The personal statement is one of the most important parts of college admittance. For those who haven’t written anything like it before, the assignment might seem intimidating. In order to create an effective statement, you must work to present yourself in a memorable and impressive light to the admissions panel. Writing about yourself might seem scary, but a fantastic statement can outshine a few poor grades, and make your name rise above the rest.
Here is a handful of useful tips that you should keep in mind while writing your personal statement. Following such advice can make your statement stronger, clearer, and will help you gain the admission to the college of your choice. Even better, they can help make the writing process itself easier!
1. Be Yourself
The simplest advice can sometimes be the most difficult. This may seem obvious, but when you are writing your personal statement, don’t pretend to be someone you are not. Be honest about your life experiences, your mistakes, your successes, and what you have learned about the world from them.
Relax, and let your own personal story unfold as you write. Don’t waste the energy on making up information. If you are talking about what you know, then, it will be easier to get content down on paper.
2. Pick a Topic You Are Passionate About
If you pick a topic that you believe sounds impressive but doesn’t interest you, writing will become a much more grueling process. You will need to stop after every sentence to look up information or figure out what to write. Instead, identify the subject areas that you are interested in. For instance, do you have a strong interest in sports? Did you really excel in your science classes? English classes? Do you participate in a theater, or build bikes?
Figure out what you enjoy most in your life, and structure a portion of your personal statement around that topic. Talk about events, books, and personal contacts surrounding your interests. If you are passionate about what you are saying, those paragraphs will practically write themselves.
3. Stay on Topic
A college personal statement is not the place to go on a tangent. Make it clear what you are talking about at the beginning of each paragraph with some sort of introductory or topic sentence. Then, don’t stray too far from that point. Changing your topic too many times will confuse your reader, which is something you definitely want to avoid in your personal statement. You need to demonstrate that you can structure a single coherent narrative.
An outline is a great way to establish the topic of each paragraph ahead of time, so you know which content to cover and in what order. Adhering to an outline can help you stay on topic and prevent you from getting too far off the point. It can also be a good reference, in case, you forget what you had been intending to cover.
4. Talk about Your Expectations for the College
College admissions committee wants to see that you have thoroughly thought about what you want from your college experience. After all, you are purchasing a year of tuition from them, and they are offering you a certain educational experience. Demonstrating that you have planned ahead and have certain goals for your time on their campus will show how serious you are about attending that institution.
There are a number ways for you to elaborate on your expectations. What clubs and organizations does the college offer that you would like to participate in? What programs at the college are you interested in enrolling, and what specifically would you like to study? How do you expect to find life on this campus, based on what facilities and communities are present? Colleges want to know this information, so be sure to include it in your personal statement.
5. Dwell upon Your Intentions
Your personal statement should dwell heavily on what you intend to do with your life. What goal do you hope to accomplish by being enrolled at that particular college? What do you plan on doing with your college degree? You’re applying to that school for a reason, so let admissions know what is motivating your personal decisions. Elaborating on these details will reveal the foresight and consideration you are putting into your college plans.
Write about the career you want one day, and how the college can help you find employment within that field. If you paint a clear picture of what you envision your future to be, your personal statement will stand out as thoughtful, concise, and noteworthy. That is the kind of personal statement colleges want to read.
When you face the blank template, writing a custom personal statement might seem like a daunting task. Have no worries, though. Keep your writing stress-free, and give yourself plenty of time to write and edit your statement. These tips will make your personal statement effective and help you stand out from the rest. The entire writing process will be easier if you keep these pointers in mind, so good luck and happy writing!
