The Art of the College Essay: Just One of Many Interviews

The chances are that you will work at more than 11 jobs in your lifetime.

According to a longitudinal study released in September 2010 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, individuals born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of 11 jobs from ages 18 to 44.    I would argue that the labor market looks vastly different now than it did from the 70s through the 90s when this data was collected, and we don’t know how many jobs this sample population held after age 44, but 11 is still a remarkable number for the baby boom generation.  It is also one of the few studies of its kind.

I wonder what the result would be if we replicated this study with Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1980, or the Millennials, born 1981 and later.  I imagine it would be higher.  Consider factors such as the ease with which computer technology has changed the labor market coupled with the recent unemployment rate–9.1% among the total population and 4.3% for those with bachelor’s degrees or higher–and I don’t think I’m wrong.  So, what does this all mean for the college application process?  For starters, it’s the first of many opportunities to learn the art of the personal statement.

If you are a senior in high school, by now you and your parents have downloaded a college application (or eight).  You’ve looked over each application and noticed that most require a personal statement, a.k.a., The College Essay.   You may even have a brand new word document open on your computer at this very minute.   If you don’t know what I mean, here’s a list of the essay topics from this year’s common application. https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx

*Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

*Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

*Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

*Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

*A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

*Topic of your choice.

It’s daunting, isn’t it?  How can it NOT be?  It’s a close look at you.   So, WHO are you?  What, you mean, that at age 17, you don’t know?

Relax.  You’re thinking of it the wrong way.  Fortunately, the process itself is designed to help you figure that out.  It is through the writing process that we learn who we are, and in this case, who we want to become.

Are you still staring at that blank screen waiting for the Personal Statement Muse to grace your shoulder and whisper into your ear?  While you’re waiting, try brainstorming by writing these four words: audience, voice, form, and purpose.

Audience: It’s your college admissions officer.  Aside from what you have listed in your application already, consider what else he or she should know about you.   The other audience is you.  It’s an intensely personal journey for you to figure out a defining moment of who you are now with almost two decades behind you and a whole world ahead.

Voice: Establish the right tone.  Is it personal, formal, serious, easy-going, or a combination?   Establish your ethos by conveying to the admissions officer that you are qualified to attend the school, and that you are a good and decent person.

Form: Yes, the form is an essay, but consider how you are going to organize it.  Is it a flashback to a recent event or a narrative of a conversation that happened?  Is it a series of two similar events that you are going to condense into essay form using one unique focus?  Still stumped?  Consider reading samples of college essays that worked by checking out a book at the library.  A word of caution:  read the samples to get a feel at what a good piece of writing looks like, not because you want to imitate the qualities that these former applicants described.  It’s YOUR personal essay after all.

Purpose:  Take a notebook and, as you travel through your days, jot down notes about possible topics for your piece.   Perhaps you will list scenes from your day, an important memory, a good conversation you had with someone that made you think differently about something, or a quality that you discovered keeps popping up in different facets of your life.  While you may consider writing about a pivotal moment in your life, consider also that the small details of your world are often just as important.    When you come to the end of the first draft, think about purpose. What is the ultimate point of your piece?  Then, revise and edit and polish.

Finally, remember that the application process is overwhelming in that it makes you examine every part of your life so far.  While our days are filled with activities, jobs, and responsibilities, each of us is more than the sum of our parts.  I think it is easy during this process to have regrets or feel inadequate from time to time.  So, if negative self-talk starts to weigh in, remind yourself to take a deep breath, and give yourself a break.  It’s only the beginning.

Read below for more information about works cited in this article.

Here is a link to the longitudinal study about the labor market from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics:

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/nlsoy.pdf

Here in another link to recent employment data from August 2011

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

Angela Staron is a certified English teacher for grades 7-12 and she works part time as a writing consultant and private tutor. To find out more information, access her blog at www.writingmadeeasy.wordpress.com.