--- title: "DOs and DON'Ts for Your \"Why Us?\" Essay | Elite Prep" description: "Real student examples show why vague praise falls flat, plus specific lines about USC programs and professors that prove genuine interest in a school." url: "https://eliteprep.com/blog/dos-and-donts-for-your-why-us-essay.html/" image: "https://eliteprep.com/og/post/en/dos-and-donts-for-your-why-us-essay.html.png" language: "en" datePublished: "2013-12-14T18:36:53.000Z" source: "eliteprep build" --- [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) [Resources](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/resources/) # DOs and DON'Ts for Your "Why Us?" Essay December 14, 2013 [Ethan Sawyer](https://eliteprep.com/blog/dos-and-donts-for-your-why-us-essay.html/#about-the-author) 2 min read [Explore Elite College Consulting](https://eliteprep.com/consulting/) ![A gauge labeled "Male Bovine Fecal Matter Detector" with its needle pointing past High to "B.S.!"](https://eliteprep.com/media/bs-detector.webp) This post is 12 years old. Test formats, deadlines and admissions policies may have changed since it was published. [See newer posts about College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) I wrote in [*a different post*](https://eliteprep.com/blog/how-to-write-a-why-us-essay-for-a-school-youre-not-super-exc.html/) that the best way to sound excited in your “Why us” statement is to *actually get excited* about the school you’re writing for. How? By doing research. But is there a way to tell the difference between a student who really wants to go to a particular school and one who’s just faking? There is a way. And here’s a hint: your..."baloney" detector is actually pretty good. You just need to turn it on. Do so now... ![A gauge labeled "Male Bovine Fecal Matter Detector" with its needle pointing past High to "B.S.!"](https://media.eliteprep.com/bs-detector.webp) Activate! Turn on your baloney-detector and tell me if this sounds like the person *actually* wants to go to this school or *not so much*: > *Given that I am an individual that genuinely enjoys being introduced to new concepts, ideas, and new information, Kalamazoo would definitely be a great fit for me. Being around sophisticated and intellectual students, with similar ambitions as mine, would inspire me to challenge myself on a daily basis. By doing so, I would gradually grow not only as a student, but as a human.* What do we learn about what makes K-Zoo special in this student’s eyes? ![A large red X, a TV game show's wrong-answer signal](https://media.eliteprep.com/single%2Bstrike.webp) *Survey says...* Absolutely nothing. Let’s try again: > *SMU has a program called the NCA, which stands for the National Communication Association, and it helps support students to be able to solve problems by communicating. SMU also has over 90 student organization for students to get involved with that can complement their academic pursuits, which will allow me to join organizations I really enjoy.* ![Two red X marks, a game show's second wrong answer](https://media.eliteprep.com/Strike%2Btwo.webp) BZZZZT. SMU KNOWS WHAT PROGRAMS IT HAS; WHICH PROGRAMS ARE YOU INTERESTED IN AND WHY? Sorry, caps lock got stuck. Let’s try once more: > *I like the fact that the professors are dedicated to helping students succeed in their studies and are willing to help…* ![A bald man in a red uniform sits in a chair covering his face with his hand in a facepalm.](https://media.eliteprep.com/Facepalm_227785.webp) Oh, as opposed to that *other* university where the professors *aren’t* dedicated to helping students succeed. So how *do* you write sentences that sound like you actually want to go to the school? Like this: > *I believe USC is perfect for me because, though other schools offer a Judaic Studies major, I have yet to find a program as comprehensive as USC’s. Take, for example, courses like “Biblical Hebrew” (as opposed to just Modern Hebrew) and “Why Be Jewish?”* Like a boss. Look how specific. Beautiful. And another, from the same student: > *Though the CogSci program at USC is in its inaugural year and little information was available during my open house visit, I was able to contact Associate Professor of Psychology and Linguistics Toby Mintz through email and was happy to discover that USC’s program is extremely interdisciplinary in nature, cross cutting traditional disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, linguistics, computer science, and anthropology. I have always been interested in languages (I speak three), consider computer science a strength and am drawn to the “Philosophy of Language” courses, as I recently wrote a research paper addressing the potential implications of applying J.L. Austin’s work with “performative utterances” to smart-phone technology.* Now that’s legit. Has he demonstrated interest in the school? **Yes.** Has he done his research? **Oui.** Is he clearly showing why he’s *specifically* interested in USC *while* revealing more about himself?نعم. Get it? Got it? Good. ![A woman in a blue top turns to look over her shoulder with a knowing smile.](https://media.eliteprep.com/a2801c85923512c4_thumbs-up-gif-full.webp) And if you haven’t read it, here’s the full [*How to Write a “Why Us” Essay*](https://eliteprep.com/blog/how-to-write-a-why-us-essay-part-1-of-3.html/) post. About the author ## Ethan Sawyer Ethan Sawyer is a writer, teacher, speaker, and voice actor who taught at Elite Educational Institute and coordinated the Elite Community Scholars Program. [All articles by Ethan Sawyer](https://eliteprep.com/blog/author/ethan-sawyer/) ## Free Tools for This Topic - [College roadmap by grade](https://eliteprep.com/college-roadmap/) - [GPA calculator](https://eliteprep.com/gpa-calculator/) ## More on This Topic [All posts in College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ![Facebook menu with Settings, Logout and Search tabs, and "Privacy Settings" circled in red below "Account Settings".](https://media.eliteprep.com/Facebook-Privacy-Settings-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [Why You Should Probably Set Your Facebook Settings to Private After Sending in Your Common App](https://eliteprep.com/blog/why-you-should-probably-set-your-facebook-settings-to-privat.html/) December 6, 2013 Ethan Sawyer ![Stacked bundles of $100 bills banded with $10,000 currency straps](https://media.eliteprep.com/stacks-of-cash-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [Five FAFSA Myths – Busted](https://eliteprep.com/blog/five-fafsa-myths-busted.html/) January 15, 2014 Ethan Sawyer ![A man in a suit gestures while talking with a student seated across from him in a living room with red sofas.](https://media.eliteprep.com/interview-img-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [College Interviews: How much do they really matter? (Part 1 of 2)](https://eliteprep.com/blog/college-interviews-how-much-do-they-really-matter-part-1-of.html/) January 24, 2014 Ethan Sawyer ![Cartoon of a shirtless man seated holding a syringe while another person in a "Biology" shirt is tattooed by a mechanical arm.](https://media.eliteprep.com/ChoosingAMajorThatMakesYouHappy-1024x737-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [Five Common Myths About College Majors](https://eliteprep.com/blog/five-common-myths-about-college-majors.html/) February 13, 2014 Ethan Sawyer ## Ready to Study This with an Instructor? Elite Prep offers this program at centers across the country. Review what the course covers, or find the center nearest you. [Explore Elite College Consulting](https://eliteprep.com/consulting/) [Browse programs](https://eliteprep.com/programs/)