Unlocking Personal Growth: How to Use it in Your College Essay Examples
For many high school seniors, the college essay is a daunting task. It is one of the most important pieces of writing that you’ll ever create. With this, admissions officers evaluate an applicant’s potential beyond academic qualifications. Your college essay will capture who you are as an individual, including your goals, values, experiences, and personality. While there are many strategies for crafting an essay that stands out, incorporating personal growth is one of the most effective. Here are some tips on how to use personal growth in your college essay examples.
What is Personal Growth?
Personal growth is the process of self-development based on reflection, self-awareness, and self-improvement. It is the intentional effort to identify strengths and weaknesses, evaluate past experiences, and set goals for the future. Through this process, you can learn from your mistakes, become more resilient, and cultivate self-confidence. Personal growth is a continuous journey, and every experience can contribute to it.
How to Incorporate Personal Growth in Your College Essay
Start by brainstorming the experiences that have shaped you. Think about the times when you have faced challenges or overcome obstacles. These experiences might have led to personal growth. To bring your experience to life, use descriptive language that allows the reader to see, hear, smell and feel what happened. Explain the emotions you felt and how they shaped you.
Next, examine your perspective on life. Have you had any epiphanies? Have you had any personal realizations? Have you re-evaluated any of your beliefs or values? In your essay, highlight how these moments led to a shift in your perspective, or highlight your newfound values or beliefs.
Don’t forget to speak about your response to the experience. Explain how the experience led to personal growth, and what you did to learn from it. Did the experience give you new insights, make you more empathetic, or cause you to change the way you treat others or yourself?
Example of How to Use Personal Growth in Your College Essay
During the summer between my junior and senior year, I worked at a local museum as a tour guide. I was excited to engage with the public and share the history of my hometown. It was a perfect opportunity to meet new people while honing my communication skills. However, during my first week, I struggled to connect with the visitors. My public speaking skills were rusty, and I didn’t know how to engage my audience. Thankfully, my boss was an excellent mentor. She could see my struggle and reminded me that everyone starts somewhere.
Over the next few weeks, I began to overcome my shyness, and I was eventually able to engage with the visitors. I learned the importance of listening, as well as how to tailor my tours to different groups of people. Through this experience, I was proud of my growth and knew that it was an invaluable skill that could be applied to my future roles. As a result, I decided to pursue a public speaking course and have since become a confident speaker.
Conclusion
Incorporating personal growth in your college essay examples is an excellent way to stand out from the crowd. Highlighting your ability to reflect, learn, and grow can exhibit your potential for academic and personal success. Remember to highlight specific experiences, outline your changes in perspective or values, and explore the emotional response to the experience. With these tips, you can confidently write an essay that is engaging, informative, and reflective of you.
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