College applications are inevitable for looking students looking to attain higher learning. Previous educational experience, parents, and teachers all play a role in creating a bridge for smooth college entry.
Boston University is a prestigious university with which most students want to be affiliated. Safe to say, they are also inclined to do everything they can to secure a spot within this institution. However, the requirement for filling these essay questions may scare students, and the fear of failure may make them turn their courses and set their eyes on other institutions.
Luckily, this article sets out to prepare students for the essay questions of Boston University and how they can prepare for them. This article will therefore give an overview of the questions, examples of the prompts, tips on approaching the questions, sample responses, and common mistakes to deflect from.
Overview of the Boston University essay questions
Boston University has over 62,000 applications every year. The private university holds a prestigious title for excellent undergraduate courses. The university also graces itself on its two campuses and has a capacity of 36,000 students and 17 schools and colleges.
However, the university’s acceptance rate was a disheartening 14% in April 2022. Aside from impeccable grades, students in this category must also have mastery in answering the essay prompts submitted by the university. They may look daunting, but lucky for you, this article will make your wish come true.
The essay prompts for Boston University have been categorized for all applicants and Kilachand Honors college applicants.
- Prompts for all applicants
This generalizes to all students looking to be affiliated with Boston University to get their undergraduate studies. There are two essay questions in this category
- Prompt 1: What most excites you about being a student at Boston University
The classic ‘why’ question is challenging, especially for students tied within their knots. This question gives the same effect as the “tell me more about yourself” query. This question gauges your commitment to joining the university and tests how well you tick for the institution.
The bull’s eye to this question is conducting your research. Take this as you would a passionate project you are ready to venture into. Leave no stones unturned in your investigation. Discover more about the school’s location, services, student diversity, strongholds, courses offered, student life at the university, amenities provided, and why most people prefer them, learn everything. Grasp all this information at your fingertips, and soon as you start typing your response, the fireworks will flow through you. In 250 words, showcase how passionate you are about joining Boston University. Create a captivating image of why Boston University would be the best place for how and how their services and amenities would fulfill your academic endeavor.
- Prompt 2: Additional information, materials, or writing samples you would like Boston University to consider
This section is a personal statement, not a compulsory essay question. The segment allows you to introduce yourself and express your uniqueness as an applicant. There is no restriction of words in this section. However, students are advised to keep it within the range of a page or 600 words. How would you like the readers of your application to resonate with you? This prompt is highly recommended for students who have had impediments in their past or candidates with stupendous portfolios. Through a limit of around 600 words, you could awe your application reader into admitting you to the university. The personal essay lets you clear your slate on any setbacks throughout your academic history.
For example, a personal story on an incident that diverted away your attention from academics and caused a downward spiral in your academics can be a captivating story. Through personal statements, students can also flaunt their portfolios, thus showcasing their credibility and abilities.
- Prompts for Kilachand Honors college applicants.
Kilachand Honors College accords students with a copious education in exploration, discovery, and real-life knowledge application. It also offers students a 4-year curriculum, including experimental and team learning, completed alongside the course required in their majors.
- Prompt 1: What about the Kilachand Honors College resonates with you, and how would Kilachand’s curriculum fulfill your academic, creative, intellectual, or professional goals?
Kilachand Honors College offers a supplementary program to your already engaging curriculum at Boston University. Due to pollination, interaction, and teamwork, students may want a slice of the pie at Kilachand.
This prompt expects students to answer about what captivated them to want to join Kilachand. It also looks to perceive the rigor of the students and how sustainable they will be if they enter Kilachand.
Griddle through the Kilachand curriculum and find what will best resonate with you. Then, describe how the community at the college would be significant through your academic venture and how it will help bring your goals to fruition. Allow your readers to share your apparition and understand their part in your life goals.
- If you could create a new Kilachand course, what would it be? How would your imagined course align with the core values of Kilachand?
Kilachand college is affiliated with a proliferated experimental and team learning system. Students are taught to use various learning skills to their advantage, allowing them to create impactful solutions for global problems. As a student looking to join the college, you must portray your creativity and resonate with the institution by sharing credible insights.
Researching Kilachand College is the best way to apprise yourself and familiarize yourself with this question. Acquire more understanding of the institution, its values, its available courses, amenities within the institution that would be helpful for your new course, and the efficiency of the course. The research will also shed insights on how your new unit module will align with the core values of the college.
Tips for approaching the Boston University essay questions
Students have sleepless nights as they ponder university questions and how best to answer them. A summary of 250 or 650 words can be imperative, especially when you do not know the exact strings to pull. This article will burn the bridge to your worries and arm you with the skills to emerge victorious. The following are tips to answer Boston university application essay questions.
- Carefully think about this question.
Sounds vague, but this is the first crucial step in answering this question. Two hundred fifty words may feel limiting to the ideas and responses you want to jot down. However, take your time and think about what the question expects from you. Think about what the prompts expect and how best you could answer them. Analyze your wants and strategies and what you look to fulfill in joining Boston University. This way, your cloudy vision will get refined, and you can better understand the expectation of the questions.
- Conduct your research
A necessary pill to swallow is that no better response to this question can be furnished without conducting your research. The internet will be your greatest ally in this venture. However, remember this secret tool is accessible to everyone, and it is a matter of who can use it best.
Scour the Boston University website for information. Discover the curriculum, the institution’s courses, and all its amenities. Focus on at least three items most alluring to you about the school. Then, delve deeper into your selected topics and find all the necessary information.
- Be specific
It may be tempting to complement the university on all its eccentric courses and prestige over the years. However, remember that this is the stumbling block of many other applicants and still does not answer why.
Avoiding generic questions, especially when answering the first prompt, is paramount. The faculty at Boston knows they offer great academic courses, but what part of the university would be the best for you?
Be specific and foreground parts of the university that speak the most to you. For example, if you want to join the Bachelor in medicine, highlight why Boston would be the best place paralleled to other institutions. You may quote your interest in amenities offered by the school, such as their diversified research programs, your quest to participate in the CReM seminars, or the fulfillment acquired from interacting with over 170 nationalities within the school.
- Create your draft copy.
You may have ticked all the previously highlighted steps and feel prepared to crack these questions. However, despite having all this information at your fingertips, the data can get evasive when you try and submit your response to the questions.
It is, therefore, advisable to create a draft copy of your insights per the research you’ve conducted. A draft allows the systematic penning of your thoughts and rooting out any mistakes observed within your writing. However, writemyessays.com is at your beck and call whenever you encounter any challenges in summarizing your draft.
- Reference to your research.
It is never crowded along the extra-mile route. Therefore, own the road and walk it with pride. Reward yourself for all the research conducted on the institution, and give yourself time to shine. Allow the essay evaluators to experience how well you know their school and how excited you are to join them.
You could quote some statements, strategies, or goals encountered through your research of the Boston essay questions. Highlight how well-acquainted you are with the school system and its curriculum, and you can also give bonus points to show your familiarity with the professors at the school.
- Choose your best works and relate them to the values of the college
This tip is mainly specific to the second optional essay prompt, which allows students to submit additional information, materials, or samples they would want the university to consider for their application. Contemplate whether you want to answer this prompt and the information or material you will submit for the question.
You are allowed to brag a bit on your application. So take the chance and present your finest work to the university. Be it your credentials in research or your skills in tutorship. Relate and connect your skills to the values at the college and how they will help you engage exemplary with your studies and outside school.
Examples of successful essay responses to different essay prompts
The following are some examples of retorts quoted in efficiently answering the prompts.
Prompt 1: What about being a student at Boston University most excites you?
Compassion, affection, and resilience are some qualities that strike us as humans. This is what magnetizes me most toward pursuing a Bachelor’s in Medicine. As John Homes quote, there is no better exercise than reaching down and helping people up. Human anatomy and biology have been captivating subjects, and I want to gratify my curiosity at Boston University.
Due to experiences with mental health issues such as PTSD, I would like to research extrusion retention and reconsolidation about PTSD.
Reading research on tuberculosis epidemiology and diagnostics at Boston University, Dr. Carlos Jesus Acuna resonated with me. The study was complementary to my school’s research on the disease’s effect years after finding its vaccine. The Alumni Medical library is also an excellent tool for conducting medical research and fulfilling my reading passion.
Apart from medicine courses, the diversity at Boston University has also attracted to be. Being a community lover, Boston University’s beliefs in race, culture, and perspectives offer a safe space for my development. This would be ideal, primarily due to my Muslim religion and the marginalization of other students in most parts of the world. I am also interested in other activities, such as the drama club and university magazine, which spark student conversation and forge connections.
This example is effective since it takes all the steps mentioned in the tips. It is also specific to the students on why they would categorically prefer Boston University to other universities. The sprinkles on this cake must be the quoted research showing how well the student is informed on the subject.
Prompt 2: Additional information, materials, or samples you would like the university to consider.
This section is specific for every student. However, the following are examples of information you may provide.
- Include your academic achievements attained in school
- Extra-curricular activities you engaged in
- Courses offered that are specific to the institution
- Challenges encountered that made you a better person, consequentially a better candidate
- Perspectives you have on various notions
- Unique experiences in your life
The above can qualify to be included in the additional information section. But, again, avoid emotional language, and present your argument proving why the university would be privileged to admit you and how much this would mean to you.
Common mistakes to avoid when answering the Boston University essay questions
As mentioned, over 62,000 applications are trying to get into Boston University. However, the Boston University admission essay questions sweep out most students due to various mistakes made when answering these questions. Common mistakes made include:
- Writing the apparent aspects of the school.
The first prompt, especially, expects students to depict what entices them most about being students at the university. With 250 words as the limit, writing about the geography, ranking, reputation, and traditions the school is mainly known for is unnecessary. Such remarks highlight a minimal understanding of the question and bestow away your chance at the campus.
- Erroneous quotations on the aspects of the school.
As mentioned, bragging and showcasing your research is a stronghold in answering the question. However, ensuring that the research quoted is up-to-date and correct is essential. Screwing up vital details such as the facilities within the school would show poor commitment to your interest in the school. Proofreading through your work would root out any errors that could have occurred in writing.
- Using emotional and pity language
The pity card could have secured you a spot at one point. However, using language to place your bid at the institution is a red flag. Most students assume that using an emotionally capturing story, especially in the second prompt, will reserve them an application.
Avoid emotional language when writing your essays. You may showcase previous hindering experiences that caused setbacks in your academic path. However, turn the narrative into how this experience shaped you into becoming a better candidate for Boston University.
- Writing a generic reason for your application
Remember, many other candidates are looking to join the institution. Therefore, generic essays on why the institution is the best fit for you are highly unrecommended. Instead, be very specific and explain why Boston University is the best. If you can barter out the university name for another and use the essay for your application, you have it all wrong.
- Inefficiency in answering the question.
Completing the word count of your essay without a hiccup is not the bar set for answering the question correctly. Ensure every word in your response achieves the end goal of answering the highlighted question. Cancel all myths of well-written stories that aced without following the prompt, and ensure you answer the question correctly.
Students have been pressed with the matter of uncertainty in answering application questions. However, with the steps and knowledge presented, this article is a ready companion through the experience. So, prepare to experience a sunny day in the park and wait to secure your admission letter from the prestigious American university.