A question about essay.

[liu1993918]

Hi,
I am confused about my WPI's essays.
It asked two questions:
1. Please discuss your background, interests, academic intent, and the reasons you feel you would benefit from WPI's graduate program in your field(4000 character limit)
2. Please tell us how you became interested in graduate study at WPI? (2000 character limit)
I know how to answer the 1st question, because it is actually a personal statement.
The 2nd question is tricky because the content of the 2nd question could be repetitive for the content of the 1st question.
Can you give me some advice on how to write the 2nd question?
Thanks in advance.

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi there,

Good question and there are a few ways you could go with it; I'd actually take the 2nd q to be more about the SPECIFIC school (vs other programs); how did you learn about it, how did you decide it was right for you, show a real connection to the school by showing what you know about it. Talk to recent students/alum and get feedback on all aspects including the student culture etc. And touch more on that decision process to apply/attend. Good luck!

[liu1993918]

Thanks for your reply.
It sounds like that I should tell a STORY in the 2nd question.
Instead of saying what resources I found and how would them help me, I should talk about the process of finding those resources and their benefits.
Am I right?

[mbamissionjenK]

I would say yes to more of a story, but I would also still focus on how and why the specific aspects of the school will benefit you, if that makes sense?

[liu1993918]

Thanks for your reply, Jennifer.

I am still confused about the 1st question: please discuss your background, interests, academic intent, and the reasons you feel you would benefit from WPI's graduate program in your field.
It did not ask me to write about my short-term and long-term goals at all. However, I think I should still briefly discuss my short-term goal, so that I could discuss what resources could benefit my goal. Am I right?
Also, if I write about "how and why the specific aspects of the school will benefit you" in the 2nd question, isn't it repetitive to write about the "reasons you feel you would benefit from this program"?

Thanks in advance.

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi there,

Yes I would touch on goals for the 1st q.

For the 2nd q start off with the focus on how you found out about it and why you feel it's different from other schools.

That said-- you can certainly reach out to their admissions team with your q's... they appreciate realizing that their q's may be slightly confusing! We've even seen instances where an applicant asks some follow-up q's and the school adjusts the essay q wording in response!

Good luck!