How to Write a Good Personal Statement: An Ultimate Guide
In any application process, the dreaded personal essay inspires more fear and stress than almost any other part. Most people find it uncomfortable to write about themselves for strangers, and it’s even more uncomfortable when so much is riding on what you say. After all, you need to strike the perfect balance between self-promotion and humility in order to depict yourself as the ideal candidate and convey your personal vision clearly. Obviously, that can be a difficult challenge to pull off effectively!
How can you please an admission or scholarship committee when you write a personal statement? If you have been asking yourself this question pretty often while trying to write a great personal statement for grad school, master's or PhD degree, an internship, a job application or any other reason, then you are probably in need of a few great tips for writing a personal statement to help you get started.
The question can be both stress-inducing and motivating: How can you write a good personal statement and make the committee see you as a good candidate? Answers to this question are what we will provide you with in this article.
If you are starting to write a personal statement, then you are lucky in finding this website! The most helpful personal statement writing tips are presented below in the form of step-by-step guide with clear guidelines to help you produce a successful essay guaranteed to make an impression at the undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate level, or in the business world, no matter what subject you are interested in, from nursing to history, from psychology to economics, from business to law.
Step One: Introduction
There are few steps more important than the introduction. An admission committee consists of people just like you, and just like everybody they do not appreciate a boring introduction. Not only does the introduction set up the essay and orient the reader; in many cases, it is as far as most readers are willing to read unless something in the introduction grabs their attention and convinces them to keep reading. That’s one reason that you should devote extra time to ensuring the introduction captures your readers’ interest and indicates to them something about your personal mission statement.
No matter what subject you are applying for, philosophy, or nursing, for university or medical school, the first thing to do is talk about yourself, not the school. They already know their school is great! A personal statement is your chance to show yourself off, and depending on how good you will do with this, the committee can determine whether or not you are a good fit for their school. Since this is the case, why don’t you start proving that in your personal statement right from the introduction? Think of it as a way to start marketing yourself in a compelling way.
The introduction should be something unusual or even shocking. Do everything to grab their attention! You can find hundreds of ideas for your introduction. Your previous life experience can help a lot. As long as you talk about yourself, you are free to start with an anecdote from your life. It can be something funny or serious, or any kind of life experience that has changed your life.
Step Two: Requirements
While personal statements can often seem very similar, they are not always exactly the same. Pay attention because every educational institution has its own requirements for writing a personal statement. Read them twice and remember that sometimes your application might even be rejected because of wrong formatting. You want to ensure that you are following every rule to create a positive impression and show that you are paying attention. To create an excellent and strong personal statement, it’s really important to follow all the requirements to a T. Concentrate on the required length and page count; don’t write more than they asked for! Remember to read your paper carefully after writing it to ensure you’ve proofread it carefully and you’ve used great English! After all, the committee will judge you by your writing and form a picture of who they think you are based on the type of language you use in your paper.
Step Three: The Main Question
Every applicant asks himself or herself, “What should I write about in my personal statement?” It is not usually an essay with a strictly defined topic, so many students have some trouble when thinking about what to present in their papers. Unfortunately, when they are not given clear requirements they can use to crank out a paper, some students will begin to panic and struggle to develop their own ideas. Fortunately, in a personal statement you are writing about yourself, so you should have a good idea of what you should talk about—you!
When writing a personal statement, tell your audience about your life goals, hobbies, experiences, and character. The committee should have a full portrait of you as a person. Probably the most important question that you need to answer is why do you think you are the best applicant? Explain in your paper why you fit this school better than others. Also, you are free to explain your expectations from education at this institution.
Step Four: Examples
A personal statement essay is a paper that does not have strict requirements. You are the creator and you are free to write about everything you think might be interesting to the committee. When writing a personal statement, avoid making your paper just a mechanical summarizing of facts about yourself. Support your words with some interesting life examples and samples of your experience. Don’t be afraid to engage in some storytelling. It’s always better to show than to tell. If you can tell a story that indicates a skill or a talent, that is typically much stronger than simply announcing what you possess. After all, you already sent in your CV or résumé. Sometimes you can write in a conversational style and discuss the global problems that you are worried about. Avoid embellishing the truth—you don’t want to get caught in a lie—and you will have the best chance for success!
We hope our writing tips for a good personal statement will provide you with keys to help you to enter the institution of your dreams: college or university. We make the process of writing papers simple and understandable for every student by providing quality personal statement help for free!
