Writing the Personal Statement

 

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The personal statement, your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process, generally falls into one of two categories:

 

1. The general, comprehensive personal statement: 

                This allows you maximum freedom in terms of what you write and is the type of statement often prepared for standard medical or law school application forms.

 

2. The response to very specific questions: 

                Often, business and graduate school applications ask specific questions, and your statement should respond specifically to the question being asked. Some business school applications favor multiple essays, typically asking for responses to three or more questions.

 

Questions to ask yourself before you write:

 

                What’s special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story?

                What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or help set you apart from other applicants? When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained?

                How have you learned about this field–through classes, readings, seminars, work or other experiences, or conversations with people already in the field?

                If you have worked a lot during your college years, what have you learned (leadership or managerial skills, for example), and how has that work contributed to your growth?

                What are your career goals? Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre LSAT or GRE scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)?

                Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life? What personal characteristics (for example. integrity. compassion. persistence) do you possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? Is there a way to demonstrate or document that you have these characteristics?

                What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess?

                Why might you be a stronger candidate for graduate school–and more successful and effective in the profession or field than other applicants?

                What are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you?

 

General advice

 

Answer the questions that are asked

 

                If you are applying to several schools, you may find questions in each application that are somewhat similar.

                Don’t be tempted to use the same statement for all applications. It is important to answer each question being asked, and if slightly different answers are needed, you should write separate statements. In every case. be sure your answer fits the question being asked.

 

Tell a story

 

                 Think in terms of showing or demonstrating through concrete experience. One of the worst things you can do is to bore the admissions committee. If your statement is fresh. Lively. different. you’ll be putting yourself ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story. you will make yourself memorable.

 

Be specific

 

                Don’t, for example. state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific reasons. Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of specific experience that is described in your statement. Your application should emerge as the logical conclusion to your story.

 

Find an angle

 

                If you’re like most people. your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. Finding an angle or a “hook” is vital.

 

Concentrate on your opening paragraph

 

                The lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. It is here that you grab the reader’s attention or lose it.  This paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement.

 

Tell what you know

 

                The middle section of your essay might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as some of your knowledge of the field. Too many people graduate with little or no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the profession or field they hope to enter. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information. Refer to experiences (work, research, etc.), classes, conversations with people in the field, books you’ve read, seminars you’ve attended, or any other source of specific information about the career you want and why you’re suited to it. Since you will have to select what you include in your statement, the choices you make are often an indication of your judgment.

 

Don’t include some subjects

 

                There are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences or accomplishments in high school or earlier are generally not a good idea. Don’t mention potentially controversial subjects (for example, controversial religious or political issues).

 

Do some research, if needed

 

                If a school wants to know why you’re applying to it rather than another school, do some research to find out what sets your choice apart from other universities or programs. If the school setting would provide an important geographical or cultural change for you, this might be a factor to mention.

 

Write well and correctly

 

                Be meticulous. Type and proofread your essay very carefully. Many admissions officers say that good written skills and command of correct use of language are important to them as they read these statements. Express yourself clearly and concisely. Adhere to stated word limits.

 

Avoid clichés

 

                A medical school applicant who writes that he is good at science and wants to help other people is not exactly expressing an original thought. Stay away from often-repeated or tired statements.

 

Review 

            This assignment asks you to write a review that evaluates a movie of your choosing.  Before you begin writing, you need first to ask the following questions.  

Who’s my audience?  The class is the primary audience for this review.  The readers are well-educated and also skeptical.  That means that they need to hear a clear evaluation of the film or article and sufficient evidence to support that evaluation in order to be persuaded.   

What’s my purpose?  Your purpose in writing this review is to summarize the plot of the film, to evaluate whether the filmmaker succeeded, and to persuade the class it should see the film (or not) because. . . 

What kind of language should I use?  Your language should be clear, precise, and to the point.  You should also use discourse organizers where appropriate. 

What kind of evidence is appropriate?  Your evidence may come from 4 sources:  

·         a plot summary of the film you’re reviewing·         appropriate historical or aesthetic context in which to evaluate the film·         facts and quotations from the film·         your own insights and experience.   

What should my review contain?  Your review should contain all the elements present in a standard film or book review.  For analysis, see reviews from The Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com/style ) to use as models to imitate. 

 

Dear All,

Here are the principles and priorities that we negotiated on Friday and this morning.

Our Principles

1. Speak English only.

2. Be on time.

3. Respect, encourage, and support each other.

4. Be active and don’t be shy.

5. Do homework on time.

6. Cooperate, collaborate, and share with each other to increase learning and practice opportunities.

Our Priorities

1. Use A.P.P.L.E. to rhetorically analyze writing assignments and texts in various academic disciplines.

2. Increase reading speed (with texts of up to 1500 words) to a rate of 250 words per minute with 75% or better comprehension.

3. Develop vocabulary skills by understanding context, morphology, collocation, and dictionary usage.

4. Write well-structured paragraphs and texts using rhetorical modes of narration, description, summary, reactiion, and/or persuasion.

5. Plan, draft, and revise texts in different rhetorical modes and in various academic disciplines using a process-oriented approach.