Along with your CV, credentials, and recommendation letters, you’ll almost certainly be required to submit a personal statement while applying to graduate school.
This essay will walk you through some effective tactics for creating a solid and well-structured personal statement. You can also check out this in-depth article:
Guide to Write a Personal Statement in Malaysia
We are Word Philocaly, and we are here to assist you in achieving your academic objectives. Let’s get this ball rolling!
What is included in a personal statement?
A personal statement is a 500–1,000-word essay in which you convey a captivating account about yourself, your motivations, and why you’re applying. Don’t just summarise your experience while writing a personal statement for graduate school; instead, develop a targeted narrative in your voice.
You should attempt to show three things:
- Your personality. So, what are your passions, goals, and interests, and aspirations?
- What skills do you have to offer the program?
- Your objectives; what do you want the program to accomplish for you?
Before you begin writing, be sure you are aware of what is expected of you. If the application asks you a question or provides you with a prompt for your personal statement, the most crucial thing is to answer it directly.
There is no standard personal statement template, but you may employ approaches to create an appealing, well-structured narrative.
Writing a Personal Statement: A Step-by-Step Guide
1. Introduction of Personal Statement
Let’s begin with a brief overview.
The first paragraph of your personal statement should establish the tone for the rest of the document and flow naturally into the stories you wish to convey. Starting with lines like “when I was a child” or “for as long as I can remember” is overused.
For each segment, we’ll provide two strategies that will help you get started. However, nothing is cast in stone, so please continue to use your creativity.
The first technique is to start with a specific scene that demonstrates your personality and interests. However, aim to go above simple description by beginning with an exciting statement that draws the reader in and providing specific details to produce a great ambience.
Here are some ideas for you to consider:
- A life experience that shifted your viewpoint
- A personal anecdote from your family’s past
- An out-of-the-ordinary or unexpected encounter
The second approach is to begin by stating your motivations. Begin by expressing your enthusiasm for the subject you wish to study or the professional route you want to pursue. This will highlight your passion and dedication.
Consider the following scenario:
- Is it a long-held interest or something you’ve only recently discovered?
- Is it something that comes so naturally to you or something that you’ve had to work incredibly hard for?
After that, we’ll go on to the main body.
2. Main Body of Personal Statement
In this section, you’ll go over your experiences and motivations in greater depth.
Here are two approaches to organizing the body of your personal statement. Giving a chronological review of significant experiences that brought you to graduate studies is among the easiest and most effective ways.
However, don’t try to mention everything you’ve done; instead, focus on the most related areas to your application.
Consider the following:
- What factors supported the development of your knowledge and abilities?
- What are your plans for the future?
- What role does this program play in your long-term plans?
If your road to graduate school hasn’t been smooth or easy, you can use this to your advantage by framing your personal statement as a triumph over adversity.
Perhaps you were underserved because of your ethnic or economic background; maybe your grades weren’t outstanding, but you have other experiences that reflect your abilities. Don’t dwell on the bad; instead, use them to demonstrate your tenacity, adaptability, and determination!
In the future, we’ll discuss more tactics in our knowledge base articles, so stay tuned!
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3. Conclusion of Personal Statement
Your conclusion should now focus on the course and what you intend to gain from it, whether it’s practical skills development, intellectual discovery, or both.
Highlight the program’s compatibility with your personal interests, explaining why it is the greatest means of reaching your goals.
Here are two methods that might help you get started:
1. If you’re applying to a more academic or research-oriented curriculum, end on a curious note: what are you hoping to learn, and why would you think this will be the perfect location to learn it?
2. If there are any classes or faculty and staff in particular that you are looking forward to learning from, this is the opportunity to let them know. Suppose you’re applying for a professional training course. In that case, your conclusion can be based on your career goals: what capacity do you want to serve in society, and why is this program the most excellent fit to help you succeed?
Leave yourself plenty of time to rewrite and polish the text, which we can’t emphasize enough. Don’t be scared to rewrite, try new things, and rearrange information to figure out what works! In the structure of a personal statement, you have a lot more flexibility.
Proofread, Proofread, and Proofread!
Finally, make sure to proofread your personal statement thoroughly. Consider hiring a professional editing service before submitting your application. You may be sure that your personal statement is grammatically accurate and free of embarrassing errors for a small fee.
Word Philocaly‘s team of experienced editors, proofreaders, and copywriters has improved hundreds of personal statements. We understand what matters in the admissions process of your desired program, and we draw on our experience to provide you with valuable suggestions. Please let us know if you require assistance.
Good luck with your college application and personal statement! Please share this post with your friends and follow us on social media. Thank you for reading, and we’ll see you again soon in the future article.
