Roadmap to College: How to Write a Winning Personal Statement

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“An essay should be well written, concise, and insightful. A student does not have to have swum the English Channel or climbed Mt. Everest to make a good impression in an essay. Some of the simplest student accomplishments, when explained directly and well, have been the most impressive.” –Nancy J. Maly, Director of Admissions, Grinnell College

The personal statement or essay provides you with an opportunity to convey your passions, interests, and values to the admissions officer reading your application. The words personal statement and essay are used interchangeably to refer to the long main essay required for many applications. Shorter essays may also be required on some applications. The essay is particularly important for admission to highly selective colleges.

The goal of the personal statement or essay is to demonstrate that you are a decent writer who is ready for college-level work, and to express something about you that is not obvious from the rest of your application. You also want to directly or indirectly state why you want to attend a particular college, although this information may be contained in a short essay.

As the quote above indicates, the personal statement is an opportunity to share information and insights about yourself that are not evident from the rest of your application. The personal statement or essay does not have to be perfect; it just has to honestly reflect who you are and what you’re thinking.

Essays are an important factor in the admissions process, and it is one area that is totally within your control. Spending a lot of time on your personal statement can have a big payoff. If you are an average student, a well-thought-out essay can push you over the edge if you’re borderline in terms of your admissions standards. I know a student who had borderline grades and SAT scores, but the admissions director was so impressed with her essay that she accepted the student because of her passionate writing. Essays also carry a lot of weight with highly selective colleges, so take your time and write one that is insightful and interesting.

Almost every student has heard her English teacher say, “Show, don’t tell!” when writing any type of essay. Your teacher would be right! Don’t tell someone you have great leadership skills. Instead, show them by recounting your experience as a Big Brother/Big Sister and explaining how the experience inspired you and impacted you in some way. As one of the admissions directors said, you don’t have to climb Mt. Everest or talk about a traumatic, life-altering event for your essay to be successful. Who doesn’t like Seinfeld, the television show about nothing? The show is really about the daily, trivial aspects of life, which are sometimes the most interesting and captivating. The same can be true about your personal statement. It’s not what you write, but how you write it. Does the essay convey your ideals, impressions, and experiences? If it does, then your essay is an effective one. Would someone who knows you well and reads your essay say, “Yes, this essay captures the essence of John Smith.”

A personal statement is usually about 500 words and approximately one page. Many students worry if their essay is 10 words under or 50 words over the limit. College admissions counselors are not sitting there counting your words. If it’s about a page, slightly under or slightly over, they will read it as long as it’s interesting. The ideal time to write a personal statement is the summer between your junior and senior years.

Many students stress about the essay; they find it very difficult to identify an essay topic and to actually write the essay itself. Some students go so far as to buy essays online or have others write the essay for them, including hiring professional essay writers who can charge several hundred dollars. Do not do this! Professionally written essays are very easy to spot. If your guidance counselor can spot them (and she will), you can be sure that college admissions counselors will also spot them.

How Do I Get Started?

Now that you have a sense of possible topic areas, how do you get started? You can ask parents, family members, and friends for their opinions on potential essay topics. It can be very useful to have a brainstorming session with your family. You need about 15–20 minutes in a quiet place where everyone is focused on you and your essay. Have someone serve as the secretary and jot down ideas, while you and your family come up with as many ideas as you can within the time period. Do not screen the ideas; your job is to just generate as many possible topics as possible. After the brainstorming session, you can review the list with or without your family and narrow down the list to three to five potential topics. Then discuss the merits of each idea, keeping in mind the goals of an effective essay, mentioned earlier in this chapter. Keep working through the ideas until you come up with what you think is the best topic for your personal statement. Save the runners up for other essays you may need to write.

Now comes the hard part, the actual writing of the essay. The hardest part is the first sentence, after that it gets slightly easier. I have seen many students procrastinate writing their essays. Do not leave it until the last possible moment, as you want to have a chance to edit and revise your essay. You may have to force yourself to sit down and write the first draft. Just as in the brainstorming session, don’t screen your first draft. Instead, just write and let your ideas flow. Some students need total silence to write, others need background noise, such as the TV or their IPod. Some students like to write an outline first, others prefer to wing it. Whichever style suits you, just try to complete a first draft in one sitting, if possible. Then let your essay incubate. Leave the essay alone for a day or two. Don’t worry, you’ll still be thinking about it. Take another look at it from a fresh perspective, and at that point you can start editing and revising the essay several times. Do a final proofread and then you’re ready for your harshest critics: your family, your English teacher, and your guidance counselor. You can incorporate all of their suggestions, but only if they make sense to you. Make sure you are answering the question from the essay prompt. Also, remember not to purposely use big words and to use the voice of a 17 year old. It’s your essay, so, as it says in Hamlet, “to thine own self be true.”

TIP: When writing an essay, have a brainstorming session to come up with ideas. Generate as many ideas as possible. Narrow down the list until you come up with your #1 essay topic. Write your first draft in one sitting and then let your ideas incubate for a day or two; next, take a fresh look at your essay and revise, edit, and proofread. When you’re ready, show your essay to a few select people.

How Do I Make My Essay Stand Out?

The pressure is on to write a terrific (but not perfect) essay. But how do you distinguish yourself from everyone else applying? Since many applicants have similar grades and SAT/ACT scores, the essay is a golden opportunity to “stand out.” You can stand out by developing a well-written essay on any topic. If you write about something that highlights your personality or something about which you’re genuinely passionate, your essay complements the rest of your application. If your essay is sincere, persuasive, and written from the heart, you should be in pretty good shape. If you’ve gotten across your impressions, values, and what’s really important to you, then you probably have done what you needed to do. Do not focus on trying to impress people, as it will not come across as sincere. As our admissions directors have suggested, be personal and allow admissions counselors to see your soul. As Raymond Lutzky from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) says, “ultimately painting a positive picture of your best qualities should be the direction for an essay. Ideally, a student should show their best characteristics rather than attempting to make a great philosophical point.”

If you’re a funny person, a humorous essay may come naturally to you. If you’re not known as a funny person, don’t even attempt a humorous essay. Just remember, the essay is about you. Even if you write an essay about how your grandmother inspires you, don’t say too much about your grandmother’s story or history. Instead, get across what you’ve inherited from her, what you’ve learned from her experiences, and how she has impacted your life. It sounds selfish, but the emphasis should always be on you.

Use descriptive words and give vivid details. Remember, you want to catch the reader’s attention with great opening sentences, so editing is really important. Try to stick to one page, as admissions counselors have many essays to read. Don’t be repetitive and try to link your ending to your opening. It’s also a good idea to take an objective look at your essay. Take a step back and put yourself in the reader’s shoes. Does the essay capture your interest? Is the essay passionate? Do you get a clear sense of the writer’s personality and priorities? Have you learned something new that you wouldn’t have gleaned from the rest of the application? Don’t be obsessed about being unique. Your goal is to give readers an honest portrayal of who you are. If you do all of these things, you will successfully write a winning personal statement.