How to Write an Unforgettable “Why Us” Essay

“If you had to reduce Doctor Strange down to one central trait, what would it be?”

That’s the opening line of the essay that got Dennis into the University of Chicago.

UChicago’s prompts are famously weird, but the strategy Dennis used applies to every “Why Us” essay—whether you’re targeting the Ivy League or a summer program. Here are the two rules you need to master.

RULE 1: 80% YOU, 20% THE SCHOOL

Most students get it backwards: 80% about the school, 20% about themselves. The instinct is to flatter the school, but trust us–flip the ratio (focus on YOU first), and the essay gets stronger.

Here’s Yale’s own admissions office saying the same thing on their podcast:

HANNAH: “A lot of responses... are just obviously the product of some very hurried googling. Instead, show us why it’s important to you and what you’re doing now.”

Dennis spends almost no space telling UChicago it’s a good school. Instead, he spends three paragraphs proving who he already is, one identity at a time (see snippets of each below):

“At times, I am a theatrical virtuoso, prancing around the stage, belting iconic lines from Macbeth... I swung my lightsaber in fury.”

“Once I step foot onto the pitch, I transform into a soccer whiz, bolting past defenders, performing slick twists and turns... transforming myself into a graceful conductor.”

“To teach my history class about the refinement of American culture during the Gilded Age, I constructed a ‘Roaring Twenties’ edition of Monopoly!

These are just snippets of the larger paragraphs, but TLDR: that’s the 80% — pure evidence of who Dennis is before the school even enters the room.

RULE 2: CONNECT YOUR PAST TO YOUR PRESENT

Don’t just say what the school offers—show the thread from what you’ve already done to what you’ll do there.

Dennis links his theater experience to the Off-Off Campus troupe, his soccer passion to the Maroon Cup, and his creative instinct to The Chicago Maroon. Every “superpower” gets a landing spot.

Read the full essay here.

THIS DOESN’T WAIT UNTIL SENIOR YEAR

Rising seniors: Pull up your current “Why Us” drafts and highlight it — one color for sentences about the school, another for sentences about you. If there are more school-colored highlights… you have your revision plan (flip it).

Juniors (or younger): Use this strategy for summer programs! Build that muscle now, and the college essay is just a rerun. (A few worth applying to with this in mind: UChicago’s own summer session (ED0), Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS), and a handful of other reputable university-run programs)

Want help editing your college application to perfection?

We review activities lists, common apps, supplemental essays, summer program applications — you name it!

Try #1 College Essay Editing Service in the World (12,350+ essays edited and counting) → www.elevated.school/editmyessay/readme

Many of our students who had just 2-3 essays got into their dream school!

Until next time, Kevin and Vennela, ElevatEd School

P.S. We’ve helped over 1,500 students earn Top 20 acceptances since 2020. Know a high schooler who should see this? Forward them this email!

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