


I believe that a narrative essay is more likely to stand out if it contains: With all that in mind, if you feel like you’ve faced challenges in your life, and you want to write about them … how do you do so well?Ī big part of the answer relates to structure.

But I’ve also seen many, many, many outstanding essays (like many of the essays at those links) that didn’t focus on challenges at all, using Montage Structure. You definitely can write about strong challenges you’ve faced, and I’ve seen them turn into great essays. I’ve seen tons of essays in which students take a low-stakes challenge, like not making a sports team or getting a bad grade, and try to make it seem like a bigger deal than it was.īut you also don’t have to write about challenges even if your challenges were legit challenging.
#You will be found college essay writing challenge 2021 how to#
Personal statements are also often used by scholarship selections committees (for a guide to and some great examples of scholarship essays, head here).Ī college essay/personal statement isn’t the typical five-paragraph essay you write for English class, with an argumentative thesis and body with analysis.Ī note on forcing challenges: Before we dive into how to write about challenges, I want to dispel a huge misconception: You don’t have to write about challenges at all in a college essay. This essay is a core element of your application-admission offices use them to assess potential candidates. How to know if your challenges essay is doing its jobīy the end of this post, you should be all set to write.Ī personal statement is an essay in which you demonstrate aspects of who you are by sharing some of the qualities, skills, and values you’ll bring to college. How to avoid sounding like a sob story (Part 2: Technique) How to avoid sounding like a sob story (Part 1: Structure)Īn example challenges essay with analysis How to gauge the strength of your possible “challenges” topic In this post, I’ll walk you through:ĭifferences between a college essay/personal statement and a typical English class essay I frequently have students tell me that they’ve faced some challenges they think might make for a good college essay, but they aren’t sure how to gauge the strength of their topic, and they aren’t sure how to write a college essay about the challenges they’ve faced.Īnd those questions and confusion are understandable: While high school has probably helped prepare you to write academic essays, it’s less likely that you’ve spent much time doing the kind of personal and reflective writing you’ll want to do in a personal statement focused on challenges (which I’ll also sometimes refer to as a narrative essay).Įven the phrase “reflective writing” might seem a little new.īut no worries-I got you.
