Putting the Personal in the College Application Personal Essay

I coined the term College Application Personal Essay and its acronym, C.A.P.E., after reflecting on Phillip Lopate’s The Art of the Personal Essay. In his introduction, Lopate offers several characteristics of the personal essay that align beautifully with elements of the best C.A.P.E’s.

The C.A.P.E. Reveals Depth

Every great essay, like every great story, operates on two levels: an apparent subject and a deeper subject. The apparent subject is like an entrance ramp that draws the reader in, and the deeper subject uncovers a universal truth or a personal insight. The deeper subject is what the reader comes for.

In the opening of one of my students’ essays, the writer, Cole, is playing guitar in his father’s band, and he taps his father on the shoulder to signal that he’s ready to take over the big solo in “Sympathy for the Devil.” At first glance, it’s a nostalgic story about playing in a band with his father. But as the essay unfolds, the author explores the deeper subject, which is his experience of “tapping into” life in many other ways.

The C.A.P.E. is Uniquely Personal

Unlike analytical essays and research papers, the C.A.P.E. should reflect your voice, personality, and experiences. Even if someone else has a very similar experience, no one experiences it the way you do, and languaging that singular experience is what sets you apart.

Admissions officers are looking for raw, honest accounts that only you can provide. Whether it’s a memory of a time you stood up for a friend or a time you wish you would have stood up for a friend, your stories and how you tell them, are what make your essay uniquely personal.

The C.A.P.E. is Not Afraid to Be Emotional

We’re emotional beings, and powerful essays don’t shy away from that fact. The point isn’t to make the admissions officer cry from start to finish or laugh until their temples are about to explode, but an essay that allows you to embrace vulnerability and show emotional growth can leave a lasting impression. And the best C.A.P.E.’s explore a range of emotions. Like great poems, songs, plays, stories, movies, and visual art, great essays often include a turn, or a shift—a change in thought, tone, or emotion.

The C.A.P.E. is About Discovery

Like all great personal essays, the C.A.P.E. often leads students to discover truths about themselves they hadn't previously realized. Essays that delve into uncertainty—into questions rather than answers—often stand out because they show intellectual curiosity and self-awareness.

The essay I mentioned above—Cole’s “Sympathy for the Devil” essay—started off as a reflection on playing in a band with his father, and the author only arrived at the deeper story as he worked his way through his first draft—his "Discovery Draft."

The C.A.P.E. is Universal

The best C.A.P.E’s strike a balance between uniquely singular and profoundly universal. A story that is deeply personal can still resonate universally when it taps into shared human experiences like courage, regret, resilience, connection. As Phillip Lopate notes, a great essay offers the reader “a shiver of self-recognition.” Whether the essay is about making tamales on Thanksgiving morning with your grandmother or finding peace in a work of art, readers want to glimpse a piece of their own humanity within the story.

Ideally, the C.A.P.E. is artful, engaging, and memorablethat tells an interesting surface story and reveals deeper truths, your College Application Personal Essay will reveal your authenticity and demonstrate your readiness to thrive on the college campus you've been dreaming of.