What is the personal statement?

A 500-650 word personal essay required or recommended by most colleges. This essay should give a sense of who you are as a person and bring forward a positive aspect of your identity.

Why is the personal statament important? How is it used?

Your grades, test scores, and letters of recommendation show your academic prowess. Your activities and honors show your commitments, passions, and accomplishments. But your essay is the only place where you can open up and share your authentic voice and personality. You want to give the admissions officer something to connect to and advocate for beyond just a set of numbers and activities.

What colleges want from the personal statement

Tell the admissions committee something they don’t already know about you
Share your authentic voice and personality
Display writing that is vivid and compelling

Common mistakes we help students avoid

Turning the personal statement into an extension of your activities or honors section. Expanding upon multiple accomplishments reads more like a resume than an essay.
Using the personal statement as an opportunity to brag. The activities and honors sections will display your accomplishments. Despite some parents’ instincts, the personal statement is not the place for showing off.
Writing in an academic style with a thesis statement and 5 paragraph structure. Ex. Starting with something like, “Playing soccer has taught me x, y, and z,” and then spending a paragraph each on x, y, and z.
Being overly formal with language and using esoteric words just to impress. Colleges want to hear YOUR voice—not what you think will impress them.
Writing about topics that might make admissions committees worry about your ability to succeed in college. We’ll collaborate with parents and students to handle touchy subjects (mental or physical illness, past transgressions, etc.).

How do we know the "best" approach for the personal statement?

The personal statement, as a genre of writing, has conventions like any other genre. There are clear goals the personal statement is meant to achieve, and college admissions officers have communicated to the public what they do and do not want to see in these essays. Our process is informed by a large number of resources, mostly from former college admissions officers, who are the people reading and evaluating the personal statement.

AI and Parental Involvement

The student writes the essay. Not AI. Not parents. Not us. Every word is written by the student.

NO PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. IF PARENTS INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN THE ESSAY PROCESS IN ANY WAY, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO TERMINATE THE PROCESS WITHOUT REFUND. Why is it so important for parents to remove themselves?

The essay process is a personal one, and we let students decide how much or how little to share with their parents.
The personal statement must be written from the student’s perspective. It doesn’t matter how a parent views their child; what matters is how the student sees themselves.
Parents sometimes bring a skewed perspective of what the personal statement should be (see What colleges want from the personal statement and Common mistakes we help students avoid above). When parents feel one way, students feel another, and we’re stuck in the middle, it can turn a pleasant collaborative process into a stressful one. The essay process usually goes smoothly, but on the rare times it becomes challenging or contentious, it's almost always because of parental involvement.
We do NOT share students' final essays with parents. It is up to the student to decide if they would like to share their essay.

We do not write essays for students. Every piece of content comes from their brain and we strive for the final product to maintain each student’s authentic voice. We do make suggestions, including for how students might better communicate an idea, strike the right tonal balance, find the right word for the context, trim their essays to get them under word count, etc. Students are always free to accept or reject any suggestion.

Final Submission

We are not accountable for the student’s final review after pasting the personal statement into the Common App. It is up to the student to check formatting before submitting.

Cancellation Policies

When you enroll in the Personal Statement Package, you are reserving 4 weeks on a coach's schedule.
Any cancellations made with 7 days' notice prior to the start of the schedule will be refunded in full.
If you cancel the package after the first date listed on the chosen schedule, no refund will be issued.
If you need to change the schedule or create a custom schedule, please email Shannon at shannon@premiercollegeprep.com.

Disclaimers

Premier College Prep shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with the services provided by Premier College Prep or its tutors/coaches.
While Premier College Prep strives to provide the highest quality educational service, Premier College Prep cannot guarantee admissions outcomes from participation in the services.
Premier College Prep reserves the right to modify, reschedule, or cancel any service or part of a service at its discretion. In the event of cancellation, Premier College Prep will offer a pro rata refund or an alternative Course option if applicable.

Data Policies

Premier College Prep may collect, use, and store personal data related to the student, including but not limited to their name, contact information, and course participation data, in accordance with applicable data privacy laws. This data will be used solely for educational purposes, including communications, course administration, and reporting. No data will be shared with third parties without prior written consent of the student’s parent.
By signing below, I specifically and knowingly consent to (i) my child’s participation in the program and (ii) my child’s information to be used for course registration and communication.

Intellectual Property

All course materials, including written content, images, video, and software, are protected by copyright and remain the intellectual property of Premier College Prep. Students may not reproduce, distribute, or share the materials outside of the Courses without express written permission from Premier College Prep.

Payment Policies

A payment method on file (either credit card or ACH) is required to register for coaching.
There is a 3.1% surcharge added to all credit card payments. There is no surcharge for ACH payments.
Payment methods are charged at time of registration.

By signing below:

I confirm that all information provided is accurate.
I have read, understood, and agree to the information and policies outlined in this form.
I authorize Premier College Prep to use my child’s information for educational and administrative purposes in accordance with the privacy policy.
I explicitly agree to pay the fees for the services and authorize Premier College Prep to charge my payment method.