A slice of life can change your life

I’m one of those people who uses her college major on a daily basis, but it’s not in the way I originally planned. As an English major at Columbia University, the dream was to work in book or magazine publishing. Or maybe I’d write the next great American novel. Perhaps I’d pivot to journalism and travel the world with National Geographic. I never imagined that I would follow in my mom’s college counseling footsteps and help young people craft and share their personal stories while guiding them along their higher education journeys. 

Your application is your story. The college application essay or the personal statement is an intimate, slice-of-life view into your character, your personality, your passions, YOU. 

The truth is that many applicants share similar experiences, regardless of their location on the map. As an admissions officer at Marquette University for five years, I read at least 55 applications per day during the reading season, which was basically September through December every year. And often I would have four reading days in a row. It was a lot. Essays blended together in an endless stream of “how I won the big game” cliches and “how I learned to appreciate life when my cat died” drivel. Occasionally, I would read a truly unique essay that wove together aspects of the applicant's passions, personality, values, etc. into a compelling and introspective story. Those narratives helped me get to know the applicant on a more personal level. Those applicants were easy admits if their academic rigor, grades, and test scores were on par with our standards. (This was before Marquette went test-optional.)

When reading your personal statement, admissions officers are asking themselves if they like you. Seriously. They are asking themselves how you will contribute to their community in a positive way. They are trying to picture you in their classrooms, dorms, student unions, so you must make your best first impression a genuine one. Admissions officers are oftentimes recent graduates of the very school where they now have the power to admit, wait list, or reject applicants. These admissions officers love their alma mater; that’s why they’re working as admissions officers–they don’t want college to end! So they care a lot about the next crop of students who move onto campus. They’re asking, “What kind of citizen is this person becoming?” Bragging will not endear them to you; the personal statement is NOT a list of your accomplishments - that is the purpose of the Common Application's Activities section. 

Contrary to popular belief, admissions officers are not counting service hours. When evaluating applications for Marquette, I read a million identical essays about students and their weeklong service trips to build houses and how that week showed them that they should appreciate what they have back home. (Surface-level service trip essays have the opposite effect in terms of showcasing compassion; the writer comes across as sheltered and privileged.)  

Another cliche topic is the trauma dump about a sports injury that taught the student to overcome adversity. First, why is every applicant getting injured on the playing field these days? Second, since so many teenagers are dealing with injuries, the topic is inherently cliche, so unless someone is applying into a direct-entry physical therapy program, I do not recommend this as a topic. (For those who are interested in PT, as part of a larger story, my advice is for the student to write about specific classes that have piqued their interest in the field, interactions with their physical therapist, and how all of this has combined to inspire them to pursue the same path.)

Essays about international travel typically paint the applicant as privileged, whether the applicant intends to make this impression or not. Essays about divorce are unfortunately a dime a dozen. Same with those focused on an applicant’s recent breakup. Never, ever write about a high school relationship in your personal statement. You do not want to write one of the essays that admissions officers share when they need a hearty laugh at the end of a stressful day.

Admissions officers have maybe 2-3 minutes with each application, so the essays that stand out are ones with catchy opening lines and that reveal something deeper about the applicant. Or that shed light on the applicant in an interesting way. Many kids write cliche essays about overcoming sports injuries, doing community service for one week of their lives, traveling to another country and having their eyes opened. Those essays don't reveal anything specific about the applicant. An essay about learning to balance water glasses and dinner plates filled to the brim in your job as a server at a restaurant is much more interesting. 

The truth is that you CAN include sports, service, travel, etc. in your essay if these topics exist in the context of a larger story, if they are connected to a thread that stitches its way through your life. The personal statement is not a recap of your entire life; it’s a slice-of-life view that reveals more about you and the themes that weave through your personality, experiences, and values. Show curiosity, vulnerability, and self-awareness. Show maturity, inquisitiveness, and introspection. This is especially true in an era where admissions officers are leaning more heavily into holistic review to diversify their incoming classes and in an age where students are creating formulaic, lackluster essays with AI.

Show how you learned that you can’t stutter when you’re singing and how you have empowered others to overcome stage fright.

Show how a punch in the stomach in the lunch line led you to learn martial arts and self-discipline. 

Show how you dive for buried vintage treasure in the Goodwill bins and how you’ve become an advocate for reducing fast-fashion waste.

Show how your passion for fishing has led to building community through authentic interactions with strangers while casting lines in the Milwaukee River.

Show how you love reading and how you’ve recommended titles to both young and old readers in your job as a bookseller at the local bookstore. 

The more you paint a picture with your words, the more you show instead of telling, the more the admissions gatekeepers get to know the real you. And the higher the likelihood that you will be admitted. Sharing that slice of your life can set the course for the next four years of your life!