Help! Should I write "why X school" ?

Student1015

I heard it is a common thing to write one like writing a diversity statement together with your personal statement. Some say it might help your app but I heard some admissions hate reading the extra document?

Should I write one for every school I'm applying or not? My 2 pages personal statement does not included anything about certain school.

Any advice is welcome! Thank you so much!

Hal Incandenza

If the school invites you to write it as an optional essay, then it’s in your best interest to write it

Jahn.Snow

From the many info sessions for schools I've listened in on and from the advice of adcoms I've read about- I believe it is advised to write a "why X" statement only if you actually have a meaningful reason. Don't write one with generic reasons ("nice campus, small class sizes, etc") , but if there is something about the school that draws you to them specifically, then by all means write it. I can't speak to whether adcoms hate reading them, I'm sure they'd love to read about legitimate reasons why you want to attend/ what's special about their school specifically and how that connects to you personally/ professionally. The Dean of Admissions at Duke said it's not necessary to include the why X statement (he specifically noted they admit many people who don't write one), but that if you do include it, it should be meaningful and not perfunctory.

DontPay4LawSchool

From what I have heard, it might depend. Does the school limit how many additional essays you can have outside of the personal statement? If so, you might want to weigh which additional essay could be more impactful and meaningful. If they do not, you have to realize that we are going through one of the most competitive cycles in history and admissions offices want to know that you are going to attend their school if admitted. For most schools -- it seems -- they do not necessarily have limits. Like @"Jahn.Snow" said, make sure that your response is not superficial and could easily be repeated by someone else. You should really connect why you want to go there through some other element apparent in your application. Hope this helps!

aszane21

I think people need to worry less about annoying the ADCOMs tbh, its their job to read your application. That being said, it is still a good idea to use your space effectively (write well and don't be repetitive). You shouldn't write a diversity or why x statement just because its an option, only do it if you can write a good one (as others have said). Some schools (Penn comes to mind) have a diversity and why x prompt but only allow you to submit one, whereas others may allow you to submit both (Michigan does this). There are also other prompts (like the "teamwork" prompt) that you shouldn't discount because they are less common than the diversity or why x prompts.

TE CSC 2021

Please do yourself a favor and write the "why x" statement, particularly if you're applying to places like Penn, UVA, Berkeley, and Michigan. You'll want to make sure you convince them that you're actually interested in attending law school there as opposed to notching acceptances in your belt and/or having a fall-back option that's suitable to you. The best case of course is that you do have a compelling reason for wanting to attend law school there (you're from there, you've already done things law-relevant in their region, they have a certain program/emphasis that suits your career goals). Failing that, at least make sure that you've done some deeper research into the school...know a few of their leading professors, mention some of their ground-breaking clinical work, see if they publish a journal in a field that is of particular interest to you.

sarakimmel

Agreed with other commenters, don't write it for the sake of writing it, but if they ask for one, do your research and have a good "why" to write about. The resounding advice I have gotten from AdComms is that you should never waste an opportunity to give the school a reason to admit you. They definitely don't want a cursory or phoned-in answer, and including why you would be a good fit for their program and what you will contribute is just as important as why you want to go to their school, maybe more-so. They know everything about their school, so make it unique to you.