HOW did you ask for help writing your personal statement? (if you did)

[Gauss44]

So, if you didn't come up with every sentence of your personal statement on your own, how did you ask for help? What did you say that got you the help you needed? (I am asking about help writing, and putting lengthier thought descriptions into concise sentences and words, not basic editing or proofreading.)

While, in general, I'm a pretty good writer, there are some instances where I CAN describe in a few paragraphs, or verbally, the point I am wanting to make, and the tone I want to make it in, - but for the life of me, CANNOT come up with a sentence or two, saying the same thing, well-worded for a personal statement.

I have tried and tried to getting help with this, but it seems that even those who claim they want to help, quickly lose interest, change the meaning of what I am trying to say, or oversimplify and just can't seem to come up with anything nearly adequate - worse ideas than any I've had.

Sometimes I know the meaning of what I want to say, but have difficulty finding the words to say it quickly and simply. Actually, maybe that's exactly what I need to say to get the help I need. Anyhow ---

Anyone experience anything like this? Have any advice?

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[H2Oman]

Read more poetry.

A good poet will be a master of the sentence.

 

[wutwutwut]

does your college have a writing center or peer tutors of any kind? Because I know my college does and they actually have students who are paid to help with that kind of stuff.

If not, honestly I think maybe the best way to get better would be to practice writing yourself (and read a lot like H2Oman mentioned). Try writing what you were going to say in the couple paragraphs you said it would take you or whatever first comes to mind, and then from there try cutting stuff out you think is unnecessary. Also try using a thesaurus or google to find better words to describe what you are trying to say, both of these are ridiculously helpful for finding synonyms of words or phrases.

 

[DrMikeP]

There are businesses that do this sort of thing, but find one with someone who made it.

That or find a good English teacher and tell them to edit for technical not content errors.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[Gauss44]

does your college have a writing center or peer tutors of any kind? Because I know my college does and they actually have students who are paid to help with that kind of stuff.

If not, honestly I think maybe the best way to get better would be to practice writing yourself (and read a lot like H2Oman mentioned). Try writing what you were going to say in the couple paragraphs you said it would take you or whatever first comes to mind, and then from there try cutting stuff out you think is unnecessary. Also try using a thesaurus or google to find better words to describe what you are trying to say, both of these are ridiculously helpful for finding synonyms of words or phrases.

Unfortunately, I am not in college right now.

 

[ghostman]

I had trouble with my personal statement initially. I couldn't come up with a good topic. Every once in a while, I would think of a good sentence or a subtopic that I thought I should include, so I typed that bit into a document. One day, I thought of a good intro paragraph and started typing. With all the other bits and pieces I had already written down, I was able to type my entire personal statement in about an hour.

I brought my PS to my school, which offered essay-writing assistance. They made a few comments, but they loved the essay for the most part. I had those close to me read it as well. After a few edits, my final PS was complete.

In my essay, I never explicitly state "I wanted to be a doctor because...." or "I volunteered at...". I told the story of my motivations (as a nontraditional) and referenced some of my extracurricular activities naturally. I didn't try to force all my less relevant ECs or experiences into the story - they can gather that from the application. My PS was brought up a lot during my interviews.

I'm not a very literary or well-read guy. I would never read poetry on my own. Quite honestly, I doubt reading any poetry or great literary work is going to help you with a personal statement. Find your topic, jot down good ideas, try get an intro going and see how far you get. Have people you trust give real criticism, not just edit your grammar.