Should I not choose my summer research experience to be my common app personal statement? It was particularly meaningful to me, as I spent quite a bit of time there, yet I’ve heard numerous times to use an experience not already stated somewhere on your app. I originally began turning my summer research into a supplementary essay for Rice and Vandy (both ask “describe an EC experience”), yet I can’t shake the feeling I could do so much more with a larger word limit (Vandy’s is a reasonable 400, but Rice limits me to 150 words which feels like an injustice to the experience).
Any advice?
I was planning on writing about my time as the Easter Bunny at a community event as my personal statement, but I feel like that won’t necessarily all the true traits which I want. It’s also completely irrelevant to STEM (I’m applying as an engineer), but I haven’t thought of much else which has garnered so much of my time. My problem in writing essays is choosing the topic, once I start writing its easy and much more fun than expected.
For your main common app essay, you don’t have to write about something that connects to STEM. The smaller, more focused essays are where you would want to talk about your research experiences and STEM. I suggest writing about something organic and memorable that also showcases your intellectual traits.
The personal statement should give admissions officers a chance to know something about you that isn’t already in your application. There is no need to write about the STEM field. Start writing the Easter Bunny essay and see how it goes.
I’ve started the Easter Bunny one, and while it is much different from the STEM related essays, I feel as though it falls short in selling myself. It would be a fine supplementary essay I think, but the only characteristics I can showcase through it are my dedication and mental strength. Which is fine, but for the main essay I feel like it should be a more extraordinary experience, one that truly stands out from everyone else’s. My Easter Bunny one is good enough, but I’m just not sure good enough will be good enough.
I’m going to try and brainstorm more topics, brainstorming for me is the hard part, writing is the easy part.