Supplemental Essays: Writing a Great ‘Why This College?’ Essay
by Michelle P.
You’ve tackled the main Common App essay with a great story showing your change and growth. Perhaps you’ve also happily triumphed over the challenge of writing four strong UC personal essays that each share something unique about yourself.
Now what’s left is you, the hopeful college applicant, staring down smaller supplemental prompts, like “Why do you want to attend our college?”
IvyBoost has a previous introductory blog post for the supplemental essay of ‘Why this college?’.
You may want to read the earlier post for an informative overview to what the ‘Why this college?’ prompt is asking, and how you can use some research and knowledge of the college to write a great supplement.
This second post would be a good follow-up read, to understand how exactly you can do that in your supplemental essay on a more detailed level. One important fact to remember for writing a strong ‘Why this college?’ supplement is that you also need an equally strong understanding of yourself and your own goals and interests.
To think about this prompt, consider how you might answer 2 questions:
1. What are you doing now in high school?
Every student has different interests, personalities, and future plans. For instance:
“I am a coder, who enjoys making apps to help make websites more accessible for users with dyslexia, ADHD, and other needs.”
“I am an active volunteer for a local community park and a high school debate captain with an interest in improving access to green spaces.”
“I am an art student, with an interest in visual arts in the Art Deco style and cyberpunk-based topics.”
2. Will you want to keep doing what you’re doing in high school at college? And how will you do that?
For instance, the first student may wish to discuss courses or other resources at a college that will help them improve their coding skills and their understanding of digital accessibility.
The student interested in parks and green spaces may want to bring up related opportunities at a college that can help them continue to advocate for those areas, like volunteering at a nearby national park close to the college or taking a course about government and law.
The artistic student may bring up an interest in a college’s UX design major, or other creative arts-related opportunities, like a fashion design and business organization.
No matter the type of Essay Narwhal you are, it’s your own unique views and interests that will shape how you write a successful and personal ‘Why this college?’ supplement!