Overview
Why personal statements?
Understanding the purpose of a personal statement helps you write a better one.
The unique purpose of the personal statement is to allow you to present yourself as a person. Your grades, your standardized tests, your resume, and your recommendations help tell other parts of your story. So when you write your essays, provide the reader with a picture of who you are, not just a laundry list of what you do.
Writing about yourself is hard for most people
Many people find it hard to write about themselves, either because of embarrassment, modesty, or the discomfort of introspection. You may feel strange trying to "sell" yourself to a faceless admissions committee who knows nothing more about you than what you can fit on a few sheets of paper. Probably the first thing you should do when preparing to write your personal statement is to acknowledge that it is hard, and that it will take a significant amount of time to do right.
What's the secret?
Writing a winning personal statement breaks down into the following (fairly obvious) steps:
- Plan
- Write
- Revise
- Revise, revise, revise
In other words, the trick to writing: put your nose to the grindstone and just do it!
Those of you with a more theoretical bent may want to dig in deeper and learn more about your readers or establish your goals.
But don't let planning get in the way of writing!