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    Write Your Personal Statement

    Uploaded by

    Ganesh Hanchanahal

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Write Your Personal Statement

    Uploaded by

    Ganesh Hanchanahal
    5 views2 pages

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

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    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    5 views2 pages

    Write Your Personal Statement

    Uploaded by

    Ganesh Hanchanahal

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    WRITE YOUR PERSONAL

    STATEMENT
    A personal statement demonstrates your unique
    qualifications to an admissions committee and
    illustrates your writing ability, creativity, and career
    goals. Admissions committee members look for
    interesting, insightful, and specifically individualized
    personal statements that provide concrete evidence
    of your competence and motivation. Most personal
    statements are 2-3 pages.

    CONTENT
    A personal statement may be requested to assess your
    interest in the program or field and your ability to write Helpful Questions
    clearly and correctly. Personal statements include:
    • What are your short- and long-term goals?
    • Information about yourself and your career goals.
    • Why do you want to apply to this program?
    • When and how you became interested in the field.
    • How did you learn about the field? What stimulated
    • What you have learned from experiences related your interest in this field?
    to the field (employment, volunteer activities,
    • What are the special features/values of this program
    research).
    that attracted you to it, and how do they match your
    • What personal characteristics (integrity, initiative, own interests, values, and skills?
    resilience, persistence) or special skills (leadership,
    • What is special, distinctive, unique, or impressive
    writing) you have that would enhance your prospects
    about you or your life story?
    for success in this program or field.
    • Have you overcome any unusual obstacles or
    • Why you are interested in the particular program;
    hardships?
    anything else that makes you a strong applicant.
    • What is the most important thing for an admissions
    PREPARE TO WRITE committee to know about you?
    Tips
    Deciding on a topic to write about can be challenging at
    first. To help facilitate your writing process, take some • Follow the prompt directions to guide your writing.
    time to reflect on the following: • Aim for depth, not breadth by sharing specific
    • Personal History — Prior life experiences, events, examples.
    and achievements relevant to your career choice • Choose a font style and size that can be easily read
    or application to graduate school. Life events are by your audience.
    experiences that are distinct or unique which relate
    to your professional goals. You may also want to • Write in first person.
    think about the people who have influenced your • Focus on one or two specific themes and discuss
    decision to pursue this field or who have had a related experiences.
    significant impact on your values as they relate to • Concentrate on capturing the reader’s interest
    this choice. through the opening paragraph.
    • Academic Life — Research interests and prior • Use unique life experiences to stand out and connect
    experience, academic accomplishments and/or those to professional goals and career motivation.
    recognitions, and influential professors/mentors.
    • Identify your strengths and clearly articulate what
    • Work Experience — Previous jobs, internships, sets you apart from other applicants.
    volunteer experience, and extracurricular or co-
    curricular activities that have influenced your career • Tailor the essay for each school and clearly state
    choice or career goals. reasons for pursing a degree from that school.
    • Proofread for typos and grammatical errors.
    • Seek feedback.
    PERSONAL STATEMENT EVALUATION CHART
    Questions to Ask Comments

    1. Did my opening paragraph capture the


    reader’s attention?

    2. Does it answer key questions posed in the


    application?

    3. Is it well-written? (e.g., grammar, tone,


    verb agreement)

    4. Is it free of typos or other errors?

    5. Does it explain my career aspirations?

    6. Does the reader gain insight from reading


    the statement?

    7. Does it reflect well on me and my


    qualifications? (Includes specific
    examples of experiences)

    8. Is the statement positive and upbeat?

    9. Is the statement as a whole


    interesting?

    10. Is it an honest and forthright presentation


    of me, relevant to my goals?

    11. Is there inappropriate or irrelevant


    material in the statement?

    12. Was relevant material omitted?

    13. Are there any gaps or discrepancies in


    my academic record that need to be
    addressed?

    850-644-6431 • career.fsu.edu • @fsucareercenter • #NolesWithGoals

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