Application Essays: Making "Personal Statements" Personal...
Quick.
Tell me everything there is to know about yourself in 500 words or less.
And make it good-- your whole future depends upon it.
Oh, and by the way, so does your scholarship.
Now... go!
There's a reason kids put this off.
Teenagers are reluctant to reveal themselves, especially on documents as fraught and consequential as college and private school applications. (This is particularly true for high achieving kids who’ve spent the bulk of their lives trying to please teachers, parents, and standardized testing boards.) The irony of the situation is that independent school and college entrance essays are the one place where it is essential that applicants open up and reveal themselves if they are to succeed.
Entrance boards are looking for more than just another credible, well-written essay. They want revealing stories that give a true glimpse of who the student is and resonate with larger thematic points, informed by the student’s own core values and written in the student's own unique voice.
Most kids can’t do this alone.
And no one can do it for them.
Including me.
What I can do though, is coach them. Work with them to find the perfect topic, show them how to mold it into a compelling story, and search with them for the deeper meaning within. Using my interview/freewriting/editing process, I've been able to help kids write better, deeper, faster, and more personally than they ever have before. And to do it painlessly. Some have even admitted to having fun.
The added benefit of these techniques is that, once mastered, they will serve the student throughout their lives, both in their academic careers and beyond.
Tell me everything there is to know about yourself in 500 words or less.
And make it good-- your whole future depends upon it.
Oh, and by the way, so does your scholarship.
Now... go!
There's a reason kids put this off.
Teenagers are reluctant to reveal themselves, especially on documents as fraught and consequential as college and private school applications. (This is particularly true for high achieving kids who’ve spent the bulk of their lives trying to please teachers, parents, and standardized testing boards.) The irony of the situation is that independent school and college entrance essays are the one place where it is essential that applicants open up and reveal themselves if they are to succeed.
Entrance boards are looking for more than just another credible, well-written essay. They want revealing stories that give a true glimpse of who the student is and resonate with larger thematic points, informed by the student’s own core values and written in the student's own unique voice.
Most kids can’t do this alone.
And no one can do it for them.
Including me.
What I can do though, is coach them. Work with them to find the perfect topic, show them how to mold it into a compelling story, and search with them for the deeper meaning within. Using my interview/freewriting/editing process, I've been able to help kids write better, deeper, faster, and more personally than they ever have before. And to do it painlessly. Some have even admitted to having fun.
The added benefit of these techniques is that, once mastered, they will serve the student throughout their lives, both in their academic careers and beyond.