Write A Strong Personal Statement with These 12 Tips
Applying to graduate school, fellowships, and colleges can be stressful. It can be challenging to decide which schools to apply to, to take standardised tests, and to obtain letters of recommendation.
What is a personal statement?
A personal statement is a crucial part of the application process. It helps you share who you are beyond your grades and show your personality. It describes your achievements, talents, interests, and goals. It’s an opportunity for you to tell a cohesive story that highlights your past and paints a picture of your future. For new college applicants, the pressure to perform and adapt is immense. With options of 200, 500, and 900 words, each school may have a different word count requirement. It can be challenging to tell your story in a variety of ways while still being original and authentic.
On the other hand, if you are returning to school or applying for fellowships and grants after several years in the workforce, you have likely grown accustomed to using your resume and cover letters, so the length and subject may be difficult.
How Do You Write a Good Personal Statement?
The personal statement is an important part of your application. You can prepare your best personal statement with these tips:
1. Do your research
You’re probably submitting applications to a number of schools, and while you might be doing so in the vain hope that one will accept you (I’m looking at you, prospective medical students), you did so because you specifically selected each institution.
2. Work on your personal statement early
Writing a compelling personal statement will take longer than you think, and you may have to start over more than once, so begin the process early. Think about the topic, themes, and takeaways you want to include in your personal statement; consider how your specific experiences relate. Before you write, conceptualize how everything fits together and what you want your reader to remember. Once you have an outline for your story, start your first draft. Getting through the first draft will help prevent procrastination.
3. Leave time for feedback and editing
Writing a personal statement that feels strong and cohesive to you but reads as unclear, disjointed, or forced to the reader is simple when you know the entire story of your life.
4. Think about your audience
Though your personal statement might be about you, it’s not for you. Before starting to write your first draft, ask yourself, Who will read your personal statement? to keep your audience in mind. What criteria will they use to decide? How will you persuade the reader that you’re the ideal candidate for the institution or program you’re applying to? What do you want your audience to take away from your story? You can use these queries to create a compelling, well-focused personal statement.
5. Know what your personal statement adds
Your application package should present one consistent story, and your personal statement should seamlessly fit into that story without feeling repetitive or contradictory. Consider your personal statement as a necessary component that doesn’t have to include everything that has ever happened to you, rather than as a summary of your application materials or an exhaustive account of your life. Your personal statement can give you the chance to talk about a subject you wanted to in your application but ran out of room to discuss; to elaborate on a particular issue or something you want people to remember about you; or to share a success story. Know your purpose and revise until it’s clear.
6. Start with a strong opening sentence and introduction
The tone of your personal statement will be established by the first sentence and the introduction. Will your reader continue reading with interest, or will they reluctantly put up with your statement? Everything depends on how you begin. Your reader may be won over by an intriguing, amusing, heartfelt, or original opening. Whatever you write, make sure it reflects who you are and is relevant to the rest of your argument. It can be difficult to come up with the ideal first line, so take your time. If you run into trouble, go back to your introduction paragraph or sentence. When you’ve reached the conclusion, it can be simpler to write the introduction. A more energising introduction might result from removing the opening few sentences, which might be meaningless throat-clearing.
7. Connect your story to your dream program
Your personal statement should draw a line from your past to your desired program of study in the future. Why are you applying? Describe how the program will help you accomplish your goals. Be precise. Make it memorable by “showing, not telling,” and encourage the reader to picture your future with you. Think about describing your intended major, area of study, or career path in your essay, as well as how you learnt about the program and what motivated you to apply and why you value the experience. If you’re at a loss for ideas, consider writing about the program’s setting, internship possibilities, or extracurricular pursuits.
8. Leave some subjects out of your personal statement
You might mistakenly believe that there is no restriction on how personal you can be given a name like personal statement. Avoid debating divisive subjects like politics or religion unless your program specifically asks you to do so. Don’t share too much; respect boundaries. Do not include old or irrelevant experiences. Avoid mentioning experiences or accomplishments from high school or earlier if you have already earned a college degree.
The purpose of your personal statement is to introduce yourself to the reader and pique their interest. Describe your distinctive accomplishments, interests, experiences, traits, or opinions in your writing. You won’t be remembered for the right reasons if you talk about things that are inappropriate or irrelevant.
9. Don’t worry about word counts for your first draft
First drafts can include lists, unrelated paragraphs, outlines, and more. Whatever you write in your first draft, keep in mind that it’s not your final draft and doesn’t have to adhere to the word limit or every punctuation convention you’ve ever heard of. Just put your thoughts down on paper; you can later develop or condense them.
10. Write in active voice
A personal statement shouldn’t read like a protracted, detached summary of your resume. Keep in mind that you are telling a story. By using the active voice and action verbs to set the tempo and pique the interest of the reader, you can ensure that you are the main character in your story. The importance of your experience, judgment, and decision-making is diminished by passive voice, which also lessens your involvement in the story. Instead of putting yourself in the role of the action’s recipient, use the word “I” rather than words like “allowed,” “gave,” or similar expressions. Choose dynamic verbs that capture your reader’s imagination; weak, generic verbs won’t hold your reader’s attention or make a lasting impression.
11. Make your personal statement concise
Choose your words carefully because concise writing is compelling. By sparingly using words, you convey confidence in your message and delivery. Long words, convoluted sentences, repeated phrases, filler words, and unclear language give the impression that you are unsure of your story or self-conscious. They also make reading slower, which makes it boring for the reader and promotes nitpicking about writing style. To impress your reader with a compelling personal statement, concentrate on being concise and clear.
12. Choose your editors carefully
Naturally, you want to select editors who are strong writers, but it’s also critical that they are familiar with you. Although the copy editor’s girlfriend of your friend’s sister might offer helpful grammar advice, she won’t be able to tell if you are writing in your own style. Find a different editor if one encourages you to use complex language and jargon or other methods that are not natural to you. The right editor won’t let their prescriptive standards stifle your authentic voice. Before you are certain that you have communicated the ideas you want to, don’t get bogged down in spelling and grammar mistakes.