10 Mistakes to Avoid With Your Personal Statement or Admission Essays

1. Failing to recognize the importance of the personal statement or admission essays.
2. Underestimating the difficulty and time involved in developing the essays.
3. Waiting until just before your deadline to begin work on the statement(s).
4. Trying to write your statement by committee, as some kind of group effort, with multiple “contributors.”
5. Submitting a personal statement that is more generic than personal.
6. Filling your statement with clichés.
7. Submitting an essay that does not reflect the maturity and sophistication that might be expected.
8. Submitting your essay with typos or grammatical errors.
9. Trying to “psych out” the committee rather than just telling your own story.
10. Writing a whining personal statement rather than a winning personal statement.