grad school personal statement

grad school personal statement

Crafting a Compelling Graduate School Personal Statement

1. Introduction: The Importance of a Personal Statement in the Graduate School Application Process

A personal statement is an integral part of your graduate school application that the selection committee reads to gain insight into what drives you and how you have prepared in arriving at the decision to apply. Your statement needs to articulate the path you have taken and what connects your experiences with your future research, and it also needs to convince the committee that you are someone they should admit. There is no formal list of rules for writing a compelling personal statement; above all, it should be personal, clear, and coherent. It should be engaging right from the start to catch the readers’ attention and encourage them to read further. Ultimately, it should support the rest of your application by fleshing out the stories and relationships you present to the committee.

There are several common mistakes applicants make while crafting their personal statements, all of which revolve around misinterpreting the statement’s purpose. Rather than a reiteration of your resume, the statement should connect the full narrative of your application—why you’re applying, the process that brought you to this point, and the qualifications and experiences you bring with you. By progressively discussing your interests, qualifications, and future ambitions, the personal statement exhibits your knowledge and the way you choose to conduct your research. Remember to always convey a sense of purpose to your reader, and your personal statement will feel compelling, focused, and engaging. To craft a personal statement that is well-suited to your reader, consider your personal statement’s purpose and audience.

2. Understanding the Purpose and Audience of Your Personal Statement

The personal statement, also called a statement of purpose or an admissions essay, is your opportunity to shine and showcase what you have to offer a graduate program. Knowing your audience and understanding the purpose of your personal statement will prepare you to move this activity forward. A personal statement is an opportunity for you to sell yourself to an admissions committee. Graduate programs choose applicants that match specific positions in a number of key dimensions. Figuring out the audience’s, or the graduate program’s, perspective and expectations will help you write a more persuasive personal statement.

The first step in writing a personal statement is to understand what personal is about. Most of all, the statement is an opportunity to touch on your application theme. The committee is considering whether or not the committee believes that the student is a good fit for the program, but it needs to find out about the student’s interests or goals in the first place. This is similar to job descriptions or mission statements. Therefore, it is an important part of a recommendation for graduate school. If the personal statement is supposed to be the perfect non-academic framework for the application, rather than the chronological summary of your performance, the audience will naturally be the middle-tiered researchers, departmental professional in English, faculty members that can refer in the department or over, admissions officers; the student’s competence, personality, and standing in the field and promise as a scholar is clear.

3. Key Components of an Effective Personal Statement

Your personal statement, just like your academic portfolio, must include factors that make you as a candidate appealing to the faculty reviewing your application. This includes sharing personal experiences and academic interests, mentioning future goals, discussing faculty you would be interested in potentially working with, and more. At the end of the day, you have the responsibility to sell yourself as a candidate under this rubric. While daunting, remember that you are already equipped with the tools to succeed in applying to graduate programs.

Whether intentional or inadvertent, faculty want to hear that you have faced adversity, that you have adapted and persisted in the face of challenge. Don’t be afraid to share experiences of personal or familial hardship that might impact your academic studies. Faculty want to know that you are adaptable and persevering. In addition, mention your interest in pursuing research to support a hands-on research-based learning environment. As an undergraduate, you may not know what kind of research you want to pursue exactly; that’s alright! Trust the process and show that you have a vision and a clear sense of purpose. You may also have research experience that is worth sharing. Expertise is not shared but developed further in a graduate school setting. That being said, do not submit your research papers from classes without conducting your own research and attaching a letter of IRB. Current faculty want to see you thinking and conducting research on your own, with a clear statement of purpose.

4. Strategies for Writing and Editing a Standout Personal Statement

Regardless of a student’s path after college, they are encouraged to take courses diverse in topic and modes of instruction for two reasons: to challenge their ability to master complex material in a short amount of time, and to supply them with diverse skills. Thus, their personal statement must express how the combination of their classroom experiences and other extracurricular and academic involvements make them an ideal candidate for a rewarding graduate experience. In sum, this discussion seeks to articulate a few favorite techniques to help students begin to draft a graduate school statement. But having ideas for beginning is no reason to celebrate. Crafting and then revising a compelling personal statement can take weeks, so it will be important for students to put thought and effort into the writing process.

The author of a personal statement should seek to tell one short story, the result of which is inspiration. And that is it. True, it is just a personal statement, but one way or another, this is what writing has always been all about. The applicant might have, for example, demonstrated an interest or substantial aptitude in a particular area when the available curriculum at the small liberal arts school was scant or virtually nonexistent for that applicant. Just because it’s always been done does not mean it’s a good idea. In reviewing the “good” sample, note how it is in no way an interpretation but a vivid recollection of a firsthand experience. Even if categories do not readily present themselves, authorizing personal statements for each major we dispense allows us the freedom to publish whatever we think is good reading. And one more thing: the “good” sample is not to suggest that it is the only way and personal statement.

5. Conclusion: Final Tips and Next Steps

With the bulk of your personal statement completed, it’s time to review and adjust. Here are some tips for re-evaluating your draft with fresh eyes:

1. Read it out loud: Sometimes, thesis statements or sentences with grammatical errors will jump out at you more when you’re hearing the words, rather than seeing them. It might also sound repetitive or incongruous, again things more catchable when spoken.

2. Take a break or sleep on it: If you have time, put your draft away and come back to it the next day. If you don’t have that kind of time, take a short walk or engage in an activity that doesn’t require much brain power. When you erase your memory of the essay for a while, you can come back and review it with fresh eyes.

3. Do you repeat a lot? Check for repetitive use of the same word or phrase. Our brains tend to do this. Synonyms or other ways of explaining the same thought or context can pull the reader in and paint a more colorful picture of you as a human being.

Proofreading is key before you submit your personal statement. Show it to someone you trust to take a look at spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Make whatever corrections you need to and give yourself credit for the work you have done. Your personal statement should have an introduction, body and conclusion. It should show professionalism, self-awareness and a deep and nuanced understanding of the field. Include a discussion of your research, leadership, community work, and professional experiences. Once you have finished and submitted your application, sit back and relax for a moment. If you completed your personal statement, then you should have all the components you need for the rest of the application. Keep one more thing in mind: You could be called in for an interview based on what you wrote. So be ready and good luck.