Both Julie and I have spent hours on end reading college applications, and in particular, reading personal statements that students have painstakingly put together. Some college essays have blown us away as they showcase a depth of self-reflection and the ease of story telling. Other statements may be less well crafted, but still speak to us emotionally with an authentic voice and a clearly communicated passion. But some essays we have read miss the mark. Where things head south often begins with the choice of the prompt.
On March 31st, the Common Application announced the prompts for the 2015-2016 applications with one prompt from the previous year noticeably missing: Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there and why is it meaningful?
On the surface, there is nothing wrong with this prompt. It is a nice enough question, and one that, at its best, could reveal significant information about a student. However, in practice, it is one that many students answer without digging below the surface. It’s easy to answer the prompt by speaking about your bedroom or the baseball field, to paint a picture of a charming or idyllic setting, without revealing anything too substantive about who you are, where you come from and/or what you aspire to do.
There is new Common App prompt this year: “Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma – anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.” As The Charlotte Observer rightfully notes in its article “Countdown to College: Common Application’s newest prompt,” the goal for this prompt is to get a glimpse into a student’s critical thinking skills. Yet, as the article also points out, this prompt isn’t without its own pitfalls, with the potential for the personal statement to turn into a “research paper that isn’t personally reflective” or with too much of an emphasis on “”describing” the problem rather than analyzing it.”
As summer draws to a close, many rising seniors are beginning to stare at blank Word documents with the aim of expressing themselves in 650 words or fewer. Our advice to these students? Read the prompts, understand what they are asking, but don’t lean too much on them for a first draft. The object of the personal statement is to be a glimpse into who you are: where you come from, how you think, what excites you, what makes you uniquely you. Instead of leaning on a prompt too heavily, think of a story you want to tell that you feel will give the reader insight into the you that can’t be explained by your grades, test scores or a list of extracurricular activities. Use the prompts as a guide to formulate ideas, but then momentarily throw out the prompts and figure out what you most want to say. Most of the time, the resulting essay can not only be tailored to fit the original prompt, but will be stronger and more reflective than if you simply set out to answer a question..
And remember, any topic can be the right topic, if the essay is written in a thoughtful and honest way. (One of my favorite essays last year was about boxes, not the most flashy of topics but one that the student embraced and used masterfully to teach us about who he was and the life he had lived.)
Need some help getting started on your essay? Check out our previous blog “Starting to Write Your Personal Statement.” You can also check out our blog on the Cal States and UCs to learn more about the requirements and writing for those applications as well!
Looking for more guidance? Contact us today at info@mosaicprep.com to learn how Mosaic counselors can help you to put your best foot forward in your personal statement.
