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"Why Them?": Tackling the "Why Us?" Application Essay
One of the seemingly ubiquitous questions found on college applications is the "Why us?" question. This question can take many different forms, such as "What most influenced you to apply to Vassar College?" or "Please compose an essay that will tell us how you will help the university carry out its mission." At first glance, the answer to this seems as straightforward as Googling the college name and finding out a few key facts about the college in question. However, a successful answer to the "Why us?" question requires a little more thought than simply mentioning "The amazing campus" or "The great study abroad program." Here are some tips and examples to help you craft a compelling "Why us?" essay.
Make a Clear Connection Between You and the School
Highlight an aspect of yourself such as an academic interest, a talent or extracurricular interest and connect it to an offering at the college that will enable you to take your interest to a new level. In the excerpt below, Max illustrated why Carnegie Mellon would be
a good fit for him by explaining his longstanding interest in piano and
his new curiosity about physics.
"Since I began piano lessons in the third grade, the piano has only been good to me... However, piano is not my only interest. This year, I have discovered my natural aptitude for physics. Carnegie Mellon University is an ideal school for me because it offers the opportunity to also minor in physics or to pursue a dual major in both physics and music... Whether it is music or physics, Carnegie Mellon offers an outstanding learning environment for me and would enhance my potential to do great things in my life."
Besides acknowledging the school's outstanding reputation in terms of academics and the performing arts, he also notes that its flexibility would allow him to pursue his interests in both science and music.
Find Something Unique About Each College
In addition to showing people in admissions that you have done some research on the college, an effective "Why us?" question requires that you incorporate a few unique characteristics about the college (in a meaningful way) in your answer. For his application to The Cornell School of Hospitality Management in the excerpt below, Oliver discussed specific details from the program that appealed to him and would help him in the future.
"The Institute for Hospitality Management offers a variety of courses that will help facilitate my career goals. I find the description of Professor Giuseppe Pezzotti`s Restaurant Entrepreneurship class especially interesting because it addresses areas that I want to know more about such as marketing, finance, budgeting, and the food and beverage department."
His description of the class illustrates that he did research about the college. Also, his ability to relate the class to how it will help him achieve his goals shows that he has thought about what this class would mean for his career.
Avoid the Laundry List
Colleges offer a plethora of opportunities that allow students to explore different academic subjects, cultural experiences, and extracurricular activities. While it is fine to mention certain offerings that appeal to you, resist the urge to simply list every facet of the college that you find interesting. Instead, focus on one or two aspects that appeal to you and make connections between these features.
"Northwestern also offers opportunities to do research which would place me at the forefront of the rapidly developing biomedical field. Professor Guillermo Ameer's research on the controlled delivery of drugs and gene-expression profiling greatly interests me due to its potential to provide treatments for problems such as a damaged meniscus, a small tissue that acts as a cushion, absorbing the force generated by any type of movement."
In the example above, Derek offered insight into why Northwestern University's biomedical engineering program was a good fit. His choice to limit his explanation to a very specific topic, rather than listing every aspect of the program, allows him to not only discuss his familiarity with the school's research but also gives him the opportunity to showcase his understanding about the topic at hand.
The main thing to remember when tackling the "Why us?" essay is that it allows you to illustrate exactly why a particular college is right for you (and why you are right for it). By establishing a connection between you and the school, doing your homework on the college, and focusing on some specific aspects that interest you, you will be able to craft a successful essay that highlights your understanding of the university and how you will be able to contribute to the school community. |
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The College Board's New SAT Score Reporting Policy
By Steve Elefson
This past summer, The College Board instituted a new score reporting policy that allows students in the class of 2010 and beyond to choose which SAT scores they send to colleges. While you cannot pick and choose individual math, reading and writing sections from different tests, you can choose which full score reports you'd like to send if you've tested on multiple occasions. This places the SAT on more equal footing with the ACT which has maintained this policy for years.
This policy is a great new option for students as it allows more control over one's scores. It will help remove a little of the stress from any given test day. Many students take the test at least twice. Now, students can feel even more comfortable repeating the test to score to their potential.
Since many colleges will continue to "super score" or pull together students' highest scores on each section even if they come from different administrations of the test, it makes sense for students to send in scores from any test date on which they achieved their highest score on one of the three sections.
Consider the following set of scores:
December 2008 CR 620 M 570 W 640
March 2009 CR 580 M 630 W 610
May 2009 CR 610 M 630 W 660
In most cases it would make sense to submit the December 2008 and May 2009 scores. December contains the highest Critical Reading score and May contains the highest Math and Writing scores.
If anyone is unsure which sets of scores to send, test preparation companies are happy to provide guidance. School counselors and educational consultants are also great resources for this. It is important to note that different colleges will have different policies. A small group of schools will likely continue to require students to send scores from all test administrations they've taken. Families should always consult individual colleges to determine their specific policies. At this point, many colleges are still determining what to do. During the next couple of months the policies will take shape.
A logical question that follows from the new policy is, "When should a student begin taking the SAT?" The answer depends on the student. Some students begin taking the test in fall of junior year while others wait until winter or spring. Starting early makes sense for some students but not for others. The best approach for families is to consult with an expert who can customize a recommendation based on the individual student's situation.
Steve Elefson is the General Manager of Summit Educational Group, a locally owned test preparation company. Offering comprehensive One-on-One, In-Home Tutoring programs and highly trained tutors, Summit prepares students for the SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, SAT Subject Tests, and Academic subjects. To learn more, visit www.mytutor.com, call 1-800-MYTUTOR (888-698-8867) or email Steve at selefson@mytutor.com. |
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Short Takes on Colleges: New Programs
- Arizona State University is starting a sustainability concentration in its undergraduate business major.
- Johns Hopkins has started an online certificate program in geographic information services.
- Lesley College is starting an online bachelor's degree in management for students who have already completed at least 30 credits of college-level work.
- The University of Cincinnati has started a minor in sustainable urban engineering.
- The University of Southern California is starting a major in popular music performance.
From www.insidehighered.com
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November To-Do Lists
Juniors
- Keep your grades up and if necessary, meet with teachers to develop a plan for improvement such as regular extra help sessions or engaging a tutor. Evaluate your study habits and environment to identify obstacles such as use of Facebook, IM or cell phone during homework time. Remember: your grades are the most important aspect of your college application.
- Start to think about what dates you will take the SAT, SAT Subject
tests (if necessary) and the ACT. If you think you will need to do test
preparation, creating a preliminary test schedule now will ensure that
you have adequate time to practice.
- Take a look at your extracurricular activities and paid work experience
to determine if you are using your free time in an engaging way. While
having down time to spend with friends and relax is important, it is
also essential to explore your interests in a meaningful way. You want
to ensure that come application time you can list activities that
reflect a strong commitment and at least some paid work experience
during the summer or school year.
Seniors
- Write thank you notes to the teachers and others that wrote
recommendations on your behalf. Teachers spend a great deal of time
writing your recommendation so showing your appreciation is essential.
- Avoid senioritis by keeping your grades up. Your counselor will be
sending your midterm grades to all the colleges to which you apply. A
strong performance during senior year might push you from the wait list
to the admit pile.
- Plan to submit all your applications prior to the December vacation if
possible so you can enjoy some well-deserved vacation. Be sure to check
the status of your applications once submitted to be sure all
components of the application have been received by the colleges such
as test scores, transcript, letters of recommendation and all
supplementary applications.
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