Personal Statements for Graduate or Professional School

A Personal Statement is often the only part of your application where you tell your story in your own words, which provides important insight about your candidacy for admissions committees. It needs to be thoughtful and well-written, with emphasis on what you think is important that they should know about you. 

Remember, you are a serious student and a thoughtful and interesting person. You have enjoyed a fabulous undergraduate education and have completed a Div III project that helps you to stand out. You will be an asset to your graduate program and to your chosen profession. A beautifully prepared essay will confirm this. Here's a few tips to get you started.

Essay Tips

• Be yourself, not a person you think the committee seeks.
• Be careful that your essay is not generic/could go to any school (unless you are, in fact, using a centralized application service and have no choice but to write one essay for all schools).
• You do not want your essay to sound dry and boring. Is the information you are choosing to include interesting, relevant, and memorable?
• The essay is not a simple list of accomplishments; reflect on your accomplishments, showing depth and self-awareness in your evaluation of experiences and the personal meaning of accomplishments.
• This is a personal statement; thus it is often appropriate and useful to include personal information as context for learning and growth.
• Make sure you are including what is important, in light of your plans for graduate study and career.
• Write in a positive and upbeat tone; project confidence and enthusiasm. Reframe any negativity as a positive statement.
• Be clear about why you want to be at that particular school.
• Be honest. Are you being yourself and revealing yourself? Sometimes it is helpful for the committee to hear about setbacks, and what it took to rebound.

• Organize your thoughts - clear writing is a result of clear thinking. Read the question(s) carefully and consider which two or three points you wish to impress upon the reader as you answer the questions.

• Each paragraph should deal with one main idea; each sentence should lead naturally to the next. 
•  Write in an active voice, as if you're having a conversation with the graduate admissions committee.

For more advice on the Do's and Dont's of personal statement writing and other pointers to help navigate the process, 

Download the Personal Statement Handout

Feeling stuck? A SPARC advisor would be happy to edit your personal statement. Please make an appointment with one of us and send a draft at least one day in advance of the meeting so we can provide thoughtful comments. It's always helpful to have a second set of eyes to proofread your work and to have a thought partner to support you from the first line to the finish line!