2. Personal Statement Overview Survival tips How much do personal statements count? Personal Statement Idea Generator Storyboarding Free Write Asking for feedback

3. Survival Tips YOU must write your essays Let your interests and passions shine through If the steps here are followed, it will be nearly impossible to plagiarize, even inadvertently There can be NO procrastination

4. How Much Do Personal Statements Count? Depends on the school o Some schools put a heavy emphasis on personal statements o Some schools focus more on academic record Your personal statement rarely has a huge effect on your chances of admission, but write the best one you can

5. What Not to Do What not to do o 4 common characteristics of abysmal statements: Being predictable – Great Gatsby Sucking up – “Your college is so great…” Overly sentimental – Sob story Self-aggrandizing – List of achievements

6. The Easiest Way to Get Started Create a timeline of your life o Begin with a brainstorming activity o Create a timeline of your life from birth to present o Tape a couple of 8.5” x 11” pieces of paper together o Draw a line on the far left side and write down the day and year you were born o Draw a line on the far right side and write today’s date

7. The Easiest Way to Get Started, con’t Try to think of 25 different significant or interesting events from your past o Special trip or travel experience o When you received a meaningful object o A memorable book or film o A fun event o A challenge that you encountered o A proud accomplishment

8. The Easiest Way to Get Started, con’t Develop a list of “hooks” for essays o Grab the reader’s interest while also revealing something interesting about your character Which memories are most interesting? Highlight what you think are the 5 or 6 most interesting events from your life

9. Personal Statement Idea Generator Brainstorm ideas for your personal statement Write the ideas in one place Focus on events you consider most memorable or important Begin by reviewing your timeline

10. Personal Statement Idea Generator Five types of events or activities o Trips o Challenges o Fun Events o Important Objects o Accomplishments What experiences can you remember based upon the above 5 areas? Use your timeline for help

12. Most Common Prompts o Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and tis impact on you. o Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you. o Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

13. Most Common Prompts, con’t o Describe the world you come from – for example, your family, community or school and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. o Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

14. Time to Write It is better to think of the personal statement as a story rather than an essay Why do we find the Harry Potter stories fascinating? They focus on a main character The setting is fascinating The books focus on a central conflict There are many suspenseful moments There is resolution at the end

15. Time to Write, con’t Your goal as you write the first draft of your personal statement is to answer the prompts while also highlighting the 5 features of a good story – character – setting – conflict – suspense – resolution

16. Storyboarding Write down everything you can think of for character, setting, conflict, suspense, and resolution You are the character The conflict is the center of the whole story Describe setting, suspense, and resolution

17. Storyboarding, con’t Be as descriptive as possible Describe physical characteristics and thoughts of people in the story Take time to reflect on resolution of the incident Repeat this activity for all the prompts you have to answer

19. Free Write o Free writing is when you write continuously for a period of time o Now that the story board is created, use it to free write o Hints: Easiest way to begin a free write is to start telling your story in a chronological way Make sure to write in the first person, “I” Avoid fancy pants words Be relaxed and keep writing, don’t stop to fix typos

20. First Round Edits First round edits focus on the big picture Perform 2 self-editing activities to clean up your personal statement o Use a worksheet to assess how well your essay tells your story, then make changes based on the worksheet entries o Review the grammar and mechanics Do not get discouraged – you have a plan!

21. Asking for Feedback The second drafts are now completed and it is time to ask for feedback Who should you ask for help? o English teachers (but don’t ask when they are swamped with grading) o Parent or friends (make sure to tell them exactly what you need) When you ask someone to review your essay, use the following checklist. This way they will know what you want them to look for.

22. Asking For Feedback Worksheet Dear Reader, Thank you for taking the time to review my personal statement. I really appreciate it. I have included questions to help you provide me with feedback on my essay and I will use your responses to help guide me through revisions. 1. What are the strengths of the personal statement? 2. What is the central conflict? Describe it in 3 - 4 words. 3. Does the first sentence pull the reader in? If not, how might it be revised? 4. Are any sections irrelevant? 5. Are any sections repetitive? 6. Does the end of the essay (resolution) link back to the initial conflict? If not, what might strengthen that connection? 7. Are there any missing transitions? If so, please specify. 8. Can the structure of the essay be stronger? If so, please specify. 9. Can the central conflict be better described? If so, how? 10. What did you find most intriguing about this personal statement?

23. Asking for Feedback Revise your essay in accordance with the feedback suggestions A trusted ally can tell you objectively if you are losing the reader at some point At least listen to their advice, even if you choose not to take it

24. Final Revisions Micro Editing o Carefully review each sentence for weak verbs, common misspellings, problematic pronouns, and style.