Avoid These 5 “Why This College” Essay Topics

Hey guys, it’s Eric at Solution Prep. Today, we’re talking about five things to avoid in writing a “Why This College” essay. A lot of colleges in their application ask, “Why do you want to go to our college?” This is a great opportunity for you to talk about your passions, your goals, and how an education there (and only there) can best fit your passions and help you reach those goals.

But there are a few things you want to steer clear of. First, you don’t want to tell them “it’s pretty.” They’re all pretty. And you’re not picking a college to be someplace pretty. You’re picking it for an education. And certainly, if you are an architecture major, you can talk about the architecture. If you’re a turf management major, you can talk about the landscaping. If you felt inspired on your visit, you can talk about that visit and what you feel inspired to do as a member of their student body. But you’re not just going to tell them it’s pretty.

You’re also not going to tell them you’re choosing this college because of the city. Because if this is a city with 10 or 20 colleges, don’t just pick the most competitive one and say you’re choosing them because you love the city. They’re going to tell you, “Well, then good. Pick a different college in our great city and leave us alone.” Now, if this city is the home of the industry where you want to spend your career, and going to college in proximity to it will give you access to things like internships and research that could turn into a job, and they’ve got a great program for your major and that you can marry those two things together, that’s great. And you can definitely talk about it. But don’t just tell them, “I love the city.”

Next, you don’t want to tell them you’re choosing them because of their ranking on some list or the ranking for your program. That’s you telling them you are just using them for the prestige. “You are ranked highly, and if I go there, then I’ll be ranked highly” and “This is a transaction between us and that’s all you are to me.” No, you want to get a lot more in depth about what about the program makes it the right one for you. Why do you love it? What classes, and what opportunities will you have that you won’t have anywhere else are unique to this college?

Next, you don’t want to focus on services that every college offers. These are common services, such as a writing lab and a career services office. Every college has these things and there’s no reason to make this college stand out over that college.
Now, if you have some very specific needs, and one reason you are looking at colleges is honing down who can meet your needs due to an an IEP, a 504 plan, disabilities, or anything of that nature, you can definitely say that you are going to put those services to good use because these are services that you need and that you will benefit from as a student there.

And finally, you’re not going to focus on their study abroad. You’re going to this college to go to this college, not to go somewhere else across the globe. And, certainly, if there is a very specific opportunity that this college is partnered with, with another college in a city or in a location for research, or for a fellowship that is really unique and special to you, you can talk about that. But you’re not just going to say, “oh, there’s a hundred options I’ll have,” because at the end of the day, you’re probably only going to pick one. And again, you’re picking the college to go there.

So, get writing, and if you have questions, call us at 732-556-8220. We are here to help.