Finding Gold

Ernest Hemingway once said, "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Like him, most students face the tyranny of the blank page (or screen) when beginning their personal statement. It's true that choosing a topic that aligns with your overarching application strategy is a difficult step, but starting to write doesn't need to be as painful as Hemingway implies.

To be successful, you need to understand that writing a compelling essay is a process. This is worth repeating: writing a compelling essay is a process. So don't let yourself get paralyzed by wanting to have the perfect topic nailed down before beginning to write. Here's what to do instead:

Use Your Character Strengths and Core Values

One of the best ways to brainstorm your personal statement topic is by asking yourself, "What are the character strengths or core values I want to highlight in your application?" The goal is for your essay to illustrate their development by showing you both in action and in reflection.

After narrowing down your potential topics (try to get 3-4), free-write at least two paragraphs for each. One example of you demonstrating the character strength or core value when you were younger and one example that is more recent. This is the goldmine.