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Calgary  /  Essays  /  Prompt 2

Calgary: Why this program / motivation statement

Varies by program and scholarship form; typically a short statement of a few hundred words

I am applying to Calgary because I want to study health systems where the data and the patients are in the same building, and the Bachelor of Health Sciences lets me do exactly that. After leading a student project that mapped pharmacy wait times in my town, I learned that I am less interested in individual diagnoses than in why a whole system makes the same mistake repeatedly. Calgary's emphasis on research from the first year, and its connection to the Cumming School of Medicine, means I can test that interest early instead of waiting until graduate school. Specifically, I want to work toward the Health and Society stream, where population-level questions are the point rather than an afterthought. I am applying from the United States, and I chose Calgary deliberately: I want a program that treats research as something undergraduates actually do, not something they watch.
What it’s really asking

This covers the program-specific questions some Calgary faculties ask, and the motivation or statement of interest you will often want for competitive entry and scholarships. It asks why this program, why Calgary, and what you will do with it.

Why they ask it

When grades cluster at the top, Calgary and its scholarship committees use fit and motivation to choose. A specific, well-informed answer signals you will actually thrive in and complete the program, which lowers their risk.

Three ways in
A specific feature

A specific feature of the Calgary program (a stream, a research opportunity, a faculty connection) and why it matches what you want.

The pointing moment

The concrete experience that pointed you toward this field, told in one or two sentences.

During, not after

What you want to do during the degree, not just the career it leads to afterward.

✕  Weak opening

“The University of Calgary is a world-class institution with an excellent reputation, which is why it is my top choice.”

✓  Strong opening

“I am applying to Calgary because I want to study health systems where the data and the patients are in the same building, and the Bachelor of Health Sciences lets me do exactly that.”

✦ Annotated example · Why Calgary: data and patients in one building. Written by EssayLens to teach, not a real applicant’s essay. Tap a highlighted line →
I am applying to Calgary because I want to study health where the data and the patients sit in the same building, and the Bachelor of Health Sciences is one of the few undergraduate programs that lets me do that from the first year. 1Last year I led a small student project that timed pharmacy wait times across my town, clipboard and all. We found the longest waits were not at the busiest pharmacies but at the ones serving the most patients on multiple prescriptions, where every interaction required a manual cross-check. 2That finding changed what I want to study. I realized I am less interested in individual diagnoses than in why a whole system repeats the same mistake, and that is a research question, not a clinical one. 3Calgary's emphasis on undergraduate research, and its connection to the Cumming School of Medicine, means I can test that interest early instead of waiting for graduate school. 4I am drawn specifically to the Health and Society stream, where population-level questions are the point rather than a footnote. 5I am applying from the United States, and I chose Calgary deliberately. I want a program that treats research as something undergraduates actually do, not something they are told to watch from a distance. 6
  1. 1Opens with a specific, program-grounded reason instead of generic praise, which Calgary rewards as evidence of genuine fit.
  2. 2Gives a concrete, modest accomplishment and uses it to surface a way of thinking (looking for the systemic cause behind a surface pattern).
  3. 3Articulates how the applicant thinks and reframes their interest at the population level, matching the Health and Society orientation.
  4. 4Names a specific institutional link, proving the applicant researched the program rather than copying a template.
  5. 5Names a specific stream, sharpening the genuine-fit signal Calgary looks for.
  6. 6Closes with a clear, sincere statement of fit and motivation, including why this specific school over closer options.
Stuck? Start here
  • What specific stream, course, or research feature of this Calgary program can I name, and why does it fit me?
  • What real experience pointed me toward this field, and how do I say it in one sentence?
  • What do I want to actually do during the degree, beyond the career it leads to?
Before you submit
  • Have I named something specific to Calgary's program that I could not copy-paste to another school?
  • Did I explain why this field, grounded in a real experience, rather than just praising the university?
  • Is it honest about my situation, including applying as an international student, without making excuses?

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