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EWU Writers' Center Presents: Writing Personal Statements

Personal statements are a common requirement for grad school applications, internships, scholarships, and any number of situations where a program wants to know something about you.

A Personal Statement is just that, personal, and a great opportunity to show off who you are.

Personal statements generally come in two types: a general 'tell us about yourself' version, and specific question(s).

  1. General-Usually one question, 500-1000 words. "Tell us why you want to enroll in our program."
  2. Specific- May be multiple questions on specific topics. "What hardships have you overcome and how will you use this/these experience(s) as a student and professional in the field of...?"

What do I talk about?

Here are some questions you might consider before starting.

  • Why do you want to study/work in this particular field? What drew you to it?
  • Are there details of your life the committee should know to better understand you?
  • What preparations (school, work, volunteer) have you done?
  • Have you overcome any hardships?
  • What skills do you have that apply to this profession?
  • What are your goals for school and career?
  • What makes you stand out from other candidates? Why are you special and memorable?

Basic Rules/Advice to follow

Write your answer as a story, with drama and plenty of specific details. Make your experience unique and interesting and tailored to the question. Start the essay with your story to get your readers involved.

Use a "Hook". A hook is an "attention-getter" designed to give your essay a theme. That can be anything. Maybe it's a story of how you came to be interested in this field, or how you overcame hardship, or your passion, all told with great detail (within the word limit, of course).

Tell what you know in specific detail. This may be experience, achievements, coursework, research, skills, etc. Be specific. You can often connect experience and skills--"I learned these specific leadership skills when I organized and ran this specific group."

Connect your experiences and skills to the program. Let the committee know that you know something about them and that you have prepared. Your readers should want you as much as you want them.

Always write positively. You are passionate about this career, not just looking for an alternative. You have battled adversity and succeeded--do not blame anyone for your troubles.

Avoid cliches and vagueness at all costs. Remember, you want to be memorable. There's nothing more forgettable than, "I want to work with people because I love people and I'm good at it." Tell the readers why that's true, and use evidence to back it up.

Be concise! You don't have a lot of space, so say as much as you can in as few words as you can. Write multiple drafts, and try to trim extra words each time. The fewer needless words you use, the more room there is for the important ones.

Have a basic personal statement that you can draw from, like a resume or CV, but tailor each one to the specific program, do not reuse them!

Follow the Prompt and Stick to the Word Limits

Visit the EWU Writers' Center

Our Responders have years of experience in teaching about and writing personal statements. We're excited to help you take that next step.

Credits:

Created with an image by Tyler Nix - "untitled image"