Two scorecards: one for the personal statement, one for supplemental essays. Each has five categories worth two points, for a total out of ten. Score a draft below by choosing a level in every category — or download the PDFs and score on paper. The lowest categories are the next revision priority.
2 — Ready 1 — Getting there 0 — Not yet
Personal Statement Scorecard
For the Common App personal statement or any main application essay.
1 Voice & Specificity
Does this sound like one particular student, in concrete detail?
– / 2
2 — Ready The essay sounds like the student talking, and the details are concrete enough that no one else could borrow them. 1 — Getting there The voice comes through in places, but general statements or borrowed phrasing still carry parts of the essay. 0 — Not yet Sentiment stands in for detail. Most sentences could appear in anyone’s essay.
2 Insight & Reflection
Does the essay show how the student thinks, not just what happened?
– / 2
2 — Ready The reflection does real work: it shows what the student noticed, questioned, or changed their mind about. 1 — Getting there Reflection is present but stays near the surface — a stated lesson rather than visible thinking. 0 — Not yet The essay recounts events without showing what the student made of them.
3 Structure & Momentum
Does every paragraph pull the reader forward?
– / 2
2 — Ready The opening earns attention honestly, each paragraph moves the essay forward, and the ending lands without restating. 1 — Getting there The shape is workable, but momentum stalls — a slow start, a detour, or an ending that summarizes. 0 — Not yet The essay reads as a list of events, or wanders without a clear arc.
4 Craft & Polish
Is the writing clean, economical, and within the word limit?
– / 2
2 — Ready Sentences are clean and economical, mechanics are sound, and the essay fits its word limit with nothing wasted. 1 — Getting there The writing is solid but carries extra words, repeated ideas, or a few mechanical slips. 0 — Not yet Wordiness or errors distract from the story.
5 The Only-You Test
Could any other applicant have written this essay?
– / 2
2 — Ready No other applicant could have written it. The topic, angle, and details are this student’s alone. 1 — Getting there The topic is common, but the angle and details are starting to make it the student’s own. 0 — Not yet Another student could submit this essay with a few names changed.
Total – / 10
Next tool
If you’d like a second read, I’m glad to look at the essay with you.
Supplemental Essay Scorecard
One scorecard for Why-Us, community, activity, and short-answer prompts. Score each supplemental on its own.
1 Answers the Prompt
Does the essay answer the question this school actually asked?
– / 2
2 — Ready Every part of the prompt gets a direct answer, in the order a reader would look for it. 1 — Getting there The essay mostly answers the prompt, but skims one part or drifts toward a different question. 0 — Not yet A repurposed essay that never quite answers this school’s question.
2 Specificity & Research
Are the details named and real — courses, people, places, moments?
– / 2
2 — Ready Specifics are named and verifiable — a course, a professor, a community, a moment — and each one supports the answer. 1 — Getting there Some real specifics, but generic praise (“prestigious,” “amazing community”) still does part of the work. 0 — Not yet The essay could be sent to another school, or written by another student, without changes.
3 Voice
Does it sound like the student, even at this length?
– / 2
2 — Ready The essay sounds like the same student as the rest of the application — plain, direct, and recognizably theirs. 1 — Getting there The student is in there, but the voice flattens into application-speak in places. 0 — Not yet The essay reads like a formal cover letter, not a student.
4 Adds Something New
Does it tell the reader something the rest of the application doesn’t?
– / 2
2 — Ready The essay covers ground the personal statement and activity list don’t — a new side of the student. 1 — Getting there The essay overlaps with other parts of the application but adds at least one new angle. 0 — Not yet The essay repeats the personal statement or activity list in different words.
5 No Wasted Words
Does every sentence earn its place in the word limit?
– / 2
2 — Ready Every sentence earns its place. Cutting any of them would lose something. 1 — Getting there The essay fits the limit but spends words on windup or repetition. 0 — Not yet The essay runs long, pads to fill space, or spends most of its length on setup.
Total – / 10
Next tool
If you’d like a second read, I’m glad to look at the essay with you.