Reflection on Personal Statement

Here is what I thought after writing my Personal Statement and having it reviewed by my classmates. I definitely learned to be more confident about my writing and that it is important to understand what a reader might think when they look at my paper.

Reflection

            Writing this personal statement called for a grueling, step-by-step process that took several days to accomplish. Not only because I was sharing personal experiences to another person, but also because I had a hard time choosing what to write about. I have written personal statements before, primarily for English classes and college, but I have never had to read my essay out loud to a group of classmates. The most “peer review” I had experienced before this class was an obscure and unhelpful “pass-your-essay-to-the-person-behind-you” type of outside opinion. It certainly made me think more about what I should and shouldn’t say. I guess it’s because the personal statements that I turned in before were sent to school officials I might never see or meet, so I was able to write more freely.

            On the other hand, being able to read my essay to classmates and getting their honest opinions on what worked, what didn’t work, and what they thought was the main point really helped me see what was missing in my essay. In my first draft, I spent the majority of the essay babbling about Astrophysics, but I didn’t tie it in to myself nor the main topic: that I don’t have a definite goal yet because I can and will change. After hearing what my peers thought was lacking from my essay- more personal detail- I was able to add a little bit more about myself and how my goals have changed from one to another in the past. Another big problem was the fact that two out of my three group members that I was using someone else’s words in my essay. Though it might have been true that I borrowed some numbers regarding the dates of certain events (the Big Bang), I didn’t want there to be any confusion or misunderstanding, so in the end I rephrased that particular part of the essay without said numbers.

            I have to be honest. On the day leading up to the scheduled peer review session, I was hesitant about bringing my essay to class. But I have to say, it wasn’t bad at all. Sure, it might have felt a little awkward at first, but in the end it helped my group members and me as well. I was able to learn from Ricardo, who used much more detail than I had, Viney, who had a well-structured essay, and Adiam, who inspired me with her life-story. Each person has a unique way of writing, so I think doing peer-review sessions really helps us all to soak in the writing styles of everyone else.

            I feel much more confident about my writing now. Instead of worrying about what to write and how to construct the essay at the same time, I now understand that it is much easier to first write as much as I can, and THEN picking out the fine points later on. Next time I won’t be so hesitant and try to keep the personal experiences out of my essay, especially because even I could tell that my first draft was bland. I also look forward to the peer-reviews because you never know what valuable advice your peers can give you.