College Essay

Let them get to know YOU•A personal statement that reveals who

you are can really set your application apart.

•Honest, self-revealing ones are persuasive; cute, smart, affected, phony ones are not.

•A narrative, in which you tell a story, can often be the most engaging: think “show,” not “tell”

What's your subject? •Yourself.•Feel strongly about what you're saying,

whether the topic is frivolous or serious.•Say it sensibly and grammatically.

Keep it Honest•Write for yourself...make it honest....not

with an eye to "what do they want"?•They want to know who you are. You'll

never be able to tell them if you're looking at them instead of yourself.

Use the writing process•You'll probably have to redo this

statement at least a couple of times to make it say what you want to.

•Rewriting is key.

Why do they make me do this?•To get a glimpse of you as a person• To get insight objective data can't give.•To see a sample of your writing

Prompts•The topics test your imagination, thinking,

and writing ability.•Give you a chance to set yourself apart

and make your application come alive.

Before Starting to write, it may help to…Do some brainstorming …•Why am I going to college in the first

place?•What do I want most out of college?

Least?•What about the trade-offs? (Big or small,

city or country, more demanding or more friendly)

•What do I want out of life, or in life – something tangible (status) or intangible (happiness)?

And…when revising and editing…•Read the second and last sections of

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White…your essay will be better written if you do.

Keep in Mind•Don’t repeat what is already on the other

parts of your application•Use the “Whats” (specific details) to hang

the “Whys” onto. •General statements not supported with

specific examples are bad writing.•Focus on showing, not telling (I paced

the hallway, vs. I was nervous.)

After Writing a Draft•Read it aloud to see how it sounds. • If it sounds queer and stiff, it is. Rework

it. Ask a friend to read it.

There are NO Bad Topics, but...

•There are bad ways of handling topics. •Avoid emptiness, pretension, cuteness, by

writing honestly and imaginatively about something that's important to you, no matter how trivial.

Don’t Generalize•Your essay must be something only YOU

could write, because you're showing, with specific detail, what this event, activity, experience, etc. did to you.

•Generalizations anyone could write are useless and boring.

Jeannette Hersey, former Connecticut College admissions director, says:•“95 percent of personal essays are

travelogues“•They tell where you've been, what you've

done, but not why or what you got from it.

Favorite topics that are dead without a specific message:•cutesy lists of things you like; •stories of successes, athletic or other; •death of a pet; •autobiographies; •statements of your wonderful qualities; •pontifications on world peace or another

pressing issue.

Searching for a Topic•Ask yourself lots of questions...think

about what's interesting or important to you.

•Think about what makes you unique, different from everyone else

•If you can’t think of anything, ask a teacher or a friend or your mom

•Use your favorite brainstorming tool to create a list.

Write Your Own Essay•If an admissions officer suspects your

statement isn't your own work, they'll almost certainly reject you.

•Parental help pointing out bad grammar or unsupported themes is great but it’s often not helpful for parents to critique your topic itself and it’s the kiss of death if they write it for you.

Are you an underachiever?

•Be sure to answer the additional question, "What else would you like us to consider?"

Prompts: UWA. Personal Statement The Personal Statement is our best means of getting to know you and your best means of creating a context for your academic performance. When you write your personal statement, tell us about those aspects of your life that are not apparent from your academic record: • a character-defining moment• the cultural awareness you've developed• a challenge faced• a personal hardship or barrier overcomeDirections: Choose either 1 or 2. Recommended length: 500–650 words • 1. Discuss how your family’s experience or cultural history enriched you or presented you with

opportunities or challenges in pursuing your educational goals. OR• 2. Tell us a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your

character or helped to shape it.Tips• Some of the best statements are written as personal stories. We welcome your imaginative

interpretation.• You may define experience broadly. For example, in option 2, experience could be a meeting

with an influential person, a news story that spurred you to action, a family event, or something that might be insignificant to someone else but had particular meaning for you. If you don’t think that any one experience shaped your character, simply choose an experience that tells us something about you.

Common AppEssay Questions for 2013-2014• Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity

that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

• Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?

• Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

• Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?

• Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Word Limit• You must submit only one essay, and it must be no more than 650 words.

250 word minimum.

Don’t Kill Yourself…•You can make your essays do double duty

by tweaking or just re-using for supplemental essays or for colleges with different essay prompts.

How much does it count?•It will be a plus for your application if the

essay is well thought out and well written•It will be a minus for your application if it

is sloppily handled

WWUWe are eager to learn more about you!

Provide an essay that helps the Admissions Committee learn what is important to you, your potential for academic success and what you hope to gain from your experience at Western.

The topics suggested below are provided to give you a starting point. Feel free to touch upon any that relate to you. Suggestions for writing a strong application essay are available at admissions.wwu.edu/essay.

Most essays are about 500 words but this only a recommendation, not a firm limit. Feel free to take what space is necessary for you to tell your story, which might include information about:

• Your passions, commitments or responsibilities• Personal challenges or academic hurdles you have overcome• Your leadership experience• The ways in which your community, family, cultural background or past experiences have enriched your life