Personal statement is an application essay or statement of purpose written by an applicant, usually a prospective student applying to a college, university, or graduate school.
The personal statement often contains a brief personal summary and is submitted to a preferred school of choice for admission purposes. Personal statement helps to distinguish you from other applicants. It offers you an opportunity to sell yourself through your skills and experience.
It’s pertinent to ensure that your skills and experience aligns with the program you’re applying for. A poorly written personal statement can ruin your chances of securing an admission at your school of choice. A good personal statement might not guarantee your admission but will positively influence your application.
So how can you make your personal statement stand out from the rest? How can you convince the admission officer that you’re the best candidate for admission? Here are some tips on how to write an excellent personal statement.
Storytelling
This is the best approach in writing a personal statement. Tell a compelling story about your greatest achievements, dreams and challenges. Your story should be a reflection of who you are, what you’ve learned, how you’ve grown through your experiences and what you value.
Connect all that to how it links to your future and the impact you hope to make in your chosen career or profession. Make sure your introduction is eye-catching and grabs the attention of the reader from the onset.
Brainstorm
Brainstorming is an integral part of writing personal statement.Think about what’s important to you, think about people, events and experiences that have helped shape your life.
Ponder on reasons for studying the course, what you want to do with the degree and why you are different from the other candidates. These are the things that will interest the university officials that will be considering your application. This will definitely help you stand out from the crowd.
Focus on your strengths
Outlining your strengths increases your candidacy. Listing key areas of your strength gives you an edge over other applicants but it’s important you define how your strengths relate with your studies to help you achieve success.
Of course you shouldn’t focus so much on your strength that your application reads like you’re without any faults. You want to outline your strengths while still showing your human side. After all, the whole purpose of any education is to make you better!
Make it simple
Your writing should convey simplicity. For easy understanding and better interpretation, it’s best to write in simple terms. You need not express yourself with long vocabulary or ambiguous words as it makes reading very difficult. Be conscious of your word choice, voice and tone.
Proofread your work
The main aim of writing a personal statement is to make a good first impression so it’s necessary you proofread before submitting your application. Proofreading helps check misspellings, poor grammar and improper punctuation. Make your personal statement worth the read for the admission officer.
Increase your chance of getting admitted by making use of these tips.