Some of the colleges that I’m applying to have the question “Why do you want to go to _______ University?” or “Why did you pick the majors chosen above?” How would one go about answering this question? (200 words maximum for all of the colleges I’m applying to that ask this)
The first thing I would do is look at how the college describes themselves.
Let’s look at an example of Ursinus college.
https://www.ursinus.edu/about/uncommonly-ursinus/
This is what they talk about:
So first you need to think about “Is this what I want in a college?”
If so, then I would address each of the major points within your essay…not necessarily in order, and not necessarily a paragraph about each, but make sure they are touched upon.
“When looking for a college, one of the most important things for me is to be able to interact closely with professors. Of course one will get a fine education just going to classes, but to further delve into a topic or find research or internship opportunities, the chance to work with Professors enhances the college experience. etcetcetc Ursinus provides the opportunity for …blah blah”
Also, when you took a tour there or read about them or heard about the college…what piqued your interest?
Even if it was because you love the football team, you can include that.
“When I first heard about Penn State it was because of the football team. I was intrigued by the intense sense of community. As I investigated further, I also found that Penn State has a #9 Engineering department. The work in X, Y and Z caught my attention. As I study engineering, those are the types of problems I would like to work on…etc”
When you are talking about what major, then you could talk about the problem you want to solve
https://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/pulse/20140804104444-17000124-let-s-kill-the-college-major
or you could reverse engineer this quiz…
http://www.luc.edu/undergrad/academiclife/whatsmymajorquiz/
In general, colleges want to know that applicants and their individual school will be a good fit for each other and that you will somehow contribute to their college, student body community, etc.
To that end, they expect you to have researched the college in some significant manner so that you can point to a connection or something specific… for example, are you looking for a research opportunity that is uniquely available there or that they have a significant history with? Colleges want their ego stoked at least enough to know that your Why Them answer is unique to them vs applicable to many other colleges.
The answer to “Why ____?” can be infinitely unique in scope or diversity, which is exactly why they are asking the question. The answer could include any number of factors related to the campus, facilities, diversity of student body, available majors or course offerings, athletics, EC activities, etc. But the more specific the better.
Good luck…