How to Write an OUTSTANDING Personal Statement for College: A Crash Course

Summary

Ethan Sawyer, the 'College Essay Guy,' offers a comprehensive guide to crafting a standout personal statement. He introduces three brainstorming exercises to generate essay topics, discusses how to evaluate topic potential, and outlines two essay structures: montage and narrative. Sawyer also shares tips for essay endings and provides resources for further writing assistance, aiming to help students express their unique stories and values in their college applications.

Takeaways

• 📚 Ethan Sawyer is the 'College Essay Guy' and author of 'College Essay Essentials', offering expertise on crafting compelling college essays.
• 🤔 Students often struggle with brainstorming personal statement topics, understanding what makes a topic great, and determining if a topic will stand out.
• 📝 Three brainstorming exercises are suggested: the Essence Objects exercise, the Values exercise, and the 21 Details exercise to help generate essay topics.
• 🔍 The script provides a method to evaluate essay topics based on their 'elasticity' and 'commonality' for a montage essay, and 'compelling challenges' and 'insights' for a narrative essay.
• ✍️ Two main essay structures are discussed: Montage, which is not about challenges and can include seven different types of themes, and Narrative, which focuses on challenges and their impact.
• 📈 The script introduces a graphical method to assess essay topics by plotting them on a graph considering their elasticity and commonality or compelling nature and insights.
• 🔑 To end an essay effectively, three techniques are highlighted: Book ending or callback, the 'Why Us' set up, and ending with explicit mention of values.
• 📑 The script also covers the importance of identifying core values and how they can connect to different parts of the personal statement and application process.
• 📉 Ethan emphasizes that even common or less elastic topics can be developed into strong essays with enough depth and connection to the writer's experiences.
• 🔗 Resources for writing personal statements and other application elements are available at collegeessayguy.com, including sample essays and exercises.
• 💻 The script is a comprehensive guide for students to navigate the personal statement writing process, from brainstorming to structuring and concluding the essay.

Q & A

Who is Ethan Sawyer and what is his profession?

Ethan Sawyer is known as the 'College Essay Guy'. He is an author of a best-selling book on college essays titled 'College Essay Essentials' and specializes in helping students with their personal statements for college applications.

What are the four main issues students face when writing a personal statement according to Ethan Sawyer?

The four main issues students face are: 1) They don't know how to brainstorm a great personal statement topic. 2) They don't know what constitutes a great topic. 3) They don't know how to decide if a topic is likely to work or not. 4) They struggle with how to end their personal statement.

What are the three brainstorming exercises Ethan Sawyer suggests for developing essay topics?

The three exercises are: 1) The Essence Objects Exercise, where students identify objects that represent their essences. 2) The Values Exercise, where students identify their top values. 3) The 21 Details Exercise, where students list 21 random facts about themselves.

What does the Essence Objects Exercise involve?

The Essence Objects Exercise involves imagining a set of objects that represent different memories, moments, experiences, or values that are important to the student. Students are encouraged to write down these objects and what they represent.

How does the Values Exercise help in identifying a student's core values?

The Values Exercise involves reviewing a list of values and identifying the student's top 10, then narrowing it down to the top 5, and finally selecting the top 3 and identifying their number one value. This process helps in recognizing the values that are most important to the student.

What is the purpose of the 21 Details Exercise?

The purpose of the 21 Details Exercise is to help students come up with 21 random facts about themselves. These facts can reveal aspects of their personality, experiences, and values that may not be immediately obvious.

What is the significance of determining the elasticity and commonality of a topic for a montage essay?

Elasticity refers to how much a topic can stretch to cover various aspects of a student's life, while commonality refers to how unique or common the topic is. A topic that is both elastic and uncommon is likely to stand out more in a montage essay.

What are the two qualities Ethan Sawyer suggests considering for a narrative essay about challenges?

The two qualities to consider for a narrative essay are: 1) How compelling the challenge is, meaning if it's interesting to a reader. 2) The insight gained from the challenge, whether it's a 'wow' insight or just an average one.

What are the seven types of montage essays according to Ethan Sawyer?

The seven types of montage essays are: 1) I Love or I Know path. 2) Skill or Superpower path. 3) Essence Objects path. 4) Career path. 5) Identities path. 6) Home path. 7) Uncommon Extracurricular Activity path.

What are the three elements that should be included in a narrative essay about challenges?

The three elements to include are: 1) The challenge faced and its effects on the student's life. 2) What the student did to address the challenge. 3) What the student learned from the experience.

What are the three techniques Ethan Sawyer suggests for ending a personal statement?

The three ending techniques are: 1) Book ending or callback, where an element from the beginning is revisited at the end. 2) The Why Us set up, where the personal statement serves as an origin story leading into a specific 'Why Us' essay for a school. 3) Ending with values, where the essay concludes by explicitly stating the student's core values.