Indicating in Your Personal Statement Essay Why You Took a Gap Year

There are some circumstances in your life that would hinder you from taking a straight path to college.  Sometimes, you are financially broke that you really need to give up attending college right after you graduated from high school.  Aside from this, health problems can also hinder you from getting to college after high school.  Other reasons may include making preparation for the coming of a more serious phase in your life.(1)  No matter what your reason is,  you can actually use this event in your life to your own advantage.

Explaining why you needed to take a gap year

Your personal statement for college is your chance to let the admissions committee hear you out.  If you have taken a gap year, you won’t be able to explain it through your resume.  This is why you have to take advantage of your personal statement for college in order to say things that you cannot say in your other application requirements.  It is best that you make your explanation subtle and you should also try not to sound so defensive.  You have to be honest as the admissions committee has a way of knowing if you are lying or telling the truth. (2)

Writing about the productive things you did in your gap year

To make your gap year a strong point rather than a weakness, you should highlight the productive things that you did during those times in your personal statement for college.  Again, make sure that you would not exaggerate when you tell about the good deeds that you have done during your gap year.(3)

Making a case for why you’re finally ready for college after your gap year

The admissions officers would surely feel curious about why you have decided to attend school.  So you have to include in your essay the reasons why you made up your mind about attending college. You should make sure that your reasons are triggered by deep interest on pursuing a degree rather than just by pure whim.

A sample personal statement can help you structure your own essay.  You can ask your friends and teachers if they can give you a copy of a personal statement sample.

(1)  http://www.career.emory.edu/students/gap_faq.html
(2)  http://www.cis-edu.dk/studentservices/ibpersonalstatement.htm (3)  (3)  www.manchester.edu/OSD/Career/pages/docs/Applying_to_Graduate_Professional_School_Handouts.pdf

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