PERSONAL STATEMENTS

Overview

Personal statements are used to screen candidates for jobs, scholarships, exchange programme and admission to some schools and universities. They give the selection panel information about softer skill sets that may not be covered in the CV, such as motivation, career goals etc.

Every personal statement needs to (A) address the given prompt (B) answer the two questions, "Why are you applying?" and "Why should we choose you?"

Reading and "decoding" the specific prompt is very important. Prompts may be very detailed or quite general (an example of a general prompt is Discuss events in your life which make you suitable for xxxxxxxx Also discuss your career plans and why you want to apply for xxxxxx)

Tips and Strategies

  1. Develop your personal statement with a theme so that is in complete essay form rather than disconnected fragments dealing with individual parts of the prompt. To help you develop a theme, make a list of your personal attributes and accomplishments, and look for relevant ones to develop your statement theme
  2. Make sure you stand out and demonstrate your uniqueness; vague general  applications or obviously manufactured ones will cause you to be rejected
  3. Decide on your competitive advantages and highlight these in the application. Also deal with obvious "questions" that a panel might have, such as your ability to operate effectively in a different culture.
  4. Avoid vague general statements; use specific information, data and facts. Use specific experiences to demonstrate general truths rather than just clichés such as "This will provide me with an excellent opportunity to do better in my field".
  5. Demonstrate directly or indirectly that you are aware of current trends or issues and show that you have a vision about what you can contribute
  6. Do not overly "praise" the institution; instead, demonstrate specific reasons why you have selected them and why you would be a good candidate
  7. Make sure that your language use and expression are as correct and natural as possible
  8. If you use a 'form template' for many applications, make sure you adapt it sufficiently to meet the specific requirements of the statement; changing a few words is not enough.
  9. Do not just summarize your resume or application letter.
  10. Decide how much you need to "stand out". If you are obviously well qualified take a safer approach. If you have only medium abilities in a competitive field, you need to take a slight risk by standing out from other applicants.

Resources

 Text resources

How to write a winning personal statement for graduate and professional school Richard J. Stelzer. UC Special Language Collection   LB2351.52.U6 S74 2002 

(a useful resource which includes sample essays, advice and strategies, and tips from admissions officers)

Getting into graduate business school today Thomas H. Martinson & David P. Waldherr. Univ Library   HF1131 .M29 1998 

50 successful Harvard application essays: what worked for them can help you get into the college of your choice. UC Language Collection   LB2351.52.U6 A13 2005 

(gives example essays for academic admission with an analysis: do not copy these essays – just for getting an idea of an approach).

How to say it business writing that works. A Gewirtz. UC Language Collection   HF5718.3 .G49 2007 

(this is a useful general reference on deconstructing prompts and writing focused responses that target the intent of the prompt. Not directly relevant to personal statements but useful background material to improve focused writing)

Online Resources

http://www.studential.com/guide/write_personal_statement.htm (comprehensive steps / advice)

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/642/01/ (information about writing personal statements for academic positions from the Purdue University Online Writing Laboratory)

http://students.berkeley.edu/apa/personalstatement/gettingstarted.html (from Berkeley University)

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/personal_statement.shtml (more job related from Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University)

http://www.accepted.com/grad/personalstatement.aspx (general resource with links)

http://www.career.uno.edu/pdfs/writing_personal_statement.pdf (useful pdf download advice)

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/pgcestatements.htm (Kent University - for teaching positions)

Help and Advice

ILC consultation service. Please arrange an appointment by calling 2609 8733. You may visit http://www.ilc.cuhk.edu.hk/english/lang_consulting.asp to see consultation times.

 

 


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