<p>I’ve had two people from my college (a writing center tutor and a professor) comment that my personal statements aren’t direct enough. They say that they answer the questions, but they advised me to write a more traditional, by the numbers statement (mine are written as narratives).</p>
<p>I thought narratives were preferable to just telling, but they both said that the typical is typical for a reason–it allows the admissions readers to get what they need from it with a minimum of effort.</p>
<p>I tend to think it’s better to stand out, even (or especially) if it means writing in a way that places greater demands on the reader. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Your best bet is to post it so we can read it.</p>
<p>^that and take into consideration that they have to read a bajillion (or so) essays too…</p>
<p>i’ve heard the same thing–that you should stick to the traditional. it seems a bit counterintuitive because you kind of assume they wouldn’t want to be bored by the same thing over and over again, but it does make things easier. i think the best thing you can do is just write well, by which i mean don’t have any errors (grammatical or otherwise) and present an engaging statement.
i suppose lol</p>
<p>Yeah… What they’re telling me directly contradicts what this article says:</p>
<p>[Essays</a>, Admission Information, Undergraduate Admission, U.Va.](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html]Essays”>http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html)</p>
<p>I’ll PM my essays to one of you when I get back to a computer (I don’t want to expose it to too many people). In the terms of that UVa article, I’ve written a “Good” essay with a touch of “Risky.” The writing center tutor and my professor endorsed a “Bad” essay (ie, not poorly written, but typical).</p>
<p>am i the only one who thinks the “good” essay reads like a wannabe thriller? that the “bad” has too many SAT words and the “risk” is the “good” except trying way too hard?</p>
<p>i feel like this guy is in the minority. not to mention… he doesn’t even read for the uc’s. i understand that this can apply to any college, but. idk. </p>
<p>not to mention, you don’t have to write a mini-novel or use a narrative to “show.” i can’t say i’m too good at it, but i’ve definitely seen some (senior year, my english teacher let us see a couple from past students).</p>
<p>^exactly what i was thinking. This guy doesn’t read for the UCs.</p>
<p>My CC English prof. was one of those people that read UC personal statements. She told me to just stick to traditional standards, but if you really must stand out then make sure it has flawless grammar. Apparently, many college students, unless they’re English majors, make tons of errors in their papers.
Anywho, you can send it to me if you like; I won’t steal it, because I’m already at my UC.
: D</p>
<p>that repetitive “not to mention” is killing me… i hate the temporary edit button ><</p>
<p>anyway, i was just gonna say i could look at your essay too if you wanted another opinion.</p>
<p>Below are some videos I found about the personal statements. One is short. The other is a little dated (from 2007) and about 50 minutes long. Haha. However, it is all about writing the personal statement.
[YouTube</a> - Personal Statement](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Applying to UC: The Personal Statement 2007](<a href=“Applying to UC: The Personal Statement 2007 - YouTube”>Applying to UC: The Personal Statement 2007 - YouTube)</p>