Even though every college has slightly different supplementary application materials, you’ll likely run into a variation of one question more than any other: “Why do you want to attend this school in particular?” It’s every institution’s way of saying, Let’s cut to the chase. Why us?
This is seemingly straightforward, and yet the simplicity of it is exactly what makes it so hard to answer. It’s obvious, right? We live in a society! We have this one wild and precious life, and we grow up studying to get into a good college to get good jobs. Bada bing bada boom, as they say.
Believe it or not, that is not what admissions officers want to hear. Instead, treat this response like a research essay. You should have concrete reasons why this school is academically suited to you. You can’t rely on “compatible vibes” or endless compliments to convince an admissions committee that you’ll thrive as a student. Plus, an impersonal essay can sound overtly transactional. Readers are people (obviously), and they’re just as likely as any of us to get the ick when they come across someone who sounds disingenuous. TLDR: no one likes a clout chaser.
The key to a successful “why do you want to go here” essay is to illustrate that you and the school would have a mutually beneficial relationship. In essence, you want to show that your unique qualities make you a good fit for this specific college — that you would grow from the distinct experience it has to offer, and that it would profit from having you as part of its student body.
Set Yourself Apart
Beyond the fact that a blatantly self-serving essay is a bad look, it does nothing to separate you from the pack. Everyone and their mom want to go to that Highly Impressive Place™ because it is, well, highly impressive. The admissions office knows that. What they want to find out is which applicants are the best candidates for a very limited number of spots.
To demonstrate how this school would help you achieve your goals, and how you would contribute to its scholastic reputation and campus culture, you have to explain who you are. Sketch a quick picture of yourself as a student and human being — your “origin story,” so to speak. This establishes your reason for applying to this specific school. It might have one defining moment, or you might frame it as a sequence of small, seemingly ordinary decisions that show a clear pattern from afar.
If you want to become a nurse, you might tell the story of the night your 83-year-old grandmother broke her hip and had to go to the hospital. The surgeon may have inserted a metal plate and screw to compress the fracture, but it was the quiet, consistent care the nurses gave your grandmother in her most vulnerable state that stayed with you — they made sure she was comfortable, administered her medications on schedule, helped her to the bathroom, remembered her name. That was your “aha” moment. You saw this work and knew you wanted to help people in the same way.
Not everyone has such a straightforward path, though. It’s just as impactful to come to this conclusion by connecting the (more subtle) dots. You may have worked after school as a babysitter and made money over summer break as a lifeguard. At first you think these are just part-time jobs, but it comes together for you as you’re getting really into AP Chem. As much as you like interacting with and looking out for kids, you loved getting first-aid training and CPR certification, too. Then it hits you: you want to get a BSN and be a pediatric nurse.
Outline Future Plans
Starting with background allows you to show how you developed your interests academically and extracurricularly in high school, and the next step is to lay out how you’ll continue developing them in college.
Let’s be clear: it’s normal to have no idea what you want to do with your life at this stage, but you need to indicate to these colleges that you will successfully leverage your college experience. They don’t hold you to what you say in your admission essay, so be specific even if you think you might change your mind about your proposed major immediately after matriculation. You’re just looking for a way in — a concrete example to help readers imagine the asset you’ll be as a student and future alumnus.
Anyone can say they want to be a nurse (or an astronaut — iykyk), but most won’t do it. Not everyone has a plan. So what’s your plan? How do you show this college you mean what you say and you’ll make the most of your time as an undergraduate if they admit you? You cite your research.
This is the most important component — the cornerstone of your essay. To show your sincere interest in the school, and to illustrate how thoroughly you’ve considered it, reference classes and scholars exclusive to the school. We recommend you highlight at least two professors or upper-level course offerings that would contribute to your major and foster your interests.
You need to choose electives or advanced courses because all colleges have similar prerequisites. Anyone anywhere can take Psych 101. Does that class help you achieve your goals as an aspiring English major? No. Will it empower you to unofficially diagnose innumerable men online as narcissists? Yes, but, successfully, no.
Here’s what you’d want, say, the University of Michigan to know about your plans instead. You’re over the moon about the prospect of studying with Khaled Mattawa, who wrote Fugitive Atlas, one of your favorite poetry collections of 2020. A distinguished Mahmoud Darwish scholar, he would offer unparalleled instruction in his class “Postcolonial Poetry.” Beyond that, he’s the current editor of the prestigious Michigan Quarterly Review, a nationally recognized literary magazine that only at UM could you become involved with while still a student. You have to go to the University of Michigan, you might say, to strengthen my knowledge of various literary canons, application of theory, and analytical skills while also nurturing my practice as a writer yourself.
Tie It All Together
Remember your top priority. You want to convey why this college is a better fit for you than any other. Why should they let you in? Why do you need to attend this institution to meet your goals? By pointing out what makes a place special in your eyes, you’re talking about the school, but you’re ultimately making a case for yourself.
So, we’ll say it again: be specific. If you’re our aspiring nurse, talk about how that gigantic library has an inspiring collection of medical literature and a first edition of Gray’s Anatomy. Talk about the student-run blood drives that help you meet your peers while addressing the blood supply shortage. Draw attention to the unique academic and extracurricular opportunities this school would provide.
Wrap it all up with an emotional clencher — a concluding sentence about the school motto, its idyllic green you can’t wait to walk across on the way to class, or any other personal details that originally drew you to the school — and you’ve got your “Why Our College” essay ready to go.
Want to learn more about the supplemental essays for selective colleges with a high volume of applications? Scroll through our blog, or reach out to us for personalized counseling here.