Are you in the middle of a situation where your academy has asked you to submit a personal essay and you don’t have a clue where to start? Then you are not alone! Most students find it tough and stressful when it comes to writing about their own life without appearing self-centered and braggy. To make it even more fun, deciding a central topic or a story that tells about your nature, achievements, activities, and hobbies also create a dilemma.
However, since it will play an important role in your career and life after your studies, you need to deal with it. Don’t know how to begin, let alone making it interesting and attention-grabbing? Reading and applying the following 10 steps will sure make things easier!
1. Get things handy
As you are writing about yourself, it’s important to think about your past and revise and gather as much information as possible. Take your time before you actually start writing as you may not be able to list everything in one seating. Make a list of important events, achievements, and experiences so that you can refer to them while drafting your personal essay.
2. Focus on a topic
Your personal essay has to be in line with the requirements of your study program and the university. It shouldn’t be too long and all-inclusive like an autobiography. Which means, take a few most important events, stories, and experiences from your life and write about them consistently and in an honest way. Most importantly, they should reflect your abilities and future goals, and describe how your study in a university will help further.
3. Be moderate while writing about yourself
You might have rocked many times in your studies and personal life. And there is nothing bad in writing about it. But take care not to sound exhibiting too much self-importance. There is a moderate and humble way to present your success and accomplishments. Note that nobody likes to read a content that tries to pursue them to accept that the writer is the best at something or better than others.
4. Learn the structure
Any written piece can grab the attention of its reader only if it is structured well. Since your personal essay will be including many aspects of yourself, you will need to present them properly. Use sections to cover important parts of your essay and give them headings. Also, make sure to write in small sentences and paragraphs.
5. Get inspired by other students
Read other students’ successful essay examples for this. They can be found online on free sources like studymoose.com/free-essays. Go through them once to know how other students do it. They can also guide you in terms of language, style, and structure. Most importantly, they will help you shape your own style and write your essay in your own tone without losing originality.
6. Focus on what is relevant
When you are applying to a university, ensure that you write about the most relevant accomplishments and academic activities. However, you may also put some emphasis on your personal traits when you don’t have highly noteworthy achievements. That’s quite ok! You can write about your interests, hobbies and what motivates you to give your best.
7. Start with your introduction
Your personal essay can be started with a brief introduction telling the readers about yourself. However, try to keep it short as your essay has to be more about your suitability for the program you are applying for.
8. Include a memorable story
One of the best ways to leave an impression that doesn’t fade away is to tell an interesting story. It can be about your struggle and success or a lesson learned after a failure. Note that stories can be easily related to, and your reader wouldn’t be able to stop without reading your story thoroughly. It will boost the chances of your selection.
9. Limit to the most important aspects of your life
What if you are the one reading a personal essay? You wouldn’t want to read a complete timeline of a person. This is to be taken care in your essay as well. Include only important life events and achievements. The best thing is to include only a few memories that can be covered within a few pages, not in a book.
10. Polish your writings
After you have written your essay, it’s important that you it reread after some time. You should also ask others to read and provide feedback. Note that it’s generally difficult to find out mistakes and missed information while going through your own text. Ideally, your close relative or family member will be able to help you more in refining your essay. Also, don’t forget to proofread it to remove grammatical mistakes and incorrect spellings.
Conclusion
Your personal essay represents your candidacy for a school or college admission. So, don’t take it too lightly, but also don’t worry – just try your best. You don’t want to miss a chance to get entry in your favorite college and selected program, right? So apply the above suggestions thoughtfully while writing your essay.
Best of luck!
