Writing the Personal Statement
Summary: This handout provides information about writing personal statements for academic and other
positions.
Contributors:Jo Doran, Allen Brizee
Last Edited: 2010-01-08 [Link]
The personal statement, your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process, generally falls
into one of two categories:
1. The general, comprehensive personal statement:
This allows you maximum freedom in terms of what you write and is the type of statement often
prepared for standard medical or law school application forms.
2. The response to very specific questions:
Often, business and graduate school applications ask specific questions, and your statement
should respond specifically to the question being asked. Some business school applications favor
multiple essays, typically asking for responses to three or more questions.
Questions to ask yourself before you write:
What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or
impressive about you or your life story?
What details of your life (personal or
family problems, history, people or
events that have shaped you or
influenced your goals) might help the
committee better understand you or help
set you apart from other applicants?
When did you become interested in this
field and what have you learned about it
(and about yourself) that has further
stimulated your interest and reinforced
your conviction that you are well suited
to this field? What insights have you
gained?
How have you learned about this field
through classes, readings, seminars,
work or other experiences, or
conversations with people already in the
field?
If you have worked a lot during your
college years, what have you learned
(leadership or managerial skills, for
example), and how has that work
contributed to your growth?
What are your career goals?
Are there any gaps or discrepancies in
your academic record that you should
explain (great grades but mediocre LSAT
or GRE scores, for example, or a distinct
upward pattern to your GPA if it was only
average in the beginning)?
Have you had to overcome any unusual
obstacles or hardships (for example,
economic, familial, or physical) in your
life?
What personal characteristics (for
example. integrity. compassion.
persistence) do you possess that would
improve your prospects for success in the
field or profession? Is there a way to
demonstrate or document that you have
these characteristics?
What skills (for example, leadership,
communicative, analytical) do you
possess?
Why might you be a stronger candidate
for graduate schooland more successful
and effective in the profession or field
than other applicants?
What are the most compelling reasons
you can give for the admissions
committee to be interested in you?
If you are applying to several schools,
you may find questions in each
application that are somewhat similar.
Don't be tempted to use the same
statement for all applications. It is
important to answer each question being
asked, and if slightly different answers
are needed, you should write separate
statements. In every case, be sure your
answer fits the question being asked.
Think in terms of showing or
demonstrating through concrete
experience. One of the worst things you
can do is to bore the admissions
committee. If your statement is fresh,
lively, and different, you'll be putting
yourself ahead of the pack. If you
distinguish yourself through your story,
you will make yourself memorable.
General advice
Answer the questions that are asked
Tell a story
Be specific
Don't, for example, state that you would
make an excellent doctor unless you can
back it up with specific reasons. Your
desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or
whatever should be logical, the result of
specific experience that is described in
your statement. Your application should
emerge as the logical conclusion to your
story.
If you're like most people, your life story
lacks drama, so figuring out a way to
make it interesting becomes the big
challenge. Finding an angle or a "hook" is
vital.
The lead or opening paragraph is
generally the most important. It is here
that you grab the reader's attention or
lose it. This paragraph becomes the
framework for the rest of the statement.
The middle section of your essay might
detail your interest and experience in
your particular field, as well as some of
your knowledge of the field. Too many
people graduate with little or no
knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the
profession or field they hope to enter. Be
as specific as you can in relating what
you know about the field and use the
language professionals use in conveying
this information. Refer to experiences
(work, research, etc.), classes,
conversations with people in the field,
books you've read, seminars you've
attended, or any other source of specific
information about the career you want
and why you're suited to it. Since you will
have to select what you include in your
statement, the choices you make are
often an indication of your judgment.
There are certain things best left out of
personal statements. For example,
references to experiences or
accomplishments in high school or earlier
are generally not a good idea. Don't
mention potentially controversial subjects
(for example, controversial religious or
political issues).
Find an angle
Concentrate on your opening paragraph
Tell what you know
Don't include some subjects
Do some research, if needed
If a school wants to know why you're
applying to it rather than another school,
do some research to find out what sets
your choice apart from other universities
or programs. If the school setting would
provide an important geographical or
cultural change for you, this might be a
factor to mention.
Be meticulous. Type and proofread your
essay very carefully. Many admissions
officers say that good written skills and
command of correct use of language are
important to them as they read these
statements. Express yourself clearly and
concisely. Adhere to stated word limits.
A medical school applicant who writes
that he is good at science and wants to
help other people is not exactly
expressing an original thought. Stay
away from often-repeated or tired
statements.
Write well and correctly
Avoid clichs
