Writing Resources
How To: College & Scholarship Essays
Exemplary Personal Essays
Common Application
Example #1: This author describes his lifelong passion for science, and explores the ways he has sought out learning and experiences, and his ambitions for the future.
Example #2: This writer tells the story of struggling with homelessness, poverty, and abuse. In it, the writer reflects on how this affected her and her family, and how she grew and the situation changed for the better later on.
Example #3: The author describes how, early in her life, she held a lot of bitter resentment towards her religion and its role in her life. The writer then goes on to describe her personal growth and new understanding of the world and herself.
Example #4: The writer relays the story of growing up with the challenge of not being a "manly" black boy. He describes abuse and bullying, and the ways he used art and music to comfort himself. The essay ends with the author reflecting on his self-love and growth.
Example #5: The author of this essay dives into her family's secret recipe for pecan candy, which becomes a way for her to write about her relationships and personal qualities. She then shows entrepreneurship when she begins selling the candy, and describes her responsibility when she contributes to the family income.
Example #6: Sometimes Fellows, for different reasons, may not have the life experiences or deep extracurricular involvement that usually become the themes of the personal statements. In this essay the writer made the mundane compelling by eloquently comparing fictional characters he admired to milestones in his life and personal growth.
National Scholarships (Jackie Robinson, Gates, etc.)
Torch Scholarship
Local Scholarships
Exemplary Supplemental Essays
"One Activity": Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. Choose an activity that means something to you, or that could benefit from being livened up by your prose. Don’t write about the same thing you’ve written your Common App Essay on!
"Why Us?": Why do you want to attend this school/what appeals to you about this school?
Design a Class/a Major: This should be tons of fun—a way of getting to hear you geek out and be creative; it’s a chance for you to show your excitement at the chance to get a broad and varied education. The important thing here is to convey excitement for the reason the college is asking you to do this at all: you’re going to get a chance to study somewhere where your intellectual curiosity is valued.
Tell Us About Your Major
Diversity-in-Community Essay: An essay that asks you what you bring to the college community can seem like it’s asking for you to explain the ways in which you bring “diversity” to the community. You can answer in terms of your identity—gender, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, or otherwise—but you do not need to. Really, essays like this are asking for you to identify one way in which you’re different, and the way you make that difference a boon to others around you.