College Admission Essays

Probably the most feared item in undergraduate, transfer, and graduate school applications are the essays. These come in a number of different forms (personal statement, supplemental questions to the common application, statement of purpose, and more!), but at the end of the day, the methodolgy students should employ are basically the same.

The Personal Statement

Every year, I work with around 100 students to help them through the college admissions process. And, each year, students make the same mistakes when they create the first draft of their personal statement.

Common Mistakes

Show don't tell. - This is something that doesn't come naturally to almost every high school student, so don't fret. The point here is not to give the admissions readers something that they already have in your application. So, don't tell them all about your GPA, your awesome cheerleading team, or anything else that they can find somewhere else. This is your opportunity to show them something about you that helps them to understand why you are you. Because, nobody is you, but you. Be sure that you show them something unique about yourself. Don't just tell them that you are unique in this way or that. Use a story to help them learn something about you. This is all covered step-by-step in the Personal Statement Blueprint.

Supplemental Questions to the Common Application