application essay - columbia/nyu

[krogozinski]

HI, so I am in the process of filling out my applications for graduate school - I'm applying to NYU and Columbia, and have already submitted my application for Rutgers. I am pretty confident in my writing skills, though not so much in what to write about. Therefore, I was wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on what I should focus on when writing my personal statement (to include/not include)? I hate the generic 'i chose social work because i want to help' but it is true lol thanks! 

[qt_dnvr]

If you have time the book "Graduate Admission Essays: Write Your Way Into Graduate School of Your Choice." was extremely helpful to me in my essay. There's poignant examples, pointers, exercises, etc.