"Why us?" Essay · Rishab Academy

"Why us?" Essay

Hey everyone! Lately, I have been feeling stuck trying to answer the "Why us?" essays. While researching online, I haven't been able to find some solid advice regarding what I should be talking about.

As far as I understand, these essays aren’t just about why the college is a great fit for me, but also why I’m a great fit for the college. To answer this, I need to talk about specific experiences, activities, or interests that align with what the university offers. The goal is to show how I would take advantage of particular programs, clubs, or opportunities at the school because of my background.

For example, if I have published a paper on Neuroscience and a professor at a specific school is conducting similar research, I should definitely talk about that. However, (as I am not Einstein 😭) I haven't written or published any papers.

Could I talk, for instance, about the way that my inability to choose classes led to me discovering philosophy, and how the Columbia's Core Curriculum, which, while limiting students’ choice more than most universities, provides a unique opportunity to explore humanities classes as an Engineering student? I could discuss how it could help me (and others) discover new interests that I might never have known about otherwise.

Do you have any advice on this topic? Is my understanding correct?

P.S. I'm an international student from Greece, and the national curriculum I follow doesn't allow students to choose their classes freely. Consequently, up until 11th grade, even students who want to study engineering take multiple humanities classes (Literature, Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, History, Philosophy, English, Spanish, and Religion).

3 comments