Here's the secret to writing your "Why us?" and "Why this college?" essays:
Admissions officers ask these questions because they want to see if you'll be a good match for their school—both academically, socially, culturally, and otherwise.
Admissions officers are trying to answer these 4 questions about you with this essay:
- Are you genuinely interested in our school? Is there a good chance you'll go here if we accept you?
- Do you have what it takes to be a successful student here? What does this essay reveal about you that we didn't already know?
- Are you a good fit for our school and the culture? Will you positively contribute to the school if you attend?
- Do you have an idea about what you want your future to look like, and will our school help you fulfill that vision?
Biggest Mistakes Students Make in "Why This College" Essays
Most students approach these essays with generic answers that focus too heavily on the school itself.
Things like... "I want to go to Yale because it has..."
- "amazing academics"
- "world-class professors"
- "interdisciplinary education"
- "a hands-on approach to learning"
Then, most students throw in a few specific, but generic, qualities about the school, like...
- "I want to research with Professor Chiang about the impact of climate change on population decline"
- "I imagine joining the Yale Debate Team where I could continue my passion for public speaking"
- "I'd love to take ECON 142—Behavioral Economics as I'm interested in the intersection of psychology and economics"
This is generic.
It's super generic because it doesn't tell the admissions officer anything about you.
Anybody could write these things. Admissions officers already know these things about their school.
A Better Approach to "Why This College" Essays
A better approach is to focus on yourself.
Specifically, what's a unique, specific, and interesting idea that you can explore?
Exploring ideas always make for the best essays, because sharing your thoughts is what tells the admissions officer the most about who you are.
A better approach would be something like...
I've always been fascinated with abstraction. Whether within math, physics, or computer science, abstraction is what ties it all together.
And at Yale, abstraction isn't an afterthought or begrudging obligation, but it's at the heart of learning.
From the Engineering Physics Club, which focuses on abstracting the theoretical physics behind engineering feats and then instantiating those learnings to create new engineering solutions, to the Leitner Observatory, where I could work with astrophysicists and infers vasts amounts of knowledge from seemingly chaotic data, Yale embodies the cycle of learning I've come to love: abstraction and instantiation, understanding the mysteries of the universe and engineering solutions based on them.
So why does this approach work so much better?
- It focuses on an idea: a specific, unique reason that matters to you.
- It's not focused too heavily on the school itself, but rather what you value and how the school can help you fulfill that.
- It connects tangibly to the school's offerings, without just listing generically.
Find an interesting, unique, idea.
It could be...
- "solving systemic problems by taking full accountability"
- "promoting social justice through radical honesty"
- "reducing the latency of communication to deepen our learning experience"
Or any other ideas that matter to you.
Then, connect your idea to the school's offerings.
Any student could also mention the "Engineering Physics Club" or the "Leitner Observatory", but the difference in how you mention these things.
What do these opportunities represent? How do they tie into that idea?
Now, let's look at some examples of "Why this college?" essays that worked for top-20 schools.
I've gathered 37 "Why us?" essays that range in topics, quality, and schools, so you can see what works and what doesn't.
Let's dive right in.
37 "Why This College" Essay Examples
1. "Why Northwestern" Essay Example
2. "Why Northwestern?" Essay Example
3. "Why Northwestern?" Essay Example
4. "Why Northwestern?" Essay Example
5. "Why Tufts?" Essay Example
6. "Why Tulane?" Essay Example
7. "Why Tulane?" Essay Example
8. "Why University of Michigan?" Essay Example
9. "Why University of Michigan?" Essay Example
10. "Why University of Michigan?" Essay Example
11. "Why University of Michigan?" Essay Example
12. "Why Oberlin?" Essay Example
13. "Why Dartmouth?" Essay Example
14. "Why Claremont McKenna?" Essay Example
15. "Why Indiana University?" Essay Example
16. "Why New York University (NYU)?" Essay Example
17. "Why University of Michigan?" Essay Example
18. "Why University of Michigan?" Essay Example
19. "Why University of Michigan?" Essay Example
20. "Why University of Michigan?" Essay Example
21. "Why University of Southern California (USC)?" Essay Example
22. "Why University of Southern California (USC)?" Essay Example
23. "Why Cornell?" Essay Example
24. "Why University of Pennsylvania?" Essay Example
25. "Why University of Pennsylvania?" Essay Example
26. "Why Tufts University?" Essay Example
27. "Why Tufts University?" Essay Example
28. "Why Northwestern?" Essay Example
29. "Why Notre Dame?" Essay Example
30. "Why Notre Dame?" Essay Example
31. "Why Ithaca College?" Essay Example
32. "Why Rice University?" Essay Example
33. "Why University of Wisconsin-Madison?" Essay Example
34. "Why Cornell University?" Essay Example
35. "Why Brown University?" Essay Example
36. "Why UPenn?" Essay Example
37. "Why Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)?" Essay Example
What You Can Learn From These "Why This College" Essay Examples
Meet the Author
I'm Ryan Chiang and I created EssaysThatWorked.com - a website dedicated to helping students and their families apply to college with confidence & ease. We publish the best college admissions essays from successful applicants every year to inspire and teach future students.
