Your admission essay demands that you paint a vivid picture in short order. Sometimes you can do this by working through small details, which you put into a wider context. At it’s best, you will offer enough context so that your reader can read between the lines about you. I’ll illustrate.
I’m currently working on an essay that’s about coming to terms with the frailty of life and the preciousness of kid’s creations. But the essay doesn’t come out and say it. Instead, it illustrates these points by way of details. The story involves a paper crane, which my daughter left behind when she visited me in the hospital after I experienced a life-threatening illness. My then 8-year old, Ella, had been making so many paper cranes in the previous months, that they literally littered my house in her creative wake. Yet, this lone, paper crane left me to tears as I sat alone in my recovery room. I will draw upon the details of the crane, where I found it, and the scene of me sitting in the hospital room, alone, to contrast with the lively, rambunctious visit with my family earlier that evening. I do not plan to spell out the themes, yet if I craft the essay well, the reader will be able to infer the points of the essay.
In crafting your personal statement, you draw a fine line between the artistic and the explanatory. Sometimes, it’s perfectly acceptable to talk about what’s at stake in your story. Other times call for a light touch.
Happy Writing!
-Dr. Kirschner
