Hi,
I wrote my essay about how I have always been quick to pick things that my dad was doing, such as web design, blogging and most importantly (to me anyway), tennis. Most of the essay, after I introduce my interest in following my dad's activities throughout my life, is an anecdote from when I was little and learning tennis from him and how this has developed our relationship (he's my biggest cheerleader and role model). Is this a topic that is too cliche for my personal statement, especially for highly selective schools?
Thanks!
Sahithi
It would be a nice idea for an essay. Make sure you write about how you got influenced by him and your interest grew further in that field. It would be good if you could post your essay here so someone could review it.
Yes, I agree with pratik a role model essay is interesting theme. And make sure you give a strong reasons why you choose him as your model. Good Luck!
To my understanding, writing about role models is a pretty common essay. But that does not mean it can't be an interesting topic. If you think that your father being a role model to you is the most influential thing in your life, who's to say that it's not true?
Also, most of these role model essays have the same problem: they focus on the role model, not on themselves. The main focus of the essay should not be the things or characters your father has, but on the influence he had on you, your interests and/or personality. Always remember, you are trying to get yourself in college, not your father.
I hope my remarks can help you.
Sahithi, a personal statement is exactly what it says it is. An essay that talks of your personal experience in relation to who you have become in life. That said, you cannot have reached this point in your life, nor envisioned yourself to achieve your dreams and ambitions without the influence and support of those around you. In any of these situations, our parents are always our best and loudest cheerleaders. They have influenced us and guided us to become these improved versions of themselves. So concentrate your personal statement upon that.
Tell the reviewer who you are today in comparison to who your father is. In order to make your personal statement more informative about you, create the comparison first by summing up who your father is and then narrating how you have followed in his footsteps. Don't concentrate on that comparison for too long. This statement is not about your father and your relationship with him.
Conclude the essay with your opinion as to how you have become a better version of your father thanks to his influence and how you hope to continue using his positive influence in your life to become an even more advanced version of both himself and yourself by completing your college education. That should make it a more interesting and solid personal statement.
The key to not becoming a cliche and allowing the essay to become useful even in the most selective schools is all in how you approach the personal statement. If you consider all of the personal essay samples on this forum for example, you will say that all of the essays are cliche and should not have been accepted in the most selective schools and yet they were accepted. Therefore, it is not in the subject of the essay but rather in the content and presentation of the information that is important.