Is it normal or okay to mention a school as your first choice in a "Why Us" essay?

[kingdomheart]

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^^^. For example could you blatantly say this school is my #1 choice or no in a secondary asking why our school. This would be pertaining to my own institutions medical school

 

[907914]

^^^. For example could you blatantly say this school is my #1 choice or no in a secondary asking why our school. This would be pertaining to my own institutions medical school

You could say that about every school, thus you should say it about no school.

 

[Engrailed]

You could say that about every school, thus you should say it about no school.

but hypothetically speaking... if you did say that for every school, would they even know? (compare notes and then get mad)

 

[deleted972488]

Just don't do it. It's tacky.

Instead, give them the reasons why they're your number one choice.

 

[and 99 others]

Last time I applied, I wrote that one school was "one of my top choice medical schools" and I got an interview there. Though I can't really say anything about whether that phrase helped or hurt me, it at least wasn't lethal for that one school.

 

[Icebird]

I think the key is in the wording. You don't have to explicitly say that a certain school is your first choice to get the message across; the statement will be conveyed by writing a strong essay stating exact programs, academic concentrations, shared values, and extracurriculars the university has to offer that fits your goals.

My advice for any essay related content has always been: "show, don't tell".

 

[Goro]

^^^. For example could you blatantly say this school is my #1 choice or no in a secondary asking why our school. This would be pertaining to my own institutions medical school

If you do this, you'd better have plenty of reasons to back that up. Most people lie through their teeth.

 

[sadpremed121]

I did this for my own institutions school and I actually meant it. Will I be screwed? Will it hurt me that I did this in my secondary? I was told to do this by my schools writing center and premed advisor.

 

[deleted972488]

I did this for my own institutions school and I actually meant it. Will I be screwed? Will it hurt me that I did this in my secondary? I was told to do this by my schools writing center and premed advisor.

You'll be fine. Cheer up, sad premed.

 

[kingdomheart]

I would only do this for my own institutions medical school and it is definitely true.

 

[ChymeofPassion]

I did it for my state school (the only state school in the state), and I live 20 minutes from it, so I had a pretty strong case.

 

[Phoebus Apollo]

I did this. I remember struggling to decide on whether to make that claim. I ended up going for it—I had very compelling reasons. Did not seem to work against me, but it’s v much a black box. Who knows tbh

I agree with concensus that you should only do this if the school is clearly your #1 and your reasons are VERY compelling (i.e. close ties, not just ayyyy this school is nifty).

Imagine that you got into every school on your list. Would you really pick them first? And how can you be sure of that? And what if school Z gave you more financial aid?

For reference, I ended up going elsewhere due to financial reasons. There’s a reason adcoms don’t give these claims too much cred, and that’s why

 

[Moko]

These claims mean virtually nothing as preferences change frequently throughout the cycle. If a school really is your top choice, show it through other means, eg by talking about your connection to the school or city, etc. Also, don't say that a school is among your top choices. That's basically code for we're your second, third, fourth or nth choice.

 

[gyngyn]

It makes me cringe,
"Among my top choices" is even worse.

 

[kingdomheart]

These claims mean virtually nothing as preferences change frequently throughout the cycle. If a school really is your top choice, show it through other means, eg by talking about your connection to the school or city, etc. Also, don't say that a school is among your top choices. That's basically code for we're your second, third, fourth or nth choice.

So instead if I stated my reasons to attend my own colleges medical school, and then finished off with something like "thus I believe X school is a school that best fits me" would this be less cringey? I have many reasons to attend my own colleges medical school: my friends go there, Im familiar with the area, Ive done research there, volunteered and worked at its hopistals etc...

 

[deleted972488]

So instead if I stated my reasons to attend my own colleges medical school, and then finished off with something like "thus I believe X school is a school that best fits me" would this be less cringey? I have many reasons to attend my own colleges medical school: my friends go there, Im familiar with the area, Ive done research there, volunteered and worked at its hopistals etc...

You can say all that without saying “best.”

 

[kingdomheart]

You can say all that without saying “best.”

Sounds good 🙂. Thank you everyone