The Espresso/Smoothie Personal Statement Strategy

Essays are some of the least understood but most critical components of your college application. Your grades, extracurriculars, and scores aren’t going to change much now until December, but you can still alter your chances at your dream colleges by telling your story strategically.

After years of helping students get into top schools and reading hundreds of essays, I’ve categorized successful personal statements into 2 main types: the “Espresso” and the “Smoothie” essay.

Let’s explore each type and pit them against each other.

The Smoothie Essay

The Smoothie Essay blends multiple experiences into a cohesive narrative. It's an ideal personal statement format for “well-rounded” students with diverse interests and experiences.

For example, let’s say you have the following activities:

1. Volunteer work at a community garden
2. Social media internship for a tech company
3. Captain of the debate team

In a Smoothie essay, you could weave these experiences together under the theme of "nurturing growth." You’d explore how each experience taught you how to foster development in a different domain—from tending to plants, to cultivating a strong online presence, to building a strong community and support system for your teammates.

For more information and an example essay, go here. We also have a Smoothie idea generator for you to experiment with connecting different experiences.

The Espresso Essay

This essay focuses on a single experience that sparked personal growth or discovery. It's perfect for highlighting how a single activity or life event led to significant insights. There are two subtypes of this essay: the Light Roast Espresso and Dark Roast Espresso.

Let’s look at an example. Say you taught your grandmother how to use a smartphone, and what started as a simple tech lesson turned into a journey of exploring the accessibility of technology in a diverse society. Perhaps you observed Granny’s struggles with dementia and started to volunteer and organize events at the local senior center. Perhaps you then saw other senior citizens struggle with their smartphones, causing you to develop an interest in human-computer interaction and creating accessible websites. This is the type of experience that makes a strong base for an Espresso essay.

We also have an Espresso idea generator here to experiment with advanced themes to enhance your topic.

Which one should I write?

We’ve developed a simple, free quiz for you to find out which type is best for your Common App/main personal statement. You should try it—it literally takes one minute!

In addition, here’s a quick explanation of the strengths of each type.

Admissions officers appreciate Smoothie essays for their ability to show:

1. Versatility: By weaving together multiple experiences, a Smoothie essay shows that you have diverse interests and abilities and can excel in multiple different arenas.
2. Connective thinking: Your ability to find a common thread among varied experiences indicates creativity and strong analytical skills. This is often closely related to interdisciplinary thinking and is an extremely valuable skill to demonstrate if you’re applying to an interdisciplinary program.
3. Campus involvement: The diverse experiences can indicate that you will be an engaged student on campus and participate in various student organizations and communities.

Admissions officers value Espresso Essays for their ability to show:

1. Reflection: By deeply exploring a single experience, these essays showcase your ability to derive meaningful insights and think as an intellectual. They can also excel in demonstrating personal growth, as the topic stays consistent and gives you more room for “character development”.
2. Focus: By centering the essay around one topic, there is more opportunity to demonstrate your interest in a particular academic area. This gives you a chance to show why you’re so interested in finance, or medicine, or whatever field of study you’re applying for.
3. Writing skill: The focused nature of these essays can allow for more sophisticated narrative techniques and descriptive prose. This is particularly helpful if you’re interested in studying a humanities major.

Comparison in Application Strategy

Building a strong college application is an art, not a science, so let’s take a look at a few nuances of the fit of a Smoothie or Espresso essay in a broader application strategy.

1. Complementing other application components
   • Smoothie essays work well when other parts of the application (like supplemental essays or portfolios) already provide in-depth information about the activities you spend the most time and energy on.
   • Espresso essays can be powerful when you lack space elsewhere to delve deeply into a particular activity or experience.
2. Emphasizing strengths
   • A Smoothie essay can help you use your “well-roundedness” as a strength, by showing how your various interests connect and work together to teach you impactful lessons.
   • An Espresso essay can be useful if you excel in one specific academic area, or if you’d like to explain a significant challenge or change in your academic or personal history.
3. Institutional fit
   • For colleges that emphasize interdisciplinary studies, a Smoothie Essay might align well with their values.
   • For colleges known for intensive, focused programs, an Espresso Essay might be more appropriate.
4. Personal writing preference
   • If you naturally enjoy identifying patterns and drawing connections, a Smoothie essay might be easier for you to write.
   • If you naturally enjoy detailed, focused reflection, an Espresso essay might be more appropriate.

Ultimately, the choice between a Smoothie and an Espresso Essay is yours. Both types can be equally effective when executed well. If you’re unsure if your essay is executed well, you can request a professional review from our first-class team of alumni from Stanford, UPenn, and more top schools!

I’ll be posting a separate guide to supplemental essays and more admissions strategy content, so stay tuned. Create an Essay Cafe account in the meantime to try our online tools for crafting Smoothie and Espresso essays. These interactive tools are built on the same techniques I use while personally helping students brainstorm. We think you’ll like them.