<p>Right now, I'm filling out the application to 'Ole Miss. On the second to last page, it has a text-box for a 'personal statement'.. I honestly have no idea what this is.</p>
<p>So what is it? Is it an essay in which you describe yourself? Is it someone else's reccommendation?</p>
<p>If the former is true, then I was mistaken in believing that essays were mailed to the university from your high school's guidance counselor.</p>
<p>I'm even more confused because in the FAQ, all it says is that the personal statement has no impact on the college admission decision.</p>
<p>In the case of the Ole Miss app, it sounds like they are just providing space to state anything personal that you may want to share with adcoms. It's probably not meant to be a full-blown essay, but just a few sentences about something that hasn't been shared anywhere else on the application. </p>
<p>I can't find any sample personal statements for hs students on the net, as most are geared toward graduate school admissions or are behind a website firewall that wants you "register" and/or "pay for access" to the information. </p>
<p>STAY AWAY FROM THOSE SITES !!!</p>
<p>Personal statement is where you tell more about yourself. Some places give you ideas on what to write about. I used my work ethic for example. probably about 500 words.</p>
<p>If they dont require it then dont worry about it. Only use it to explain something you didnt feel you could on the application.</p>
<p>My S applied to a couple of schools that had room for a personal statement. When we attended an info session, they said that is the spot to tell admissions anything that you want them to know about yourself. My son just used his common app long essay b/c it said a lot about his interests and character. He was accepted to both of those schools.</p>
<p>Oh, one of the schools made it optional, but everyone we talked to said to write it, b/c it increased chances of admissions (don't know if this is true).</p>