It's the moment you've been waiting for. You're ready to start applying for graduate school.
You've done your research on the best schools in your field, you asked your professors to write letters of recommendation for you, you received high scores on the GRE, and your CV is ready to be sent!
Only one thing left to do: finish up your applications.
As you sit in front of the computer, you look at the screen, where you see this prompt:
"Please write a personal statement describing yourself to the admissions committee."
Why am I being asked to write a personal statement?!?
After staring at that computer screen for a long period of time, you may be wondering, "Why am I being asked to do this?!"
Graduate applicants are asked to write a personal statement for the following reasons, including:
To get to know the person (you) behind the application, exclusive of GPA (grade point average) and other academic qualifications.
To make your case as to why you should be admitted to their program.
What a Personal Statement IS NOT
Some graduate school applications ask you to write either a Personal Statement or a Statement of Purpose, while other graduate school applications ask you to write both!
So, what are the differences between these two forms of statements?
A Statement of Purpose:
Why you want to attend graduate school
Focuses on career and research goals
How you are academically prepared for graduate school (classes, papers, conferences)
A Personal Statement:
Who you are as a person
Focuses on personal goals
How your personal experiences prepared you for graduate school (volunteering, hardships)
Quiz
You're about to sit down and write a draft of your personal statement. What are some potential topics that you could write about in your personal statement?
4 Tips for Writing a Personal Statement
Now that you know what a personal statement is and why you are being asked to write one, let's learn the 4 tips for writing a personal statement to get you into the school of your dreams!
Read the directions
Brainstorm
Build a theme
Mind your tone
1. Read the Directions
You need to know what you're writing about!
Some schools provide you specific prompts and questions to answer, while other schools provide word limits on how long your personal statement should be.
Reading the directions will help you make sure you're on the right track and help you customize your personal statement to what the committee wants to read!
2. Brainstorm
Although tempting, you can't write about every personal experience! It's best to focus on 2-3 key pivotal moments.
Do the following:
Take out a piece of paper.
Time yourself for 10 minutes and write down every personal experience that comes to mind. USCOnline has a list of questions that you may want to look at.
Circle 2-3 topics you can write about.
Photo by Per Lööv on Unsplash
3. Build a Theme
You've narrowed down your topics, and now you can start writing!
Try to build a specific and clear theme that can drive the personal statement forward.
For instance, if your love of science came from visiting a science museum as a child, talk about how that love of science has impacted you in your life and life choices!
Quiz
You want to attend graduate school in the area of leadership. What are some topics or experiences that could be mentioned as a theme?
4. Mind Your Tone
Sometimes we can disclose very personal topics in personal statements, but you want to make sure that you remain professional.
As Becca Van Sembeck from USCOnline reminds us, you SHOULD NOT:
Overshare
Reveal too personal or intimate details
Make sexist or racist comments
Use jokes that can be misinterpreted
Take a look at some examples of personal statements and see how they follow the four tips described.
Take Action
Ready to write? Follow these steps to write your personal statement for your dream school:
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