Part 1

Choosing the right university can be a magical experience.

Putting in the time to research how a school matches your passions can give you a leg up in writing a great “Why us” application essay.

To help you out, I’ve compiled a list of DO’s and DON’Ts, starting with the DON’T’s below. But before we get to that, let’s dissect Northwestern’s “Why us” prompt:

“What are the unique qualities of Northwestern - and of the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying - that make you want to attend the University? In what ways do you hope to take advantage of the qualities you have identified?”

What is this prompt asking for? In the first half, Northwestern asks you to describe the school in a way that focuses on specific ways that Northwestern is unique. In the second half of this prompt, the prompt asks you to take these descriptions and tie them to your own specific uniqueness in what you hope to bring to the table at their school. Hint: These are three important elements that can be applied in answering nearly any “Why us” essay.

Let’s start by looking at what not to do:

DON’T just use abstract emotional descriptions to try to draw your reader in.

Ask yourself: exactly what programs, internships, and student organizations SPECIFICALLY fit what I want in a school? Don’t just talk about how you hope to enjoy the fun and sun of the University of Miami’s pristine tropical weather or how much you hated your K-12 private school. Most students take the easy route and point out the obvious pluses for a school, but readers are tired of hearing the same rehashed details over and over again.

DON’T write about the school’s weather, reputation, and size.

Even if you’ve captured the “mauve of the brick patterned walkways” and the “smoky scent of the arts building woodshop” in your essay, you need to keep in mind that your specific descriptions have to connect the dots between your school’s uniqueness AND your uniqueness. You could probably find brick walkways and a woodshop at any university you apply to, so writing about them doesn’t give the reader a sense of your uniqueness.

DON’T just read the website and brochure descriptions of your university.

Believe me, your reader has read them regurgitated in essays time and time again (they may even have had a hand in writing them). Universities want to know what makes them different, what makes you different, and how those two will come together to create a perfect match.

Try going through your essay and scratching out details you see as rewritten versions of website and brochure descriptions. Keep only the details that are unique to the school and are unique to you. Above all, do your research and WHATEVER you do don’t get the facts wrong in your essay; that could potentially earn you one-way ticket to the “no” pile.

DON’T just talk about the school.

My colleague and friend Dr. Rebecca Joseph uses this analogy: “This essay is your date with the college. They know how great they are; tell them why they should date you.”

Hear that? Colleges know how great they are. No need to focus on that in your essay. It pays to sell yourself to them a little bit instead.

There’s something really special about the moment when you spy that higher-level class “Critical Theories of Quantum Spin Chains” sitting by itself on list of the requirements for the Quantum Mechanics major at your dream university. You picture yourself reclined at a particular bench in front of the student union reading from a chemical bonding textbook written by your award-winning researcher-professor and thinking about the class.

The key to introducing yourself well in a “Why us” essay is to learn all the specifics you can about what you like about the university and focus on what you two have in common.

Wow. I guess writing the “Why us” essay really is kind of like asking someone out on a date.