What is a Personal Statement? A personal statement is a 500-700 word essay that you will write during your Juniors year to show a college admissions committee who you are and why you deserve to be admitted to their school. Just like the SAT, a personal statement is part of your graduation requirement in CPS.
A personal statement is YOUR STORY! In a nutshell, this important document highlights who you are, where you've been, and where you want to go.
Learn, Plan Succeed is a CPS Graduation Requirement. College and Career Planning
You must upload your Post-secondary plans in Naviance. Your Personal Statement is part of your post-secondary success for college admission!
Common App Prompts
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. What’s your Story
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? Challenge
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? Learning
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? What’s your Story
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.Learning
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? Learning
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt (values) or one of your own design. (Values)
A great way to begin a personal statement is by briefly telling a story about a moment when you had some sort of poignant experience or a pivotal moment in your life. Writing a strong hook is the best way to guarantee that your college essay will be reviewed in its entirety and will be an engaging and exciting read for its audience. Taking the time to craft a well-founded and intriguing hook is a smart investment for any college applicant.
1. Set the Scene
One strong way to get your essay moving and to draw your reader in is to open in the middle of an important scene, diving in with descriptive details and dialogue. Make the reader feel like he or she is watching a movie from your life and has just tuned in at a critical scene. Then, once you close the scene, go back and explain its significance or give the reader the background necessary to fully understand its relevance.
Example:
I jumped back as the dog lunged for my leg, teeth bared and snarling. “It’s okay, Smokey, it’s okay,” I soothed as I tried to maneuver closer to the post where I had tied his leash. In the back of my head, I heard my brother’s taunts swirling around.
“A dog trainer?” he had scoffed. “What kind of person would hire you as a dog trainer?!”
I pushed the thoughts away and grasped the leash, pulling it tightly to my side as Smokey, surprised by my sudden confidence, fell into stride beside me.
2. Open with an Example
If you’re describing how you developed a certain skill or a quirky achievement, consider opening with a specific example. Then, much like the scene setting above, you can go back and describe its relevance later in the essay.
Example:
When Smokey arrived for his first day of obedience training, he was scared of leashes, cats, and pick up trucks. Even the slightest loud noise would cause him to bolt, scampering for the closest hiding spot. He was skittish and wild-eyed, and his owner Maria was at the end of her rope.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to keep him much longer if we can’t work this out,” she confided in me. But Maria had nothing to worry about. I was ready for Smokey.
3. Open with an Anecdote Detailing a relevant anecdote also provides good context for your essay and can give the reader an idea of what you are up against if you’re overcoming an obstacle or rising to a challenge.
Example:
On the day that I told my mother I wanted to start my own canine obedience school, she smiled and muttered something beneath her breath about the irony of my youthful disobedience and my newfound passion for enforcing rules. What she didn’t know then was that it was not in spite of, but rather because of, my tendency to push the boundaries that I was confident in my ability to succeed.
4. Ask a Question
Asking a question at the beginning of your essay can activate your reader’s critical thinking and get them hungry for the answer that you won’t offer until later. Try to come up with a question that is broad enough that they won’t know the answer right away, but specific enough that it isn’t a generic hook that could work on just any college essay.
Example:
How do you respond when you’re faced with a very real physical threat to your safety, yet you literally can’t afford to back down? This is the question I faced on my very first day as a dog trainer.
If you already know which college you plan to attend, click the link below to view college-specific personal statement requirements.
Overview of the Personal Statement
#1: Insight Into Your Personality List of Awesome Words The most important role of the essay is to give admissions committees a sense of your personality and what kind of addition you'd be to their school's community. Are you inquisitive? Ambitious? Caring? These kinds of qualities will have a profound impact on your college experience, but they're hard to determine based on a high school transcript. When you are providing insights into your personality, introduce yourself as candidly as possible, do not try to be someone you are not and do not embellish or exaggerate information about yourself.
#2: Evidence of Language, Writing, and Reasoning Skills A secondary purpose of the essay is to serve as a writing sample and help colleges see that you have the skills needed to succeed in college classes. The personal statement is your best chance to show off your writing, so take the time to craft a piece you're really proud of. This is also an opportunity for you to demonstrate your reasoning abilities
#3: Tell The Truth! Don't Fake it! Be genuine! Be authentic! Be yourself! Do not embellish or paint a picture of someone you are not! TELL THE TRUTH!
#4: Your Reasons for Applying to the School/Goals Many colleges ask you to write an essay or paragraph about why you're applying to their school specifically. In asking these questions, admissions officers are trying to determine if you're genuinely excited about the school and whether you're likely to attend if accepted. You may also consider personal long-term and short term goals you have.
#4: Explanation of Extenuating Circumstances
For some students, the essay is also a chance to explain factors affecting their high school record. Did your grades drop sophomore year because you were dealing with a family emergency? Did you miss out on extracurriculars junior year because of an extended medical absence? Colleges want to know if you struggled with a serious issue that affected your high school record, so make sure to indicate any relevant circumstances on your application.
Traits in a Personal Statement
Tell a story
Think in terms of showing or demonstrating through concrete experience. One of the worst things you can do is to bore the admissions committee. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you'll be putting yourself ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story, you will make yourself memorable.
Use a story where you are at the center of the action. The best stories are not ones where you only observe; they're ones where you participate in the action. We learn a lot more about you when you have to make a choice or play a pivotal role, and that will make you more sympathetic as a main character.
Have a plot to your story. I know it seems obvious, but a lot of personal statement stories don't have anything that actually happens. Where is the tension? Where are the twists and turns ? Many of the best personal journeys - and anecdotes - have a compelling plot.
Put the reader in your shoes. Rather than talk generally about your experiences, put the reader in your shoes. What did it feel like when you rode in the ambulance for the first time as an EMT? How nervous were you to run your first GBM as a president of your student organization? Putting the reader in your shoes can be an effective way to convey a memorable experience.
Be specific: Show/Don't tell
Don't, for example, state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific reasons. Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of specific experience that is described in your statement. Your application should emerge as the logical conclusion to your story.
Show, don't tell. Instead of just telling the reader that, "I have always wanted to be a doctor," show the details that reveal your motivation. "I often traveled to my hospital volunteering alone, over an hour each way. Even though I was low on sleep from studying for my classes, I found joy in learning about the lives of others. I will never forget a middle-aged woman from China I met..."
Find an angle
If you're like most people, your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. Finding an angle or a "hook" is vital. The hooks is part of the lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. It is here that you grab the reader's attention or lose it. This paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement.
Tell what you know
The middle section of your essay might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as some of your knowledge of the field. Too many people graduate with little or no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the profession or field they hope to enter. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information. Refer to experiences (work, research, etc.), classes, conversations with people in the field, books you've read, seminars you've attended, or any other source of specific information about the career you want and why you're suited to it. Since you will have to select what you include in your statement, the choices you make are often an indication of your judgment.
Avoid controvertial subjects
There are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences or accomplishments in high school or earlier are generally not a good idea. Don't mention potentially controversial subjects (for example, controversial religious or political issues).
Avoid clichés
Cliches are often-repeated or tired statements that should be avoided. Click here for a list of Cliches