The look of a personal essay
Image credit: Evertype
When it comes to writing personal essays or personal statements for college or scholarship applications, the number one rule is keep it aesthetically pleasing. This means stick to using basic fonts that are easy to read.
I’m not trying to inhibit your creativity, just channel that creativity into the actual writing of the essay, not the font choice. Why? Because when the admissions committee is reading your essay you do not want them distracted by a strange font.
Remember there is a good chance that the people serving on the admissions committee are 30 plus years of age and more likely 40 plus and 50 plus years of age. The early 40s is when many people start using bifocals and reading is a bit frustrating sometimes, so don’t make it worse with a weird font!
Know your audience and go easy on them. Stick to Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri. If you just have to try something more unique, then use Georgia or Courier New.
The last thing you want is for people to be annoyed by your essay before they’ve even read it. Pick a font that is universally accepted and easy on the eyes, this will allow readers to focus on the content, not the letters.