Write a Better Personal Essay

For most students, the most nerve-wracking part of the college application is the personal essay. In only around 500 words, you must convince admissions committee members that you will be a vibrant, important addition to their student body in the fall. Sound difficult? It shouldn't. There are some basic rules that can help you to craft a heartfelt, insightful, and attention-grabbing piece of prose.

Choosing a Personal Essay Topic for College Application and Scholarships

The best college application essays are about topics that excite and interest their authors. Try to spotlight an aspect of your personality that does not show up in the rest of your application. By picking a unique topic and writing about it in a thoughtful way, you can help your college application to stand out.

If you feel particularly connected to your black heritage, you should consider it as an essay topic. Not only can you use the essay for your application to historically black colleges, but there is a wide array of scholarships available for black students, many of which request essays. Black colleges and scholarship committees are often interested in finding out more about black students' sense of cultural identity.

Avoid These Personal Essay Pitfalls

• Don't make a laundry list of your high school achievements. These will show up elsewhere in your application. Cover one topic in depth rather than many topics poorly.
• Don't tell admissions officers what you think they want to hear. Admissions officers have read hundreds of essays, and they can tell whether the feelings and ideas expressed in your essay are genuine.
• Don't wait until the last minute to write your essay. Good writing takes revision, which takes time. If you get your essay done in advance, you'll have time to get it proofread by a teacher, friend, or parent.
• Don't be too modest (or too boastful). Modesty is a great quality, but make sure you are not selling yourself short. Conversely, don't make any claims that aren't backed up by the rest of your college application.

Personal essays can be scary, but they're not so bad if you keep in mind your one big goal: to help college admissions committees get to know you better.

Sources:
The OWL at Purdue: "Writing the Personal Statement"
University of California Berkeley: "The Personal Statement"