Personal Statement Writing

1. Personal Statement Writing • Jennifer Hellier, PhD. Sarah Foster, MD. Roberto Lopez, DO. • Colorado Area Health Education Center Program Office • Co-HPD@ucdenver.edu

2. Pre-Test https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y7WMNMM

3. Examples of Non-verbal Communication • Posters • Flyers • Text Books • Billboards • Commercial Fiction • Catalogues • Application Packets

4. So, what is non-verbal communication?

5. What Can A Personal Statement Do? • Incite emotion • Sell something (YOU) • Provide information • Make a request • Serve artistic purpose • Get you into college!

6. The Necessary Skills • Write with an identifiable purpose • Utilize clear structure and organization • Communicate in grammatically correct and understandable language • Present an honest and accurate representation of self • Provide information that is thorough and relevant to the purpose of the written piece

7. Defining the personal statement

8. So, What is a Personal Statement? • Your personal statement is essentially a mini essay on yourself (2,500-5,300 characters) that is designed to let an application committee get to know YOU. • Why you want to go to your college of choice. • Why you think you would make a good student, what career you are interested in (e.g., doctor, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, etc.) • What in your life has prepared you for this college/career choice/opportunity. • It is meant to be an opportunity to explain in your own words why an application committee should accept you to their university. • It is also an opportunity to explain any deficiencies in your transcript or previous exposure/experience in the field.

9. Who Are You? • What 5 characteristics and skills do you possess that enhance your prospects for success?

10. What You Should Do/Include • Why you want to go to college. • What makes you appealing as a candidate. • What in your life has prepared you for this career choice. • How the university’s mission can develop you as a person.

11. What You Should Do/Include • Make sure you address any “red-flag” components of your application such as a criminal record, or a really rough semester in your academic transcript (make sure you include what you have learned / how you have matured). • Write lots of drafts. • Give yourself enough time. • Think ahead about interviews (particularly for a scholarship).

12. What You Should Skip • Do NOT fill it with “stuff” you just think they want to hear. • Do NOT just say, “I can do it.” Show WHY. • Do NOT simply summarize your resume or list of accomplishments. Let those speak in the other parts of your application.

13. What You Should Skip • Beware of talking too much about what youwill do in the future. Stick with what youhave done/what youare doing. • Be careful when addressing controversial topics. You don’t want to alienate a reader with strong differing views. If it’s something that is really important to you, make sure you keep relating it back to why you want to be in your school of choice.

14. WORD CRIMES

15. CLICHÉ • Avoid Cliches Like the Plague

16. Slang

17. Excessive Wordiness • Yo girl, you eighteen? Sweet, where you at?!

18. NOTGetting Beneath the Surface • Dive! Dive! Dive!

19. Overselling and Underselling Yourself

20. Imprecise Language

21. Inappropriate Tone

22. The Writer’s Toolbox • Crafting Your Words and Work

23. Theme

24. Solid Organization and Structure

25. Varied Syntax • Cadence and Construction

26. Cohesion • Packaging as a Whole

27. Anecdotes • Using Personal Experience Appropriately

28. Anecdotes • List 3 stories that show what is special, distinctive, unique, or impressive about you or your life story.

29. Utilizing Objective Editors • Polishing and Revising

30. Homework • Write, evaluate, and revise a personal statement for a college application/scholarship.

31. Post-Test https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YCTTSZ9