This personal statement brainstorming exercise is designed to help you generate ideas for your personal statement and practice deep self-reflection by leading you on an archaeological dig of sorts — but instead of digging up the remains of an ancient civilization, you’ll be whipping out your fossil brush and dusting off personal artifacts excavated from t
he core of you who are.
Step 1.
Find a quiet place where you can work, undisturbed, for about 15 minutes. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and turn it face-down. Open a fresh Google Doc or pull out a notebook and a pen. (If you’re working on Google Docs, make sure your laptop has notifications silenced too.)
Step 2.
Imagine a closed box.
When you open it, you discover that the box is bursting with personal artifacts. Your personal artifacts. In other words, each object represents a fundamental part of you — your experiences, your character, your personality, etc.
For example — let’s say that you grew up working on a dairy farm. Daily crack-of-dawn farm chores taught you the value of hard work, and daily contact with sweet, liquid-eyed cows taught you the virtue of gentleness. You might discover in the box: a pair of muddy farm boots, unlaced, in honey-colored leather.
Or — let’s say you have a temper. Let’s say you have a powerful sense of justice, and your anger flares when things aren’t fair. You might discover in the box: a canister of lighter fluid.
One more example — let’s say your dad swears he once saw a UFO, and as a result, you spent most of your teenage years on UFO-sighting message boards, developing an interest in the otherworldly and bizarre. You might discover in the box: a grainy photo of a UFO above a neighborhood.
Make a list of the personal artifacts that you discover as you visualize your artifact box, aiming for a total of 10-15. You don’t need to write a paragraph of explanation for each one — just attempt to list each artifact with some visual detail. So, instead of writing “coffee spoon,” write “weighty silver coffee spoon with a well-worn handle and lightly tarnished edges.”
Step 3.
Go through your list. Are there facets of yourself and your experience that feel unrepresented? If so, take a few minutes and add more artifacts until your list is complete.
Step 4.
Within each of these personal artifacts lies the seed of an idea for a personal statement.
For example, one student wrote down “a pistachio nut, cracked open in a smile” during her personal artifact brainstorming. Thinking about the pistachio and its symbolism in her culture of origin eventually helped this student launch her personal statement:
“You are such a pistachio!” Mama pinched my nose a little, catching her breath from laughing at my grimace. A few creases emerged beneath her dark circles.
My lips stretched across my face, dimples bursting. I gazed into her tired eyes: “Mama, don’t I look like one?”
Pistachio. A small green body that burst out of a creamy white shell, cracking it into two even halves that formed a crooked grin. When I was growing up, “pistachio” was my nickname — literally meaning “the happy fruit” in my mother tongue, or the one who brings joy to all.
I liked being the pistachio. With my mom’s busy nine-to-nine and my dad’s occasional twice-a-year visits, being the “pistachio” was easy. I pulled up my best grades for them to sign, my stack of honors and accolades to show, and smiled ear to ear. Mama would pull together a tired smile, and Daddy his camera: “Smile, my little pistachio.”
Some of the personal artifacts on your list are probably more suited for a personal statement than others — and that’s perfect! Go down your list of artifacts and flag the ones that feel most rich or fruitful to you. Use those artifacts as a focal point to begin drafting drafts of your personal statement.
Need more personalized guidance on brainstorming or crafting your personal statement? Contact our college admissions team.
Note: This exercise was adapted from the Essence Objects Exercise.
