BIG Question about Common App Personal Statements.

College Essays
1

This is big. Does your personal statement need to be very story-like? Is it bad to have a brief story in your introduction that presents a problem (about 150 words), and then spend the rest of the essay talking about how you solved that problem, your thought process when solving (about 350 words) and then what solving that problem says about you/what you’d like to do in the future (about 150 words)?

I feel like I’m not writing enough of a story and it’s getting a bit too straightforward as I explain how I solved the problem. Is it okay to have a personal statement like this?

2

It’s fine as long as it answers the prompt in a way that conveys who you are and what you want to say.

3

Remember the mantra: “Give them a reason to say yes!!!”

Be sure that the overwhelming focus is on YOU, not the problem. You want to show growth, or problem solving skills, or some other “reason to say yes.”