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How to Write a Personal Statement That Wows Colleges
â What Is an Application Theme and Why Is It Important?
10 Personal Statement Examples That Work â
 Most of the college applications process is fairly cut and dry. Youâll submit information about your classes and grades, standardized test scores, and various other accomplishments and honors. On much of the application, your accomplishments must speak for themselves.Â
The personal statement is different though, and itâs your chance to let your voice be heard. To learn more about the personal statement, how to choose a topic, and how to write one that wows colleges, donât miss this post.
What is the Personal Statement?
Personal statements are used in both undergraduate and graduate admissions. For undergrad admissions, personal statements are any essays students must write to submit their main application. For example, the Common App Essay and Coalition Application Essay are examples of personal statements. Similarly, the ApplyTexas Essays and University of California Essays are also good examples .
Personal statements in college admissions are generally not school-specific (those are called âsupplemental essaysâ). Instead, theyâre sent to a wide range of schools, usually every school you apply to.Â
What is the Purpose of the Personal Statement?
The personal statement is generally your opportunity to speak to your unique experiences, qualities, or beliefs that arenât elsewhere represented on the application. It is a chance to break away from the data that defines you on paper, and provide a glimpse into who you really are. In short, itâs the admissions committeeâs chance to get to know the real you.
So, what are colleges looking for in your personal statement? They are looking for something that sets you apart. They are asking themselves: do you write about something truly unique? Do you write about something common, in a new and interesting way? Do you write about an aspect of your application that needed further explanation? All of these are great ways to impress with your personal statement.
Beyond getting to know you, admissions committees are also evaluating your writing skills. Are you able to write clearly and succinctly? Can you tell an engaging story? Writing effectively is an important skill in both college and life, so be sure to also fine-tune your actual writing (grammar and syntax), not just the content of your essay.
Is your personal statement strong enough? Get a free review of your personal statement with CollegeVineâs Peer Essay Review.
How To a Choose A Topic For Your Personal Statement
Most of the time, youâre given a handful of prompts to choose from. Common personal statement prompts include:
- Central aspect of your identity (activity, interest, talent, background)
- Overcoming a failure
- Time you rose to a challenge or showed leadership
- Experience that changed your beliefs
- Problem youâd like to solve
- Subject or idea that captivates you
One of the questions that we hear most often about the personal statement is, âHow do I choose what to write about?â For some students, the personal statement prompt triggers an immediate and strong idea. For many more, there is at least initially some uncertainty.
We often encourage students to think less about the exact prompt and more about what aspects of themselves they think are most worthy of highlighting. This is especially helpful if youâre offered a âtopic of your choiceâ prompt, as the best essay topic for you might actually be one you make up!
For students with an interesting story or a defining background, these can serve as the perfect catalyst to shape your approach. For students with a unique voice or different perspective, simple topics written in a new way can be engaging and insightful.
Finally, you need to consider the rest of your application when you choose a topic for your personal statement. If you are returning from a gap year, failed a single class during sophomore year, or participated extensively in something youâre passionate about that isnât elsewhere on your application, you might attempt to address one of these topics in your statement. After all, the admissions committee wants to get to know you and understand who you really are, and these are all things that will give them a deeper understanding of that.
Still, tons of students have a decent amount of writerâs block when it comes to choosing a topic. This is understandable since the personal statement tends to be considered rather high stakes. To help you get the ball rolling, we recommend the post What If I Donât Have Anything Interesting To Write About In My College Essay?
Tips for Writing a Personal Statement for College
1. approach this as a creative writing assignment..
Personal statements are difficult for many students because theyâve never had to do this type of writing. High schoolers are used to writing academic reports or analytical papers, but not creative storytelling pieces.
The point of creative writing is to have fun with it, and to share a meaningful story. Choose a topic that inspires you so that youâll enjoy writing your essay. It doesnât have to be intellectual or impressive at all. You have your transcript and test scores to prove your academic skills, so the point of the personal statement is to give you free rein to showcase your personality. This will result in a more engaging essay and reading experience for admissions officers.Â
As youâre writing, thereâs no need to follow the traditional five-paragraph format with an explicit thesis. Your story should have an overarching message, but it doesnât need to be explicitly statedâit should shine through organically.Â
Your writing should also feel natural. While it will be more refined than a conversation with your best friend, it shouldnât feel stuffy or contrived when it comes off your tongue. This balance can be difficult to strike, but a tone that would feel natural when talking with an admired teacher or a longtime mentor is usually a good fit.
2. Show, donât tell.
One of the biggest mistakes students make is to simply state everything that happened, instead of actually bringing the reader to the moment it happened, and telling a story. Itâs boring to read: âI was overjoyed and felt empowered when I finished my first half marathon.â Itâs much more interesting when the writing actually shows you what happened and what the writer felt in that moment: âAs I rounded the final bend before the finish line, my heart fluttered in excitement. The adrenaline drowned out my burning legs and gasping lungs. I was going to finish my first half marathon! This was almost incomprehensible to me, as someone who could barely run a mile just a year ago.â
If you find yourself starting to write your essay like a report, and are having trouble going beyond âtelling,â envision yourself in the moment you want to write about. What did you feel, emotionally and physically? Why was this moment meaningful? What did you see or hear? What were your thoughts?
For inspiration, read some memoirs or personal essays, like The New York Times Modern Love Column . You could also listen to podcasts of personal stories, like The Moth . What do these writers and storytellers do that make their stories engaging? If you didnât enjoy a particular story, what was it that you didnât like? Analyzing real stories can help you identify techniques that you personally resonate with.
3. Use dialogue.
A great way to keep your writing engaging is to include some dialogue. Instead of writing: âMy brothers taunted me,â consider sharing what they actually said. Itâs more powerful to read something like:
âWhereâs the fire, Princess Clara?â they taunted. âHaving some trouble?â They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame.Â
Having dialogue can break up longer paragraphs of text, and bring some action and immediacy to your story. That being said, donât overdo it. Itâs important to strike a balance between relying too much on dialogue, and using it occasionally as an effective writing tool. You donât want your essay to read like a script for a movie (unless, of course, thatâs intentional and you want to showcase your screenwriting skills!).
Want free essay feedback? Submit your essay to CollegeVineâs Peer Essay Review and get fast, actionable edits on your essay.Â
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Personal Statements
1. giving a recap or report of all the events..
Your essay isnât a play-by-play of everything that happened in that time frame. Only include relevant details that enrich the story, instead of making your personal statement a report of the events. Remember that the goal is to share your voice, whatâs important to you, and who you are.Â
2. Writing about too many events or experiences.Â
Similarly, another common mistake is to make your personal statement a resume or recap of all your high school accomplishments. The Activities Section of the Common App is the place for listing out your achievements, not your personal statement. Focus on one specific experience or a few related experiences, and go into detail on those.Â
3. Using cliche language.
Try to avoid overdone quotes from famous people like Gandhi or Thoreau. Better yet, try to avoid quotes from other people in general, unless itâs a message from someone you personally know. Adding these famous quotes wonât make your essay unique, and it takes up valuable space for you to share your voice.
You should also steer away from broad language or lavish claims like âIt was the best day of my life.â Since theyâre so cliche, these statements also obscure your message, and itâs hard to understand what you actually mean. If it was actually the best day of your life, show us why, rather than just telling us.
If you want to learn more about personal statements, see our post of 11 Common App Essay Examples .
Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other studentsâ essays.
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