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Exercises For Students Writing Application Essays or Personal Statements

 

These exercises are designed to help you learn more about yourself, and to help you come up with ideas for your essays.

 

 

Exercise One: Self-Examination

 

 

• What makes me different? 

 

 

 

• What have I done that is unusual? 

 

 

 

• What do I enjoy doing? 

 

 

 

• What are my hobbies? 

 

 

 

• What values are important to me? 

 

 

 

• What are my strengths and skills? 

 

 

 

• What are my weaknesses? 

 

 

 

• What accomplishment am I most proud of? 

 

 

 

• What are three adjectives would I use to describe myself? 

 

 

 

• What kind of extracurricular activities have I participated in? Summer             

experiences? Paid and volunteer jobs? 

 

 

 

• Whom do I most admire and why? 

 

 

 

• How would my friends describe me? 

 

 

 

• What is my family like? 

 

 

 

• What experience have I had in the field I am applying to? 

 

 

 

• What research have I done? Have I published anything? 

 

 

 

• How do I see myself in ten years? 

 

 

 

• What obstacles have I overcome? 

 

 

 

• Why is this school (that I am applying to) right for me? What do I know about it and what type of student does it look for?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise Two: My Experiences and How They Influenced Me

 

 

What experiences have I had? (hobbies, jobs, volunteer, travel, sports extracurricular activities, religious events, personal relationships)

What does each show about me? What did I get out of these?  What did I enjoy?

 

 

Exercise Three: Identifying important characteristics in a profession and my corresponding talents

 

 

What makes a good ______? (lawyer, physicist, teacher, social worker, college student, etc.)

How have I demonstrated these qualities?