essay on study in usa

6 Reasons Why You Should Study in the U.S.

Despite the temporary lapse due to the pandemic, studying in the United States remains a popular option for international students. In 2021, 4.6 percent of college students studying in the U.S. were from a foreign country—a slight drop from the 5.5 percent the previous year. However, this number increased by 9 percent in 2022 as pandemic-related restrictions were lifted and traveling abroad became more accessible again.

There are countless reasons why studying in the U.S. is a great idea. Here’s an overview of the top reasons why and how to start your study abroad journey.

Top 6 Reasons Students Should Study in the U.S.

1. more degree flexibility.

Unlike higher education institutions in many foreign countries, U.S. colleges are generally flexible when it comes to changing your area of study. This flexibility can refer to several scenarios, including:

• Switching a major midway through the program
• Returning to school to study a new subject to pivot a career path
• Continuing studies from abroad in a new focus

“There are so many ways to change the direction of your degree that can be flexible depending on the person’s background and experience,” says Tomo Yamamoto, associate director of International Enrollment Marketing at Northeastern University. “That’s something really good about the United States.” This can be a significant draw for international students to students in the U.S., especially considering the education structure in other countries.

For example, many educational systems in foreign countries strongly encourage their students to pick a path and remain on it. On the other hand, the U.S. education system is built to allow each student to decide on their career path through trial and error—potentially allowing second chances to find the best fit.

Additionally, this flexibility is possible because U.S. universities offer a wider variety of degrees of study compared to institutions abroad. While this may cause “analysis paralysis” in some, it opens the world to new and improved career opportunities for others.

2. Improved Career Opportunities

Studying—and graduating—in the U.S. can pave the way to numerous career opportunities. Not only is the U.S. home to leading organizations in most industries, but many U.S. college programs are also built with future career opportunities in mind. For example, most college degrees include internship and co-op opportunities, where you can gain hands-on experience that adds impressive lines to your resumé. It also offers great opportunities for networking with professionals in your career field, which might otherwise be very challenging for international students.

As such, it’s important to find a university that’s willing to invest in your future success and offers the opportunities to do so. For example, Northeastern University is ranked #1 in the U.S. for co-ops and internship offerings. These offerings combine international students’ unique knowledge and experience from their home countries with the hands-on experience at an American university, which produces professionals with the skills needed to be more appealing job applicants.

3. Increased Fluency in English

Nearly 1.5 billion people globally speak English, and it’s considered the most widely accepted language in business across most cultures. Increasing your fluency in English can be incredibly valuable, especially when it comes to advancing your career internationally.

If English is not your native language, you should seriously consider enrolling in a U.S.-based university to fully immerse yourself in the language and improve your communication skills. Additionally, multilingualism can be a competitive advantage when you’re applying to jobs. Not only is this useful for communication with foreign stakeholders, but it also demonstrates an understanding of cross-cultural collaboration.

4. Opportunity to Gain a Global Perspective

One of the key benefits of studying in the U.S. is cultural diversity. As an international student, you’ll have the opportunity to meet individuals from a wide spectrum of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and interests. Exposure to such opinions and perspectives will support a well-rounded education and a vibrant and enriching life outside of the classroom.

Colleges in the U.S. also tend to value student life activities and organizations as much as academics. There, you’ll have several opportunities to try new activities and experiences with people you wouldn’t otherwise have had the chance to meet and get to know.

5. Excellent Student Support

U.S. universities are renowned for offering world-class support, especially for international students. Most U.S. schools have an Office of Global Services , or something similar, with a dedicated team to ensure international students are supported in their university life. Along with these services, most universities offer career counseling, mental health resources, financial aid, and alumni connections—all to support their students in as many ways as possible.

Pro Tip: Many universities offer these services to prospective students as well. Just reach out to the admissions team and ask to be connected with support resources for international students. This is a great way to get connected to the right people who can help you with your applications, visa, and moving processes.

6. Internationally Respected Degrees

It’s hard to ignore the fact that many international students also attend schools in the U.S. because of their global rankings and educational reputations. This is largely because internationally respected degrees are seen as stepping stones to improved career opportunities. If this is your primary reason for studying in the U.S., weigh the pros and cons of a respected degree and available career prep opportunities as you decide which institution to invest your time and money in for the next few years.

How to Choose a College in the U.S.

Once you’ve decided to study in the U.S., the most important step is conducting research to find the right school for you. Here are some things to look for in your U.S. college search.

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning refers to a model of education that combines learning theory and ideas in the classroom with real-life practice and application. This form of learning allows students to gain invaluable experience, develop relevant industry skills, and immediately apply what they’ve learned. As an international student, experiential learning provides much- needed opportunities for work experience that may otherwise not be accessible.

Internship and Co-op Opportunities

Universities with strong internship and co-op opportunities tend to have outstanding ongoing relationships with many companies and employer partners. These industry connections can ultimately lead to more job opportunities for students post-graduation. Additionally, you can gain real work experience and network with leaders in your field of interest—all before you even graduate. As such, readily available internships and co-ops tend to signal that an institution is dedicated to your career success and can provide you with necessary professional support. Consider enrolling in an institution that is known for its internship program. According to U.S. News and World Report rankings, Northeastern is ranked #1 in co-op and internships in the U.S.

Quality of Education

A reliable way to assess the quality of education amongst universities is by researching reputable rankings. For instance, Northeastern University is one of the top 50 universities in the U.S., and is ranked:

• #1 in co-ops and internships
• #9 in international business
• #12 in most innovative schools.

Such titles indicate a dedication to not only quality education, but also the success of the school’s graduates, reputation, and ongoing partnerships with external organizations.

Faculty Credentials

Another indication of quality education is faculty credentials. Yamamoto recommends “to look for the biography (or CV) and experience of each faculty member” at your college of interest, especially in the department you’re considering. Remember, these are the people you’ll be learning directly from for the next several years.

Since Northeastern is known for its experiential learning model, its faculty is chosen accordingly. “We take faculty from the actual field to avoid professors who are just ‘book smart,’” Yamamoto says. “We believe in hands-on experience.”

Studying in the U.S. with Northeastern University

Studying in the U.S. offers an abundance of benefits, but it’s important to ensure that you’re selecting the right college for your academic and future goals in order to take full advantage of these opportunities. Once you’ve decided to study in the U.S., follow these tips to make an informed decision on a university.

Are you an international student looking for the right fit? Consider attending Northeastern University. Contact our Office of Global Services to learn more.

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US College Essay Tips for International Students

Published on September 21, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on December 8, 2023.

Beyond your test scores and grades, the college essay is your opportunity to express your academic and personal character, writing skills, and ability to self-reflect.

You should use your unique culture and individual perspective to write a compelling essay with specific stories, a conversational tone, and correct grammar. Here are some basic guidelines on how to write a memorable college essay as an international student.

Table of contents

Research: how applying to us colleges is different, stories: show your strengths, tone: be conversational, but respectful, culture: write about what you know, language: use correct grammar, word choices, and sentence structures, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

The US college experience offers not only academic growth, but also campus community. While admissions officers use your grades and test scores as a baseline, they also use the college essay to further evaluate if you can add value to the academic community, student body, and campus culture.

The college essay, or personal statement, is a creative, personal piece of writing in its own genre. Rather than providing a broad overview of your life, personal essays are often centered around a specific narrative or theme.

The college essay may be the deciding factor in a student’s application, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurriculars. Many students spend weeks一even months一brainstorming, workshopping, writing, and revising their essays to produce an original, compelling story.

Before starting your essay, you should take time to brainstorm topics and research your desired schools’ academic programs and campus cultures. Then, you can start outlining why you’re a good fit for a particular university.

Some colleges also require supplemental essays (e.g. diversity essays , “Why this college?” essays ), which must be submitted along with the college application. Scholarship essays are also worth writing, as many students overlook this opportunity. Research deadlines early, and create a college application timeline and checklist . Or check out our guide to writing fast if you’re running low on time.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Just being an international student isn’t enough to be competitive in a pool of both US and international applicants. To write a memorable essay, share specific stories that illustrate your strengths not only as an international student, but also as an individual within your culture. You should add details about your life that aren’t apparent in your application.

In South Korea, school is war. Similar to Battle Royale , students viciously compete, not for their life, but for their futures. From 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., I study either in school, an after-school academy, or my room. With no time to spare, I eat my meals over my textbooks while memorizing chemical compounds or geometry theorems. My bathroom breaks are like short breaths before I dive back underwater into the vast sea of knowledge that I must conquer before it drowns me. Among this chaos, I find solace twice a week with my online English tutor, Catherine. Her stories of college in Boston help me to imagine a reality where classmates can be collaborators, not competitors. Rather than memorization drills and one-sided lectures, I imagine a lively discussion between pupil and professor. As we converse in English about my future dreams, I get a taste of what it’s like to be not a prisoner to knowledge, but a friend.

American student-teacher relationships are much less formal than those in many other countries. US universities value student-professor discussion, debate, and collaboration.

Similarly, college application essays are less formal than other kinds of academic writing. You should use a conversational yet respectful tone, as if speaking with a teacher or mentor. Be honest about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences to connect with the admissions officer. To improve the tone of your essay you can use a paraphrasing tool .

• Firstly, I would like to elaborate on how my family moved from Xizhou to Beijing.
• When I was just five, my family and I left behind our tranquil village in southwest China to make a new home in the vast, bustling capital of Beijing.

As an international student, you have a wealth of culture that you can share with admissions officers. Instead of potentially using American idioms and cultural references awkwardly, write in detail about yourself within your own culture.

Make sure to explain any words, customs, or places that an American admissions officer might not be familiar with. Provide context to help your reader understand the significance of what you’re writing about.

While drowsiness still clouds my thoughts and vision, I trudge over to the bathroom to wash before Fajr , the Islamic dawn prayer. While my mouth still reeks of last night’s kabsa , a Saudi dish of rice and meat, my older sister prances out of the bathroom with sleek, long hair, flawless makeup, and a TikTok-ready outfit. While softly humming BTS’s “DNA,” she picks up a comb and begins to skillfully tackle the labyrinth that has taken over my head. Twenty minutes later, she manages to tame my wild, frizzy mane into an elegant French braid. Sara always knows how to make beauty out of chaos.

Admissions officers don’t expect your English writing skills to be perfect, but your essay should demonstrate a strong command of grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structures. Remember to use US English rather than UK English .

Choose your words carefully. You can be creative in your word choice, but don’t use elaborate vocabulary to impress admissions officers; focus on language that you know well so that your writing sounds natural and genuine. Prioritize simple sentence structures for clarity.

If English is not your first language, it’s a good idea to have a native speaker check your essay. You can also use our essay checker .

If you want 100% accuracy, you may want to consider working with a qualified editor or essay coach who can check your grammar, tone, cultural references, and content. Scribbr’s college essay editors can help.

Explore the essay editing service

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

Admissions officers use college admissions essays to evaluate your character, writing skills , and ability to self-reflect . The essay is your chance to show what you will add to the academic community.

The college essay may be the deciding factor in your application , especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurriculars.

Some colleges also require supplemental essays about specific topics, such as why you chose that specific college . Scholarship essays are often required to obtain financial aid .

College application essays are less formal than other kinds of academic writing . Use a conversational yet respectful tone , as if speaking with a teacher or mentor. Be vulnerable about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences to connect with the reader.

Aim to write in your authentic voice , with a style that sounds natural and genuine. You can be creative with your word choice, but don’t use elaborate vocabulary to impress admissions officers.

If you’re an international student applying to a US college and you’re comfortable using American idioms or cultural references , you can. But instead of potentially using them incorrectly, don’t be afraid to write in detail about yourself within your own culture.

Provide context for any words, customs, or places that an American admissions officer might be unfamiliar with.

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12 Effective “Why This College?” Essay Examples

What’s covered.

• Essay 1: UPenn Nursing
• Essay 2: UPenn
• Essay 3: UW Madison
• Essay 4: Northwestern
• Essay 5: NYU
• Essay 6: NYU
• Essay 7: Boston University
• Essay 8: Boston University
• Essay 9: Tufts
• Essay 10: Tufts
• Essay 11: Georgia Tech
• Essay 12: Georgia Tech

Where to Get Your Essays Edited

The “ Why This College?” essay is one of the most common supplemental prompts. These school-specific essays help colleges understand if you’re a good fit for them, and if they’re a good fit for you.

In this post, we’ll share 12 “Why This College?” essay examples from real students and explain what they did well, and what could be improved. Read these examples to understand how to write a strong supplemental essay that improves your chances of acceptance.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized.

Essay Example #1: UPenn Nursing

Prompt: How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying (650 words).

Sister Simone Roach, a theorist of nursing ethics, said, “caring is the human mode of being.” I have long been inspired by Sister Roach’s Five C’s of Caring: commitment, conscience, competence, compassion, and confidence. Penn both embraces and fosters these values through a rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum and unmatched access to service and volunteer opportunities.

COMMITMENT. Reading through the activities that Penn Quakers devote their time to (in addition to academics!) felt like drinking from a firehose in the best possible way. As a prospective nursing student with interests outside of my major, I value this level of flexibility. I plan to leverage Penn’s liberal arts curriculum to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges LGBT people face, especially regarding healthcare access. Through courses like “Interactional Processes with LGBT Individuals” and volunteering at the Mazzoni Center for outreach, I hope to learn how to better support the Penn LGBT community as well as my family and friends, including my cousin, who came out as trans last year.

CONSCIENCE. As one of the first people in my family to attend a four-year university, I wanted a school that promoted a sense of moral responsibility among its students. At Penn, professors challenge their students to question and recreate their own set of morals by sparking thought- provoking, open-minded discussions. I can imagine myself advocating for universal healthcare in courses such as “Health Care Reform & Future of American Health System” and debating its merits with my peers. Studying in an environment where students confidently voice their opinions – conservative or liberal – will push me to question and strengthen my value system.

COMPETENCE. Two aspects that drew my attention to Penn’s BSN program were its high-quality research opportunities and hands-on nursing projects. Through its Office of Nursing Research, Penn connects students to faculty members who share similar research interests. As I volunteered at a nursing home in high school, I hope to work with Dr. Carthon to improve the quality of care for senior citizens. Seniors, especially minorities, face serious barriers to healthcare that I want to resolve. Additionally, Penn’s unique use of simulations to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application impressed me. Using computerized manikins that mimic human responses, classes in Penn’s nursing program allow students to apply their emergency medical skills in a mass casualty simulation and monitor their actions afterward through a video system. Participating in this activity will help me identify my strengths and areas for improvement regarding crisis management and medical care in a controlled yet realistic setting. Research opportunities and simulations will develop my skills even before I interact with patients.

COMPASSION. I value giving back through community service, and I have a particular interest in Penn’s Community Champions and Nursing Students For Sexual & Reproductive Health (NSRH). As a four-year volunteer health educator, I hope to continue this work as a Community Champions member. I am excited to collaborate with medical students to teach fourth and fifth graders in the city about cardiology or lead a chair dance class for the elders at the LIFE Center. Furthermore, as a feminist who firmly believes in women’s abortion rights, I’d like to join NSRH in order to advocate for women’s health on campus. At Penn, I can work with like-minded people to make a meaningful difference.

CONFIDENCE. All of the Quakers that I have met possess one defining trait: confidence. Each student summarized their experiences at Penn as challenging but fulfilling. Although I expect my coursework to push me, from my conversations with current Quakers I know it will help me to be far more effective in my career.

The Five C’s of Caring are important heuristics for nursing, but they also provide insight into how I want to approach my time in college. I am eager to engage with these principles both as a nurse and as a Penn Quaker, and I can’t wait to start.

What the Essay Did Well

This essay has many positive aspects, but the most impressive one is the structure. Utilizing the Five C’s of Caring to discuss Penn’s offerings was a genius way of tying in this student’s passion for nursing while also making their essay exciting and easy to read. Beginning each paragraph with the respective adjective helped focus the paragraph and allowed the student to demonstrate how they exemplify each quality without explicitly stating it. The student wasn’t afraid to think outside the box and add creativity to their essay structure, which really paid off.

Another positive is how specific and specialized the Penn resources and opportunities the student mentions are. This essay did not fall into the trap of name-dropping professors or programs. In every paragraph, there was a connection to something the student wants to do at Penn to further themselves in the respective characteristic they were describing.

Not only did this student mention a resource at Penn—whether it was a professor, a class, or a club—in every paragraph, but they elaborated on what that resource was and how it would help them achieve their goal of becoming a nurse. The what and how is what sets this essay apart from other supplements that just name-drop resources for the sake of it. The amount of detail this essay went into about some of these resources makes it clear to the admissions officers reading the essay that this student has seriously looked into Penn and has a strong desire to come to campus and use these resources.

What Could Be Improved

One thing this essay could do to make it stronger is improve the first paragraph. The student does a good job of setting up Sister Roach and the Five C’s, but they don’t mention anything about their desire to study or pursue nursing. The first paragraph mentions both Sister Roach and Penn, but left out the student. This could be fixed by simply adding something along the lines of “I can’t wait to embody these values as a nursing student at Penn” to the paragraph.

Essay Example #2: UPenn

Prompt: Considering the specific undergraduate school you have selected, how will you explore your academic and intellectual interests at the University of Pennsylvania?  For students applying to the coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer these questions in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay. (300-450 words)

I always loved watching the worms when it rained. I used to put my little raincoat on, sit on the doorsteps, and watch them move toward the puddles. My younger brother, forever intent on destroying the world around him, would try to stomp on the worms, and I would run after him screaming. In my imagination, the brain looked like a pile of squiggly worms. However, my neuroscience curiosity has since grown beyond a worm’s habits.

For example, my mother thought that I was insane when I wanted to watch American Murder: The Family Next Door . To her immense relief, I was interested in the psychology of the criminal rather than the crime itself. Although neuroscience is my primary interest, I also hope to learn more about the intersection between law and medicine at the UPenn College of Arts and Sciences. I’ve been able to explore this topic through various projects at school such as presentations on juvenile crime and the death penalty.

At the University of Pennsylvania, I look forward to taking classes like Forensic Neuroscience (BIBB 050) as well as Neuroscience and Society (PSYC 247) both of which directly combine my two interests. Hopefully, the Take Your Professor to Dinner program resumes as I would make sure to talk to Dr. Daniel Langleben about his research on forensic functional brain imaging over a meal of Philly cheesesteaks.

I also hope to participate in the Race, Science, and Society Program where I can discover how race biases and neuroscience go hand-in-hand and contribute to the fight against racism. The Beyond Arrests: Re-Thinking Systematic-Oppression Group immediately caught my attention while looking at Penn’s opportunities to engage in relevant dialogue. My fascination with the criminal system began with reading Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment , and Penn will both fuel that curiosity as well as introduce new questions about the world of justice reform.

As an eight-year Latin scholar and a five-time reader of the Percy Jackson franchise, I would like to take classes in the Penn Classical Studies department where I can learn more about the impact of ancient cultures on society today. Classes such as Greek and Roman Medicine (CLST 271) would intersect my interests in medicine and classical civilizations.

Although I do harbor a deep love for Philly cheesesteaks and enjoyment of running in strange places like the Woodlands Cemetery, the range of programs to support my diverse interests and unmatched opportunities to put learning into action make me confident that the University of Pennsylvania is the best university for me to succeed.

The real strength in the essay lies in the sheer number of details this student is able to include in a short space, without sacrificing style and flow. The first two paragraphs really have nothing to do with Penn, but the inclusion of them makes this response feel like an essay, rather than a list of offerings at Penn. Striking the balance is important, and the anecdote at the beginning ultimately humanizes the writer.

From the three unique courses to the specific professor and his research to the race and criminal justice programs, this student has clearly done their homework on Penn! The key to this essay’s success isn’t just mentioning the offerings at Penn that excite the student, but the context that explains how each opportunity fits into the student’s academic interests.

Adding book titles like Crime and Punishment and Percy Jackson to support their passion for the criminal justice system and classics are extra details that help us learn more about how this student pursues their passions outside of the classroom. Finding little ways to humanize yourself throughout the essay can take it from good to great.

One area of improvement for this essay is the structure. It follows a very traditional “ Why This College? ” framework—start with an anecdote, then discuss classes, and then extracurriculars and programs—that gets old quickly for admissions officers.

A great way to add some spice to the format would be to use a sample schedule for the day. This essay mentions three different classes, two different groups, and a Take Your Professor to Dinner opportunity. Together, that’s the recipe for a full day at UPenn!

There are a few ways to play around with an essay that follows a typical day-in-the-life. Maybe each paragraph starts with a time and explains what they do during that hour. Maybe they narrate walking through campus on their way from one class to the next and what they just learned. However they choose to go about it, adding in a playful spin to the traditional essay structure is one of the best ways to instantly set an essay apart from the crowd. 

Essay Example #3: UW Madison

Prompt: Tell us why you decided to apply to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, please include why you are interested in studying the major(s) you have selected. If you selected undecided, please describe your areas of possible academic interest. (650 words)

Essay – # Day 117

7:30 am… As I open my eyes, I look at the pinboard in front of my bed. Written in red block letters are two of the many goals of my life: “Make life better and more independent for the Visually impaired; Inspire kids to explore the field of STEM, making them the future problem solvers.“

Keeping these goals afresh in mind, I freshen up and prepare for the first class of the day, ​ECE 533 Image Processing. As the professor explains the Applications of Image Processing in Computer Vision, a light bulb sparks in my mind. I can modify the head contraption of PERIPHIS to identify objects in peripheral vision and alert the wearer via an earpiece using Text to Speech (TTS). 

After the class, I see Professor Mohit Gupta at the WISION Lab, where he shares his insights from the Block World Cameras system, which helps to geometrize 3D Man-made environments. We brainstorm ways we can implement this system on PERIPHIS.

Deep in the discussion and intrigued by my curiosity, he asked me where my interest in this niche field sparked during high school, and then I recount the incident from 9th grade: 

“In Hindi – Agar aaj mere paas paise hote to ye din na dekhna padta” (If I had money, I would not have had to see this day.) 

These were the words of Aadiya, a glaucoma patient, who couldn’t help but cry in despair as she injured herself in an accident just because she couldn’t sense the incoming traffic. During my visit to “Baroda Association for Blind (BAB)” for a survey, I saw and experienced firsthand how hard and inaccessible it is for an underprivileged visually impaired to locomote without anyone’s assistance. 

What happened next was my first adventure into the world of Computer Science and Engineering. I dedicated the next four years to find an affordable solution to a pressing problem. It was called PERIPHIS, a smart wearable that helps alert the visually impaired wearer of impending danger while locomoting.

When I finally presented this device to Aadiya, the smile on her face made me realize how big an impact technology can make in one’s life.

11:00 am… As I head to the Engineering Hall to complete my assignments of COMP SCI 570

Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction, I crossways with my roommate from the Chadbourne Residential College, who is also interested in researching applications of Computer Vision in real life. We fix a time to chat later. 

1:20pm… After a quick bite, I head to Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory. I expand my knowledge on different applications of Computer Science to make human life better than I found. I get fascinated when I see a few students building a child-friendly humanoid robot to teach kids the principles of Coding and AI. I hop in and share insights from my experience of being the President at AiGoLearning and kindling interest in STEM for young children. I explain how crucial the UI is when it comes to technology for the young.

5:00pm… To blow off some steam and socialize, I meet up with my fellow countrymen and artists at the Indian Graduate Students’ Association. We discuss and plan the upcoming Diwali Night Music at Shannon Hall. I feel proud to share my national identity while bringing out my musical self by contributing as a Tabla player at the student organization. 

As I close my day, I reflect and think of the most unique resource at UW. It is not the labs, research facilities, classes, but the people, including the professors and students, all aligned to a single goal: “Solving problems to make society a better place.”

10:00pm… I find my way back to my dorm room and write with red block letters on my pinboard: “Meet with at least 1 Badger every day and gain new insight from them.”

This essay is a stellar example. The day in the life formatting is a common way to spice up your “Why This College?” essay, but the way this writer executes it is nearly flawless.

Opening with the vision board makes the student’s college goals clear from the very start, and this was cleverly done since vision boards are naturally one of the first things you see when you wake up.

The student then takes us to specific courses and labs and shares their thoughts on how they could improve their invention, PERIPHIS. The author seamlessly includes background information on PERIPHIS by including this hypothetical conversation with a professor who speaks their native language.

As we go through the day, we can see that this student will not only be involved academically, but also socially. We learn how important their culture is to them and how they plan to share it with the campus community.

This essay does everything a “Why This College?” essay should: it shares the student’s goals and motivations behind them, how the university can support those goals, and how the student will engage with the campus beyond academics.

There’s not much this essay could improve, besides a few formatting and wording issues. The first line of this essay—“ Essay – # Day 117”—is a great attention-grabber, but the placement of the # symbol is confusing and perhaps should’ve been in front of the number.

There are also a couple spots where wording is a bit awkward, such as these lines:

I crossways with my roommate from the Chadbourne Residential College, who is also interested in researching applications of Computer Vision in real life. We fix a time to chat later. 

It should instead say something like “I run into my roommate” and “We schedule a time”. This is likely due to English not being the student’s native language, but could’ve easily been caught by proofreading from a native speaker.

Essay Example #4: Northwestern

Prompt: While other parts of your application give us a sense of who you are, we are also excited to hear more about how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community.

In 300 words or less, help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here. We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond.

For as long as I can remember, I have seen my parents, both farmers, struggling to produce food because of the challenges presented by the environment. Joining Northwestern’s community, and majoring in Environmental Engineering, will allow me to understand what are the reasons behind climate change and learn how to stop them and/or prevent them from happening. 

Having witnessed how plant diseases affect crops, I would like to collaborate in the PLANT-Dx project and in its widespread application. I strongly believe that it will be able to help farmers to improve the quality and quantity of their production, and reduce famine around the world. At some point in my education, I want to take advantage of the study-abroad programs Northwestern has to offer and learn about farming practices in a different part of the world. In addition, I want to conduct research on sustainable alternative farming methods that adapt to the new environmental conditions and that can be practiced in countries with fewer resources.

Apart from having access to outstanding professors, rigorous academics, and cutting-edge research resources, I will be able to be part of a close-knit community genuinely curious about others’ activities, truly passionate about what they do, and not afraid to step out of their comfort zone to make of this world a better place. Being part of Engineers for a Sustainable World at Northwestern will allow me to get to know people that share one of my passions in addition to learning and teaching how to apply sustainable practices in daily life.  

I am already looking forward to marching through the Weber Arch.

This essay is extremely cohesive, as it focuses on the student’s agricultural background and desire to study environmental engineering. The student mentions a couple resources specific to Northwestern, such as the PLANT-Dx project and Engineers for a Sustainable World.

Because of the background information the student provided, their motivations for participating in these opportunities is also clear. We can see that Northwestern would be a school that would help them achieve their goals.

There are two main aspects of the essay that could be improved: the writing and its specificity.

To begin with, the intro paragraph is a bit clunky and vague.  The student should have specified the challenges the environment has presented to their parents’ farming with detailed imagery about droughts or torrential rain. The final sentence about climate change is also much too broad, and the student should’ve stated a goal in a smaller niche of environmentalism.

For example, here’s what a rewritten strong intro paragraph might look like:

The drought this year was bad, and the once-flourishing tomato crops on my family’s farm were afflicted with Southern Blight. As my family and our community struggled to put food on the table for the third year in a year, I resolved to major in Environmental Engineering at Northwestern to learn how to preserve our agriculture in the face of climate change.

Another writing error is the typo in the final paragraph, where they write “to make of this world a better place”. It’s important to proofread your essay and have others help you proofread as well!

Finally, while the essay mentions a couple specific Northwestern resources, the other resources they mention are too vague.  The student could’ve improved by mentioning a specific study abroad program and a current research project on sustainable alternative farming methods. Most colleges let you study abroad and conduct research, so you need to explain why Northwestern is the best place for your goals.

Essay Example #5: NYU

Prompt: We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. What motivated you to apply to NYU? Why have you applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please also tell us why you are interested in these additional areas of study or campuses. We want to understand – Why NYU? (400 words)

“A futuristic way of looking at academics,” the student panelist said during a New York University virtual information session. I reflected on a conversation I had with my grandma; she couldn’t understand how her vegetarian granddaughter could build a career in the food industry. However much I tried convincing her that vegetarianism was the future, as it offers substantial benefits to the environment and can offer health benefits to a growing population with the same environmental resources, she insisted that tofu would never provide the same satiation as meat. She was raised in a community where meat consumption was embedded in the culture, and its production is a large part of the country’s economy. In contrast, I had the privilege of living a few steps from San Francisco, with many restaurants and grocery stores dedicated to plant-based meat alternatives. Trying innovative recipes and products eventually allowed me to develop my own recipes. Upon my move to Nicaragua, where my grandmother is from, I found my food options to be limited, expensive and hard to find. So I developed my own small-scale solutions that did not break the bank and satiated grandma.

An institution that implements forward-thinking is what I need to reach my goals of changing the future of plant-based diets and people’s views on vegetarianism. NYU’s Nutrition and Food Studies program offers multiple disciplines of food studies that I will apply to my aspirations as a vegetarian. I plan to study under Adjunct Faculty Kayleen St. John, whose success in the plant-based industry and her teaching of the ‘Foundations of Plant-Based Nutrition’ in The Vegetarian Times excites me. The variety of classes like Introduction to Food History, Food Photography, and Food Systems: Food & Agriculture will give me an overview of what is available in the food industry to be prepared for all fields. Not to be cliche, but NYU’s proximity to the city is essential for the rapidly changing vegetarian industry. The multiculturalism available in NYC and NYU will allow me to understand the food system and diets of various cultures, religions, and areas. I can explore the extremes of the food industry, from fancy restaurants to public school cafeterias. These juxtapositions, much like the one I experienced after my move to Nicaragua, will allow me to broaden my reach and demonstrate that the vegetarian diet is not something reserved for select groups but a diet attainable to all. 

A core strength of this essay is the fact it takes its time to provide the reader with ample background on why this student is interested in nutrition and food studies and how they have grappled with difficult questions and surrounding this topic in the past. It’s okay to not mention anything about NYU for a whole paragraph if you are using that space to bring depth to your interests and tell the reader the crucial backstory behind pursuing your intended degree.

Another positive aspect is the inclusion of New York City for a purposeful reason. NYU admissions officers read thousands of essays that just talk about living in NYC for the sake of NYC—this is not what they want to hear. In contrast, this essay focuses on the vast and lively food scene in New York that the student considers to be an invaluable asset to her NYU education. This is a time where including New York actually plays to the appeal of NYU, rather than making it seem like the student is simply applying for the city.

Finally, this student clearly demonstrates that they are someone who wants to change the world for the better, but through their personal niche. NYU is looking for people who express this desire to be a changemaker, but oftentimes sweeping statements like “I want to change the world” come across as vague and disingenuous. The essay does mention changing diets and looking to the future, but it is focused within the student’s specific area of interest, making the claim to change the world more determined and authentic.

This essay could be made stronger if there was a bit more personal reflection included. The first paragraph provides a lot of details on the student’s vegetarianism and how it conflicts with her grandmother and her heritage. What it doesn’t include very much of is how the student thinks and feels about her diet being at odds with that of her family. 

Does this student feel they are betraying their heritage by being vegetarian? What emotions do they feel when people criticize vegetarianism? Why did they go vegetarian in the first place? Probing questions like these that get to the emotional core behind the story in the first paragraph would really help to build out this student’s backstory. We want to understand what their emotional responses and reasoning processes look like, so finding ways to include those into an already expositive paragraph would further bolster this essay.

Essay Example #6: NYU

My mother never takes off her Cartier necklace that my father gave her 10 years ago on their anniversary. As a child, I didn’t fully understand this attachment. However, on my 15th birthday, my aunt gifted me a ring, which was uniquely designed and made up of three rings linked together. Wearing it every day and making sure I would never lose it, I didn’t treat it like my easily replaceable childhood necklaces; it was my piece of luxury. This sparked my deep curiosity for the luxury world. The niche strives to provide the finest and most memorable experiences, as equally as my Japanese attention to detail and my French appreciation towards aesthetic beauty. In a constantly shifting environment, I learned that luxury chases timeless excellence.

NYU Stern’s BS in business and a co-concentration in management and marketing will fully immerse me in the business side of luxury fashion that I aim to pursue a future career in. The luxury marketing track, offered only by NYU, will enable me to assemble the most suited classes to reflect my interests. Specifically, NYU Stern’s exciting electives such as The Dynamics of the Fashion Industry seminar and Brand Strategy & Planning will encourage me to develop the skills that I was introduced to and grew keen on when running a virtual sustainable fashion auction.

As someone who has moved around from Paris to Tokyo, to Chicago and now Athens, I thrive in meeting and collaborating with others from diverse backgrounds. The school’s strong global outlook, demonstrated through Stern’s International Business Exchange Program, further sets NYU apart for me, as it is crucial to building essential soft skills. This opportunity allows me to experience new cultural approaches to luxury business which I can bring back with me to New York, and therefore push me to become a well-rounded business student. Similarly, I am excited to take part in the array of student clubs offered, such as the Luxury and Retail Association (LARA), which I learned about after connecting with and talking to current students. Seeing past talks from employers of companies like Conde Nast, I am eager to learn outside of the classroom from future speakers. 

Finding myself in new situations constantly, I always seek new challenges and explorations – to me, it is clear that NYU Stern will push me to create the finest and most unique learning experiences of timeless excellence.

This essay has an amazing introduction paragraph. It doesn’t mention anything about NYU or what this student is planning on studying, which is what makes it so intriguing. The reader doesn’t know where this student is headed after making such a seemingly unrelated statement about jewelry, but we want to find out. 

Not only does this essay immediately capture the reader’s attention, it maintains a succinct and direct tone that helps the reader effortlessly flow from one paragraph to the next. The student chose to include three opportunities at NYU that excite them and fully elaborate on them. This serves as an excellent example of more is less. 

We aren’t bombarded with a laundry list of classes, professors, and clubs the student wants to take. Instead, the student took a focused approach and described why they were excited by each offering they highlighted. Going deeper into a smaller number of opportunities at the college still shows this student did their research, but it allows for their backstory and goals to be discussed in far greater detail.

While this student does a good job of elaborating, they also mention a few key aspects of their personality as throw-away lines, when it would have been great to elaborate further on them. For example, they mention running a virtual sustainable fashion auction (cool!), but don’t provide us with any details on what that actually entails, how they got involved with it, what they enjoyed about it, etc. They also mention moving around a lot in the context of developing a diverse perspective, but they don’t include any emotional insight into what that was like.

Although there are only 400 words available, and you don’t want to spend too much time discussing the past, it would be nice to see just a sentence or two that delves into the details of this student’s background. The fashion auction and moving around clearly had an impact on the student, so we want to know what that was. If they are choosing to include these details, they must be important in the student’s decision to pursue business at NYU, so they shouldn’t be afraid to divulge the emotional significance to the reader.

Essay Example #7: Boston University

Prompt: In no more than 250 words, please tell us why BU is a good fit for you and what specifically has led you to apply for admission.

Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) attracts me because of its support of interdisciplinary study among its wide array of majors. In fact, the CAS now offers a course that combines biology, chemistry, and neuroscience. As I hope to conduct medical research into brain disorders, I plan to pursue all three areas of study. These cross-disciplinary connections at BU will prepare me to do so.

CAS’s undergraduate research program would allow me to work with a mentor, such as Dr. Alice Cronin-Golomb or Dr. Robert M.G. Reinhart related to their research on neurological disorders. With them, I can advance the work I have already completed related to Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). In a summer class at our local university, my partner and I extracted data from fMRI and PET studies and inputted them into a coding program. We then created an indicator map, which we imported into another software program, AFNI, to display significant activity in the brain regions affected by DID. Seeing the representation of our data thrilled me because I knew it could eventually help people who live with DID. I want to experience that feeling again. Successfully analyzing these fMRI and PET studies and learning to code drives me to pursue more research opportunities, and this desire motivates me to study at a university that offers research opportunities to undergraduates. BU’s interdisciplinary approach to psychology and support for independent undergraduate research will optimally prepare me for a career as a neurological researcher.

This student clearly outlines BU-specific resources (the interdisciplinary course and undergrad research program), plus how these resources align with their professional goals (to become a neurological researcher). They do name professors, but since their work clearly relates to the student’s interests, it doesn’t look disingenuous, and shows that the student has done research on their fit with BU. The student also provides background on why they want to pursue research, and shows that they already have experience, which makes their interest in the undergrad research program more concrete.

The only thing missing from this essay is the student’s fit with BU in terms of extracurriculars and social life. “Why This College?” essays should also cover extracurriculars, as colleges are also interested in how you’ll contribute to their community. 

In general, these essays should be academic-leaning (especially if they’re under 250 words), but you should still address some social aspects of the college that appeal to you (we recommend about 70% academics, 30% social, with more or less focus on social aspects depending on the word count). 

Since the student probably already detailed their previous research in their Common App activities section, they could’ve just summarized their research background in one sentence (instead of 78 words, which is 31% of the total word count!), and used that valuable space to talk about a specific social aspect of BU that interests them. 

Essay Example #8: Boston University

Prompt: In no more than 250 words, please tell us why BU is a good fit for you and what specifically has led you to apply for admission. 

I am fascinated by research, though completely uninterested in the disciplines traditionally associated with it, such as STEM fields. I need to find a school that will balance my desire to conduct research with my interest in political science. 

While many schools boast in-depth student research programs for those looking to cure diseases or develop solutions to global warming, few tout their support for humanities research. Additionally, many universities that do allocate funding to social science research typically reserve these monies for graduate students or upperclassmen. BU, with the help of its Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, will allow me to conduct research on the topics that most intrigue me, such as gender disparity in politics, or the relationship between dominant parties in power and the country’s economy and involvement in foreign affairs. Furthermore, I can begin these studies as early as my first year. Not only can I take classes with professors like Sandra McEvoy or Dino Christenson to develop my interests in a classroom setting, but I could also work with one of them to develop new knowledge in the topics that we both enjoy learning about. With this knowledge base and experience conducting studies with top professors in a respected research institution, I will be well-prepared for my future law career. I want to learn in an environment that encourages independent study no matter one’s field of interest or experience, and BU’s support of intellectual curiosity for all of its students makes it a perfect fit for me.

This student knows exactly what they want, and they’re not afraid to state it bluntly. Their intro paragraph is totally honest about their interests (or lack of interest), and we immediately understand one of their main college goals: to conduct political science research.

The student mentions a specific resource, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, as well as an alignment with BU’s value of encouraging independent study in all fields. Showing alignment with a specific value of the university is a great way to take your essay to the next level.

This essay shows us that the student would be a great fit for BU and would take advantage of its research opportunities.

The writer mentions some of their research interests, but doesn’t explain the motivation behind them. We don’t actually learn very much about the student themself, which is a common flaw of “Why This College?” essays. The essay would’ve been stronger if they’d explained why they’re interested in “gender disparity in politics, or the relationship between dominant parties in power and the country’s economy and involvement in foreign affairs.” For example, maybe they feel strongly about abortion rights and are upset about the way men have been legislating women’s rights.

The student also names two professors whose classes they’d like to take and with whom they’d like to do research, but we aren’t told which classes they’re interested in, or which topics they could cover together. You want to avoid “name-dropping” professors without context in your essay. If the student shared the names of specific classes or research topics and why they’re interested in them, that would’ve strengthened their essay.

Essay Example #9: Tufts

Prompt: Why Tufts? (100 words) 

When Deanne, Tufts’ admissions counselor, visited my school, she immediately caught my attention by emphasizing Tufts’ diverse yet unified campus. Tufts’ inclusive definition of diversity goes beyond merely recruiting students from a variety of backgrounds. Tufts seeks to integrate these categories of diversity and pushes its students to learn from one another. One such intersectional program that attracts me is CAFE (Conversation, Action, Faith, and Education). By joining CAFE, a community that promotes interfaith education, I will learn from my peers, become more understanding of other religious backgrounds, and apply this broader understanding to my academic work at Tufts.

It’s hard to write a “Why This College?” essay in 100 words. This essay does a good job sticking to one unique element of Tufts—its intersectionality. Since Tufts also cares about demonstrated interest, it’s great that the student also mentioned speaking with an admissions counselor. 

We unfortunately don’t learn very much about the student from this essay. Why do they care about diversity and interfaith programs? How does this relate to their academic and career goals? While the word count is super short, they could’ve cut these lines and jumped right into the specific resource they’re interested in: Tufts’ inclusive definition of diversity goes beyond merely recruiting students from a variety of backgrounds. Tufts seeks to integrate these categories of diversity and pushes its students to learn from one another.

Here’s an example of a stronger version of this essay:

When a Tufts admissions counselor visited my school, she immediately caught my attention by emphasizing Tufts’ diverse yet unified campus. As a Muslim hoping to go into International Relations, I want to attend a school that not only recruits diverse students, but pushes them to learn from one another. I hope to join intersectional programs such as CAFE (Conversation, Action, Faith, and Education). By joining this community that promotes interfaith education, I will gain the necessary perspective and compassion to become a human rights lawyer in countries with religious conflict, such as my homeland Azerbaijan.

Essay Example #10: Tufts

Prompt: Why Tufts? (100 words)

Someday I hope to conduct medical research in developing countries; Tufts attracts me because of its wide array of majors it offers and support for undergraduate research. To understand the human brain, I hope to study biology, neuroscience, and psychology. In addition to outstanding faculty in each of these areas, Tufts also organizes initiatives including the International Research Program. Through this program, I would work with other students and faculty members on an international project related to brain diseases. This opportunity will give me a taste of my future career and help me narrow the scope of my later studies.

This essay does a better job of sharing the student’s goals with us compared to the previous Tufts essay. We learn that the applicant is interested in medical research in developing countries on brain diseases, and that Tufts has a program to support international research.

The essay still mentions some resources that could apply to many schools, which is not an effective use of the tiny word count. For example, they say: “Tufts attracts me because of its wide array of majors it offers and support for undergraduate research” and they mention the “outstanding faculty” in the fields they plan to study.

They also don’t tell us their motivation behind studying brain diseases abroad, and it feels like there’s a significant story there. Giving some background would’ve further strengthened their essay.

Finally, they mention that they still need to narrow the scope of their studies; while it’s fine to be undecided on your career and majors, you don’t need to spend your precious word count saying that in your essay. They could’ve instead shared a couple potential avenues they’re considering.

Here’s what the student could’ve written instead:

Outcomes for schizophrenia patients are better in developing countries than in developed ones. I hope to research the reasons behind this and improve the treatment options in the US for the cousin I grew up with. In college, I want to study biology, neuroscience, and psychology. Tufts attracts me because of its unique interdisciplinary BS in Cognitive and Brain Science and its International Research Program. Through this program, I could do the research I’ve dreamt of doing with a faculty member and other students, preparing me for my future career as either a researcher or clinician.

Essay Example #11: Georgia Tech

Prompt: Why do you want to study your chosen major specifically at Georgia Tech? (300 words)

Climate change is a human rights issue.  

There the headline was, screaming on my phone screen. I think about those suffering from a lack of clean water. I think about those suffering from a lack of clean air. 

I often think back to that headline – it’s what drives my passion for environmental engineering. As an environmental engineer, I can mitigate air pollution and design water treatment systems that address the water injustices that people face. However, it’s not just about creating a technology that cleans water; it’s about changing people’s lives. New technologies can make a lasting difference in humanitarian issues worldwide; Georgia Tech’s research on creating a toilet that turns human waste into clean water for those in need of improved sanitation aligns perfectly with my interests.   

At Georgia Tech, through the student-led organization, Engineers for a Sustainable World and the InVenture Prize, I can translate the knowledge gained from my classes into a concrete vision. I can design and implement hands-on sustainability projects around Atlanta and invent a water sanitation system for the on-site acquisition of clean water. 

Georgia Tech can also provide me with ample research opportunities, such as the broad area of Healthy Communities in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. I can further pursue my interest in developing solutions to deliver clean water while welcoming new areas of inquiry. An area I would like to explore would be the controlling of dangerous matter in the air to reduce health hazards; reducing the impact of climate change is of utmost importance to me. 

Studying environmental engineering at Georgia Tech would well prepare me to develop solutions to climate-related issues. With the countless opportunities that Georgia Tech has to offer, I know there is nowhere else where I can receive a better environmental engineering education.

What the Essay Did Well l

This essay begins with an attention-grabbing statement that leaves the reader wondering how this will relate to the student’s interest in Georgia Tech. They then transition seamlessly into how climate change and human rights motivate their desire to become an environmental engineer.

The student mentions several resources specific to Georgia Tech that would help them achieve their goals, such as the research on the toilet turning waste into water, Engineers for a Sustainable World, InVenture Prize, and Healthy Communities research. It’s clear that they did their research and have reflected on their fit with the campus community.

They end the essay explicitly stating that Georgia Tech is the best place for them to grow, and the reader is certainly convinced of this by the end.

This essay is quite strong, so there’s not much that the student could’ve improved. That said, there is one sentence that is a bit awkwardly worded: New technologies can make a lasting difference in humanitarian issues worldwide; Georgia Tech’s research on creating a toilet that turns human waste into clean water for those in need of improved sanitation aligns perfectly with my interests.

Instead, the student could’ve written:

New technologies can make a lasting difference in humanitarian issues worldwide; Georgia Tech aligns with this value of mine and is even developing a toilet that turns human waste into clean water for those who need improved sanitation.

Essay Example #12: Georgia Tech

From my first Java project, a somewhat primitive graphing calculator, I realized that CS unlocks a different way of thinking. My brain races at speeds it seldom touches with other subjects. Every part of CS, from conceptualizing a plan to executing a solution, is another piece of a puzzle I’m eager to solve and affords the most opportunities for creative problem-solving and application. 

“Progress and Service,” Georgia Tech’s motto, tells me there’s no better place to explore my curiosity and deepen my CS skills while simultaneously helping make the world a better place, my ultimate goal for a college education. 

In the classroom, I look forward to GT’s threads program, where I can tailor the curriculum to suit my career choice after exposing myself to all technical aspects of CS.

I’ll apply my specialized learning with Tech’s fascinating research opportunities. Professor Pandarinth’s brain-machine interfacing software means a lot to me. My uncle passed away from a freak accident after extensive paralysis because potential treatments were unaffordable. Exploring this revolutionary brain decoding software wouldn’t just involve me in cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology research, I’d be personally driven to ensure its success and accessibility. 

I’m at my best building towards tangible results. I learned this on my robotics team using design skills to create a technically complex robot that tackles anything from shooting balls to hanging on a balance beam. I’m excited to expand my skills on the RoboJackets team, applying my career interests to build ferocious BattleBots and autonomous race robots that compete on the Indy Speedway, two events that sound ridiculously fun. 

Of course, I can’t skip hackathons. These competitions molded my interest in coding so I want to give back to Georgia Tech’s Hack-Community by planning HackGT and the Catalyst Mentorship program as a member of the Hexlabs team. 

The student’s passion for CS shines through this essay. They explain what they love about the subject (the problem-solving aspect) and they share that they hope to make a difference through CS, demonstrating alignment with Tech’s motto of  “progress and service”.

It’s clear that this student has done their research, mentioning specific academic programs, research, and clubs. We can see that they’d be greatly engaged with the campus community.

Finally, this essay is also down-to-earth. The student doesn’t try to use impressive vocabulary or formal language. In fact, they even describe some extracurriculars as “ridiculously fun.” While you shouldn’t get too informal in your essays, this student’s casual tone in this context makes them feel more approachable and more excited about the prospect of going to Georgia Tech.

This essay has a couple sentences that are confusing to read:

Every part of CS, from conceptualizing a plan to executing a solution, is another piece of a puzzle I’m eager to solve and affords the most opportunities for creative problem-solving and application.

This sentence could’ve been broken up and rewritten as:

Every part of CS, from conceptualizing a plan to executing a solution, is another piece of a puzzle I’m eager to solve. For me, the field affords the most opportunities for creative problem-solving and application.

This sentence also uses incorrect grammar—the comma should be replaced with a semicolon:

Exploring this revolutionary brain decoding software wouldn’t just involve me in cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology research, I’d be personally driven to ensure its success and accessibility. 

These details would make the essay more readable.

The organization of the essay could also be reworked. The student mentions Tech’s motto of “progress and service,” but doesn’t follow up until later with an example of how they’d use CS for the greater good. Using CS for social good isn’t ultimately the theme of their essay, so this section would’ve been better placed at the end of the paragraph about AI technology research, or at the very end of the essay. The essay actually ends abruptly, so placing the section at the end might’ve tied it up nicely, if the student could’ve placed more emphasis on how they plan to use CS to improve society.

Do you want feedback on your “Why This College” essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Complete Essay Writing Guide for International Students

If you are an international student and English is not your first language, academic writing may take extra practice. Learn how to write an essay for your US university classes.

For many international students, learning how to write an essay is essential to a successful college career in the US. (You may be required to write an essay when applying to college, too .) There are many types of essays and, when it comes to essay writing, there is more than one way to share your ideas and communicate well.

Here are some essay writing tips to build strong academic writing skills, even before you arrive at your US university.

Essay Writing Tips for International Students

No matter your major , writing essays is important to getting good grades – and good writing skills will help you succeed in any future internship or job. If you are an undergraduate student , you may also be completely new to writing academic essays for higher education.

Keep reading to learn how international students at United States universities can get comfortable with essay writing, especially understanding an essay outline, thesis statement, and paragraph structure. 

Create an Essay Outline

Working from an outline lets you plan the main points of your international student essay and put them in order. This makes it easier to stay organized once you start writing. 

“I always require my students to work on an outline before they draft their essays,” says Maad El-Gali, ESL instructor at the University of the Pacific . “Regardless of essay formats, an outline generally leads to successful writing because it allows students to picture what their essay would look like. [It also] allows me to give students feedback before they start [the student essay writing process].”

El-Gali teaches his students that every essay outline must have four parts: 

A thesis statement (also known as a central argument)

Topic sentences

Major and minor supporting arguments

A conclusion

Once you have created an essay outline containing these four elements, you are ready to begin the academic writing process.

Do Your Research 

Student essay writing requires research! Brainstorm ideas for your essay’s focus and look into existing material on the topic you’ve selected. Writing down your ideas and thoughts helps you organize them and plan the arguments for your college essay as an international student.

After brainstorming, it is time to dive into your research. Review existing literature on your ideas to find additional concepts and material to support your main points, and remember always to cite sources when you paraphrase or quote ideas that are not your own. Plagiarism is a serious offense in the US educational system, especially in academic writing. Remember to give due credit to the authors of the material you use! 

Form a Thesis

After finishing your research, it is time to formulate a thesis. A thesis statement introduces your academic essay’s main argument and provides a roadmap of the supporting points for your readers. Good thesis statements show your interpretation of the subject, convey the central idea of your argument, and hook readers into learning more. 

There are three types of thesis statements:

Argumentative - presents a disputable claim and defends it.  

Expository - presents a claim and explains what the reader should learn.  

Analytical - compares and contrasts themes. 

To decide which type of thesis statement best fits your academic writing assignment, it is important to learn more about your topic, also known as your essay prompt.

Understanding the Essay Prompt

The first step toward writing your international student essay is making sure you understand your essay prompt. An essay prompt is the topic or subject you need to write your essay on. The prompt you receive can be written in different formats, such as a statement, a question, or a set of data. The following is just one example of an essay prompt: “Reading more books improves your skill as a writer. Explore this statement.” 

With the above example, your next step would be to break down this prompt and understand the different areas involved in the topic. Ask yourself questions about the prompt which helps to define the topic in your essay, for example: How does reading books improve one’s writing skills? Do certain books help improve writing more than others? Is this true for all kinds of writers and writing? 

By asking yourself these types of questions, you can gain a better understanding of which components your college essay should include. As you usually have a limited word count and/or page length for your essay, as well as a specific due date to turn it in, it is important to plan out how you want to structure your essay to make it easy to read while still containing a compelling argument supported by thorough research. 

Intro Paragraph

The introduction is the first paragraph of your international student essay and gives the reader a brief overview of the topic you are writing about. This is one of the most important elements of your essay, as many readers use an introduction to get a first impression of your content. 

Your introduction should immediately get the reader’s attention and encourage them to take an interest in what you have written. The essay introduction should contain a valuable or interesting piece of information to the reader, such as a statistic, an unexpected fact, a relatable scenario, or a compelling quote. 

Additionally, the introduction should have a clear and brief outline of what is discussed in your essay, such as the sections to follow, questions to be answered, and even the intended audience. 

Finally, the introduction to academic essays typically has a clear thesis statement: a central argument to be defended with supporting research in the pages to come. 

How to Write a Strong Thesis

For a typical college essay or academic paper, the first part of writing a strong thesis is to present a clear thesis statement. This statement presents your argument to your reader and gives a glimpse into what you cover over the course of the essay. With your thesis statement, explain how your argument joins the conversation of the overall topic it relates to, and how it contributes to this discussion.

Your thesis should be specific and focused. Avoid deviating too far from your central idea and make sure your supporting evidence is relevant and helps the reader understand your most important points. To better support your argument, your essay should go into deep detail and define what your argument is, the importance of your argument and why you are presenting it, and the approach you have taken to explain it.

A strong thesis is also unique, and your supporting points should emphasize your argument and its validity in larger discussions and contexts. Analyze your argument impartially by exploring multiple angles. By including counterarguments from different perspectives, you can highlight the depth of your research — and better make your case to your reader. 

Body Paragraphs

The body of your essay will have multiple sections which break down your central argument with supporting evidence. Your goal is to present your thesis and research in a way that is easy to understand, while also covering critical information. 

Here is a good sample structure for the body of a college essay:

Begin with a definition—Explain what your topic is and its most important aspects. Give your readers context and the basic knowledge they need to understand the more advanced information that comes next.

Go into detail—As you dive deeper into your topic, describe its simpler components first and move on to more advanced sections as necessary. Make sure each section comes under its own heading and paragraphs are short and easy to read.

Focus your content—Avoid generalized information and make sure all information is relevant. Focus only on one major concept in each paragraph. Your paragraphs should transition naturally and create a logical journey through your essay. This helps the reader understand your main points in a structured way.

Explain your point—After helping the reader learn more about the topic and giving clear context, you can start presenting your thesis statement. Your argument should tie in all the information you presented before and use it as a basis to explain the validity of your argument. Use references, data sources, examples, and other supporting evidence from reputable sources to emphasize your claims and add credibility.

Evaluate counter arguments—If relevant, present the positive and negative sides of the topic you are arguing. This shows you have conducted a deep analysis and you aim to avoid bias, which improves the authority of your essay. You can also use this section to emphasize why the positives of your argument outweigh the negatives.

Once you are satisfied with the content and structure of the body of your essay, it is time to end your essay with a strong conclusion.

Conclusion Paragraph

The conclusion is the final segment of your international student essay and should wrap up your main points. This section should not introduce any new information; instead, it should summarize what you have discussed while emphasizing the importance of your point or argument. 

Your conclusion should connect back to your introduction and how the points you have discussed contribute to your central argument. The challenge in this section is summarizing your most important points without sounding repetitive. 

To present an effective conclusion, rather than repeating your introduction statement, try rephrasing it:  Since your introduction or thesis statement presented the topic before the reader had context, your conclusion should now speak to the reader as one newly informed and familiar with your research and point of view. 

Your conclusion should end with a positive note which promotes your central argument, provides your reader with a sense of closure, and presents broader implications encouraging the reader to learn more, like a final suggestion, course of action, solution, or a question. 

Top 3 Tips for Essay Writing

Become familiar with different citation styles.

The referencing style you use depends on your major, course, and university. Typically, your professor’s preferred citation style will be listed on your syllabus . Understanding different citation styles helps you follow your assignment, correctly attribute your sources, and avoid possible issues with plagiarism. 

Some of the most common referencing styles used in the US are 

American Psychological Association, or APA

Chicago Manual of Style

Council of Science Editors, or CSE (Common for biology, physics, chemistry, and geology)

Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE (Common for engineering, computer science, and information technology majors)

Modern Language Association, or MLA

You will not be expected to get familiar with an entire style guide right away: There are many resources available for academic writing. If you have any questions about using style guides, speak to your professor, university writing center staff, or your Shorelight advisor for citation assistance. 

Utilize Online Writing Resources

Some online guides for specific citation styles include the Purdue Online Writing Lab and the official APA and MLA websites. Many offer subscriptions, where you pay a fee for unlimited access over a specific period of time (e.g., one year).

Using free online tools such as Grammarly and Turnitin can also improve the quality of your writing, catch errors and mistakes, and check for plagiarism. Since most online writing aids are operated by artificial intelligence (AI), use caution: It is important to remember these programs may not pick up on every error and might misunderstand certain sentences, depending on your writing structure and/or tone. While using these tools can be very helpful, try not to rely on them entirely and use them more as tips or clues for areas to improve in your essay.

You may want a peer or advisor to take the last look at your essay before you submit your work. 

Start Early!

Giving yourself plenty of time before your essay deadline takes the stress out of the essay writing process. Don’t rush your brainstorming, researching, writing, or revising. More time means you’ll be more intentional, improving the overall quality of your essay because you won’t need to rush. You will also have more time to ask and integrate any feedback from your friends and mentors into your writing. 

Revise Your First Draft

After completing the conclusion, the first draft of your international student essay is now complete! The first draft of your essay is the first version and contains all your raw ideas and unedited writing. The next step in writing a good essay is to revise your draft to bring it closer to the final version.

Why should you revise your first draft? Think of it as a newly constructed house — with the overall structure completed, it is time for you to do a thorough inspection and spot possible faults or areas for improvements. This can take two or even three more draft revisions, but the most important part is to ensure your essay is improving in quality each time so you can put your best work forward.

During your revisions, you may notice your first draft is very long. As you write down your ideas and research findings, it is very easy to repeat information or get sidetracked into topics outside your focus. As you revise, read each segment carefully to spot any repeated information and excessively long paragraphs or sentences and shorten these as needed.

Remember also to look for areas where you may need to add more detail — a first draft is often written quickly as ideas come to your mind, and some sections could benefit from additional information or evidence you had not initially considered. At the same time, check that your sentences flow in a logical sequence and order: Read paragraphs out loud to see if they sound right to you — if they do not, readers would notice this as well.

As you revise your first draft of your essay, keep the following tips in mind.

Do’s and Don’ts of Essay Writing

1. Don’t write more than you need to. Do make sure your words matter. 

“Multilingual writers (aka international students) tend to be focused more on the quantity rather than the quality of writing,” says El-Gali at the University of the Pacific. “They believe that writing more means having a higher grade on writing assignments, which is not necessarily true.” In fact, adding too many extra words can result in a paragraph structure that is difficult for the reader to follow.

2. Don’t forget about your reader. Do find clear, clever ways to make your point.

Keep your reader in mind as you write and try to make your writing interesting, engaging, and relatable. Remember: Different languages have different writing rules and phrases. While writing, be aware of your readers’ perspectives and always aim to communicate clearly so your words are understood.

3. Don’t just run spell check. Do edit and proofread essays thoroughly.

“This is crucial so that the English-speaking reader will understand the writer’s intention,” El-Gali says.

If you want more advice on improving your writing or general writing tips, reach out to a Shorelight advisor! They are always ready to provide essay tips and academic support for international students . (They also provide dedicated international student services such as helping you improve your English skills, evaluate graduate programs , prepare for visa interviews, and much more.)

Check out Shorelight’s international student guidebook >

Common Mistakes of a First Draft

Your first draft is the blueprint for your final essay and should be considered the first of several drafts. As a blueprint, your first draft should focus on including key information and building the overall structure of your final essay. Some students make the mistake of not revising and turning in their first draft as the final (which is often not their best work and can lead to a lower grade). 

Here are common mistakes of a first draft to watch out for:

Focusing on grammar, style, vocabulary, or particular word choices—In the first draft, ideas come first. (You can worry about style in a later draft!) Your main priority is to ensure all the critical points of your argument are covered.

Adding too many details—Adding too much detail to each of your points in your first draft can make it difficult to effectively structure the essay’s overall flow. Your first draft only needs the most important points determined and mapped out.

Starting late—The earlier you start, the better! You want plenty of time to research, write, and revise. If you are forced to rush, the quality of your essay may not be as high compared to starting early and being able to take your time.

Editing while writing—Since you are likely to go through several drafts before your final essay, it is not important to edit your spelling and sentence structure in these initial stages. You may even replace certain sections as you revise, which makes editing early unnecessary.

Once you have written a well-structured first draft as a guide, you can proceed to your next draft. Refine your research and supporting details, while also addressing grammar and style, as you work toward your final draft.

Finalizing Your Essay

The final draft is what you submit to your professors for grading, so it is important for it to be comprehensive, detailed, and polished. Your final draft is the last one, the product of your many rounds of feedback, changes, and revisions. It should reflect everything you have learned about your essay prompt throughout the time you have spent researching, writing, and revising your essay.

Here are some tips for finalizing your essay:

Final Checks 

Read your essay out loud. It is easy to miss details during multiple revisions. By reading out loud, you can spot errors in both content and grammar. You can also use Text to Speech software to hear your essay out loud.

Check for inconsistencies in logic in your arguments, gaps in knowledge, and anything you might have missed from your outline. Remove or restructure arguments that interrupt your essay’s flow.

Ensure your essay covers the prompt and matches university standards and style guide requirements. This includes checking your document’s margins, heading structure, citation style, and other specific areas your professor has requested. 

Ask a friend or mentor for feedback. A new reader may spot issues you might have missed after working with the essay for a long period of time. 

Essay Writing Help  

For many international students, college-level essay writing is a new skill. If you have outlined, written, and edited your essay and are still not sure whether it is ready to turn in, do not be afraid to ask for help. 

ESL students can get assistance with how to write an essay and receive general writing tips from a writing coach at the writing center on campus, or check with your Shorelight academic advisor to find relevant resources and support services.

Remember, the more college-level essays you write, the more familiar and comfortable you will be with the student essay writing process. 

Follow these essay writing steps to develop strong writing skills. Keep up the good work!

Ask a Shorelight advisor about academic support for international students >

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How to write a US college admissions essay

A step-by-step guide to writing your personal essay for us college applications.

• Study abroad

Naomi Lofts

If you’re one of the thousands of students that have decided to study in the US this year, you may be aware that unfortunately you cannot escape the dreaded piece of personal writing, even as an international student.

While there is certainly no Ucas system as there is in the UK, you’ll still be required to write a college admissions essay as part of your application . There are three types of applications:  

Get free support to study in the United States

• The Common Application
• The Universal College Application (UCA)
• Individual Institution Application

The Common Application and the UCA are used by many US universities and colleges, and you’ll find that if you can write an essay for one of these, you’ll have no problems with any other individual applications.

The key to a successful essay is to start early – with the Common Application this means choosing which one of the five prompts you wish to answer and getting down some initial thoughts.

Think about each prompt carefully and decide whether your skills and life experience relate to one more than the others. Look at the individual words such as “background” and “interest” to help you, and if you still can’t decide, ask your family and friends which prompt they think might suit you best.

Remember that these prompts are just that, and not questions that must be “answered”. If you’re applying to institutions that use the UCA or set their own admissions essay, you won’t have to worry about this part, but the advice that follows will still apply.

When you’ve made a decision, sit down for a brainstorming session and make notes on how the topics below might be used in your essay:

• After school clubs and extracurricular activities
• Holidays and other trips abroad or around the UK
• Hobbies and interests
• Work experience
• Family members and friends
• Special occasions and other life experiences that have influenced you

When you have a few sentences down for each point, you can begin to put together your introduction.

Like the Ucas personal statement, an attention-grabbing opening sentence is crucial if you’re going to highlight yourself as an interesting person who the admissions faculty would want on their course.

Don’t start with something generic, such as “when I go into the city, I visit the museums because I like history”. Everyone goes to museums to learn more about history, so this isn’t a personal story.

Make sure you launch straight into telling the reader why you’re unique, without wasting time restating the prompt or describing what you’re going to write about.

Once you have a solid opening paragraph, think about how you can use your notes to construct several more paragraphs that will make up the bulk of your essay.

You are only given a maximum of 650 words for the UCA personal statement and the Common Application essay, which isn’t a lot of space, but at this stage it’s better to have too much written down that you can then trim, than not have enough. Institutions that set their own essays may offer more words than this, but it’s best to check the application form or their website first.

Think about how your notes from earlier can be used in relation to the prompt you have chosen, and try to link each paragraph so the essay flows well as a whole.

For example, if you’re writing an essay for prompt number five of the common application, “ Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family” , you might choose to talk about wanting to get your drivers’ licence as soon as possible. Paragraphs might then be broken down into:

• Your parent’s view of this and any compromises you had to make with them
• What you did to prepare for both the theory and practical tests
• Parts of the learning experience you found difficult and how you overcame them
• How you paid for lessons and/or a car once you had passed, e.g., getting a part-time job
• What the experience taught you, e.g., managing money, being organised, etc. and how it improved any of your personal skills or qualities, such as communication, teamwork or problem-solving

Looking at some example admission essays may also be useful in structuring your own.

The conclusion must round off your essay in a way that leaves a lasting good impression upon the admissions tutor. It should be a summary of what you have learned from your experiences and how they have shaped you into the person you are today.

Explain how this will benefit you on the course and make you a valuable asset to the university. You can also include a brief sentence or two about your career path or any other plans you have for the future that your university education will enable you to achieve. Tutors will want to see that you have thought ahead and considered how you’re going to use your degree later on in the field.  

When your first draft is complete, don’t rely on a spellchecker to correct spelling and grammar mistakes; ask tutors, family and friends to look at it and give you their feedback. Make sure you go through at least several rounds of this, and you’ll achieve a polished essay that will give you the best chance of success with your US college applications.

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Why do you want to study in USA? 7 Sample Answers to Inspire You

The United States of America is home to some of the best universities in the world. Every year, millions of students worldwide come to the United States to pursue their dreams. Are you considering pursuing your education in the United States of America? The decision to study abroad is exciting and life-changing, but it often comes with important questions, such as “Why do you want to study in USA?” This interview question is commonly asked by universities and immigration officials alike as they seek to understand your motivation and goals.

In this article, we will explore why studying in the USA is a popular choice for international students. We will provide insights and guidance to help you answer this question effectively during your interview or application process.

Why studying in the USA is a popular choice?

Academic Excellence:  The United States is home to many prestigious universities that consistently rank among the top institutions globally. For example, Harvard University is renowned for its rigorous academic programs and is recognized as one of the world’s leading universities. By studying at such an institution, you would have access to renowned faculty members, cutting-edge research opportunities, and a vibrant academic community.

Wide Range of Programs:  American colleges and universities offer various academic disciplines and majors. Whether you are interested in engineering, business, arts, or sciences, you’ll find numerous options to suit your interests. For instance, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is renowned for its STEM programs and a technological innovation hub.

Research Opportunities:  Many American universities emphasize research, providing ample opportunities for students to engage in groundbreaking projects. This hands-on experience can enhance your skills, foster critical thinking, and open doors to future career prospects. Stanford University is renowned for its research initiatives across various disciplines, and participating in projects there can offer valuable practical experience.

Networking and Alumni Connections:  Studying in the USA enables you to build a robust network of connections that can benefit you throughout your career. American universities often have vast alumni networks, which can provide mentorship, job opportunities, and professional guidance. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business has a strong alumni network known for its connections in the business world.

Cultural Diversity and Experiences:  The United States is known for its multicultural society, offering a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives. Studying in such an environment exposes you to diverse cultures, ideas, and traditions, fostering personal growth and broadening your worldview. For example, the University of California, Berkeley, is renowned for its inclusive campus culture and commitment to social justice.

Career Opportunities:  The USA provides a wide range of career opportunities due to its robust economy and the presence of numerous multinational companies. Many American universities have strong ties to industry, offering internships, co-op programs, and job placement services. Stanford University’s proximity to Silicon Valley provides students with unparalleled access to innovative tech companies and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Financial Aid and Scholarships: Studying in the USA can be expensive, but universities and colleges offer various financial aid and scholarship options to help students cover their tuition expenses. Scholarships can be merit-based, need-based, or talent-based and could take care of a significant portion of your education expenses. For instance, the University of Chicago awards need-based financial aid packages to all admitted students, ensuring that finance is not a barrier to pursuing your education.

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7 Sample Answers to “Why do you want to study in USA?”

• One of the main reasons I want to study in the USA is the excellent educational opportunities available. American universities are renowned for their high-quality teaching and research, and I believe that studying in the US would provide me with a solid foundation for my future career. Additionally, I’m excited about the chance to learn from some of the most respected professors in my field and collaborate with students worldwide.
• Studying in the USA can also help me build a strong professional network, essential for success in today’s globalized job market. By attending an American university, I’ll have the chance to connect with professionals and alumni from various industries, attend career fairs and seminars, and even gain valuable work experience through internships and co-op programs. This will undoubtedly give me a competitive edge when entering the workforce.
• Living and studying in the USA will require me to step out of my comfort zone and adapt to new situations. This experience will help me develop essential life skills such as problem-solving, time management, and communication, which will be invaluable throughout my personal and professional life.
• A degree from an American university is highly respected and recognized worldwide. A US degree will open doors for me in the global job market and demonstrate my commitment to excellence and professional development.

Program Related Answers

• Studying aerospace engineering in the USA is my dream because it is home to renowned institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University. These institutions have excellent research facilities and collaborations with aerospace companies like Boeing and SpaceX. By studying in the USA, I will gain exposure to advanced technologies, work with top-notch faculty, and contribute to future aircraft and space exploration development.
• With its diverse economy and global influence, the USA is an ideal destination to study international business. Programs at universities like Georgetown University and Columbia Business School provide a comprehensive understanding of global trade, cross-cultural management, and international business strategies. By immersing myself in this environment, I will learn to navigate the complexities of the global marketplace, build cross-border solid networks, and contribute to fostering international cooperation and economic growth.
• Studying medicine and health studies in the USA offers unparalleled opportunities for research, clinical exposure, and advancements in patient care. Institutions like Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins University are renowned for their innovative medical programs. By immersing myself in this environment, I can gain a comprehensive understanding of medical sciences, contribute to groundbreaking research, and positively impact healthcare outcomes in the USA and globally.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, studying in the USA offers various benefits, from academic excellence to diverse cultural experiences and career opportunities. When asked, “Why do you want to study in USA?” during your interview or application process, it’s essential to provide thoughtful, well-prepared answers that reflect your goals and motivations. By considering the sample answers provided here and exploring your passions and interests, you’ll be well on your way to articulating your reasons for pursuing your education in the USA and achieving your academic and career goals.

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How to Write Scholarship Essay to Study in USA

Kriti Anand

| Updated On - May 16, 2024

• A compelling scholarship essay will help you avail scholarship opportunities that can make your study abroad dream come true.
• Find a balance between readability and a formal tone. Don’t make your essay too casual, but don’t fill up technical jargon either.
• Colleges offering scholarships want to know what skills and values you have developed that can contribute to the institution.
• Create a first draft with all the skills, topics, examples and goals you want to include in your essay, before you write the main essay.
• Your conclusion should circle back to themes you outlined in your introduction, should be brief, and end with thanks.

Scholarships don’t come easy. But for some of us, scholarships are the only way to finance our study in the USA . To secure a scholarship, you need a) good grades, and b) a scholarship essay. There is not much you can do about your grades at this point, but you can still save your scholarship essay—and a good scholarship essay can save your application.

A compelling scholarship essay can help you stand out from the crowd, so you can avail scholarship opportunities that make your study abroad dream come true. So, how do you get a scholarship to study abroad? Read on to find out.

Every year, over 1.7 million scholarships are awarded in the United States.

Purpose of Scholarship Essay

A scholarship essay is to judge a student’s merits and qualities, and sometimes, financial need. Colleges want to know what skills and values you have developed that can contribute to the institution. Other organizations are looking for attributes like leadership skills, time management, collaborative skills, etc in the candidates. You are required to present the information in the context of a specific question or essay prompt.

You can think of the essay as a captivating life story told to convince the scholarship committee that you are worthy and deserving of the scholarship. It has to be personal and believable. Your essay should outline your career goals and emphasize how the scholarship will help you achieve them.

A number of universities, especially the top ones like Harvard and Stanford , make sure you get the financial assistance you need once your application is selected. There are some universities like NYU Stem that automatically consider applications for scholarships, on the basis of need and/or merit.

Types of Scholarships Available to International Students

When shortlisting a university , your budget can become a hurdle, and the different types of scholarships can offset this. Scholarships are typically awarded on the basis of these criteria:

• Merit-based scholarships
• Need-based scholarships
• Athletic scholarships
• Subject-specific scholarships

Read: Need-Based v/s Merit-Based Scholarships: Eligibility & Criteria for Selection

The Indian government also provides scholarships to international students from the country. Some of these are provided below.

Format of Scholarship Essay

Before we get into how to write a scholarship essay, here’s what it should look like. The format of a scholarship essay, unless stated otherwise by your university, is given below: Font Size: 12 Font Style: Times New Roman Margin: Top, bottom and side margins, one inch each Line spacing: Double spaced

It follows the typical essay structure:

Introduction (1 para): A hook introduction that captivates the reader’s interest from the get-go is crucial to writing a good essay.

Body (2-3 para): The main content of your essay goes here, persuading the scholarship provider that you are a deserving scholar dedicated to your career goals.

Conclusion (1 para): Your conclusion should circle back to themes you outlined in your introduction, should be brief, and end with thanks.

Read carefully the instructions provided by the college/organization. Making formatting errors is the surest and silliest way of losing a scholarship.

Methodology

The general rule when it comes to writing is “to each his own”, but when the stakes are high, it’s good to have a tried-and-tested method at your disposal.

Research: Every scholarship that you are targeting will need individual research. The aim of your research will be to find out more about the organization providing the scholarship, the former candidates who have been successful in achieving the scholarship, and the qualities the organization prioritizes as its core values. This research will help you craft a relevant essay with examples from your life.

Outline: Once you have an idea of what they’re looking for, you can start with an essay outline. Create a first draft with the skills, topics, examples and goals you want to include in your essay. For example, if the organization prioritizes community service, construct your essay around a life instance where you have worked for the greater good.

Showcase yourself as a confident, deserving candidate, not as a subject of sympathy.

Writing: You have all the points you wish to include, you know what your essay is going to be about, you have your action plan. Remember, writing is not supposed to be the hardest part—that’d be editing. Write in a conversational tone without flowery language. Focus on how your story looks overall, not on how complicated words you can use. Follow the guidelines provided to the t.

Editing: Proofread your essay multiple times, in multiple fonts if you have to. Errors have a tendency to creep in unnoticed, and these errors can hurt your chances of getting the scholarship. Pay special attention to the length of sentences, the flow of your writing, the terms having been used correctly, and the points you’re covering. If possible, ask your friends or professors for feedback on your essay before you finalize it.

Do’s and Don'ts

Tips to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay

• Jot down the points you wish to include in your scholarship essay before you start writing.
• If you are writing for an organization other than your college, it’s a good idea to research their ideals, values and mission, and tailor your content accordingly.
• Don’t start with a quote—it has been done to death and takes up space in your essay that could’ve been used to write more specific and unique content.
• Think of specific examples from real life that convey your values, goals and the reason why you chose this career.
• Don’t list all your achievements, keep it relevant to your course and nature of scholarship.
• Keep the scholarship and how it will help you achieve your goals the focus of your essay.

Top 10 Most Common Essay Prompts

Some organizations provide candidates with prompts to expand on in the essay. Some of the common essay prompts include:

• Tell us about you.
• Why do you want to pursue a degree in [X]?
• Describe your contribution to your community, or a community service you have provided.
• Describe a time when you failed, and what you learned from the failure.
• What makes you unique?
• What are your academic goals and how do you plan to achieve them?
• Why should we reward you with this scholarship?
• How will this scholarship help you?

Scholarship Essay Example

Prompt: Why should you be selected for a scholarship? Please describe any academic achievements, community service activities, examples of leadership, or other personal characteristics that make you deserving of this scholarship?

I am [ABC], an Indian national with a keen interest in environmental and social sciences and an excellent academic record. I believe I deserve to be selected for this scholarship because I am committed to making the most of the opportunity that it will provide me.

Besides being a hardworking scholar, I am dedicated to volunteer work that connects my passion for education with my desire to help others. As an educator, I am devoted to the betterment of my students. It is not only my students, however, that I have endeavored to help.

Visiting my hometown as a newly graduated academic, I was surprised by the number of kids out playing when they should’ve been in school. These kids hailed from the slums behind my gated colony. When I stopped one of them to ask what they were doing out here, I was surprised by the answer. They informed me they only went to school to collect meals—a result of the “Mid-day Meal” initiative by the government—and did not attend any classes. The teachers were often absent and most didn’t care. I decided, impulsively at first, to sit with them and introduce them to proper education.

Months later, it had turned into a full-fledged community project to help middle school kids learn the basics of grammar, math, and science. More children from the poorer neighborhoods joined this ‘home-school’, many brought friends and cousins along. They were eager to learn, as I was eager to teach. As the numbers increased, my neighbors appreciated the initiative and asked to join in. I organized the students into groups and allocated them to different ‘teachers’—which was just as well, since my stay in my hometown was coming to an end.

This project allowed me to employ leadership, resourcefulness, persuasion, and compassion, and it taught me to not take education for granted. Many are living in a dearth of these resources, and I am committed to bringing a change where I can.

With the help of this scholarship, I can take my ambition further, and contribute to society’s greater good. This opportunity will not only benefit me, it will also be instrumental in improving my community’s quality of life. Thank you for giving me the chance to present my story, and I look forward to your response.

In conclusion, there are a number of universities and private organizations that fund meritorious students and students in need. A bit of research and preparation can go a long way in your hunt for scholarships. You have less time than you think—start on your essay today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques: How do I start my scholarship essay?

Ans : A hook introduction that captivates the reader’s interest from the get-go is crucial to writing a good essay. Try to answer the prompt and outline the points you are going to elaborate on in your essay.

Ques: How long should my scholarship essay be?

Ans : Scholarship essays are generally shorter, with under 500 words. Most likely, you will be given a word limit by the organization you are applying to.

Ques: What should I write in the conclusion of my essay?

Ans : Your conclusion should circle back to themes you outlined in your introduction, should be brief, and end with thanks.

Ques: What should I write in my scholarship essay?

Ans : You can think of the essay as a captivating life story told to convince the scholarship committee that you are worthy and deserving of the scholarship. It has to be personal and believable. Your essay should outline your career goals and emphasize how the scholarship will help you achieve them.

Ques: Should my scholarship essay have a title?

Ans : If not mentioned in the instructions, you can skip the title. However, if you feel a title will add to its overall appeal, you can go ahead and write one.

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International Student’s Experience in the United States Essay

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Often, students opt to study abroad to escape from their parents or guardians. They fail to appreciate the challenges associated with transitioning from one country to another (Altbach 126). Studying in a distant country is attributed to numerous challenges that include language barrier, culture shock, adapting to a foreign diet, getting an apartment, and commuting from one’s residence to school. Everything that an individual knew seems to have been inverted. Some students are unable to withstand the challenges associated with studying overseas, prompting them to go back to their countries. In spite of the challenges associated with studying in a foreign country, the experience makes one independent (Smith and Khawaja 705). One requires creating a connection with the local students. It enables him/her not only to learn the local language but also to get an apartment in a secure neighborhood and commute with limited difficulties.

One of the biggest challenges that international students face is the language barrier (GU, Schweisfurth, and Day 14). When I moved to the United States as an international scholar, I had challenges in interacting with students. The official teaching language was English. I had never studied English before. Therefore, I only had a basic knowledge of English. Before moving to the United States, my colleagues encouraged me to take English lessons. They claimed that it would help me to interact with students and understand the lecturers. I did not take them seriously since I thought that having a basic knowledge of English was sufficient. I was astounded to find that the Americans used jargons that were unfamiliar to me. Besides, words like balling, intense, radical, and many others had different meanings. It was hard to understand what the students were saying. I avoided speaking with classmates due to poor English. I endured the challenge of the language barrier for three months, which to me seemed like ten years. Communicating with taxi drivers was hard. Therefore, I stayed indoors during the free time since it was hard to tour the city.

I could not socialize for three months. I only had two friends who understood my challenges and were ready to assist. I recalled the many friends that I had back in my country and resolved to go back. I talked to one of my friends about the decision to go back to my homeland, but he convinced me to stay. He said that it would not take long to overcome the challenges, which I was facing. My friend volunteered to help me learn English. He also helped me to look for a better apartment in a secure neighborhood. It eased my travel from home to school.

International students encounter challenges in managing their money. It becomes hard for the students to compare their local denominations with foreign currencies when purchasing products (Hsieh 381). Eventually, the students end up spending all their money within a short duration. Another challenge that I encountered was getting acquainted with the American dollar. I had been used to our local currency. Hence, it was hard for me to assess the value of items in terms of dollars. On the other hand, the taxi drivers took advantage of my innocence. They could charge me high for a short distance. Induration of three months, I contacted my parents four times asking for additional money. My parents were not happy with my spending. They accused me of being too extravagant. One day, I invited my friends for lunch at my place. I offered to pay for their transport. They were surprised to learn that I paid $30 for a distance that costs $15. That is when I realized that the taxi drivers had been overcharging me. I confronted the taxi drivers, and since then, they never overcharged me again.

International students go through many challenges that impact their academic performance in the first year of college (Poyrazli and Grahame 33). The primary reason for moving to the United States was to advance my educational background. I had hopes that studying in the United States would boost my academic credentials and enable me to secure a better job in the future. Unfortunately, my dreams were almost shattered in the first semester. I did not perform according to my expectations. One of the factors that contributed to my poor performance was the language barrier. It was hard to understand the lecturers. Besides, I took a long to settle down. Therefore, I had little time to study.

Understanding the factors that lead to poor performance can go a long way towards helping one to improve his/her academic achievements (Salisbury et al. 125). I decided to concentrate on the subjects that seemed quite difficult. Besides, we formed a discussion group with some friends who helped me tackle the difficult subjects. I also liaised with lecturers who spared some of their time to assist me. The study group and assistance from the professors helped to boost my academic performance. I was among the most academically improved students in the second semester.

Works Cited

Altbach, Philip. “Globalization and the University: Realities in an Unequal World.” International Handbook of Higher Education 18.1 (2009): 121-139. Print.

Gu, Qing, Michele Schweisfurth, and Christopher Day. “Learning and Growing in a ‘Foreign’ Context: Intercultural Experiences of International Students.” Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 40.1 (2010): 7-23. Print.

Hsieh, Min-Hua. “Challenges for |International Students in Higher Education: One Student’s Narrated Story of Invisibility and Struggle.” College Student Journal 41.2 (2007): 379-391. Print.

Poyrazli, Senel, and Kamini Grahame. “Barriers to Adjustment: Needs of International Students within a Semi-Urban Campus Community.” Journal of Instructional Psychology 34.1 (2007): 28-42. Print.

Salisbury, Mark, Paul Umbach, Michael Paulsen, and Ernest Pascarella. “Going Global: Understanding the Choice Process of the Intent to Study Abroad.” Research in Higher Education 50.2 (2009): 119-143. Print.

Smith, Rachel, and Nigar Khawaja. “A Review of the Acculturation Experiences of International Students.” International Journal of Intercultural Relations 35.6 (2011): 699-713. Print.

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Study a Bachelor’s in the USA Scholarship 2024

Looking for scholarships to study in the USA? Check out our $5,000 bachelor degree scholarship and make your dream of studying abroad in the USA come true!

• Study Abroad in the United States
• Scholarships
• Bachelor's Degree

Apply for our $5,000 Bachelor's degree scholarship and make your study abroad dreams a reality

Are you looking for scholarships to study in the USA? We can help! At educations.com, we believe that students who study abroad become the next generation of globally-minded adventurers – so we want more of you to do it!

We know that when studying abroad in America, scholarships are crucial. That’s why we’re offering one Bachelor's degree scholarship of up to $5,000 to help cover your tuition fees and get you one step closer to your next great adventure.

This Bachelor's degree scholarship will be awarded for students beginning their studies in the Fall 2024 semester or after and is worth up to $5,000. It's open to students from any country who will be studying a Bachelor's degree abroad at a college or university in the USA.

The application period for this opportunity ends on 28 June 2024 at 12:00 CEST.

Need help finding a program? Browse bachelor's degrees in the USA!

Our Winners and Finalists

Have a look at the past winners and finalists of our Study a Bachelor's in the USA Scholarship to learn more about what made us select them. 

Find more scholarships for bachelor degree studies in  our Scholarship Directory.

Eligibility

To apply for our scholarship:

• You must have applied (or will apply) to a college or university in the USA.
• You must have applied (or will apply) for a Bachelor's level degree starting in Fall 2024.
• The degree program must be studied either on campus or online via distance learning from an institute based in the USA.
• Holding a valid transcript from your high school (or equivalent)
• Meeting any language requirements for the program
• You must hold or be eligible to apply for a relevant study visa (if applicable).
• You cannot hold US citizenship or currently reside in the USA unless you are currently studying abroad.

Our ideal candidate

Are you the next globally-minded adventurer?

If you’re planning on studying abroad in America, scholarships are only one part of your journey. We already know you have a courageous and adventurous spirit because of your decision to study abroad, but what else are we looking for in a candidate?

• Globally-minded and interested in other cultures
• A high academic achiever with consistently outstanding grades
• Involved in extracurricular groups and activities
• Excited to begin your adventure and share your story with the world!

Need more information about education in the USA? Check out our guide to studying abroad in the United States .

Important Notice:

Key dates for study a bachelor’s in the usa 2023 scholarship applicants.

Finalists notified: 15 July - 11 August 2023

Winner announced: 21-25 August 2023

Scholarship paid out: Fall 2023 semester

Key dates for Study a Bachelor’s in the USA 2024 Scholarship

• Applications open: 30 June 2023
• Applications close: 28 June 2024, 12:00 CEST
• Finalists notified: 29 July 2023 -16 August 2024
• Winner announced:  26-30 August 2024
• Scholarship paid out: Fall 2024 semester

Application requirements

Wondering how to apply for one of our yearly scholarships to study in the USA?

To be considered, you'll need to submit your completed application by 30 June 2024 at 12:00 CEST.

The application consists of:

• Filling out a short form
• Submitting a short essay (400-500 words) that answers the question: Why did you choose the USA as a study abroad destination, and how will it help you to shape your future?

Please note: Applications need to be submitted in English. Applications in other languages won't be considered.

If you're selected as a finalist, you'll be asked to provide:

• Proof of acceptance into an American university in the form of a copy of your acceptance letter
• Proof that you've finished high school (or equivalent) in the form of a copy of your transcript
• A copy of your passport to prove your identity

It is very important that all copies of documents are color scans. Please have these documents on hand should you be selected as a finalist. You will have 7 days from the time we tell you that you're a finalist to send us this documentation.

If selected as our winner, you'll need to:

• Tell us that you want to accept our scholarship within 3 days of being told that you have won.
• Repost one of our social media announcements on Instagram, LinkedIn, and/or Facebook to tell others about yourself as the winner!

View the full Terms & Conditions here .

Ready to submit your application?

Fill out the form below to start your Study a Bachelor's in the USA Scholarship application today!

FAQs about this scholarship

How many scholarships to study in the usa will be awarded.

There is only one scholarship available per round. This will be awarded to one individual.

When will I find out if I've won the bachelor degree scholarship?

The scholarship finalists will be contacted between the 29th July and 16th of August 2024, and the winner will be announced on our website and social media channels between the 26th and 30th of August 2024.

Can I edit my application after I submit it?

Yes, you will be able to log in as many times as you like using the email you originally submitted the application with up until the application close date – 28 June 2024 at 12:00 CEST. At this time, the application form will be closed and all submissions will be considered final. Please note: Once you've submitted your essay, you will be unable to delete and re-upload revised versions through the Google Form. So, please make sure to only submit your application once your essay is complete. If you submit the wrong essay or would like to make changes, please email us at [email protected] from the email address associated with your application with the updated version of your essay.

What do I have to submit with my application?

In the initial application, all you need to do is fill in the form along with a 400-500 word essay on the topic: Why did you choose the USA as a study abroad destination, and how will it help you grow as a globally-minded leader?

If you are selected as a finalist, you will be asked to supply us with more documents that further prove your eligibility.

What should I include in my application essay?

We want you to tell us what drew you to the USA, and particularly, how it will help you grow as a globally-minded leader. Tell us what is important to you, where you see your future, and how a scholarship to studying in the USA will help you get there as well as how it will help you grow and develop.

If you want to get more practical tips on how to improve your scholarship application and essay, have a look at our article on scholarship tips and advice .

I want to upload a new version of my essay. How do I do this?

Please email [email protected] from the email address associated with your application with the updated version of your essay and we'll make a note of it on your application.

Can I get reimbursed if I have already paid my tuition fees for the Fall 2024 (and Spring 2025) semester?

Unfortunately, we’re unable to reimburse tuition fees that you have already paid. The scholarship fund can only be used towards upcoming tuition fees and is paid directly to your university.

Can this scholarship be used towards other expenses?

The scholarship fund can only be used towards your tuition fees. No living costs, accommodation rental, travel expenses, or other semester fees can be covered.

Can I email you or send you my application by post?

No, all applications must be submitted via the official online form (link below). If you email or post us your application, we will not include it for consideration.

I have already started studying my bachelor's degree. Am I still eligible?

If you have already started your bachelor studies before Fall 2024, you are unfortunately ineligible.

I am applying to study my degree online. Am I eligible for this scholarship?

Yes, this scholarship is eligible towards tuition fees for online degrees, provided that that degree is delivered by a higher education institute based in the USA. You don't have to be living in the USA or studying on campus to be eligible for this scholarship. However, US citizens or residents are ineligible.

Where can I find more scholarships for bachelor degree studies?

Whether you’re planning to study abroad in Europe, Asia, or America, scholarships can be difficult to find. Access more opportunities for scholarships for bachelor degree studies as well as scholarships for other degree types in our regularly updated Scholarship Directory .

👉 Follow us on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn and TikTok to learn more about study abroad and get study abroad tips from our student ambassadors!

Start your application here!

Keystone Team Author

The Keystone Team is comprised of experienced educators and advisors dedicated to providing valuable resources and advice to students all over the world.

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Why did you choose to study in the United States?

Please note, this content may be outdated. Visit Study in the States'  Students , Schools and Blog pages for more timely information on this topic.

The United States is known for its higher education opportunities, which explains why so many American students earn certificates, associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees each year. USA Today recently reported on a U.S. News survey that shows the number of F and M students in the United States continues to grow.

The United States has some of the top universities in the world. In fact, Quacquarelli Symonds World University ranking showed that of the top 20 universities in the world, 13 are in the United States. One student in the article wanted to experience the “American educational methodology.” These schools offer “worldwide recognition of school names, technology and hands-on training.”

Why do students from around the world choose to study here? Studying in the United States allows F and M students to experience the diverse American culture. The article highlights one student who said that coming to the United States “helped him embrace diversity and grow personally and academically.” Another student said that during her time in the United States she “learned how to adapt to a different society and how to communicate more effectively.”

There are numerous benefits for any student who chooses to study abroad: different classroom experiences, new languages and diverse cultures. What made you choose to study in the United States? How did you choose your Student and Exchange Visitor Program-certified school? Tell us on Facebook and Twitter.

• Foreign students examine benefits of studying in U.S.; USA Today

Home — Essay Samples — Education — Studying Abroad — World Education Systems: Why Do You Want to Study in USA

World Education Systems: Why Do You Want to Study in USA

• Categories: Studying Abroad

About this sample

Words: 903 |

Published: Dec 5, 2018

Words: 903 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Table of contents

Finest university systems, variety of institutions, enviable technology, varied opportunity for research and training, student support services for concerns, experience the zest of campus life, career prospects, works cited.

• Brown, L. (2019). Why International Students Choose US Universities. The PIE News.
• Council of Graduate Schools. (2019). International Graduate Applications and Enrollment: Fall 2019. https://cgsnet.org/international-graduate-applications-and-enrollment-fall-2019
• Educational Testing Service. (2019). GRE Test Taker Data: Snapshot Report 2019-2020. https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_snapshot_data_1920.pdf
• Institute of International Education. (2020). Open Doors 2020: Report on International Educational Exchange.
• NAFSA: Association of International Educators. (2019). Economic Benefits of International Education to the United States for the 2018-2019 Academic Year. https://www.nafsa.org/policy-and-advocacy/policy-resources/nafsa-international-student-economic-value-toolkit
• National Science Foundation. (2019). Science and Engineering Indicators 2020: Digest.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2020). Education at a Glance 2020: OECD Indicators.
• Redden, E. (2019). New International Enrollments in the U.S. Increase. Inside Higher Ed.
• U.S. Department of Education. (2020). The Condition of Education 2020.
• U.S. Department of State. (2020). Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

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If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you may be able to sponsor a family member for a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card). Learn about the process and who is eligible.

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Applying for a family-based immigrant visa is the first step in the process for the person you are sponsoring to become a permanent resident. There are two categories of this type of visa:

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These visas are for close relatives of U.S. citizens, such as spouses, unmarried children under 21, or parents. An unlimited number of visas are available for this visa category. These visas include:

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Family preference visas

A limited number of family preference visas are set aside each year for:

• F1 visas unmarried children who are 21 years of age or older
• F3 visas for married children
• F4 visas for siblings
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• F2B visas for unmarried children who are 21 years of age or older

Check the U.S. Department of State’s chart of immigrant visa categories to learn more about each category of immediate relative and family sponsored visas .

How to apply for permanent residency for a family member

To sponsor your family member, submit a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-130 . Each person you sponsor needs a separate Form I-130. You can submit the form online or by mail.

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The process is different depending on whether your family member is already in the U.S. or abroad.

• If your family member is in the U.S. - Learn about Adjustment of Status
• If your family member is outside the U.S. - Learn the steps for Consular Processing

Submitting Form I-130 is the first step of the immigration visa process. Learn what other steps are involved , including:

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The Changing Political Geography of COVID-19 Over the Last Two Years

Over the past two years, the official count of coronavirus deaths in the United States has risen and is now approaching 1 million lives. Large majorities of Americans say they personally know someone who has been hospitalized or died of the coronavirus , and it has impacted – in varying degrees – nearly every aspect of life .

A new Pew Research Center analysis of official reports of COVID-19-related deaths across the country, based on mortality data collected by The New York Times, shows how the dynamics of the pandemic have shifted over the past two years.

A timeline of the shifting geography of the pandemic

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand how the geography of the coronavirus outbreak has changed over its course. For this analysis, we relied on official reports of deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus collected and maintained by The New York Times .

The estimates provided in this report are subject to several sources of error. There may be significant differences between the true number of deaths due to COVID-19 and the official reported counts of those deaths. There may also be variation across the states in the quality and types of data reported. For example, most states report deaths based on the residency of the deceased person rather than the location where they died. The New York Times collects data from many different local health agencies, and this likely leads to some additional measurement error.

This analysis relies on county-level data. Counties in the United States vary widely in their population sizes, so in many places in the essay, we divide counties into approximately equal-sized groups (in terms of their population) for comparability or report on population adjusted death rates rather than total counts of deaths.

The pandemic has rolled across the U.S. unevenly and in waves. Today, the death toll of the pandemic looks very different from how it looked in the early part of 2020 . The first wave (roughly the first 125,000 deaths from March 2020 through June 2020) was largely geographically concentrated in the Northeast and in particular the New York City region. During the summer of 2020, the largest share of the roughly 80,000 deaths that occurred during the pandemic’s second wave were in the southern parts of the country.

The fall and winter months of 2020 and early 2021 were the deadliest of the pandemic to date. More than 370,000 Americans died of COVID-19 between October 2020 and April 2021; the geographic distinctions that characterized the earlier waves became much less pronounced.

By the spring and summer of 2021, the nationwide death rate had slowed significantly, and vaccines were widely available to all adults who wanted them. But starting at the end of the summer, the fourth and fifth waves (marked by new variants of the virus, delta and then omicron) came in quick succession and claimed more than 300,000 lives.

In many cases, the characteristics of communities that were associated with higher death rates at the beginning of the pandemic are now associated with lower death rates (and vice versa). Early in the pandemic, urban areas were disproportionately impacted. During the first wave, the coronavirus death rate in the 10% of the country that lives in the most densely populated counties was more than nine times that of the death rate among the 10% of the population living in the least densely populated counties. In each subsequent wave, however, the nation’s least dense counties have registered higher death rates than the most densely populated places.

Despite the staggering death toll in densely populated urban areas during the first months of the pandemic (an average 36 monthly deaths per 100,000 residents), the overall death rate over the course of the pandemic is slightly higher in the least populated parts of the country (an average monthly 15 deaths per 100,000 among the 10% living in the least densely populated counties vs. 13 per 100,000 among the 10% in the most densely populated counties).

As the relationship between population density and coronavirus death rates has changed over the course of the pandemic, so too has the relationship between counties’ voting patterns and their death rates from COVID-19.

In the spring of 2020, the areas recording the greatest numbers of deaths were much more likely to vote Democratic than Republican. But by the third wave of the pandemic, which began in fall 2020, the pattern had reversed: Counties that voted for Donald Trump over Joe Biden were suffering substantially more deaths from the coronavirus pandemic than those that voted for Biden over Trump. This reversal is likely a result of several factors including differences in mitigation efforts and vaccine uptake, demographic differences, and other differences that are correlated with partisanship at the county level.

During this third wave – which continued into early 2021 – the coronavirus death rate among the 20% of Americans living in counties that supported Trump by the highest margins in 2020 was about 170% of the death rate among the one-in-five Americans living in counties that supported Biden by the largest margins.

As vaccines became more widely available, this discrepancy between “blue” and “red” counties became even larger as the virulent delta strain of the pandemic spread across the country during the summer and fall of 2021, even as the total number of deaths fell somewhat from its third wave peak.

During the fourth wave of the pandemic, death rates in the most pro-Trump counties were about four times what they were in the most pro-Biden counties. When the highly transmissible omicron variant began to spread in the U.S. in late 2021, these differences narrowed substantially. However, death rates in the most pro-Trump counties were still about 180% of what they were in the most pro-Biden counties throughout late 2021 and early 2022.

The cumulative impact of these divergent death rates is a wide difference in total deaths from COVID-19 between the most pro-Trump and most pro-Biden parts of the country. Since the pandemic began, counties representing the 20% of the population where Trump ran up his highest margins in 2020 have experienced nearly 70,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than have the counties representing the 20% of population where Biden performed best. Overall, the COVID-19 death rate in all c ounties Trump won in 2020 is substantially higher than it is in counties Biden won (as of the end of February 2022, 326 per 100,000 in Trump counties and 258 per 100,000 in Biden counties).

Partisan divide in COVID-19 deaths widened as more vaccines became available

Partisan differences in COVID-19 death rates expanded dramatically after the availability of vaccines increased. Unvaccinated people are at far higher risk of death and hospitalization from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and vaccination decisions are strongly associated with partisanship . Among the large majority of counties for which reliable vaccination data exists, counties that supported Trump at higher margins have substantially lower vaccination rates than those that supported Biden at higher margins.

Counties with lower rates of vaccination registered substantially greater death rates during each wave in which vaccines were widely available.

During the fall of 2021 (roughly corresponding to the delta wave), about 10% of Americans lived in counties with adult vaccination rates lower than 40% as of July 2021. Death rates in these low-vaccination counties were about six times as high as death rates in counties where 70% or more of the adult population was vaccinated.

More Americans were vaccinated heading into the winter of 2021 and 2022 (roughly corresponding to the omicron wave), but nearly 10% of the country lived in areas where less than half of the adult population was vaccinated as of November 2021. Death rates in these low-vaccination counties were roughly twice what they were in counties that had 80% or more of their population vaccinated. ( Note: The statistics here reflect the death rates in the county as a whole, not rates for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, though individual-level data finds that death rates among unvaccinated people are far higher than among vaccinated people.)

This analysis relies on official reports of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the United States collected and reported by The New York Times .

COVID-19 deaths in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories are not included in this analysis. Additionally, deaths without a specific geographic location have been excluded.

Data was pulled from the GitHub repository maintained by The New York Times on March 1, 2022, and reflects reported coronavirus deaths through Feb. 28.

There are several anomalies in the deaths data. Many locales drop off their reporting on the weekends and holidays. In addition to the rhythm of the reporting cycle, there are many instances where a locality will revise the count of its deaths downward (usually only by a small amount) or release a large batch of previously unreported deaths on a single day. The downward revisions were identified and retroactively applied to earlier days.

Large batches of cases were identified by finding days that increased by more than 10 deaths and were 10 standard deviations above the norm for a county within a 30-day window. Deaths reported in these anomalous batches were then evenly distributed across the days leading up to when they were released.

Population data for U.S. counties comes from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey estimates published by the Census Bureau (accessed through the tidycensus package in R on Feb. 21). The 2020 vote share for each county was purchased from Dave Leip’s Election Atlas (downloaded on Nov. 21, 2021).

The analysis looks at deaths among counties based on their 2020 vote. Counties were grouped into five groups with approximately equal population. For analyses that include 2020 vote, Alaskan counties are excluded because Alaska does not report its election results at the county level. The table below provides more details.

This essay benefited greatly from thoughtful comments and consultation with many individuals around Pew Research Center. Jocelyn Kiley, Carroll Doherty and Jeb Bell provided invaluable editorial guidance. Peter Bell and Alissa Scheller contributed their expertise in visualization, Ben Wormald built the map animation, and Reem Nadeem did the digital production. Andrew Daniller provided careful attention to the quality check process, and David Kent’s watchful copy editing eye brought clarity to some difficult concepts.

Lead photo: Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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Exclusive: Pentagon data reveals US soldier more likely to die by suicide than in combat

WASHINGTON − U.S. soldiers were almost nine times more likely to die by suicide than by enemy fire, according to a Pentagon study for the five-year period ending in 2019.

The study, published in May by the Defense Health Agency, found that suicide was the leading cause of death among active-duty soldiers from 2014 to 2019. There were 883 suicide deaths during that time period. Accidents were the No. 2 cause with 814 deaths. There were 96 combat deaths.

The suicide figures from 2019 predate some Army and Pentagon initiatives to combat suicide, including a workforce that addresses harmful behaviors like alcohol abuse that can contribute to deaths by suicide. In addition, combat deaths declined from 31 in 2014 to 16 in 2019 as deployments to war zones in the Middle East and Afghanistan decreased.

Suicide, meanwhile, has increased among active-duty soldiers, according to figures obtained by USA TODAY. So far in 2024, 55 soldiers have died by suicide.

Army officials, in an interview with USA TODAY, pointed to increasing rates of suicide in U.S. society as whole that are reflected in their ranks. They also talked about new tactics they're using to reduce suicide.

More: Alaska's army bases see glimmer of hope after 'horrifically high' suicide rates among soldiers

The rate of suicide, measured by deaths per 100,000 soldiers, generally has been climbing since 2019 when the rate was 28.8 per 100,000. For active-duty soldiers in 2020, the rate was 36.2 per 100,000. It declined in 2021 to 36.1, and in 2022 it fell to 28.9. In 2023, it jumped to 36.6. In 2024, the rate is 31.8 through most of May, according to figures obtained by USA TODAY.

For all Americans, the rate of suicide has climbed 37% since 2000. In 2021, the last year of available data, the rate per 100,000 was 14.1.

The Army’s struggle to curb suicide grew especially acute in Alaska during the study’s timeframe and after.

At Fort Wainwright in Alaska’s isolated, frigid interior, 11 soldiers died by suicide between January 2014 and March 2019. That spike alarmed Army officials, and a commission examining the problem called for spending more than $200 million for better barracks for soldiers and sheltered garages to maintain their combat vehicles.

Military spending didn't stop the suicide problem

The spending didn’t stem the problem. There were eight suicide deaths among soldiers posted to Alaska in 2019, seven in 2020 and a horrific 17 in 2021. Following a USA TODAY investigation, the Army, prodded by Congress , surged dozens of mental health professionals to the state and suicides dropped to six in 2022.

More: An Alaskan army base is the epicenter of military suicides. Soldiers know why

Last September, acting on recommendations made by an independent commission studying suicide in the military, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin outlined the Pentagon's strategy to prevent more deaths. It includes improving access to mental health counseling and incentives for safe storage of firearms, which account for 70% of suicide deaths.

The Pentagon plans to hire as many as 2,000 people over the next four years to focus on preventing problem behaviors, like excessive drinking, that can lead to suicide and sexual assault. The first members of the Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce were deployed to bases at highest risk last year.

Gunshot wounds accounted for 65% of the Army's suicide deaths, according to the study.

"Evaluation of various public health suicide prevention programs and services, and a greater emphasis on firearm storage and safety, may be needed to reduce suicide," the study's authors noted.

The Army has been seeking to normalize safe storage of guns among soldiers a reflex, like fastening a seat belt, said Carrie Shult, the Army's suicide prevention program manager. Secured guns are less likely to be seized by a solider having a suicidal impulse.

At Fort Cavazos in Texas, a program that emphasizes regular conversations by leaders and peers about gun storage has resulted in better planning by soldiers, Shult said.

"We've seen some great initial results from that project and we're also looking to extend that in other areas," she said.

The Army's approach to suicide prevention has evolved over the past four years, said Col. Kevin Goke, an official in the Army's directorate of Prevention, Resilience & Readiness. The focus has shifted from suicide as solely a mental-health problem to addressing a variety of stresses on soldiers, including financial woes and broken relationships that can contribute to a crisis.

Training has also aimed at reducing the stigma about seeking help when needed, he said. Soldiers have been taught to ask one another if they're thinking of hurting themselves.

"As a behavioral health provider, it's a very easy question for me to ask," Goke said. "But we triggered that question down to a healthy-hand approach that folks are willing to ask that question."

If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org

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The USA "Way Of Life"

If you are planning to live, learn and grow in the United States, you already possess a well-known American characteristic—a sense of adventure! As an international student, you will experience many new and exciting things. In this section, we hope to prepare you for some of the adventures involved in living in the United States.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to discuss exactly what "Living in the U.S." means to everyone. American culture has been enriched by the values and belief systems of virtually every part of the world. From an international student's perspective, that diversity is very valuable. If you choose to live in a completely different environment, you may be challenged with new situations every day; but if you decide to live in a part of the U.S. that resembles your home country in some ways, you may find comfort in those similarities.

Learning more about yourself is perhaps the most important part of your decision to travel to the U.S. Once you know what you want to achieve, then you can identify the right place to study and live and grow in the States.

Culture Shock

You probably expect that things will not be the same in the United States as they are in your home country; but are you prepared to deal with those differences? Learn More

American Culture

As you may know, one of the hallmarks of U.S. culture is independence. Here is some advice about written by non-U.S. students just like you! Learn More

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It is a MUST that you know all the requirements and restrictions concerning your visa when considering working in the USA. Learn More

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Essay winners: Juneteenth lets us remember nation's past while striving for better future

Correction: Erin Mauldin is an associate professor at the University of South Florida. Her name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.

Three 2024 high school graduates were honored this week as winners of the Juneteenth Scholarship essay contest. Their essays are below.

Juneteenth is chance to acknowledge both legacy and unfinished work

It is June 19, 1865, and over 250,000 enslaved Africans are gathered in Galveston, Texas, watching the United States Union Troops approach the bay to announce that after 400 years, they are free. Just a few months prior, Abraham Lincoln had announced the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing those enslaved in Confederate territory, but not all of them were made free.

This day is known as “Freedom Eve” or “Emancipation Day” and took place on January 1, 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation might not have cemented the actual liberation of African American people in the U.S., but it was a critical turning point that led up to the country’s second Independence Day, known as Juneteenth. Understanding what Juneteenth is and recognizing its importance and the intentions of other celebrations like it is essential. 

Juneteenth, deriving from the words “June” and “Nineteenth”, is the day that marks the annual celebration of a huge step towards racial reckoning in the United States. Texas was the first state to make it a holiday in 1980, motivating other states to do the same in the years following. Finally, in 2021, Juneteenth became a national holiday. However, we must see this celebration as an obstacle that was overcome, rather than a destination. There is still much work to be done. Victories like this one encourage us to continue the fight.

Associate professor Erin Mauldin at the University of South Florida, an expert on civil war and reconstruction, talks about how “Juneteenth is neither the beginning nor the end of something.” The same article states that “the end of the Civil War and the ending of slavery didn't happen overnight and was a lot more like a jagged edge than a clean cut.” It is imperative to realize that the road ahead could be just as long as the road behind us. 

In today’s age, the celebration of Juneteenth holds a higher significance than ever before, as we take time to honor the struggles endured but also acknowledge that many of those struggles are ongoing, as it pertains to racial inequality and systemic issues that create numerous disparities for African Americans. The historical injustices we suffered had only just begun to be accounted for by the rest of the country’s population. Juneteenth holds the purpose of reminding us of progress made thus far and is a chance for our community to move forward as a whole and help each other rebuild. This holiday gives millions of African Americans an opportunity to rejoice and give thanks to God for releasing them from years of suffering and captivity. The day creates a country-wide social awareness of the journey to equality and the abolishment of slavery’s awful oppression. Additionally, observing this day as a united front inspires self-development and is a chance to reconnect to one’s roots that were all but erased during slavery and go on to encourage African Americans to keep striving for a brighter future. 

In France, Bastille Day acknowledges the fight and patience undergone to eventually reach freedom. July 14, 1880, is the day the citizens of France finally overcame King Louis XVI and his monarchy’s rule over them. Each year, they cherish this as a day of reclamation for their lives.

Every July 18th since 2010, the historical moment when Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president, is recognized. This day is known as Mandela Day. Mandela transformed their democracy into a more diverse selection of administration, breaking down the white power held over the country for centuries. After being elected, he shared to his citizens this powerful message; “I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.” Just as those countries continue to commemorate those momentous turning points in history, we must continue to honor Juneteenth’s significance. 

Like Juneteenth, these important moments in history represent coming out on the other side of trials and tribulations, as well as salvaging their heritage. Universally, it is important to continue the recognition and cultivation of knowledge about Juneteenth and other celebrations akin to it, so we can mend communities back together who were violently ripped apart by domination subjugation. Breakthroughs didn’t happen without countless setbacks, but celebrations like these serve as a notion to never give up hope regardless. Juneteenth has the purpose and effect of uplifting hearts and minds to keep fighting, until justice and humanity are restored.  

Hailey Perkins is co-winner of the Taylor Academic Talent Scholarship. She is a graduate of Okemos High School and will attend Howard University.

Celebrations of freedom offer history lessons 

I imagine the words, “Ain’t nobody told me nothing!” came out of many mouths, minds and hearts when freed slaves found out they stayed in bondage 2 ½ years after other slaves had been set free.  Slavery in Texas continued 900 hundred days after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.    

In I863, the Civil War was in its third year. Many lives had been lost, and the end was nowhere in sight.  On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln enforced the signed Emancipation Proclamation.  The Emancipation Proclamation stated, “That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.“

This proclamation freed slaves that were in states that had left the union. This proclamation could only be enforced if the North won the war.  After continued fighting and the loss of many more lives, the Union won the war April 9, 1865. Then on June 19, 1865, in the state of Texas, more than 250,000 slaves were finally set free.  Their freedom came 2 ½ years after everyone else’s.  While gaining freedom was a dream come true, delayed freedom is symbolic of the continued struggle for Black Americans.   

There are many opinions regarding the celebration of Juneteenth. Many people celebrate it as the end of slavery, others don’t celebrate it at all, while others fall somewhere in between. Although Juneteenth has been celebrated for many years, it was only in 2021 that it became a national holiday.

The importance of celebrating Juneteenth is because America needs to know. Celebrating Juneteenth provides the opportunity to educate and inform our communities. Celebrating this holiday is more than remembering the past but it gives an opportunity to discuss race relations today. It allows people to have difficult conversations about hard subjects.  Ultimately, celebrating Juneteenth allows us to examine the mistakes of the past and do better in the future.

Celebrating this holiday makes us ask tough questions about the beginning of our country, our values, and our rights. Celebrating Juneteenth since the murder of George Floyd has made many people question, “Are Black people really free?” 

Juneteenth celebrations are now opportunities to discuss systemic racism, policy change, politics and ways to make sure that our lives do matter. Most importantly, it forces us to take an honest look at race relations in America, ask how are we really doing?    

There are many celebrations of freedom and independence across the world. India celebrates its freedom from British rule. Ghana celebrates its freedom from the United Kingdom. But the country whose freedom celebration identifies with me the most is the Philippines.  My paternal grandfather’s wife is from the Philippines. She shared much about her birthplace and its culture with our family. The country celebrates its freedom from Spanish rule with a celebration called Araw ng Kalayaan. 

The celebration is filled with parades, music, food and family bonding. But the Philippines has another celebration for freedom. After the Spanish rule ended, the Philippines came under the rule of America. But it was a nation that wanted to be free.  The road to independence for the Philippines is similar to the Juneteenth celebration, and the delay in freedom. The Philippines nation was supposed to become independent in 1944.  But World War II occurred and like Juneteenth that freedom was delayed for 2 full years.

On July 4, 1946, the Philippines became fully free from United States. Today, the citizens of the Philippines celebrate not one but 2 days of independence and freedom. A sign of their perseverance. These celebrations remind us to never give up.    

It is vital to continue the celebration of Juneteenth and other cultural celebrations of freedom around the world because “knowledge is power.” These celebrations symbolize more than just freedom. They are evidence that major changes in society can happen despite the odds. They provide motivation for people to stand up for basic human rights and against injustice. 

Most importantly these celebrations give us hope. They are evidence that we can be part of the change that we want to see in the world. When I think back to the first Juneteenth, that moment when the slaves realized they were enslaved 900 days longer than everyone else. That moment when they had to think, “Ain’t nobody told me nothing!” 

Well today, I told you something.  Never forget the lesson of Juneteenth or the other cultural celebrations of freedom.

Zachary Barker is co-winner of the Taylor Academic Talent Scholarship. He is a graduate of Okemos High School and will attend Michigan State University.   

The importance of why we celebrate Juneteenth

Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an annual holiday recognized on June 19th in honor of the enslavement of oppressed African Americans in the United States. The festival started in Galveston, Texas, where on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers conveyed the news of the Emancipation Proclamation to the state's last surviving enslaved people, thereby ending slavery in the United States.

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which announced that all enslaved individuals in Confederate-held territory would be set free. However, it wasn't until the Civil War ended and Union forces landed in Texas that the word of freedom reached the remaining enslaved people. Understanding the history of Juneteenth is important, including its connection to other countries, the significance of learning about it as a child, and how it is celebrated today. 

While Juneteenth is uniquely American, it bears shared characteristics with other cultural celebrations of liberty and independence across the world. Many countries have their own celebrations, which are cultural and historical events. For example, India celebrates its independence from British dominion on August 15th of each year, remembering the day in 1947 when the country gained freedom after years of struggle and sacrifice. Similarly, Mexico commemorates its independence from Spanish colonial rule on September 16th, often known as "El Grito de Dolores." These cultural celebrations of sovereignty and liberty contain common themes such as determination and the pursuit of justice. They remind us of the challenges that persecuted populations have experienced throughout history, as well as the significance of preserving and respecting their tales. By connecting Juneteenth to other cultural celebrations, we may get a more comprehensive understanding of their significance. 

Juneteenth was recently given new attention and significance as a result of the ongoing battle for racial equality and social justice in the United States. The Black Lives Matter movement and rallies against police brutality have drawn attention to the systems of prejudice and inequality that persist in American society. As a result, recognizing and remembering Juneteenth has never been more crucial. 

At the high school level, students ought to learn about and participate in cultural celebrations of freedom and independence, such as Juneteenth. By understanding the history and significance of these festivals, students may develop a better understanding of different individuals' perspectives as well as the continued effect of historical events on our modern society. Studying Juneteenth and other cultural festivals of independence allows students to critically assess problems of race, power, and privilege. By discussing the historical foundations of systematic racism and oppression, students may obtain a better understanding of social justice concerns and the need of speaking up against injustices in their own communities. Incorporating conversations and activities about cultural celebrations of freedom and independence into the curriculum for high school can help students extend their viewpoints and get a better grasp of the complexity of history and culture. These abilities are critical for creating a more inclusive and equitable society in which all people are respected, appreciated, and celebrated. 

To summarize, Juneteenth's historical significance as a celebration of liberation and freedom for African Americans is firmly anchored in the history of slavery and the ongoing battle for equality and justice. By commemorating and celebrating Juneteenth, we recognize the significance of remembering history, comprehending the present, and working for a more fair and equitable future for everyone. Studying and recognizing these events in high school, students may get significant insights into the experiences of other groups, as well as the ongoing efforts for freedom and equality.

In today's world, when the fight for racial equality is ongoing, commemorating Juneteenth is more vital than ever, as it serves as an important awareness of the African American community's continued struggle for justice and perseverance. 

Glorie Clay is the winner of the University of Olivet Academic Talent Scholarship. She is a graduate of Lansing Christian High School and will attend Olivet.