A personal statement can be a key part of your college application, and you can really make yours shine by following a few tips. Discover how to write an effective personal statement.
When applying to college—either to an undergraduate or graduate programme—you may need to submit a personal statement. It's an essay that allows you to share more about who you are and why you'd like to attend the university you're applying to. A personal statement is particularly relevant when applying to US schools, which use personal statements for a holistic evaluation of who you are as an applicant.
The information you provide in your personal statement can complement your other application materials, including your transcripts and letters of recommendation, and create a more cohesive picture to help the admissions committee understand your goals.
Learn more about personal statements, including why they're important, what to include, and how to strengthen yours.
A personal statement—sometimes known as a college essay—is a brief written essay you submit with other materials when applying to college or university. Personal statements tend to be most common for undergraduate applications for colleges and universities in the United States, and they're a great opportunity for an admissions committee to hear your voice directly.
Many colleges and universities in the US, especially those using Common App, provide prompts for you to use. For example, "Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story." or "Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realisation that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others." [1]. If the school you're interested in attending doesn't require prompts, you will likely want to craft a response that touches on your story, values, and goals.
In grad school, personal statements, sometimes letters of intent, go into more detail about your academic and professional background while expressing interest in attending the programme you're applying to.
Personal statements are important because they demonstrate what makes you who you are above and beyond cold numbers, such as test scores and grades. Whereas other materials you submit in an application can address your academic abilities (such as your transcripts) or how you perform as a student (such as your letters of recommendation), a personal statement is a chance to do exactly that: get more personal.
Personal statements typically:
Permit you to share things that don't fit on your resume, such as personal stories, motivations, and values.
Offer schools a chance to see why you're interested in a particular field of study and what you hope to accomplish after graduation.
This will provide an opportunity for you to talk about past employment, volunteer experiences, or skills you have that complement your studies.
Allow colleges to evaluate your writing skills.
Bring life to a college application package otherwise filled with facts and figures.
As discussed, you may have to respond to a prompt when drafting your personal statement, or a college or university may invite you to respond however you'd like. In either case, use the steps below to begin building your response.
To capture the attention of an admissions committee member, start your personal statement with a hook that relates to your essay topic. A hook tends to be a colourful sentence or two at the very beginning that compels the reader to continue reading.
To create a captivating hook, try one of these methods:
Pose a rhetorical question.
Provide an interesting statistic.
Insert a quote from a well-known person.
Challenge the reader with a common misconception.
Use an anecdote, which is a short story that can be true or imaginary.
Credibility is crucial when writing a personal statement as part of your college application process. If you choose a statistic, quote, or misconception for your hook, ensure it comes from a reliable source.
The best personal statements typically read like a story: they have a common theme, as well as a beginning, middle, and end. This type of format also helps keep your thoughts organised and improves the flow of your essay.
Common themes to consider for your personal statement include:
Special role models from your past
Life-altering events you've experienced
Unusual challenges you've faced
Accomplishments you're especially proud of
Service to others and why you enjoy it
What you've learned from travelling to a particular place
Unique ways you stand out from other candidates
Admissions committees read thousands of personal statements yearly, which is why it's important to be specific in yours. Back up your statements with examples or anecdotes.
For instance, avoid vague assertions such as, "I'm interested in your school counselling programme because I care about children." Instead, point out experiences you've had with children that emphasise how much you care. For instance, you might mention your summer job as a day camp counsellor or volunteer experience mentoring younger children.
Don't forget to include vibrant details to keep your statement interesting. The use of detail shows how your unique voice and experiences can add value to the college or university you're applying to.
It's natural to want to impress the members of the admissions committee who will read your personal statement. The best way to do this is to lead your readers through a cohesive, informative, and descriptive essay.
If you feel you might be going astray, ensure each paragraph in your essay's body supports your introduction. A few more strategies that can help keep you on track include:
Know what you want to say and do research if needed.
Create an outline listing the key points you want to share.
Read your outline aloud to confirm it makes logical sense before proceeding.
Read your essay aloud while you're writing to confirm you're staying on topic.
Ask a trusted friend or family member to read your essay and make suggestions.
Because of the importance of your personal statement, you may want to be very formal with structure and language. However, using a more relaxed tone is better than you would for a classroom writing assignment.
Remember: Admissions committees really want to hear from you. Writing in your own voice will help accomplish this. To ensure your tone isn't too relaxed, write your statement as if you were speaking to an older relative or trusted teacher. This way, you'll be respectful, confident, and honest.
Now that you've learned a little about personal statements and how to craft them, here are a few more tips you can follow to strengthen your essay:
You don't have to completely rewrite your personal statement every time you apply to a new college, but you want to make sure you tailor it as much as possible. For instance, if you talk about wanting to take a certain class or study a certain subject, adjust any specifics for each application.
Admissions committees are ultimately looking for students who will fit the school and whom the school can help guide towards their larger goals. Cliches can hinder a reviewer from understanding what you want from a college education. Watch out for cliches such as "making a difference," "broadening my horizons," or "the best thing that ever happened to me."
Try to avoid getting off-track or including tangents in your personal statement. Stay focused by writing a first draft and then re-reading it. Does every paragraph flow from one point to the next? Are the ideas you're presenting cohesive?
It's best not to talk about political beliefs or inappropriate topics in your personal essay. These can be controversial, and ideally, you want to share goals-driven or values-driven content with an admissions committee.
A well-written personal statement can help you gain acceptance to the school of your choice, especially if you’re applying to US schools that often require these statements. A stellar personal statement starts with strong writing skills. Enhance your writing ability with a writing course from a top university, such as the Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialisation from the University of Michigan or the Writing a Personal Essay course from Wesleyan University. Get started for free to level up your writing on Coursera.
Common App. "2022-2023 Common App Essay Prompts, https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/article/What-are-the-2024-25-Common-App-essay-prompts." Accessed 26 July 2024.
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