Getting admission into your dream university? One of the most important parts of your admission application is your personal statement. So, the sooner you start making your personal statement, the better it is. Besides, it is the core of your application, therefore, it needs to be strong enough to stand out of the crowd to help you secure your admission. If you do not know how to write a personal statement, here is an easy step-by-step personal statement writing guide to help you in your journey. With that being said, let’s dive in.
What is a Personal Statement?
Before we start learning how to write a personal statement, let us have a look at what is a personal statement. There is no doubt that it is the most important part of your university admission application where you thoroughly illuminate the reasons why you have chosen a particular field of study and how it is going to help you make your career.
Besides, the worth of personal statements doubles if you are applying for a competitive field or course. Nevertheless, the following are some elements that admission tutors look for in any personal statement to decide whether you are the fit.
- Your commitement and motivation
- teamwork, leadersip, and communication skills
- other relevant skills that can help you in your field of study.
The admission tutors will look thoroughly for candidates that are passionate and have the above qualities. So, do not forget to highlight qualities that may help you stand out from the crowd.
How to Write a Personal Statement – The Best Personal Statement Writing Guide
Now that you know what is a personal statement and what to include in a personal statement, you are good to start writing your personal statement. A strong personal statement requires you to clearly plan and structure your essay in the best way possible. Besides, planning and structuring your personal statement will make sure that your personal statement stands out.
However, there is not a set rule of thumb to correctly structure your personal statement. A traditional personal statement has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. So, you can even write the body of your personal statement and then the introduction. Nevertheless, each section should meet the requirements.
- So, the introduction of your personal statement should thoroughly explain why you want to study a particular course.
- The body of your personal statement’s 75% should focus on the specific skillset and your academic achievements to illustrate the reasons of how you are qualified to study the course you have chosen.
- While the rest 25% of your personal statement will focus on the extracarricular activities to show how these can add in your qualification.
- Lastly, a fine conclusion will add the icing on the top of your personal statement.
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What You Should or Shouldn’t Include in Your Personal Statement
Moreover, there are certain things that you should keep in mind while writing your personal statement. Some of them are given below.
- Be clear and concise to focus on the more important points.
- Avoid contrived language. And use simple and short sentences.
- Use more positive words such as learned, achieved, developed, disocered, fascination, and more.
- Plan before you write.
- Divide your personal statement into five to six paragraphs.
- Make sure that there are not any grammatical or spelling mistakes.
Also, make sure that you avoid the following things.
- Do not exaggerate.
- Avoid phrases like “I always wanted to be …”.
- Do not use quotations unless they are relevent.
- Avoid making excuses for not being able to accomplish any activity.
- And buying or copying someone else’s personal statement is also not a good idea.
Step 1: Write the Introduction
The first part of a personal statement is the introduction. And it should be able to reflect on your personality and explain why you are interested in the field of study or degree you have applied. Besides, it is also important because it allows your reader to decide whether or not they should read your personal statement till the end.
Therefore, the introduction of your personal statement should be powerful enough to make your reader stick until the end. You can also add an anecdote to hook the reader.
So, the first thing you should do is introduce the purpose of your personal statement and tell your reader how it connects to your narrative. However, you should avoid explaining in detail because you can do so in the body of your personal statement.
Moreover, you should:
- avoid phrases such as “The most important age of my life …”
- quote your personal experiences as stories because stories are one of the best ways to connect with your reader.
Step 2: Write the Body
The paragraph following your introduction is the body of your personal statement where you have to elaborate on the main reason for writing the personal statement. Besides, you should list down your interests, skills, and experiences. So, you add certificates, degrees, or awards that you have earned. You can also talk about your interests, hobbies, and skills that are relevant to your field of study.
And each paragraph of the personal statement should focus on one single idea and it should connect to other paragraphs effortlessly.
For example, if you are applying for undergrad, your personal statement’s body should focus on your academic goals, your career goals, major courses, and your achievements. So, be clear, concise, and straightforward to tell your reader about your goals, ideas, and experiences.
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Step 3: Write Down the Conclusion
Now that you have written the body of your personal statement, it is time to craft a strong conclusion that would give a lasting impression to the university admission officer.
It should be a brief restatement of why you have applied to that university and the particular field of study. And it should be able to make your reader think about why you are suitable.
Step 4: Review and Edit
The last step of our personal statement writing guide is the review and edit step. You can either thoroughly read your personal statement or you can ask someones else to review and highlight areas you need to improve. Besides, also check whether or not there are any grammatical or spelling mistakes.
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