Blog posts on college admissions by Arjun Seth
The "Why This College" Essay
While the architecture of the college or the city it is located in should not figure as prime factors of your choices, your appreciation of them should represent how you see yourself fitting into the daily routine.
While wading through all the essay questions - talking about your life, motivations and interests, nothing can be more confounding than writing about why you would be interested in a particular college. Although so far you may have been attempting to ‘market’ yourself, here is a question that’s clearly probing how genuine your intentions and choices are. Consequently, most student essays have great difficulty in representing their motivations accurately and not seeming quite vague.
Before you begin writing, you should think about how to narrate the story of making your choice. Your essay should be a brief walkthrough for admissions officer, of the experiences and ideas that have led you to the point of applying to that particular college.
Reading the prompt carefully should keep you focussed on what points you have to cover. You must make sure your essay is concise and is not diverging to unrelated points.
The first step then should involve keeping yourself informed regarding every aspect of that college. The college website should be read thoroughly and you should be aware of every part of the college life – academics, co-curricular activities and clubs and so on. With regards to the programme you’re applying for, try and keep yourself briefed about the faculty members, ongoing research work and the programme itself.
Differentiating yourself from countless other applicants becomes easy once you’re sufficiently aware to be specific about your interests. As they say, “The devil is in the details” and admissions officers are known to favourably remark upon a good eye for the minutest of details.
Write about how the current research work or the academic accomplishments of particular faculty members, align with your motivations in that particular field. If you have already worked out what you want to pursue later in that field, write about that as well in tandem.
Demonstrating a seamless connectivity between how you engaged with your interests in school and how you would engage with them in college is an important part of identifying yourself with a particular college. Relate your past experiences in extra-curricular activities in school – perhaps as a founding member of a club or as a creator of successful initiatives, and try to connect them with similar clubs’ activities in college.
While the architecture of the college or the city it is located in should not figure as prime factors of your choices, your appreciation of them should represent how you see yourself fitting into the daily routine.
Your excitement about being added to that college’s culture and history, should be sustained by your efforts to find points of interest in its various aspects.
Once that is clear, you can easily inset yourself within that life. Admissions officers’ are very appreciative of a personal vision being apparent.
Of course, one of the common errors one makes while writing such a descriptive essay is rambling on. You have to keep in mind that the gentleman or lady reading the essay has countless others to read and will only be irked by incoherent passages. Once you’re done with your first draft, trim it down to the briefest possible version.
Lastly, as you look over your final essay, it would be a good idea to observe how personalised it is to that particular college. If your essay seems to be suitably describe other colleges as well, then it’s obvious you have written a generic one.
Keep in mind that the college you’re applying to is already aware of all the conventional reasons for choosing it. The key to standing out then is to show them how your choice is largely independent of these conventional reasons.
To avoid being vague, be personal. Good luck!
Follow your passions
College admissions officers read your resume, recommendations and essays to form an opinion on how you will contribute to the academic and residential life on campus. Be passionate and express yourself. Remember, deeper your interest in activities, the more impressive your profile will be.
Describing the monotony of his weekly schedule, says Karmanaya Agarwal (First year student at University of Illinois www.uiuc.edu), “Once my family decided that the US will be our preferred destination, I quit IIT Entrance preparatory classes and started focusing on working for the school’s computer science club and participating in regional and national quiz competitions. However I am grateful that the high level of science and math preparation in those classes helped me improve my grades in school.”
Community service and volunteering are common activities that most high school students participate in. However, Arjun Chhabra (freshmen in Cornell University www.cornell.edu) took his interest to another level. He moved to Washington D.C in grade 10 when his father joined the diplomatic mission. He continued working with Chintan when he came back to India for the summer. Chintan is a non-profit organization that empowers the marginalized community of rag pickers who live in despicable conditions in and around the various landfills in Delhi. On his return to America he helped raise funds for Chintan by organizing samosa drives in his high school.
Internship and volunteering activities often help students identify their strengths and interests. Divya Balaji (first year student at Yale University www.yale.edu) worked with the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust over summer. Says Balaji “Assisting a team of herpetologist, observing behavior of Siamese crocodile families, cleaning tortoise pens and assisting in the day to day running of the organization, I discovered my passion for environmental science. My common application essay captured this and I think was instrumental in my admissions.”
Sometimes life-changing experiences can urge you to follow a new path, says Rhea Kohli (a student of Sarah Lawrence College www.slc.edu) “A dear friend lost his life in a car accident. He was a victim of rash driving of another student who was driving under the influence of alcohol. I knew I couldn't get my friend back but by setting up Student Against Drunken Driving I have dedicated the majority of my free time to raise awareness about this issue.”
If you are talented in a Performance or Visual Arts, go ahead and send your art supplement along with your college application. Yashaswini Singh a sophomore at Bryn Mawr College listed her piano grades and showcased her participation at the Grade 8 Toppers concert held at India Habitat Center that was attended by the Chief Minister of Delhi.
Likewise athletes like Shantanu Garg from Doon school sent his athletic supplement along with his tennis coach’s evaluation. Winning prestigious national tournaments and being involved in leadership, distinguished him from others. He was admitted to Claremont McKenna College, Carleton College and Vassar College. Says Garg, “I was the PT instructor for Jaipur House and this additional leadership role at Doon School defined my personal brand. Our efforts were rewarded when Jaipur House won awards for all drills during our Annual Sports Day after a gap of fifteen years.”
College admissions officers read your resume, recommendations and essays to form an opinion on how you will contribute to the academic and residential life on campus. Be passionate and express yourself. Remember, deeper your interest in activities, the more impressive your profile will be.
To read the full article in HT go to the epaper http://bit.ly/cXR9W2