Brainstorm. Choosing the right topic for your essay will allow you to write about something that really shows off your ability as a writer, and will allow the admissions committee to get to know you beyond the standardized test scores and grade point averages listed in your application. Take a few days to list ideas for your personal statement before you sit down to write.
Choose several topics. Once you have a list of potential topics, start to cull the best options from the list. Eliminate options that are likely to be submitted by many applicants, or ideas that you do not believe will make a great essay topic. Once you have the list down to two or three topics, you are ready to start writing.
Draft several essays. Draft an essay on your top two or three topics. Having drafts on several different topics will help you to better evaluate their strengths and weaknesses as topics. Once you have written drafts on a few of your topics, put them away to be reread in a few days.
Read through your drafts. A few days after you finish drafting your essays, read through them again and decide which is the best essay. Once you have chosen your best essay, that is probably the best topic for your personal statement.
Proofread and rewrite. You should rewrite and proofread your personal statement as many times as possible. If you feel comfortable doing so, ask a friend or family member to help you by reading through your personal statement or proofreading it.