| Your graduate school personal statement is what will | | | | Make Sure You Answer the Question |
| help the school get to know a little more about you. | | | | As you write, be sure that you read the question |
| Before allowing someone into a university or a | | | | often. Be sure to answer the question. Don't answer |
| program, a school wants to know who they are, | | | | other questions or get off topic - just answer the |
| what they plan to do with the degree, and whether | | | | question! This is the spot where most people get lost |
| they will be a good addition to the school. Writing this | | | | as they want to include miscellaneous information |
| statement is one of the most important things you'll | | | | that really doesn't apply to the question. |
| do during the application process, so let's make sure | | | | Get a Second, Third, or Fourth Opinion |
| you get it right. | | | | Make sure that you let other people read your essay |
| Start Early | | | | as well. They should be honest, objective readers |
| The first thing you need to do to write a successful | | | | who can help you determine where you need to |
| graduate school personal statement is start early. | | | | make changes. You'll have a much better paper if |
| Don't wait until the week or night before the essay is | | | | you get other people's opinions on it. Then, you'll |
| due. Start several weeks early, outlining and drafting | | | | need to rewrite it to reflect the changes needed to |
| your essay. Many people like to start with an outline | | | | make it the best personal statement possible. |
| that helps them see how they are answering the | | | | Proofread |
| question. | | | | Before sending it in, make sure you thoroughly |
| Organize | | | | proofread the paper. Ask a friend who is good at |
| Make sure that you have a well-organized personal | | | | grammar and spelling or an old teacher to help you. |
| statement. The order should make sense to the | | | | They are usually happy to look over your paper and |
| reader, and the series of events or the break up of | | | | tell you where you need to make changes. You want |
| topics should be easy to follow. Often a basic outline | | | | to show that you are attentive to details so don't |
| can help you see where there are problems so that | | | | overlook this step. |
| you can fix them early. | | | | Send It In |
| Be Specific | | | | You're finally ready to send in your essay. You've |
| I had a teacher in high school who would write B.S. all | | | | slaved away over it for a while, but you know it's as |
| over our papers for Be Specific! I guess it works | | | | close to perfect as possible. If you're lucky, though, |
| both ways. Be sure that you are being very specific | | | | two schools will use the same or similar questions so |
| in your personal statement. General information does | | | | that you can use the same essay or simply rewrite it |
| not have the same impact as a story or specific | | | | a little. |
| example. | | | | |