The role of the personal statement is to make you stand out from others. Countless students list many similar qualifications, experiences, and goals. Creating a personal statement that is notable for its content requires preparation and planning. Personal statements need to be meticulously organized, well-written and focused on setting you apart from the larger group. Whether a personal statement includes an effort to disclose or explain a misstep along the way or to communicate the applicant’s all-encompassing passion for the degree program or specialty, the content must be clear and the ideas must flow well.
Consider the following prompts to structure your Statement:
•What makes you unique?
•What attracts you to your chosen career?
What do you expect to get out of it?
•When did you initially become interested in this career? How hasthis interest developed?
•When did you become certain that this is what you wanted to do?What solidified your decision?
•What are your intellectual influences?
•What writers, books, professors, concepts in college have shapedyou?
•What non-academic experiences contributed to your choice of schooland/or career?
•How much more education are you interested in?
