The college application process can be incredibly stressful. Trust me, I know.
If you’re a high school student getting ready to apply and write your essay, you’re probably worried that your list of extracurriculars and achievements isn’t long enough to fill the perfect college essay. You’ve likely seen people on TikTok list out a million different accomplishments and lofty things they’ve done. You’re left feeling like you’ve done nothing in comparison.
But here’s the thing that most students don’t realize: Colleges aren’t looking to read a list of your greatest achievements. That’s not what the college essay is even about.
“Wait, what? I thought that was the whole point!”
No, actually. Colleges are looking for far more than well-rounded students. Likely, most students applying alongside you have already checked the desired boxes of academics and extracurriculars. Even if you’ve worked hard, taken countless AP classes, captained your soccer team, and scored in the top percentile on the SAT, it’s still not enough to make you stand out.
“So, are colleges looking for students who have done nothing? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Of course colleges still want impressive students. But it’s not the “well-rounded” sort of impressive. Colleges are looking for students with a Personal Monopoly.
Coined by Write of Passage Founder, David Perell, a Personal Monopoly is your unique intersection of skills, interests and personality traits where you can be known as the best thinker on a topic.
How does this apply in the context of your life as a high school student looking to apply to college? Your Personal Monopoly is what sets you apart from the thousands of other qualified applicants. What is the intersection of your skills, accomplishments, and passions that nobody else has?
As a Write of Passage alum, the concept of Personal Monopoly has forever changed the way I approach my writing.
My two most prominent passions are pop culture and religion. I love all forms of teen girl entertainment, from music to TV series to the latest celebrity drama. This is not an uncommon interest for girls my age. But, I’m also interested in religion and morals, specifically biblical values. This is also a pretty common interest. However, I have focused on the intersection of these two topics. I write and make TikTok videos about how biblical and moral values appear in teen entertainment. My goal is to show teenage girls what there is to learn from the media that they are already busy consuming.
My Personal Monopoly is that I am a teenage girl, with expert insight on the media teens are consuming. I also happen to love connecting that content to moral and biblical values so that consumers can learn from their favorite content.
Combining these interests is far more captivating for admissions officers. I have taken my interests and combined them in order to prove that I am a unique candidate. This combination is way more interesting and distinct than if instead, I wrote about how I love Taylor Swift separately from how I love learning about Christian values and morality.
Set yourself apart from other applicants by identifying your Personal Monopoly. Reach for the intersections of your specific skills and interests. That is how you will display the brilliance behind your innerworkings and unleash your unique self.