How to Write a Personal Statement for College Applications

How to Write a Personal Statement

When writing your personal statement, treat it like a research project, with you as the subject. Think about what makes you special. It’s important for you to showcase your unique skills, personality traits, and personal characteristics in a way that makes you memorable to readers.

Writing a personal statement may take a little thought, but if you keep these tips in mind, you will find the writing process much easier and create a great personal statement that will impress any college admissions team.

1. Start with a hook.

College admissions officers read thousands of personal statements every year, ranging from essays focused on personal growth to essays centered on work experience. You need to create a hook that is unique to you and will make the opening paragraph interesting to the reader. This is why it is recommended that prospective students going through the application process include unique personal experiences in their personal statements. (Something very similar to what you would do on your student resume)

Midnight became daytime the first time I read Jane Austen. I waited with anticipation until my mother closed the bedroom door and counted to ten before I grabbed my flashlight and dove under the covers to continue reading about Emma’s misadventures.

2. Explain your passion.

Whatever personal experience you choose to use, make sure it relates to why you want to go into your chosen field. Extend those thoughts to your future plans in the body paragraphs and discuss what you hope to gain from this educational path.

I found Austen’s perspective on women in Georgian society refreshing and humorous. It makes women in a society that only focuses on their status in three dimensions; they are thoughtful, curious, intelligent, vulnerable and complex. Her writing broadened my interest in Victorian literature, particularly the work of other women writers such as Emily Brontë and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I began to thirst for their perspective on the role of women, their environmental impact, and the similarities between women in the 19th century and women today.

3. List your essential skills.

Whether you are applying to college from high school, applying to medical school, or you want to attend graduate school, it is important that you convey to the college admissions team the skills that you feel make you a good fit for their institution. If you have a very high GPA, you should mention this (anything above a 3.2 is definitely worth noting).

I carefully structured my curriculum to enroll in psychology, sociology and history courses in addition to the core classes required for English Literature. They were crucial in the development of my critical thinking skills, analytical skills, and reading comprehension skills. I was able to connect what was taught in sociology and what I read, allowing me to delve into society’s expectations of women at that time.

4. Focus on the accomplishments and challenges you have overcome that relate to what you are learning.

Think of your statement as a narrative that tells the story of your life and interests, and what brought you to this point. Always structure your story based on your skills and strengths, their suitability to your field of study, and your suitability for the campus environment.

As the daughter of immigrant parents, I learned from a young age that their expectations of me were not the same as the expectations my friends’ parents set for them. I found myself in Elizabeth Bennet’s quest for freedom and courage, in Catherine Morland’s imagination and in Anne Elliot’s unwavering despite underrated compassion. These traits encompass the human experience — my experience — and have transcended time, increasing my interest in English Literature and the stories told centuries ago that to this day leave a mark on our hearts.

5. Show why you are the best fit for this program.

Include your reasons for choosing the institution while providing a convincing argument for your admission. Talking to people you consider mentors or even trusted family members about what they’re focused on can be helpful, especially if they provide you with letters of recommendation.

It takes passion, an open mind and curiosity to discover the meaning of the written words of the past. Alumni of your program are all distinguished professors, writers, historians, and curators who, in one way or another, dedicate themselves to telling, retelling, and preserving what makes us human. We were all, in our own way, children reading under the covers, finding solace and companionship in characters who felt so alive, they might as well have called us by our names.