School Personal Statement

 

A graduate degree can deepen your knowledge in your field and give you credentials and qualifications to further your career. To apply to the graduate program of your choice, you will have to submit an undergraduate transcript, standardized test scores (such as the GRE), recommendation letters and a personal statement. A well-written personal statement can move you into the top tier of consideration when admissions officers are studying their pool of applicants. In this article, we explain what a graduate school personal statement is and provide tips and samples to help you write your own.

What is a graduate school personal statement?

A graduate school personal statement is an essay often required as part of an application to a graduate school program. It explains why the individual is suited for that program. Some schools provide a specific prompt for their required personal statement. Other schools have open-ended essays, which means the student can choose one or a few aspects of their life or personality on which to focus.

A personal statement is important because it portrays your personal qualities and characteristics. Graduate programs look for interesting people who can contribute to the discussions and environment of a school in addition to having academic skills. Writing about something specific to you in your personal essay that has not been touched upon elsewhere in your application will show the unique ways you can contribute as an individual. However, it is also important that the anecdotes you choose to highlight reflect why you want to study in this program.

Tips for writing your personal statement for graduate school 

1. Research requirements

Find out whether the university has a specific format for a personal essay. Some schools provide a prompt applicants must use, such as “Write about an accomplishment of which you are particularly proud.” Some schools will also have word limits and formatting guidelines.

2. Be unique

If the university does not have a prompt, choose a topic that is special to you. Many other students may have the same test scores or academic skills as you, so the personal statement is your opportunity to distinguish yourself. If you have an unusual hobby, a moving experience or a strong emotional connection to someone that can be illustrated by anecdotes, opt to write about one of those.

For example, “How my stint in organic farming schooled me on agricultural economics” is a personal and interesting topic for a master’s degree in economics, or “Where performance and politics meet: influencing public perceptions through music selections” is an interesting perspective for a Master’s Degree in Communications.

3. Be relevant

Write about experiences related to the program of study. An emotional trip tracing your ancestry in Ireland may have been personally meaningful, but it might not be relevant to the computer science program for which you are applying. However, a recent trip to Japan may have prompted you to reflect on efficient train models, which may be a good topic for a graduate degree in transportation engineering.

4. Be specific

Be clear about why you want to attend that specific institution. Research the programs, professors and research opportunities offered by that school, and show what you are particularly interested in and why your experience and personality makes you a good fit for the program. You can also use this as an opportunity to address unexplained issues, such as a gap in education.

5. Use a professional tone

While you want to project your personality in your personal statement, you also need to respect the formality of the situation and the institution. Use a professional and respectful tone throughout your essay.

6. Proofread

Once you have written your essay, carefully check it for relevance, tone, grammar, punctuation and spelling. Ask a trusted friend or professor to read over it and give you suggestions. Unless you have a specific word count, target a shorter rather than a longer essay. Two double-spaced pages is an adequate length.