Graduate Admissions 101: Answering “Why This College” Essay Prompts
Whether the college specifically has a “Why This College” prompt or not, it’s important to address why you’re interested in each program. In their personal statement, many applicants will include a paragraph or two addressing the specific resources, professors, and courses that draw them to a specific program.
Essays for your Graduate Application
To give you an idea, here are some standard graduate school writing requirements:
1. Personal Statement - This is one of the most common application requirements for graduate school. Your personal statement is your opportunity to share more about yourself— a narrative experiences shaped who you are and what led you to apply to graduate school.
2. Statement of Purpose - Your statement of purpose is centered on your professional goals and what you intend to research in graduate school.
Note, some colleges combine the statement of purpose and personal statement into one prompt, see NYU’s graduate school prompt:
Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement
Typewritten, double-spaced, well-organized, one– to two-page statement explaining why you wish to pursue graduate study in your particular program at our particular school. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself and to inform the department about your goals, interests, and career plans as they relate to your intended academic pursuits. Please make sure to include your name (as it appears on your application), program, and date. This document will be uploaded to your online application and need not be mailed.
3. Activity Descriptions - Along with your resume and essays, the application will often have a space for you to explain your list of activities. Here, you’ll describe some of your involvements to show who you are as a student, what you’ll be bringing to your college’s community, and especially your unique perspective and experience. Some colleges allow room for as many as 15 activities (like at Harvard’s Medical School).
Depending on your program, you may have to submit portfolio pieces and other writing supplements. Below, we’ve included tips for MS, MBA, PhD, and JD applicants to help you determine what to include when you’re writing about why you chose to apply to a specific college.
How to Write “Why This College” in Your Responses
For anything from Biochemical Engineering to Creative Writing, answering the “Why This College” will involve a bit of research. Here are some of the areas of your program’s website that you’ll want to explore to pull information for your essay.
Curriculum/Required Coursework
The easiest place to start is looking at the required coursework for the degree you’re pursuing. Since you’ll be investing so much time in the classroom, this process will help you narrow down the programs you want to select. Jot down any classes that sound most interesting to you.
Search the course catalog to get a description and see if you can find recent syllabi to get an idea of the course objectives. Usually you won’t be able to find directly on the graduate admissions website. If you hop over to Google and copy in a course title, course code, and university name, sometimes you’ll get lucky and pull up a PDF version of a previous syllabus.
In your essay, write about the specific parts of the course that excite you. Anytime you can personally connect to a particular issue or component of the course, include it. Admissions officers don’t want a laundry list of courses to show you’ve done your research.
Instead, show a glimpse of your story and what brought you here. Are you excited to learn about the relationship between genetics and aging because your grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s? Did your love for marketing begin with your first internship? Share that.
Finding ways to write about your experiences and interests while demonstrating specific coursework will demonstrate your genuine excitement for the program.
Notable Faculty
As you’re looking through a program’s curriculum, its course descriptions, and any syllabi that you can find, you’ll come across professor names. Research them. Find out what their area of research is, skim through some of the titles of their published papers. Have they given any recent workshops?
Make a list of any of the faculty that stand out to you. Then, in your essay, try to mention one or two professors that you’re interested in working with. The more specific you are, the more you’ll demonstrate your interest in the college. Name dropping doesn’t work. Without substance behind mentioning their name, it will be very clear that you’re just trying to prove you’ve done your research.
BONUS TIP: Reach out to the faculty that align most with your area of study – the professors you’re most excited about. Demonstrate your genuine curiosity and try to set up a phone call or even in person meeting. This is a great way to learn more about the program and your experience will confirm your choice to apply or not.
News
Many colleges have a “News” section on their homepage, and departments may even have a news section that’s focused on their area of study. Skim through recent news to see if there is anything that stands out to you. Make a note of anything that connects to your interests. If there’s not room to talk about recent news in your essay, keep this information at the ready – you might be able to use this knowledge in an interview setting.
Other Details to Consider
If you’re going for a full-time master’s program, find out whether there is a cohort model. Will you be studying along the same 25, 60, 75 students for the next two to three years? Is that something you’re looking for?
If you have to move to a new location, have you visited before? Is there something that draws you to that location that you can address in your essay?
What career opportunities are provided to students? Are there monthly networking events? Is an internship or research placement guaranteed?
Next Steps After Applying
If your program has an interview component, organize your research and start taking note of any questions that come up so you can share in your interview. Before you head to your interview, make sure you’ve developed your elevator pitch, so you’re ready to make new connections.
