Why Us and Why Major Essays

 

Universities don’t have the time or resources to interview every applicant, so they invented the ‘Why Us?’ essay.

To write a winning ‘Why Us?’ essay, you must show specific and deep knowledge about the school. Most students fill these essays with platitudes, showing only a superficial level of research and writing about things that would apply at any school (e.g., great professors). Avoid this!

It helps to think of this as a get-to-know-you conversation. Conversations go well when you ask questions of the other (researching the school) and show that their interests match yours (being specific about what you’d do once on campus). Schools want to know if you are a good fit for them and if you are likely to attend if admitted.

It would be best if you didn’t write the same thing for each school, but you can often write something similar. It takes some time to articulate your university-related interests, but you don’t need to do it more than once. Read on to learn how to research schools and match your interests to them. You need to do this for each school, but it gets easier the second or third time.

If a prompt asks why you want to major in, for example, engineering at that particular school, the process laid out in this article will work well because these schools are interested in the ‘Why Us’ things, such as whether you’ll be a good fit and likely enroll. On the other hand, if the prompt only asks about your interest in a particular major, the process is different. These schools want to see a track record of interest and success in that field.  Some schools have both Why Us and Why Major essays. In that case, be sure to have separate content for each.

Start with Brainstorming 

1. Brainstorming Your Academic Interests

You must know what interests you want to develop to convey a strong sense of who you are in university t. The first step is to think of something academic or career-related that interests you deeply. It could be:

    • A field of study,
    • Things you enjoy that you might want to continue in your potential career (such as helping others or teaching)
    • Types of jobs that interest you. 

Next, try to delve deeper into that interest by thinking about:

    • What most interests you about it?
    • What first got you interested in it?
    • How does this interest relate to your ambitions (if any)?
    • Are there classes associated with this interest you’d like to take at university? 
    • What big questions do you have about this interest? 
    • What are you most curious about within it? 

Here’s an example. If you like the idea of working on Wall Street, you might be interested in economics; you might have started trading stocks for fun as a high school sophomore and got hooked; you might be curious about the behavioral science behind bubbles and busts. 

Or if you’re interested in math, maybe one of the things you like about math is showing peers that it’s more intriguing and approachable than they think; perhaps you want to explore statistics to explore math’s real-world applications; maybe you like the idea of teaching math as a public school teacher.

Volunteer work may be important to you. You see yourself working in the nonprofit sector one day. You might think about what classes will provide insight into that work — sociology for insight into today’s social problems or history, to understand what trends lead to the issues you’ve encountered as a volunteer, or even a management class related to running an organization that strengthens communities. 

Do this exercise several times until you’ve come up with 1-2 academic interests that represent you.

2. Brainstorming Your Extracurriculars

Schools wonder what you’ll get up to on campus once you put down your textbooks. 

Make notes about:

    • What kinds of volunteering, clubs, or organizations do you hope to continue participating in during college? Why do you want to continue?
    • What kinds of volunteering, clubs, or organizations do you hope to try for the first time during college? What do you hope to gain from these experiences?

The key is to show admissions readers how you’ll be engaged on campus. Schools love hearing about what’s important to you and your personal growth. 

    • Are you looking for work or research opportunities in college? What kinds? 
    • How do you want your college to support you?

If you’re interested in paid work opportunities at the university, you could list some of your top choices for work options affiliated with the school—internships at local businesses, start-ups, or lab experience with a professor. 

    • How do you think this paid opportunity will further your academic pursuits and interests?
    • What other skills might you develop through these experiences?

Show the School How You’re a Good Match for Them

1. Read the Prompt Closely

The biggest tip for any essay is to answer all parts of the prompt. Schools tend to have particularities and will dock points for missing them.

Your first task is to decide whether there’s anything in particular you should focus on as you write. For instance, some schools emphasize their smallness or sense of community; some do not guide at all. Either way, you need to read the prompt closely.

    • Read the prompt twice; even if it looks straightforward,
    • Underline important words.
    • Rewrite it in your own words, summarizing your answers.

For example: Why are you applying to Occidental? What are your intellectual curiosities, and why do you think Occidental is the right place for you to pursue them?

You might write:

This prompt asks how my intellectual curiosities align with what Occidental has to offer. I’m going to focus on Psychology, talk about two big curiosities I have around it (childhood development and information acquisition), and connect them with Occidental’s research opportunities and class offerings in the psychology department.

Once you’ve put in that kind of thought,  your answer will be on target. 

2. Be Specific About What You’d Do On Campus

You’ll need to spend a few hours on research. This will make you stand out from most applicants, who seem to do only a few minutes of research (if any).

Schools spend much time on their websites; it’s their biggest marketing tool. Researching the school’s mission and culture, your academic department, professional development and research opportunities, and the organizations and clubs will help you determine how you are a match for that institution.

Here are some general search tips:

1. Google the department you’re most interested in. 

    • They’ll have a separate page just for that department.
    • Look at their class offerings, research opportunities, fellowships, and whatever else they’ve deemed worthy of mention. Does anything catch your eye? Scribble it down. You’ll be able to use that.
    • Tip on researching classes: The general curriculum is usually less exciting and tends to be similar across schools. Look at the more advanced, esoteric classes intended for junior/senior students. Take a look at course syllabi. 

2.  Sites often have articles about students and faculty who’ve done newsworthy things. Review these, and note which professors you’d like to work with.

3. End with a general search for the school’s organizations and clubs that relate to your interests, and make a note of them.

This level of research will show your admissions reader that you are a good fit for their school.

Turn your Brainstormed Content into an Essay

Congratulations! You’ve done a ton of brainstorming. That was the hard part. Writing essays with this excellent content will be easy because Why Us is an essay that needs a direct approach. There’s no reason to go with a flowing, flowery style here. 

However, a lot depends on the length. If your essay is 350+ words, add more depth, and keep to the point if you only have around 150. 

Writing Tips

All essays:

    • Follow this formula. Present your 1-5 most important interests + how the school matches those interests. 
    • Start with academic interests. Extracurriculars should go further down. If you have any social reasons, they go last. 
    • If the school is your top choice (or a top choice), say so. Remember that one of the reasons schools ask Why Us is because they want assurance that you’ll accept if admitted. However, don’t say it if it’s not true. 

Short essays (250 words or less): 

    • For short essays, there’s no need for an introduction or conclusion. If you must, you can include a brief intro. But a conclusion will eat up too much room. Forego it. 
    • You might organize this essay with 1 paragraph on your academic interests and one on your extracurricular and social interests. 

Finally, make sure you get feedback on your drafts from someone you trust.