Penn & Michigan "Why" Essays
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 4:47 pm
Hi all,
I know there have been a ton of "why essay" topics, but I haven't found an answer to this particular question:
I've heard it said on this board that writing a "why X" essay is highly advisable for some schools, Penn and Michigan included. But I'm struggling to write compelling ones because even though I want to attend these schools, I feel like all my reasons are generic-sounding. What is the value of doing one of the other optional essay topics? For example, one of Michigan's options is something along the lines of "Tell us about a time you succeeded/failed as a member of a team." Would it be a bad idea to write on that topic instead of the "Why Michigan?" I don't think I'm a stellar enough candidate to be excessively worried about YP (but even if you were very worried about YP -- could writing any optional essay go toward expressing your interest in a school, or is that end exclusively served by writing on the "why x" topic?).
I know there have been a ton of "why essay" topics, but I haven't found an answer to this particular question:
I've heard it said on this board that writing a "why X" essay is highly advisable for some schools, Penn and Michigan included. But I'm struggling to write compelling ones because even though I want to attend these schools, I feel like all my reasons are generic-sounding. What is the value of doing one of the other optional essay topics? For example, one of Michigan's options is something along the lines of "Tell us about a time you succeeded/failed as a member of a team." Would it be a bad idea to write on that topic instead of the "Why Michigan?" I don't think I'm a stellar enough candidate to be excessively worried about YP (but even if you were very worried about YP -- could writing any optional essay go toward expressing your interest in a school, or is that end exclusively served by writing on the "why x" topic?).