Personal Statement Writing Help from Enhanced Prep

Many colleges, universities, academic programs, and scholarship applications require applicants to submit a personal statement. A personal statement is an essay where you are given the chance to introduce yourself. Personal statements can vary in length and subject matter depending on the requirements of each institution. For example, some programs may require applicants to write a personal statement about why they are a good fit for that program, others may ask a specific question, and others may require a general overview of who you are as a person.

Personal statements require more creativity from applicants and a lot of time is spent editing and revising them. If you’re applying to more than one program, then you might also have to write more than one personal statement, especially if each program has different requirements. These factors can make the process seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. You can find expert personal statement writing tutors at Enhanced Prep.

Enhanced Prep is an elite, world-class tutoring service that uses a proven methodology and holistic approach to tutoring in order to help students get the grades, get the score, and get into their dream school. With our service, you can receive expert guidance from experienced writers who can assist you in brainstorming and idea development and review and provide feedback on your drafts. Our tutors create a unique game plan with customized support to meet your needs in order to enhance your writing skills and help you surpass the competition. Thanks to EP's tutoring and guidance, 95% of our students get into their top-choice schools.

Why Personal Statements Matter

College applications require many things, such as grades, GPA, extracurriculars, and test scores. However, these don’t say much about who a student is and why they would be a great fit for a college or program. A personal statement gives a face to the application for the admissions board to see. College admissions review thousands of applicants a year — a personal statement can be what differentiates you from other applicants and showcases your unique personality, motivation, and goals.

This is why the importance of a well-crafted personal statement cannot be understated. You’ll have the chance to demonstrate strong writing skills, which are essential for college success and beyond. Additionally, you can create a compelling narrative to persuade the admissions board to accept you. For example, if you have a story about adversities that you’ve faced or the moment you discovered your true calling, you can use these ideas to show the admissions board why you deserve a coveted spot in their program. You are more than your grades and test scores, so you want that as apparent as possible on your application.

Key Elements of a Personal Statement

Now that you understand the importance of a great personal statement, here you'll find some ways to make yours shine.

Understanding the Prompt

Many college applications have a prompt for a personal statement. It could be anything from sharing about a time you faced a difficult situation, explaining a time you challenged a popular belief or idea to sharing about a time of personal growth. Some applications even let you choose the topic. Whatever your prompt may be, it’s important you understand it and address it completely; this demonstrates your ability to comprehend and follow instructions.

It’s also important that you tailor your statement for each college. In addition to colleges having different requirements for personal statements, using the same one for each application can make your writing seem templatized or impersonal, which is the exact opposite of what you want. This doesn’t mean you have to start completely from scratch for each application, however. Personal statement tutors at Enhanced Prep can help you identify the strongest parts of your statement and edit it to match the requirements for each college.

Telling a Unique and Authentic Story

Many students can get trapped into writing bland personal statements because they’re writing what they think the board wants to hear; they can come across as cliché or braggy, which is not the impression you want to give. The whole point of a personal statement is to make it personal. You’re applying to college because you have future goals and aspirations; those didn’t just come out of nowhere. Writing about how your personal experiences have shaped your identity and your aspirations can demonstrate your growth and development into the person you are today and show why you are a good fit. Enhanced Prep’s personal statement writing tutors can help you brainstorm ideas on what to write about. Each one boasts a minimum of 5 years' experience.

Maintaining Focus and Coherence

Your personal statement is like a narrative; it needs to have a beginning, middle, and end where the dots are clearly connected. Stick to the point and don’t venture off topic. For example, if you’re writing about a time when you broke your leg and had to quit your school’s sports team, write about how that experience changed you or made you realize your true passion in life and led you to applying to the college you’re applying to. Don’t waste time writing paragraphs about what you did while your leg was broken; that’s not the point of the statement. Tutors at Enhanced Prep can read your draft and look out for any instances of incoherence or lost focus and help you get back on track. They've helped tens of thousands of students do just that.

Proofreading and Editing

The best personal statement with the most profound story or ideas can easily be tossed aside if it is riddled with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Proofreading and editing your work several times over is key in making it as polished and professional as possible. A statement full of errors sends the message that you don’t really care or didn’t put much effort into it. Before submitting, ensure your personal statement is error free by proofreading it yourself and asking friends and family to read it. Enhanced Prep’s professional personal statement writing tutors can proofread your work with a trained eye and help you avoid submitting work with mistakes.