Personal Statements Shouldn't Be As Difficult As They Are | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

Personal Statements Shouldn't Be As Difficult As They Are

Some questions have no good answer.

12
Personal Statements Shouldn't Be As Difficult As They Are
Psychminds Everyday

Part of my job as a Peer Advisor/Tutor to high school students is that when it comes time for college applications, I’m everyone’s go-to gal for every step of the application process. This is a job I particularly enjoy, because I have discovered that I have a knack for admissions essays and personal statements. They require just the right combination of drama, intrigue and personal inflection that I excel at (not to toot my own horn).

But I remember distinctly when I wrote my own personal statement, and I know the feeling of utter incompetence that overtakes you when you sit down to answer the important questions that college’s request to make the decision to accept you or reject you.

Part of me thinks the idea of an essay about your personal life being relevant to deciding whether or not a person is a right fit for your university shouldn’t be as important as it is.

However, I suppose I understand the importance of distinguishing yourself to potential universities in a way that expresses your individualism. Whatever, just because I understand it doesn’t mean I agree with it.

During the year, I get kids that have no idea where to even begin with their personal statements. I always tell them the same thing: Answer the question.

Different schools ask different questions, but most stick to the usual kind of question: “What event in your life has effected you the most?” “Write about a time in your life when you had to overcome an obstacle.”

These questions aren’t difficult in theory, but when you sit down to answer them, you draw a blank.

The key to these questions, as I’ve discovered while writing my own and helping others with theirs, is to write what you can and embellish later. Just answer the question first, and then add the drama and the accouterments later. Usually they can figure it out at that point, and we work together to find a happy medium of dramatic flare and gentle bragging. A little goes a long way with flare and style.

It wasn’t until recently, when I was completing an application for myself, that I encountered an application essay question that truly stumped me. The question on my study abroad application simply asked, “Why do you want to go here?”

Why?

Why do I want to go to Oxford?

There is no good way to spin blind ambition and crippling anxiety paired with an inferiority complex-- and I’m the spin master! My first thought was to use the oxford comma as a metaphor for my life, but then I thought that the admissions people probably wouldn’t appreciate the joke. Then I thought about quoting “Harry Potter” with a reference to my poor Slytherin soul, but I also thought the better of that.

I’ll probably end up writing about how in my quest to be the best, I found my way to Oxford, and will not actually be the best at anything if I don’t get a chance to study at one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world. I have a little bit longer to pinpoint my exact reason for wanting to go to Oxford before I’m ready to send in my application, but rest assured: I’m questioning every decision I’ve ever made up until this point. Why do I want anything? Why do I do the things I do?

Why?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

187862
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

13405
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

456744
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

25942
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments