Personal Statement Essay
A personal statement essay for college is meant to provide a ‘mental picture’ of who you are. The colleges want to know what your dreams and aspiration are. They want to know how your life’s experiences have shaped you into the person you are today. They want to know how well you can contribute to their college… In another word, what do you bring to the table?
Last updated on December 18, 2024 by College Financial Aid Advice.
As such, an outstanding personal statement essay is NOT a list of your accomplishments because you should have already listed them in your college application. This essay is NOT a list of your life’s events either. It is NOT your biography. Your essay is NOT a resume. It is NOT a sales pitch. It is NOT a brag sheet about yourself or the college of your choice… Rather, it is about ‘YOU’ and the real person behind the GPA/SAT/ACT scores.
Writing a Personal Essay
There are numerous individuals or firms who provide college coaching to help students get into competitive colleges and universities for a hefty fee. As such, they offer guidance or assistance with their student’s essays.
But… Do not panic! Most high schools (public or private) have a designated teacher, usually an English language teacher, who has assumed the responsibility of helping the seniors with their college essays.
Find out who that kind teacher is. He / She is often the best resource to help you with your essays. Thank them in advance because they do not get paid for taking up this extra responsibility, and let them know early on that you want them to critique your writing.
While there is no specific formula for success, following are some strategies to help you get started writing a personal essay:
· Writing a successful college application essay is a lengthy process. It requires much writing, re-writing, and frequent editing. Start this process in August or September of your senior year.
· Start a Word document and do as much pre-writing as possible. Write about moments of your life, or instances when you have been very proud, very frightened, very sad, very happy, etc. You can later use these moments to construct your personal essay.
· Your pre-writing should also include anything that is happening with you or around you at the time. This will be a collection of random writings that can serve you as a foundation reflecting ‘who you are’ or ‘how you see and perceive’ the world around you.
· Choose 3-5 people who know you well such as friends, family, neighbors, etc. and ask them to provide you with a notable moment, a story or an experience that they feel describes you or your character. You can use this feed back to construct your personal essay as well.
· After you write your personal statement essay, give it to someone who doesn’t know you and ask that person to read it and give you his/ her opinion using only three adjectives. If the adjectives are like- arrogant, self-absorbed, and ignorant, then it is time to go back and write another essay!
· Do not use ‘fancy’ vocabulary words. Instead, use the vocabulary that you are most comfortable with.
· Take out the ‘fluff’. That means do not make a statement about your character such as “I am driven, intelligent, and hard-working”. Instead, your essay must reflect or convey these qualities such that the reader would come up to this conclusion without you saying so directly in your personal statement essay.
·
Your first
sentence should have a ‘hook’. Something ‘catchy’ to get the reader hooked and
compelled to read the rest of your personal essay. We have some great college essay examples at the bottom of the page.
· Be honest with yourself. Do not create a façade behind which you have to hide. Do not create a false image of yourself to just please a particular school because you will most likely find that that school is not the right match for you anyhow.
· Do not use ‘Drama’ to make your reader feel sorry for you. It doesn’t work!
·
Pay attention
to your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. No one wants to read a personal statement essay with mistakes.
· Make sure that your essay correctly addresses the right school. There is nothing worse than submitting your essay for college X to college Y. Make sure you edit and correct all specific college references accordingly.
Finally, writing an outstanding personal essay takes time and perseverance. As tempting as it might be, no one can write your personal statement essay for you better than you can. It is your story after all.
Furthermore, the admission committee members are highly trained and knowledgeable professionals who read thousands upon thousands of applications and essays. As such, they are able to detect even the slightest differences between your writing style and vocabulary in one section of your application verses another. Once they suspect the authenticity or originality of your essay, they will almost always disqualify you.
Sample College Application Essays
I think it is always helpful to see some sample college application essays. Here are some examples of personal essays submitted by some of our visitors.
Finding X, finding Y, solving for the standard equation of an ellipse. These have been the plagues of my mind ever since I made a discovery in the 5th grade - I hate math...
Bat Removal - Law School Essay
The tiny black eyes were unmistakably focused on me, intently following my every movement. This creature valued its life; I could feel its fear, and it became my own...
Walking the Plank Personal Growth Essay
I was shaking, not only from nerves but from the deep chill piercing my skin and rattling my bones. It clung to me like doom. More pressing still were the figures surrounding me....
She arrived with my Uncle Mark from Charlotte tightly gripping her book, Very Easy Crossword Puzzles. Normally, Martha’s persona was larger than Elvis, and she was always ...
With the steam of humid August still clinging to my shoulders, I walk into the Jazz Standard. The hostess leads me to a table for two, directly in front of the stage. As I sit and take in...
“I shall be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and ages hence: / Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference”. These words of Robert Frost in his poem “The Road Not Taken” have been inspirational to me, daring me to…
Engineering Essay - College Essay Example About Yourself
It is eight o'clock on a bright Saturday morning. The smell of slightly burnt toast, eggs, and potatoes hang low in the air of my kitchen. In front of my plate is...
“You have cancer.” From the moment those words left my oncologist’s mouth, I knew my life would change. I didn’t know how to feel; how to react; what to do. Most importantly, I didn’t know…
More College Essays
See more examples of good personal essays at Good Personal Essays
100 Examples of Good College Essays
College Essays about Motivation
Help with College Essays
Welcome!
Welcome to College Financial Aid Advice, a website full of information on scholarships and grants, student loans, and other ways to save money at college.
Important Things to Do
Scholarships for 2025 - 2026 - It is never too early or too late to work on your scholarship searches. If you are part of the high school class of 2025, you should work on your scholarship and college search now. See our list of Scholarships for High School Seniors
FAFSA - The official 2025 - 2026 FAFSA is available now. FAFSA.
College Financial Aid Tips
Scholarship Lists An overview of the different types of Scholarship Money for College.
Grants Learn more about grants, the other free money for college.
Need Tuition Help? Reduce the cost of tuition with these college Tuition Assistance Programs.
Tax Credit Claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit.
College Savings Plans Save money for college with these College Savings Plans.
Need a Student Loan? Yes, you qualify for these college Student Loans.
Popular Scholarship Searches
Scholarships for High School Students