What should a personal statement include?

I'm working on my personal statement for college applications and I'm not sure what exactly I should include. Any suggestions on what kinds of things should be in my personal statement and how to make it stand out?

When crafting your personal statement, the key is to showcase your individuality and highlight a story or experience that is unique to you. Fortunately for you, CollegeVine's blog contains extensive guidance on how to do that: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-common-application-essays/. Additionally, here are some more general suggestions to help make your personal statement stand out:

1. Begin with a strong hook: Your opening should grab the reader's attention and set the stage for your story. Consider a vivid anecdote, a provocative question, or an interesting fact about yourself.

2. Focus on a defining experience: Choose one interest, challenge, or accomplishment that has significantly shaped your life, personal growth, or aspirations. Ideally, it should reveal something that your academic and extracurricular activities don't already showcase.

3. Be authentic and reflective: Write about your genuine thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the experience, and explain how it helped shape your perspective, beliefs, or ambitions. Admissions officers value students who are open, humble, and self-aware.

4. Demonstrate your strengths: Use your personal statement to showcase characteristics that set you apart and might not be obvious from the other components of your application, such as resilience, creativity, empathy, or critical thinking. Remember to show, not tell, by providing specific examples that illustrate your qualities.

5. Provide context: Help your reader understand the background and circumstances that contributed to your growth and why the experience was meaningful to you. This context might include relevant cultural, personal, or historical events or influences.

6. Address your goals and ambitions: Explain how the experience you described has influenced your academic or career aspirations, or connects with your intended major or the college's values. Show how your chosen path aligns with your skills, interests, and personal growth.

7. Write with clarity and style: Your personal statement should be well-organized and easy to understand, with a clear narrative flow. Make sure to use strong, descriptive language and vary your sentence structure to avoid monotony. Proofread carefully for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

8. Revise and edit multiple times: Great personal statements usually go through several drafts. Read your essay out loud, ask for feedback from teachers, counselors, or peers, and take the time to rework sections that need improvement. If you're looking to get a more objective set of eyes on your essay, also remember that CollegeVine offers both a free peer essay review tool and paid reviews by expert college admissions advisors. Sometimes, having someone who doesn't already know you read your personal statement can give you a clearer sense of how it'll come across to admissions officers.

Overall, your personal statement should be a reflection of who you are. Be honest and genuine, and let your unique voice shine through. This is your opportunity to make a lasting impression on admissions officers and increase your chances of standing out among other applicants. Happy writing!