What are colleges looking for in a personal statement?

Question

There is a huge amount of information out there on what colleges want to see in your essay, and the internet is littered with supposedly insider knowledge of "tricks" or "hidden factors." Luckily, the reality is not that complicated.

Answer 1

Well, you are 100% right about that – there is no end to the amount of advice out there about personal statements! And honestly, all of those "tricks" and "hacks" that are mentioned out there in my opinion get the point of the essay totally wrong.

There is no way to "hack" your way into college through essay tips, any more than there's a way to "trick" someone into liking you. A personal essay shouldn't be a "trick." The whole purpose of a personal essay is to show admissions counselors a side of you that they would not otherwise see in your transcript or just meeting you face-to-face. It's about writing something honest, and with vulnerability.

When I was a junior in high school trying to come up with essay ideas, I kept feeling the pressure to "get it right" and pick the "best story" from my life to tell in two short pages that had the perfect mix of funny, tragic, impressive and succinct.

But the truth is, a lot of us don't have the perfect "overcoming impossible obstacles" story that so many of those online lists love to use as an example. Many people, fortunately, have not had tragedy befall their lives, and so often times I think students can feel like they've already lost before they've even begun.

To me, now that I am older and help students write college and even graduate school personal essays for a living, the thing that stands out and I try and help coach is the concept of passion.

The operative word in the topic is "personal." And personal does not have to mean sad.

I have read many admissions essays from my students who talk about their hobbies, their special interests, their siblings, their pets, their favorite TV shows, and all of them work. To me, these essays are supposed to ask, "what (or who) do you love?" and then shape the essay around their answer.

Do you ever get that spark in your gut when you talk about something you love intensely? Or the warm fuzzy feeling of spending time with loved ones? As cheesy as that sounds, personal essays should be your way of sharing that with college admissions. And along the way, you are telling them about who you are in the deepest parts of you, and demonstrating bravery by doing so. In my case, I talked about my brother's best friend, and how I felt she was a role model in my life despite the fact that I hardly ever saw her in person.

Let your transcript and application do the over-achieving. Let your personal essay be a space to talk like you've known someone for years. Let it breathe, and don't judge your thoughts or topic too harshly. The admissions counselors are asking to get to know you – don't be afraid to show them.

Answer 2