The Common Application Personal Statement

The Common Application Personal Statement (aka the college essay) is a unique genre and critical part of the college application. Most applicants will complete “The Common App.” It involves a tremendous amount of work and your child will be required to invest a substantial amount of time writing it to be successful.

We will work with your child no matter where he/she/they are in the process, from proofreading a draft your child has already started to creating a final essay.

Excellent college essays are critical to getting admitted because many schools go beyond a cursory review of grades and test scores. Instead, they take a holistic approach to admissions and want to know more about the student seeking to join their school community. The essay is the key differentiator.

The Personal Statement is the part of the application over which your child has control and is his/her/their opportunity to speak directly to the Admissions team. For this reason, the essay should reveal something that is not reflected in other parts of the application.

Who are you beyond your grades and test scores?

Let’s work together to help your child:

• identify admissions theme and brand story (critical for the most competitive schools)

• determine which of the 7 essay prompts offered are best for your child to answer

• brainstorm to find powerful, personal, and appropriate stories to share and incorporate into essays

• learn how to tell your story in a persuasive and convincing way

• work through multiple drafts to completion and submission

• get organized and create a tight schedule to stay on top of critical deadlines

Supplemental essays vary based on your college list and are repurposed whenever possible. They can be incorporated into your essay package and assessed on a case-by-case basis.