How do I approach the 'Why This Major?' essay using College Essay Guy's resources?

You’re definitely not alone in feeling overwhelmed by all the advice out there for the 'Why This Major?' essay—College Essay Guy’s resources are thorough, but it can be helpful to zoom in on the strategies that fit best with your own story.

A common approach College Essay Guy recommends is to blend personal motivation with academic curiosity, weaving the two together in a way that feels authentic. Usually, it’s effective to anchor your essay in a specific moment or experience that sparked your interest, and then show how that moment grew into a broader passion, connecting both personal and academic sides.

For psychology, you might start with a concrete, vivid memory: for example, the first time you realized how important mental health support can be, maybe during an intense conversation while volunteering at the crisis text line. Try to briefly show—not just tell—what you learned in that moment. For instance, you might recall a particular interaction that was challenging or rewarding, and how it opened your eyes to the complexities of human thought and emotion.

After that, expand into how this experience pushed you to learn more in your classes (like that bio class you mentioned), read independently, or seek research opportunities. This is where you can connect your personal experiences with your academic journey, making it clear that your interest in psychology isn’t just a fleeting thought, but something you’ve actively pursued.

College Essay Guy’s worksheets often encourage students to brainstorm personal stories, then map how those stories connect to specific academic and career interests. You don’t need to choose between personal or academic—your best essay will probably show both sides, as long as you pick a structure that feels organic.

For example, here’s a possible structure:
1. Briefly introduce the moment that sparked your interest (the crisis text line story).
2. Reflect on what you learned from that experience.
3. Describe how you dug deeper in school, mentioning specific classes or independent projects.
4. Connect these experiences with your future goals (wanting to work in mental health, maybe even referencing a specific area of psychology that interests you now).

Try to focus in on just 1-2 detailed examples, rather than mentioning everything you’ve ever done. It’s more compelling to go deep on a couple stories than spread yourself too thin.

Most importantly, give the reader a clear sense of why psychology—not just why college or any major. What makes your curiosity about psychology unique compared to any other applicant? For some, it’s a single key experience; for others, it’s the pattern of curiosity and action over time.

If you want a simple starting point, you can use College Essay Guy’s 'BEABIES' chart (Background, Experience, Activity, Belief, Identity, Essay, Skills) to help organize your thoughts, then build your narrative from there.

Remember, colleges want to hear about your authentic interest and how you envision diving deeper into the subject—not just what you think they want to hear. Grounding your answer in real stories and thoughtful reflection is the most effective way to use these resources.