Winds of Change - College 2016 - 14

"The biggest mistake you can make on a personal statement is to write without a clear sense of purpose." - Andrew Chen a picture of your best self for the people reading your essay. Next, narrow down your list. Scratch out anything that isn't relevant to your future goals or an essential part of who you are as a person or a student. Finally, consider the essay question and the short answer you came up with earlier. Choose two to four attributes that best align with your response, goals, and opening statement. Chart a Course "The biggest mistake you can make on a personal statement is to write without a clear sense of purpose," says professional university admissions coach Andrew Chen. This sentiment is echoed by admissions counselors and college application guides alike. It is imperative that everything you include in your essay is somehow connected, or at least flows together smoothly. Creating an outline is essential for building and maintaining a consistent narrative. Your outline should contain the basic elements - the introduction, body, and conclusion. Try rearranging your topics to determine what order will work best for your argument and which sections naturally flow into one another - a jarring transition is one of the last things you want in your essay. Once you're satisfied with the organization of your essay, you can begin the writing process. Write the Essay At this point, you should have a fairly solid grasp of what you want to say. Now all you have to do is put your plan into action! However, there are some cautions. Don't use the same essay for multiple colleges. You can certainly borrow elements - and even sentences - from a personal statement you have already completed, but each essay should be unique. Leave out overused words and phrases, such as "passionate," "currently," "in addition to," and "since I was a child." You should also omit words with strong negative connotations, like "hate," "mistake," and "fault." You will also want to avoid using slang, as this could give the impression that you are not taking the application process seriously Avoid egotistical wording; you want to promote yourself without conceit. For 14 WINDS OF CHANGE * 2016-2017 SPECIAL COLLEGE ISSUE example, a straight-out list of your positive characteristics can seem arrogant and prevent you from delving into the importance and applications of each trait. And it makes for dull reading. Finally, be sure to stay on topic. Including personal facts or statements that don't add to your narrative takes up precious space that could be used more effectively, and distracts the reader from your persuasive argument. Revise and Proofread The hard part may be over, but you're not done yet. Revision is an essential part of the writing process. Your essay will need to be edited and proofread, and you may need to eliminate unnecessary words to meet the word count. Many admissions officers recommend working through at least two rough drafts before considering the personal statement complete. You can edit it yourself, but it's a good idea to ask at least three people with excellent writing and grammar skills to read through it and make suggestions. Be sure to keep an open mind during this process - when people edit their own work they tend to see what they meant to say, rather than what they actually said. The revision stage might not be fun, but the more people who review your essay, and the more drafts you go through, the better the final product will be. Send It In! Congratulations! You're well on your way to becoming a college student. ■ aises.org http://www.aises.org

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