How to Write a Strong Personal Statement

Webinar Transcription

2026-2-23-How to Write a Strong Personal Statement

Lydia: [00:00:00] Hello, Hello, hello everyone. Good evening. Welcome to, “How to Write a Strong Personal Statement.” My name is Lydia Holland. I’m gonna be your moderator tonight and I’m a senior advisor here at CollegeAdvisor and have been with the company for about four years now. And in addition to advising students, I’m also a member of the essay review team and a graduate of New York University.

Lydia: Very excited to have you all here. To orient everyone with the webinar timing for tonight, we are going to start off with a presentation, then answer your questions in a live Q&A. On the sidebar, you can download our slides and start submitting questions in the Q&A tab. We’ll also be recording this session so that you can review the webinar again later.

Lydia: Let’s meet our presenter. 

Amber: Hello everyone. My [00:01:00] name is Amber Bismuth, as you can see there. I am a former admissions officer from Stanford University. I’m also a former student, so I’m an alum from Stanford as well. Um, some fun facts. I speak multiple languages. If you’ve heard me speak before, you already know.

Amber: But Spanish, Portuguese, and I took two years of German, but that’s not on my resume because I don’t have much to show for that at this point in life. Um, also when I was an admissions officer at Stanford, the territories that I was responsible were West Virginia, Virginia, central Coast, California, and Canada, where my husband is from.

Amber: Uh, and so I’m happy to just be here to talk with you tonight a bit more, uh, about how to formulate a strong personal statement. 

Lydia: Awesome. So before we dive into the presentation for tonight, we’re gonna do a quick poll just to figure out all where all of you are coming from, what grade you’re in. So I’m gonna go ahead and open that now, and while I give everyone a chance to [00:02:00] answer the question of what grade they’re in, Amber, I would love to hear from you.

Lydia: Is there any personal statement that you can remember when you were working in admissions at Stanford that just really stood out to you? Like, this is unforgettable. 

Amber: Yes. Um, there was one student that made me cry and I spent I think five times as long as I was supposed to on that application. Um, I wanna be careful how I say this though, because this kind of, she chose to be vulnerable and students don’t have to have, um.

Amber: Um, a story that makes them cry because of trauma. This one happened to be that, but it wasn’t the trauma that stood out to me. It was just her positive outlook and perspective in spite of everything she’d been through. And I think the resilience that came through that, I’m actually gonna talk about that tonight.

Amber: Um, but the resilience that came through in her essay without her just saying, oh, I think I’m resilient, right? Like, she showed it. Um, and I, and I, that just really resonated. Like, Hey, this student’s gonna take advantage of our [00:03:00] resources. She has every reason to have quit and hasn’t, um. I like, I’d just love for her to be here.

Amber: I wanna give her every chance to succeed. It doesn’t have to be here, but I’d love to give her a chance to attend here. So, um, yeah, I think that that authenticity, just the, and the transparency, um, and the realness of the essay, like I connected to the person behind the writing, which is really the goal.

Lydia: That’s great. Yeah. And I think, yeah, that show instead of tell piece that you talked about of her being able to show her resilience as been, just tell you. That’s one that we hear a lot is how important that 

Amber: Oh yeah. And they’re gonna hear more about it tonight. Yeah. 

Lydia: That’s awesome. So, looking at our responses, they have 1% in eighth grade, 15%, 26% in 10th and 53%. And 11th grade, no, seniors I guess isn’t super surprising since most of our seniors have already finished writing, writing their essays at this point. Yes. 

Amber: Good. 

Lydia: Alright, I’ll, [00:04:00] I’ll go ahead and pass it over to you, Amber, to get us started. 

Amber: Awesome. Thank you Lydia. Um, and so let’s just jump right into it, right?

Amber: Um, some of you, especially since I know there’s a bit of an eighth grade audience here, might not know what a personal statement is, but I wanna take us one step back. So what is the Common App? Because when we reference the personal statement, typically it’s within the context of the Common App, uh, which is what we’re gonna be focusing on tonight.

Amber: So. What that is, the Common App is a platform that’s partnered with over 1000 US colleges to make the college application process for you much easier. Um, and so again, most students are gonna use the Common App during the application process, and this platform will allow you to apply to up to 20 schools.

Amber: Um, and this is where it comes in. Each of those schools that you apply to, whether it’s one, whether it’s all 20, whether it’s somewhere in between, is going to allow you to apply to, is going to receive that personal statement. Um, and so. That personal statement is a 650 word essay that is all about you.

Amber: Um, [00:05:00] and I wanna be careful how I say all about, right? Like, there’s obviously several components that we’ll get into, uh, but the implicit structure, the implicit focus of the essay is about you. And so your opportunity to share about who you are. What interests you, what matters to you, and how those characteristics and values are going to influence what you can bring to a college campus.

Amber: And there are several approaches that you can take to talking about yourself, and we’re gonna explore some of that and the different plop prompts actually right here in the next slide. So, um, I won’t talk through all of these extensively, but I will talk about most of them on this slide and one or two we’ll talk about in future slides, um, for tonight.

Amber: But all of the prompts, something that they each have in common is that they give you an opportunity for you to share your story. That is the point. Um, and the first prompt, we commonly call this the background essay. It’s gonna help you to focus on something that is not as overwhelming as the last prompt, which is literally [00:06:00] saying you can talk about anything.

Amber: Um, and so maybe background, background, the word, uh, the concept can still be a bit vague. Um, but the next item in that list there, so some students have a background or identity that does start to narrow it down a bit. You could talk about cultural identity, ethnic religious identity. And that list can go on.

Amber: Then you get to the next item in that list. You see interests. Now, these interests are unique to you. I’m not saying that nobody else shares them. There’s. There’s other people that might enjoy horseback riding, for example, but why do you enjoy horseback riding? What draws you and maybe keeps drawing you back to it when you’re able to ask yourself meaningful questions like this and give yourself an answer.

Amber: It’s this self, self-awareness and reflection that is going to help. Set you apart from your peers and building an impactful and a standout personal statement. In other words, when you better understand yourself, it’s easier for you to give your elevator pitch, um, of yourself, brand you, and [00:07:00] just 650 words.

Amber: And I did say just 650 words because I promise you, if you’re talking about the right topic, those words will fly by. Like, you’ll, you’ll wonder, how am I out of words? How am I over? Because you, you’ve picked a topic that. Really is allowing you to reflect on important moments in your life and make important connections.

Amber: Um, and then there’s prompt number two, which can also be a really good starting point if you’re feeling a little bit like a deer in headlights and not sure what to do when it comes to starting your personal statement. This prompt can help you to focus in on a specific moment in time and guide the direction of your reflection relatively clearly, um, in this particular prompt, right?

Amber: It’s a setback, challenge or failure for prompts three and five. They do a similar thing in that they help you to focus in on a specific moment or moments, um, in your past or maybe in your present. So think about what I just said there. For a moment though, these essays ask you to reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea or an event that [00:08:00] sparked a personal period, period of growth.

Amber: And with number three specifically, it also does give you some follow up questions that can help you to dig deeper, but. Notice that reflecting on a time does not have to be isolated to one moment in time. It could be a succession of moments or a chain of realizations for you. Maybe one event planted a seed and another moment watered it, and you’re reflecting on that chain of events and connecting the dots in the essay.

Amber: That’s awesome. And that’s something that an AO can really get engaged with and follow along. And the same even goes. Right back to the second prompt, right? Was it a succession of perceived setbacks or failures? Was it an entire season of what seemed like challenges, maybe even insurmountable challenges in the moment?

Amber: You can get your creative juices flowing with how you address these prompts and allow them ultimately to help guide you. Um, and just know too that if your end product doesn’t quite end up fitting into any of these boxes neatly, but you feel like it’s a masterpiece. [00:09:00] That’s where number seven comes in.

Amber: It’s, it’s really just a freebie and a safety net there. Um, and now going back, I didn’t forget about it. Number four, it can be a bit tricky and I’m gonna revisit prompt number four again a little bit later tonight. Um, and then finally, number six. Now this can be a great topic if you know what excites you.

Amber: What captivates you, that’s not a mystery to you, and it’s something that you gladly give you attention, your attention towards. Um, we’ll actually talk a little bit more about prompt number six later as well in terms of ways to get your creative essay juices flowing. But in the meantime, let’s move on to what your essay should truly focus on.

Amber: Now, if you are paying attention, I wish I could see you and ask you to raise your hands. You would already know the answer to this. Hide the slide there for a moment, but it should focus on you. It should focus on your values, your interests, your goals, the priorities you have, the impact that you’ve made.

Amber: These are all really important in a personal statement because again, [00:10:00] we’re trying to get to know you and when it comes to connections. Don’t make essays and don’t make admissions officers work too hard to find the connection between your role on, let’s say the sailing team, um, and your aspirations to create your own business.

Amber: The connections might be super clear to you, but. We’re not mind readers, and please don’t assume that we will just understand that they’re so clearly connected because your mind works uniquely, and we do want you to connect those dots for us. Again, we want insight into how you think, into what motivates you, and this is a clear way to do that.

Amber: So just make sure you make those connections explicit and clear. Take us along for the ride that you’ve gone along in your mind, and we’ll get into this a little bit more later. Just wanna kind of prime the pump in these slides. Awesome. So. Going back to prompt number seven, this is a very common question.

Amber: Should you select prompt number seven, right? Should you talk about the essay of your choice? The Common app essay prompts are pretty all encompassing. [00:11:00] Um, so it’s a really good place for you at least start your brainstorming somewhere in prompts one through six. You should be able to start. I do personally recommend that students start with two or three of the essay prompts in one through six to get the brainstorming process started.

Amber: Um, and that they generate several possible responses to each. So a couple of quick brainstorms potential responses to each of those prompts before doing some outlines and essays. Um, and by having this initial structure from these fixed prompts, it actually has this kind of counterintuitive response. It, it can help to generate more creativity for students.

Amber: That structure or constraint can help you to think more about, like, you know what, actually, I remember this time I had a challenge and this time I had a challenge versus. Talk about yourself that can, I mean, I was just talking with this about the host for tonight. Sometimes when people ask that question, like, how are you, my mind goes in a million different directions, and I go blank for a moment because there’s so many avenues I could go down.

Amber: So I do recommend that students start with some of the [00:12:00] specific prompts and one through six when they’re brainstorming. But again, as I just said, number seven is a safety net. So don’t be afraid that, oh my gosh, I didn’t, I didn’t answer the last part of prompt number three. Um. It that just doesn’t fit the final product, and you feel confident once you’re in that final product and it doesn’t fully fit anymore, just move it to prompt seven.

Amber: No harm, no foul. Awesome. So how does the personal statement differ from high school? Writing. Uh, you can see I said there in the first bullet point in every way, and I’m only somewhat kidding. Um, but in just about every way you can think of, um, your high school writing and your academic writing versus the writing for the purposes of attending colleges.

Amber: They should take on very different roles and very different pur, very different roles, tones and purposes. Um, in your college writing, you are truly introducing yourself to admissions officers who don’t know you, but by the time they get to the end of your application, you want them to feel like they [00:13:00] know you, they want to connect with you more.

Amber: They want to advocate for you. Similar to how Lydia asked me, um, about a personal statement that stood out by the end of her application, I wanted to go to bat for her when it came to committee. Um. And just to give kind of brief insight, if people aren’t familiar with what committee is, um, in several selective colleges and and institutions around the United States, oftentimes admissions officers can come together to make a decision.

Amber: So even though there might be one or so people responsible for a territory, it’s still ultimately a group decision. And we’re, we as, uh, regional admissions officers are responsible, um, for, we’re, we’re kind of stewards of that territory, but we still. Have to convince the committee. And so that’s what I mean by you want your admissions officer to feel like they know you so that they can come to the committee to come to the committee and defend you and be excited about advocating for your position at their school.

Amber: Um, and meanwhile, in comparison to high school writing. Your objective is usually given to you by a teacher, and it’s much more about explaining what you’ve learned or [00:14:00] defending a position. It’s much more objective. Um, and that’s where, but that is also where you could make an argument for some similarities between the two types of writing.

Amber: In your personal statement, you are an essence explaining what you’ve learned about yourself, and this can include what you’ve learned about an academic or non-academic subject or even another person. But you do have to remember, even if you choose a prompt that references something other than you, you always have to bring it back to you somehow, what it taught you, how it shaped you, how it motivated you.

Amber: This is very different than the assignments where you’ve been told to remain objective and avoid the usage of I. You should absolutely in your personal statement, use I, me, my, in these essays because you’re telling us the story of you. Um, and so here’s where I wanna talk about prompt four for tonight.

Amber: When you’re asked to reflect on something that someone’s done for you, obviously you’ll wanna start by brainstorming if you’re gonna generate a response for this, but you will want to keep in mind that. You have to answer with any of the prompts, the explicit [00:15:00] prompt, as well as the implicit ever present, implicit prompt of tell us about yourself.

Amber: Um, so as you’re brainstorming, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect and think about a handful of times someone might have done something kind for you, they left an impression on you and reflect on how that’s affected you. Um, maybe there’s some times that you’ll start to generate that are seemingly simple gestures like someone holding the door open for you and your hands were full and you were just having a stressful day.

Amber: Um, but as you continue thinking, maybe some more impactful, profound moments will come to your mind, like a friend offering to cancel a trip because it was your birthday and it was something he was excited about for a year. Um, now the trap you wanna avoid with whatever topic you do settle on, whatever, um, kind gesture that someone did for you is.

Amber: That you’ll wanna talk enough about the context, uh, but not so much that you drown out how that act of kindness motivated and or affected you. Remember, your personal statement is not objective writing. It is personal. [00:16:00] So in this example, and I’ve, I have made this up, um, in this example with the canceled trip for your birthday, you’d wanna share enough backstory about what happened, what led to that moment, and enough details about the significance of that friend’s relationship to you.

Amber: But once you’ve laid that groundwork, remember, we’re not looking to admit your friend through your application. We want to admit you. So while it should be apparent that you think highly of this friend, you appreciate them, it should also be apparent by the end of the essay why we should think highly of you, and you can help AOS to see why they should think highly of you by doing the digging and the work to reflect on why this gesture impacted you so much.

Amber: Now, that’s only if you choose prompt number four, right? But any of the prompts, whether it’s your personal statement or other essays that. Involve other people. You always wanna bring it back to how it impacted, affected, motivated, you revealed something about yourself. You do wanna bring it back to you.

Amber: So with this example, I’m try, I, I trying intentionally not to go so deep, um, because I do want you as students, um, to reach your own conclusions, but I [00:17:00] am hoping that you’re seeing by this example that even with prompts that ask about other people, you ultimately want to point the overarching narrative back to you.

Amber: So how should you structure your personal statement? I know students are always looking for the single most effective formula for writing a standout essay. And if you’ve heard that there isn’t one single formula, then you, you can believe that because there’s not a single formula, but there are certain exercises and proactive work you can do to ensure that you develop the most effective and compelling personal statement that you are capable of producing.

Amber: And the first thing I’m gonna say here is do lots of writing exercises. Get those muscles accustomed to the work of college writing. If you’re working with our advisors, we have several exercises where we work with our students to get you more comfortable with writing in ways that are more personal, relevantly detailed and appropriately informative.

Amber: But another big factor that will impact the [00:18:00] structure of your essay is the content. Form follows content. Most times it’s better for students to know what they’re going to write about before determining what type of structure they like to follow. So are you planning on starting with an attention grabbing hook followed by a chronological sequence of events that leads you somehow back to present day?

Amber: Or do you plan to begin with an anecdote and then tying in a couple of examples throughout your life that are connected by that one anecdote? I do highly recommend that you settle on what you’re talking about before choosing how you structure that message. And as you determine what to share, think about what you want your audience to take away from your essay.

Amber: Do you want them to understand your resilience, as I mentioned earlier? Do you want them to be able to better envision your creativity? Do you want them to see the connection between your strengths and your perspective career path? Or maybe you just want them to understand how your maturity and your personality have equipped you for this next season of your life.

Amber: Your answer to questions like these [00:19:00] can help you determine how you want to build your story and which anecdotes and details are and are not relevant in telling your audience what you’ve decided you want them to walk away knowing about you. So, I know I just mentioned a hook, right? Like maybe one, an attention grabbing hook.

Amber: You can almost always bank on having some form of a hook, um, but you might not know what the hook is until you get closer to the end of your essay journey. So your personal statement should start with something that’s both relevant to the body of your essay, while also catching the reader’s attention.

Amber: That’s whether you’re elaborately painting a picture to set the scene, or it could be an uncommon or unexpected one or two liner. Uh, it can easily take the majority of the essay drafting process until a student finally does settle on whatever they want their hook or their introduction to be. Uh, and here’s why.

Amber: That’s okay. As you continue drafting, you’re going to get more comfortable with what it is you wanna talk about and the goal of your essay, and you’re gonna have more time to play with a form. So [00:20:00] as you do, get more comfortable with these components of your essay. Then you’re going to build that confidence in the kind of introduction you feel fits with the final form of your essay.

Amber: So embrace the whole process. You do not need to know beginning from end in that order. Uh, oftentimes you’re gonna be mixing and moving around paragraphs. Trust me, if you talked with any of my students, they’d be able to tell you that themselves. Um, and finally, it is essential that throughout this process of drafting, brainstorming.

Amber: You’re able to articulate ultimately unique and understandable connections within your story. And I did mention connections earlier. Some of the toughest, transparently essays for me to read as an AO were those that didn’t really make sense to me. The student might’ve shared several facts about themselves, but I really wasn’t sure what they wanted me to take away from what they wrote.

Amber: Um, and it was hard for me to remember, which is not, that’s not the end goal of writing these essays. You want it to stick and resonate with. Another person, the AO on the other side of your, of your assay and your application. Um, so again, [00:21:00] make sure you know what you want the audience to know and be sure you have one or two trusted adult individuals who can be honest with you about whether or not the message you’re trying to convey is coming through in the way that you intend.

Amber: So practically speaking, how do I start this writing process? I encourage all of my students to journal. Maybe you’ll already do that, maybe. That just seems like a foreign concept to you, but something that journaling twice or three times a week. If you don’t like doing it, set a timer for 10 minutes and be done with it.

Amber: But the purpose of journaling for my students is to just take some time to reflect, right? You might be a very, very busy student with a lot of structure in your day. You have constant engagements and responsibilities and commitments. Taking that time to, it might be your only time to decompress and reflect on the day, or a significant moment or an interesting thought is going to start to get you in touch with the kind of writing, the reflection that your college essay writing is going [00:22:00] to.

Amber: Require or request of you. Um, if you want to make that essay writing impactful, um, and kind of hand in hand with that. I do recommend that my students do what I call stream of consciousness writing, um, along with writing exercises, which you’ll hear me hit home again and again. Um, but specifically stream of consciousness writing.

Amber: Again here, I do recommend that students set a timer, 10, 15, 20 minutes, um, and they just write. And you do not self edit. You do not erase. You keep going, whatever is on your mind. It can be completely random. Like, oh, I just stubbed my toe. That kind of hurt. I really liked to write the date. Go. My teacher, does she like me?

Amber: I dunno. You can just keep writing until the timer goes off. And it sounds like a stream of consciousness because that’s the point. Um, obviously if you’re, even if you’re, let’s say you’re doing stream of consciousness writing in response to a college prompt to get started. The initial response is not going to be your final draft.

Amber: That’s really not the point of this exercise. This exercise can actually be really good to overcome things like writer’s block or just if you’re afraid to get the [00:23:00] process started and you’re staring at the page and dunno where to start. By making yourself start by making yourself not self edit, not go back, not judge yourself.

Amber: Now you can finally get those thoughts that were in your head onto paper, and that’s really key for continuing the progress of the writing process. And then finally, as I mentioned before, form follows content. Uh, once you have a better sense of the content you do wanna share, then you can start thinking more seriously about the structure in the form that you’re going for.

Amber: Um, think about things like whether or not your essay should be in chronological order, or if you’re writing should include a recurring metaphor or essential theme throughout. Once you have an idea for the potential components of your essay. How do you want to connect them? Because again, they absolutely should have clear connections.

Amber: Are you wanting to reflect on a singular moment in time? Do you want a central theme that pulls different aspects of your life together in a unique way? In essence, once you know your message, how do you want to communicate it? These are the building blocks that can [00:24:00] help guide you to a standout personal statement without completely overcomplicating the process and what makes for a strong personal statement.

Amber: Authenticity. I’ve said it. I will probably say it many times in the future, especially with Q&A. I’m sure it’s gonna come up, but I did make this a one word slide on purpose. Nothing can replace your authentic voice, your background, your story. Please do not cheapen your worth and the worth of your story by trying to mimic someone else’s story that maybe you saw, oh, 50 essays that got students into Harvard.

Amber: That’s their story. That’s not you. You need to focus on your own story. Sure, you can always find ways to grow and the delivery and the packaging of your message, and that’s what we’re talking about tonight. But the content that you share should be unique and true to you. Do not trade in your story for someone else’s once you do the work to dig deep and find your own.

Amber: You’re going to find much more value from that. Okay, so now that I did make that PSA, it’s always important for me to somehow [00:25:00] reference that. Uh, show don’t tell. So this is what Lydia and I were referencing earlier. Um, maybe you’ve heard that at one time or another from an advisor. If you’re working with us, maybe even someone at school, depending on what kind of class you were taking.

Amber: Uh, but especially if you’re working with us, you’re going to hear show don’t tell or show more, tell less. Now, what are we saying when we say that? As you can see here on this slide, we’re trying to get you to paint a picture that’s gonna stick more with the admissions readers in our minds. If you can articulate a story that conveys a point more convincingly than simply stating it, well now you’re creating a compelling narrative that I’m gonna remember when I go into the committee room and have to defend why I think you should be a student here.

Amber: Now, if you simply told me that, Hey, I’m resilient. Now you’re assuming that I’ll just believe you, but it’s much better if you can convince me by showing me your resilience and sharing about a time that demonstrated your resilience. Like the student that I mentioned earlier. Um, I’m much more inclined to believe you if I can [00:26:00] see in my mind through your reading, through your writing, and that’s why it’s so important that you as the writer, paint a vivid picture for the readers and get in touch with what it is that you wanna convey to us as.

Amber: Um, you as the writer, us as the reader. Awesome. So what is a good timeline for writing now, generally speaking, and especially with everyone in this audience at this point, even my juniors, you should be able to keep a timeline like this. It’s a loose timeline, but it should give you enough structure to be able to kind of keep watch on yourself and not get too overwhelmed with everything and all the commitments in your life.

Amber: But I recommend that six plus months in advance of your first deadline. So for early action, early decision, that’s October, November. Um, that’s when you’ll want to begin if you haven’t already with brainstorming and writing exercises. And again, everybody in this call should be able to follow this because we are still six plus months plus months out from the earliest deadlines, not including some of the rolling admissions that will continue on.

Amber: Um, then when you’re within that three to six months [00:27:00] window. That’s when I really start for you to, I want for you to start drafting, um, more seriously. So you’re taking the brainstorming content that outlines the ideas, even what you’ve learned from the writing exercises, and now you’re channeling it into real drafts, responding to college essay prompts that you haven’t already.

Amber: Um, and you’re starting to get the groundwork and the foundation for the final. Product masterpiece that we want you to end up with in your final personal statement, and then in those two to four weeks prior to a deadline, that’s actually when we want you to be finalizing your draft. We don’t want you pressed last minute, the day before, finishing a personal statement.

Amber: Has it happened before? A yes? Is it ideal? Very unnecessarily stressful. Absolutely. And we want for you to avoid that and be able to put your best foot forward. Um, it also is really helpful for you to walk away from something, come back to it with fresh eyes because you might surprise yourself something that you thought, oh, this is a treasure, this is a gem.

Amber: Two, three days later you come back and you’re like. I am not sure what I was [00:28:00] thinking. I’m gonna revisit that. So it’s good to give yourself that time to have a fresh set of eyes to return to your work. And again, those one or two trusted adults who can also provide a fresh set of eyes. But ultimately, this timeline, this, this high view, uh, bird’s eye view timeline should help you to be able to write an essay that’s effective, compelling, and you don’t feel pressed for time.

Amber: So can’t have a presentation like this without talking about some of the common mistakes that I’ve seen. We touched on this earlier, but talking too much about others, again, when we were discussing differences between college essay writing and high school writing, even when you’re talking about something you’ve learned about yourself or an academic subject.

Amber: You have to bring it back to yourself specifically when it’s an academic subject or others. Um, and again, prompt four is a great example of a prompt that can trip some students up. Yes, we want to know how your teacher, or your friend, or even your dog did something kind for you. But remember what we said earlier.

Amber: We’re not trying to get them admitted into your college. We’re trying to get you admitted through your [00:29:00] application. Mistake number two, it’s always. Very easy to try and cover way too much in just 650 words. Remember, that’s a lot shorter than you think it is. Um, sometimes students get really excited and have great ideas, but they need at least a thousand words to cover all of those ideas.

Amber: I’ve worked with students whose first drafts are well over a thousand words, and that’s required a lot of work to get us down to what we really need to focus on in 650 words. Uh, but, and this leads me to mistake number three, to avoid. You have to remain focused in your writing because this word limit will sneak up more quickly than most students anticipate.

Amber: And chances are in your final lesson essay, you’re not gonna be able to fit every idea that you have into your response. So it’s important to stay selective and intentional. And it’s also where a second pair of trusted eyes can really come in handy. You should either pick one main topic or one main theme.

Amber: You should know ultimately that. One liner. It doesn’t have to be an actual one liner, but that one theme that an AO should walk away [00:30:00] from thinking, knowing in their mind about you when they walk away from your essay, from your application. Um, even if you include se anecdotes in there, they should be connected by a poignantly clear theme.

Amber: So stay focused and. Just don’t try to do too much. And finally, just make sure you proofread. Let one or two trusted adults proofread with you. Like I said, a fresh set of eyes can really do wonders, and it can make the difference between you saying how excited you are to eat a university and how excited you are to be at a university.

Amber: Notice the only difference there is one letter and a space, and those are both. All three of them are technically words, so. Google Docs might not catch that. You wanna make sure that a fresh set of human eyes are reviewing your essays and proofreading before you hit submit. And finally, super. Finally, uh, we couldn’t have an essay just in this day and time without addressing ai.

Amber: Um, and many students want to know our admissions officers using technology and AI to read well. This, [00:31:00] and many similar questions are pervasive and completely understandable given the days we’re living in. And the answer is a bit of yes and no. Um, just like AI is steadily developing, admissions offices around the country are determining how and in what ways to ethically integrate AI into their everyday tasks and responsibilities.

Amber: For now, you’ll see some articles out there discussing a few colleges who are openly integrating AI into their human processes, like video or essay review, while still emphasizing the need for human counterpart reviewers. It’s openly being used to compliment not to replace. So for you as a prospective college student, I want you to understand that institutions of higher learning are still looking to educate humans.

Amber: And while AI can make life easier in certain ways, the ultimate goal in higher education is not replacement. It’s equipment of future generations to think critically and be part of local and global solutions to real human problems. So what should you do in this steadily developing environment? [00:32:00] I want you to understand that it, when it comes to your personal statement, specifically, what you have control over here, you are still writing to a real human.

Amber: So be real in your writing and don’t try to replace your voice with an essay generators or someone who made the top 50 essays to get into Harvard who. We can sense the lack of authenticity, trust us, that’s we’re reading for a living and authenticity is really what makes the difference between two equally academically competitive applicants.

Amber: So give yourself that real edge. Do your part to stand out the right way and invest in your own essay writing process in future by starting early in writing authentically.

Lydia: All right. Thank you so much, Amber, for that. Very insightful presentation. That concludes the presentation portion of our webinar. Um, so I hope that everyone at home found that information helpful. And remember, you can download the slides from the link in our handouts tab. [00:33:00] So now we’re gonna move into the live Q&A where I will read through the questions that you all submitted in the Q&A tab.

Lydia: Amber will get an opportunity to share her answers. And as a heads up, if your Q&A tab isn’t letting you submit questions, just double check that you joined the webinar through the custom link in your email and not from the webinar landing page. Um, and so we’ll go ahead and dive in now. Feel free to continue submitting questions in that Q&A tab.

Lydia: I’ll continue reading through them. Um, I know some of you asked some questions and they were answered throughout the presentation. But if you have some additional clarification and we marked your question as answered, feel free to ask a follow up. Um, I’ll also ask some questions that you all asked, uh, may have asked in the, uh.

Lydia: survey that you filled out when registering for the webinar as well. So the first question that I have for you, Amber, is, are the best personal statements that you’ve read specific to any particular prompt? 

Amber: Yes. [00:34:00] I think that’s a good question to ask. Um, and I actually don’t, I, I think that’s interesting.

Amber: What stands out to me is that, yes, I would read every prompt before I read every personal statement. Um, and I was intentional about that. And it’s funny because I realized that the prompt was not what determined how much an essay resonated with me. Um, and if we kind of go back through the slides that we were talking about, again, it’s not the prompt that makes the essay, it’s the work that you’ve done to reflect on and, and.

Amber: Share and develop a genuine, authentic, reflective piece that tells the AO more about you. Um, and like I said, again, you could start in the brainstorming process with essay number three or essay number four per se. Then by the time you get to the end, maybe the final essay that really encapsulates what you wanna share about you.

Amber: Doesn’t neatly fit into that. You can always go to essay number seven. And so I would say that that ultimately is probably why I haven’t seen like, oh, students who answer prompt number two, I always love the rest essay. That’s not true because someone could pick an essay and not do the work. Um, and it could [00:35:00] be number seven and they just haven’t done the work and they just kind of slap something together last minute and I can tell.

Amber: Um, and then you can have someone who also picks prompt number seven, but they’ve done the work. They’ve gone through several drafts. Maybe it started off as one prompt ended as another. It really doesn’t matter the prompt at the end of the day. But what resonates with AOS is when you’ve done the work, we can sense that.

Lydia: I definitely agree. I don’t think there’s a prompt that is right or wrong, and sometimes there are. You may, as you figure out what essay you wanna write about, you may realize that your topic could kind of fall into a variety of prompts, um, rather than just being in one specific bucket. And it’s just about the lens through which you wanna view that specific topic.

Lydia: So I think I rather than. Thinking about a specific prompt. I think sometimes it can be more helpful to think about what the story is that you wanna tell and then go with a prompt that best fits it rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. 

Amber: Yeah, [00:36:00] that’s good. 

Lydia: So, um. The next question that I have for you is, does every college require a personal statement or is that only true for colleges that are on the Common App?

Amber: Great question. Um, so no, not all colleges in the United States, it will require, um, that a student have been a personal statement. That if you are applying through the Common App, though, that is part of the Common App is your personal statement. Um, but there are several colleges that don’t require any essay, um, if you’re applying directly onto the website, um, or through through their unique application.

Amber: But again, I, I should emphasize if you’re applying to any college through the personal, through the Common App, the personal statement is part of the Common App. Um, so that usually is, that is a minimum requirement, um, for colleges that you’re applying to through the Common App.

Lydia: And in that same vein, um, I know you explained Common App earlier in the presentation and how that’s like a tool for you to be able to apply to multiple colleges [00:37:00] at once. But we did have a question about tailoring essays to colleges and how much time you should spend tailoring essays. And if your personal statement should be tailored to a school.

Amber: Ah, that is a game that is an interesting, that it’s a gamble. Um, so if you’re applying to multiple schools through the Common App, keep in mind that you are applying to multiple schools through the Common App. So each school you apply to will receive your, your personal statement. Is it possible to apply to one university with.

Amber: A personal statement that’s slightly tailored to that one. And then before submitting all the other ones, change your essay. Yes. But that is another component to have to keep in mind. So yes, you could do that, but just keep in mind that’s one more moving piece of your application that you have to go back to before you hit submit on the application to your other school.

Amber: Because if I’m at Stanford and I have, I have read an essay where I was very compelled [00:38:00] by the student, uh, but I get to the end of the essay and they’re like, and that’s why I think I’ll make a great student at up Penn, and I’ve said this before because it really stuck with me. Um. Schools take a lot of pride in in their, in their brand, and especially when they’re more selective institutions.

Amber: A mistake like that can cost you your admission. Um, so just be careful with that. But is it technically possible to tailor a personal statement to a specific school? Yes. However, and especially at the unique, uh, I shouldn’t say unique, but at many selective institutions, they’re going to have school specific questions.

Amber: So save your college specific content for those school specific essays is my. Overarching advice in that area. 

Lydia: Yeah, definitely agree with that. And I would say, you know, I, I’ve heard students think about doing that as a way to just demonstrate even more interest in a school, and it’s very risky. I, I can’t say that it would really

Lydia: make a significant difference [00:39:00] in terms of you being more competitive to just mention the school specifically in your personal statement. ’cause I don’t think that even for the most selective schools, even though they don’t wanna hear about the other schools you’re applying to, they’re going in expecting that you are applying to other universities.

Lydia: So if you’re applying through the Common App, they are not expecting that you. Show your additional devotion to them by mentioning them in your personal statement and taking that extra risk. So it’s just generally not worth it. And there are other ways to demonstrate interest, like going to, um, tour the campus mm-hmm.

Lydia: Or reaching out to an admissions officer or, um, you know, applying early decision if that’s something that’s within your, you know. Realm of options, right? Um, that are much more effective ways to demonstrate that this is a school that you’re really serious about and don’t require you to throw away your chances, um, or risk throwing away your chances at other schools that you’re applying [00:40:00] to, right?

Lydia: Um. Another question that we have is, what are the best topics to start with when you’re thinking about what your essay should be? How do we know what to write about? 

Amber: Yeah. I would say, again, as I referenced like some, we have several really good writing exercises. You can find some online too, even if you’re not working with us.

Amber: If you’re just like, I really don’t know where to start, just look up some good personal statement or just, um, college essay writing exercises. Um, but also you can use, if you want to start with the Common App prompts, you can start there and again. Try some stream of consciousness writing, like set a timer for 10 minutes and just start writing, right?

Amber: Don’t judge yourself, because again, that happens to a lot of students. There’s writer’s block, there’s fear of what if it’s not good enough? Like get yourself out of that. Set a timer and start writing, and don’t stop. And don’t erase, and don’t go back and don’t judge yourself because then when that timer goes.

Amber: At least you have something to look at now, and now you have something to go off of and you might throw away 90% [00:41:00] of what you just wrote. That’s fine. But now you, if you have 10% that you can start to build a foundation, an essay with that has substance, you’re doing better than where you were when you were just staring at a blank page.

Amber: So, um, again, there’s not a specific topic like, Hey, this is what you should start writing about. Even just the common, that prompts are good prompts if you wanna get more comfortable writing about yourself. Um, and then doing things like stream of consciousness writing where you don’t allow yourself to erase and edit and go back initially can help you put some content on the page.

Lydia: That definitely, um, and it’s related to that. We have some questions about. Time, like how far in advance did you start thinking about your essay? I think one student said they were a sophomore and they were thinking about how much prep they should be putting into it. Should they be working on it now? Do you have any advice for how to have that structure?

Amber: I do actually have a couple pieces. Um, I would say [00:42:00] it really is important to have one or two tru at least, uh, one or two trusted adult individuals. I keep saying one or two. Um. Because you do wanna be mindful of not having too many voices crowding out yours like you should, and I say trusted individuals because these should be adults who know you, um, who want to see you thrive, but also understand the balance of not crowding out your voice, but still giving you constructive feedback.

Amber: Um, and so I would say if you do have a trusted adult, whether it’s your college counselor or an advisor, like, hey, just being honest, like if you, or even if it’s an English teacher, like, Hey, how do you think? My writing is like, do you think I need, um, the writing that you’ve seen? Do you think I need some work?

Amber: Or like responding to a more college like essay prompt and then seeing like, Hey, what do you think about this? Um, students come in. At varying levels of comfort with writing about themselves. Um, and so kind of getting some practice early on, let’s say you’re, you are a sophomore, um, I think that’s good for you to get a kind of sense of, Hey, how am I doing?

Amber: How easy is [00:43:00] this for me? Like, do I need to work on this? And then getting some feedback for some trusted adults. Like, Hey, what do you think about? This, right? Like what are some tips that, like if I wanted to make this more compelling, like say you’re responding to a Common App prompt, even though you’re a sophomore and you might not use anything close to what you have right now as a sophomore, getting the repetitions in can be very helpful for you.

Amber: And then getting feedback from trusted adults can one help you know how you can grow, but two. You, and that kind of has dual purpose. Now you have someone who’s really in your corner, they see that you’re willing to do the work. Um, and even as a sophomore though, most of your letters of recommendation would come from junior and potentially senior teachers.

Amber: They also do allow teacher recommendations to come from 10th grade. Ninth grade is usually, that’s too far. Um, but you could have, again, a trusted advocate, um, and a potential recommender who’s seeing you do the work now, um, in your corner. So that could be very dual purpose as well. But yeah, it’s, it’s not too young to start.

Amber: Um, and just get yourself comfortable with the writing process, even if that’s not what you end up using your senior year. 

Lydia: [00:44:00] Yeah, completely agree with that. And I would say, you know, when you’re a freshman or sophomore, definitely not too early to start working on it, but I will say that there’s so much change that can happen 

Lydia: in those four years of high school. So if you feel like I have an awesome essay and I am in the summer between my freshman year and sophomore year. That might be the essay that you end up submitting to colleges. It might not. 

Lydia: You know, two years, two and a half years. Really, that’s a lot of time for someone to be able to change even as an adult.

Lydia: I’m not the same person I was two and a half years ago, and that’s certainly true for most high schoolers that there’s a lot of change that happens in those four years, so don’t feel like you need to have something already written. 

Lydia: Um, you know, in your freshman or sophomore year of high school, I think the best thing that you can do, even outside of writing, is doing, just like having conversations, whether it’s with your parents or a sibling or a close [00:45:00] friend or another trusted adult.

Lydia: Um. Like Amber was saying, like an English teacher or something like that, where they’re just asking you questions and getting you to think about the kinds of things that you would need to think about for mm-hmm. Your personal statement. I feel like the students that I’ve worked with who have had the greatest issues.

Lydia: With writing their personal statement. We’re not necessarily students who are not the best writers because there’s things that we can do to help get your writing where it needs to be. Although that is important, it’s often the students who don’t really know who they are or don’t know why they’re.

Lydia: Pursuing college at all. And then when they get asked questions about, well, why do you want this major? Or Why do you wanna pursue college? Or what do you envision yourself? Who do you want to be? Or who are you now? They just haven’t really thought about it before. And it can be really difficult to pull those answers out if you’re working, you know, in a three month time span.

Lydia: Like you’re just thinking about this as a senior in high school. So even if you don’t wanna [00:46:00] sit down and write in your journal every day, get in the habit of. Thinking about and talking through who you are and thinking about who is the person that I wanna become? And that can be really helpful in laying the foundation so that when you have to actually write those things down, those are questions that you’ve already thought through and you can work with your trusted adults on elaborating on those answers.

Amber: Yeah, very well said. Again, it’s, it’s for the practice of getting comfortable with that writing, not for a final product. Definitely don’t start as a sophomore with the thing of checking something off the box. Like, oh, I wrote my personal statement in 10th grade. Like, have an open mind. You’re, you’re definitely gonna revisit it for sure.

Lydia: Right? You might look back at it and be like, oh, what was this Like? I will, when I was 15 years old, like, it’s not even who I am anymore. 

Amber: Exactly. 

Lydia: Okay. So, um, before we get back into the Q&A, we’re gonna just take a quick pause for me to talk about CollegeAdvisor. For those who are in the room who aren’t already working with us, we know how overwhelming the admissions [00:47:00] process can be.

Lydia: And CollegeAdvisor’s team of over 300 former admissions officers and admissions experts is ready to help you and your family navigate the college admissions process in one-on-one advising sessions and essay editing through our digital platform. CollegeAdvisor has had 10,000 total lifetime clients and a 4.8 out of five rating on Trustpilot with over 750 reviews. After analyzing our 2023 to 2025 data, we found that clients working with CollegeAdvisor who have a strong academic and testing record are 2.6 times more likely to get into an Ivy League school, around three times more likely to get into a top 20 college,

Lydia: and five times more likely to get into Johns Hopkins, UCLA and NYU when compared to national acceptance rates. So increase your odds and take the next step in your college admissions journey by signing up for a free 60 minute strategy session with an admission specialist on our team using the QR code on the screen.

Lydia: During this meeting, you’ll receive a preliminary assessment of your academic [00:48:00] profile, along with some initial recommendations on what you can do to stand out. At the end, you’ll also learn more about the premium packages we offer that pair you with an expert who can support you in building your college list, editing your essays, and much.

Lydia: We’re here for the whole process. Okay, so now headed back to the Q&A. So we have a few questions here about the structure of the essay. So one student is asking, is it meant to be like a set of stories told in chronological order? Are you meant to talk about why you wanna do your major? Are you supposed to just talk about something personal to who you are?

Lydia: Like what is the flow of what we’re supposed to be doing here? You’re muted, Amber.

Amber: It’s been a while since I made that mistake. Gotta keep myself humble. Okay. Um, so, um, there’s a number, I [00:49:00] said this during the presentation, um, but there isn’t one specific way that we want you to structure it, and I’ll try to go through those. Examples that you gave Lydia. So, um, in terms of like, hey, do we want like a set of like, does it need to be in chronological order or a series of events?

Amber: Those are just examples of things that students have done and that can make sense. But again, form is gonna follow content, right? So figure out first what you wanna write about, then you can have a better sense of what’s gonna make sense. Maybe it doesn’t make sense to do chronological order because you’re, you’re talking about.

Amber: Very random events. If you are talking about multiple events and your kind of process of thinking wasn’t linear, um, maybe you’re really just connecting a theme and time doesn’t matter, right? Like, that might not make sense to you. Um, but if you are trying to trace a path in chron, then yeah, maybe chronological order makes sense for you.

Amber: Um, so ultimately, again, I would encourage you to focus on the content, what you wanna share before you determine, um, the structure. I know there are two other aspects of that that you mentioned that stood out to me. Lydia, ah. Um, [00:50:00] was it the, it was an order major? Um, yeah. So like, do we want you to focus specifically on a major?

Amber: No. Um, not necessarily, but you can. So this is again, another yes and no. Um, okay. So if you have schools that you’re applying to that will have the question like, Hey, why do you want to study this major? Then you don’t need to focus so much on your personal statement about it. However, if that is an aspect of you that you really want to hit home and you’ll be able to incorporate, um, aspects of your journey or connection to this major without being redundant in your personal statement, and those why major essays, then you can do that.

Amber: But you see how it’s kind of a balancing act? I can’t say a hundred percent yes, because you might not have enough content to write in both. In both your personal statement and those school specific essays, but then again, you might have so much to say that yes, it’s gonna spill over into your personal statement, but you’re still able to talk about the bulk of it and those [00:51:00] why major specific essays.

Amber: So, um, uh, that’s, that’s the guidance that I’ll give in terms of whether or not, or how, um, to incorporate your why major essay into your personal statement. But I will address what I think is the underlying question is that you, you do not have to, uh, if it makes sense. Go for it. If it doesn’t make sense, please don’t force it.

Amber: Um, and don’t be redundant in those areas. I think were that, were those the main aspects of that as of those questions? Yes. Okay, cool. Yes. 

Lydia: Thank you. Yeah, I completely agree. And not to pick on, I’m sure we have some students who want to apply pre-med or are applying pre-med. So not to pick on you, but I, I’ll say that a common pitfall that I see particularly among pre-med students is.

Lydia: Every part of their application is. Here’s why I wanna go into medicine, here’s why I wanna go into medicine. And it’s important to think about, think strategically about your application as each [00:52:00] thing being like a different puzzle piece to paint a picture of who you are. And so if there is a chance that using your personal statement to talk about why you’re pre-med or why you’re doing a specific major, if there’s a chance.

Lydia: That that is gonna end up telling a story that is really similar to another puzzle piece, then that’s just a missed opportunity. It’s not, that’s. Yes, it’s inherently bad, but it’s just a missed opportunity because we didn’t get a chance to learn something else about you. 

Lydia: And that’s something I feel like you have to be really strategic about, especially when it comes to Common App, because not every school has a Why major essay.

Lydia: Right. But a lot of schools do, and so you have to strike that right balance of, okay. Well, yes, I do feel like it’s important for my personal statement to talk about my major to some extent, because that’s important to who I am. But you sh that shouldn’t be the only thing that it’s communicating, because then for maybe 30% of your schools that you apply to your personal statement and your [00:53:00] supplemental essay are saying essentially the same thing.

Lydia: Um, and also when it comes to structure, like I don’t think that there’s a structure that is inherently right or wrong, but you also need to think about the fact that like, I know Amber, you were talking earlier about how you spent more time than you were supposed to on a certain essay, and

Lydia: Admissions officers, they do have like set amount of time that they’re supposed to spend on each application. And so just think about if you’re trying to stand out and you’re like. Structuring something in a way that’s really different from the norm. Make sure that it’s still something that is easy enough for someone to follow if they have limited time.

Lydia: I feel like I’ve read essays before where I was like, I could tell this student was trying to do something different. They were trying to be creative. Yeah. And like it’d be interesting if I were reading for pleasure right now, but like, I have 30 minutes. I need to get through like all these things and you’re trying to get me to like.

Lydia: Think too hard to understand what you’re trying to say. So just I think [00:54:00] usually try to be a little bit more on the straightforward side if you can. ’cause you don’t wanna overestimate how much time or comprehension someone has. Obviously these admissions offices are smart people. A lot of them are alums of the schools that you’re applying to, but they’re also working on limited sleep in limited time.

Lydia: Just be conscious of that. Um, the last question that I wanted to ask you is, a student said that you had mentioned that, you know, resilience was something really stood out in an essay mm-hmm. That stuck with you and that that was an important character trick for them to talk about and that you appreciate hearing about it in essays that you read, but they were also curious.

Lydia: Are there any other character traits that are important for students to highlight in their essays besides resilience? 

Amber: Absolutely. Um, and thinking, and I’m gonna go to a point that Lydia made, um, earlier, just in terms of thinking of every part of your application, like a puzzle piece, like a [00:55:00] mosaic. A piece of a mosaic, you want the final picture to be beautiful and, and you don’t want any kind of holes in the picture, right?

Amber: So, um. For res, I’m not always looking for resilience as like, oh, I, I couldn’t tell that this student’s resilient. Guess they’re not coming. Like, that’s not like a checkbox characteristic that I’m looking for. Um, it just is a positive thing, um, in life, but also in college, right? You’re going to meet new obstacles.

Amber: You’re going to need to know how to overcome them. Stanford in particular, is a challenging academic curriculum. So we wanna see like that, that’s a positive thing when we can see that a student has the ability to overcome. Um, but there’s also so many traits that stand out, right? Like your ability to problem solve creativity, um, enjoyment of life, just unique personality, that confidence in self.

Amber: Like there’s so many things that you can and there that you can highlight in your application. We’re also not looking for you to check all of them off. Um, we just want you to kind of lean into, okay, [00:56:00] as you reflect on yourself, what are some strengths that I have? Where are some areas that I’ve grown? How can I reflect that in the application?

Amber: Because again, all of us are genuinely familiar with like, oh, these are strengths, these are positive characteristics. Um. But how is it you need to be in touch with what those strengths of yours are, how you’ve grown, and then packaging that and articulating that in an application where I’m compelled by like, wow, this student is really brave.

Amber: Like, like they really took a risk on, Hey, you know what? My family’s all doctors and they were super disappointed when I decided to be pre-law or go into acting or, or like do more creative performing arts, but this is why I did it. Right? Like, now you’re leaning into the why and now I’m compelled by your story of like, wow.

Amber: I’m really, I’m really impressed and, and now I’m connected and, and invested in your story as a person because you, you did the work to reflect on what this path and journey has meant for you. And now, now I’m compelled by your story. Right? So, um, it’s not like, again, there’s this list of characteristics, but we know what positive characteristics are as, as fellow [00:57:00] human beings.

Amber: Um, so when you’re able to do the work and, and realize, hey, these are my strengths, these are areas that I’ve grown. See how you can paint that picture throughout your application, narrative in your personal statement and the other parts of your application so that we get that picture as AOs. 

Lydia: Yeah. Super, super helpful.

Lydia: And I love what you said about just that it, it is not that you’re looking for a set list of values. Like yes, there might be certain values that a school holds and it’s nice to highlight those, but it’s also like. You have to keep in mind that we are all different people on this planet, right? And so you can’t expect that every person has the same set characteristics.

Lydia: And so yes, I think that goes back to what we were talking about before in terms of the preparation and like spending time thinking deeply about who you are and who you wanna be. The the, when you have that clarity of this is the person that I am, and this is how I show up in the world, it’ll be easier for you to know.

Lydia: Um, [00:58:00] what characteristics are worth highlighting in your application and in your personal statement, um, and that those don’t have to be from a set list that you think a college wants. It’s about being authentic, like Amber was saying earlier, um, to who you are. 

Amber: Absolutely. 

Lydia: Yeah. So we will go ahead and wrap up now.

Lydia: Thank you so much to everyone for coming out tonight and thank you, especially Amber, for your expertise. You are so insightful, such a ray of sunshine. So thank you for sharing all of your knowledge with us tonight. Um, if you haven’t been able to scan the QR code and schedule your free assessment with us, just remember please.

Lydia: Keep the browser open that you’re in right now, open until the webinar officially ends, and at that time, you should be redirected to the booking page where you can schedule that session. All right, so that is the end of the webinar. We had a really great time talking to you all about college [00:59:00] admissions and personal statements.

Lydia: Thank you so much for joining us and if you had to step out for any reason or leave us early, you will be able to access a recording of tonight’s session later on our website. Thanks and have a great night. Awesome. Bye.