I was wondering if it’s cheesy to write an essay as if I were a student. I got this idea from looking at essays online. Also, does it answer the prompt?
Thank you!
No, it doesn’t answer the prompt. Were those online essays you read from accepted or rejected applicants?
Thank you @TomSrOfBoston . To be exact, I read on some college website that for “why college x” essays, it’s good to be very specific, as that shows an interest in the college. The article went to to say how an accepted Yale applicant wrote an essay in this format and included a fact that only a student would know (he learned it on his tour).
You need to “know” about a college from a tour, viewbook, website, talking to current students and alumni etc. But you do not write it as if you are currently a student.
Indicate how you will benefit from what the college offers.
Watch out for those web sites. It’s about giving them a sense you made a careful, informed decision to apply there, for reasons they appreciate. That doesn’t need specifics (I want to sit in Smith Hall, room 101, listening to Professor Jones speak about blah blah econ theory. That sounds simplistic.)
They don’t need gimmicky- this is serious to them. “Applicable” and “relevant” are better words. And be careful about how they will benefit you, if that means saying they’re your path to a future career or success. They’re looking at you for the four years there.
They want to see: this kid clearly knows this school and has chosen us for legit reasons, is the type who will fit well." (That doesn’t mean it’s all deadly serious.) If you chose well and carefully matched yourself (you to them and them to you,) this should be easy.
edited
Yeah, answer it as straightforward as possible. Sometimes the cutesy, outside the box thing wins…but for every one that does, there are countless ones that just come off as unable to follow directions.
I echo what people above here say - go on the websites, find things SPECIFIC to that school, and use as many details as possible.
Most people don’t really have a clear plan for their own future. Telling them ‘why’ you chose their school over some other school is a chance to prove that you have a plan. What is the real reason? If you have goals you can achieve better at this school than at another school, I think that is very persuasive to the reader.
Depending on the college, it can be a mistake to treat them like the vehicle to your own personal, post-grad dreams. If you’re applying to a level of college that wants to build a class of thinkers, at least try to think on their level. Know what that means.