In our previous post, we looked at six common college essay mistakes—including the tendency to rely on broad, “profound” statements instead of revealing something genuinely personal.
This post takes a closer look at that first mistake: how to stop writing generic truths and start writing about the details that make you, you.
Because the goal of a great personal statement isn’t to sound profound.
It’s to write the essay no one else could have written.
1. Ditch the “College Essay Voice”
You don’t need to sound like a 45-year-old professor to write a good college essay.
In fact, trying too hard to sound sophisticated can make your writing feel less personal.
Compare:
“The pungent scent of moisture-laden clods of earth entered my unwavering nostrils.”
with:
“I smelled mud.”
The second version is simple. And that’s exactly why it works.
The same goes for vague descriptions:
“A sea of AP classes kept me busy.”
What were you actually doing?
“I was conjugating the Spanish verb ver—‘to see’—for about the twentieth time.”
Small, literal facts are more memorable than big, dramatic language.
2. Look for the Objects That Tell Your Story
Sometimes the easiest way to write about yourself is to start with something you own.
An old basketball.
A friendship bracelet.
A beat-up notebook.
A book covered in your annotations.
A recipe card from your grandmother.
An ordinary object can hold memories, relationships, and emotions that are difficult to explain directly.
Ask yourself:
“What object in my room could tell someone something important about me?”
Then follow the story behind it.
You might discover that you’re not really writing about a basketball at all. You’re writing about your relationship with your father, your need for independence, or your fear of disappointing someone.
3. Don’t Be Afraid of Boring Topics
You don’t need to have climbed Everest or won a national championship to write a great college essay.
Some of the best topics are incredibly ordinary:
- washing cars
- baking a cake
- dealing with frizzy hair
- arguing with your sibling
- taking the bus
- fixing something that broke
The topic itself isn’t what makes an essay interesting.
What you notice about it does.
Two students can write about washing cars. One writes a generic lesson about hard work. The other notices something nobody else would have noticed—and suddenly the essay belongs to them.
Don’t search for a “super topic.”
Search for your perspective.
4. Show First. Then Tell.
A common mistake is explaining the meaning of an experience before giving the reader the experience itself.
Instead, try this:
SHOW → TELL
Show: Put us inside a specific moment.
What happened? Where were you? Who was there? What did you see, hear, smell, or do?
Then tell: Step back and explain what you were thinking.
What did you realize? What confused you? What changed? Why does this moment matter?
Think of it as:
First, create the scene. Then, explain what it means.
Give us the experience before giving us your interpretation.
5. Try the “Someone Else” Test
This is one of the simplest ways to make your college essay more personal.
Read your draft sentence by sentence and ask:
“Could someone else have written this?”
If the answer is yes, stop.
Can you replace the general statement with a specific detail?
Instead of:
“I learned the importance of perseverance.”
Tell us what you actually did when you wanted to quit.
Instead of:
“My family has always supported me.”
Show us the ridiculous text your mom sent you at 2 a.m. before your exam.
Instead of:
“I value independence.”
Tell us about the first time you made a decision your parents strongly disagreed with.
The more sentences that could belong only to you, the more memorable your essay becomes.
The Goal: Write the Essay No One Else Could Write
Your college essay doesn’t need to prove that you’re extraordinary.
It needs to make the reader feel like they’ve met you.
So skip the grand life lessons.
Use the small details.
Write about ordinary things.
Show us what happened before explaining what it meant.
And keep asking:
“Could someone else have written this?”
If the answer is no, you’re probably getting somewhere.