I know that this year the common application is allowing an essay on any topic a student wants, but I have no idea what to write about. I don’t want to seem like I picked a topic that’s too common or superficial. Should it be a story, an overview of my hardships and how they changed me, something more specific? I’m not some overly amazing person who’s saved any lives, experienced deaths, or is trying to cure cancer or anything…
The purpose the common app personal statement is to write about you. It doesn’t have to be something extraordinary - it just needs to be about you and show who you really are aside from your GPA and test scores.
The point is to give them a reason to say yes to your application.
Your essay should separate you from your statistics-- and from the other 400 applications in the pile with the exact same statistics as you. It should leave the reader thinking “Now this is a kid I want to meet.”