Overview

Writing about yourself is called personal writing. College application essays, cover letters, and resumes are particularly important forms of personal writing. An interesting personal essay can make your college application stand out from the other applications. A convincing cover letter and resume can lead to an interview for the job you want.

To make a good impression, your writing will need to be appropriate in topic, tone, and presentation. The steps of the writing process—prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and presenting—can help you create polished documents.

To start, you can use prewriting strategies (such as freewriting) for exploring and organizing ideas. After you write your first draft, you should review your document at least twice. The first review is for revising—that is, reorganizing and rewriting text to improve flow and clarity. The second review is for editing—that is, correcting errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. When you are satisfied that your document represents your best effort, you can present it to others.