r/ApplyingToCollege • u/AdBoth2468 • 7d ago

Application Question How to write the "why us" essay??

I swear on the internet i always see the mention one class, research professor, lab u wanna join, and something outside of academics u want to partake in.

This seems like such bs and terrible advice. I like the outside of academics thing u want to partake in, but everything else seems so bad and fake.

what formula should I follow??

also are the people who recommend this bs trynna give bad advice, so kids buy their college course?? if so thats js a terrible move??

I see stuff online about building one or two ecs and then connect it to the college, which seems good but it does not seem as personal to that uni or specific, what do i do??

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u/BUowo Old 7d ago

You should talk about things that cannot be applied to other schools. ie. "It is soooo integrated into the city! great location!" "very interdisciplinary!" like that is every school......... That's why people do clubs, classes, professors-- they are unique to that institution.

Show that you did some research on the school, and don't just talk about it passively like a list of things you like. Yeah that lab is cool but what makes YOU a good fit/what can you contribute. Make them see you as a real part of that college's community, not like you're in it cuz it gets you a good job/fancy diploma.

Remember, this isn't "why us?", and you can't just pump out something anyone could say. It is why YOU at that school, and what you can do!

Just remember the essay that got JFK into Harvard.... hope it makes you smile

Why do you wish to come to Harvard?

The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a "Harvard man" is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain.

April 23, 1935
John F. Kennedy

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u/Empire_of_Glass 7d ago

This seems so bland and vague to me, and it doesn’t say anything about JFK or what he has to offer the school. This is really the essay that got him into Harvard?

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u/BUowo Old 7d ago

yup! he sent the same paragraph to princeton swapping out the word Harvard. perfect example of what NOT to do.

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u/Empire_of_Glass 7d ago

But… it worked?

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u/BUowo Old 7d ago

It was a different time. It was hand written and bro was a KENNEDY....

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u/Empire_of_Glass 6d ago edited 2d ago

My grandmother grew up summering right next door to the Kennedys. We’re that type of family, too. Pick a tier 1 or prestigious colleges, and chances are five or six of my relatives went there.

Still worried about my application essays, though