Writing a Personal Statement

1. Writing a Personal Statement By: Alyx Korn

2. What is a Personal Statement? • Students opportunity to sell themselves in the college application process • Tells the college a little more about you and who you are as an individual • Gives the student a chance to share their goals, personality, and intellect with the admissions committee.

3. How do I set myself apart in my personal statement? • What is 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 yourself 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? • What are your college and career goals? • What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess?

4. How do I set myself apart in my personal statement, cont.. • Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre ACT 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, and/or 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 are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you?

5. Concentrate on your opening paragraph • In your opening paragraph you either grab your parties attention or you lose it. • Set up the story you are going to tell

6. Find an angle and tell your story! • Figure out a way to make your story interesting! • When telling your story-be truthful! Stick to what you know about yourself. • Discuss concrete experiences that you’ve had in your life. • Differentiate yourself through your story.

7. Make it simple! Tell who you are! • It shows what your priorities are and what you believe is important in life. • Impress the committee by telling them things they haven’t heard a thousand times before • Think about yourself, your background, and how you got to where you are today through your experiences • Discuss the abilities you have that set yourself apart from others

8. Should I leave anything out of my personal statement? • Don’t introduce inappropriate material • Don’t get into so much detail on a topic that could question your judgment. • Don’t bad mouth other universities or programs • Don’t repeat information that may by in other application materials (such as GPA) • Avoid using clichés

9. Good luck in writing your personal statement! For more help, visit: • http://www.unm.edu/~pre/law/archuleta.htm Or • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/642/01/

10. References • Archuleta, E. (n.d.). How to write a personal statement. Retrieved from http://www.unm.edu/~pre/law/archuleta.htm • Writing the personal statement. (1995-2013). Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/642/01/