Personal Statement Lesson 1 What is a personal

Personal Statement Lesson 1

What is a personal statement? Essay portion of your college application! ● Gives a bigger picture of you. This needs to be all about YOU! ● A space to tell your story beyond GPA and test scores Audience ● Admissions officers and scholarship committees Importance ● Can put your application over the top for admission decisions ● Ability to explain extenuating circumstances 2

Brainstorming Create bubble maps! ● Have an important event in the middle ● Surround it with circles on emotions, people, what you learned ● Make as many as you need to find a topic you can write about Learned how to manage time better Made new friends and great teachers Scary at first Full time Running Start Created a study group for other RS students Harder course work

Common Prompts The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you and what did you learn from the experience? Quick tip: Write to one of the prompts that is similar to others and use it for multiple applications and scholarships! 4

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 5

Misconceptions about Personal Statements ● Personal statements do not have to be a space where you share your trauma to the institution ○ They do not have to be a sad or tragic story about your life! ● Personal statements can also be critiques of the institution, and they can be true to you, they do NOT have to be a "show and tell" of your oppression or pain 6

To Do ● Use the word “I” in your essay. ● Research on the college to ensure that the hopes/dreams you described in your essays can be fulfilled there. ● Be concise - more is not better. ● Write in your own words, speaking honestly, clearly and from the heart – be truthful. ● Let the college know what’s special, unique, distinctive and/or impressive about you. ● Paint a picture of the real you, not who you think they want you to be. ● Use spell-check. ● Draft, proof, and rewrite the essay. Put it away for a few days and look at it again with fresh eyes. ● Let the college know how you were affected by the topic or experience if appropriate. ● Be mindful that your application should be consistent with 7 your goals.

To Not Do ● Use clichés. ● Try to be funny, cute or sarcastic. ● Use thesaurus words – be sure you sound like YOU. ● Exceed the word or page limit. ● Use the name of the wrong college in the essay. ● Be cynical and critical- colleges will wonder if that is the personality you will bring with you to college. ● Have someone else write your essay! College application readers are expert at recognizing essays not written by the applicant. 8

Tips ● Use specific examples and details from your life ● Give yourself enough time ○ There may be multiple drafts! ○ Be thoughtful about the story you want to tell ● Be sure to answer the writing prompt ● Have someone look over your writing for mistakes, including content and grammar ● Read it out loud to see how the writing flows ● You can go over the word limit in your draft, but then follow up with cutting down your writing in the editing process 9

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Activity Read ● Sample essay 1 ● Sample essay 2 You do not have to emulate this exact format and it is okay if your stories differ from these. Don't be afraid to shy away from taking a different path in writing your statement 11

Activity Discuss with a partner ● What did the personal statements have in common? ● How did you feel after reading them? ● What can you take away about the student after reading their essay? ● What are some aspects you will incorporate into your own writing? 12

Need More Support? Please reach out to xxx through (phone? email? zoom? ) from your school for additional support on this topic. It’s important - this is all for your future and dreams! 13