C6
COLLEGE BOUND
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
SEPTEMBER 2021
W hy is the “Why this college?” essay so im- portant? Admissions officers care why stu- dents put their college on their list, and many colleges incor- porate the “why” question into their applications. While most students find themselves having to write a variety of essays for different colleges, the typical student will focus almost exclusively on the Common Application essay or a col- lege’s personal statement. Frequently, they think they’re done with their ap- plication, they go to hit “submit” and find out that the college wants them to write another essay explaining why they want to attend. These are usually the worst es- says imaginable. Students don’t know how to distinguish themselves and consequently end up writing about football, Greek life and the weath- er. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington got so tired of stu- dents saying they wanted to come to Wilmington for the sunny climate that a few years ago, their prompt was: “Tell us why you want to come to UNC Wilmington, be- sides the beach!” I suggest that students imag- ine themselves on the other side of the admissions desk. If you were a director of admissions at a college and were choosing which students to accept and which to deny, what would you want to read about in a “Why this college?” es- say? Once you are looking at the prompt from their perspective, it’s easy to see why droning on and on about the sense of spirit in the stadi- um won’t set you apart. Colleges want students who want to be there for the ac- ademics. Students need to demonstrate that
Why the
How does this specific college differ from others on your list? Are its multi- disciplinary majors appealing? Are there study-abroad opportunities that you can’t resist? Is its commitment to an honor code something that speaks to you? Has one of its professors just written a fascinating book and you can’t wait to take the class? What are some things that colleges don’t want to read about? Students often fall prey to regurgi- tating college facts and trivia that they read in guidebooks or heard on cam- pus tours. Don’t tell colleges what they already know about themselves, such as the number of books in their librar- ies or the fact that the dining halls are open 24 hours a day. Admissions offi- cers don’t like it when students suggest that they can make a lot of money after graduation because the school did well in some college ranking, or that with an undergraduate degree from this school, they’ll be able to get into a top- notch graduate school. Make sure your final “Why this col- lege?” essay isn’t one that you can multipurpose and use for other colleg- es. Personalize it and be specific about identifying why each college is a good fit for you. It’s very easy for a college to determine which students have put in the effort on this essay. Lee Shulman
‘Why this school?’ ESSAY is so important
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Tribune News Service EMILY SHULLAW ILLUSTRA- TION , LEE ENTERPRISES
Bierer is an inde- pendent college adviser based in Charlotte, N.C. Visit her web- site College
Admissions Strategies.
they’ve done their homework on the college website.
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