Brainstorm about your life. Consider any event in your life that is significant. Concentrate on those things that made you the person that you are. These may be triumphs that changed your perspective in life or defeats that taught you about the world. Think back to your childhood and work your way to the present. Consider the effects your parents and friends had on your life. Write down every event that you can remember. List books that had an impact on your life and write down what that impact was. Allocate a few weeks to this task and spend a few hours each day brainstorming.
Write out possible topics. Remember that you are writing this essay in order to impress people who are accustomed to reading as many as 100 in a day. Identify yourself as someone who is special. Organize supporting information for each topic to ensure that you will have enough material. Remember that this topic is about you and those things that have influenced your life. Demonstrate your knowledge. Cite examples from your list of books that show your understanding of the text, as well as how understanding them changed your life. Avoid overdone topics and ideas that are controversial. You run a risk of boring or offending your acceptance committee.
Write your essay. Pay close attention to the requirements on your application. Most acceptance essays are 500 words, but check your application to be sure before you begin writing. Avoid summarizing in your introduction. Instead, use your introduction to grab your acceptance committee's attention. The body of your essay will relate to your introduction. Make sure to include transition words and phrases between the main points of your body. Remember that your conclusion is your last chance to impress your committee. Scrutinize your essay for errors and make sure that your spelling and punctuation are perfect. Give copies of your essay to friends and family and get as much feedback as you can. Ask them to be harsh and be open to any suggestions or concerns that they have. Remember, a committee who does not know you will be reading your essay, and it needs to be clear and memorable.