Most colleges tell your exactly what they want you to write about for your essay, and the options aren't that broad. According to CollegeBoard.com, "Generally, there are three types of questions: The 'you,' the 'why us,' and the 'creative.'" If you have the option to choose from several different questions, outline ideas for each question and see which feels the most comfortable. You can always change your mind if you're not happy with the topic.
The best essays fill the gaps that remain after a review of your transcripts and test scores, but that doesn't mean you need to overthink your statement or feel like you need to write a novel. "Think of the personal statement as a handshake with an admissions officer," advises Dr. Kat Cohen, CEO and Founder of ApplyWise. Just as you wouldn't bombard a perfect stranger with every single detail about your life the first time you meet him, you don't need to cram your essay full of everything you can think of on a topic. "Sometimes the best essays are about simple, basic and even mundane topics," says Dr. Cohen.
What's most important is selecting a topic that's important to you, and then making it feel important to your readers. "If you're like most people, your life story lacks drama," says Purdue University's Online Writing Lab, "so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. Finding an angle or a 'hook' is vital." The angle not only makes your essay more interesting, but it helps you keep your statement direct and to the point.
Before you start writing your essay, brainstorm the topic and focus on capturing your ideas. A list or mind map of sentence fragments is a great place to start. Once you have your ideas down on paper, group them thematically. What pieces fit together logically? Which are the most interesting? Once you've organized your ideas and discarded the ones that don't fit with the others, what's left is the skeleton of your essay.
Your opening sentence is the most important part of your personal statement "If it grabs the reader's attention, the reader will read on," says Dr. Cohen. But it doens't have to be the first thing you write. "Write your essay first. Explore your theme. Then come back to the beginning -- and nail it."
Write your essay with your brainstorming tool as your guide. For the first draft, don't worry about perfect spelling and grammar; just tell your story and connect the dots between your ideas. Once you have a complete draft down on paper, that's the time to go back and start wordsmithing.
You may have heard the proverb, "A man who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client." The same is true for a student who edits her own college application essay. Although your personal statement should be entirely your own, feedback from others can uncover areas where you can make your point more effectively, where you don't sound like yourself and where you should rethink an idea.
School counselors and your English teacher are good sources for unbiased input. Although parents and trusted friends can offer much needed support and insight, they probably aren't as familiar with the college application process as these professionals.
When you've finished your statement and you're happy with your final draft, proofread, proofread and proofread. Proofread it yourself and ask three other people to proofread it for you. Nothing ruins an otherwise great essay like glaring typographical errors.
This is also the time to make sure your essay conforms to your target school's formatting guidelines. Most applications provide specific font, text size, spacing and margin requirements. Many also mandate a page length or word count. Double check to make sure your essay meets all of these specifications.
When your essay is done, fight the urge to go back and tinker with it endlessly. "Remember that no single perfect personal statement exists -- there is only the one that is right for you," advises Alan Hancock College's University Transfer Center.