How do I write a personal statement essay for college?

Question

What makes a good essay? What should I look for or keep in mind? How can I find a tutor for this?

Answer 1

To add to the above suggestions — your personal statement should be unique to you! You may never meet anyone in any admissions department face to face, so your personal statement will be how you can show them who you are, beyond your resume. If they admit you, what kind of person will be walking onto campus? What unique qualities will you bring to the campus community?

You will want to avoid regurgitating information that is included in your resume (ie. "I played volleyball."), but you may want to expand on an experience that was important to you (ie. "Playing volleyball for so many years has taught me the value X and has made me Y..."). Some schools will ask for longer personal statements that leave room for you to tell a story. Other prompts will require you to be very concise and direct. Make sure you read every prompt carefully, and look to see if the schools you are applying to have any additional guidelines or recommendations regarding the prompts on their websites.

TLDR: Read and follow the prompts, take the opportunity to add to your portfolio (instead of restating your resume), and write something that is true to who you are, that only you can write.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

There are a couple of ways to make sure your college application essay is strong and one that stand out. First and foremost, you want to read and follow the prompt. Consider this a checklist. Make sure you answer what is asked and you stay on topic. You need to provide the word count or number of pages that is asked of you, and you need to follow all format requirements.

Next, you want to treat this essay as your first 'interview.' What do they need to know about you that supports your resume and answers the prompt? You want to showcase your strengths with this essay. Keep a formal and professional tone when writing.

A tutor can help you with this process in many ways. The easiest way is to send your tutor the prompt and any other information regarding the program and the application itself. If you have ideas already brainstormed, bring this to the session as well. Be open to bragging about yourself so that your tutor can really help you emphasize the strengths and skills you may not even realize are important. Then, have your tutor read over what you have and provide revisions and feedback to make sure you submit a polished final draft.