action checklist
- Say it in a sentence. Keep revising your message until it captures only one main idea.
- Make your message as specific as possible. Eliminate vague generalities. Make your message distinct from what everyone else has ever said about this topic. This usually means making the message as personal as possible.
- Write or print out your message and tape it to the wall, or next to your computer monitor, or wherever you will see it clearly.
Refine your message
Taking the time to refine your message is one of the most important things you can do to improve your writing. Many of my students tended to avoid this step because it doesn't feel like you're "doing" anything. But writing an essay without a clear, focused message is like building a house without a plan -- the results will be neither expected nor happy.
1. say it in a sentence
Try to state your message in a single, simple sentence. Don't cheat by cramming two ideas into a compound sentence. One main idea is all you can fit in something as short as an admissions essay.
Most people find this step the hardest part of writing. You will need to let go of some very good ideas in order to focus on your one, main message. Remember that you can always go back and choose one of the "leftover" ideas later.
2. make your message specific
Focus your message: choose concrete over abstract, specific over general. You'll find this difficult to do if you've actually crammed multiple messages into one. If so, go back to step 1 and keep distilling your message.
| instead of: | try: |
| Why I love Emily Dickinson. | Emily Dickinson awoke in me a deeper understanding of God's role in my life. |
| People don't see me for who I am. | People who see me as an academic achiever often fail to recognize my creative, artistic side. |
| Being class president honed my leadership skills. | Being class president taught me that to be a good leader, you have to be willing to both accept and delegate responsibility. |
3. make your message about you
Make sure the message says something about you as a person. You are writing a personal statement, not an intellectual treatise. Even if your topic is obscure, your message should be what your interest in this topic says about you.
4. use your message
Now that you've found your message, you'll need to focus on it and trim away the rest.