It’s easy to get stuck on your personal statement, worrying what to write about, how to write it, and whether or not it will be perfect or not. If you are having trouble with your personal statement, then why not take a cue from the experts? Studying how authors write good books, essays, and speeches is a good way to understand how to approach your own personal statement. Here are some common writing strategies used by essay writers and authors of all kinds:
Writing mostly in active voice
Making use of the active voice is one of the best approaches you can take for your personal statement. The active voice keeps your essay interesting and it adds some “action” to your essay. In other words, the active voice gives the reader the feeling that he or she is reading a story. The passive voice tends to be rather stagnant, stoic, and, at times, boring. No doubt, there will be a few passive voice sentences in your essay, but try to stick to the active voice to bring your essay to life.
Using clear transitions
In any style of writing, whether it be for an essay or a novel, having clear transitions is key to keeping the piece coherent and cohesive. The key in writing clear transitions is to make connections between each idea and each paragraph. If you are unable to write clear transitions, your reader won’t be able to follow your trail of thought and what your essay is talking about. Make sure that you tie together your thoughts, sentences, and paragraphs, so the reader can make connections in your essay from the very first to the very last word.
Making ideas flow in one direction
A third essential writing strategy is to make your ideas flow in one direction. Try not to skip around and write about various ideas without making clear connections. When the ideas in your essay don’t flow in one direction, it gives the admission committee the impression that you are disorganized and scatter-brained. A good way to ensure that your ideas flow in one direction is to make an outline. You may want to start with a particular idea for your introduction and end with a related idea in your conclusion. It’s important that you draw a line of thought and ideas from the introduction, through the body, and into the conclusion of your essay so the reader has a clear flow of thought to follow while they read.
Related links:
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Do’s and Dont’s – Do’s and dont’s for your college admission essay
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Transitional Words – Using transitional words in essay writing
Active Voice – About active voice vs passive voice
