Picture this: it’s your senior year of high school, and you are sitting down to write your personal essay for a college application. You’ve heard all the stories about parents, siblings, family members and friends, but you want to be different and stand out.
When you search online for more inspiration, you’re stumped. You want your essay to have personal meaning, but to sound eloquent enough for admissions to see you have what it takes.
Maybe that’s the problem. There’s no formula for what works. No magic theme that guarantees acceptance, so why do some heartfelt, unique essays still result in rejections?
“My personal essay was about my journey to hearing,” said Callie Paulk, a freshman elementary education major. “It took me some time to speak as a kid, so in turn my parents taught me a little bit of ASL [ or American Sign Language] until I learned how to speak. Even then, I was still struggling because I could not hear correctly, so I learned how to say words incorrectly which resulted in me going to a speech therapist.”
Paulk’s story about her journey to hearing was real, yet it was inspirational to others. The goal of a personal essay is to have a takeaway and come out of it inspired, so why was she denied her first-choice school?
“I originally wanted to go to UGA, but did not get in. I think even if I did get in with my personal essay and other factors, I am glad I am here at GCSU and was accepted with those factors in this case because I fit better at a school like GCSU than UGA anyway,” Paulk said.
Her story wasn’t just about her essay. It was about finding the right place – a school that accepted her not just for her story, but for her potential.
Still, the question lingers: Why didn’t her story, filled with empathy and strength, give her a competitive edge?
The answer may be that admissions can’t ethically compare one person’s adversity to another’s. Everyone faces different struggles, and comparing pain is a dangerous game.
“I feel personal as he’s got to have some special spark to them,” said Julianna Valcheff, a sophomore music and mass communication double major. “Whether that be a really great introduction that entices the reader. Or that can be a great topic that makes the reader have a lot of emotions. it doesn’t have to be a sob story because I think it just has to be a good story.”
Valcheff raises a valid point. Applicants often feel pressure to write the “perfect” essay as something deeply emotional or even traumatic, but admissions officers ideally want to see growth and introspection, not just pain.
My personal essay for college admissions was about how my mom was my biggest role model. Although if the admissions counselor reading the essay just lost their mom, that could create a subconscious bias you would never know about.
After taking away my own bias that admissions only takes students with the “best sob story,” I realized what it is all about. Your application to college shows a counselor who you are and whether you would be a good fit for their university.
Ultimately, it’s not about beating someone else’s hardship or writing what you think colleges want to hear. It’s about being brave enough to be honest.
“I do not feel like personal essays are rigged, I feel like you have to be really good at describing/painting the picture for the reader,” Valcheff said. “Because admission counselors do not know who you are. So it’s great to give a good amount of information to let them see the full aspect of yourself. Rather than just the story.”
Having a more holistic approach to your application is key, whether your personal essay is a “sob story” or just a “good story.”
I think a personal essay may be the deciding factor if all other aspects of their application are on the edge of being accepted or not,” said Ellen Sabo, a sophomore middle grades education major. “If factors such as GPA or standardized test scores aren’t strong enough, they may look deeper into the essay and personal experiences.”
The college application process is overwhelming. Seniors juggle SATs, ACTs and a future that feels too big to grasp, and while standardized tests quantify performance, a personal essay humanizes it.
For many, the essay is a final opportunity to show who they are beyond numbers. It’s where authenticity, vulnerability and voice matter most.
My hope is that admissions officers see our applications the same way we do — as carefully curated reflections of who we are and who we hope to become, and not as performances, not just as attempts to impress, but as stories that show truth, not just trauma.
The best essays aren’t always the saddest. They’re the ones that show strength, heart, and a desire to grow.
I think that ‘sob stories’ are what people think colleges want to hear about, but in reality, I believe they want to see more about how you dealt with hardships and your experiences, rather than just what happened to you,” Sabo said.
In the end, it’s not about competing for sympathy. It’s about being seen. Every story, when told with honesty and heart, deserves that chance.