Swing for the fences, or just make contact? Forum

[LikelyThrowaway]

Just curious to hear general community thoughts on how risky we should be with our personal statements. I think I can right a solid, unremarkable essay about some overseas volunteering I've done, but I'm tempted to try to write an essay that really captures something more about me. In my case that'd mean how my thinking about politics and how to do good has evolved over my life. Anyway, what do you guys think? Is it worth trying to be bold and write a really good, personal essay, or should you just stick to what you know you can do and just make sure no one's going to blanch at your perfectly solid essay?

[galadriel3019]

It's tough to say for sure. There is the all important principle that your personal statement should let the reader learn more about you. If you have a few ideas, try writing them out. Then see which one you prefer. I even asked friends to read my essay who did not know enough about me to know ahead of time about my personal statement topic. I found their feedback helpful because these people knew me and could give insightful feedback about whether they thought my essay reflected enough of who I was.

Just as an aside, the idea of overseas volunteerism can be risky. Obviously peace corps and major undertakings like that is one thing. But the "I was abroad for a few months and learned so much" can be a bit cringe worthy in my opinion. It often comes across as a privileged person describing how they've seen suffering. I'm not in any way trying to assume what you are writing about. But if this is the direction you might be going in, just remember to anchor WHY you are passionate about what you did, how it influences you, your unique insights. Make sure you are still tying back to why this is integral to who you are, not just a cool experience you want to write about.

Happy writing

[LikelyThrowaway]

Good ideas and good advice, thanks. I'm definitely being cautious about writing a clichéd essay about the volunteering stuff, and I think there are unique aspects to my particular experience that make it a better bet than most. Still though, the fact that it is a really standard topic that can easily be preachy or annoyingly unaware is definitely a concern for me.

[galadriel3019]

Don't get too caught up in the "standard topic" worry. That will only cause you to overreach because you are set on developing an essay that literally NO ONE has ever written. Seems rather impossible to me. Topics can be fairly similar simply because so many people apply. But your voice and insight will make your ps unique. I would be careful about not writing a cliche (no matter the topic). But to be manic about how standard your topic is will just drag you down.

[Alive97]

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