There's plenty of advice out there that will instruct you how to write a primo personal essay. Many of the tips you'll find will contradict each other. Some sources will tell you to that it's best to take risks and stand out, others will tell you that you need to play it safe and not rock the boat. The most important thing to keep in mind when writing an essay is that it has to be personal. The personal essay is a forum for you to showcase your writing ability in a unique, well-argued fashion. Here are some tips to help make your personal essay a vehicle for individualized and concise communication.

Don't procrastinate. Your personal essay needs to be well-organized and polished. This means multiple drafts. Although you may think that additional drafts are unnecessary, the more drafts you write, the more refined your essay will turn out. Start writing early and revise often. You don't want to be scrambling at the last minute to type your essay. This approach may work just fine in your high school English class, but for such an important essay, you need to spend time perfecting your points.

Brainstorm like there's no tomorrow. Whenever you write anything, you need to spend an adequate amount of time organizing your thoughts and arguments before you begin to put your ideas down in paragraph form. Outline your topic. Tool with your outline until you have a tight, logical structure. The more time you spend mapping out your answer, the more organized your presentation will be.

Have a point and make it clearly. You can formulate whatever thesis you want, just be sure you prove your point. No matter what the actual topic is, your essay must be well-argued. Be sure you stay true to your point and offer evidence to support your conclusion.

Visualize your intangible qualities and highlight these qualitative features in your essay. Your application contains lots of numbers like your GPA and test scores. These quantitative figures tell only half the story. You must use the personal essay to emphasize your qualitative strengths. Anything quality that you want to highlight, that isn't included in your general application, must be covered in your personal essay.

Think outside the box within reason. You want your essay to stand out and be original, but you don't want to alienate admissions officers by overloading your essay with gimmicks, clich's, cheap stunts and off-topic musings. Be innovative with your arguments but stick to the format. Make sure that you answer the essay question completely.

Writing a personal essay doesn't have to be a dramatizing experience. If you spend enough time organizing your ideas, it'll be easier to articulate your arguments. Don't be afraid to toot your own horn, that's what the personal essay is for. Avoid cutesy lingo and heavy-handed sentimentality. All you really need to do is relax, be patient, craft a solid argument and develop it completely.