Genuine Fit vs. Generic Fit

Every applicant writes some version of this: "I am excited about [School]'s world-class faculty, diverse student body, and collaborative culture. I look forward to taking Professor [Name]'s class on [Topic] and joining the [Club] to further my passion for [Industry]."

That essay could be about literally any top program. Swap the school name and the professor name and it works for five different applications. Admissions committees have read a thousand of these. They can tell when someone actually researched the program and when someone spent 20 minutes on the website and called it done.

The "why school" essay is not about why the school is great. The school already knows it's great. It's about why the school is great for you, specifically, given your goals, your story, and what you bring to the table.

That's a very different essay. And writing it well requires actual research, not just browsing the website.

This is the single most important principle for school research: work backwards from your goals.

Don't start by asking "Why Columbia?" or "Why Stanford?" Start by asking "What are my goals?" and then figure out how each school specifically helps you get there.

I walked a student through this live. He was stuck on his Columbia essay. Didn't know what to write beyond "good school, good network." So we flipped it.

His goals were international. He wanted to go back to Asia and build fintech. So the first thing I did was go on Columbia's website and look for anything they brag about related to international business. Turns out Columbia is 41% international students. They have a "Culture of NYC" section on their site where they explicitly brag about being in one of the most international cities in the world. They have global programs and international immersion treks.

Now the essay writes itself. "My goal is to build fintech in Asia. Columbia's 41% international student body and its location in the most globally connected city in the world means I'll be surrounded by people who understand emerging markets firsthand. The Chazen Institute's global immersion program offers direct exposure to Asian financial markets."