Personal statements 12/02/2015. What is a Personal Statement? Why Personal Statements? Why Personal Statements? Rules & Guidelines

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1 What is a Personal Statement? Personal statements It isa brief & focused essay about one's career or research goals. UCC Careers Service A personal statement gives you the opportunity to present aspects of yourself and your background that may not be apparent from the other parts of your application. The statement is a chance to show you have the commitment & qualifications to work or pursue further study in your chosen field. Why Personal Statements? Why Personal Statements? Opportunity for readers of your application to get a feel for you as a person as well as a student. It gives a snapshot of who you are. Essay is also the place where you can put your academic record, experiences, skills etc. into context re: the application you are making. A personal statement gives you the opportunity to present aspects of yourself and your background that may not be apparent from the other parts of your application. To get to know you, not your record. To see if you can think logically. To see if you write well. To see if you are likely to succeed. What do you know about the programme? How knowledgeable are you about grad school? Do you have characteristics that favour success? To see if you will be a good fit for the department What will Admissions Committee use the Personal Statement for? To help select orshortlist the best candidates. To generate questions for interview (where applicable). To confirm that you understand the nature of the course. To confirm that you have thoroughly researched the programme. To distinguish whether or not you are suitable if a borderline case. Some courses will set out areas they wish you to address in the statement, number of words or pages allowed and may also state whether or not you can include other supporting documents, for example, a CV. Length: This may vary from 1 page of A4, a text box in an application form with an instruction which allows you to continue on a separate sheet to a word limit of between 300 to 500 words. Make sure you clearly address all the areas they want you to cover. Stick to any rules on length and word limits, and supporting documents. Your application may be rejected because of your inability to follow the limits set or the assessors may discard the additional text or documents you have included. 1

2 Audience: Remember who you are pitching to. A course or admissions tutor will read your statement in part to assess whether or not you will be awarded a place or called for an interview. Make sure the vocabulary and language style you use are appropriate for this audience. Time: Preparing and writing a good personal statement takes time. You will need to allow time to prepare a first draft, ideally receive some feedback on it and then finalise your statement. A rushed statement stands less chance of being successful. If you are applying to several different courses then you will need to prepare a separate statement for each course. Writing style: Be clear, concise, positive...and factual! Make sure your grammar and spelling are accurate. Focus on the experiences and interests that you bring to the course and how they will help you to study successfully Avoid simple repetition of statements made in the course literature as this gives no indication of your capacity to think critically. Sample Questions Before you start writing, ask yourself... Please state your specific interests with respect to which you are applying. Your intended area of specialization, career objectives, and research interests and experience are of particular interest. Please use this space to summarise your academic interests and reasons for choosing your intended course of study. What sets me apart from other applicants? How did I learn about this field? Why am I interested in this field? What experience has stimulated and enhanced myinterest? What skills or personal characteristics do I possess? Before you start writing, ask yourself... What are my biggest achievements? What are my career aspirations? Why this college or programme? Are there any gaps in my academic record? Past: What made you decide to pursue a particular career? Present: Why do you feel you are well suited to a career in this area now? Future: How do you see your career developing going forward? 2

3 Introduction/The Hook The Body Introduce yourself Why do you want to study this programme? Why you want to go to grad school? Should grab the readers attention & make them want to read on. Explain your desire to study the subject of interest or discuss the motivation that influenced your desire to study the subject of interest. Your academic background. Your specific academic interests & how they relate to the course. The experience you have e.g. Work, voluntary, extra curricular that is relevant to your application. The key skills you have relative to the course and the career area. NB: You need to support the claims you are making with evidence/examples. Conclusion What are your career goals? How will the post graduate programme benefit your career objectives? How doyou see your career developing in the coming years? Avoid vague or general statements: I am really interested in doing a postgraduate Management course as I hope to make this my career. I think your Masters programme offers me the opportunity to learn a great deal about management and will help me to get a good job in this field. No concrete points made and no evidence of research. Be specific: I am very committed to a career in Management and have been to several careers presentations in order to research this career area in more depth. As a result I have decided that undertaking a postgraduate Management course would be an essential first step towards achieving my career goals. I am particularly interested in the course offered at Reuters University as it combines practical placements in both Management Consultancies and company departments with the theoretical study of the principles of management. I would also value being able to begin to work towards the Chartered Institute of Management qualification offered by the course. Interest Interested in accounting, IT, journalism, economics, politics etc. Need to get beyond generic statements and explain real interest. Example: Teaching 3

4 Research Masters: Explaining your Science PhD Applications What is your potential research topic Present the big picture the overall goal of your research Describe your potential project What specific questions are you trying to answer? What techniques are you using? Indicate what you results may mean and possible future research directions Requirements for PhD applications can vary between departments and faculties. Application form and statement about your proposed research area likely. For some this will mean submitting an in depth research proposal. Seek advice from your academic tutors. More Do s & Don'ts Proof Read! Do Prepare Research Provide evidence Long & short sentences Be clear and concise Proof read! Get your statement looked over Don t Be boring! Preach or complain Summarise your CV Generalise Use slang Be defensive or arrogant Forget to proof read! I'd like to attend a college where I can expose myself to many diverse people. Having worked in a lab environment where successfully revolving problems was critical... Remember.. Exercise It s a PERSONAL statement. A personal statement is about the specific interests, skills, experiences, and goals that you have. But.. it should also reflect who you really are, your personality etc. Don t lose yourself in jargon. Self Assessment exercise 15 mins Completing the exercise will help you to evaluate yourself under some important headings: - Choice of course - Academic interests - Work experience & Skills - Interests & achievements - Future plans 4

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