Dec 6, 2025
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By Justin Neiman, Former Ivy League Admissions Officer
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If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you just got deferred and are staring at your Common App personal statement wondering how much you actually like it. The essay is only one part of the college application, but it’s an important one. Here are a few ways to reassess your personal statement and decide whether it’s telling your story as well as it could.
I get this question a lot. The essay is only one part of the college application, but it’s an important one. At Ivy League universities and other T50 schools, the admissions process is holistic, which means the committee is evaluating students not just on grades and test scores, but on their full story — their contributions, background, goals, character, and impact.
The personal statement is one of the few places where a reader can understand how a student thinks, what shaped them, and what they might bring to a campus community. That’s why essays matter, especially at the most selective schools.
Start with two simple questions:
A few considerations:
Before changing anything, reread your essay from start to finish. Ideally, print it so you can look at it in a new setting instead of on the same screen where you drafted it.
Then ask yourself:
• Does this help me understand how the student thinks, or does it mainly restate what the student has done?
• Could another applicant with similar activities have written this, or does it feel specific and personal?
• Do the messages or takeaways support the student’s overall narrative or theme?
• Does this essay suggest that this is the kind of student who would thrive at our university?
If you reach the end and feel the essay is vague, generic, or reads like a list of accomplishments in paragraph form, revision is probably worth your time. If you finish it and think, “This sounds like me, tells a real story, and shows how I see the world,” you may not need major changes and might only need light polishing.
Every strong Common App essay has a spine: one central idea that holds the story together. It might be a question you’ve been wrestling with, a value that motivates you, or a tension you’ve been trying to resolve.
Try to summarize your essay in one sentence. If you can’t, the essay may be doing too much. That doesn’t mean you need to scrap it. It often just means you should:
• Cut side stories that don’t support the main idea
• Make the central thread clearer in the opening and closing
• Choose fewer moments and go deeper into them
In a busy admissions office, readers move quickly. Your intro and conclusion carry more weight than you might think. The opening sets the tone and signals whether the story will feel specific and grounded. The conclusion helps the reader understand why the story matters and what it reveals about you now. Take an honest look at how effective both are.
By the time Regular Decision applications are due, your application materials may look different than they did in early fall when you first finished your personal statement. Maybe you:
• Took on a new leadership role
• Had a major competition, performance, or event
• Discovered a new angle or “spike” in your interests
Your Common App essay doesn’t need to include everything, but it shouldn’t feel disconnected from who you are now. Ask yourself:
• Does this essay still feel like it shows who I am and what I care about?
If yes, you’re likely in good shape. If not, a thoughtful revision may help you present a more aligned and compelling narrative to your Regular Decision schools.
With Regular Decision deadlines approaching, be realistic about the work you can take on and your time constraints. Do you need:
• A light polish to tighten transitions and improve flow?
• A stronger opening sentence or first few lines?
• Or a major rewrite because you’re shifting to a different story entirely?
Time management matters here. Decide what capacity you have to commit to working on your personal statement versus your supplements, activities list, new applications and everything else competing for your attention.
If you’d like support with your Essays, ED2 Application or Regular Decision Applications, feel free to reach out.
If you’d like support with your Essays, ED2 Application or Regular Decision Applications, feel free to reach out.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you just got deferred and are staring at your Common App personal statement wondering how much you actually like it. The essay is only one part of the college application, but it’s an important one. Here are a few ways to reassess your personal statement and decide whether it’s telling your story as well as it could.
I get this question a lot. The essay is only one part of the college application, but it’s an important one. At Ivy League universities and other T50 schools, the admissions process is holistic, which means the committee is evaluating students not just on grades and test scores, but on their full story — their contributions, background, goals, character, and impact.
The personal statement is one of the few places where a reader can understand how a student thinks, what shaped them, and what they might bring to a campus community. That’s why essays matter, especially at the most selective schools.
Start with two simple questions:
A few considerations:
Before changing anything, reread your essay from start to finish. Ideally, print it so you can look at it in a new setting instead of on the same screen where you drafted it.
Then ask yourself:
• Does this help me understand how the student thinks, or does it mainly restate what the student has done?
• Could another applicant with similar activities have written this, or does it feel specific and personal?
• Do the messages or takeaways support the student’s overall narrative or theme?
• Does this essay suggest that this is the kind of student who would thrive at our university?
If you reach the end and feel the essay is vague, generic, or reads like a list of accomplishments in paragraph form, revision is probably worth your time. If you finish it and think, “This sounds like me, tells a real story, and shows how I see the world,” you may not need major changes and might only need light polishing.
Every strong Common App essay has a spine: one central idea that holds the story together. It might be a question you’ve been wrestling with, a value that motivates you, or a tension you’ve been trying to resolve.
Try to summarize your essay in one sentence. If you can’t, the essay may be doing too much. That doesn’t mean you need to scrap it. It often just means you should:
• Cut side stories that don’t support the main idea
• Make the central thread clearer in the opening and closing
• Choose fewer moments and go deeper into them
In a busy admissions office, readers move quickly. Your intro and conclusion carry more weight than you might think. The opening sets the tone and signals whether the story will feel specific and grounded. The conclusion helps the reader understand why the story matters and what it reveals about you now. Take an honest look at how effective both are.
By the time Regular Decision applications are due, your application materials may look different than they did in early fall when you first finished your personal statement. Maybe you:
• Took on a new leadership role
• Had a major competition, performance, or event
• Discovered a new angle or “spike” in your interests
Your Common App essay doesn’t need to include everything, but it shouldn’t feel disconnected from who you are now. Ask yourself:
• Does this essay still feel like it shows who I am and what I care about?
If yes, you’re likely in good shape. If not, a thoughtful revision may help you present a more aligned and compelling narrative to your Regular Decision schools.
With Regular Decision deadlines approaching, be realistic about the work you can take on and your time constraints. Do you need:
• A light polish to tighten transitions and improve flow?
• A stronger opening sentence or first few lines?
• Or a major rewrite because you’re shifting to a different story entirely?
Time management matters here. Decide what capacity you have to commit to working on your personal statement versus your supplements, activities list, new applications and everything else competing for your attention.
If you’d like support with your Essays, ED2 Application or Regular Decision Applications, feel free to reach out.
If you’d like support with your Essays, ED2 Application or Regular Decision Applications, feel free to reach out.
Former Admissions Officer, Harvard University
Former Assistant Dean, Stanford University
As a College Counselor I help students navigate the college admissions process. My goal is to help students stand out and get accepted to their top-choice schools.
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