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Writing a Common App essay about a personal achievement is a chance to showcase your growth, values, and resilience to admissions officers. This guide breaks down how to choose and discuss an accomplishment that is meaningful to you, which will help you craft a compelling and authentic story that resonates with admissions officers and strengthens your application!
How To Write A Common App Essay About A Personal Achievement
Choosing The Right Achievement
Meaningful: Choose an achievement that is meaningful to you. It does not have to be something large and impressive. You should discuss a personal achievement that you are proud of accomplishing no matter how large or small.
Unique: Think beyond commonly discussed achievements such as in sports, music or academics. Instead, focus on personal milestones and challenges that are unique to your lived experience. A good example of a unique achievement can be seen here.
Personal impact: Choose an achievement that had a significant impact on your life. How did accomplishing this achievement help you see the world in a new way? Did you develop any new skills or have a change in mindset as a result of this accomplishment?
Connection to personal interests: You should choose an achievement that highlights your personal interests such as your future goals and passions. If possible, you can also show the link between your achievement and how it connects to your intended major of study at college. A good example can be found here as the student mentions they would like to continue being an entrepreneur at university.
Highlighting Personal Growth
Reflect on challenges: Talk about the difficulties you came across when completing this achievement. Were they external (eg: time, resources) or internal (eg: self-doubt, fear)? What steps did you take to overcome these challenges and achieve your goals? A good example can be seen here.
Show transformation: Explain how this achievement helped you grow as a person. What did you learn about yourself, your strengths, or areas where there was room for improvement?
Connect to the future: Discuss how the skills you gained from this achievement will help you achieve your future goals. How do you plan on using this achievement to enhance your college life and contribute to the campus community?
Demonstrating Key Qualities
Resilience: Show how you were resilient in the face of challenges. This helps admissions officers see that you are passionate about achieving your goals no matter what comes your way.
Leadership: Discuss how you took the initiative to achieve your goal. How did you go above and beyond to ensure that you accomplished your achievement? This shows admissions officers that you have the drive and passion required for success in higher education. A good example of a student taking initiative can be found here.
Problem-solving: Highlight how you came up with creative solutions to problems or adapted to new circumstances to achieve success in your goals. This shows admissions officers that you can think innovatively, which is necessary in college.
Collaboration: If your achievement was based on a team effort, discuss how you worked with others and managed conflicts, scheduling issues, and any other factors associated with teamwork. This shows your people skills and is important for admissions officers to see as many aspects of college life may require teamwork such as working on group assignments, etc.
We hope that this post has helped give you some tips on how to write a college essay about a personal achievement. Good luck with your college applications!
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