Mon Dec 23, 2024 6:39 PM
Last updated: Mon Dec 23, 2024 6:47 PM
Colleges are generally trying to understand two things through this essay: what makes you a good fit for that specific college, and whether or not you are interested in it and have done your research.
Mon Dec 23, 2024 6:39 PM Last updated: Mon Dec 23, 2024 6:47 PM
Illustration: Adrita Zaima Islam
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Illustration: Adrita Zaima Islam
When applying to American colleges, be prepared to write essays – lots of them. Fortunately, there are a wide range of resources available on Common App’s 650-word personal essay, which is often considered the heart of your application. However, the number of resources for the college-specific additions leaves much to be desired.
That said, the following is a guide to writing the infamous “Why Us?” supplement.
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The “Why Us?” essay is perhaps the most common supplement you will encounter during your application process. Although different schools word it differently, through this essay they are generally trying to understand two things: what makes you a good fit for that specific college, and whether or not you are interested in it and have done your research.
A common pitfall that applicants fall into when writing this essay is being vague and non-specific. For example, they may end up saying they want to learn psychology and economics, but not mention specific courses or clubs they found interesting around those topics. Additionally, there may be joint programs that offer a combination of desired majors, such as PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), which the applicant may completely overlook. This could indicate that they haven’t done enough research on the school to discover anything specific they could levitate to.
On the other end of the spectrum, by listing the different courses they want to take, the professors they want to do research under, and the clubs they want to be a part of, applicants can exaggerate by showing schools how much research they have done. .
Mark Dunn, an admissions officer at Yale University, strongly discourages this approach in Episode 6 of the “Inside the Yale Admissions Office” podcast. He says, “This (essay) is not intended as an exercise in simply professing your love for Yale or whatever institution you are applying to. People will research obscure faculty members or find something that appeared in the student newspaper four years ago , and they just tell us that they’ve done their homework here. We’re not here looking for facts about Yale.
Colleges don’t just want to know what attracts you; they also want to gauge what should attract them about you and why they should invest in you as a student. The “Why Us?” supplement can be a perfect platform for you to show that you recognize your interests and know how to take the necessary steps to nurture those interests at the school of your choice. This supplement is therefore important to profile yourself as an ambitious, goal-oriented candidate who can add value to the school community, both during your time there and beyond.
For example, many successful “Why Us?” essays focus on what brought candidates to that college and those courses in the first place; they talk about how the applicant and the college complement each other. Reflections on life experiences that have shaped your interests, intended majors, and goals can act as a transition to college-specific resources that can help you pursue those goals.
For example, if your interest in environmental science comes from time spent in your school’s Eco Earth Club, you could explain how the university’s sustainable design course appeals to you and would allow you to further your commitment to environmental conservation to deepen.
However, this does not mean that additional essays should become a repeat of your activity list. With a typical word limit of 150-300 words, it can be more effective to focus on a specific interest and use it as a gateway to show how the university’s offerings can help you further develop that passion.
Finally, it can also be helpful to review the target school’s mission, core values, motto, or similar so you can get an idea of the kind of students they want to build. If you find values that align with yours, highlighting those values in your essay can help demonstrate that you are an ideal fit for their campus culture.
Reference:
Inside the Yale Admissions Office Episode 6: Essays: The Little Stuff
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