504: What Colleges Want (Part 4): A Crash Course in the Personal Statement with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) | The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions | Podwise
This podcast episode, part four of the "What Colleges Want" series, focuses on the personal statement in college applications. Ethan Sawyer (The College Essay Guy) and Tom Campbell discuss the purpose of the personal statement, emphasizing its role in showcasing a student's skills, qualities, values, and interests. They address common questions, such as whether to write about personal challenges (challenges, effects, what I did about it, what I learned), discussing future goals, and using extracurricular activities as topics. Sawyer introduces seven types of essay approaches for brainstorming: writing about something you love, essence objects, skills or superpowers, future career/major, home, identity, and uncommon extracurricular activities. The discussion also covers essay structures (montage vs. narrative), standing out with common topics by making uncommon connections, and the importance of values, insights, vulnerability, and craft in a standout essay. They also touch on the use of AI, the impact of the Supreme Court's decision on race-conscious admissions, and the overall value of the essay-writing process for students' personal growth and self-reflection.
