I just got the e-mail too. I'm incredulous, but only because some lucky acceptances at schools that I have no business getting in to have left me with an inflated ego. This ought to take me down a notch.

did you write the Why Penn?

Nope, I didn't write the Why Penn or any of the optional essays.

...and there you have it.

Heh, yup that would explain it. It was silly of me to be honest. But I don't really understand the reason for including a spot on the application for an optional "why our school" essay." I know it's part of the whole admissions game, but the adcomms must know that only a fraction of people (ie me) are going to leave that blank, a signifcant portion of students will give their actual reason for wanting to go, and the vast majority will just read crap off their website and brochures to sound like they give a damn when they really don't. I guess it does serve a purpose in weeding out some applicants. But the downside is that the adcomms probably have a harder time telling who actually wants to go to Penn and who wrote the letter because you'd be stupid not to.

My letter would have been a lie. I don't know why I want to go to any school before i can get a real feel for it. Undergrad apps taught me that you really can't tell what you're going to like until you experience it yourself. So if I wrote the letter, i would either have to lie or say this:Dear Penn,I have no particular reason that I'm applying to your program besides the fact that you seem like a good law school and my numbers give me a chance of acceptance. The fee waiver also helped. I may or may not end up liking you more than Columbia, UChi, NYU but that's hard to tell before I spend some time at your school, talk to students, etc. I didn't have the money or time to visit every school now, and your website can only tell me so much, but if you like I can recite the info from your admission's brochure to sound more interested. Otherise I'm jsut going to wait for acceptacnes, ASWs, and Fin Aid proposals so that I can formulate an actual opinionWith love,Brett

p.s. I would guess that 75% of the applicants to Penn had the same motivations for applying that I do. And you're doing a disservice to the 25% that actually have a reason to go to Penn by suggesting that everyone should write this essay.

p.s. I would guess that 75% of the applicants to Penn had the same motivations for applying that I do. And you're doing a disservice to the 25% that actually have a reason to go to Penn by suggesting that everyone should write this essay.

Honestly, i think the process of writing a Why X essay often serves to make me more excited about a school. For example, when I was researching for my Why Mich essay, I ended up finding aspects of the school I hadn't really researched before (because honestly, who has time to research EVERYTHING about ALL their schools). Trying to convince the adcomm that I wanted to go there ended up being a very effective (and free) sales pitch for the school. I think it has a really interesting psychological effect on the applicant at the same time that it is a tool for weeding out students who care so little about a school that they could not be bothered to write the essay.

p.s. I would guess that 75% of the applicants to Penn had the same motivations for applying that I do. And you're doing a disservice to the 25% that actually have a reason to go to Penn by suggesting that everyone should write this essay.

Honestly, i think the process of writing a Why X essay often serves to make me more excited about a school. For example, when I was researching for my Why Mich essay, I ended up finding aspects of the school I hadn't really researched before (because honestly, who has time to research EVERYTHING about ALL their schools). Trying to convince the adcomm that I wanted to go there ended up being a very effective (and free) sales pitch for the school. I think it has a really interesting psychological effect on the applicant at the same time that it is a tool for weeding out students who care so little about a school that they could not be bothered to write the essay.

Hmm, that's a very good point that I hadn't thought of. And I agree based on my experiences. When preparing for my Northwestern interview I researched the school more intensely than I had before, and I ended up liking it a whole lot more. Still not a fan of the essays, but I'm stubborn like that.

so this goes to all WL applicants:how do you do it?how can you wait till the end of august and not plan to move before that?isn't housing a concern? if you don't get into penn and have to travel to a different state where you did get accepted, you just pack up life and move within three days?

how do people do it?i am on the penn wl but i think that if they don't come through with an offer by mid-june, i will have to relocate elsewhere.what if they call in august? should i break a lease on an apartment and move?i simply don't understand how this works for people.insight, please.

well, the hope is obviously that you get off the waitlist before then. for some people, getting into Penn in August would not be a cross-country move, it would be the difference between one east coas state and another one. for a lot of people, the cost of breaking a lease is far outweighed by the benefits of attending Penn.

also, philly is NOT like New York...if you only have a month (or even less) to find housing in Philly, you won't be screwed.