A personal essay for a college application might take some time. It seems like a simple task, but when you start working on it, you realize that you don’t know what to write about. Especially when you know that admission officers read thousands of applications and you need to make a memorable impression with your essay. To help you succeed, we created a compilation of practical tips that will elevate your essay to the next level.
Understand the Purpose of a Personal Essay
The personal essay isn’t just a summary of your achievements and isn’t a biography. It’s a narrative that provides insight into who you are outside of classrooms and test scores. This is your chance to share your character, values, and goals.
Admission officers look for essays that:
- Highlight authentic personality traits;
- Show personal growth;
- Demonstrate critical thinking and other soft skills.
Before you start writing, review the prompt and ensure that you address it throughout your paper. You might get a particular task or an assignment to tell more about yourself. Depending on the prompt, it’s critical to understand what is required from you.
Choose a Topic that Reflects You
A great personal essay topic is one that:
- Has significance to you personally;
- Reveals some of the sides of your personality;
- Resonates with your aspirations and previous experience.
It’s important to understand that admission officers constantly read essays about cliche things like volunteering, winning, or plans to create a cancer treatment. And though these might be your true aspirations, it’s important to highlight things that are deeper and less common. Think of the life lessons that have shaped you and the obstacles you have overcome. Write about the stories that resonate the most.
Some of the most inspiring personal essay ideas include:
- A meaningful challenge that taught you resilience.
- A moment of personal growth and overcoming your fears.
- An experience that shaped your career aspirations.
- A person or situation that changed your views on life.
Craft Captivating Introduction
First impression matters a lot. It’s important to focus on writing a personal essay introduction that really captivates. The opening lines should grab attention and set the tone for your story. It’s important to avoid cliche and generic statements. Start with something impactful:
- A vivid anecdote. Begin with a specific moment, situation, or time that set the stage for your essay
- A thought-provoking question. Engage the reader by asking a question that will make them think.
- A surprising statement. Something unexpected always grabs attention pretty successfully.
For example, instead of writing that you have learned a lot from your summer internship, which sounds pretty vague, opt for intrigue: “I never thought that this pretty simple task would make such an impact on my views.”
Develop a Strong Narrative Structure
A clear structure that guides your reader through your story is the basis that will help you create a compelling personal essay. Be sure to follow the following typical personal essay structure:
- Introduction. The paragraph where you set the stage and introduce the main question or theme.
- Body Paragraphs. The part where you dive into details and provide examples or reflect on your previous experience.
- Conclusion. A summary and reflection of what you’ve learned and how this experience shaped you.
Don’t forget about transitions between paragraphs to improve the flow of your essay. You can use phrases like: “That experience made me realize…” or “Looking back, now I understand…”
Be Authentic and Vulnerable
Your personal essay is where you can actually be vulnerable and genuine. Admission officers don’t like exaggerated and insincere essays. Share your real thoughts and feelings, even if they are not perfect.
For example, you can write about your doubts and struggles when discussing things you’ve succeeded in. Failure is always a part of the journey, even if the outcome is great. That’s how you can make your essay relatable and memorable.
Show, Don’t Tell
Great personal essays are the ones that include a lot of details and vivid descriptions. You can show specific details to help you understand how you felt and bring your story to life.
For example, you might describe how your knees were shaking and your heart was pounding when you were really nervous about the speech you were giving.
Highlight Personal Growth
Any admission officer is particularly interested in your ability to grow and learn from your failures and experiences. When crafting your personal essay conclusion, reflect on the events and how they shaped you and your views.
You can talk about what you have learned about yourself, how a particular experience influenced your goals or values, and what made you change your mind about something. Think of what the admission committee wants to take away from your story and what you want to highlight.
For example, you can write about how volunteering in the hospital taught you the power of empathy and strengthened your desire to help people.
Use an Engagement Writing Style
A personal essay is a great example of how the combination of a professional tone and a personal writing style can make a powerful impression. Use formal language when it’s appropriate, but avoid slang and overly casual expressions. Also, don’t forget to write your sentence structure to keep them dynamic. For example, you can mix shorter sentences with longer and descriptive ones with lots of details. This will create a rhythm and will make your story more interesting.
Proofread and Edit Thoroughly
Any personal essay, even if it’s well-written, can be undermined by grammatical and punctuation errors. Don’t forget one of the crucial steps: editing.
You might take a break after writing your essay to return to it in a few hours with fresh eyes. This will help you catch more inconsistencies and mistakes that you need to edit. Read your essay aloud to catch awkward phrasing and better understand what should be changed. You can also use tools like Grammarly to check for common errors. Also, be sure to ask for professional proofreading services from an essay writing team if you want to polish your personal essay and make it stand out.
Common Mistakes and Additional Tips
While writing your personal essay for college application, you need to remember about common mistakes that many other students make:
- Not staying within the word limit. College application essays typically have strict word limits that you need to remember about and eliminate unnecessary details and repetitions. It’s better to apply a concise and focused essay.
- Cliché themes. Avoid overused topics if you want to make a good impression unless you have some unique perspective to provide.
- Repeating your résumé. Remember that admission officers already have your résumé on hand, and in the personal essay, they look for storytelling, not the summary of the same resume.
- Exaggeration. It’s better to be truthful and authentic instead of trying too hard to impress.
- Neglecting the prompt. Don’t forget to address the specific question or theme provided in the prompt.
Final thoughts
Writing a personal essay for college application is a chance to showcase your unique personality and share a story that defines you. Don’t be afraid to use your unique voice and style combined with good old personal essay structure. By following the tips in this blog post and requesting help from professional essay writing services, you can achieve the best results and leave a lasting impression. Be authentic and take your time to rewrite or polish your essay if needed. This will guarantee that it will stand out from other essays. Good luck with your college application.
Karen Palmer
