Researching for the Application Essay

What to Look for and Where to Find It

What’s Important to Find:

· Look through the company/school’s web page or brochure. What ideas or facts are repeated? Why would this company/school want this idea to be repeated? What do these facts say about the school/company?

· What is the company/school’s mission statement? Goals? What is it they hope to accomplish as a school/company?

· What does the school/company want its students/employees to accomplish?

· What does the school/company value or find most important?

· What does the school/company look for when accepting/hiring students/employees? Who gets accepted/hired?

· What strong words are used to describe the goals and values of the school/company? These words were chosen carefully. Use them in your essays to show that you share the same goals and values, thus making you a good fit for the school/company.

Where to Find It:

· Go to the school/company’s web page or look at a brochure. Most schools/companies have an “about us” section of their website or brochure. This is where you are most likely to find important information (see above for what is considered to be important information).

· FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) pages typically have information that would be useful, such as class size, awards won by the school/company, what kinds of students attend the school/work for the company, benefits of attending/working for the school/company, etc.

· Prospective Students or Admissions/ Careers pages will have a brief statement as to why a person would want to apply to the school or job and what the school/company has to offer you.

· Poke around the website! There could be useful information elsewhere!