[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-348983-105":53,"doc-detail-348983-en":126},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":119,"head_meta":121,"extra_data":123,"updated_unix":125},105,"en","writing-your-personal-statement-writing-the-essay","Writing Your Personal Statement - Writing the Essay","","Guide for writing a strong college personal statement essay: craft an authentic narrative that reveals personality beyond grades and activities. The material explains how to choose a focused, strengths-based topic, maintain an original voice, and support ideas with specific examples, reasons, and cause-and-effect experiences. It also provides clear do’s and don’ts, emphasizes early review of each college’s requirements, and recommends proofreading by others to ensure clarity, accuracy, and fit.",{"@graph":63,"@context":118},[64,80,101],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/writing-your-personal-statement-writing-the-essay/348983/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/writing-your-personal-statement-writing-the-essay/348983.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Aurelia","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-18","2026-09-22",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",{"@type":102,"mainEntity":103},"FAQPage",[104,110,114],{"name":105,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":107},"How do you choose a topic for a personal statement essay?","Question",{"text":108,"@type":109},"Choose a topic that highlights your strengths, keep the focus narrow and personal, and ensure it connects to your real experiences or qualities.","Answer",{"name":111,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What should you include to make the essay compelling?",{"text":113,"@type":109},"Share a specific personal story with detailed examples, reasons, and outcomes. Make sure readers can follow your main idea from beginning to end.",{"name":115,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What mistakes should you avoid when writing the essay?",{"text":117,"@type":109},"Avoid waiting until the last minute, listing many unrelated topics, only praising the college, relying on overused phrases, and submitting without proofreading beyond spell check.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":120,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":122,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":124,"site_id":56},348983,1790483863,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":127},{"doc_id":124,"user_id":128,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":76,"language":135,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":136,"faqs":137,"seo_title":138,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":139,"read_time":9},1099514068365,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/10000253d8d9f28188e?_k=1776742907772140068","Writing the Essay  \nEssays are your opportunity to share the story your GPA and extracurricular activities don’t tell. Admissions officers want to get to know you as a person, so make sure to let your personality shine!  \nTip  \nResearch essay  \nrequirements  \nChoose a topic that will highlight your strengths  \nKeep your focus narrow and personal  \nShow, don’t tell  \nUse your own voice  \nProofread  \nDon’ts  \nDo not wait until the last minute to find out if you need to write an essay.  \nDo not focus on the great aspects of the college, the amount of dedication it takes to be a doctor, orthe number of extracurricular activities you have done.  \nDo not try to cover too many topics. This will make the essay sound like a laundry list that does not provide any details about you.  \nDo not state something about yourself rather than sharing a story. For example, saying, “I like to surround myself with people with a variety of backgrounds and interests,” instead of describing a story that shows this to be true. Do not rely on phrases or ideas that people have used many times before. These could include statements like,“There is so much suffering in the world that I feel I have to help people.’’  \nDo not turn your essay in without proofreading it or relying only on your computer’s spell check to catch mistakes.  \nDo’s  \nCheck early to see what each college on your shortlist requires. Take note of essay topics, word limits, and formatting requirements.  \nShare your personal story and thoughts. Tell a specific story that highlights your best qualities.  \nFocus on one aspect of yourself so the readers can learn more about who you are. Remember that readers must be able to understand your main idea and follow it from beginning to end. Ask a parent or teacher to readjust your introduction and tell you what they think your essay is about.  \nInclude specific details, examples, stories, and reasons to develop your ideas. For the example to the left, describe a situation when various types of people surrounded you instead. What did you do? What did you take away from the experience?  \nWrite about an experience that you had and how it made you take action or how it changed your thinking.  \nAsk a teacher or parent to proofread your essay to catch mistakes. You should also ask the person who proofreads your essay if the writing sounds like you.  \nRemember to bring your essay with you to your school’s Apply Yourself Florida College Application Campaign event! You can bring it on a USB drive, or email the essay to yourself.  \nWriting Your Personal Statement  \nWriting the Essay  \nStep 1: Review the list of questions below and come up with a few answers. This will help you come up with topics to write about.  \nHOME AND FAMILY  \n• Have you ever lived outside the United States/in another country?  \n• Are you the first person in your family to go to college?  \n• Does your family speak any language(s) other than English?  \n• Do you live in a non-traditional family?  \n• Do your parents have unusual jobs?  \n• Did you move a lot growing up?  \n• Do you live in a town with a unique setting?  \n• Do you look up to anyone in your family?  \n• Has your family faced any hardships?  \nEDUCATION  \n• Have you won any awards and/or recognitions?  \n• Have you worked on a special class project?  \n• Do you have a favorite class that relates to your intended college major?  \n• Have you had any hard classes that you were determined to do well in?  \n• Do you have someone at school you look up to?  \n• Has your school gone through any hard times lately?  \n• Are you part of a special college-going or gifted program?  \nACTIVITIES  \n• Do you play a sport?  \n• Are you part of a school organization?  \n• Are you a leader of a team or club?  \n• Were you an underdog?  \n• Do you perform community service outside of school?  \n• Have you made any contributions to your community?  \nHOBBIES  \n• Do you play an instrument?  \n• Do you do anything creative?  \n• Do you have a favorite book?  \n• Do y","cbCairP2PjcBTtaZ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairP2PjcBTtaZ","pdf",86499,"English","# Writing the Essay\n## Tip\n## Do’s\n## Don’ts\n# Writing Your Personal Statement\n## Step 1\n## Step 2\n## Step 3\n## Step 4\n## Step 5","[{\"question\":\"How do you choose a topic for a personal statement essay?\",\"answer\":\"Choose a topic that highlights your strengths, keep the focus narrow and personal, and ensure it connects to your real experiences or qualities.\"},{\"question\":\"What should you include to make the essay compelling?\",\"answer\":\"Share a specific personal story with detailed examples, reasons, and outcomes. Make sure readers can follow your main idea from beginning to end.\"},{\"question\":\"What mistakes should you avoid when writing the essay?\",\"answer\":\"Avoid waiting until the last minute, listing many unrelated topics, only praising the college, relying on overused phrases, and submitting without proofreading beyond spell check.\"}]","Writing Your Personal Statement - Writing the Essay | PDF",1790081011]