I think @"Nicole Hopkins" has one of the best splitters stories in the community. When you join, you'll need to check out her webinar. https://7sage.com/webinar/my-18-point-increase-story/
Glad to see I'm not alone (well I don't have a high score yet). I made a lot of bad decisions in college and have since way grown up... Hope I'm a success story :)
@mimimimi You should check the instructions for each school, but I've never encountered a personal statement in the wild that needed to be 1300+ words. In my experience, 650–850 words tends to hit the sweet spot. See if you can focus your story.
The event story definitely sounds better. Specifics make for much better narratives than broads. If you want to message me, I'd be happy to let you know what I think, for whatever it's worth.