Most selective colleges require you to submit an essay or personal statement as part of your application. While not all students end up writing a personal statement, most essays that tend to do well among college application officials are those that tell a personal story. It may sound like a chore, and it will certainly take a substantial amount of work. But it’s also a unique opportunity that can make a difference at decision time. Admissions committees put the most weight on your high school grades and your test scores. However, selective colleges receive applications from many worthy students with similar scores and grades. So they use your essay to find out what sets you apart from the other talented candidates. In this blog, we explained how to do just that.
You Don’t Have to Write a Personal Statement
Since personal statements tend to be the most common college essays that students write, they tend to be the most cliché, and even boring essays, at times. To avoid this, remember that you do not have to write a basic personal statement in which you talk about a challenge in which you had to overcome such as losing a game or getting an F on a test. Instead, it could be challenging a belief, how you grow as a person, or any experience that had a profound impact on your life. The bottom line is to write a personal story and not a statement that can be found on your resume.
Look to Reflect Rather Than Recount
Colleges do not only accept students on the fact that they may have gotten straight A’s or had an amazing vacation. They are looking for students who are resilient and can take a good lesson away from any experience. One of the biggest mistakes students can make is just telling a story about what happened but not why it happened or its significance. When talking about any experience, students should explain what they learned and how it shaped them into who they are today.
Think About Your Audience
Good writers should be able to adapt their writing style based on who they are writing for whether it be children, classmates, teachers, or, most importantly, college application officials. When trying to keep your audience engaged, remember that a captivating hook and an inspiring story will do much more for you than jokes and one-liners.
Keep Consistent Theming
A college essay must have a key takeaway or a main idea. Preferably, this main idea reflects something the student learned over the course of the story. The way a student answers the prompt as in the language, word choice, tone, and mood must be consistent to the essay’s theme and the way it’s being told.
The Revision Process is Key
The last thing a college essay should be is cobbled together and not engaging enough to read. An easy fix is to spend more time revising it then it took to write the essay. It might seem counterintuitive, but going through multiple drafts to make sure the essay has as little mistakes as possible will ensure that the college admissions official who is reading your essay knows you will always try your hardest at a given task, which is an important skill in college. Set aside the essay for a few days and have someone other than yourself proofread it. Ask them if your essay makes sense, is structured well, and is interesting enough to read.
Learn How to Write Your College Essays from the Experts at Curvebreakers
Group classes are available for college essay writing as well as one-to-one essay help.
Learn more about our approach to college essays and what makes us unique.