"Why this school"—as part of an essay or response to an interview question—is tricky. Students know the answer cannot be generic platitudes like "amazing academics," "great facilities," "beautiful campus," or "strong community"... because every boarding school has these. "Why this school" should assess and answer fit: how the student's interests, motivations, and personality connect with the school's specific offerings.
In this article, I offer a short framework to help your child draft a response that is tailored to them.
Step 1: Identify What the Student Genuinely Wants
I'm a big fan of open-ended questions. Agnostic of the school, your child should be asking introspective questions like:
Learning Style and Academic Curiosity
- When have you felt most engaged in a class? What made that environment work for you?
- What kinds of assignments or projects energize you—presentations, debates, labs, essays, creative writing, independent research?
- What subjects are you most interested in, and why?
- What type of teacher brings out your best work?
- What is an academic opportunity you wish you had more access to right now?
Community and Culture
- What kind of peer environment helps you grow—collaborative, competitive, exploratory, structured?
- When you imagine an ideal high school community, what does it feel like day-to-day?
- What kinds of traditions or rituals matter to you in a school community?
- What makes you feel like you belong somewhere?
- What type of adult mentorship makes a difference in your life?
Activities and Engagement
- What is an activity you would continue at any school, no matter what? Why does it matter to you?
- What is something new you're excited to try in high school (not necessarily at a boarding school, but just during your high school years)?
- Are there activities you feel ready to outgrow, and want to replace or level up with deeper, more advanced involvement?
- How do you like to spend time outside of classes—clubs, athletics, arts, service, personal hobbies, family?
Personal Growth
- What skills or habits do you want to develop over the next four years?
- Where do you feel you need more independence vs. structure?
- What challenges are you ready to take on that you haven't had the chance to yet?
- In what situations do you feel most confident, and least confident? What skills would bolster or strengthen that?
Fit and Alignment
These questions assume you've gotten to know the school beyond perusing their marketing websites:
- What moments during tours, virtual panels, or info sessions stood out to you, and why?
- Is there something about the school's rhythm, culture, or academic design that feels different from others?
- What is one program or feature that surprised you about the school—in a good way?
- How would this school help you become the person you want to be by senior year?
These questions boil down to identifying and prioritizing: "What do I value?"
Step 2: Match Personal Interests to Concrete School Features
My tip here is to not be overly concerned about finding how one school's music program or humanities curriculum uniquely differs from another school's. Fact is, on surface level, each of these elite schools will offer commensurate programs.
The point of this step is to be specific and concrete and genuine about what motivates you personally —and reference it to the fact that the school almost certainly has a program or structure that supports your interest(s). To the extent the school's program has a specific name, or school-specific attribute, reference it to show you've done your diligence.
Example topics to draw connections between you and a school:
- Curriculum—specific courses and sequences
- Clubs, ensembles, teams, publications
- Advising or mentorship structures
- Traditions or community rhythms
- Specialty programs—like global offerings, volunteer or service opportunities, or leadership opportunities
- Aspects about the culture that resonated during on-campus or virtual tours or other events
Step 3: Connect the Dots Explicitly
Interest >> Specific school offering (even if multiple schools offer commensurate programs) >> Why it matters to me.
For example:
- Your interdisciplinary arts block interests me because I enjoy combining digital media with drawing, and want a space to experiment across mediums.
- I'm excited about your chamber orchestra because I enjoy working in small ensembles where every musician's role is essential.
- Your emphasis on multi-season athletics resonates with me because I value being part of a team that grows together throughout the year.
- Your house system appeals to me because I learn best when I can develop trust-based and close relationships with mentors and friends.
- Your community engagement program stands out to me because I like applying what I learn in real-world settings—especially on projects that help solve local problems.
- I'm excited by your peer-leadership opportunities because I want to grow my mentorship abilities by eventually supporting younger students in academic and social settings.
- I am drawn to your international studies program because I am curious about how culture influences political decision-making.
As you can see with these examples, the emphasis is less about a characteristic that may or may not be unique about the school; rather, it's about qualifying and being specific about something about yourself that you feel invested in.
Step 4: Avoid Generic or Unsubstantiated Compliments
Flattery and pandering are easy to spot and don't add value. Both Admissions and you already know how terrific these schools are. Focus on concrete intersections between your values and what the school offers.
For what it's worth, none of the essays expressly and only asked the "why us" question. If a school asked "why us," it was in a broader context about certain characteristics about the school, such as community; or was framed in a way that asked about how a certain school would contribute to a student's journey over four years.