What we covered
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What’s the purpose of the personal statement?
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Why I pretty much tell students to ignore the Common App prompts for the personal statement
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The differences between a personal statement and an English essay
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A brief intro to two possible personal statement structures
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My favorite brainstorming exercises & why I’ve settled on these
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How to brainstorm a narrative (challenges-based) essay and 7 mini exercises for brainstorming a montage (non-challenges-based) essay — in about 25 min each
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How these exercises have led to great essays
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A simple assessment tool for helping a student determine if a topic is likely to help them stand out or not
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A list of common personal statement topics students should perhaps steer clear of
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What to do if a student a) has a great topic, or b) doesn’t
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Two ways to help a large group of students choose a topic (relatively) quickly using the Choose Your Own Adventure Tool
