Tips for writing an exceptional Personal Statement
The personal statement is your application's "elevator pitch" where you write about yourself in 650 words or less, it is shared with all of the colleges you select. Note that while almost 1,000 colleges use the Common Application, some do not, they may mirror the common application personal statement or have their own, but these tips will be helpful for writing their personal statements as well. Some schools may also require you to respond to additional supplemental essays, we have some tips for that here.
Tips for writing an exceptional essay:
Start by brainstorming, use a notebook, sketchbook, or audio recorder, whatever works for you, use it to write down, draw out, or verbalize some ideas, memories, and stories. Answer some, or all, of these questions and hopefully that will lead you to an ah-ha moment of "yes! this is who I am and what I want you to know about me."
List 5 details from your life. They can be interesting facts that describe some small, random part of who you are. “When I was 12, I earned a black belt in Karate.” “I love singing in the rain.” “I marvel at different types of cloud formations.” “I am weirdly fascinated with fireflies.” “I won a paper airplane flying contest.” "I can forage my entire dinner from the woods behind my house."
Write down a list of …
Things you'd research if you had more time
Places that make you happy
People you would share your deepest secrets with (I call them my "2am people")
Events that you remember with a smile, or a tear
The most treasured items on your desk or in your backpack
Analyze your answers. Look for themes or repeating ideas in your notes, are you sensitive? compassionate? a problem solver? a risk taker? sentimental? curious? a confidant? You don't need to be a cancer researcher, rocket scientist, basketball star, award winning filmmaker, or lead in a play, you just need to tell the reader what makes you who you are.
The prompt you choose doesn’t really matter. It’s the story you write as a response that matters. Use the prompt as a jumping off point and a focus but which one you choose has no bearing on your likelihood of acceptance.
A good essay can be about any topic, even basic stuff. We’ve worked with students who have talked about helping their dog and cat navigate crossing each other on the stairs showing compassion, patience and problem solving. Another student wrote about losing 50 lbs while working at a pizza parlor, he highlighted learning self control, valuing his body, and practicing time management skills when he prepped orders so all the food came out together and hot. Your topic also does not have to be related to your major, and if you are applying to schools that also ask a “why this major” question you probably don’t want to as you’ll have to answer that question in another essay.
Focus on you. If someone has inspired or influenced you and needs to be included to tell the story, include them, but be sure to make yourself the main character in the narrative. Writing about someone else won’t fill in the missing information that you want to share to round out your application.
Be authentic. Use your imagination and experiences to share insights about yourself that will help someone reading the story know you better. What problems do you want to solve? What are you going to do next? Why would you be a great asset to the university?
Tell the story using your five senses. What did you see? What did you do? What did you hear? How did it feel? How did it smell? Be descriptive. One storytelling technique is to drop the reader into an immersive experience that allows them to engage with your narrative. Cultivate moments and memories in stories that are natural to you, and key in on who you are and who you may become. Contextualize the stories and make them pop.
Show don’t tell. This takes practice. Instead of telling the reader that you like to solve problems, tell them about the time you figured out that the audience couldn’t see the props on the table and how you rearranged the stage so they were visible. If you want to tell the reader that you love to work with others, tell them about a time when you led a group discussion rather than just saying “I love working in teams.”
Watch out for illnesses and dead people. Don’t feel compelled to write about things that will trigger unhealthy feelings or emotions (for you or the reader) – don’t trauma-dump. They don’t need to feel sad or sorry for you, or hear about all the things you wish you did but didn’t. They want to admit healthy, well adjusted students who will take advantage of all their school has to offer, and will graduate in four years becoming proud alumni.
You want to tell your unique story beyond the grades and scores that are already on the application. Use this essay to showcase your personality, experiences, and values to the college admissions officers. What intangible qualities would you bring to the campus community? Schools want to fill their campuses with interesting people. Why is your brand of quirky something they should take a gamble on?
Keep your audience in mind. The person reading your story is an admissions officer or committee member who is making decisions about who to admit to their school. Help them understand the context of your high school experience. Think about your topic. No story you tell is going to be new to them, but it will tell them how you reacted to it and why it’s important to you. Be humorous, you don’t have to be a comic, but have a sense of humor, allow the reader to chuckle.
This is a process. Give yourself the time you need to have several passes at the essay. You will also want others to read it and give you feedback.
You will know you’ve written an authentic and successful essay if you can drop it in the hall at school and the person picking it up knows it’s yours.
If you need a bit of extra help, especially if you are unsure where to start, we can help.