• What do I want them to know about me?
• What do I spend my time focused on when I'm not in the classroom? 
• How are you different now than last year?  Than two years ago?
• What makes you happy?
• What gets me excited or fired up?  

Free writing can get you warmed up to work on specific prompts or to build on what you want to communicate. For example, choose a topic and just write for ten minutes - "basketball, team structure, teammates, exercise, preparation, time management, etc" - this will get you warmed up.

Start with the basics before even considering essay prompts...

• Why do I want to go to college?
• What are some potential majors you are interested in?
• What do I absolutely need to share with this college?
• What do I want to share about me that you will not see in my list of activities/resume?

Other ways to get started (yes, this is how you prep for an interview as well!):

• What is the most significant contribution you have made to a club, team, your family, community, or school?
• What would your teachers say are your greatest strengths as a person and as a student?
• What would you like to study in college?
• What has been your favorite subject in high school? Why?
• What is a book you have recently read or movie you have recently seen?
• If I could do anything right now, I would...
• The person who taught me the most is...
• My proudest moment was...
• My most embarrassing moment was...
• What are some of your personal and career goals for the future?
• What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
• How would you describe yourself as a person?
• What events would you say have been crucial to your life thus far? What people?
• Who do you consider one of your heroes?  Why?
• Why are you interested in our college?
• What do you think you will contribute to our campus?
• Have you ever thought of not going to college right after graduation? If so, how would you spend your time?
• If you could talk to any one person - past or present - to whom would you talk? Why?

**Remember, colleges are looking for: **

• Does this essay provide new insight or understanding into the student's life, motivations, values, or character?
• Is there evidence of growth, maturity, or self-awareness?
• Is the essay compelling or unique?
• Would would this voice add to our campus?

Here are some examples of essays with feedback from the Johns Hopkins admission team. 

Tips:

• Your writing should be about you, not a family member or another person (hero, fictional character, etc.). If referencing another person or moment in history - be sure to keep the focus on you.
• Every story does not have to have a happy ending - conversely, you do not have to overcome any insurmountable obstacles (if you have, please share if appropriate).
• Perfection is overvalued - You don't need to write a Pulitzer-winning piece. Your voice will stand out - try not to have your essay manufactured to the point where your voice is lost.
• Answer the question.
• Get to the point.
• Print it and read/review it.
• Read it out loud.
• Pass it on - share it with family, friends, teachers, etc.  Ask the person to read the essay and respond with three adjectives that describe you and with a sentence that captures what they learned. Does the response reflect the message you hope to share with the college?
• Get it done. We hope you are finished with your main essay/personal statement by the time you head back to school for your senior year.

Most schools want an interesting, authentic, and well-written glimpse into a student's life.

 The "Why Us" Essay: 

• Think about the colleges on your list. Why are they there? Use the free-writing exercise to write for 5-10 minutes about each school (or the schools requiring this essay) - ex. My University, people from all over the world, numerous ways to be involved, .
• Show that you have researched the school - you should not be able to reuse the same essay for multiple schools. Think specific courses, study abroad programs, activities on campus, participating in traditions, etc.
• Make it about you - be clear and specific about WHY you want to go to their college. Don't mention things like the rankings or generic features of the school/campus.  The campus beauty and landmarks probably aren't a strong enough reason for you to want to attend a particular college (or sports, weather, local attractions, etc.). There is nothing wrong with mentioning those things, but when you only have 150 words, be careful.

The "Identity" essay: 

• This can be something that feels invasive. However, we have found that if a school is asking about this, it probably aligns with their mission (please refer back to the researching colleges module). That can be a good thing for students to see/hear.
• Write what you want to share. This is your application/essay and your story. There is no right or wrong answer.
• It is certainly ok to talk about your culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation.
• There is also no easy way around this - if you think writing about your identity will cause a school to pause to rethink admissibility when reading your application - We would encourage you to revisit the mission statement of that particular school to evaluate if their values align with your own.

**Note: There is still such a thing as oversharing. We encourage you to work with an advisor/counselor/teacher/friend/relative to help you craft your essay in a constructive way. Having a second set of eyes is always a good thing.**