"Why X?" Essay to my ED school?

RM112015

Hello fellow 7sagers!

I hope that studying and preparing applications is going well!

I was just wondering if I should write a "Why X?" essay to the law school I will be applying ED. I read on TLS (http://www.top-law-schools.com/writing-effective-why-x-addendum.html) that I run the risk of being redundant if I do write one, as my decision to apply ED essentially says more than my essay ever could. Should I go on ahead and write one anyway? I feel like I should just to be safe...Thanks!

GSU Hopeful

Personally I wouldn't submit one unless the school asks for one or explicitly leaves the option open for one.

nicole.hopkins

Which school is it?

RM112015

@nicole.hopkins UVA. I may opt for UChicago ED instead if my October score is high enough. I am interested in both equally and have strong reasons for attending both. But like the article said, law schools may not care for the essay if I apply ED.

NYC12345

I heard UVA, Duke and Penn appreciate the "Why X" essay, but I haven't encountered anyone who wrote one for Chicago.

Petrichor

UVA doesn't actually have an explicit "Why us" option, although many people do submit one. Same with Penn.

GSU Hopeful

@Petrichor . I didn't know that about either school. I've always been of the opinion that you should provide any and everything that a school requires and nothing that they don't ask for. I feel like the middle is a gray area and therefore taking a chance. But, if people submit them regardless then I think it comes down to a judgement call. I would, however, like to know how those students are affected (positively or negatively) by submitting one. Thanks again.

nicole.hopkins

The UT dean explicitly recommended including a "Why Texas" essay with the ED app.

nicole.hopkins

@"GSU Hopeful" said:
I've always been of the opinion that you should provide any and everything that a school requires and nothing that they don't ask for.

Yeah, I don't really think this applies too categorically. When in doubt, give the admissions office a call.

c.janson35

I was told somewhere along the line that if the schools offer the opportunity to write a Why Us? type of essay, you should strongly consider doing so.

nicole.hopkins

A lot of the time a "Why X" essay is not explicitly part of the application and schools request essays from folks after the fact, or if they're trying to decide between you and someone else they email you and ask for one. So cut out that step and put yourself forward. Why would knowing for sure that you want to go to their school ever put you at a disadvantage? Seems a no-brainer to me, unless you're applying to schools you don't really want to go to.

Pacifico

It only becomes an issue when you are overloading them with additional essays and other optional materials to the point that you might annoy the app reader. You want to stay on their good side, so as long as you feel like you can do that then it shouldn't be a problem. If you wrote a bunch of unnecessary addenda and other extra fluff then sure, a Why X essay will look less authentic since it seems like you're just throwing everything at them and seeing what will stick.

I personally think that you should generally keep the Why X in your back pocket in case you don't get in ED and either get pushed to the regular applicant pool or get waitlisted. If you're not competitive for ED on your numbers alone, a Why X essay is really not going to make or break your chances for ED since it does border on the redundant at that stage in the game. Later on when they are yield protecting is when the Why X essays seem to have the most value.

Also, unless you're totally rich or cool with financing your entire legal education, I would strongly advise against applying ED to any school that doesn't offer automatic ED scholarships because all your negotiating leverage goes out the window.

So if your numbers are good enough to get into Chicago ED, they're probably good enough to get a decent scholarship, if not an awesome scholarship, from UVA. So at that point I'd just apply RD to all of your schools and leverage those offers.

NYC12345

Applying ED to any school is more compelling than a "Why X" essay, since you are committing to a school, regardless of aid.

RM112015

Thank you all for the input!

@Pacifico You make a very strong point about keeping the "Why X" essay in your back pocket if ED doesn't work out. I think what I'll do is write a why us essay only for the schools I am most passionate about. From what I've read, these essays can take up a lot of time that I could be using instead to study for my potential Dec. LSAT retake.

Nilesh S

I know for a fact as an alum that UChicago DEFINITELY loves a why Chicago essay even though they don't specifically request it. Dean Perry and the other admission people want to know why you want to go there... and this is one of the best ways to show them.