When working with students on the college application process, we see personal statements and supplement questions as an *incredible opportunity* for students to showcase their unique background, perspective, and interests. Over the years, we’ve had so many students become excited about their essay topics, and craft compelling statements on why they want to attend a certain college.
One fun story: years ago, we worked with a young man who had – and still has! – remarkable musical gifts. Beyond his skill and talent, he also loved, loved, LOVED music. His grades had improved steadily over his four years of high school, though he is a true Creative Wonder (from my first book, That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week). When I read his essay, I remember thinking, “Wow, anyone reading this personal statement will truly see his love for music.”
Flash forward five months, he gets into his first choice music program, and goes with his parents to a gathering for accepted students. The admissions officer comes up and tells him how memorable his essay was… he and his parents were blown away. (And, an update: he has an incredibly fascinating successful career in the music industry today… building on that same interest in sounds that he started in high school)…
Here are a few of our Green Ivy guidelines on craft effective college essays:
Reflect and show personal growth and insight. It can be helpful in prewriting exercises to think about the moments in your life when things didn’t go as planned. Most students are hesitant to write about so-called failure, but these are often experiences that cause self-reflection or insight. In our experience, the most powerful essays include personal vulnerabilities and growth.
Offer new information. Think of your writing as the chance to capture an aspect that isn’t readily apparent from your activities list. Do you have a collection of pens that means everything to you? Do you invent things in your free time? Are you passionate about all things Japanese or all things sewing and quilting? With few exceptions, the topic doesn’t matter as much as the way it highlights positive aspects of your personality.
Showcase strengths. You can write about failure and still demonstrate their positive qualities. It’s all about the approach, and if you are able to show the ways you learned from an experience or benefited, it can reveal a strength of character – after all, an ability to recover from setbacks is an important life skill.
There is no one “right” topic for personal statements or essays. For that matter, there aren’t any “wrong” ones, although we do advise caution – and additional support – when writing about the Three Ds: Death, Divorce, and Disease. Some admissions officers have suggested steering away from these three topics – however, it can be important to share related information as needed in the additional information section of the application. 
What kind of writer are you? In part, students’ essays show admissions officers how well they put their thoughts on paper and their overall writing skills (and yes, for the most part, admissions officers can tell when you’ve put an essay through an AI writing tool…). Critical thinking and writing are key to college success, and clarity of writing matters can make a difference. This means going through multiple drafts, with an effort to create your very best work.
When students in Green Ivy’s summer college counseling admissions bootcamps need inspiration for personal narratives, we recommend Fiske Real College Essays That Work, The Best American Essays, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, This I Believe (NPR), and anything by David Sedaris. These resources show a range of what is possible in the college essay from a diverse pool of students and are great places to get started.
To learn more about Green Ivy’s academic advising and college counseling services, click here.