The Personal Essay (Part 1). Why It Is Important in Your College Application. Two Things Admission Officers Want to Learn About You from Reading Your Essay. What the University of Chicago Wants You to Know About It.

#096 - Today, we begin a multi-episode series focused on the personal essay, that is the part of the application where you will have a chance to present yourself in a way that makes a positive and direct impact in your chances for admission into a college or university.

That is especially true for the more selective ones, who historically have given more weight to the importance of the personal essay.

The episode begins by highlighting the fact that the entirety of the college application will, in some ways, tell a story about you.

College admission officers will look at the academic and non-academic components of your application and begin to form ideas about who you are.

But, it is on the personal essay, where you, the person who you truly are, have a chance to tell your story in your own voice. This gives you an amazing chance to make a great impression on them.

Jankel presents information from the University of Chicago, in which they tell students who are applying directly from high school, exactly how they should write the essay, what they are trying to learn about you as they read your essay, and the great chance this gives you to connect with such a great institution.

We give you pointers on the essay, how to approach it, what to do and, in some ways, what not to do when it comes to writing it.

We urge you to begin writing it early, be honest, and above all, to not stress about it, but instead see it as a great opportunity to tilt the scales in your favor.

The essay is one of your best friends when it comes to your college admission path.

Link mentioned on this episode:

The University of Chiacago: At UChicago, you are more than your GPA or test score

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