i need advice. im having trouble just starting on personal statements and i dont know how to make my personality/voice show. i know this is really vague and stuff but any advice?
<p>For my big essay last year, I took my main passion, music, and did a creative piece of writing. I then took other main hobbies and incorporated them through this piece of writing in a "musical" manner. Difficult to explain without actually seeing the essay (which I will not show) but it essentially encompassed, without ever mentioning the school's name, what I could bring the the university and how I could take from it. It ended up being less than 500 words.</p>
<p>I got this idea from lying around on my bed and just thinking about random things.</p>
<p>Essays that get kids into top schools come in all shapes and formats. Long to short; creative to formal. Choose a writing style that you are most comfortable with and make it yours. The only criterion I used when writing my essays was "Can anyone else write this?" If the answer was "no" then I knew I was in good shape. I recommend that you try this system.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you during your admissions process.</p>
<p>choose something you are passionate about. something you'd have no trouble talking about--for instance, i live in germany and the time difference sucks!! so for one of my essays (describe a national, statewide, or local problem) i wrote about watching the new year's ball drop at six in the morning and staying home from school so i could partake in "super bowl monday"...the main thing was, i put a creative twist on it so it wasn't boring, but witty.</p>
<p>think narrow, be creative, and just let it flow</p>
<p>Don't try to force your personal statements. I had no idea how I was going to start mine, let alone which topic or idea I was going to use and talk about it. </p>
<p>But then as I was reading a book the other day, it just hit me and I cranked out a really crappy essay. But I got the main idea out, the train of thought, the key parts. And now all I have to do is go back and edit the living daylights out of it. </p>
<p>Just let it come to you. Don't try to force anything. And if you're trying out different ideas and ways to start, and you reach a dead end. Start over. Just working out ideas will help you finally get out the one thing that's going to work. </p>
<p>Good luck. :)</p>