<p>Hi, CCers, do you think I should describe a lot about who I am in my personal statement? Like what kind of classes I'm in, or what honors I've been offered? Or just put them in lists.</p>
<p>Do not do that. The essay is meant to describe WHO YOU ARE, not what you’ve done. Those should be in lists, either in your resume (or however the application lets you outline ECs), or on your transcript. You can reference them in your essay, but only if you do so in a larger context where the adcom gets to infer what kind of person you are based on your topic, writing style, and the like. Note also that you should not describe yourself literally; instead, you’ll want to use more of a narrative style, where you set a scene that lets the reader infer things about you.</p>
<p>Sorry to sound terse, but you really don’t want to do that. 
Number one no-no, if you will!</p>
<p>Tito: Thank you for the suggestions 
but, what if I want to show that I can do something well after, for example, challenged myself?</p>
<p>That’s where you can reference some of your accomplishments. Give the reader some background knowledge on why this is a challenge (e.g. nearly failed a year of math), then outline the challenge itself (e.g. taking on AP Calculus), and how it helped you develop as a person (e.g. you realized what you were capable of, that you became more confident in doing things you’d thought you were bad at). Of course, you might want to make it a bit fancier and less cut-and-dry, but that’s one way you can incorporate achievements into your essay. :)</p>
<p>I guess it’s about giving context to the accomplishments, and giving adcoms a sense of who it was that accomplished all of this!</p>
<p>Thanks. I really appreciate your help :)</p>
<p>No problemo. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>For your essay, pick a story or moment and tell readers about it. Make it come alive, make it sing. Own it! Don’t be afraid to use your own voice.</p>