Summer is the perfect time to start brainstorming for your personal statement on the Common App. College Board underscores that these are prompts, not topics, and it is exceedingly important to remember that. This is a personal statement, something that reflects you—who you are as a person, what makes you tick, what keeps you up at night, the tiny details in your every day that are unique to you. These prompts are intended to help you reflect on what is most meaningful to you, who you are, and who you want to present to the colleges you are applying to.
Spending your time reflecting on these are a great opportunity to strengthen your self-awareness and find confidence in yourself. Both of which are appealing to colleges in essays, interactions, and interviews.
You, your passions, your weaknesses, your car, your room—it is all unique. Embrace that and your essay will stand out.
Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness. - Allen Ginsberg
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
Here are some ideas for brainstorming this—what are the cornerstones of your life? When people think of you, what do they think of? Is there something that keeps you up at night? Or is the first thought when you wake up in the morning?
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
This is a wonderful opportunity to be vulnerable. Colleges are looking for who you are in each of these prompts, so show them how a failure or setback made you feel and how you grew. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, this is not the time to write about a sports injury—too many of us have had them, and the real set back is that you couldn’t participate for a season. What would make you stand out here is talking about how a setback put you on the right course, or taught you something that you will remember for the rest of your life. It is the opportunity to show your humanity. We all mess up. Colleges don’t expect you to be perfect. They do, however, expect you to grow from these low moments. The example you use doesn’t have to be big and life altering. It could be small (might even better because then you really have the opportunity to dig into it).
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. - Maya Angelou
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
This question is so interesting to me in a time of echo chambers. We tend to surround ourselves with people who are like minded and don’t challenge us, and being challenged these days has felt almost confrontational to some people. How have you mitigated that in your personal life? What was the belief you were challenged on and why is it so personal to you? This prompt feels a little like a trap to me because it is very easy to be argumentative, less vulnerable, and further from essence of you—if you decide to explore this option make sure that what you write about is meaningful to you and that is clear to the reader.
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Personal heroes are always special, but so are the ones who went out their way to help a perfect stranger. Schools are looking for people who are aware, grateful, and contributing members of their community. Has your community done something for you and your family that blew you away and you can’t wait to pay it forward? Were you in a fender bender and a neighbor came over to give you an unsolicited hug, and you hadn’t realized how much you needed that kindness in a scary moment? Is it smaller and someone paid for your coffee when you were late for class and didn’t have enough change? Did that turn your whole day around? Take the reader into the small instances and engage.
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
This also feels like a trap to me, so if you choose this make sure it isn’t a brag report. It needs to be about your growth and what you took from the given event.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Very similar to prompt 1 for me—choose this if you have an all-consuming project or passion that keeps you up at night. Talk about how it lights you up and how you’ve grown from developing it. To avoid it being another chance to brag, did into the why it’s so special to you and how you feel when you are knee deep in the project.
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
My favorite! Do not confine yourself to the parameters above, stand out. Write an essay about the jeep you drive to school every day even though its falling apart. Talk about your bedroom and the posters on the wall or the bookshelf organized in a way particular to you. Or reflect on the shoes you wear every day and how much life they must have seen. Take the reader in to a small, intimate part of your life so they get to know the person behind the application.
Where’s your will to be weird? -Jim Morrison
Get cracking!
As mentioned in my last post, start my brainstorming and hashing out several ideas. Maybe even write two personal statements. Challenge yourself to tease out the personal and vulnerable aspects of your story to engage the admissions officers. When in doubt, grab a friend or another trusted person in your life to talk through your ideas with.
Don't be discouraged if several of the topics don't work or pertain to you. You only need one good essay, not to check all these boxes. And remember, they are PROMPTS not MANDATORY TOPICS.
If you are looking for more help on your essays, including essay ideation, don’t hesitate to reach out to schedule an appointment.
Good luck.
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