<p>I’m applying for Augustana College in Rock Island, IL and there was a required essay. However, there isn’t really a prompt. The instructions were to “convey a message to the Admissions Committee that you would like to be considered in at least 250 words.”</p>
<p>What should I do? Should I write about why I like the school? Should I write about myself? </p>
<p>You should tell them about yourself. If you can, relate it to what you would bring to the campus and community. 250 words is not very long, so don’t spend too many words telling the admissions committee about their school. Here are a couple examples: Don’t say “I want to go to Augustana College because of the low student teacher ratio and the outstanding science department.” Instead tell them “I am an interactive learner who accomplishes best in small groups, so the low student teacher ratio at Augustana College is very appealing” “My goal is to earn a degree in biology and follow my dream of becoming a doctor. I can’t imagine a better place to do that than the outstanding science department at Augustana College.”</p>
<p>@VSGpeanut101 gives very good advice. Don’t regurgitate information they already know about themselves, instead tell them how you will excel in that school. </p>
<p>This is advice for how to write a “why x college essay” but you could easily write about anything else. Yale also has an essay section without a prompt and in the “advice section” on the school’s website, it says that essays can vary from your role model to ethnicity to school/community events. It’s really up to you. If you are applying to other colleges, you could possibly take your best essay from another school and modify it to fit for Augustana College.</p>