A personal statement is your opportunity to tell about your experience, abilities, and skills. It bears a huge responsibility. A personal statement can either empower your application or show you in a bad light if you don’t put enough effort into your writing. Here are a few tips that will help you to choose the right strategy when working on your personal statement.
1. Brainstorm and Plan
Personal statements may have a general prompt or require answers to a specific set of questions. This is the first thing you need to consider when planning your piece. Make a list of things you want to include. However, there’s no strict formula that determines the content of a personal statement. This type of writing allows creative freedom. The more original your paper is, the more chances you have to impress the admissions committee. Consider the following ideas:
- Why are you interested in the field?
- Do you have any particular skills or experience that will help you succeed?
- How does your previous student experience refer to the field?
- Are you involved in any extracurricular activities that show your interest or achievements in the field?
- Do you have any hobbies or interests that say something about your personality?
- Did you do any voluntary work that can be relevant to the field?
- What do you plan to achieve after getting a degree?
- How and when did you become interested in the field?
- Did you have any obstacles to overcome?
- What makes you a better candidate than other applicants?
- Who or what is your inspiration?
- What are you proud of?
There are a lot of ways to develop your personal statement, but it doesn’t mean that you should use all of them. A wiser strategy is to choose a narrow focus because it will help you to come up with a well-developed and effective statement.
2. Structure Your Writing
Like any piece of writing, personal statements need a structure. You should hook the reader’s attention in the introduction, explain who you are and what you stand for in the body, and emphasize your message in the concluding paragraph. The way you devise your answer determines part of your success. As for the college application essay format, it should contain from 300 to 500 words. Format your writing using 1″ margins, double spacing, and fonts that are easy to read, like Times New Roman or Arial. Note that the requirements might differ depending on the institution you apply to.
3. Be Specific
Your personal statement should be specific. Include only what’s relevant to the field you want to study and what demonstrates that you are a suitable candidate. Besides, a lot of students apply to several schools at once. Yet, they overlook the fact that each institution has its own values and specialization. If students send the same personal statement to different schools, they risk sounding too generic.
Being specific also involves giving a precise response to the questions in the prompt (if the school you apply to requires it). Thus, take some time and make sure you understand what the institution is asking for.
4. Add Evaluation and Analysis
In a personal statement, you need to do more than just enumerate your interests. It also requires some analysis and evaluation of your background. Use your experience in academic writing to accomplish it. Writing an expository essay, you will not only state the idea but also evaluate evidence and investigate it. Use the same techniques to prepare your personal statement but with a slightly different focus. You need to evaluate your experience and explain how it has shaped your views and personality.
5. Edit Your Work
Among many things, your personal statement shows the level of your writing skills. Make sure you plan, draft, and edit it carefully. After writing all those papers at school, you probably know that you always need to double-check your paper. Whether it’s an argumentative, descriptive, explanatory essay, or a personal statement, it should be error-free. Eliminate all flaws to make your writing more meaningful and effective.
Don’t rely on grammar checkers completely. They’re useful but don’t guarantee pinpoint accuracy. Therefore, proofread your personal statement several times yourself. If possible, ask friends to read it for you. Having a fresh pair of eyes to look through your work will help you to hone your personal statement to perfection.
6. Find a Unique Perspective
All applicants write about their extracurriculars and academic pursuits. The school will get a bunch of similar personal statements. You need to find ways to make your piece stand out. Admission officers want to know what makes you unique and what value you will bring. This is also an opportunity for you to show that you have potential. Your personal statement will say much more about your abilities than your grades. It presents your experience, so choose what to write carefully.
7. Be Honest
Don’t be afraid to talk about your errors. They don’t make you look weak. In contrast, the fact of overcoming difficulties shows one’s growth and ability to learn from mistakes. There’s no point in trying to look flawless. Perfect people don’t exist. Instead, our experiences, even negative experiences, make us real and unique. Being honest is the best strategy to follow when writing your application piece.
Tell Your Story
Writing about yourself is not easy. It requires a lot of brainstorming and self-reflection. It might be difficult to decide what to focus on and find the right angle to present your story. Be brave and honest. Your personal statement is a reflection of who you are. So, there is no way you write it wrong if you use your authentic voice and let it be personal.