The Personal Statement The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates

The Personal Statement Why do I need a personal statement? University of California (not CSUs), private colleges and universities (Common Application), scholarship applications UCLA 2014 UCSD 2014 Stanford Applicants: 86,554 73,440 42,497 Admits: 16,059 24,595 2,142 Enrolled: 5,765 4,922 1,732 Admit rate: 18.55% 33.4% 5%

The Personal Statement What do the readers (admissions officers) want to learn about you in your personal statement?...your character...values...qualities...initiative... drive (not necessarily goals)...how you handle challenges...that you think deeply...what makes you stand out and more desirable for their college than the other applicants…

The Personal Statement  lessons you’ve learned about yourself, the world, or life  your passions that have yielded results  your strengths and weaknesses  what is important to you  the most difficult challenge you have faced and its outcome

The Personal Statement  your level of intellectual curiosity  why you embrace a certain worldview, political or religious belief, or set of values...  what (experiences, genetics?) has shaped your values, aspirations, beliefs

The Personal Statement The bottom line: What I really need to prove in my personal statement... That I can… Analyze: myself, a situation, an experience, a person, a painting, a song, a philosophy, a belief, life, a career, etc… example: After spending a week at a deaf school in Mexico last summer, I realize that those who are without one of their five senses compensate with a heightening in at least one of their remaining four senses…

The Personal Statement That I can… Reflect: after thinking deeply about one of the above, determine what it all means…what will I now change, commit to, take a stand for or against, share with others, help, fight, embrace, work, etc… example: This insight has prompted me to share with deaf children color and textures through my love of and skills in creating multiple media art…

The Personal Statement That I can… Make a personal application: how will you accomplish or move forward with what you discovered in your analysis and reflection… example: I will pursue a degree in art that will enable me to attain a secondary teaching credential in the visual arts. This will afford me summers off so that I can return to the deaf school in Mexico and teach them how to brighten up their worlds with more color and more tactile experiences.

The Personal Statement University of California Essay Prompts (1000 words total for both essays) Describe the world you come from —for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplish- ment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

The Personal Statement Common App Prompts

The Personal Statement Final Tips:  Elaborate upon one point or bring some- thing new to the application  Common app short essays are important!  Show not tell  Powerful writing controls the reader  Generic words cause you to lose control ...edit...edit...edit...edit  Juniors start early!