“Why This College” essays are usually short supplemental essays, but word limits vary by school and prompt. Some colleges ask for very brief answers, while others allow several hundred words. These essays ask why you chose to apply to a particular college. They are one of the most common types of college-specific supplemental essays. In this article, I will discuss tips for writing this type of supplemental essay.
Why is Writing an Excellent “Why This College” Essay Important?
- An essay can be an important part of your application, especially at selective colleges that use holistic review. However, grades and course rigor are usually the most important factors in admission decisions. A strong “Why This College” essay can still help admission officers understand your fit, interests, and potential contribution to the campus community.
- Researching the college to write this essay will help you determine which college to attend. As you research, you will learn about the environment, academic opportunities, and other positive and negative aspects of each college. This is extremely important for international students, who might not have the ability to visit colleges because of high transportation costs. It is always better to research beforehand than to regret your decision later.
Why Do Colleges Require “Why This College” Essays?
- Colleges require “Why This College” essays to differentiate students who are genuinely interested in the college from students who are applying without much research. With the Common Application making the application process more centralized, students can manage applications and college-specific writing requirements for many colleges in one place. Some colleges use these essays to see whether applicants understand the school, can explain their fit, and are likely to engage with the opportunities offered. Yield, the ratio of enrolled students to admitted students, matters to colleges’ enrollment planning, but it should not be treated as the main reason for writing this essay.
Tips on Writing “Why This College” Essays
1. Research the college through personal visits, student blogs, interviews, social media, and college confidential forums and find specific aspects of the college.
The word specific means that the detail is found only at that college or at a small number of other colleges. For example, you might mention a professor whose research interest is superconductivity, a topic that you experimented with in high school and wish to explore further. You might also mention that a college offers free music lessons to students who participate in a student music group. You need to find specific aspects of the college that are appealing to you and include them in your essay.
Personal Visits – This is one of the most recommended methods of finding information. Most international students do not have the time or money to visit colleges. However, if you do visit, there is a lot of information available. On the campus tour, write down notes about interesting things that the tour guide explains. Also, ask current students and the tour guide about unique things about the college and what they like the most. If you have a specific major in mind, find more information about that department and what it offers.
College Websites – The college website is the go-to place for information about that college. Many colleges post articles, admissions information, academic resources, student stories, and campus news for prospective students.
Alumni Interviews – After your interviewer has finished asking questions, ask your interviewer what they enjoyed the most about that college.
Social Media – Many colleges use social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X/Twitter to post campus updates, student stories, events, and alumni news. It is a good idea to follow prospective colleges and learn more about them through their official social media accounts.
College Fairs – Many college fairs include representatives from dozens or even hundreds of colleges. You should ask the representatives for more information about those colleges. Also, collect brochures and pamphlets at college fairs because they can contain useful information.
Student Blogs – Many colleges run student blogs or student-life pages that contain information about the college from students’ perspectives.
College Confidential Forums – College Confidential Forums contain discussions about admissions, academic programs, campus life, scholarships, and other college-related topics. However, because forum posts may be based on personal opinions or outdated information, you should verify important details on the college’s official website before using them in your essay.
2. Write the essay using specific points about the college.
After you have gathered useful information, your next step is to write the essay. There are many common aspects of colleges, such as research opportunities and strong academic programs. Your job is to find the differences between them, the unique characteristics that set that college apart from other colleges. Each college usually has one or more aspects that set it apart. Your job in this essay is to find those unique aspects and explain how you will take advantage of them.
3. Don’t use the same generic form for the “Why This College” Essay
Everyone will feel the urge to copy and paste the essay and just change the name of the college. However, it is obvious to admission officers when you have just copied and pasted. They read many essays and can usually tell when you have recycled your writing. As I emphasized earlier, your essay needs to contain unique aspects of the school, the things that set the college apart.
Here is a useful test for writing a great essay. If you replace the college’s name with a rival college’s name and the essay no longer makes sense, you have written a strong “Why This College” essay. For example, if you replaced Harvard with Yale and the essay no longer made sense, you have done your job.
4. Don’t use these common and shallow reasons
The following reasons are overused in “Why This College” essays and are also very shallow. You should avoid these reasons if possible.
- Location – “I love the beach, and this college in Florida has beautiful beaches” or “I love the fall leaves in Massachusetts.” You should not use location as the main reason for choosing to apply to a college unless you connect it to a specific academic, professional, or personal goal. Location alone is not unique. For example, there are many colleges and universities in Florida near beautiful beaches. Location is a very common reason and should usually be avoided as the main focus.
- Prestige – Prestige should not be your main reason for applying to a college because it is too shallow. Admission officers may be disappointed if you choose prestige over the many academic and extracurricular opportunities that the college offers.
- Pretty campus – There are many attractive campuses. This reason is shallow, common, and not specific.
5. Do the following:
- Be very specific – You need to be as specific as possible. The more specific you are, the better, because it shows admission officers that you have researched the school.
- Be enthusiastic – Show excitement about the possibility of attending that college. Admission officers like to admit students who are excited to attend and contribute to that college.
- Compare and contrast with your high school experience – In this essay, comparing and contrasting your high school experience with your expected college experience can be a good idea. For example, if you went to a small high school, you can explain the advantages of attending a small high school and why you want to continue enjoying those advantages at a small college.
We hope this article on tips for writing a “Why This College” essay was helpful to you. To find more information on studying abroad, check out the Available Programs for International Students.
