To write a winning personal statement for an undergraduate university, do not wait until the last minute. Give yourself at least four to five weeks to complete a personal statement.
Talk with others about the question(s). Discuss your personal statement with family, friends and teachers. Keep a small notebook with you for notes.
Do a lot of free writing. Make bullet points of the main ideas you want to convey in a personal statement. Do not worry about organization and grammar at this point.
As the prewriting progresses, narrow down ideas to specific experiences. Write anecdotes that reveal your abilities and dedication to your chosen subject and life experiences in the context of the question(s) or prompt. Short personal stories make your personal statement more interesting to read and easier to remember. Avoid generalizing.
Use an anecdote to underscore leadership abilities. Make sure to write about what you learned from the experience.
From your prewriting, organize the structure of your statement. Information should flow in clear and organized order. Paragraphs should have a clear topic sentence, and all the information in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence. Eliminate unnecessary words.
Avoid using the word "you." Most students who use "you(s)" in their personal statements (and college papers) are writing instructions instead of making points in clear, strong, concise prose.
Address anything that appears as a red flag on any other part of the application. For example, if there was a semester where you had low grades, the personal statement is the place to explain your situation and how you overcame the challenge and learned from the experience.
Avoid using the term "you." Most students who use "you(s)" in their personal statements (and college papers) are writing instructions instead of making points in clear, strong, concise prose.
Ask other people to read your college personal statement. Use the resources at your school for help with content, grammar and punctuation. Rewriting is the key to writing a winning personal statement for an undergraduate university.
Make sure to go back and reread the essay question(s) a few times. Are you answering the question(s)? Many students tend to go off topic and decrease their chance for acceptance.
Keep in mind that reviewers read several personal statements. After reading a few statements, many of them sound the same. Write something about yourself that will stand out among all the other applicants. Make your personal statement unique.
Review your university personal statement holistically. The personal statement should not conflict with other information on the application. Check closely for any discrepancies.