 Begin well in advance, at least 4 weeks before the application is due.  Add another week for each essay you have to write, even if you plan to adapt another basic essay.  Read examples of personal essays in newspaper columns or literary anthologies.

 Do not worry about where to start.  Just start writing.  Don’t be afraid to stare at a blank piece of paper.  Plunge in and describe the person, place, thing, or concept you’ve chosen to write about.  Try to include:  Your feelings on the subject  Concrete details about what people said or how things looked and felt  A far-fetched idea  A metaphor  Invented dialogue

 Write or type  Whichever you feel comfortable with  Work in an uninterrupted decent block of time.  At least an hour to get your first draft on paper

 Sometimes an idea out of left field can turn an ordinary essay into an extraordinary one.  Do not be afraid to follow an idea even it if seems like it is getting you off subject.  Be creative. It may be leading you to a new subject that’s even better than your initial one.  Think of your writing as a letter to an acquaintance that does not know you so well.

 Committees look for students who have potential for growth.  Contribute to the quality of life on campus  The best approach to an open-ended question is to treat it is as if it were a specific topic.  Person/book/incident that has deeply affected you

 Figure out how to answer all open-ended topics with the same basic essay, reworked a bit to fit each application.  Among specific topics, isolate similar ones and make one essay serve for both.  For example: Two that ask about a person or place  If an application lists more than one topic, read the directions carefully.  Do you need to answer all or just one?  Pick the one that most resembles the essay you’re already writing, perhaps for another application.

 Work on the essays with specific topics first.  You may be able to modify it to fit another application’s open ended topic.  Write about something that matters to you.  Avoid controversial topics such as religion, politics, or money.  BORING!!!  Summer trips to Europe  Dying pets  Relationships with grandparents

 Be cautious, but do not smother your creativity.  Enthusiasm can make even boring topics come alive.  Look through old scrapbooks or yearbooks to recall different people or events.  Keep a journal.  Look through magazines and newspaper articles that profile your interests.

 Do not worry about style at this point.  Use words and expression that are comfortable to you. Alter later.  Put each essay through at least three revisions.  Revise! Revise! Revise!  Lay your first draft aside for a week.

 If the essay is a story, does it move chronologically?  If it is informal, does it still follow a formal outline? Does it have a distinct beginning, middle, and end?  Separate scenes – Are they clearly linked?  Dialogue – Does it move from topic to topic and end clearly?  Decide what you are trying to say, then organize.