I got into Stanford and Brown (the only two schools to which I applied) for graduate school. Years later, after I had completed my A.M. at Stanford, I wrote the school to get a copy of my application. I wanted to remind myself of what I had submitted as an essay. I thought the essay was pretentious rubbish. There is no substitute for luck in this world.
Very happy that you got in, but to anyone reading this please DON'T only apply to your dream schools. Its very possible that you will get in, but it doesn't hurt to spend just a few hours adapting your application to a safety school in case that you don't get accepted.
@@viijackiiv9713 Definitely. I'm applying for colleges this year, and my safety is one that guarantees admission if you have a 3.0 GPA and all of the necessary credits to graduate.
The most important part of a college essay is telling a story of who you are. The personal statement has to do that AND combine with activities with the ECS so college admissions can tell you are not lost. Im guessing thats what P did especially how he talked abt research and no doubt prolly had internships in research and won awards in that field which made him essay stronger.
bro i actually like that essay, but in my opinion the intro is a little too pretentious when it comes to the vocabulary. like you say "use your own voice" and then say stuff like "horrendous screeching... shatters my peaceful sleep," "cacophonous cry," "delicate creature." Nobody talks like that bro. I didn't say that kind of stuff and got into all the schools I applied to (including
This is the first common app essay guide video that I watched till the very end without skipping a second. Your video gave me literal chills and such great, solid tips that I can ACTUALLY apply to when writing my app. Keep it up, and thank you so much.
This is the best, the one and only Personal Statement video an applicant needs to watch. Like there is absolutely no reason to watch other videos, this guy gave the best advice.
Wonderful video. Preaching P, you give solid advice. This video gave GREAT advice. Not only that, you went into step-by-step detail on how to write such an essay. Thanks!
My neighbor, who did her PhD in anthropology at Yale and her post-doc at Cornell, would really advise not to do this on your grad school application. He doesn't stick to what should be the focus of most peoples' grad school statement: their academic interests. On top of that, he also uses way too many A-grade synonyms and unconventional, sometimes long-winded, sentence structures. She says you have to keep it simple, yet formal because the admissions officer only has so much time
So with the quote thing, you said we shouldn’t do that in our intro. For mine, I didn’t necessarily use a famous quote or someone else’s quote per say. It was more so dialogue to like grab the readers attention. For instance, “Daniel!” My mom hollered. “Why are you awake at 12 am you have school tomorrow!” Should I not do that?
i am Maitreyee from West Bengal. So right now I am an ordinary high school student, and i have a target of joining high tier colleges and universities for my under-graduation. so i had a couple of questions about the process: 1. i don't have any experience about research and science fairs, and i am really interested in biology field, especially neuroscience and molecular biology, so how am i going to start these? 2. i am a very ordinary student, and i am really interested in athletics and cultural clubs, so is these going to help in the process of selection in top tier colleges and universities? 3. i am right now in the 10th grade, and next year i have my boards exams, so is it too late?
I don’t know if you read these comments still, and I liked your overall idea’s don’t get me wrong, but I believe your bulk isn’t engaging. I like your intro and conclusion, and even thought your ending was clear as ever, but your bulk made me fall asleep a bit. It’s overall a good essay, and your points are very much valid, but yet again your bulk is not engaging. And to a-firm my statement, THIS IS STILL VALID ADVICE.
No omobamaepia to hook the reader. End on a good note Vary adjectives I need to write a sob story Do not bring up your achievements unless it contributes to the story You write a little bit more then edit it to condense forces u to keep the essential
The thing is, you probably had a very strong application outside the essay. Meanwhile there is me, who needs it to explain that I'm not the low tier idiot both my gpa and SAT point at.
Quick question, when you said no quotes in the opening, did you mean no quotes like Albert Einstein said this, or did you mean no quotations like for example you're telling a story and you open with your mom dropping you off to some place saying "Make sure to text me when to pick you up!" (like that would also be a quote but I believe you meant no quotes as in an Albert Einstein type)?
Y'all wild, I liked this video but I start my essays with quotes from me. I'm a gun violence prevention activist and I like, chant phrases for protests and it works for me. Quote yourself.
@@lamebudseeneye2440 yea I wrote it before I got to that part. Still I think the essay should at least elaborate on accomplishments and draw a connection bw them to ur intended major
Aight bro so I pretty much never reply to comments along these lines because I feel arguing is futile, but because I think you have good intentions I'll make an exception. If you're interested in applying to BS/MD programs, your personal statement is absolutely NOT the place to talk about your major and intended career interests. When 90%+ colleges already ask a "why do you want to be a doctor?" essay, there is no reason to redundantly add information here. Secondly, regardless of your major, the goal of the personal statement is still not to talk about accomplishments and your intended major in college. It's to provide colleges with an insight into your personality, something that is nearly impossible to convey anywhere else. There are few awards out there that would really need any more explanation for an admissions officer to understand their significance. And, if you needed to elaborate, then the additional information section is perfect for that. In regards to your major, colleges still don't really care about drawing the connection. For example, if you're applying as a CS-major and you NEED to explain to colleges how the clubs you're involved in and the awards you've won have led to this decision (i.e. it's not implicit), then there is a whole different problem here. Once you can truly understand the purpose of the personal statement, the writing just falls into place.
@@preachingp hey man, sorry abt the late reply I’ve been busy these last few days. I gotcha, I’m applying as an Econ Major but most of my activities and awards are music related. I think you’re right, but since I don’t hv many Econ related things, I’m going to be in the case you described where I have to connect my activities to my major - but I’ll keep it brief since the personality factor u mentioned is significant. Thanks for the advice man and keep up the banger vids. I watch a lot of self improvement channels and you are the best spoken and concise
I tried looking at this video, but had unfortunately seen another video of yours (th-cam.com/video/whn12ofxq-U/w-d-xo.html) which may have prejudiced me. The long length of this video may not have helped. Anyway I saw the gist - the essay itself was good. You are also a very fluent speaker and I hope you are able to develop your full potential.
Bro I literally had no idea what to write as my college essay but this was so inspiring and such a genuinely helpful video! As a Fall 2025 applicant and recent subscriber I was so happy to find this, thank you preaching p 🙏🙏
I am watching this video one year after. Loved the essay. Yes the ending is clever but I think it works because we see it coming. We KNOW you're going to miss the motherfuckers and so we feel clever too. I find it a bit abrupt though, I thought there would be another sentence after that where you were going to undo your trick and "call them back" so to speak. So my question is: did you have a version where your story didn't end like that and then decided to cut it? And why? I know you said the AOs can see through it but on the other side I felt it was missing something on the personal level. Like humility maybe?
Did you actually experience the plot of the essay, and actually made an Arduino project for it? Or was it just all from your mind. Can we make up stuff like this for essays?
i think essay can have a degree of exaggeration but not making stuff up, thats j fake. I dont think he made up ab the adruino detail cuz its not worth the time making that up lmaoo
This was really helpful, but I do have a question. In a lot of essays, I noticed that there's an event (in this case the birds) and it is tied in with an extracuricular (the science expirements in this case). How do you tie in a extracurricular/hobby into your essay, even if it has nothing to do with your topic?
I would start with broad generalizations first. Here's an example "oh these birds are annoying and i need a solution. i can talk about how i solve problems scientifically. ok, how does a scientist solve problems? through gathering data and observing, then through repeated experimentation"
I know you briefly mentioned it but could you make a video about your research? Like how you got your ideas, labs and how you actually conducted it? I really want to do research but I'm lost on where to start.
STOP this is such a clever, and engaging essay. I watched hundreds of similar videos and this is in my top 3!!!!!!
it rly isnt
@@BABYSTARZ How so?
@@BABYSTARZ alright babystarz
what the other 2 top essays in your list? can you share them?
What are the other two on top three??
I got into Stanford and Brown (the only two schools to which I applied) for graduate school. Years later, after I had completed my A.M. at Stanford, I wrote the school to get a copy of my application. I wanted to remind myself of what I had submitted as an essay. I thought the essay was pretentious rubbish. There is no substitute for luck in this world.
I really hope luck is on my side on Nov 1st because without divine intervention, I’m not getting into these institutions.
applying to only stanford and brown is CRAZY LOL but glad it worked out for you hahahaha
I'm sure the essay played a part, but you must've been a good student and an overachiever to get in those schools.
Very happy that you got in, but to anyone reading this please DON'T only apply to your dream schools. Its very possible that you will get in, but it doesn't hurt to spend just a few hours adapting your application to a safety school in case that you don't get accepted.
@@viijackiiv9713 Definitely. I'm applying for colleges this year, and my safety is one that guarantees admission if you have a 3.0 GPA and all of the necessary credits to graduate.
The most important part of a college essay is telling a story of who you are. The personal statement has to do that AND combine with activities with the ECS so college admissions can tell you are not lost. Im guessing thats what P did especially how he talked abt research and no doubt prolly had internships in research and won awards in that field which made him essay stronger.
bro i actually like that essay, but in my opinion the intro is a little too pretentious when it comes to the vocabulary. like you say "use your own voice" and then say stuff like "horrendous screeching... shatters my peaceful sleep," "cacophonous cry," "delicate creature." Nobody talks like that bro. I didn't say that kind of stuff and got into all the schools I applied to (including
Using rare words shows intelligence you don’t need more than 5 rare words in your essay that nobody knows
Literally one of the most creative essays I have heard
This is the first common app essay guide video that I watched till the very end without skipping a second. Your video gave me literal chills and such great, solid tips that I can ACTUALLY apply to when writing my app. Keep it up, and thank you so much.
This is the best, the one and only Personal Statement video an applicant needs to watch. Like there is absolutely no reason to watch other videos, this guy gave the best advice.
what prompt did he write it for?
Wonderful video. Preaching P, you give solid advice. This video gave GREAT advice. Not only that, you went into step-by-step detail on how to write such an essay. Thanks!
This guy needs an ego check
I agree.
My neighbor, who did her PhD in anthropology at Yale and her post-doc at Cornell, would really advise not to do this on your grad school application. He doesn't stick to what should be the focus of most peoples' grad school statement: their academic interests. On top of that, he also uses way too many A-grade synonyms and unconventional, sometimes long-winded, sentence structures. She says you have to keep it simple, yet formal because the admissions officer only has so much time
this is a banger essay. i'm a rising senior and this is rly helpful, thanks!
yo keep pumping out that fire content bro. gonna share this with the boys on the college grind bc this is straight up the best advice on youtube
You're like my wise older brother fr. Keep making that quality content my guy.
My man preaching P be straight SAVIN my essays fr. Appreciate u my brotha 🙏💯
So with the quote thing, you said we shouldn’t do that in our intro. For mine, I didn’t necessarily use a famous quote or someone else’s quote per say. It was more so dialogue to like grab the readers attention. For instance, “Daniel!” My mom hollered. “Why are you awake at 12 am you have school tomorrow!” Should I not do that?
i am Maitreyee from West Bengal. So right now I am an ordinary high school student, and i have a target of joining high tier colleges and universities for my under-graduation. so i had a couple of questions about the process: 1. i don't have any experience about research and science fairs, and i am really interested in biology field, especially neuroscience and molecular biology, so how am i going to start these? 2. i am a very ordinary student, and i am really interested in athletics and cultural clubs, so is these going to help in the process of selection in top tier colleges and universities? 3. i am right now in the 10th grade, and next year i have my boards exams, so is it too late?
I love the humor in the essay as well as you looping back to your comparison to how your an habitual person just like the birds. Love it!
Solid example of using an experience from every day life that relates to what you want to do. Kudos.
My fav line of this whole video
"Bro! Are we in the second grade!"
This killed me !!!!!!!!!
I don’t know if you read these comments still, and I liked your overall idea’s don’t get me wrong, but I believe your bulk isn’t engaging. I like your intro and conclusion, and even thought your ending was clear as ever, but your bulk made me fall asleep a bit. It’s overall a good essay, and your points are very much valid, but yet again your bulk is not engaging. And to a-firm my statement, THIS IS STILL VALID ADVICE.
No omobamaepia to hook the reader. End on a good note
Vary adjectives
I need to write a sob story
Do not bring up your achievements unless it contributes to the story
You write a little bit more then edit it to condense forces u to keep the essential
How is his essay a sob story???
This is incredibly helpful.Thank you for making all these videos.
so just to be clear, this dude made this entire story up?
Wow this confuses me because people always say to show your personality/personal life in your essay but this is more story telling
there’s no one right way to do it
A GOOD ESSAY IS A GOOD ESSAY!! you’re supposed to think of your essay as a STORY and your story says a lot about YOU!!!
Am i the only one who finds his voice calming? Thank you man , you gave me hopes for my college applications 😊
Dude, this is actually so well-articulated. Tysm!
I thought it was supposed to be about you? I'm not understanding much of who you are. I thought your supposed to explain ur life story someoe help
yes same, I dont know the meaning of missing bird sound, how does it affect his life lol. However, the storytelling is good.
yes same, I dont know the meaning of missing bird sound, how does it affect his life lol. However, the storytelling is good.
The thing is, you probably had a very strong application outside the essay. Meanwhile there is me, who needs it to explain that I'm not the low tier idiot both my gpa and SAT point at.
What they told my Jamaican-American mom after writing all those qualitative words... You should be an English major...
Meanwhile me: cut down the tree
7:43 i’ve been laughing at this moment for about 20 minutes now lmao
Did you actually move them or you made up the process?
Pure sophomoric tripe.
Quick question, when you said no quotes in the opening, did you mean no quotes like Albert Einstein said this, or did you mean no quotations like for example you're telling a story and you open with your mom dropping you off to some place saying "Make sure to text me when to pick you up!" (like that would also be a quote but I believe you meant no quotes as in an Albert Einstein type)?
Probably not any of those
Ye age meant don’t make quotes from other people but I wouldn’t suggest doing eithet
very poor;
Y'all wild, I liked this video but I start my essays with quotes from me. I'm a gun violence prevention activist and I like, chant phrases for protests and it works for me. Quote yourself.
It’s really well written, but shouldn’t personal statements try to show off ur achievements and connect ur self to the major u intend to pursue?
you obviously didn't watch the whole video
@@lamebudseeneye2440 yea I wrote it before I got to that part. Still I think the essay should at least elaborate on accomplishments and draw a connection bw them to ur intended major
Aight bro so I pretty much never reply to comments along these lines because I feel arguing is futile, but because I think you have good intentions I'll make an exception. If you're interested in applying to BS/MD programs, your personal statement is absolutely NOT the place to talk about your major and intended career interests. When 90%+ colleges already ask a "why do you want to be a doctor?" essay, there is no reason to redundantly add information here. Secondly, regardless of your major, the goal of the personal statement is still not to talk about accomplishments and your intended major in college. It's to provide colleges with an insight into your personality, something that is nearly impossible to convey anywhere else. There are few awards out there that would really need any more explanation for an admissions officer to understand their significance. And, if you needed to elaborate, then the additional information section is perfect for that. In regards to your major, colleges still don't really care about drawing the connection. For example, if you're applying as a CS-major and you NEED to explain to colleges how the clubs you're involved in and the awards you've won have led to this decision (i.e. it's not implicit), then there is a whole different problem here.
Once you can truly understand the purpose of the personal statement, the writing just falls into place.
@@preachingp hey man, sorry abt the late reply I’ve been busy these last few days. I gotcha, I’m applying as an Econ Major but most of my activities and awards are music related. I think you’re right, but since I don’t hv many Econ related things, I’m going to be in the case you described where I have to connect my activities to my major - but I’ll keep it brief since the personality factor u mentioned is significant. Thanks for the advice man and keep up the banger vids. I watch a lot of self improvement channels and you are the best spoken and concise
Personal statements which show off achievements and connect you to your essay are for UK and European colleges, US essays are completely different.
how the fuck is this supposed to happen to me? you solve the problems and i ignore them
one of the best personal statement videos I have ever seen
where did you get in and how many schools you applied for?
“I drew predator faces on trees but only children were scared”- bro ayo
DUDEEEEEEE that was such a good essay!!!!!!! Did the birds get their tree back?
this is the best essay i've ever read
I tried looking at this video, but had unfortunately seen another video of yours (th-cam.com/video/whn12ofxq-U/w-d-xo.html) which may have prejudiced me. The long length of this video may not have helped. Anyway I saw the gist - the essay itself was good. You are also a very fluent speaker and I hope you are able to develop your full potential.
Bro I literally had no idea what to write as my college essay but this was so inspiring and such a genuinely helpful video! As a Fall 2025 applicant and recent subscriber I was so happy to find this, thank you preaching p 🙏🙏
Idk why 10 second into him reading the essay I felt tears from my eyes. Idk why I was moved by his essay!❤
Its so funny how divided this comment section is, good luck to everyone applying in the coming months!
I am watching this video one year after. Loved the essay. Yes the ending is clever but I think it works because we see it coming. We KNOW you're going to miss the motherfuckers and so we feel clever too. I find it a bit abrupt though, I thought there would be another sentence after that where you were going to undo your trick and "call them back" so to speak. So my question is: did you have a version where your story didn't end like that and then decided to cut it? And why? I know you said the AOs can see through it but on the other side I felt it was missing something on the personal level. Like humility maybe?
@preachingp I know you said don't start your essay with a quote...but could I if the quote is about me? Like It starts with my name.
Honestly, drop the quote. But it's hard to imagine it won't come off as elitist. Personal Essay is not the time for accolades.
i love this guy's channel. Bro is funny and gives good advice at the same time
which prompt is this?
Did you actually experience the plot of the essay, and actually made an Arduino project for it? Or was it just all from your mind. Can we make up stuff like this for essays?
i think essay can have a degree of exaggeration but not making stuff up, thats j fake. I dont think he made up ab the adruino detail cuz its not worth the time making that up lmaoo
25:03
Bro, I subbed, particularly for your real laugh and sharing!
Bro makes my essay seem like a joke.
Crazy good
I want to do economics. How can I convey my qualities, like he did?
womens sweater?
Bro is comparing being annoyed by bird to helping people with illnesses in India
This was really helpful, but I do have a question. In a lot of essays, I noticed that there's an event (in this case the birds) and it is tied in with an extracuricular (the science expirements in this case). How do you tie in a extracurricular/hobby into your essay, even if it has nothing to do with your topic?
I would start with broad generalizations first. Here's an example
"oh these birds are annoying and i need a solution. i can talk about how i solve problems scientifically. ok, how does a scientist solve problems? through gathering data and observing, then through repeated experimentation"
@Preaching P what college did you attend?
Okay AMAZING content and congrats on ur accomplishments! But also how do you style your hair? It's exactly what I'm going for lol
recent harvard admit here and this was such a refreshing outlook on the essay process and i love how you were very confident in everything you wrote!
Exactly seeing this video after a year! Oct 21st, 2023. applying to Dartmouth as ED. Wish me best of luck and give some tips
your essay is so good that I think I have no chance anymore even though I have a really interesting story to show 😭
I know you briefly mentioned it but could you make a video about your research? Like how you got your ideas, labs and how you actually conducted it? I really want to do research but I'm lost on where to start.
Research is a whole process in itself. I'll definitely make a vid on this topic
You are a literal king for this 👑
Your topic sentence is so cliche.. is this a joke?
WHATT? BEST AND MOST CLEVER ESSAY
This guy is the GOAT
This is actually so fire I love it
wow your essay was incredible
Thank you for this! It was super helpful
the last idea is the real deal fr ngl
umm.. what are some of the basic things that must be present in common app essay
Let’s gooo
because people never choose me
This is literally the best PS advice video
can u help review my essays?
I like change
Essay was fire
That was a terrible essay.
Disagree
birds
thank you
😩💕
Hi. I am confused how to start my essay. What can I do?
you should probably write a hook that catches the readers' or reader's attention. I don't really know how to explain it more than that.
Think of something in your life that you problem solved
love ur vids Tikha masala!
Doesn’t he looks like Baljit?
embarrassing to be brown yourself making racist jokes 😭🙏
You are a real inspiration, I guaranteed you will go somewhere 🎉👍👍
LMFAOOO
Good one
Damn👀, you cracked the code bruh🗿
The algorithm needs to help this guy’s message get out there. 10 days out from Yale EA. This is coming in clutch.
You get in?
@@Gavin_M. no, but Cody Bian got into Cornell.