Personal Statement Writing Style

[9671111 2]

I'm in the process of editing my UofT personal statement and greatest accomplishment essay. I've done some research into what makes a good personal statement/essay and noticed that the writing style (especially introduction) is quite informal and dramatic and typically read as a story. I'm just wondering if this style is recommended, or if a more formal introduction (e.g. "My greatest accomplishment is...") would be better suited. Any advice is appreciated!

[SamR 13]

On 10/19/2020 at 5:18 PM, 9671111 said:

I'm in the process of editing my UofT personal statement and greatest accomplishment essay. I've done some research into what makes a good personal statement/essay and noticed that the writing style (especially introduction) is quite informal and dramatic and typically read as a story. I'm just wondering if this style is recommended, or if a more formal introduction (e.g. "My greatest accomplishment is...") would be better suited. Any advice is appreciated!

I went with a more "informal" style and started it off as a story and then transitioned to a more formal format near the end. I think the most important thing is to be concise with getting your points across but also writing something that will capture their attention! Keep in mind that there are hundreds of others writing these essays, and I'm sure you can imagine how boring it would get to constantly read an intro like "My greatest accomplishment is...". Anyways that's my 2 cents