How to Write a Powerful Personal Statement
I often see students who feel a lot of pressure about their college essays. Do they need to talk about curing cancer? Or being honored by their head of state? The good news is, no. Normal people can write great essays. Here are some helpful tips for writing college essays. (Note that this is about essays for U.S. colleges and universities - overseas essays are completely different):
Why do colleges want us to write essays?
Many U.S. colleges and universities are highly residential learning environments. When you attend college, in addition to going to class, you’ll live in a residence hall, have roommates, and join teams and clubs. The essay helps admissions officers understand you better as a person and community member.
It’s personal!
The essay is called a “personal statement” for a reason - it should be personal to you, the student. A good way to think about your essay is this: if you dropped a copy of your essay in the hallway at school, and it didn’t have your name on it, would your good friend be able to know that you had written it? That doesn’t mean it has to be absolutely unique amongst all applicants to a college - to be honest, that’s something that you can control. But when someone who knows you reads that essay, they should think, “Oh yeah, this sounds like the person I know.” Be thoughtful of whom you invite to help you edit or solicit feedback. When too many people are giving you feedback (or the feedback is too aggressive), it often sacrifices your voice in the essay.
Your essay should share something about you - if it’s an event that happened, it should have happened during high school. A moderate amount of vulnerability can help. Note I said moderate. This means you probably should not be trauma dumping in your essay - remember, this is an essay that strangers are reading! But you can share that you felt scared in a moment, or confused, or nervous. This helps humanize you and helps admissions officers advocate for you.
Keep it simple
Admissions officers read applications quickly, so use direct, simple language. Most admissions officers (unless you’re applying to a very specific program) are generalists, so they won’t always know very specific jargon. While the essay should have some organization and structure, it does not need to be (and probably won’t be) in a five-paragraph essay format.
Show, don’t tell
When possible, use vivid descriptions so that the reader can really understand your experience. For example, instead of saying, “I was nervous,” you can say, “I could hear the blood rushing in my ears, and my palms were clammy.” Utilize the five senses when setting up a scene.
So what?
Help admissions officers understand why you decided to write about this topic. Perhaps you gained a new perspective or learned a new skill that could be valuable when you join a new community. Your coach can often help you refine this, but it’s good to keep in mind what you’d like to share with admissions officers about yourself.
Start writing!
The scariest thing is a blank Google document. Start writing without care for word count or grammar, and get your initial thoughts out. Once you do that, the essay will seem much more manageable.
If you need some extra help getting started or want a second opinion from an admissions expert - we’re here to help. Contact us, and we’ll get you the customized support you need.