Sample Personal Statement Essay: Highlighting Lessons You've Learned In Your Admissions Essay
By: Shawn Cox
Submitted: 2011-01-24 15:18:39 | Word Count: 516
Making mistakes is part of everyday life. You can't avoid making them so the best way to deal with your mistakes in life is to learn from them. Lessons you've learned from life-changing mistakes are in fact good topics when writing an admissions essay. If you've encountered a sample personal statement essay or two online, you may have noticed that they usually focus on a person's goals, motivations, or even life-changing experiences, including mistakes from which they have learned great lessons from. To help you out, here are some tips to help you discuss lessons you've learned from life-changing mistakes effectively in your admissions essay for college.
1. Focus on one life-changing mistake and the lessons you've learned from it.
While it's good to discuss relevant personal experiences in your admissions essay, make sure to focus the discussion on a single or a couple of life-changing mistakes. Discussing too many topics in your admissions essay can be confusing. Keep in mind that the admissions panel will not waste time reading a confusing essay to begin with, especially since they have to read hundreds or even thousands of essays from various applicants.
2. Never appeal for pity.
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An effective sample personal statement essay will show you that an excellent essay doesn't appeal for the reader's pity. This approach is a bit desperate. One way to effectively discuss the life-changing mistake you've made and the lessons you've learned from it is to show how you became a better person because of those mistakes. Discuss also how you overcame the obstacles as a result of the mistake. Include relevant details that will make the admissions panel see a personal and more persistent and resilient side of you. After all, going to college requires more dedication and effort on your part.
3. Stick to the truth.
It may be tempting to jazz up some details to make your essay more interesting. However, this is a big no-no when writing a personal statement for college. Never invent information when writing your essay because the admissions panel will see right through you. And besides, if you lie in your essay, you're just fooling yourself. By using a unique style of writing and the right words, you can make your essay more interesting without including fictitious details.
4. Include only relevant information.
If you discuss all sorts of information in your essay, it's as if you just wrote your essay yesterday and submitted it today. A well-written essay is always cohesive, with every sentence supporting the thesis of your work. Remember, your essay is one ticket to land that spot in your dream school, and not an autobiography.
When writing your application essay, it's best to ask help from others and read sample essays. By doing so, you'll get an objective and honest opinion regarding the quality of your work. You may not be able to spot mistakes if you just read and reread your own essay. By reading sample essays, you'll be able to avoid mistakes in writing an effective application essay.
