So, you've studied hard and volunteered, what's next? An important admissions criterion that colleges have adapted is the personal statement.

Your personal statement is your only chance to have a 'conversation' with the admissions committee. Thus, portraying yourself as a real student who overcame hurdles and have tangible achievements becomes important. Consider the admissions essay as a job interview only it will be on paper and you won't be present to impress them with your personality, skills, and knowledge. With that said, you would need to have those qualities shine through your sentences and paragraphs to be able to sell your product which is you...the student applicant.

Your personal statement can be a story about your journey as a high school, transfer, or returning adult student, whichever applies to your situation. For example, if you're applying as an animal science major, discuss any experience you may have while discovering your passion. You may also talk about how you were able to achieve your short term goal because of your will and motivation to succeed. Remember that your experiences are what make you who you are right now. They shape you into a more mature, responsible adult who is able to face even greater challenges that college life may throw your way.

Since this is a very important topic, I would like to provide you with an extensive example using my personal statement and the questions I answered. Remember, only use this as a reference because the questions change from year to year but the goal stays the same. And that goal is to get to know you as a person and a student and make the admissions committee want you to be a part of their academic institution.

One word of advice before you begin writing you admissions essay, keep the required 'word count' in mind. All universities have this requirement so make sure to check for your particular school's application instructions. Keep you essay within the limit without sacrificing your content. Hopefully, my following example will help.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

I can still remember that day so vividly in my mind when I sat in my usual study area feeling depressed and overwhelmed with all the work that was required of me from school. I wondered what compelled me to take in all these things that were quite overwhelming: sleepless nights spent studying, worrying about deadlines, dreading a class presentation and, most of all, finals week. Then one day I came to my English class, still quite unsure of my purpose in going to school. On that day, my teacher handed out an article entitled "Claiming an Education" by Adrienne Rich. As I read through the article, I asked myself, "What did she mean by claiming an education?" All this time, I thought education was supposed to be passive. I thought all students have to do to have an education is to come to class and take in everything that is taught to them. I thought wrong. This moment of awakening made me re-evaluate my purpose of earning my education.

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