No matter where you apply this fall, you’re going to have to do some writing. The Common App requires students to write a 650 word Personal Statement, the University of California asks applicants to respond to 4 Personal Insight Questions, and each college has its own supplemental essay prompts. While some prompts are pretty straightforward, the personal statement is what usually leaves students reeling.

Writing a history paper or a lab conclusion is very different from writing creatively about yourself. Often, students feel overwhelmed by the prompts, or nervous they won’t be able to come up with an idea interesting enough. This could be the first time you’ve written about yourself since your “All About Me” project in the 3rd grade.

We’ve compiled a list of books you can read this summer to pick up tips, learn about voice, and help you craft your own perfect personal essay.

1. Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah (2016)

This is possibly the funniest memoir ever written. Noah reminisces about growing up during the fall of Apartheid in South Africa, and each chapter stands alone as its own essay. Topics include race, religion, politics, family, and even young romance; all of these are common themes students use to answer personal essay prompts. Use this book to learn how to use humor to speak about serious topics, how to laugh at yourself without the cringe factor, and employ a conversational tone without being too informal.

2. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (1972)

This fictional conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan is a master class in writing about place. Each chapter features a description of a city, from its streets to the people that live there. If you are thinking about writing your personal statement about somewhere you’ve visited, the place you grew up, or where you dream yourself being in the future, this book is where you should start.

3. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (2000)

David Sedaris is nothing short of hilarious. This memoir takes readers back to the ’70s and ’80s, when Sedaris was growing up gay in the conservative North Carolina suburbs. Reading Sedaris is a great way for young writers to learn that it’s not necessarily the topic, or even what happens in the story you tell, that makes an essay memorable. It’s how you tell it. No one expects a high-school senior to have climbed Mount Everest, cured cancer, or played a sold-out show. But admissions officers do expect you to have a point of view.

4. Heavy by Kiese Laymon (2018)

In Heavy, Kiese Laymon lays himself bare. This book is an excellent guide for students who are tackling difficult and extremely sensitive issues in their personal essays. Oftentimes, it is our struggles that make us who we are. Laymon investigates the complicated nature of struggling, which isn’t always as simple as meeting an obstacle, climbing over it, and leaving it behind. Sometimes it sticks with you. Topics in this book include sexual violence, anorexia, obesity, racial violence, and complicated familial relationships.

5. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kemmerer (2013)

The Climate Crisis is the issue of our generation. Many students are looking to be a part of the solution, whether it be by studying ecology, sustainable architecture, or human migration. Essays and articles about the climate crisis tend toward doom and gloom, but that’s not the tone you want to take in your personal statement. Robin Wall Kemmerer writes from an indigenous American perspective, and reminds her audience that there is plenty of reason for hope.

The Take Away

Hit the library! Before you dive into writing your personal statement, learn from those who have done it best. Take a deep breath, and remember: your point of view is the most important element of this essay.

For more information on Aristotle Circle‘s writing tutors, essay assistance, and college counseling packages, send us an email at info@aristotlecircle.com or call 212-360-2301.

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