Personal Statement Essay

Throughout your long and distinguished English-class career, youve been trained not to talk about
yourself, to leave I out of essays, to focus on facts and not opinions. Then, you reach your senior year,
and suddenly theres college admissions essays, job interviews, admissions interviews, and you have to
talk all about the fabulous being that is you, and talk yourself about without sounding arrogant, laud
your accomplishments without seeming arrogant, and prove that youre the best (wo)man for the
job/opening/scholarship/fellowship.
So, how do you junk 12 years of instruction for this particular written piece? And why should you?
And why have we taught you one type of writing if its not right?
To answer the last question first, the type of writing youve been taught is the most common type of
academic writing, and youre in an academic institution (school). Plus, its harder to remove yourself
from writing than it is to put yourself in, so if you develop the habit of leaving yourself out of writing,
its easier to learn to insert your opinions and personality into it than it would be to learn to take
yourself out.
As for why you should bother Were going to write a personal statement/college admissions essay for
several reasons:

1. Many of you are planning on attending college, either next year or in the future, and for the
majority of universities and colleges, the essays weighs heavily in the admissions process.
Just how important is the college admissions essay? Check out the following
statistics from http://www.essayedge.com (a great resource for help in writing
admissions essays!):
Average number of essays written per year: 500,000
Average amount of time an admissions officer spends on the essay part of
your
application: One-third
Average number of hours a student spends writing the essay: 10 hours
Average percent of applicants rejected by the top 50 schools: 70%

2. For those of you going into the career field, many job applications and portfolios now require
a similar Personal Statement. It is a great tool to keep on file for the future; it can be used to
fulfill many requests.
3. Admissions essay topics are generally personal reflections on your life, character, and goals,
and senior year is a great time for you to evaluate who you are, what you believe, and where
youre headed.

Choosing what (and what NOT) to write about.

The most challenging part of the entire admissions essay process is actually the first step: choosing a
topic. The most important aspect to remember is what the college is actually looking for in an essay individuality and personality. Most colleges application essay topics are fairly similar; they are generally
giving you an opportunity to discuss certain aspects of your life that you think define you as an
individual.
Most personal statement essays can be broken into three different types of question:
Type#1: The You Question
Many colleges ask a question that basically boils down to Tell us about yourself. The college just wants
to know more about you as a personand what makes you such a great catch. Some basic samples
include:
To learn to think is to learn to question. Discuss a matter that you once thought you knew for sure but
have since learned to question. (Bryn Mawr College)
"How would you describe yourself as a human being? What quality do you like best in yourself and what
do you like least? What quality would you most like to see flourish and which would you like to see
wither? (Bates College)

Your Approach:
This direct question offers a chance to reveal your personality, insight, and
commitment. The danger is that it's open-ended, so you need to focus. Find just one or
two things that will reveal your best qualities, and avoid the urge to spill everything
Type #2: The Why Us Question
Some schools ask for an essay about your choice of a school or career. Theyre looking for information
about your goals and about how serious your commitment is to this particular school. For example:
Why is UVM a good college choice for you? (University of Vermont)
Please relate your interest in studying a Georgetown University to your future goals. (Georgetown
University)

Your Approach:
The focus is provided: Why did you choose this school or path? This should be pretty
clear to you, since you probably went through some kind of selection process. Make
sure you know your subject well. For example, if you say you want to attend Carleton
College to major in agriculture, the school will be able to tell how carefully you've
chosen (Carleton doesn't have an agriculture major).

Type #3: The Creative Question

Some colleges evaluate you through your choice of some tangential item: a national issue, a famous
person, what you would put in a time capsule, your favorite object. Here the school is looking at your
level of creativity and the breadth of your knowledge and education. Examples include:
Do you believe there is a generation gap? Describe the difference between your generation and others.
(Denison University)
Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence. (common
application)
You have just completed your 300 page autobiography. Please submit page 217. (University of
Pennsylvania)

Your Approach:
Again, you have something to react to, a way to show yourself and write about your real
views. Just dont forget the importance of writing an informed essay. For example, dont
write about a fantasy lunch with a famous writer and get the titles of her novels wrong.
Also, when thinking about how creative to get, use common sense. Being creative to the
point of wacky is a risk you may not want to take.

The Common App:

Many colleges and universities now accept the Common App one application that you fill out and
submit it to many different schools. The essay topics that we will work with will come from this years
Common App.
As of August 1, 2013, the Common Application questions changed for the first time in a decade. Along
with the change in topics came a change in requirements the length requirement for an essay is now
650 words, not 500. This could be good or bad!
Option #1: Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity
that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you,
then please share your story.
Option #2:

The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an
incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the
experience?
Option #3: Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to
act? Would you make the same decision again?
Option #4:

Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an

intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma--anything that is of personal importance,
no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to
identify a solution.
Option #5: Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your
transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Ask.com is not traditionally the most reliable research tool in the world, but theyve put together a
pretty good analysis of these topics. Check here to read their breakdown of the topics (this site is also
available on our class website).

Decision 2015
We will work in class on how to break down these topics and select the one that will showcase you in
the most advantageous manner. Some tips to consider:
1. Have I selected a topic that conveys something meaningful about my personality?
- Avoid topics that you feel are too generic and do not give you the opportunity to express
yourself.
2. Will it keep my reader's interest?
- Keep in mind that admissions counselors look at numerous essays a day; make sure your
topic is something you feel will separate yourself from all the others.
3. Can I write a detailed essay on this topic?
- You should be able to fulfill the topic using solid evidence, examples, and support. If your
response is not rich enough to write at least 5 paragraphs on, choose something else!
4. Does my topic answer the question?
- Avoid losing focus! Remember that your basic duty is to answer the question using specific
evidence from your life and experiences. Topic first, then evidence - not vice versa!
Do not attempt to manipulate a question just so you can talk about something you really wish to
express!