Penn State Paper Application Guide

Pennsylvania State University is one of the most prestigious public universities in the entire country. Founded in 1855 and with an endowment of almost two billion and an alumni association of almost half a million, graduates of the school will not suffer from lack of resources. Of course in order to take advantage of Penn State’s facilities and their other ample resources, you must first be accepted into their program. Part of this application will ask you if you’d like to provide a personal statement. While opinions may differ on whether or not it would be a good idea, the below guide will help you submit a quality one, should you choose to do so.

The Penn State Application

The application itself will request that you, “…choose one of the commitments that you listed in the Activities section (activity, interest, or work experience) or another experience you would like to share and provide a short description of its importance to you. Include why that commitment could be relevant to your student experience at Penn State.” You are given a total of 1200 characters and spaces to fulfill this requirement.

Choosing a Commitment

Whichever of the commitments you choose is supposed to help flesh out your personality and, ultimately, what you can offer to the university itself. Thus, choose the commitment that you are the most confident highlights your potential while providing ample proof of your past achievements. You should also be extremely confident in writing about it.

Be sure to make the essay personal. Obviously this shouldn’t be too difficult, given the subject matter you’re being assigned. But it’s important that your voice comes through and that it’s unique to you. There are going to be thousands of these essays to review. If you blend in too much with the crowd, you run the risk of being forgotten or written off as average. Neither will get you into Penn State.

Along the same lines, don’t be afraid to pick a controversial subject. If addressed with respect, there’s nothing wrong with picking a subject that might be a bit divisive. In fact, picking such an issue would be considered deeply personal. Humor is another way to make your voice stand out. While you shouldn’t treat the whole essay as a chance to crack wise, it’s ok to add in a bit of humor now and then. Again, if done respectfully, an admissions reviewer might actually thank you for providing a bit of levity to their day.


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