What we covered

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