<p>This is the prompt: Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life, and the skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how?</p>
<p>Would it be cliche to write about a massive grade improvement after my sophomore year? My GPA went up .2 points in one year, and I would talk about how I realized the importance of hard work and how it will change me, blah, blah, blah, you guys get the point. </p>
<p>Why would you do that? Colleges see your transcripts; they note improvements in grades. You aren’t telling anything new about yourself with this idea. </p>
<p>@ribbonroad224 Because it’s actually a really impressive story, and would likely be more noteworthy than anything I have done outside of school. I don’t have that many obstacles in my life <em>knock on wood</em>, I really don’t know what else to write about. I could write about my close uncle who recently beat stage 4 cancer, but do colleges really want to hear me write about an uncle? I figure the cancer story would only work if its like your immediate family.</p>
<p>Colleges don’t want to hear about your family, period. The essay is meant to be about you. </p>
<p>Bump - can anyone else weigh in on this?</p>
<p>Generally it’s hard to write a good essay about grades, but if you have a genuinely distinctive story to tell, it could work.</p>
<p>Sure, give us a bit more detail. Why did your grades improve so much? Simply saying that you learned about hard work isn’t going to cut it. What was this life changing experience that resulted in you getting better grades? </p>
<p>Regardless, I personally would stay away from discussing purely academics in the personal statement. The stats do a pretty good job outlining your academic record. Why not use the personal statement to showcase some other passion you have?</p>
<p>Instead of writing about how your grades improved, write about the moment you woke up and realized that you have to be more dedicated to your school work, and how you came to that revelation. Also, never focus an essay on your family. Colleges want to here about you, not anyone else.</p>
<p>@Lillewwy @ribbonroad224 - Hey guys, I appreciate your input. Let me ask a question though. If the essay is centered around my obstacles and me overcoming them, why could I not write about a family member that created an obstacle in my life? I.E. sibling who had a drug problem and how I overcame the emotional damage from his/her belligerence. </p>
<p>You can write about family issues, but make sure the essay focuses on yourself. Spend a minimal amount of time focusing on the sibling’s drug problem and really focus on how you acted and its effect on you. Show how this situation shaped who you are today, not just how you overcame the emotional damage.</p>