hi everyone! after writing a ton of “why us” essays last year during app season, i thought i’d share some tips to make tackling such a broad question a little easier. these tips can work for basically any variation of “why would you like to attend our institution?”, but if you have any questions/concerns feel free to drop by my inbox!
-most of the time this essay is going to be supplemental and not the primary piece of writing the school is going to look at, so don’t sweat it! this is not something worth stressing over and you can get it done in an hour easily if you know the school really well.
-this essay won’t kill your shots of getting in if it’s not a masterpiece, but it can make a difference and increase your chances of acceptance if you write it well. this is especially true in more selective schools and if you’re among the average applicant grade wise.
-keep it short and sweet! seriously admissions will read so many of these plus each applicant’s personal essay so you need to be concise while still making them believe you really want to go to their school. you want to say more with less.
-like i know commonapp usually gives you 500 words max for supplemental writing, but trust me you do not need that much. i kept all of my “why us” essays around 250 words and got into each school. admissions won’t want to read too much more than that. they can tell when you’re pulling stuff out of your ass and this is not the place to overcompensate for not so stellar grades or a lack of extracurricular activities.
-above all, make them believe they are your first choice!
-italics for emphasis because i can’t stress that enough like you really need to sound as though you’re 100% invested in the school you’re applying to even if you aren’t.
-while you’re writing a “why us” essay, keep your writing from straying too far into “why us” or “why you” territory. with the first you will be repeating what admissions already knows about their own school and with the second there isn’t a lot you can say that wasn’t in your application already that will make admissions think “ooo we need them” without sounding like you’re bragging.
-a good way to avoid either is to keep the focus of the essay about how the school will help you attain your professional, academic, and personal goals. in other words, try to bring points you make back to the school. this is where they want to hear what made you apply to specifically their school and how you are going to fit in their student body.
-so don’t just say “you guys have a newspaper and that’s cool and i want to join it!”or “you guys have an accredited business program and that’s cool and i want to learn!”, because so many other schools have newspapers and accreditation. be as specific as possible and mention things unique to that school and how you come in to that. did their newspaper win a bunch of awards from the ACP plus you were editor-in-chief of your high school newspaper and would love to bring your expertise to the team? do they have a realistic stock simulation program they use in classes and alternative spring breaks to wall street for business majors? those are the specifics you should be mentioning in your essay.
-that being said, this is really where you should name drop people/clubs/etc.! do their clubs or programs have specific names? mention those instead of just “harry potter club” or “a political group”. met a teacher that made a great impression on you during a campus tour? mention them and what really makes you want to take their class. is the school adding programs or do they have any undergoing projects on campus? mention the ones that interest you by name.
-ex. one of the schools i applied to was expanding their science/math building so i wrote something along the lines of “my passion and dedication for STEM fields would be perfectly matched with the university’s, shown by the amount of effort being put forth in the augmentation of the ____ science center.”
-don’t forget to make this essay personal to you. do you really think this school will help you reach your full potential, both as a student and as a person? tell them yes and tell them how. whether it be through one-on-one teaching methods because of small class sizes or 250+ clubs leading to a thriving social life, they want to hear that you truly believe attending their school will make you an overall better person/scholar/athlete/musician/etc.
-however, you can make the essay personal without using emotional language. this is not a creative writing assignment, so you should cut out the fluff. keep it formal and don’t use poetic/descriptive language or phrases like “from the moment i stepped on the cobbled sidewalk on the commons i knew…” or “ever since i was a young girl, i’ve just have a feeling about _____” or “i can just see myself here walking past the founder’s statue on a warm day on my way to class…” because this gives no insight whatsoever as to why you choose the school or how you’re qualified to be accepted.
-go on the school’s website, read their about section, and really try to understand the what the school hopes to accomplish for their students. do they aim to be an exciting/welcoming/diverse/affirming/close-knit/etc. school or any combination of those? understand their values and foundations before writing your essay so you have a sense of direction. note: this is not me telling you to word vomit their mission statement because you’ll sound like an absolute fool and its also plagiarizing (aka the last thing you want to do in an admissions essay).
-DO NOT under any circumstances write about: school size, location, reputation, weather, or ranking. admissions knows these things and they don’t want to you to tell them about it.
-please please triple check everything in the essay is about the right school! the worst would be to mix up mascots or programs like i can’t even imagine would admissions would think.
-how to write a “why us” essay pdf
-how to write the perfect “why us” essay
-7 tips for a “why us” essay
-50 free writing resources
-background noise masterpost
-your school’s official websites/brochures!
now go tackle those apps and good luck to everyone! 🎓✨
gummygunk
kaledo-art
janainaart
ellievsbear
prguitarman
