A compulsory document that must be attached to your study application is either a personal statement or a college essay. The one to be used is dependent on the school’s requests. And each document has its different way of being written.
Since these two documents are used in the admission application process and are sometimes used interchangeably, it can lead to confusion. Hence, the reason for this article. This article will address the difference between a personal statement and a college essay while adding extra pieces of information to two of them.
What is a personal statement?
A personal statement is a document that contains specific information about your achievements, and interests while communicating your reason for choosing the school for study. It is a document that supports all your certificates and gives more information about you to the admissions board.
It is usually submitted alongside other documents like your academic transcript, letter of recommendation, etc. In addition to being used when applying for admission, it’s used when applying for jobs.
What is a college essay?
A college essay is a document that contains information about you and your interests, submitted alongside other documents when applying for admission at a college. A college essay is all about your story and should be able to communicate who you are to your application reviewer. It is used when applying for admission to a college.
Having seen the definitions of a Personal Statement and College Essay, let’s look at the important features of each one.
Important Features of a College Essay
A college essay should have the following features:
- Personal Story: this is what your essay is all about in the first place. Choose the story that helps you put your best foot forward and tell it engagingly.
- Descriptive nature: in your college essay, you are telling your story and none of the members of the admission board was there with you. Therefore, write to show them by being descriptive and then tell what the described scenery was all about.
- Uniqueness: your college essay has to stand out from the rest of the thousands of essays sent in by other applicants. This can be achieved by writing in your voice and tone. It can also be achieved by writing from a place of honesty.
- Structure and Organization: a good essay must have a good structure. This can be seen in the organization of the essay. How the ideas flow from one sentence to another makes it engaging. The use of proper punctuation marks gives organization to the essay and helps the reader to appreciate the essay while reading.
- Word Limit: what’s the use of writing a good essay when it has failed one of the rules: maintaining a word limit? No matter how great the story you want to write is or how amazing you are, you have to write them all within the specified word limit.
- Aspirations: do not forget to fix your aspirations in the story you are telling. One way to do that is to state how the event you are describing influenced your choice to go down the career path that you are choosing and applying for.
Important Features of a Personal Statement
A personal statement should contain the following features:
- Personal Story: as the title clearly states, it’s a personal statement and must contain your story. So, include one and an interesting one at that.
- Intellectual trajectory: this simply means you should include your academic or rather schooling history. It points to what contributed to your intellectual capacity. If there are life experiences that contributed to it, they are worth mentioning. However, keep in mind that you have to write in an engaging tone and ensure your sentences are flowing.
- Why you want the degree: this has to be featured in your personal statement. It shows your investment in your future and how determined you are in pursuing the career path that you chose.
- Why the choice of the university: you have to also include why you chose the university. Your career is important to your life, hence, the choice of university plays a major role in it. State why you chose the university to play an important role in your life and future.
- Research Interest: include the areas in which you have interests. It shows at a glance that you carried out your research about the university and have made a purposeful choice. It also shows the area through which you can contribute to the university.
- Word Limit: this is an important feature of your essay. You must ensure that everything you are writing is within the required word limit.
Differences Between a Personal Statement and College Essay
If you have been reading this article attentively, then you would have noticed that these two documents are similar. I mean, they serve the same purpose. Well, while they do serve the same purpose, I think they have a few differences. Mind you, these differences are just my opinions.
| Personal Statement | College Essay |
| More formal | Less formal |
| Can be used for applications other than admission | Used strictly for college applications |
| Doesn’t have a list of topics to choose from | Outlines a list of topics to choose from and write about |
Tips to Bear in Mind
- Write a compelling and engaging story.
- Write within the word limit.
- Rewrite and rewrite your first draft
- Proofread and proofread.
- Research the university or college you are applying to and note the qualities that they look out for in their potential students.
- Remember to show and then tell.
Conclusion: Difference Between Personal Statement and College Essay for UK Study
Personal Statement and College Essay are two documents that serve almost the same purpose. They are both submitted as part of your application process and they contain information highly relevant to your application. While a personal statement alone is sufficient, college essays often require supporting essays.
Whatever application you are making that requires any of these essays and you need professional help with writing it, contact us at Fasthire today, and a professional will attend to you. Our writers are dedicated to their work and will give you the utmost attention you desire and work that you will be proud of.
Editor’s Recommendation
- How to Write College Essay for International Students
- Best Personal Statement Writers for UK Universities
- University of Birmingham Personal Statement Sample
- How to Explain Low CGPA in a Personal Statement
- University of Bradford Personal Statement Sample: UK Studies
