Personal Context
300 wordsWe want to be sure we're considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background (your identity, your school setting, your community, your household, etc.) have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern's community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise?
Paragraph 1: The Opening Story
- Drop the reader directly into a highly specific, localized scene from your background to show where you come from. It is best to include a concrete, visual image that highlights a role you played in your community, such as translating clinic forms for neighbors at a folding table in your garage.
- You should not list multiple parts of your identity at once, and you must avoid abstract virtues or general declarations about your background.
Paragraph 2: The Personal Meaning
- Explain how this background shaped your perspective and what it taught you about your relationship to others. It is best to include a reflective lesson that grows naturally from your opening scene, such as how you learned that information is not always neutral and reaches some households while skipping others.
- You should not tell the admissions committee what values they are looking for, and you must avoid cliches about hard work or resilience.