“And Why?” How to Approach the “Why our school?” Question

The question itself shouldn’t surprise you. Why ARE you applying to that school? To anyone who has applied Early Decision already, the answer(s) to this question probably came easily to you because you were writing about your top choice. For the rest of your schools, and for anyone else who hasn’t applied anywhere yet, it may not be such an easy question to answer. Maybe it’s the audience? That would be a fair point. The readers are the ones who will decide your admissions fate after all. But if you are applying to the right schools, this is a question that should be embraced, not feared.

The “Why our school” question is usually asked in a fairly straightforward way. Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA is a good example:

“What influenced you to apply to Harvey Mudd College? What about the HMC curriculum and community appeals to you?”

In case you were thinking that there must be some secret to answering this question, I asked for insight from someone who is uniquely qualified to do so. Raissa Diamante is the Director of Enrollment Strategies and Operations at HMC and has worked in the college admissions profession for 18 years:

“Often the ‘why our school question’ is a pointed one...in our question, we’re telling the student to key in on our curriculum and our community. If you’re applying to us, please do the research about our curriculum and our community and tell us why it makes sense for you. In fact, given that you’re applying to college, you should really say at least one thing about the school’s academic program that appeals to you. After all, we are educational institutions.”

Ms. Diamante makes the point that their question guides you to focus part of your answer on their academic program. Another example is USC, which asks applicants to “Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically.” However, she adds that you should mention academics even if the question is more broad. Boston University asks what “most excites you” about being a student at Boston University and Lafayette College wins the award for brevity by simply asking, “Why Lafayette?” But beyond simply identifying the features or resources available at a college, you now have to help the admissions committee picture you on their campus.

“As you think about your response, don’t stop at your initial thoughts about why that school. Ask yourself the question and then pretend someone responded by saying ‘and why.’ Example: I want to go to Harvey Mudd because I want to major in the STEM fields and be in Southern California. My ‘and why’ response to that is ‘and why STEM in Southern California.’ There are many colleges that provide a great STEM education AND are in Southern California. What is it about the way Harvey Mudd teaches STEM that makes sense to you? The ‘and why’ is often what lands your response into the good to excellent range.”

The “And why?” exercise allows you to dig a little deeper into your interest in a school—to separate your tangible interest from a theoretical one. You may even realize that your interest is more theoretical than tangible. That is why I recommend that students write a paragraph about why they are interested in a school even before the application process. 

Some other points to keep in mind: 

• Focus less on your own accomplishments unless it fits within the context of what is appealing about the college, and even then, do not simply restate what is already in your activities section.

• Think about the obvious points other applicants will make. It is inevitable that some of what you say will overlap with what other applicants say, but personalizing your interest will help make your response uniquely yours. 

• Do not write in a way where you can easily replace names and places for other schools. This is one supplement where recycling content is not the best way to go.

• Be careful with name dropping. I’ll let Ms. Diamante take this one: 

“Lastly, avoid name dropping alumni (famous or not), well-known traditions, or impressive stats like a high ROI. Furthermore, resist the urge to quote or parrot back things that you read in our brochure or our Wikipedia page.”

Does that include naming professors?

A particular pet peeve of mine is name dropping professors with little context. The formulaic approach often comes in the form of “I would be so excited to take [insert course name] from [insert professor name].” Unless you have done extensive research or there’s some other connection with the professor (maybe you attended a lecture or heard them on a podcast), this runs the risk of coming across as superficial. In other words, ask the “and why” question and include that when you express interest in a professor or course. Ms. Diamante concludes, “If they can get there, then it works. When they don’t it’s just as ineffective as a name drop of an alumni.”

To state the obvious, if a college asks why you are applying to their school, it is because it is important to that particular college. But your response to this question can also demonstrate and assess your fit for the school. And if you are really having trouble answering this question, it’s possible that it has nothing to do with the audience at all. 

For students in New York, Nevada, and Mid-City and East Los Angeles interested in Harvey Mudd College, you can contact Raissa Diamante directly at rdiamante@hmc.edu.