The “Why us?

” essay is the ideal place for you to establish fit with the college you’re applying to.
I recommend students go down a rabbit hole—that is, take a deep dive through a college’s
website to find facts other students might not stumble upon. Rule of thumb: if you can find a fact
within five minutes on a college website, chances are hundreds of students will include it in their
“Why us?” essays.

Some red flags to watch out for:

● “I want to attend your college because it’s ranked highly in ___.”

○ Sounds superficial.
● “I want to go to your college because my parent(s) attended.”
○ Find reasons you want to attend. That is, find attributes inherent to the college
that allure you, not external factors like your parents attending.
● “I think the research your school does is intriguing.”
○ Generic. What kind of research? Why is it intriguing to you?
● “I love the Big Apple.”
○ This one applies to Columbia and NYU in particular. Talk about the college itself,
not the city it’s in.
● “I want to be surrounded by like-minded peers.”
○ You’re going to college to gain diverse perspectives; don’t make yourself sound
close-minded.

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