By Simon Ginet

Restaurants are open. Parks are full. Masks have virtually disappeared. But the pandemic definitely still happened. As the world crawls back to some degree of normalcy (whatever that is), it is sometimes possible to forget that the better part of the years 2020-2022 even occurred. At times I have marveled that the whole experience seemed like a dream (an extended fever dream, perhaps), and that there is no way it actually happened.

But it did.

And it provides an explanation for why things that have come a little easier to an older generation may be puzzlingly difficult for a younger one. A significant consequence of the pandemic is the effect it had on students, students who are now looking towards college.

The college application process has never been particularly easy. There are essays, tests, recommendations, financial documents, plus the uncertainty of the process and the soul-searching of determining where exactly one wants to go. But at least when I was applying to school, we had a wired-in structure that put us on this track from the first day of 9^th grade. Not everyone was talking about college at this age. I didn’t start thinking about it until 10^th or 11^th grade. But teachers were, counselors were, school administrators were, parents were, and the system was designed to move us along the path to college, whether we were thinking about it the whole time or not.

The concern of these educational figures did not disappear with the onset of the pandemic. But the daily structure did. And the question of “what do I want to do in four years?” was replaced with “what exactly is going on?” and “what am I going to do today?” This might explain why students are struggling with motivation, even confusion, with regards to their futures.

I was not exempt from the educational tolls of the pandemic. I spent the last 14 months of graduate school virtually. When the whole thing ended, I was not thinking about the future so much as getting through the present. This is the effect that a global crisis can have on the psyche. Slowly I started to put some pieces back together, make my way into the workforce, and take the time to think about what I wanted with my life and what my future might look like.

This group of college and workforce-bound students may not all be coming out of the blocks raring to go. The tolls on mental health are not insignificant. Students lost access to their friend groups, their sports, arts and their other extracurricular activities. This loss created a certain hole that bordered on (or crossed the border into) the traumatic. Students may not be war veterans, but having a significant form of clarity and structure dismantled so quickly does have a strong debilitating effect. This is especially true when loneliness and other mental health issues are at play.

What I know for sure from the last few years is that I never could have persisted through it all without the support of my family. I imagine it was difficult for my parents to watch me struggle, to hear about 6-hour Zoom classes, overwhelming assignments, and social confusion. They must also have sensed that absence of curiosity about my future. I imagine it is difficult for you to watch your children struggle, too. My parents showed up when I needed them, and shifted their focus from “what do you want to do after?” to “what would help today?”

Let’s take heart from the fact that we’re on this path, and on it together.

Keep working on the support. We’ll keep working on the essays. And we will work our way towards a future that we can share and be proud of, even if the students don’t see it yet.

For feedback on this piece or any questions about what it was like to be a pandemic student and a post-pandemic graduate, feel free to contact me at simon@astartingline.com.

Writing Your Personal Statement: A Comprehensive Guide

The personal statement can be intimidating. For many students, it’s one of the first times they attempt expository writing about their own lives and ambitions. And it’s not a low-stakes matter: how you approach the essay really does matter.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be an excruciating process, and can even be enlightening. Remind yourself that it’s not terribly different from any other writing assignment, take a deep breath, and follow your writing process:

Choosing Your Topic

Before you can begin drafting, you need to select a topic that will genuinely showcase who you are. This is often the most challenging part of the process, but it’s also the most important. The right topic will make everything else flow naturally.

Understanding What Makes a Strong Topic

A compelling personal statement topic doesn’t need to be dramatic or life-changing. Admissions officers aren’t necessarily looking for stories about overcoming tragedy or achieving superhuman accomplishments. Instead, they want authentic insight into your character, values, and potential. The best topics are often found in everyday moments that reveal something meaningful about how you think, what you care about, or how you’ve grown.

Consider topics that demonstrate qualities colleges value: intellectual curiosity, resilience, self-awareness, leadership, creativity, or the ability to reflect on experiences and learn from them. Your topic should give you the opportunity to illustrate these qualities through specific examples rather than simply listing them.

Mining Your Life for Material

Start by reflecting on experiences that genuinely mattered to you. These might include moments when you failed and learned something important, times when you stood up for something you believed in, experiences that challenged your assumptions, or activities that sparked genuine passion. Think about relationships that shaped you, communities you belong to, or problems you’ve tried to solve.

Don’t overlook the ordinary. Sometimes the most revealing topics emerge from regular routines or small observations. The way you approach a weekly family tradition, your relationship with a younger sibling, or even how you organize your workspace can provide windows into your personality and values when explored with depth and reflection.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Certain topics tend to be overused or difficult to execute well. Mission trip essays, for instance, can come across as clichéd unless you focus on specific, personal insights rather than general observations about helping others. Similarly, sports injury comebacks or winning the big game are common narratives that require exceptional execution to stand out.

Be cautious about topics that might overshadow you as the subject. If you’re writing about someone you admire, make sure the essay reveals your values and growth, not just their qualities. Likewise, avoid topics so broad that you can’t explore them meaningfully in 650 words or less.

Testing Your Topic

Before committing to a topic, ask yourself several key questions. First, can you write about this topic with specific, concrete details? Vague or general essays rarely make strong impressions. Second, does this topic allow you to reveal something about yourself that isn’t evident elsewhere in your application? Your personal statement should add dimension to your candidacy, not simply repeat information from your activities list or transcripts.

Third, are you genuinely interested in exploring this topic? Your enthusiasm will translate into more engaging writing. Finally, does this topic create opportunities to demonstrate reflection and growth? Colleges want to see that you can think critically about your experiences and extract meaning from them.

Aligning With the Prompt

While exploring potential topics, keep the specific prompt in mind. Different colleges may ask different questions, from the Common Application’s open-ended prompts to more specific questions about challenges you’ve faced or communities you belong to. Your topic should directly address what the prompt is asking while still allowing you to showcase your authentic self.

Remember that colleges ask for personal statements to understand who you are beyond your grades and test scores. They want to know what drives you, how you think, and what kind of community member you’ll be. Choose a topic that gives you space to answer these implicit questions.

Brainstorm

Some students may feel like they “don’t have a story” to tell in their personal statement. However, diligent and creative brainstorming will always uncover rich, interesting topics. You can write it down or talk it out, you can use whiteboards or sticky notes, but do not neglect the brainstorming.

Set aside dedicated time for this process. Try freewriting for ten or fifteen minutes without stopping, jot down lists of significant moments or interests, or talk through possibilities with someone who knows you well. The goal is to generate options without judging them too harshly at first. You might surprise yourself with what emerges.

Draft

Let that rough draft be rough. Editing too early, or worrying about phrasing and spelling when you’re still trying to get your ideas down, is something even professional writers struggle with, but it’s worth it.

Give yourself permission to write badly at first. The purpose of a first draft is to get your ideas onto the page, not to create a polished final product. You might write far more than the word limit allows, or your initial structure might not work perfectly. That’s completely normal and actually helpful—you’ll have material to work with as you revise.

Revise

Students should expect to revise and polish their essays repeatedly. Six or eight revisions are common. It can help to have a friend, family member, or one of the coaches from A Starting Line review and make suggestions. We also recommend reading your essay aloud, to make sure it sounds like your voice.

During revision, look for places where you’re telling rather than showing. Can you replace abstract statements with concrete scenes or specific examples? Check whether every paragraph contributes to your main theme. Cut anything that doesn’t serve your purpose, no matter how clever it might sound in isolation.

Final Considerations

As you choose your topic, be sure to consider why the college is asking you to write this essay, and what your response shows (not tells!) about the kind of student you’ll be. The personal statement is your opportunity to speak directly to admissions officers in your own voice. Choose a topic that matters to you, explore it with honesty and depth, and trust that your authentic self is worth sharing.

The essay might feel intimidating at first, but remember that thousands of students successfully navigate this process every year. With thoughtful topic selection, patient brainstorming, uninhibited drafting, and careful revision, you can create a personal statement that truly represents who you are and what you’ll contribute to a college community.

Adapted from an article by A Starting Line coach Karen Droisen.

Colleges are looking for students who demonstrate leadership. But what does that even mean?

Leadership is a surprisingly slippery concept and there’s no end of books and guides and seminars about how to lead and why. Johns Hopkins even offers a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership! 

Fortunately, you don’t need an advanced degree to develop your leadership skills. You don’t need to win a student government election or even be the president of a club. Instead, think of leadership as a practice and a skill, something you do every day and get better at as you go. 

Our favorite way of looking at student leadership comes from The Student Leadership Challenge, which describes five things that student leaders do: 

• Model the Way: Lead by example, and demonstrate the behaviors and attitudes that you want to see in others. Don’t just talk about doing good, but take action to set a positive example.
• Inspire a Shared Vision: Motivate others by helping them to see a shared vision for the future. Be clear and specific about your vision, and it will be something that others can believe in and work towards.
• Challenge the Process: Question the status quo, and actively seek out ways to make things better. You may need to take risks to create change. 
• Enable Others to Act: A leader facilitates the work of the whole group, and provides the resources and support that others need in order to achieve their goals.
• Encourage the Heart: Recognize and appreciate the efforts of others. Celebrate successes and help others to feel good about their contributions.

You can do those things in ways both big and small. Whether you’re leading formal organization — or starting your own — or just being kind to others, leadership is something we can do every day that helps us improve ourselves and the world around us.

Early on in my career, I learned that when someone asks you a question, it helps to find out why they want to know before you start to answer. That gives you the context you need to provide the best possible response.

This is especially true when you consider college application essays. Why does a college want to know about a time you faced a challenge, setback, or failure? 

The answer, of course, is that they want to know how you’ll respond to challenges, setbacks, or failures when you get to college. 

I think of it as an unasked question hanging in the air around every prompt: “… and why does that make you someone we want to have on campus?” 

Why would Stanford want to see a letter you write to your imagined roommate? They’re looking for students who can live well with other people.

Why would Princeton want to know about a new skill you want to learn in college? They’re looking for students with concrete and specific personal growth goals. 

That’s not to say that you should just try to tell the admissions office what you think they want to hear. Far from it. 

Instead, when you’re brainstorming, keep that unasked question in mind to help you identify good topics. If you want to learn how to type, how to do a new TikTok dance, and how to meditate, which one is going to be more interesting to admissions? If you have ten ideas for things to tell someone you’ve just met, which of them are likely to lead to a polite and fruitful conversation?