Been seeing a lot of posts on other related sub-Reddits asking about brainstorming ideas for the personal statement. I've organized my thoughts and comments for a method that has been

One method of approaching the college essay that I have found to have worked with many students, especially those who are a little bit lost in finding a direction, is doing some extensive mind mapping.

Step 1

First, systematically and thoroughly lay out everything there is that is important to you. I'm talking about people, objects, places, things, events, challenges, achievements, hobbies, interests, quirks, habits, relationships, etc. Lay all of that out, no matter how small it may seem to you in the eyes of the admission officers. Leave no stone unturned. I find that a mind map web works the best with a hub and spoke model. MindNode and Simple Mind are great apps to help you with this.

Spend at least 30 minutes on this.

Step 2

Then, I want you to go through each item and think about what you do with those items or how those events or challenges have shaped you, or how you have interacted with these people who are important to you. And start laying out what values that you hold are associated with each item.

Here are some examples of values: honesty, vulnerability, responsibility, community, diversity, family

Write them all down even if you feel like these are stereotypically related to the item you are attached the value to.

This might take a long time. Students I have worked with have spent at least 30 minutes on this step, if not more than that up to two hours or so laying out everything there is about them. It is important for you to build the toolbox of information about yourself in order to then systematically identify what are the possible directions you can take your personal statement.

Step 3a

Next, I want you to look at this mind map and identify different items on your mind map that have values in common and start making connections between those things. You may realize that there are two different items on your mind map that might seem disparate from each other, but might also link to common values that you uphold.

Remember that all roads lead to Rome, with Rome being who you are and your personality.

This might start looking like a meme from Always Sunny but I've encouraged students to even draw lines linking values together across things on their mind map. The "stranger" the combo, the more potential you have for something interesting. For example, I have had a student link his love for skateboarding to his love for being a DJ through a shared value of variety between all the different tricks he tries and different transitions he comes up with in DJing, plus the fact that he thinks about different tricks through songs.

Step 3b

Many times, you may even have groups of 3 or 4 things that are associated with a common values. That's good! This might be a good moment for you to reflect why that is and how that values might be core to who you are.

As you make these connections, you might also come up with more values for certain things on your mind map in order to make a connection with other pieces of your mind map. Sure! Do that! If it helps to make sense of what you care about and who you are—by all means!

Step 4

Now for the more "narrative" parts of your brainstorming: I want you to think about how have you come to uphold those values? Did you always hold them or did you have to grow into those values? And from these items or events or people, how have you grown in general? And as you've come to hold these values, what lessons and insights have you taken away? And then how do you or how have you acted upon those lessons.

Step 5

From here, once you have identified the key things about you and the values that you want to share with the admission officers in your personal statement, you should start outlining with more structure. One way this can look like is a table with these columns:

Value I want to show	How I’ve shown this value (what thing from my mindmap)	Insights — So what? Links to other values that I have learned in cultivating this particular value?	What positive aspects are being shown through my actions & insights?

I think it's really important for students to recognize what aspects of themselves they can utilize to build a strong personal statement. Building that toolbox is an important first step. You have to know what tools you're working with before crafting that essay. I hope this helps!

Been seeing a lot of posts on other related sub-Reddits asking about brainstorming ideas for the personal statement. I've organized my thoughts and comments for a method that has been

One method of approaching the college essay that I have found to have worked with many students, especially those who are a little bit lost in finding a direction, is doing some extensive mind mapping.

Step 1

First, systematically and thoroughly lay out everything there is that is important to you. I'm talking about people, objects, places, things, events, challenges, achievements, hobbies, interests, quirks, habits, relationships, etc. Lay all of that out, no matter how small it may seem to you in the eyes of the admission officers. Leave no stone unturned. I find that a mind map web works the best with a hub and spoke model. MindNode and Simple Mind are great apps to help you with this.

Spend at least 30 minutes on this.

Step 2

Then, I want you to go through each item and think about what you do with those items or how those events or challenges have shaped you, or how you have interacted with these people who are important to you. And start laying out what values that you hold are associated with each item.

Here are some examples of values: honesty, vulnerability, responsibility, community, diversity, family

Write them all down even if you feel like these are stereotypically related to the item you are attached the value to.

This might take a long time. Students I have worked with have spent at least 30 minutes on this step, if not more than that up to two hours or so laying out everything there is about them. It is important for you to build the toolbox of information about yourself in order to then systematically identify what are the possible directions you can take your personal statement.

Step 3a

Next, I want you to look at this mind map and identify different items on your mind map that have values in common and start making connections between those things. You may realize that there are two different items on your mind map that might seem disparate from each other, but might also link to common values that you uphold.

Remember that all roads lead to Rome, with Rome being who you are and your personality.

This might start looking like a meme from Always Sunny but I've encouraged students to even draw lines linking values together across things on their mind map. The "stranger" the combo, the more potential you have for something interesting. For example, I have had a student link his love for skateboarding to his love for being a DJ through a shared value of variety between all the different tricks he tries and different transitions he comes up with in DJing, plus the fact that he thinks about different tricks through songs.

Step 3b

Many times, you may even have groups of 3 or 4 things that are associated with a common values. That's good! This might be a good moment for you to reflect why that is and how that values might be core to who you are.

As you make these connections, you might also come up with more values for certain things on your mind map in order to make a connection with other pieces of your mind map. Sure! Do that! If it helps to make sense of what you care about and who you are—by all means!

Step 4

Now for the more "narrative" parts of your brainstorming: O want you to think about how have you come to uphold those values? Did you always hold them or did you have to grow into those values? And from these items or events or people, how have you grown in general? And as you've come to hold these values, what lessons and insights have you taken away? And then how do you or how have you acted upon those lessons.

Step 5

From here, once you have identified the key things about you and the values that you want to share with the admission officers in your personal statement, you should start outlining with more structure. One way this can look like is a table with these columns:

Value I want to show	How I’ve shown this value (what thing from my mindmap)	Insights — So what? Links to other values that I have learned in cultivating this particular value?	What positive aspects are being shown through my actions & insights?

I think it's really important for students to recognize what aspects of themselves they can utilize to build a strong personal statement. Building that toolbox is an important first step. You have to know what tools you're working with before crafting that essay. I hope this helps!

I work primarily with rising seniors on college apps and rising juniors getting their footing for next year. Everything below is geared toward where most of you reading this probably are right now: junior spring into senior summer, when the personal statement actually starts taking shape.

Free workshop series — Main Edison Public Library, Wednesdays at 7:00 PM

Interactive, not lecture-style. Bring a laptop or notebook.

• May 13 — Personal Statement & Activity List Primer
• May 20 — Brainstorm & Outline: Montage Essays
• May 27 — Brainstorm & Outline: Narrative Essays

May 13 is the natural starting point if none of this is on your radar yet. The next two sessions give hands-on practice in the two most common essay structures, so you walk out with material you can plug straight into a Common App draft.

Register: https://share.hsforms.com/1JpHozCYPTxCoWO2sodqmGQrv688

Access Scholars Application 2026 — Pro bono program — open to first-gen and/or low-income students residing in the US

Separately from the local stuff, I'm also running a pro bono application for first-generation and low-income students who would benefit from professional counseling but for whom it isn't financially feasible. If that's you, or a student you know, you can apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-7VUJvqKmE6CBfXC-WjHFooa8bu4IETIB4n5aacHxZY/edit

No catch, no upsell. Selected students get real counseling support at no cost.

Happy to answer questions in the comments. And if none of this fits your situation or you can't make these seminars, feel free to share an essay or a question in the thread anyway. I read and respond to a lot of stuff on this sub!

So, having read a lot of essays across these subreddits at this point, and having reviewed a lot of personal statements over the years, there’s something I keep noticing, especially around this time of the year:

A lot of you out there are treating the personal statement like it’s a creative writing project. I’m seeing a lot of metaphors, similes, symbolism, really flowery language, fluffy language… look, there are creative writing elements involved in a personal statement. Absolutely.

You need to know how to tell a story and bring the reader into your world, your mindset, your emotions, your experiences. Those are all important parts of good writing for a personal statement.

But the personal statement itself is not a full-blown creative writing exercise. And I think this is where a lot of students start missing the point.

I’ve read a lot of essays where these essays sound beautiful, poetic, with really strong language. But unfortunately… a lot of them still don’t achieve what admission officers are actually looking for. Because when we talk about the personal statement, we’re not just talking about “good writing.”

We’re talking about admission nutrients (credit to College Essay Guy for coining that), things like:

• Intellectual curiosity
• Values
• Insight
• Vulnerability
• Self-awareness
• Craft

If I finish your essay and I’m thinking more about your metaphors than who you actually are as a person… there’s probably a problem.

If your essay starts reading like poetry… or fiction… or something really avant-garde… you’re probably doing too much.

And what often happens is that all that beautiful language starts obscuring the very things an admission officer is actually trying to understand:

• Who are you?
• What do you care about?
• What have you struggled with?
• What have you learned?
• How do you think?
• How do you handle challenge?
• What kind of person are you bringing to campus?

Yes: beautiful writing matters. Craft matters. But beautiful writing without clarity, insight, or emotional honesty usually doesn’t land the way students think it does.

So just something I wanted to note, because I’ve been seeing this a lot lately while reading essays on Reddit.

So, having read a lot of essays across these subreddits at this point, and having reviewed a lot of personal statements over the years, there’s something I keep noticing, especially around this time of the year:

A lot of you out there are treating the personal statement like it’s a creative writing project. I’m seeing a lot of metaphors, similes, symbolism, really flowery language, fluffy language… look, there are creative writing elements involved in a personal statement. Absolutely.

You need to know how to tell a story and bring the reader into your world, your mindset, your emotions, your experiences. Those are all important parts of good writing for a personal statement.

But the personal statement itself is not a full-blown creative writing exercise. And I think this is where a lot of students start missing the point.

I’ve read a lot of essays where these essays sound beautiful, poetic, with really strong language. But unfortunately… a lot of them still don’t achieve what admission officers are actually looking for. Because when we talk about the personal statement, we’re not just talking about “good writing.”

We’re talking about admission nutrients (credit to College Essay Guy for coining that), things like:

• Intellectual curiosity
• Values
• Insight
• Vulnerability
• Self-awareness
• Craft

If I finish your essay and I’m thinking more about your metaphors than who you actually are as a person… there’s probably a problem.

If your essay starts reading like poetry… or fiction… or something really avant-garde… you’re probably doing too much.

And what often happens is that all that beautiful language starts obscuring the very things an admission officer is actually trying to understand:

• Who are you?
• What do you care about?
• What have you struggled with?
• What have you learned?
• How do you think?
• How do you handle challenge?
• What kind of person are you bringing to campus?

Yes: beautiful writing matters. Craft matters. But beautiful writing without clarity, insight, or emotional honesty usually doesn’t land the way students think it does.

So just something I wanted to note, because I’ve been seeing this a lot lately while reading essays on Reddit.

It's probably one of the harder parts of an application to give an objective score. I'm just curious what standard you guys are operating on when self-evaluating your essays for a chanceme post.

This subreddit was created as a place for honest, high-quality advice about the college admissions process, without the slop, misinformation, fearmongering, or empty reassurance that often spreads in college admissions spaces online.

Here, our goal is simple:

Give students better advice. Help families understand what actually matters. Push people to improve their strategy, writing, school list, and overall application approach.

We, as a community, are especially focused on competitive applicants aiming for selective and highly selective universities, but anyone who wants thoughtful admissions advice is welcome here.

You can post here for feedback on:

• Your college list
• Your extracurricular profile
• Your intended major strategy
• Your essays and essay ideas
• Your activity list
• Your awards/honors section
• ED/EA/RD strategy
• Waitlist or LOCI strategy
• General admissions questions

What This Subreddit Is

This is a place for advice that is:

• Honest: not everything needs to be sugarcoated.
• Specific: generic advice like “just be yourself” is not enough.
• Strategic: college admissions is not just about having good stats.
• Evidence-based: advice should be grounded in how admissions actually works.
• And most importantly, Respectful: direct does not mean cruel.

If your profile needs work, people should be able to say that.

If your school list is unrealistic, people should be able to say that.

If your essay topic is cliché, underdeveloped, or not revealing enough about you, people should be able to say that.

But the goal is never to tear people down. The goal is to help people see what needs to improve.

What This Subreddit Is Not

This is not a place for:

• Random doomposting
• “Am I cooked?” posts with no context
• Prestige obsession without strategy
• Blindly telling everyone they can get into Harvard
• Blindly telling everyone they have no chance
• Misinformation about race, hooks, essays, test-optional policies, or admissions readers
• Low-effort profile dumps with no actual question
• Essay theft, plagiarism, or AI-generated application writing

We are not here to sell fantasy. We are also not here to crush students for no reason. We are here to give better advice.

How to Get Better Feedback

If you want useful feedback, please give people enough context.

For profile reviews, include:

• Grade level
• Intended major
• GPA / course rigor / progression of courses on your transcript
• Test scores, if available
• Major extracurriculars
• Awards
• School context, if relevant
• State / domestic / international status
• Demographic information / stats
• Current college list
• What kind of advice you actually want

For essay feedback, include:

• The prompt
• The idea or draft
• What you are worried about
• What you want the essay to show about you

For school list feedback, include:

• Intended major
• Academic profile
• Financial constraints, if relevant
• Geographic preferences
• Size / campus / culture preferences
• Current list divided into reach, match, and likely if possible

The more specific your post is, the better the advice will be.

A Note on “Chance Me” Posts

Chance-me posts are allowed, but they need to be useful.

No one can give you an exact percentage. Admissions is too contextual for that with a lot of "black box" institutional priorities. But people can help you understand whether your list is balanced, whether your profile supports your goals, and where your application may need stronger positioning.

A good chance-me post should lead to strategy, not panic.

A Note on Essay Advice

For essays, the strongest feedback usually goes beyond grammar.

Good personal statement feedback should ask, for example:

• What do we actually learn about the student?
• What values and insights come through?
• Is the topic too common? Does the essay need more personal detail?
• Is the reflection specific enough?
• Does the essay show growth, complexity, or self-awareness?
• Is the writing serving the student, or just trying to sound impressive?

An essay does not need to be dramatic to be strong. But it does need to reveal something meaningful about the person writing it.

Community Expectations

Please be direct, but don’t be lazy.

“Mid profile” is not advice.

“You’re cooked” is not advice.

“Just shotgun T20s” is not advice.

“Your essay sucks” might be frank, but it is disrespectful and is only useful if you explain why and what the student can do next.

Good advice should help someone leave with a clearer sense of what to improve.

Final Thoughts

College admissions is confusing enough. Students and families do not need more noise. You do not need more noise!

We're meant to be a place where people can ask serious questions and get serious answers that is honest, thoughtful, practical, and respectful. Welcome all, be good to each other, and good luck!

Since it's writing season for all you rising seniors out there...

I’ve been reading essays and helping students on Reddit with their personal statements for a while now, and I just want to name something I’ve been noticing that I think would be useful advice: both for those of you looking for help on your essays and for those giving advice here.

I’ve read a lot of essays on here. Some strong, some that need massive improvement. And I’ve also read a lot of comments on those essays. One thing I’ll say, at least from my experience: when I’m reading your essay as someone who knows absolutely nothing about you (just like an admission officer), I can tell you what’s working and what needs improvement within the 650 words you’ve given me.

But what I can’t do, without knowing you, is tell you how to improve the essay in a more meaningful, bigger-picture way.

I can only respond to what’s on the page.

I see a lot of comments where people are, to be honest, sometimes gassing students up, like “this is a great draft," and I feel a bit skeptical about that. Within the boundaries of the essay you’ve provided, sure, maybe there are things that are solid. But I don’t know you. I don’t know what else you bring to the table. There could be a lot more depth, context, or direction that’s completely missing. I just don’t have access to it.

So I want you all to keep this in mind: when you’re getting advice on Reddit, the person reviewing your essay does not know you. I don’t know you either. And that limits how much we can really help. I would take most comments with a grain of salt, unless you're seeing a lot of similar comments across people.

If you’re serious about getting strong, meaningful feedback, it really helps your reviewer to know more about you: your background, your interests, your goals, your other experiences, so they can actually guide you beyond just surface-level edits.

The best analogy I can give is this: it’s kind of like using an AI chatbot. It's great at digesting information and pointing you in the right direction, but if the quality of the input is limited, then the output will also be limited.

Just something I wanted to put out there based on what I’ve been seeing both in essays and in the advice being given across subs.

Happy writing, y'all!

Since it's writing season for all you rising seniors out there...

I’ve been reading essays and helping students on Reddit with their personal statements for a while now, and I just want to name something I’ve been noticing that I think would be useful advice: both for those of you looking for help on your essays and for those giving advice here.

I’ve read a lot of essays on here. Some strong, some that need massive improvement. And I’ve also read a lot of comments on those essays. One thing I’ll say, at least from my experience: when I’m reading your essay as someone who knows absolutely nothing about you (just like an admission officer), I can tell you what’s working and what needs improvement within the 650 words you’ve given me.

But what I can’t do, without knowing you, is tell you how to improve the essay in a more meaningful, bigger-picture way.

I can only respond to what’s on the page.

I see a lot of comments where people are, to be honest, sometimes gassing students up, like “this is a great draft," and I feel a bit skeptical about that. Within the boundaries of the essay you’ve provided, sure, maybe there are things that are solid. But I don’t know you. I don’t know what else you bring to the table. There could be a lot more depth, context, or direction that’s completely missing. I just don’t have access to it.

So I want you all to keep this in mind: when you’re getting advice on Reddit, the person reviewing your essay does not know you. I don’t know you either. And that limits how much we can really help. I would take most comments with a grain of salt, unless you're seeing a lot of similar comments across people.

If you’re serious about getting strong, meaningful feedback, it really helps your reviewer to know more about you: your background, your interests, your goals, your other experiences, so they can actually guide you beyond just surface-level edits.

The best analogy I can give is this: it’s kind of like using an AI chatbot. It's great at digesting information and pointing you in the right direction, but if the quality of the input is limited, then the output will also be limited.

Just something I wanted to put out there based on what I’ve been seeing both in essays and in the advice being given across subs.

Happy writing, y'all!

Since it's writing season for all you rising seniors out there...

I’ve been reading essays and helping students on Reddit with their personal statements for a while now, and I just want to name something I’ve been noticing that I think would be useful advice: both for those of you looking for help on your essays and for those giving advice here.

I’ve read a lot of essays on here. Some strong, some that need massive improvement. And I’ve also read a lot of comments on those essays. One thing I’ll say, at least from my experience: when I’m reading your essay as someone who knows absolutely nothing about you (just like an admission officer), I can tell you what’s working and what needs improvement within the 650 words you’ve given me.

But what I can’t do, without knowing you, is tell you how to improve the essay in a more meaningful, bigger-picture way.

I can only respond to what’s on the page.

I see a lot of comments where people are, to be honest, sometimes gassing students up, like “this is a great draft," and I feel a bit skeptical about that. Within the boundaries of the essay you’ve provided, sure, maybe there are things that are solid. But I don’t know you. I don’t know what else you bring to the table. There could be a lot more depth, context, or direction that’s completely missing. I just don’t have access to it.

So I want you all to keep this in mind: when you’re getting advice on Reddit, the person reviewing your essay does not know you. I don’t know you either. And that limits how much we can really help. I would take most comments with a grain of salt, unless you're seeing a lot of similar comments across people.

If you’re serious about getting strong, meaningful feedback, it really helps your reviewer to know more about you: your background, your interests, your goals, your other experiences, so they can actually guide you beyond just surface-level edits.

The best analogy I can give is this: it’s kind of like using an AI chatbot. It's great at digesting information and pointing you in the right direction, but if the quality of the input is limited, then the output will also be limited.

Just something I wanted to put out there based on what I’ve been seeing both in essays and in the advice being given across subs.

Happy writing, y'all!