The Personal Statement: The Importance of Several Drafts, and a Second Set of Eyes
It may seem like common sense for students aspiring to attend top schools to have multiple drafts of an essay before turning them in. However, that does not mean that this nugget of wisdom doesn’t slip the mind of well-meaning students. Regardless of education, multiple drafts is vital for a stellar essay, allowing the numerous refinements that likely don’t surface with only one or two drafts.
There is a prompt for a reason, and even if it is more open-ended, the prompt needs an answer. I have had the privilege of helping several students work on their essays, and the most common mistake I see in their essays, and even in my essays from time to time, is a failure to answer the question. This prevalent mistake is easy to fix through this sensible practice of creating several drafts, and having someone else read through your essay to edit, provide feedback, and give insight from a different perspective.
When it comes to writing essays and the process of writing essays, I would like to describe it as a similar process to forging a sword. Forging a sword requires time, patience, and refinement, just like an essay. When a sword is forged, the blacksmith has to take the metal already there, melt it down, and pour it into a mold. He then takes a hammer to shape the sword. He repeats this several times until the sword is shaped like the blacksmith desires. However, blacksmiths do not always work alone. They have an additional blacksmith there to help in the process. The process of writing is very similar because it is essential to give yourself enough time to write the essay well and to pour your ideas into a mold, which can be an outline. Then it is through the drafts that you take the essay and shape it to how you want it. Yet, just as the blacksmith has a second set of eyes for the sword, it is as imperative for a writer to have a second set of eyes to look at their writing.
Having someone else look at your essays and be incredibly helpful, especially since they bring a different perspective to the table. They can provide insight into the prompt that you would not have seen because you can only tackle it initially from one perspective, your perspective. When the writer goes back and looks at their work, it will make complete and total sense. Still, it may not make sense to someone else! When another person comes in and is allowed to challenge certain statements, make corrections, and ask for clarification, the essay grows so much more because it shows the areas that you, as a writer, can continue refining. The language used in the essay should be fluid, grappling and molding in order to best convey your story, with its vulnerable growth points, to the reader.
Academia often conjures up an image of solitary writing, head-down, in an ivory tower decorated with ivy. In reality, even professional academics are encouraged to undertake seminars in which their writings are workshopped and challenged. It doesn’t matter what level of education you have completed or are in; having another person read over your essay improves your writing. This practice is essential, and if you are still in high school, I highly recommend starting it now so that it becomes a part of your writing practice early on.
