about their school. They also want to know if you will fit in with their values and community. And how you plan on making the most of your stay. Admissions officers will be able to visualize your future at the school if you write a strong "Why This School?" essay.

Why This College Essay Examples

You may find that the prompts for "Why This College" essays vary from school-to-school. You may encounter different prompts. Here are some examples.

Yale & Columbia

• What attracted you to Yale? What is it about Yale that has led you to apply?
• Why do you want to attend Columbia University? Please consider what you find special and appealing about Columbia. (200 words maximum)

Some schools, such as Yale or Columbia, have short, open-ended prompts, with limited word counts. It can be difficult to fit everything in the space available, but you have the chance to emphasize the most important aspects of your application.

NYU

• What prompted you to apply to NYU? What inspired you? Why have applied or shown interest in a certain campus, program, college, or study area? Please tell us if you've applied to multiple campuses or areas of study. We are interested in knowing – why NYU? (400 word maximum)

Others, such as NYU, provide more details in their prompts. They help you identify the categories that they would like to see discussed: a campus, a school, an area of studies, or extracurricular and academic programs. If you are given a longer word limit, discuss the questions in great detail.

U Chicago

• What kind of community, learning and future do you want from the University of Chicago as it is now? Please explain your personal wishes in relation to UChicago.

UChicago has a unique prompt in that there is no word limit. You can choose to cover a variety of topics but your essay still needs to be coherent, well-organized, and concise to be effective. This prompt asks that you focus on your goals and desires. Admissions officers do not care about what you think of UChicago. They want to hear how UChicago is going to help you reach your goals.

How to Write a "Why This College?" Essay

While the "Why This College?" essay can seem intimidating, you can create a compelling essay by using our tips. This will help you stand out from other applicants.

1. Do Your Research

This is an important step to take when you are preparing the essay "Why This School". Just like an academic paper, you should do some research about the school where you want to apply.

Find things that you are passionate about. If you are looking for something that excites you personally, it might be a specific concentration within your chosen area of study, a professor or program with an interesting research line that interests you, or perhaps a fellowship or internship that fits your interests. Explore the website and other resources of the school to get as much information as possible.

In your essay, it's important to highlight any resources you can only find at the university where you're applying, like classes, study abroad opportunities, or major/minor programmes. These details show you have researched the school thoroughly and are interested in it. Many students forget to include this information in their essays.

2. State precisely

Be specific about the resources of the school and how you will use them. You should not only name specific programs or organisations you would like to join, but also give reasons for why you are interested in them.

If there's a problem, for example, you can ask the question:

The admissions officer should understand how you plan to utilize the resources you mention to achieve your overall academic and/or career goals. Admissions officers will want to know what you are going to do with the resources and information you provide in order for you achieve your career or academic goals.

3. Write an Essay about You

In the essay "Why This College", you should also include your goals, values, and interests.

It's not enough to list the attributes of a school. You should also explain why you're a good match for it. Explain why your values, goals and interests align with those of the school. Admissions officers should be in a position to visualize you as a student at the school, and why that is the right place to pursue your interests.

Even better, you can describe how you will contribute to the school community. You could, for example, describe how you would use a student activity resource to create a new club or propose a research project within a program that already exists. Admissions officers will be impressed by your willingness to actively participate in the school's community.

4. Be yourself!

Since admissions officers review thousands of essays a year, they can easily tell if you aren't being honest. Some students over-serious or profoundly serious in order to impress a reader. If you're trying to be formal, try not to change the way you speak or think.

This essay will help admissions officers to better understand you. You should be as honest as you can, and use your own voice when discussing the topics or resources you are passionate about. Your essay will come to life when you are authentic.

How to Write an Essay

You should always ensure that your essay has a solid, clear structure, regardless of how many words it contains.

An opening

To begin, introduce your reasons for attending the school. If the prompt is 200 words or less, you could use a single sentence to state the main reason why you wish to attend the college or university.

If you have a longer prompt, you can expand the introduction to include a paragraph. This will introduce the main points that you'll discuss, and what you find interesting about the school in general. You can even add a short personal story to get the reader's attention.

Physique

Try to group your ideas into categories or subjects. In the body of your essay, try to organize your points by category or subject.

It's a good practice to begin your essay with the topics that are most important, such as your chosen major, instead of focusing on trivial matters like a school's intramural program. You'll also use your research in the body paragraphs. You'll introduce the overall topic of the paragraph or section, then list the resources that you are excited about. Include how they relate to your goals or interests, and describe how you plan to use them.

Some colleges, as we have mentioned previously, require supplemental essays to be written in addition the "Why This school" essay that asks about your academic or extracurricular interest. Be sure to avoid repetition or rehashing details that were already discussed in a previous supplemental essay.

In conclusion

You still need to have a conclusion that sums up your arguments and reinforces your interest. Reflect, whether it's in a single sentence or a paragraph, on why the school is the right fit for you, what you can learn from the school and your future aspirations.

This college essay response is an example of why this answer was chosen

Here's one example of an impressive Yale "Why This College?"

What makes an essay so powerful?

What attracted your attention to Yale? What is it about Yale that has led you to apply?

I think that environmental policies can help us overcome the climate change challenge. Yale, which is committed to environmental justice as a whole, shares the same commitment. In the Environmental Policy Concentration, I'll learn how to write comprehensive laws from a variety of perspectives, including scientific, political, ethical and social. The Yale Center for Environmental Policy & Law as well as the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication will help me to create market-based regulations, strategies and legislation that can be supported by the public. I would like to continue working with Project Bright and other organizations to develop scalable renewable energy initiatives on campus. Together with Yale's community, I aim to create an equitable and sustainable future.

This essay is successful due to its clarity, directness, and thoroughness. From the two first sentences, it is clear that the student has a passion for environmental issues, why this passion exists, and what their personal values and interests are. This opening sentence establishes the theme of the entire essay. It explains how Yale's resources are going to help the student learn about or experience innovative environmental policy.

The student is also able to make efficient use of 125 words, which covers academics, extracurriculars, and research. In one short sentence, the student is capable of identifying their major, highlighting a unique feature of Yale's Environmental Studies that matches their interests (the Environmental Policy emphasis), and describing why the program appeals.

The student provides a number of examples, explaining what they want to learn and how they plan to use them in the near future. The student can also mention their experience in implementing renewable energies on the high school campus when discussing extracurricular activities.

Finally, they end the essay by stating that they will work with the Yale University community to reach their goals. The sentence is simple, but emphasizes the importance and value of working together rather than focusing on individual gains. It also conveys the student's desire to collaborate with the Yale community in order to make the world better.

What Not to Write in Your Essay

You can easily fall into traps that will make your application blend in with thousands of others. Here are some mistakes you should avoid when writing the "Why This School Essay".

Copy and Paste

Admissions officers can easily tell if you are reusing the same "Why This College?" essay for each school that you apply to. Avoid using generic sentences, and instead change the name of the school as often as you can. You should ensure that the essay you write is not a copy-paste of another school's form and contains specific details for the college to which you are applying.

Find the school or general information about it

You should also avoid using general facts or statements that can be easily found on Google. Examples of common examples are highlighting the school's beautiful grounds, expressing your excitement to be part of a school-wide tradition, and quoting from their website or mission.

All of these could indicate that you are not interested in doing more research about the school. You should describe the resources that you are most excited about.

Things beyond the control of the school

Although the climate and the area surrounding a school might have an impact on your decision to attend, it is best to focus the essay you write on the institution itself, particularly if there are limited words.

Many schools have campuses in beautiful cities or areas with a lot to do. They may also be surrounded by wildlife. It is important to let the admissions officers know that you have done your research and are interested in what the school offers. Once again, you should show that you are interested in the school.

Praise the school excessively

You don't have to praise the school for its academic excellence or rankings. It can be disingenuous to focus on the reputation of the school or to praise it excessively.

This could suggest that you value prestige more than the actual program of the university. It is more important to talk about what makes you excited about the school. Also, make sure to connect these aspects to your personal passions. You want to maximize the limited space in your "Why This College Essay" because the word count can be very low.

You can repeat other parts of your application

You can use this advice for all your essays, but you should avoid repeating what you've said elsewhere in your application. It is best to avoid repeating the same story or the same detail in more than one application essay. In your "Why This College" essay, for example, if you wrote about a service experience during your Common App, focus on the academic or research interests that interest you. It will give admissions officers an overall picture of your personality.

Some colleges will ask you for additional essays to discuss your extracurricular activities or academic interests. Try to avoid using the exact same resources or programs that the college offers multiple times. You could, for instance, mention the major program, curriculum, or other academic resources of a particular school in an answer to a question about your interest in academia, while mentioning research programs, student organizations, or any other school-specific features in 'Why This College?' essay.

Last Thoughts

This essay will help admissions officials learn more about your values, goals, and passions. While it takes time and effort to write, a powerful "Why This College?" essay will help you make an argument about why you are the perfect fit for that particular college.

It may be that you can learn a lot about yourself and your goals by researching and writing this essay.

You'll be on the right track to writing a "Why This College?" that is personal, unique and effective by using a genuine writing style and identifying specific sources.