Following up on examples of how to begin and end your personal statement, I wanted to post another great beginning and ending from one of my private counseling students.

BEGINNING

I am not scared of heights, crowds, closed spaces, spiders, or snakes.  My pulse hardly quickens when I get up on stage in front of hundreds of people and speak, sing, or act.  But for a year every Saturday my palms would start sweating in anticipation of Sunday afternoon at 2:30.

At the time I had played the bassoon for four years.  I practiced occasionally and managed to put up with all the harassment one gets for playing the bassoon (Is that a baboon, bazooka, or buffoon?  Continue reading Personal Statement Sample

How to Begin & End Your Essay

Sometimes it’s easier to understand how to write a personal statement by reading through some good examples.  I am not giving these 3 examples so that anyone can use them for themselves.  This is just a good way to see how the lessons you’ve learned can be put to use.

BEGINNING:

All I could do was cry.  I couldn’t move.  I couldn’t think.  My hands gently glided over the letters etched into the granite stone.  I traced the distinctive letters and spelled out the names. The water was chilling and was beginning to numb my fingers.  Tears rolled down my face as the water streamed over the fountain.  I was sobbing uncontrollably as I cried like no one was watching me.

I had never been interested in the Civil Rights Movement during my first two years in high school.  Continue reading Personal Statement Example