Among the many application materials that colleges require these days, your personal statement should stand out as a unique opportunity to showcase your personality, experiences, and aspirations. It’s your chance to go beyond grades and test scores to offer admissions committees insight into who you are as a person. Still, writing an effective personal statement involves more than just listing achievements– it requires introspection, strategic storytelling, and a clear expression of your personal growth and trajectory. It isn’t something you can whip up in an afternoon.
With great power comes great responsibility, and writing a personal statement that stands out to admissions readers requires hard work and dedication. So, to help you get started, this article looks at 8 tips to write a personal statement that will help you make a lasting impression on the admissions committee.
Tip #1: Reflect on your Authentic Self
Start by reflecting on your own experiences, values, and aspirations. What moments make you–you?
Ask yourself: What sets you apart from other applicants?
Are you the kind of person who loves to spend their Saturdays lost in the world of your favorite novel? Or would you rather be out raking leaves, sled riding, or swimming with your friends?
Think about some core traits about yourself. Are you funny, smart, hardworking, crafty? Better! Can you think of examples of times you demonstrated those traits? If you’re coming up short, ask parents, friends, teachers, or coaches: what comes to mind first when they think of you?
Admissions officers want to know you, so be authentic and genuine in your writing. Don’t say that you want to be a rocket scientist because you feel like it will impress admissions committees. They will be impressed by whatever your ambitions are, as long as they are thoughtful and you’ve demonstrated consistent interest in achieving these goals.
Use personal anecdotes that illustrate your growth, challenges, and achievements. Share moments that have shaped your perspective and character.
Once you’ve decided that you’re the kind of person who wants to be an educator, a leader, a trend setter, or a creative, it’s time to think about stories and traits that pair well with these aspirations.
Is your lifelong passion to cure cancer? Sing and dance on Broadway? Travel? Cure the world’s political evils? Spend some time considering what makes you tick, and how that manifests in your everyday life. This will be great material when it comes time to write your essay.
Tip #2: Understand the Prompt
Carefully read and understand the essay prompt provided by the college or university. Make sure your essay directly addresses the question or topic they’ve given you.
Don’t write too far under or over the provided word count. Adhering to the specified range shows your ability to follow directions and effectively organize your thoughts. It also shows respect to the admissions committee’s time, as they have countless essays to review and can’t guarantee extra time spent on your application materials .
Tip #3: Tell a Compelling Story
College admissions committee insights tell us that a compelling story can significantly increase the relatability and memorability of an application. Admissions officers often look for essays that provide a window into a student’s personality, values, and resilience, rather than just a list of achievements.
You should write your personal statement like a story, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Engage your readers by creating a narrative that flows smoothly and keeps them interested– but remember, this won’t happen on the first draft! Almost all great essays go through 8-10 rounds of revisions! Still, try to use descriptive language and sensory details to paint a vivid picture. Allow the reader to experience your story alongside you.
Tip #4: Highlight your Passion and Motivation
When you’re writing your personal statement, be sure to showcase your genuine passion for whatever it is that you’re talking about. Your writing should provide context on why you’re interested in X and how you plan to contribute to it in the future. Bonus points if you can share what steps you’ve already taken to bring you closer to your goals. Remember, you have an interested audience. Do what you can to take advantage of it!
Tip #5: Connect your Past to your Future
A great way to think about yourself in the essay process is to think about how the past has shaped the present and will go on to leave an impression on the future. Admissions committees want to see logical connections between your background and aspirations. Meaning, if you’re interested in running a fashion business one day, you could tell them about the skills required to do this connect to the time that you revolutionized your school’s home economics class and your current work at a clothing store. In other words, tell them about your interests and show them specific examples to prove it!
Tip #6: Show Self-Reflection and Growth
Make sure that you demonstrate self-awareness by discussing how you’ve grown and evolved as a person. Colleges value students who can adapt and learn from their experiences, so be sure to show that you’re one of them!
Being able to execute this step is one of the best tips for a standout personal statement. Many students have gone through a period of self-reflection and growth, but unless you can effectively communicate this through your essay, colleges won’t know or receive the full impact of your essay.
Tip #7: Edit and Proofread
Review your personal statement multiple times for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Consider seeking feedback from teachers, peers, or professional editors to improve the clarity and coherence of your writing. There is nothing worse than writing a perfect essay only to notice a spelling error after you’ve submitted! Having a perfectly edited essay shows admissions readers that you care and are ready to engage with college level writing.
Tip #8: Be Mindful of Tone
Maintain a positive and respectful tone throughout your essay. Avoid negativity, complaints, or controversial topics. While it can be tempting to ‘trauma dump’ or share every bad thing that has ever happened to you in your college admissions essay with the hopes of gaining the sympathy of reviewers, admissions committee insights actually demonstrate that it isn’t the most effective way to get into college. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t write about an experience that might fall into this category, but it means to think carefully about how you communicate this experience.
Conclusion
The best college application essay advice we can offer is to be yourself, tell your story, and put in the time and effort to make your personal statement shine.
Still struggling? Schedule a free consultation with a Marks Education Essay Advisor and learn more about our services to help you develop a great personal statement.
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