How to Write a Personal Statement

A part of every application process is the preparation of a personal or autobiographical statement. Generally speaking, the application forms for residency positions will request a personal statement. In other instances in which you are preparing your credentials for a job or another type of position, you will want to include the substance of a personal statement in the form of a cover letter to your CV.

How to write a personal statement

Starting

This is arguably the most difficult part of anything, and a blank piece of paper or computer screen can be horribly intimidating. Most people won’t be able to just start writing the statement off the top of their head – so it’s a good idea to jot down a few notes first. The main things to think about are:

what do I want to study? (if you can’t answer this, you should probably concentrate on working this out, rather than writing a PS)
why do I want to study it?

Use good English. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you’ll be putting yourself ahead of the crowd. Read your statement very carefully. Do your draft on a word-processor and spell and grammar check it, but also give it to a friend to read. Be clear and concise. Don’t woffle! Show the ability to put the salient points across in a few words. Stay within prescribed word limits. Pay attention to presentation - type the statement if your handwriting is at all poor.

Give your statement a structure with an introduction, a main body and an end. The opening paragraph is important as 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 might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as your knowledge of the field. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information.

This paragraph should establish your academic preparation for the program to which you have applied. If you have been a strong student throughout your undergraduate years, you may call attention to what you believe have been strong combinations of courses which seem to fit your prospective graduate program well. If you have had ups and downs as an undergraduate, you may call attention to progressive improvement in your studies: i.e., the difference between your junior/senior GPA and your freshman/sophomore GPA or your record in selected course work that is directly related to the kinds of course work that you will undertake as a graduate student. If you scored well on whatever graduate examination that you took, you may want to cite that fact as well. Keep in mind that graduate admissions committees want assurance that you will be a successful student. If you have had relevant experiences, you may mention them here, too.

Do your research

A common mistake made by applicants is beginning to write before doing the necessary research. It is easy to overlook the need for research when we begin to write about a topic as familiar as ourselves. But application processes ask us to write about particular information about ourselves in a way that is new and uncomfortable. How often do we sit down to communicate our hopes for the future and successes from our past to someone we’ve never met? How often do we practice doing that in writing?

Understand and Explain Yourself

One of the main problems when writing is that applicants fail to take a very thorough, probing, and analytical look at themselves and their objectives. Admission committee members are looking for interesting, insightful, revealing, and non-generic essays that suggest you have successfully gone through a process of careful reflection and self-examination.