Writing your personal statement seems like a daunting taskâhow can you fit your whole identity into just 650 words? Here are some tips to help tackle it.
Love your topic: You should write about something you care about: something that matters to you. Your identity emerges from the things you love! Itâs better to write a great essay about your love of collecting pen caps than a disingenuous essay about your thoughts on the U.S. government. Following your heart will also make the process of writing more fun.
Show your values: Before you begin writing, make a list of your values in life: creativity? Learning? Community? Your finished essay should let colleges know what you value and why.
Write about YOU: Your essay should show colleges the two Câs: Choice and Change. They want to see you making a decisionâbeing active in your own lifeâand making a changeâaltering your point of view in some way. If your essay is just about something that happened to you, rather than something you chose to do, it doesnât give them the same insight into your character.
Write about NOW: Too many students try to write their essay about something that happened to them in 8th grade. Colleges are aware that you change rapidly throughout your middle and high school years. Set most of your essay in the recent pastâthe last two years of your life.
Take your time: You arenât going to bang out a great essay in one day, no matter how talented a writer you are. The old axiom holds true: writing is rewriting. Plan to outline so you know where youâre going, then write several drafts so you can reflect and polish. Start your essay in May or June so you have ample time to get a draft done before senior year.
By Samantha Segan, College Essay Expert.
