Parenting Pointers: Personal Statements for College

Many college applications ask for personal statements. This is a chance for your student to shine. Unfortunately, it's a piece that sometimes either gets overlooked or thrown together, which can hurt your child's chances, particularly if the rest of their resume isn't exceptional. It can also mark the difference between your student and another equally qualified student on scholarship applications. So it's worth your student spending time writing a really good one, and then simply tweaking it slightly depending on the characteristics of the college or scholarship to which they are applying.

Make Them Want You: How to Write a Standout Personal Statement 15 Minutes at a Time is a book written for both parents and high school students that breaks this task down into easy chunks. By spending just 15 minutes a day, you can have a carefully crafted essay written in only three weeks. This idea of chunking the work is perfect for students who have a hard time completing a large project all in one step. For students who might be able to throw together an essay in one day, it's still worth reading because the chapters cover little details like writing to your audience - something that can be forgotten if the personal statement is getting written in one fell swoop.

If your child is applying for colleges, now is the perfect time to write a personal statement. If your child is only a junior in high school, this is also a good time to at least begin thinking about it. The earlier it gets done, the less you and your child have to stress about it - and if something major changes between now and college deadlines, it's still possible to edit to reflect whatever happened.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary e-book to facilitate this review.