Most students approach the "Why Us?" essay almost like an argumentative essay. They feel they need to prove why This University is unique. But it can be hard to know what actually is unique about a school unless you've spent hours combing through a range of universities' websites (which I've done).

Below, I share a list of things I recommend avoiding in your "Why Us?" essay. Keep reading for some brief explanations on why.

The List

1. Alumni connections

2. Networking opportunities

3. Job placement statistics

4. The beautiful campus

5. The weather

6. Study abroad

7. Internship opportunities

8. Undergraduate research

9. Greek life

10. Athletics

Why you should avoid these

1. Alumni connections

2. Networking opportunities

3. Job placement statistics

These are all perfectly legitimate reasons to apply to a school. But discussing career advancement in your "Why Us?" essay makes it sound like you're more focused on what will happen after you graduate, rather than the education you'll pursue during your time on a college campus.

4. The beautiful campus

5. The weather

The central question of college admissions, and especially the "Why Us?" essay is, how does will this applicant contribute to our school? Speaking about the more surface-level aspects of a school, like how sunny it is, or how the buildings look just like Hogwarts, don't really reveal anything about how you'll interact with the opportunities/resources at the university.

6. Study abroad

7. Internship opportunities

Almost every university will have study abroad and internship opportunities. In some cases, a college will have a unique study abroad program suited to your interests, but most of the time, study abroad programs are only loosely affiliated with the university itself. Same with internships. These are usually opportunities you'll get to experience during college, rather than a direct result of the university itself.

8. Undergraduate research

Similar to what I said above — almost every university has some kind of undergraduate research program. Some schools genuinely have a unique research culture. I'm thinking of Duke and their many interdisciplinary research teams, and Georgia Tech's Vertically Integrated Projects. The takeaway is to look for a university's distinct approach to research rather than simply stating "I'd get to do research as an undergrad."

9. Greek life

Fraternities and sororities have their own admissions process (yay!) called "rushing." I don't know much about it except that there's no guarantee you'll get to join Greek life, and so it doesn't make sense to discuss it in your "Why Us?" essay. On top of that, these organizations exist on a national level and aren't unique to any one college campus.

10. Athletics

Admissions officers have a prejudice against sports, or at least, they get sick of reading essays about them. Think about it this way. A sentence like ... "I can't wait to cheer my head off in the stands. Goooooo cats!" ... describes you as a number in a crowd, a passive (even if cheering) fan, and doesn't say much about you as an individual.

So, what should you write about?

Keep an eye out for my next blog post, where I'll explain why finding the most unique/niche stuff isn't even what the "Why Us?" essay is really about.