How to Write the College Application Essay or a Personal Statement
What is the importance of writing an essay? No matter what your grades
and test scores are, they never capture who you really are. Any interviewer
wants to know more about you and an essay gives you the chance to tell
him/her.
The essay gives you a chance to show aspects of your personality and
abilities that can not be easily quantified---sense of humor, dedication to
family, sense of strong tradition.
What to Do:
Choose a subject that you are passionate about.
Write a rough draft.
Write something you would like to read.
Think about what qualities stand out about you and write them down as they
occur to you.
Include details of your life to “show” what you are trying to say, use specific
examples.
Homework: Using your brainstorming sheet write a 4-5 paragraph essay.
Choose one of the following or supply the essay from your application.
1. Write an essay about a significant personal experience. This
experience was in some way a defining moment for you. Be sure to
explain why this experience is significant.
2. A range of academic interests, personal perspective, and life
experiences add much to the educational mix. Given your personal
background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would
bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that
demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and
describe that influence. *this tends to be a difficult topic because
students have a habit of writing too much about the person and
not enough about themselves. Please be attentive to this if you
choose this topic.
OR….
4. Write the essay required for your application. Please copy the
prompt and attach it to the back of your essay.
Do Not:
Do not express bitterness about the point of writing an essay.
Never write about how you could not figure out what to write about.
Never break the rules about length, topic or format.
We will be typing the essay in the library for two days. You must bring your
rough draft with you to the library since you will be receiving a homework
grade for it. Once you have finished and proofread, please use your checklist
as a guide to help make your essay better before you hand it in.
Your essay must be typed in MLA format: Times New Roman, Size 12 font,
Double-spaced
Heading- Name
Class
Date
Center your title