How to Write the Perfect Personal Statement for College

Writing a personal statement for college is critical for the college application process. It’s one part of many that are part of your overall application package and needs to be given as much attention as the application itself.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a naturally gifted writer, anyone can write a personal statement with enough effort put in. Let’s take a look below to see how to write a personal statement for college, and you’ll see that you already have all the information you need. 

 

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement covers everything about you. It’s a brief on who you are, your interests, and why you’re even interested in applying to the college. 

Before we get into it, there’s no perfect way to write a personal statement. It’s really about how you want to showcase and express yourself. Another item to note is that some college applications may have a specific template or guideline. It’s part of the application process to see if you’re paying full attention, so it’s best to stick to what they’re asking for. 

You must always link back to why you’re a suitable candidate for the subjects they’re offering and why it’s a good decision for them to take you on. Give answers to why they should select you rather than someone else, why you are suited to them, and the specific course. Also, what you offer them in terms of your academic ability, confidence and interests. If you’re applying for a music production course, for example, show them your passion for music.

 

Why is a personal statement important?

What a personal statement does is help those in the applications department get to know who you are. They probably don’t know who you are in most cases, and this is the first level of introduction between you and the admissions office. They want to know more about who you are and your motivation behind applying for the college. 

Think of it as a sales pitch, where you’re selling yourself to the college in question. It should be engaging and done so that the admissions team can build out a picture of who you are. It should cover everything from your personal interests and passion to the motivation behind your specific course selections and college selection as well.

This is also the first opportunity to present your academic and personal achievements and showcase your skills to the college itself. If you have already been working, you can also mention that and how college can help you further your career or pivot into a completely different field. 

You can share your hobbies and interests as well, and there’s no wrong answer to that, as colleges want as diversified a group of students as possible. Be open, authentic and honest when it comes to this part especially, as well as the rest of the personal statement itself. 

 

 

What should be included in a personal statement for college?

In looking at how to write a personal statement for college, there are some topics that should be included in them. 

• Introduction/about you
• Show your passion
• Talk about your skills
• Employment history
• Career plans

Introduction/about you

Here you begin talking about yourself. This is your chance to let the college know who you are and a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, your interests, and so on. This should be brief and to the point, as you’ll have other sections throughout your personal statement to be able to elaborate more on the topic. 

Show your passion for the course

Right after you discuss yourself, you want to express your passion and desire for the course and college you’re going into. Then, you want to say why you’re selecting your major, what inspired you and why you feel that the specific college is the right one to align yourself with. 

Talk about your skills

Now you can go a little deeper into your skills and discuss your achievements, especially the academic skills that you have excelled at. This can go beyond your high grades and the courses you took and can also include any type of relevant certification you’ve done on top of your school work. 

Employment history

If you have had employment during your studies, or for example, during the summer holiday, then you can mention it here, and you can also say what your responsibilities were. If they are relevant to your longer-term goals, you can also write that part here. 

Your career plans

Finish the entire personal statement with what the future holds for you. What your career plans are right after graduation and five years out. You want to demonstrate that by obtaining the necessary degree through the college, you’ll be able to achieve those goals. Make sure that your career path is relevant and aligned with whatever course you decide to take at the college, and keep it realistic. 

 

Do’s and don’ts for a college personal statement

Here’s a rundown of some quick, effective tips to help you get on the path of creating the best personal statement about yourself. 

• Do be enthusiastic: Going to College is a big deal and should be shown how excited you are about the life, education, opportunities, experiences and knowledge you’re about to obtain.
• Do edit your document: Don’t just write it once and submit it. Make sure you have trusted friends/advisors and family check your document to make sure it flows properly.
• Do ensure you’re using proper English: Often, we find ourselves writing too comfortably, and you should be writing this in a formal tone with accurate spelling and grammar.
• Do be authentic: Be humble and honest about yourself. This will be conveyed to the reader.
• Don’t lie: Don’t even embellish a bit. This can come up later or even be cross-checked for veracity 
• Don’t wait until the night before: you want to make sure that you have plenty of time for review and revisions. 
• Don’t be negative: while you want to be honest, remember to keep it positive and enthusiastic. For example, you can mention something tragic as a way you recovered and persevered, but not being downright negative. 
• Don’t copy and paste: Whether you have a CV you want to clone or you want to simply take the one your friend wrote, don’t do it. This is about you, and it should come from you. The best version of the personal statement is made that way.

 

First impressions count!

Remember that this is going to be the first impression that the admissions office builds out of you. They will be reading several, if not hundreds, of these, and you want to do your best to shine but also keep it succinct. If it drags too long and rambles on, then it shows it wasn’t edited. If it feels too short, it will appear as if you’re playing it safe. 

Also, remember that what you write on your personal statement can come up at any time during the application process. In addition, a question about it may come up during your interview phase as well, so make sure you fully know what’s in there and that you act accordingly and honestly if ever you’re asked about it.

If you need help or guidance when applying for college, BCE’s Student Services team is on hand to help.