Essays and Personal Statements are the most overlooked opportunities in an application. Your transcripts are the story your grades tell, your reference letters are the stories your recommenders tell. But your essays are a blank canvas. An outstanding essay can be the best element of an application because you get to tell your own story and frame it yourself. Or they can also be a missed opportunity, if you don’t: 

• express your uniqueness; 
• treat your application and essays as a whole, not separate parts;
• continue to seek feedback, refine, and re-write;
• tell a compelling story; or
• convey a goal that is both ambitious and realistic

Let’s talk about all of these:

OUTSTANDING ESSAYS ARE PERSONAL 

The number one goal of the personal statement is to be personal: to express your personal motivations. Two people can have the exact same grades, be in the same field, and even have the same job at the same company but their personal statements could never be the same. 

Those things that make you different are what your essay should capture: your background, what sparked your interest in this field, why you’re applying to this program, what you see yourself doing after the program. 

How do you know you’ve gotten personal enough? A good rule of thumb is that if someone in your field can say the exact same thing you’ve said and it’d still make sense and be applicable to them, that statement isn’t personal (except if you’re in an extremely niche field eg Olympic athletes).

Here’s an example:

I am eager to join the Master’s in Environmental Science program, attracted by its distinguished faculty, comprehensive curriculum, and the exceptional opportunities for hands-on research.

(not personal, anybody could say this and could be said about any school)

Here’s another example:

Growing up in a coastal city, I saw firsthand how climate change turned my hometown from a flooded ghost town within a decade. When I think about this happening across the world, I shudder. That’s why I’m eager to join the Masters in Environmental Science program – where I’ll be equipped by distinguished faculty and a comprehensive curriculum, to help tackle this urgent global issue.

(Relates your background to your motivation in a tangible way. Not perfectly personal, but an excellent start.)  

OUTSTANDING ESSAYS ARE 1 PART OF A WHOLISTIC APPLICATION

When you apply, the judges/admissions committee will typically have all your application materials (transcripts, resume, essays, etc) before them at once. They’re going to be reading them together and consciously or unconsciously drawing patterns, parallels, connections. 

Think of your entire application as 1 broad story divided into ‘chapters’. Each application material (transcripts, resume, essays) is one chapter. When you read a book, think of how off-putting it would be if 1 chapter were just a repetition of a previous chapter. It’s unappealing to the reader, and a wasted opportunity for you as a writer because you could’ve used that extra chapter to give new context that sheds more light on your overall story. 

The most common mistake with Essays is to use them as ‘Resume in prose form’ and just reel off everything in your resume in chronological order. Don’t do that, instead think strategically: what is the overall impression I want the reader of the entire application to get about the merits of my candidacy after reading the whole application? How will my transcripts show that? How will my recommendation letters show that? Seeing it this way, you can use one chapter to counterbalance the other. Eg if your grades are low in quantitative subjects, you can ask your recommenders to speak about your analytical and quant skills to show you have demonstrated this ability elsewhere. 

OUTSTANDING ESSAYS ARE NOT DONE IN A DAY

Unlike grades that you can’t change anymore or tests (GRE, GMAT, etc) that you do on your own, essays can be continuously reviewed and re-written up till the final submission deadline, and you can have them reviewed by others.

After writing your first draft, get the essays reviewed by others, such as editors, people who have been accepted into the program before. Don’t be overwhelmed by the fact that you’re likely to have several re-writes and drafts before your essay is in its best shape.

OUTSTANDING ESSAYS TELL A COMPELLING STORY

Look at it from the perspective of the judges/admissions committee: there are hundreds, sometimes thousands of applications before them to assess – it’s understandable that candidates and their applications start to look alike for them, and honestly start getting boring. Don’t be boring.

Turn your essays from a dry recitation of facts to a compelling story where you’re the ‘hero’ on a journey, the problem you want to solve is the ‘villain’, and you’re at the story’s climax where the opportunity you’re applying for will be what takes you over the edge to win.

OUTSTANDING ESSAYS CONVEY AN OUTSTANDING GOAL

Whether it’s expressly stated or not, every essay/personal statement prompt wants to know: why do you want to do this program? What will you use the benefits of your participation to do? The first question is about your motivation, the second is about your goal. Before you ever put pen to paper for an application essay, you should know what you want to do after the program or have a general idea of what success looks like to you.

The best goals to articulate in your essay are ‘ambitious but realistic’ i.e. ambitious enough to be compelling and make others want to believe in your vision, but realistic enough that it does not sound implausible or like a pipe dream. Eg let’s say you’re a comedian who wants to get an MBA. Saying you want to start a small comedy club in your hometown in 10 years is not ambitious enough. Saying you want to start a multinational bank with $100Million in assets right after your MBA is not realistic enough. Saying you want to transition to a boutique media investment firm right after your MBA then 5 years later, start a multinational media agency that represents entertainers like you and brokers investment deals for them, is an interesting, ambitious, and realistic goal. 

A good way to approach it is to consider your background, not ignore it. Yes you can do anything, but what are the things most likely for someone with your background to do or aspire to?

Essays are the most interesting part of your application because you play the biggest role in what shape it takes. If you’d like to have your essay/personal statement reviewed (plus a 30-minute walkthrough of the review), you can order a review here. 

Also, I compiled templates, advice, and scholarships lists for anyone preparing to apply to graduate school. This is more geared towards people who already know they’re applying (not for people trying to decide) and need more structure around their application process.

You can check it out here.