Help In Deciding Personal Statement(Application deadline in 2 days!)

Yeah yeah, I know, shame on me for waiting until the last minute.

Anyways, I’m applying to the University of Washington and I know how important the essay is. I decided on doing the prompt that asks about an experience that changed me and shaped me into who I am today. The problem is, is that there are many experiences that changed me and I can’t decide which one is good enough for UW. The top experiences I have are:

-I was homeless in 7th grade due to a bad divorce and had to live in a shelter.
-My depression
-All my friendships that ended
-I once watched this film called “Life in a Day” and I’ve had an existential crisis ever since.

I appreciate any help I can get and if you went to or are currently in UW I’d like to hear what you wrote about. Thank you!

Although you only have two days, maybe you can try writing an essay for each topic and then see which one you like the best. Then focus on that one and make it beautiful. It might be hard to do this in two days though.

The topic that piqued my attention right away was the one about “Life in a Day.” I would want to know more about how something as simple as a film can shape your life. Take my opinion with a grain of salt though.

HI Yurica,

I would write out next to each of your experiences the values you learned from them. Whichever one produces the strongest values, ie the ones you think the college will want to have a student embody, choose that one.

The best way to start your essay is to open with your story. Pick a vivid moment (like the moment you first came to the shelter, when the full realization of your current position hit you), then expand that into the value that experience taught you.

Then I’d move to how that shaped you, how it influenced your learning in high school, and what goals that prompts for the future.

Images are powerful. Admission readers love hearing stories, not lists or explanations of facts.

Be compelling! SHOW your story!

Yes, no, no, and no. The last three are all very poor choices. Every teenager has existential crises, loses friends, and gets depressed (though yours perhaps is clinical depression. don’t write about depression, they will question your ability to,handle the stress of college.) Not many students can talk about living in a homeless shelter. Talk about the lessons you learned from That experience, and focus on the positive. They don’t needto hear sob stories, because sadly, they have heard many such stories. Many people have had tragedies. It’s how you present it that matters. The AOs are people, they want to admit people they like, who are interesting. They have to make very tough decisions, so don’t make it easy for,them to reject you. Do not waste time writing four essays right now. Get to work in your one solid idea, and use your energy in making it good, now, because you don’t have time to waste.

I agree with Lindagaf. The first topic says that you have had a life experience, and hopefully a perspective, that is unusual among college students. It differentiates you in a positive way. Do not go near the depression topic - schools are very risk averse and for good reason. The relapse rate on depression is high. They do not want to take chances on a student who might find academic life too stressful. A Day in The Life could be interesting but probably isn’t as unique. Ditto friendship that ended.

Thanks everyone, I sent wrote about my being in a shelter.

Good luck yurica. I hope you get in to your top choice.