Objectives

I can…

Understand the purpose and importance of a personal statement in an academic application.

Recognize an effective personal statement and be able to discuss what distinguishes an effective personal statement from a less effective statement.

Brainstorm facts, stories, and details of my own life that represent my individual characteristics and values.

Begin generating material to be used later in my application essays.

Recognize the difference between abstract concepts and concrete details.

Understand the connection between a reader’s experience of a text (i.e. their attention, comprehension, retention, and enjoyment of what they read) and the author’s use of concrete detail. Understand the concept of the “movie of the mind” and how it shapes a reader’s experience of a text.

Realize how my writing, particularly my personal statement, can be made more engaging, vivid, memorable, and affecting by using the concepts of abstraction and concreteness to shape the readers’ experience. 

Explain the "Here and Now" Principle.

Apply the "Here and Now" Principle to my own writing.