<p>I've seen several topics floating around in the additional supplements section, but the most common seem to be "A list of books you have read in the past 12 months" and "Unusual experiences in your life." I think the first one would be good to demonstrate my personality a little more than my Common App essay, but I don't exactly know how to turn "a list" into an essay. Does anyone have any tips?</p>
<p>As you correctly surmised, a list of books by itself doesn’t say much about you. Since the personal essay is supposed to be about you, the books need to be a mechanism that you use to talk about yourself, your values, what you have to offer, etc…It’s a lens through which others can see you. So something like ‘books that changed my life’ or ‘a book that I read and re-read’ or “I love biographies and here’s why…” </p>
<p>This is different from the question that asks what books have you been reading in the last 12 months, where they are looking to see what kind of interests you have. People often think they have to list absolutely everything but that’s not what the question asks. The purpose of the question is to see what interests you are pursuing independently and in depth outside of school. It’s a question about intellectual curiosity really.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>