<p>I'm in my Junior year in High school, and want to go to USC or UCLA. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to start writing my personal statement starting today. I know it's not what anyone does, but I believe I have a 'story' that may make me write it beforehand, and continually adding to it throughout my junior year and senior year in High School. Do you think it's a good idea? Would they read it all even if it was very long?</p>
<p>Add*</p>
<p>Writing is very much a process that benefits from time and revision, so by all means start early. However, expect to be judged on the merit of the final product, not to receive brownie points for starting early, and for god’s sake obey the word limit – you’re not so special that you can’t follow the same rules that everyone else does. If you write a longer essay they’ll probably spend the same amount of time and will therefore read it less thoroughly. Many admissions readers are paid per application, not per hour.</p>
<p>They won’t know when you started it.</p>
<p>Are you starting early so it will be longer or are you starting early so it can mature and improve over time? That is the key question here.</p>
<p>They don’t want to see something like a diary entry that you add on and add on to. It should be crafted as a piece. (not to say there aren’t occasional exceptions when someone does something outside the box.)</p>
<p>There are word limits to the essays. UC has 1,000 words to be divided however you like between 2 essays. USC uses the common application with a 650 word limit. Your essays need to be spare, compact and impactful.</p>
<p>You can make notes and drafts now, if you think it will help you for later. Other just than having a brainstorming folder for a few notes, I think you’d be better off spending time on your school or ECs. You will have a more full perspective and likely more mature voice in a year.</p>
<p>Seeing your other post about your cumulative GPA to date, the bulk of the schools you’ll be targeting will likely not require essays but rather be those with high admit rates that only look at your GPA and test scores. Sure – jot some notes and muse over a few items for a potential college essay – but your immediate goal should be to re-invent yourself from a middling HS student to a top one (if indeed, USC or UCLA are your goals).</p>
<p>Thank you for the quick responses.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>In my opinion, don’t start it until spring of your junior year. There’s a very good chance you will be a very different person in eight months than you are now. Your essay should best express who you are as you’re applying to college - this is not only reflected in your choice of topic, but also in your voice. In my opinion, it would most likely turn out to be a waste of time if you start right now. Good luck in the future.</p>
<p>I would wait. I wrote a Common App essay in January of my junior year only to trash it completely and write another shortly before the start of my senior year. Right now, you’re too far removed from the college admissions process to really understand what admissions officers want to see in an essay to write the best essay for the purpose of getting into college. I’d hold off a little bit before you start writing. But to directly answer your question: of course colleges will “condone” an applicant writing an essay a year and a half in advance, but condonation of a writing process and acceptance of an applicant are two very different things.</p>
<p>BTW I don’t think Condone means what you think it means…</p>
<p>“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” -Inigo Montoya</p>
<p>Lol that quote was on the tip of my tongue (well, keyboard I guess lol).</p>
<p>Loved that character lol!</p>
<p>for The Princess Bride fans … try this … <a href=“http://hugequiz.com/quizzes/movies/princess-bride-script/”>http://hugequiz.com/quizzes/movies/princess-bride-script/</a> </p>