The strongest introductions often have an academic focus, so think about the background reading you have done. Focus on a particular thing that interests you about your chosen field. Once you have written the main body of your personal statement, it will be clear what your strongest motivations for applying are.
You can then integrate this into your introduction. Main Body The main body of your personal statement should comprise examples that demonstrate your preparedness for your chosen course. The resume is a list of objective accomplishments and successes that the applicant has earned, but the personal statement highlights passion and aspirations that cannot be listed in simple bullet points.
Although there is no cookie-cutter approach to drafting the perfect personal statement, it should be a concise essay that gives specific anecdotes leading up to your desired career path, explains why you would be a good fit in this field, and ultimately demonstrates your capacity to exceed at the position you are pursuing. The first chunk of the personal statement should be captivating enough to hook the audience and convince them to continue reading. A helpful way to introduce the personal statement is to provide a short story or experience from your past that has steered you toward your desire to apply to the selected program.
A unique story can help differentiate you from others not only because it is an unexpected aspect of your application but also because you steer away from simply listing your achievements that admission readers already acknowledged from your resume.
Some examples that I have read include describing the joys of holding a lemonade sale initiating the desire for one to attend business school or encountering the power of medicine in a life-threatening event encouraging one to attend medical school.
The next chunks of the essay should be about the strengths that you can bring to this particular field. Admission readers will know about your intelligence and studious nature from your academic successes, but the personal statement is a place to capitalize on other personality traits that are important for the field you are entering but may not be translated well from your resume.
Strengths such as your creativity, your attention to detail or your communication skills can be highlighted in your personal statement. These are skills that are crucial in the workforce or classroom because selection committees look for someone who can work well with the other admitted applicants and bring a fresh perspective to the mix.
You will have changed in the last year and you will probably have new achievements or interests to talk about, so your PS can be updated. Remember that if you change course choice your PS will certainly need to be done again. Don't forget that the PS is not just a record of who you are. The actual process of writing is important too. It can help you think about your life with more focus and maybe even change your ideas about your future.
Can I mention a teacher's reference in my PS? Avoid this. The teacher's reference is supposed to be written independently of your PS. However, there is no guarantee that it will appear in your school reference.
Will my personal statement be useful if I get an interview? Almost certainly yes. Although not all universities interview, it is not uncommon to get called for one. If you get an interview, you may well be asked some questions based on your personal statement. The interviewers will, in any case, almost certainly have a copy of your PS with them. This is why you should keep a copy of your PS and read it before you go for your interview.
Do not, however, consult it during the interview! Can university prospectuses help me in writing my PS? Read them to get ideas about courses, teaching methods and research interests.
Use them to find out exactly what is involved in studying English, Architecture, Sports Science - whatever. And then apply that knowledge to your interests and abilities. Borrow useful words and phrases but do not copy chunks of a prospectus in the hope that you will sound like the 'right' candidate.
Always adapt and modify what you find. I've seen some 'model' personal statements on a website. Are they useful? They may be, but be careful! Any examples of good PSs see workshop handouts are useful provided that you borrow words, phrases and strategies and then apply them to your own situation. Do not copy chunks of other people's statements and then call them 'yours'.
They won't be. Above all, don't be conned into 'buying' a personal statement from an essay website. Universities are very sensitive to plagiarism and may reject you immediately if they suspect you of it.
However, plagiarism is not the same as borrowing useful sentence structures, good words and effective phrases from your reading. Borrow them, and make them your own. Note: many universities now use anti-plagiarism software designed to pick up blatant copying. Our advice: read widely, but don't copy! Who should I show my statement to to get feedback? Your teachers, trusted friends, employers and family members may all give you useful feedback.
Use constructive feedback, but don't let anyone write the statement for you! How important is presentation of my PS? Very important. We cannot stress highly enough: proof-read your PS several times, don't rely on a spelling checker, and get others to check it before you send. Particularly look out for punctuation that can be improved or corrected. Look out for typos. When we showed some past PSs to admission tutors at a London university last year we were amazed at how quickly they spotted the spelling error in the middle of one statement.
You might not agree with it but it is a fact of life: people often respond negatively to mistakes in written language. Do I have to use British English spelling? Use the spelling system in English that you are familiar with, and be consistent. Universities receive many applications from international students who have been educated in American English.
You will not be penalised for this just because the universities happen to be in the UK. What happens to my personal statement? The answer is: it varies. It varies according to university, to subjects, and to the stage in the application process.
It is possible that in some cases PSs are not read at all. Predicted grades and school references take priority. In other cases, PSs will be read quickly in combination with grades and school references. In others, all PSs will be read and evaluated. We believe that the PS becomes more important in competitive and borderline situations. Although it may not be read immediately when your application arrives, your PS may be decisive at a later stage when decisions are made between candidates with the same predicted grades.
Whatever happens, your PS will be read alongside hundreds, possibly thousands of others. Your PS will probably be read by more than one person, but the average time spent on a PS by each reader is likely to be about two minutes. So your PS must communicate quickly and efficiently and arouse the reader's interest from the start. That is why the first paragraph and your motivation statement are so important. Is this the last time I will have to do this?
Almost certainly not. Personal statements or versions of them are widely used in applications for jobs, higher degrees, grants and training courses. Writing a short piece about yourself in a limited number of words is also common in many other situations - standing for election, introducing yourself to a new set of colleagues, even a home page on a web site or an 'about me' section on a blog.
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