A personal statement reflects who you are as a person.
Addressing a personal statement in a college application can be a nerve-wracking experience since it is usually the only subjective data an admissions committee will receive about you. Resumes and transcripts only provide objective information about an application, but a personal statement shows who you are as a person. Writing a personal statement can be time-consuming, so start looking at personal-statement prompts early to give yourself enough time to complete the following steps.
Instructions
1. Read the prompt thoroughly. Most personal-statement prompts ask you to write about why you've chosen the field you've chosen or what education means to you. For example, if you are applying to law school, you might be asked to explain why you want to go to law school. However, prompts can vary from institution to institution, so it is crucial that you know exactly what your statement needs to include.
2. Brainstorm ideas that will address the personal statement prompt completely. At this stage, don't worry about writing full sentences. Merely list your ideas for addressing the prompt. It is important to remember that personal statements are called "personal" for a reason: you need to make this about you. Your statement needs to set you apart from other applicants in a meaningful way. The more honest, important and specific your ideas are, the more your statement becomes a reflection of its writer.
3. Organize your ideas. Personal statements can be about a single instance that changed your life or a cumulative set of circumstances that made you decide to go into your chosen field. Either way, your statement must have a command of organization. Cumulative events should be listed in chronological order or order of importance. A single instance should function more as a narrative.
4. Draft your personal statement. Do not focus your energy on word count or perfection just yet. Instead, let the ideas flow and expand on them until you have fully addressed the prompt and provided an understanding of who you are.
5. Revise your draft. First, does your statement address the prompt fully and clearly? Remember that the committee reading your statement will not know who you are and you will not be able to supplement your statement with further explanation. Everything you want to say must be contained within the parameters of your statement. Second, consider the required word count and expand or condense where appropriate. Third, edit sentence structure and correct grammatical errors.
6. Ask a tutor or mentor to review your revised statement. This person could be a tutor at your school, a former teacher or a friend or family member in education. Make sure you provide a copy of the prompt to the tutor or mentor. Discuss ways to revise your statement.
7. Make the changes you discussed and review your statement at least once more to make sure it is polished. Submit your personal statement along with any other application materials before the due date.
Tags: personal statement, your statement, your statement, your ideas, chosen field