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<p>It’s actually very easy to project an attitude of interest and knowledge for a school that you consider a match or safety. A bit of research, department/prof-name dropping, and the inclusion of some details particular to the school and enthusiasm for the school’s strengths demonstrates a lot of interest. And none of that requires actual interest, just an hour or two on the internet, a chat with an alumnus, or maybe a quick visit to campus, and even all of that isn’t necessary to write a very nice “Why X School?” short essay. Since I know a lot of my classmates are faking (to some degree) interest in ALL schools they apply to, when in reality, obviously not all of those schools are equally enticing to them, it’s probably not easy for an admissions officer to tell between a forced interest in a school and a genuine one. Unless someone can prove that he has done something with a university that you can’t do online or just by visiting perfunctorily, I somehow doubt the importance of the “Why X school?” essay, especially for top schools where most students try to show passion and interest in the university to gain a boost in admissions chances.</p>