Your Chance to Make a Great First Impression
By SARAH ZASLOW
Nearly every college or university asks some variation of this question: “What appeals to you about this school? Why do you think you are a good fit for us?” Now, this may seem like a straightforward question, but admissions officers are trying to create a diverse, interesting class
while maintaining the unique culture and identity of the school. This
question is designed to see how well you’ve done your research about the
college, learn a little about you and your personality and decide if you’ll contribute
to making the college an even better version of itself.
So Why Is the Essay so Difficult?
Unfortunately,
people often forget about the essay until the last second.
It is also a challenge because it should be unique
for each school. It can be hard to explain to your fourth or fifth
choice why you’re perfect for each other, because you don’t really
believe it. Finally, when you’re facing a deadline and you’ve been filling out
applications for days, all of the colleges start to seem the same. You
forget why you put each one on your list in the first place, and you
just want to be done with the whole process.
If you’re really working at the last minute, the college applications
can literally blur together because you’re exhausted and your eyes are
starting to fill with tears. I know; I’ve seen it happen and it happened
to me.
This is a dangerous moment because it leads many applicants to start
cutting and pasting this essay. Every admissions officer I know has at
least one horror story about looking at this essay. It starts out fine:
“When I visited Berkeley, I was so impressed with all of the students I
met and I could see…” and ends, “And that’s why Harvard is my first
choice.” Oops.
To ensure your admissions essays stand out from the crowd and express the unique person that is you, eduLaunchpad.com has partnered with Sarah Zaslow and TigerWriting.com.
About Sarah Zaslow and TigerWriting.com
Sarah Zaslow graduated from Princeton University in 2008 with degrees in Religion and Public Policy. While at Princeton, Sarah tutored both undergraduate and graduate students in writing at the Princeton University Writing Center. After graduation, Sarah taught English at Abraham Lincoln High School in west Denver as part of Teach for America. She currently lives in Evanston, IL.
Tiger Writing was founded by two Princeton alumni who met while working as tutors in the Princeton Writing Program. Together, Sarah and her co-founder have more than 10 years of editing and tutoring experience with writers of all ages, abilities, and disciplines. They've worked with high school students to improve their writing (and their grades!), high school seniors preparing application essays for college, university undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals.
Visit www.tigerwriting.com for customized help with application essays and writing tutoring.