{"id":2964,"date":"2014-12-11t09:00:29","date_gmt":"2014-12-11t09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/sat\/?p=2964"},"modified":"2015-04-14t20:25:46","modified_gmt":"2015-04-14t20:25:46","slug":"how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"how do i write the “why us” essay?"},"content":{"rendered":"

so you\u2019re completing your college application and arrive at the dreaded \u201cwhy us?\u201d essay. what to do? here\u2019s what ethan sawyer, the college essay guy<\/a>, recommends!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

here are three quick tips to get you on the right track:
\n <\/p>\n

1. don\u2019t write about the school’s size, location, reputation or the weather.<\/h2>\n

why? because that’s what half of america is writing about. take a hint from emory university, whose \u201cwhy us\u201d essay used to read:<\/p>\n

many students decide to apply to emory university based on our size, location, reputation, and yes, the weather. besides these valid reasons as a possible college choice, why is emory university a particularly good match for you?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

why do they say don’t write about those things? because they’re tired of reading about them. in fact, after you’ve written your first draft, go back through your essay and underline anything that sounds like it could have appeared in another student’s essay and then delete it.
\n <\/p>\n

2. don\u2019t simply use emotional language to make your case.<\/h2>\n

“i really, really want to go to northwestern because i just have this feeling that it’s the place for me” does not a good case make. it doesn’t show how you are a.) qualified or b.) a good match for the school. you\u2019re making a case–an argument–and the argument is that you are perfect for one another. use facts to prove it.
\n <\/p>\n

3. don\u2019t think of this as a “why them” essay.<\/h2>\n

in other words, don\u2019t just talk about what\u2019s awesome about the school–the \u201cus\u201d in \u201cwhy us\u201d refers not simply to the school, but to you and the school. so here\u2019s a tip: make two columns on a blank sheet of paper and label one column \u201cme\u201d and one column \u201cthem.\u201d then make a list of 10-15 reasons why you\u2019re a perfect match.<\/p>\n

for more do\u2019s and don\u2019ts for the \u201cwhy us\u201d essay, check out this handy resource<\/a>. and for more personal statement help, visit us at www.collegeessayguy.com<\/a>.
\n <\/p>\n

\"collegeessayguy\"
\nethan sawyer, the college essay guy, has been helping students tell their stories for more than ten years. he is a graduate of northwestern university, received an mfa from uc irvine, and received two counseling certifications, one from uc irvine and another from the interchange counseling institute. he’s also a certified myers-briggs\u00ae specialist and his type (enfj) will tell you that he will show up on time, he’ll be excited to meet you, and, more than anything, he’s committed to–and an expert in–helping you realize your potential.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

so you\u2019re completing your college application and arrive at the dreaded \u201cwhy us?\u201d essay. what to do? here\u2019s what ethan sawyer, the college essay guy, recommends! here are three quick tips to get you on the right track:   1. don\u2019t write about the school’s size, location, reputation or the weather. why? because that’s what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[24880],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nhow do i write the "why us" essay? - magoosh blog | high school<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"how do i write the "why us" essay?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"so you\u2019re completing your college application and arrive at the dreaded \u201cwhy us?\u201d essay. what to do? here\u2019s what ethan sawyer, the college essay guy, recommends! here are three quick tips to get you on the right track:   1. don\u2019t write about the school’s size, location, reputation or the weather. why? because that’s what […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"magoosh blog | high school\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/magooshsat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-12-11t09:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-04-14t20:25:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/sat\/files\/2014\/11\/collegeessayguy-300x73.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"guest author\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@magooshsat_act\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@magooshsat_act\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"guest author\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"article\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay\/#article\",\"ispartof\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"guest author\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/#\/schema\/person\/b7e6143cd1e3cc496347b662b343f0e4\"},\"headline\":\"how do i write the “why us” essay?\",\"datepublished\":\"2014-12-11t09:00:29+00:00\",\"datemodified\":\"2015-04-14t20:25:46+00:00\",\"mainentityofpage\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay\/\"},\"wordcount\":448,\"commentcount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/#organization\"},\"articlesection\":[\"college admissions\"],\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"commentaction\",\"name\":\"comment\",\"target\":[\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"webpage\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay\/\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/how-do-i-write-the-why-us-essay\/\",\"name\":\"how do i write the \\\"why us\\\" essay? 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