Tips on writing an effective personal statement for U.S. college application for students who are seeking higher education degrees and scholarships in the U.S.

2. Strategies for an Effective Personal
Essay

3. What is EducationUSA?
• EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State network
• Over 430 international student advising centers in 178
countries and territories.
• FREE unbiased, accurate and impartial information
about all accredited universities in the U.S.

4. Israa Atef
EducationUSA Adviser – Cairo
Cairo@educationusa.org
EducationUSA Team in Egypt
Rasha Hamdy
EducationUSA Adviser – Alexandria
Alexandria@educationusa.org

5. 1- Public info session (Virtual & In-person)
2- Outreach sessions to schools and universities in Egypt
3- Webinars with US universities
4- The Competitive College Club (CCC) for undergraduate students
5- 1:1 45-minute consultation with advisers offered by request
6- EducationUSA Library
EducationUSA Services

6. EducationUSA can help you every step along the way.
The 5 Steps
Research Your
Options
Finance Your
Studies
Complete Your
Application
Apply For Your
Student Visa
Prepare For Your
Departure
Learn about the
variety of options
available and how
to identify an
institution that best
fits your needs.
Need funding?
Explore options or
check out our
university financial
aid opportunity list.
Plan ahead and
know the
documents and
requirements to
apply for your
program.
Become familiar
with U.S. student
visa requirements
and allow plenty of
time to prepare
your application.
Pre-departure
information
including gathering
documents for
arrival and
immigration
compliance.

7. Every little piece counts. And every university is different.
The “Application Package” for the U.S.
• Application Fee and Form – Your answers to questions and lists.
• Statement of Purpose and other Essays
• 2-3 Recommendation Letters
• Official Academic Records/Transcripts
• Exams (SAT/ACT, GRE, GMAT) Scores sent from testing agency.
• TOEFL iBT (or IELTS) Results sent from testing agency.
• Writing Samples, Research Papers, Portfolio, Other
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume
• Financial Aid Form and Documents as Proof
• Interview

8. You Will Be Writing Many, Many Essays
• 1-2 “Dream/Reach” Schools (25% or less)
• 2-3 “Mid-Range” Schools (25-70%)
• 1-2 “Plan B” Options (70+% or local)
_________________
5-10 colleges and universities
You want to be excited about the colleges and universities on
your list. Do your best on every essay.

9. The Importance of the Personal Essay
U.S. colleges and universities look at application
packages holistically.
The personal essay(s)/statement are the one place for
true student voice.
This is the where your achievements, goals, unique
contributions, and character all come together.

10. The Importance of the Personal Essay
For Undergraduate programs, the personal
statement shows your personality and how well
you fit the college or university as a whole.
For Graduate programs, the statement of purpose
expresses why you wish to follow a certain course of
study and what your primary goals are in applying
for that particular degree and department.
• Present any past experience in the relative field.
• Explain the triggering point to make you select this field.
• Introduce how you fit into the particular program.
• Emphasize your future goals.

11. Telling Your Story

12. Examples of Prompts
• Choose or discuss a quotation or a personal
motto that reflects your values and beliefs and
tells us something about the kind of person you
are.
• Indicate a person who has had a significant
influence on you and explain that influence.
• If you were given one year to spend in service on
behalf of others, what would you choose to do?
• What field of study do you wish to study? And
why?

13. What prompts are in the personal statement on Common App
(Undergraduate)?
• There are currently 7
prompts in the common
app to help students
brainstorm their essay
• These are the prompts for 2022

14. Weak essays make claims
-- and that’s it.
Well-written essays have
an abundance of evidence
in their body paragraphs.
Show them,
don’t tell them

15. Organize, Organize, Organize
The best essays have a system of organization with an introduction
paragraph, conclusion paragraph, and 2-4 body paragraphs in-
between according to the word limit.
Introduction Paragraph
ending with THESIS Sentence
Conclusion Paragraph
Body #1
Clear
Topic
Body #2
Clear
Topic
Body #3
Clear
Topic

16. Transition words/phrases connect sentences and paragraphs.
They help steer the reader.
Transitions indicate time, examples, exceptions, comparisons, and
sequences,
plus a whole lot more.
Examples: since, then, before, hence, likewise, in brief, therefore, to
summarize, consequently, until that time, ultimately, contrary to, in
conclusion, nevertheless, immediately following, to illustrate, on the other
hand, because, yet,…

17. Grab the Admission Officer’s Attention
The introduction paragraph should be designed
to attract the reader's attention and give him/her an
idea of the essay's focus.
Think of the opening scene to a movie. Use
Metaphors/Similes/Statistics/Personal Stories
(Give it a taste!)
"A good introduction paragraph does many things.
It attracts the reader's interest, states or points
toward the thesis, and takes the reader smoothly
into the body paragraphs." (Brandon, 2005, P.85)

18. The Top 5 Most Overused
Personal Statement Opening
Sentences are…
1. I am currently studying a BTEC National Diploma in ... (used 464 times)
2. From a young age I have always been interested in ... (309 times)
3. From an early age I have always been interested in ... (292 times)
4. Nursing is a very challenging and demanding career ... (275 times)
5. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with ... (196 times)
6. "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only” ... (189 times)
7. Nursing is a profession I have always looked upon with ... (178 times)
8. For as long as I can remember I have been interested in ... (166 times)
9. I am an International Academy student and have been studying since ... (141 times)
10. Academically, I have always been a very determined and ... (138 times)

19. Instead of listing what you
have done, talk about why
or how you did those
things.

20. Address Any Relevant Weaknesses
• Talk about one or two “red flags” or anything in
your file that will make the admissions officer
question your capacity. Keep this part short.
• Describe skills, experience and plans to overcome a
related challenge should it arise in the future.
• Stay positive and proactive. Rather than
complaining about your circumstances or blaming
others, show evidence of your action and
resilience. 80/20 Rule

21. End Strong
The conclusion paragraph brings closure to
the reader, summing up your points or
providing a final perspective on your topic.
Never introduce a new topic.
“Your concluding paragraph should give the
reader the feeling that you said all you want
to say about your subject." (Brandon, 2005, P.87)

22. Writing Counts

23. How To Start
Brainstorming Clustering Free Writing

24. Avoid Common Writing Mistakes
▪Contractions (it's, she'll, didn’t,): Use the full form.
▪Slang or Colloquial language (kid, a lot of/lots of, cool).
▪Ambiguous and overused words (meaningful, community, beautiful, challenging, invaluable,
rewarding)
▪Phrasal Verbs and Vague words (get away with, put in, went, nice, thing): Your writing needs
to be more precise and vivid.
▪Words you are unfamiliar with / Trying to impress
▪ Overuse of brackets or exclamation marks; direct questions to the reader; use of “etc.”
▪Run-on sentences or unchanging sentence structure
▪Mistakes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammar
▪Repetition of ideas, words or phrases

25. Use technical terminology
where appropriate. Write
clearly and interestingly, yet
also speak in a voice
appropriate to your age and
field.

26. Punctuation is Important/Powerful!

29. 1- Describe your emotions & uses strong feeling
2- Show, Do Not Tell, don’t treat PS as a resume
3- Reread it and create drafts, be patient: your perfect PS draft will
show up after 5 to 10 drafts
4-Be clear about the challenges you faced, how you solved them,
how they changed you, your personal growth etc.
5-Don’t make someone else the hero
6- Avoid the 3 Ds: death, disease, and divorce
7- Be organized, coherent, and relevant
Tips of Writing Effective Personal Essays

30. Useful Personal Statement
Resources
• On Writing the College Application Essay
• 12 Outstanding Personal Statement Examples + Why They Work 2023
• https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub

31. Take your research seriously. You have many free tools to help.
Search Tools and Resources
Global network of centers and thorough
website/app.
EducationUSA
Amideast
Information on testing, test prep, and fields of
study.
College board
Fantastic tools and resources for
undergraduate study, incl. SAT.
Petersons
Fantastic tools and resources for graduate study,
incl. GRE.
CHEA
Database of accredited American education
institutions.
US Embassy Cairo
Information on Student Visas and list of exchange
programs.
Numbeo, GPA Calculator
Cost of Living comparison, GPA calculator, and more.

32. Useful Websites
● https://www.petersons.com
● https://www.findamasters.com/
● https://www.mastersportal.com/
● https://www.findaphd.com/
● https://www.phdportal.com/
● https://educationusa.state.gov/
● http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-college-
solution/2011/02/22/how-to-measure-a-colleges-financial-
generosity
● https://www.unigo.com/

35. Israa Atef
EducationUSA Adviser – Cairo
Cairo@educationusa.org
EducationUSA Team in Egypt
Rasha Hamdy
EducationUSA Adviser – Alexandria
Alexandria@educationusa.org

36. Q&A
Cairo @educationusa.org
Alexandria@educationusa.org
www.educationusa.state.gov
36