Winning Personal Statements

To write a statement that will help you win a seat in the graduate program of your choice, you need to think like a member of the admissions committee. You are welcome to schedule an appointment to meet with a career coach to start the process, help with ideas or receive a critique of your draft.

Tell a story.

The best personal statements give the reader a window into who you are, often with the use of an example or story.

 

Ask yourself key questions.

• Does the essay introduce me as a person and future practitioner in the field?

• Does it have elements that will stick with the reader?

• Do the action words accurately describe me?

• Are there specific, personal examples to back up my statements and illustrate my qualities?

• Are there guiding questions posed in the program application and have I answered them?

• Would the reader want to meet me after reading my statement?

 

Organize your material.

Even the best content will be lost if the ideas are presented in a jumbled incoherent manner. Clear writing begins with an outline.

 

What is your message? Write that first.

• How will your ideas logically progress to get to that conclusion?

• Write your key sentences. These may be parts of your larger story but should lead to the message.

• Provide a framework for your essay, with the first and last sentences referring to the same topic.

• Do the key sentences flow in a logical order? Does the entire think make sense?

• Can you “flesh out” each of the key sentences with interesting paragraphs that complete the sentence’s idea?

• Does the final essay say what you wanted in a logical and compelling way?

 

Edit, then edit again.

Poor grammar, spelling and typographical errors can ruin your statement. Review your essay:

• Check guidelines for appropriate length.

• Used varied sentence structures.

• Avoid starting sentences with “I.”

• Use standard punctuation, capitalization and spelling.

• Use no exclamation points, except in dialogue.

• Use active, rather than passive voice when possible, (e.g., “I found the book.” vs. “The book was found by me.”).

• Write sentences no longer than approximately 30 words in length. Some should be much shorter.

• Shorten paragraphs so that the page doesn’t look like a gray wall of text.

• Avoid contractions.

• Maintain agreement between subjects and verbs.

• Use at least 10-point font.

When you are finished writing, consider contacting us to make an appointment for a critique. We would be glad to help support you in achieving your goals.