Finding Your CAPS Topic

So we all know that you don’t want your CAPS (Common App Personal Statement) to feel like a resume—you’re submitting one of those to colleges already, after all! But when you begin brainstorming CAPS topics, your resume can actually be a great place to start. A good resume lists all of your top activities, commitments, and achievements; and while you don’t want to mention them all in one essay, you should think about how a few of them might connect to demonstrate how your interests have developed over time.

Identify the Climax

As you look at your resume, think of which you think is your most significant achievement. Not just what seems impressive on paper—the activity or endeavor where you really pushed yourself, committing your time and energy to bring something to fruition. We’re talking about independent research projects, clubs or initiatives that you started, an event that you put on to engage your community in something you care about.

The key is that you are the main character, leading the inquiry or organizing. This should serve as the center of your CAPS: the event that your essay is building towards, where you showcase yourself at the top of your game, putting all of your learning into action.

Rising Action

Then, start thinking about how your other achievements, activities, and school assignments connect to your climax. If you volunteered with a conservation group to help catalog a native species, is there something that made you interested in that species, or their ecosystem? An assignment in biology class, or a podcast you listened to that captivated your interest? What about a personal connection to animals or to nature overall that has some root in your family’s traditions? Did you go camping in the same place, and did you notice something about how the ecosystem changed over time?

The Outline

When you start to identify connections between different aspects of your life, both academic and personal, you are actually creating the narrative for your personal statement: helping readers understand how you developed from an interested and curious observer into an intellectual and driven leader.

Think of your experiences as breadcrumbs leading to the place you are today. This is how you craft a story out of your experiences that listeners will follow and remember.