Feb 18 (edited) • 🎓 Strategy Posts
3️⃣ Personal Statement 103: Is Your Topic Strong Enough? Let’s Test It!
So, you’ve brainstormed some potential topics for your personal statement. But how do you know if your topic is strong enough to stand out? 🤔
💡Use this 4-Point Test to Find Out:
✅ Does it reveal something personal?
- Your values, personality, and growth should be at the heart of your story.
- If it’s just what happened and not what it meant, it’s not personal enough.
✅ Does it show how this experience shaped your perspective or future?
- Colleges want to see how you think, not just what you’ve done.
- Your essay should hint at how this experience influenced your worldview, changed you, and influenced what you want to do next.
✅ Could ONLY YOU write this essay?
- If another student could write something similar, it’s too generic.
- Your story doesn’t need to be unique, but your perspective on it should be.
✅ Does it make the reader feel something?
- Your essay should create an emotional connection.
- Admissions officers read thousands of essays—yours should stick in their minds.
🚀 BONUS: Common Essay Pitfalls & How to Fix Them!
❌ "I learned to work hard." → Too vague! Show how you learned it.
✅ "I spent six months practicing skateboard tricks in my driveway. I kept falling—hard. But I learned that failure wasn’t the end; it was just part of the ride."
❌ "I’ve always been a leader." → This could describe anyone!
✅ "During a family road trip, our GPS failed, and I had to navigate using a paper map. That was the first time I realized I love problem-solving and guiding people toward solutions."
❌ "I’ve always loved helping people." → Feels generic and overused.
✅ "At my part-time job as a cashier, I started remembering regular customers’ names. One elderly man, Mr. Davis, told me no one had done that in years. That moment changed the way I saw small acts of kindness."
🔥 Drop your essay idea below, and I’ll help you refine it! 🚀
(Missed the first two posts? Scroll down to Personal Statement 101 & 102 to catch up!)
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3️⃣ Personal Statement 103: Is Your Topic Strong Enough? Let’s Test It!
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