PERSONAL STATEMENTS

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What is a Personal Statement?
The personal statement, also called the statement of purpose, is a special type of writing
sample. Personal statements are commonly requested when applying for scholarships and
graduate /professional schools. They may also be requested for certain types of jobs, such as
competitive teaching and research appointments in education, for positions with non-profit
organizations, or for internship applications. It is a writing sample describing you at your best,
your reasons for choosing the field you have chosen, your research interests, your objectives,
and the unique ways you can contribute to the program / organization to which you are
applying.
A statement of purpose is designed to communicate five things:
1. Writing ability grammar, punctuation, organization, creativity, expression, etc.
2. Connections between your past education / experiences and future goals.
3. Your philosophy of the field and why you are pursuing an opportunity in that area.
4. What makes you unique and how you can add to the diversity of the program.
5. How you can be an asset to the organization or the school, now and in the future.
What makes a personal statement compelling? Good personal statements tell stories that
demonstrate your strengths.
1. Knowing your strengths How can you be of value or how can you contribute? Begin
by looking at your good experiences for evidence of your strengths and then ask those
who know you best for their thoughts. Dont overlook the value of a true friends honest
assessment of your strengths. Many people find they have hidden strengths that are only
obvious to their close friends and family.
2. Knowing your audience Research the program(s) and organization(s) to which you are
applying through online searches, reading catalog / program descriptions, and emailing
for more information. Talk with professors, graduate students, advisers, and colleagues
met during internships.
3. Making a good case for the match between you and the program or organization to
which you are applying.
4. Telling a story that demonstrates your strengths with examples and that sets you
apart from others and shows how you can contribute. Avoid just writing a first-person
essay where each paragraph is a direct response to the points you are being asked to
address. Avoid starting every sentence with I or I want.
How do I get started?
1. Set a timetable for yourself. Ideally, you should work on your essay for at least a month.
2. Identify your strengths. The UW Career Center Career Guide includes several
Dependable Strengths exercises (http://depts.washington.edu/careers/guides/).
3. Ask yourself some hard questions:
a. Intellectual influences: Who were your favorite professors (and why)? Identify
the best paper you ever wrote, the most influential book you have read, and the
single most important concept you have learned.
b. Encouragement: Recall and write out the actual words of a professor, teacher,
or someone else in your life who encouraged you to go in this direction.

c. Turning points: Where were you and what were you doing when you first
thought of going in this particular direction? How have your interests evolved?
d. Experiences: List volunteer, travel, family, and life experiences that have
inspired you to go in this career direction.
e. Academics: How have you prepared yourself to succeed?
f. Skills: What skills have you honed through the experiential and educational
choices you have made?
g. Personal attributes: What personal attributes make you particularly likely to
succeed?
4. Be sure to tailor your statement to the individual scholarship / department / program
to which you are applying.
5. Create an outline for each paragraph before you write it, making sure that all
components of the question being asked are addressed.
What are some basic tips for writing a personal statement?
Content
1. Tell concrete, vivid stories and examples to demonstrate your strengths and match.
2. Dont have too many different ideas in your essay only include information that
supports your thesis or is consistent with your theme.
3. Dont exaggerate or make things up.
Expression
1. Write in the active voice.
2. Be yourself dont use words or styles you wouldnt normally use
3. Be clear, concise, and direct. Make each word meaningful.
4. Try not to repeat an idea too many times.
5. Dont write an autobiography. You are marketing yourself, not telling your life story.
6. Dont be a clown (although some humor can be appropriate).
Organization
1. Follow directions regarding length. If no limit is given, aim for 1.5 to 2 pages of single
spaced text.
2. Dont start your essay with I was born in or anything similar to this statement.
3. Start your essay with an attention-grabbing lead an anecdote, quote, question, vivid
description of a scene, etc.
4. Link your paragraphs with transitions.
5. End your essay with a conclusion that refers to the introduction, relates to your theme,
or summarizes your main points.
Editing
1. Revise your essay at least three times.
2. Ask someone to critique your personal statement.
3. Proofread! Dont rely exclusively on your computer for spell check and grammar
check.

Example of a Poor Personal Statement

Having graduated with an MA in English from Purdue University, with an emphasis on
the writing of poetry, I feel that I have come a long way as a writer. I think that my poetry is
strong, but I also feel that I need to continue in a concentrated study of writing and poetry. This
is an important stage for me, and I think that continuing in a writing program - especially one as
strong as the University of Washington program - is the best way for me to accomplish my goals.
Eventually, I would like to be teaching poetry writing at the college level. After teaching
creative writing at Purdue, I realize that it is something that I would like to continue doing as a
career, along with writing my poetry. I have also taught composition at Purdue, and I enjoy
teaching at that level as well. If accepted into the program at UW, upon graduation I would like
to teach composition, and continue to write and publish poems, in the hopes that I will
eventually be able to publish enough to allow me to gain employment as a creative writing
teacher.
Better Personal Statement
Every morning at 10:00 a.m. I come face to face with the power of language to free; it
happens in a classroom. The students I teach at Seattle Central Community College come from
night work in an industrial bakery, from a Vietnamese refugee camp, from a 9-to-5 job in a car
wash, or from the day care center where theyve left their children. All come to the English
Skills Shop to improve their use of language and they move through the same process I have
undertaken: uncovering their voices. When they get discouraged, I read aloud excerpts from
their own writing. They applaud themselves. In this room, their varied experiences count. I
remind them that the only reason to learn how to write well is because they have something to
say. And they do. Until this past summer, I had no training in creative writing, nor even in
literature; all my knowledge was absorbed like trace minerals from mass consumption of
contemporary American fiction. The writer who does most masterfully what I attempt in my own
stories is Wallace Stegner. He makes the intricate webs connecting his characters visible by
illuminating the tears of dew balanced on each strand. Last summer I enrolled at the University
of Washington and have been working ever since to find resonance in my own stories and study
the voices within others. Through an advanced short story class and a creative writing
conference, along with literature and critical theory classes, Ive become a more critical reader
and a better writer.
Im looking for a graduate program which combines the two elements Ive found most
valuable in my recent studies: strong mentors and tight community. I seek teachers who can pull
me out of the details of words and phrases to see the whole piece, its form and contradictions. I
seek guidance; the self-motivation is there. To balance the hours of solitary writing, I want a
graduate program which nurtures a supportive community. Throughout this process of thawing
my voice, Ive taken periods of formal training and applied the techniques; I see graduate
school as one of these steps. Through it I expect to move to another level in my writing and my
self, the ability to honestly and compellingly explore the world through stories. The stronger and
more fluid the connection between my life and my writing, the better Ill be able to teach that
connection to others. Id like to write my own stories and teach others how to write theirs. In the
end, both undertakings help us all find our voices.

Good Personal Statement (with commentary)

My awakening to the wonder of human cultural diversity began with my entry into Army
Basic Training. Living in an open barracks for three months with women from every corner of
the United States opened my eyes and mind to the amazing variety of cultural groups just within
our own country. Since then, I have lived, worked, and traveled in Europe, Africa, and the
Middle East. I gained invaluable cross-cultural experience as a member of a multi-national task
force, which provided Emergency Medical Service in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm. In
addition to these experiences, my Army training has enabled me to develop strong skills in
leadership, teambuilding, and organization. These are all qualities that will help me to be
successful in my chosen field of Community Health Nursing. [In this paragraph, she shares her
turning points, skills, and attributes. She also connects her past and present.]
I have chosen the focus area of cross-cultural nursing because I know that making health
programs culturally accessible is as important as making them geographically and financially
accessible. This has been clearly demonstrated to me at the Washington Poison Center where
we provide telephone information services to the entire state of Washington. Poison Center
services are underutilized by non-English speaking population groups and those with English as a
second language. This is due in part to a lack of awareness of or understanding of the services
provided by the Poison Center. Cross-cultural health education is the key to informing these
populations of the benefits of using Poison Center services. [In this paragraph, she discusses why
she is applying for this program and talks about some related experiences.]
As a cross-cultural nursing consultant I will work with multidisciplinary teams planning
and implementing community health programs for underserved populations. I will bring to these
teams the unique nursing perspective and an expertise in the effects of culture on healthseeking behaviors. Washington State has a rapidly growing Hispanic population with a large
subculture of migrant farm workers. I intend to spend some time in rural eastern Washington
working with Public Health officials and community leaders to increase the focus on primary
prevention for this population group. I am also interested in working with Hispanic populations in
other locations. With these plans in mind, I am currently studying Spanish. In addition, I plan to
teach cross-cultural nursing subjects in the academic setting and in other venues such as
hospital inservice training. [In this paragraph, she talks about her future goals. She also
describes why she is a unique candidate.]