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Getting Feedback on Your Personal Statement

Getting feedback from others is a critical part of writing your essay. If your teachers, peers, or parents have suggestions, listen carefully. You don't have to take every suggestion, but try them out and find out which ones work. You'll want to be very specific in asking for feedback; if there are sections of your essay that you are particularly concerned about, ask your readers to pay special attention to those parts.

It is very important that your essay be your own creation and be conveyed in your own words, but it is okay (and even encouraged) to get feedback from others.

When soliciting feedback, steel yourself to criticism. Not everyone will see your essay the way you do. After receiving feedback, and before revising, write down the comments you receive and look for patterns. Use these patterns to decide how to proceed. If every one of your readers thinks that your essay is too wordy, then you can be pretty sure that your essay is too wordy, and revising for a simpler, more natural style should be a top priority.

Help your readers by providing a structure for them to respond. Ask your readers to comment first on larger issues, and lastly on grammar or syntax (problems with which often disappear in a second draft, so commenting extensively on grammar in the first draft is often a waste of your reader's time, particularly if the ideas you wish to convey are still unclear).

Use the following questions as a guide for your readers.

Overall Impression

1. After reading my essay, what three words would you use to describe me?

2. After reading the essay, what do you think its overall theme is?

3. In what way (or where) is the essay most persuasive?

4. In what way (or where) is it least persuasive?

Structure and Organization

5. Is the essay organized in a logical fashion?

6. Are the transitions between paragraphs fluid and logical?

7. Do the paragraphs build upon one another, and move from smaller issues to more significant ones?

Grammar and Syntax

8. Are there grammar errors? If so, what are they?

9. Are the words used appropriate?

10. What other comments/suggestions do you have that will strengthen my essay?