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The goal in
answering this kind of question is to analyze rather
than summarize an achievement. This advice is
particularly true if you're discussing an accomplishment
that is listed elsewhere on the application. Your
readers want to gain insight into your character--not
read a factual summary of what occurred.
Here are some guiding principles to use in constructing
your answer:
1.
Choose something that's meaningful to you. Some
applicants feel obligated to choose the most
objectively impressive accomplishments. You should
write about something that has personal
significance, even if you weren't formally
recognized for it. What matters is that you write
passionately and insightfully about your subject.
Unless otherwise specified, you should feel free to
draw on academic, personal, or professional
successes.
2. Focus on details about the process. Show
the reader through concrete details how you achieved
what you did. If you want to discuss a grade you
earned in a particularly challenging class, show us
how you mastered the material. For example, describe
creative strategies you used; don't rely on cliches
like "I succeeded through hard work."
3. Build tension. Describe obstacles and how
you overcame them. Note initial difficulties or
intermediate failures, then show how you recovered.
By adding a sense of drama to your story, you not
only keep the reader interested, but also make the
accomplishment seem that much more significant.
4. Evaluate the significance of the
accomplishment. Again, the goal here is to add
insight beyond what the reader knows from the
straightforward facts. For example, you can comment
on how the accomplishment represents an aspect of
your character, or describe how it fits within your
background of successes and failures. Don't get
carried away, however, and try to draw overly grand
lessons. You might discuss external consequences of
your actions to convey their magnitude, but
ultimately you should stay focused on your personal
response.
5. Don't boast or be overly modest. This is a
hard balance to strike, but if you stay focused on
the details of your story, then you shouldn't have a
problem. Use the details to convey the magnitude of
your accomplishment; you should be able to do so
sincerely without having to promote yourself. For
example, if you can show through illustrative
evidence how you influenced the course of someone's
life, you won't have to make a presumptuous
statement about, for example, "having a profound
impact on the life of another."
This applicant
discusses three accomplishments. The first is a
professional achievement with specific details both
about the difficulties he encountered and the
contributions he made. His second accomplishment comes
from his involvement in his community. Note that he
makes the following unnecessary statement: "This
experience was remarkable because it afforded me the
privilege of making a positive difference in the lives
of others." Although this is certainly true, the writer
would be better off showing the difference he has made.
Nevertheless, the overall account is still strong,
because he does return to focus on specific duties he
had and results for which he was responsible.
His final accomplishment falls under the category of a
personal achievement. Note that he is able to avoid
sounding boastful by acknowledging but downplaying
praise: "My act was heralded in the newspapers and
recognized by a citation from the highway patrol and the
county in which the event occurred, but this hardly
equaled the feeling I received from having saved this
boy's life." Few of us have been involved in saving
another person's life, but this story provides a strong
model of engaging dramatic narration and effective use
of detail. The writer does not need to spend many words
evaluating the significance of his story, because the
details have already revealed so much to the reader
about his character. |
