‘Tis the season for writing and submitting undergraduate and graduate school applications. If you’re applying to schools, you likely have to write a personal statement. You may even need to compose one if you’re writing a fellowship or grant application. For this statement, you are usually asked to explain why you are applying for the particular program, but other than that, the instructions do not offer much guidance.
Most of the time you are limited to one page, which is not much space to discuss your background and why you are applying to the particular school or program. To make matters more complicated, you need to make it interesting and distinct enough to stand out from the competition. That’s a lot to fit in one page. Here are some tips for writing a quality statement:
Adhere to guidance. It sounds rather obvious, but plenty of people neglect to follow instructions. Doing so is half the battle to staying in the running for admission. Pay attention to word limits and specific instructions. For example, if the instructions ask you to identify the courses you intend to take, you must answer this within the essay. This goes for all parts of the application. Read and re-read the instructions, both before and after you write your documents to make sure you’ve answered everything they’ve asked.
Be specific. Do not try to use one page to explain your entire life up to this point. The admissions representative can find that information in the rest of the application between your résumé and biographical information. Instead, you should be very specific about why you are interested in the program and tie that to your background and experience to demonstrate your interest in it. Sell yourself. Why is this program right for you, and why are you right for the school or program? In other words, what value and unique qualities do you bring to the program?
Be personal. This is not a résumé. This is a chance to show a personal side outside of school, volunteerism, extracurricular activities, internships and jobs. Tell your readers the story of why you want to be in the program and where you hope it will take you. Did an event or person in your life influence your decision to study this particular field? Is there an interest or hobby you’ve had since childhood that led to your decision to apply?
Don’t limit yourself to the five-paragraph essay format. While your statement should have an introduction to your story, you don’t need to follow a strict essay format. However, you should tie the beginning and end together so your goals are clear and emphasized appropriately. Although you don’t need to follow a strict writing format, ensure sure your essay makes logical sense. A good way to test this is to ask a friend or family member to read it. Simply ask him or her to tell you if it is clearly written and conveys why you are applying.
Self-edit, and ask a friend to edit. This is extremely important. If you have even one small mistake, like an extra space after a period in one or two places, it can send your application to the reject pile. It may not even reach the admissions panel. Do not only edit your statement on the computer. Print it out, and mark it up. You’ll be glad you did. Some things are much easier to catch in print.
Be honest about your situation. If you know you want to go to school but don’t know what you want to study or where you want to go afterward, that’s OK! There are plenty of students out there in the same position. You can be honest about this, saying you look forward to exploring different areas of study at the school. However, don’t be completely general: Choose one or two fields in which you think you may be genuinely interested, and mention them. Explain what made you chose them. Again go back to telling that personal story.
If you do not follow the school’s essay instructions, you run the risk of having your application thrown out after the admissions officer reads it. Make the reviewers see how unique you are by telling your story. Including personal details in the statement about where you have come from or where you plan to go will help them see you more clearly. Follow these tips to get your application in the “yes” pile.
Marcelle Yeager is the president of Career Valet, which delivers personalized career navigation services. Her goal is to enable people to recognize skills and job possibilities they didn’t know they had to make a career change or progress in their current career. She worked for more than 10 years as a strategic communications consultant, including four years overseas. Marcelle holds an MBA from the University of Maryland.
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How to Write a Personal Statement originally appeared on usnews.com
