Personal Statement: Top 10 Rules and Pitfalls

By -

Personal Statement: Top 10 Rules and Pitfalls
Summary:
This handout provides information about writing personal statements for academic and other positions.
Contributors: Jo Doran, Allen Brizee

 Image result for personal statement

Writing the Personal Statement: Top 10 Rules
  1. Strive for depth rather than breadth. Narrow focus to one or two key themes, ideas or experiences
  2. Try to tell the reader something that no other applicant will be able to say
  3. Provide the reader with insight into what drives you
  4. Be yourself, not the 'ideal' applicant
  5. Get creative and imaginative in the opening remarks, but make sure it's something that no one else could write
  6. Address the school's unique features that interest you
  7. Focus on the affirmative in the personal statement; consider an addendum to explain deficiencies or blemishes
  8. Evaluate experiences, rather than describe them
  9. Proofread carefully for grammar, syntax, punctuation, word usage, and style
  10. Use readable fonts, typeface, and conventional spacing and margins
Writing the Personal Statement: Top 10 Pitfalls
  1. Do not submit an expository resume; avoid repeating information found elsewhere on the application
  2. Do not complain or whine about the "system" or circumstances in your life
  3. Do not preach to your reader. You can express opinions, but do not come across as fanatical or extreme
  4. Do not talk about money as a motivator
  5. Do not discuss your minority status or disadvantaged background unless you have a compelling and unique story that relates to it
  6. Do not remind the school of its rankings or tell them how good they are
  7. Do not use boring clichéd intros or conclusions 
    • "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is..."
    • "This question asks me to discuss..."
    • "I would like to thank the admissions committee for considering my application."
    • "It is my sincere hope that you will grant me the opportunity to attend your fine school."
    • "In sum, there are three reasons why you should admit me..."
  8. Do not use unconventional and gimmicky formats and packages
  9. Do not submit supplemental materials unless they are requested
  10. Do not get the name of the school wrong
  11. Do not incorporate technical language or very uncommon words
Stewart, Mark Alan. Perfect Personal Statements. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1996.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

English Pronunciation for Turkish Speakers

By -
Image
Areas of Difficulty for Turkish Speakers Consonants: I.    /t/ & /d/: When Turkish speakers of English pronounce these alveolar consonants, they touch the back of their upper teeth with the tip of their tongue. Instead, try to form a constriction by touching your alveolar ridge (the area behind your upper teeth) with the tip of your tongue. Pronounce these sounds in different phonological environments such as word-initial, medial, and final position and in consonant clusters. tiresome      little      brat       staple    burst     crest                  totalitarianism automatic    trickster            cattle     dental    tirade    tardy     training technique    tangle    terminal            trinket terse                  temptation tutelage      tile        battle     crate     biting    fighting             might daredevil     ladle      broad    build     dollar    crude    building            greed                               dangle         divide
Keep reading

Schumann’s Acculturation Model

By -
Image
Schumann's Acculturation Model Consider how these social and psychological factors affect the extent of the learner’s capacity to learn his or her second language (L2).   Schumann asserts that the more distance created between the L2 learner and his or her target language (TL) culture by such factors, the less contact s/he will have with the TL culture and thus the lower will his or her expected L2 proficiency be. Furthermore, he considers the social factors to be the prime influences; the psychological factors come into play and become the deciding factors only in situations where the combined social factors create neither positive nor negative circumstances for the learner.   Which outcomes of each of these factors make for a bad learning situation and which ones for a good learning situation? Consider as many as apply to your group’s learner testimonial. Social Distance Factors Social dominance : Is the learner’s native group dominant to, equal to, or subordinat
Keep reading

Knowing a Word

By -
Image
Knowing a Word   Fluent native speakers intuitively know how to use a lexical item in the appropriate context. They can even determine meaning of an unfamiliar word when it is written or spoken. However, second language learners may not understand what constitutes knowledge of vocabulary. This post delineates the various strands of vocabulary non-native speakers need to acquire to become highly proficient in writing and speaking in their second language.  1. Word meaning:  Knowing a word entails understanding it when it is written and/or spoken by      others in formal contexts. Native speakers do this readily without asking for clarification, but      second language learners need to acquire this tacit knowledge of vocabulary.  2. Recall: A fluent speaker of a language can recall a word when it is needed in writing or in speech.     S/he can incorporate the needed word while speaking without looking it up in a dictionary. In other     words, proficient speakers
Keep reading