Personal Statement Of Purpose. 2022-10-30 (2023)

FAQs

Is 2 weeks enough to write a personal statement? ›

By giving yourself a two-week window, you have the time to 'put your personal statement away' and come back to it after a couple of days. In that time, you'll have had the chance to think about what you've written and at the same time will come back to it with fresh eyes.

If you can write interesting, personal, compelling, clear, and effective personal statement in 24 hours or less, hats off to you. Many applicants think they can do it, but the truth is grim. You may be able to write an okay essay at best, it won't be stellar.

Part 1: Introduce yourself, your interests and motivations

Tell them what you're interested in, and perhaps, what sparked your desire for graduate study. This should be short and to the point; don't spend a great deal of time on autobiography.

If you have the time, leave it for a day (or at least for an hour or two) before giving it a final check. Take any feedback you can get from your teacher and let your parents take a look, too. Reading it out loud can also be helpful when it comes to spotting any sneaky errors.

Clearly structured and correctly wri en statements

No more than 4,000 characters (about 47 lines; approx 2 pages). Aim for 4-‐5 paragraphs: STRUCTURE!

If your writing is flagged as unoriginal, the universities you apply to will be alerted to this and are unlikely to make you an offer. If your statement is entirely unoriginal, then your application has a good chance of being rejected, leaving you without any options.

A good hook might also be a question or a claim—anything that will elicit an emotional response from a reader. Think about it this way: a good opening sentence is the thing you don't think you can say, but you still want to say. Like, “This book will change your life.”

How do you start a killer personal statement? ›

Purpose statement examples

Example 1: "Our purpose is to inspire every family in the world to enjoy Sunday dinner together." Example 2: "Our purpose is to support the health and well-being of our planet and everyone who lives here."

Examples of powerful personal purpose statements include: I serve others as a leader, live a balanced life, and apply ethical principles to make a significant difference in the world.

What do universities look for in a personal statement? In cases where a decision is not clear cut, academics say a strong personal statement can tip the balance in the applicant's favour. Students might get lower grade offers based on how good their personal statement is.

Your personal statement is a really important part of your application, and your chance to sell yourself to your chosen university. "Ultimately, a personal statement is a chance for you to convey why you would like to study a particular course, and how you hope this will benefit you in the future.

In the absence of any guidelines provided by the graduate school, your heading should include the name of the document you are submitting (e.g., “Personal Statement”), the school and department for whom you are writing it (e.g., “Ohio University College of Education”), and your name.

So long as the ideas are yours and you haven't copied someone else, you'll be fine. However if your personal statement's opening line is something like: “Ever since I was little I've wanted to be a…” then you should consider using something more original.

DON'T write your statement with the goal of telling schools what you think they want to hear. Sincerity is important and recognizable. DON'T use quotes or give a title to your statement.

What makes a weak personal statement? ›

Overusing Flowery Language. You want a personal statement that's dynamic and well-written, but that doesn't mean taking a deep dive into a thesaurus. Use words that convey your message clearly and concisely; don't search for flowery or complex language to impress admissions committees.

Use paragraphs.

This can be tricky as it will eat into the 47 lines available to you so don't use lots of paragraphs but try to have a few. This will make your personal statement easier for the admissions tutor to read than one large block of writing.

Do Brag About Yourself. It's a personal statement—it's okay to write about your strengths and accomplishments. Most people aren't comfortable bragging about themselves. But that is exactly what to do in your personal statement.

Common symbols that aren't allowed are € and the special quote characters “ ' ' ” which will simply be removed from your statement, so remember to replace quotes with " and '. Backslashes (\) are also not allowed, but will be replaced with forward slashes (/) and curly brackets will be replaced with normal ones.

Avoid using up valuable words with obvious statements. Write succinctly and explain points without repeating yourself. Don't tell the admissions tutor what they already know – instead, expand on how you've acquired certain skills and why they're important.

The applicant doesn't meet the academic threshold.

Most colleges will base an admissions decision on all aspects of a student's application and not just grades and test scores, but admissions counselors want to know that students have a strong enough foundation to handle challenging courses at their institution.

Your work experience and future plans are important to include. You should share details of jobs, placements, work experience, or voluntary work, particularly if it's relevant to your course. Try to link any experience to skills or qualities that'll make you successful.

Your first sentence has two purposes. First, get people to read your first sentence—a short sentence works better because it's easy to read. Then, make sure they want to read your second sentence.

The opening statement should be straightforward and direct. Avoid exaggerating or misstating the facts, and don't overdo the emotion. If a lawyer relies on exaggeration to appeal to the jury, he or she will certainly hear about “broken promises” in opposing counsel's closing arguments.

A hook is an opening statement (which is usually the first sentence) in an essay that attempts to grab the reader's attention so that they want to read on. It can be done by using a few different types of hooks, which are a question, quote, statistic, or anecdote.

What is a good hook for a personal statement? ›

Personal Statement Hooks… What Are They? The hook is a literary device at the beginning of an essay meant to grab the reader's attention and compel them to continue reading. A hook can be many things: a serious anecdote, a short autobiography, a funny story, a quote, etc.

As part of the college application process, colleges ask prospective students for a personal essay in order to learn more about them. They want to see context on each student's background, positive traits that the student could bring to campus, and examples of the student demonstrating those qualities.

Example Personal Statement:

I am a talented, ambitious and hardworking individual, with broad skills and experience in digital and printed marketing, social media and leading projects. Furthermore, I am adept at handling multiple tasks on a daily basis competently and at working well under pressure.

You should also plan to complete the process over a month (this provides you time to have others read your statement and give you useful feedback), and spend around 25 hours from start to finish.

Personal statement word limit

Your personal statement length can be up to 4,000 characters long. This may sound a lot, but it's a word limit of around 550–1000 words with spaces and only about 1 side of typed A4 paper. You need to keep it concise and make sure it's clear and easy to read.

Generally, applicants who are working on their applications part time – in addition to work, school or other time commitments – will need three to five weeks to complete a personal statement. Because the personal statement is open-ended, it can take several drafts to come up with the right subject and structure.

Generally, personal statements are short. Most schools require approximately 1-2 pages, but you should take extra care of the instructions you get from the particular Law school, Medical school, MBA program, or college.

Use the third person point of view.

Never use “I,” “my,” or otherwise refer to yourself in formal academic writing. You should also avoid using the second-person point of view, such as by referring to the reader as “you.” Instead, write directly about your subject matter in the third person.

Should personal statements have a title? ›

DON'T write your statement with the goal of telling schools what you think they want to hear. Sincerity is important and recognizable. DON'T use quotes or give a title to your statement.

They don't score Personal Statements, but they do read them with the referee comments and take these into consideration. The PS doesn't form part of the assessment to reach interview and doesn't form part of the scoring at interview.

Explain the reason for your choice and how it fits in with your aspirations for the future. Give examples of any related academic or work experience. Show you know what the course will involve and mention any special subjects you're interested in.

A general rule of thumb you might follow is to submit a 2-3 page statement, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, in 12-pt. Times New Roman font. While there are no set rules about length or format, this is typically considered appropriate and sufficient.

Normally, the length of a personal statement will be dictated by the application—500 words or 800 words are typical limits, as are one-page or two-page limits.

Dr Adrian Bell, Admissions Tutor, Engineering, UMIST Page 2 2 Your Personal Statement should be between 350 and 500 words in length and contain a number of paragraphs that link together in a logical, well-written style.

Your work experience and future plans are important to include. You should share details of jobs, placements, work experience, or voluntary work, particularly if it's relevant to your course. Try to link any experience to skills or qualities that'll make you successful.

In the absence of any guidelines provided by the graduate school, your heading should include the name of the document you are submitting (e.g., “Personal Statement”), the school and department for whom you are writing it (e.g., “Ohio University College of Education”), and your name.