Upenn essay - need help on starting

Describe the courses of study and the unique characteristics of the University of Pennsylvania that most interest you. Why do these interests make you a good match for Penn?

I'm applying to the college of Arts and Sciences. The courses are very general since it's liberal arts. So how do I go about describing the courses of study? Also, can anyone tell me unique characteristics of Upenn that are not found on the website? THANK YOU!!!

You're dealing here with a fairly standard university admissions essay. Many universities want to know why you are applying, and all want to hear about how unique and valuable you think they are. Mostly your goal in writing the essay should be to show that you have taken the time to read up about the university and to do some research on it. Try to reflect back the things that seem important to the university on its website. So, for instance, the Upenn website talks about how it was founded in a spirit of "entrepreneurship, innovation, invention, outreach, and a pragmatic love of knowledge," and how its "flexible mindset makes Penn a national leader in interdisciplinary programs, crossing traditional academic and professional boundaries to engage participants in the pursuit of new -- and useful -- knowledge." Talk about how your interests mesh with these details. Feel free to be creative -- the people reading your essay won't know how you actually feel, only what you've told them you feel in your writing.

Thanks :) Well, it's just that describing Upenn courses of study is a little tough since I'm going to Arts and Science, not something specific like Wharton.

I'll think over it :)

So focus on how you hope to gain a broad liberal arts education that will still have pragmatic applications. Or how you hope to eventually find a way to do interdisciplinary work that combines elements from various arts and sciences. Or talk about how you want to develop your critical thinking skills before specializing in a more business-related area. Each of these approaches picks up on one of the website details ("pragmatic," "flexible . . . interdisciplinary," and "entrepreneurship" respectively.