Mr.Binks wrote:Evening mates,
I have revised my PS entirely about a dozen times and I am now suffering from severe writer's block. I've led a very uneventful life and have not really been a big enough contributor to philanthropic activities to write about those. I also have not headed any organizations on campus or anything of the sort.
I know there are many of you out there like me. So my question is: Given my more-or-less typical life, what would you guys say are the most important things to have in a personal statement? (e.g., persuasion, story-telling, etc)....
Thanks all!
Mr. Binks, I think that your PS is pretty much your one chance to demonstrate who you are. As I'm sure you know, almost all of the rest is just numbers. You want to stand out (in a good way of course), and if the school is a reach, the need is that much greater.
I think a lot of people on here never had their PS come into play because their numbers were sufficient. To be honest, a lot of the writing I've seen on here has been *whispers* downright boring, and just uncomment-worthy enough not to get the applicant denied. Even many people with 170+ numbers probably don't have their writing put to a serious grindstone if they're "autoadmits."
The big idea behind good writing is that ANYTHING is interesting. Your challenge is to choose something that really conveys who you are. It can be a small event, as long as it's a microcosm of you.
For example, if you say "I'm a gentleman," that's not nearly as convincing as saying "I brought her flowers on our first date." Of course, if you wanted to go deeper, you could say what designer shade of red the flowers were, or how fresh they were. Sensory details, if you don't overdo them, can make you sound very intelligent, and they're easy to cut if you need to edit down.
Also, sometimes the way you write subtly communicates desirable qualities in an applicant. If you want to show that you're intelligent, drop a few nuanced words where the general version otherwise suffices (do this regardless of what anyone tells you). If you want to show that you're deliberate, meaning you weigh options before deciding, narrate that thought process using a decision you've made.
Let me just stress that no matter who you are, there will always be someone with a longer resume and more experience to speak of. The adcomms have likely heard it all, and the stories themselves amount to "cool story bro." They way in which you tell any particular story is 100X more important, because, after all, the point of a PS is to show who you are, not say what you've done (the resume is for that).
-an important decision you've made
-a particular relationship you've had
-something you saw that caused you to reflect
-an interesting/shocking idea
You could write about your experience collecting Poke-mon cards, and if you did it right, if it conveyed that coveted "A-type" personality, or something else the adcomms liked, it will help you.