Writing Personal Statements for Graduate and Professional Schools
Writing a good personal statement is an important part of any application to graduate or professional school. The personal statement not only shows the admissions committee that you can write an interesting, cohesive essay, but it also allows them to learn about you as a person. This is your chance to show them that you are more than just a list of grades and test scores; show them how you will contribute to the school and its community.
Supply the committee with unique information about yourself
that does NOT appear elsewhere in your application. With thousands of
applicants vying for a limited number of slots, you must make yourself
stand out. As in any essay, it is crucial that you know your audience.
A detailed list of professional goals that demonstrates determination,
motivation, and, above all, careful thought, often enhances your application.
While it should go without saying, your essay must employ grammar correctly.
While proper grammar doesn't earn you points, sloppy grammar can be the
kiss of death. As a panelist from the Medical School at UVa recently put
it, poor grammar suggests to the committee that you are a careless student
who is not detail oriented. Needless to say, admissions officers value
precision and attention to detail. Afterall, how many people will trust
a sloppy, careless doctor? While that making the leap from sloppy grammar
to careless doctor might seem far-fetched, countless admissions officers
tell a different story.
Unique information about yourself is an important part of your personal statement for Graduate and Professional Schools because for many committees this is their first (and perhaps only) chance to find about you as a person. This information should highlight your talents, interests, and accomplishments; it should also give life to your academic records. Though you want your personality to show in your statement, remember to keep the tone of the statement professional. Never include anything that could be misconstrued as offensive in any way. Keep in mind that humor is very difficult to pull off. Unless you are extremely confident (and have asked several people to read your essay), it may be best to steer clear of jokes and sarcasm.
While graduate school committees certainly expect well-written,
thoughtful essays, they are looking for different content from their applicants.
For graduate schools, that will likely be funding your education for the
next 2-6 years, they want to know about your specific qualifications in
your field. In other words, you should spend most of your essay explaining
your interest, research experience, and disciplinary goals. Be sure that
you research the school well to determine whether your interests align
with those of a faculty member. Not only must you convince a committee
that you are a qualified applicant, but you must also convince them (and
probably also a particular professor) that your interests match the needs
of the department; after all, they are about to invest a substantial amount
of money and time in your education. With this in mind, limit the personal
anecdotes and extracurricular interests to those that pertain directly
to your field of interest or career goals.
As we've suggested already, it's important to keep your audience
in mind as your write your personal essay. While the admissions committee
appreciates creative essays, they also know all the tricks. After all,
many of them have been reading thousands of applications for decades.
So, make yourself stand out, but donat' write what you think the committee
wants to hear. First of all, they've heard all that before. Second, they
can see through your attempts to please. The most successful essays are
those in which the author is honest and genuine. The best advice we can
give you is simply to be yourself. That also means paying some attention
to voice, or the personality behind your writing. While your high school
English teacher may have gone ballistic when you used the first person,
you should not be afraid of using "I" in your personal statement.
This essay should not be a dry, academic essay, but neither should it
be one stand-up comic routine; instead, you should strive for a balance
between the two. Admissions committees also complain that many students
try excessively hard to create an entertaining voice or write what they
deem sophisticated prose. Often, these attempts backfire, making the essay
sound contrived and flowery. You can avoid these pitfalls simply by being
Forecasting your goals for a career you've not even begun
can prove a daunting task, but most admissions committees expect you to
do just that. Remember that while they may expect you to complete this
unwieldy task, no one is going to hold you to the goals you outline in
your personal statement. In fact, committees are really just using this
portion of your essay to gauge your motivation, knowledge of the field,
and commitment to the course of study. Above all, they want to know that
you have carefully considered your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree
and the career it eventually makes possible. For many students, this is
one of the most difficult portions of the essay to write. Before launching
into this section (or any part of the essay, for that matter), you should
take some time for self-reflection. Most committees are impressed by essays
that express not only motivation and intelligence (your grades can show
that as well), but also thoughfulness, maturity, and self-awareness.
Using proper grammar will not impress the committee, but making
errors, overlooking typos, and failing to proofread will severely hurt
your chances for admission. Be sure that you spend time revising your
essay. See links to grammar and revision tips for useful strategies.