In our new series, Inside the Personal Statement Process, we’re taking you behind the scenes with Alisha, a current high school senior working through applications right now. If you've ever wondered what it's like working with Ethan in a session, this is the podcast for you!

You might remember a similar series last season with Cassidy, where we got to see her whole application process. Rather than focus on the whole application, I wanted to just dive specifically into working with Alisha through the personal statement process.

In Part 1, Alisha and I get into:

How did Alisha approach brainstorming and outlining for her personal statement?
What brainstorming activities helped Alisha to pick her topic?
Reading through Alisha’s first draft of her personal statement
Creating a reverse outline of Alisha’s first draft to set her up for writing the second draft
And more!

Alisha is a current high school senior going through the application process who loves science, movies, and discovering new places. When she’s not studying the brain, she’s mentoring younger students through her program Running Start or planning her next adventure.

We hope you enjoy our session!

Play-by-Play:

1:40 – Getting to know Alisha through her brainstorming materials
- 2:12 – Values
- 3:10 – “I love, I know” exercise
- 5:32 – Superpowers
- 6:32 – Career interests
- 12:00 – “Roles and Identities” exercise
- 15:09 – “Essence Objects” exercise
17:37 – Alisha discusses her personal statement topic
19:00 – Alisha walks through her essay outline and examples
31:55 – Alisha reads the first draft of her personal statement
35:45 – Alisha shares her thoughts on her draft
38:50 – Ethan gives feedback
46:00 – Ethan walks through the process of creating a “reverse outline” for draft two

Resources:

617: Inside the Personal Statement Process (Part 1): The Sand Essay with Alisha, HS Senior

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions