action checklist
- Check off the ideas on your brainstorming list that grab your attention, for whatever reason.
- Examine the checked items and consider if there a pattern or connecting theme.
- Reflect on why these items or themes are important to you. Consider if that reason would itself make the best topic.
- Write something -- anything -- on these subjects.
Choosing a topic
Choosing a good topic
Now that you've got a list of potential topics, it's time to narrow the field.
Finding something to write about is a matter of trial-and-error. No amount of planning is going to take away the pain of writing, crumpling up your work, and starting over again. In fact, I guarantee you that your final essay will bear, at best, only passing resemblence to your original idea.
That said, you need to start somewhere, so... what makes a good topic?
1. It must be specific to you
A personal statement is about you; it is only valuable when it describes something unique about you. Being class president is unique to you -- and the 2,250 other class presidents in the country. It's far less likely, however, that someone else shared the specific challenges you faced as class president. And those specific experiences make for a far more compelling read.
Your topic must be something only you can write about. For this reason, the best topics are usually highly personal and anecdotal.
Remember, it's called a "personal statement." Choose a topic that says something about you as a person.
2. It must be important to you
Because the personal statement reflects who you are, its subject should be important about you. That doesn't mean that you can't choose a fun or even frivolous topic. But it can't only be frivolous, unless that's the message you want to send to your readers.
If you find yourself gravitating towards a subject that seems trite or lightweight, ask yourself: why is this topic so important to me? What does it say about me? For example, an essay about your love of classic "Roadrunner" cartoons might lead into a discussion of how you came to realize your own well-laid plans could never be fool-proof, or the love you had for Saturday morning "downtime," or how it was the one thing you and your little brother had in common.
3. It must be fun for you
You will be spending a considerable amount of time on these personal statements. Choose a subject you will enjoy.
Start writing
Unfortunately, no matter how much planning you do, the best way to get started is to... get started. Put finger to keyboard and get going! You'll be better able to evaluate your ideas when you have them in writing.