A personal statement is an application required by students to submit and secure admission in an institution. It is a piece of writing that shows who you really are and what motivates you to study a specific subject.
Whether you are applying for a scholarship or pursuing a PhD programme, your personal statement should include:
- Your skill set, abilities, and interests
- Your passion for the programme
- A story that explicitly shows your personality
You need to understand that your personal statement for graduate school is different from your resume. A resume is a summary of your experience, usually presented using a preset format. While a personal statement is not just about listing your information, it requires an explanation and elaboration of your experiences as well.
Steps to Write a Winning Personal Statement
- Define your academic and professional motivation.
- Present the unique experiences or challenges that you have faced and resolved around the subject you are applying for.
- Explain why you are a good fit with the program/institution you are applying to.
- Mention your future goals and contributions you can offer to the field of study.
- Maintain narrative and avoid making cliché statements.
- Ruthlessly proofread and edit the text, and don’t forget to seek mentors’ feedback.
Start by Reading the Instructions Carefully
Before you start writing a personal statement for graduate school, make sure you have carefully read the instructions. A thorough reading of the instructions, also known as the prompt, becomes more important when you are asked to respond to a specific question.
When dealing with a prompt, you might be asked to address a specific part of your experience. This might include aspects such as your past challenges, your strengths, etc. Ensure that your answer is within the specific domain and do not provide the same answer to several different questions.
What’s the Difference Between a Personal Statement and a Statement of Purpose?
If you are required to write a statement of purpose rather than a personal statement. Then, remember there is a significant difference between a personal statement and a statement of purpose.
It could be difficult to figure out the difference between the two, as both of these terms are often interchangeable. That’s why the key differences between a statement of purpose and a personal statement are mentioned below.
| General Rules | Personal Statement | Statement of Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Professional and academic interests | The personal statement allows you to write freely. Hence, you will have the opportunity to showcase your personality. | A formal way of writing is required to present the statement of purpose. |
| Achievements, skill set and experience | It demonstrates your past experiences and achievements, which you can relate to within the topic’s context. | You can describe your plans related to your professional or academic career, but make sure to avoid irrelevant information. |
Strategies for Writing a Personal Statement for Graduate School
There is no specific model or template that you can follow. However, it is important to remember that the admission committee does not want to see generic or irrelevant content.
They would like to get to know about you, including your personality traits. There are some key points that you should consider when writing your personal statement.
An approach that is guaranteed to work is to start your professional personal statement by telling a story that describes your strengths and character. That might include:
- A distinctive or unexpected experience.
- Learning from your academic background.
- Any story related to your family.
- Learning through your failures and experiences.
This story does not necessarily need to be directly related to the programme you are applying for, but make sure to include significant life experiences and challenges that made you what you are!
Craft a Story of Development or Growth
You need to provide a sequential overview of your journey until a recent point in time. This will allow the readers to understand how you have gradually made progress and become aware of your self-worth. You might consider the following questions while writing your personal statement:
- What moved you to take an interest in this field? How long have you been involved in it?
- How did you approach an expert in this field? Which assignments, classes, training, internships, work experiences, and projects have helped you attain skills and knowledge in the relevant field?
- Where do you want to see yourself in this specific domain in the years to come? How do you plan to achieve this?
- What gaps did you figure out in the field? How do you plan to overcome those gaps?
You do not need to include every detail of your experience and projects in the related field. Such details might help write a CV, but not a personal statement.
Try to be precise and relevant to the subject you want to discuss. Also, demonstrate your personal growth by sharing how you have gradually developed certain skills/strengths and overcome weaknesses.
State the Challenges You Have Faced
If you have faced difficulties in your academic career, it would be ideal to portray them as strengths. Explaining how you handled yourself in difficult times will show how strong you are.
Writing a personal statement is a great opportunity to present noble traits like persistence, perseverance, and strong character. You can further share:
- Social and economic obstacles you faced in your academic career. Show how these experiences can contribute to getting unique and better results.
- How did you deal with certain issues while you were in a job, group project, or maybe during your classes? Further, you can state why you had low grades and how you overcame those low-grade issues.
The main objective is not to highlight your weaknesses and flaws but to portray and represent them as opportunities for learning and taking on a positive attitude.
Exhibit your Knowledge
If you are going to apply for a Ph.D. or a research-based degree, it is better to demonstrate your knowledge about the field.
- Show how passionately you have regarded the subject. What achievements have you made with your knowledge of the field?
- Discuss any specific points you want to explore. Explain what prior knowledge you have and why it is necessary.
- You can demonstrate how your interests match the topic chosen. You can also mention any pioneer who inspires you in your area of study and show your desire to work with that person.
Highlight your Goals
If you are looking to apply for a professional degree, you should clearly highlight your goals. Here, you must also discuss your practical approach towards your objectives and how it can help you achieve them. You should clearly mention your goals, no matter which career phase you are in.
- If you have any prior experience in this profession, you should discuss how this programme can take you to the next level in your professional career.
- Discuss how your goals have driven you to change your career options. Explain what made you change your professional line, and how your previous profession can help you succeed in this field.
- If you are among those who have just started a career, you can develop the reasons for how this programme can help you learn the necessary techniques and guidelines for achieving the first milestone of your career.
While showcasing any of the career options discussed above, make sure you demonstrate that you have spent ample time selecting a career path and that you are going to own it in the future.
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How Many Words Should You Write in a UCAS Personal Statement?
Students are required to complete a UCAS application, which has a maximum word count limit of 4,000 characters, approximately 600-700 words. Try to add valuable details in the prose and don’t exceed the word count limit to avoid getting rejected.
Mistakes to Avoid While Writing a UCAS Personal Statement
- Avoid being too generic in mentioning details and cliché statements.
- Exceeding the word limit of 4000 characters.
- Writing without following a structure and not reflecting organisation from the introduction to the conclusion.
- Overwriting about your extracurricular activities that are not very relevant to your academic goals.
- Adding academic or professional achievements without reflecting on them.
- Using overly complex language or even unstructured sentences.
- Forgetting to proofread and edit the prose before submitting.
Examples of Personal Statements for Graduate Disciplines
Personal Statement for Law
“Studying law has taught me the value of critical reasoning and advocacy. I aim to specialise in international human rights law, combining academic study with my passion for justice to influence policies that promote equality and protect minorities.”
Personal Statement for Business Management
“Through leading university projects and interning in finance, I have adopted leadership, analytical, and strategic thinking skills. A graduate program in management will allow me to refine these abilities and prepare for a career guiding organisations through innovation and sustainable growth.”
Personal Statement for Engineering
“My undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering and hands-on research in renewable systems motivated me to pursue further studies. I aim to design sustainable technologies that address energy challenges while contributing to global efforts toward cleaner, more efficient engineering solutions.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Graduate school personal statements are usually around 700 words, which is equal to 4,000 characters. UK institutions require students to write a maximum of 4,000 characters for their UCAS applications, and US universities allow longer, up to 1000 words of prose.
You should avoid adding cliché statements, adding generic statements, repeating the qualifications or elements of your CV, negative experiences without reflective statements, and overusing jargon. Exceeding the defined word limit and being too informal are disliked by universities because they want clarity and professionalism.
Start with a strong hook that shows your motivation for the program, reflecting academic experience, research interest, or professional goals to achieve. Staying to the point and being genuine in your writing helps students to stand out among the crowd.
A strong concluding section of your personal statement should reinforce your key strengths, mention your motivation behind applying for the specific program, and highlight your future goals.
