1. PERSONAL STATEMENTS

2. GETTING STARTED Some questions to get you started: What makes me unique? What will I bring to this school that is different or special? How will I get involved and contribute to the campus community? Have I created an essay that captures something important about me?

3. DO NOT... Submit an essay WITHOUT proofreading. Write this as if you are TEXTING a friend. Overuse the THESAURUS. Submit an essay you used for a DIFFERENT application or school assignment. List your activities in the personal statement – use the activities log for this. Focus ENTIRELY on an influential person rather than yourself. Try to be FUNNY.

4. DO... Make sure you ANSWER THE QUESTION. Tell us about YOURSELF – don’t underestimate what you have done in your life. Be SPECIFIC. Concentrate on ONE THEME. Let your PERSONALITY come through. Write about things that happened in HIGH SCH OOL. Show us instead of telling us. Write a story that says something about you, not what you think we want to read.

5. COMMON MISTAKES “My parents struggled growing up with poverty, unemployment, broken homes, etc., etc. and that’s why I want to go to college.” Tell us why the University will benefit from having you as a student, not your family history. Let us know how your knowledge and understanding of these circumstances has impacted your own perspective, not just what your parents have experienced. Common MistakesHow To Avoid Them “I really, really, really want to go to UW Bothell because my parents and grandparents all went to UW and I have wanted to be a Husky all my life.” Most students have already mentioned these points in their activities log. Write something new that you haven’t already talked about. “In my senior year I played basketball, had the lead role in our school play and also worked as an editor for the school paper.”

6. YOUR TURN Don’t Say, “I’m a leader.” Instead: Give us an example, like…