<p>Do the admission officers want to see how one's experiences shape his/her personalities or what the individuals can contribute to the colleges?</p>
<p>Both. But most students will be showing this anyway, so the goal is to demonstrate these qualitites in such a way that sets you apart from the crowd.</p>
<p>I’d focus on your experiences and what makes YOU unique. What you can contribute to the college should become apparent through the rest of your application (where you talk about activities and interests.)</p>
<p>I think they want you to a. write well and b. communicate something positive about yourself. Believe it or not, this can be achieved without sharing one’s past experiences or listing one’s selling points. Both of these approaches are widely used, though.</p>