personal statements for college

986 shares (Image: Polka Dot/Thinkstock) Whether you’re applying for an undergraduate school or trying to get into graduate programs, many applications require a letter of intent or personal statement. Personal statements are one of the most important parts of the application and sometimes the deciding factor for admission. Personal statements give a better understanding of who you are, beyond the rigid constraints of the “fill-in-the-blank” application. Like many around this time of the year, I am finishing my graduate school applications. Looking for advice and guidance, I decided to compare different schools’ personal statement requirements and ask admissions offices for advice. Here’s what I found: 1. Be yourself The Columbia Graduate School for Journalism encourages students to write about family, education, talents or passions. They want to hear about significant places or events in your life; about books you have read, people you have met or work you’ve done that has shaped the person you have become. Schools want to know about you so don’t portray someone else in the essay. It’s almost like going on a first date. You want to display your best qualities but be yourself at the same time. You want the other person to like you, not someone you’re pretending to be. 2. Show diversity Rayna Reid, a personal statement guru, received her undergraduate degree at Cornell, Masters at the University of Pennsylvania and is currently pursuing a Law degree at Columbia. Reid says a personal statement is really just a way to make the college fall in love with you. “The essay is where you really get a chance to differentiate yourself from the other applicants,” she said. “Explain why they should accept you. What will you contribute?” Sean Carpenter, University of Southern California Student Services Associate and undergraduate student, reiterates the importance of.
The personal statement is an important component of your freshman or transfer application for admission and scholarships. Your test scores and grades show us what you have achieved academically; the personal statement allows us to get to know you as an individual through your experiences and accomplishments. Note: The information and advice on this page are offered by the UC Davis campus to address what we look for in a personal statement. Other UC campuses may review personal statements differently. This information is a supplement, not a substitute, for the application instructions. What We are Looking for The personal statement format requires your response to two short-answer prompts. The short-answer prompts offer you an opportunity to provide a context for the rest of the information in your application and to discuss your personal commitment to learning; any special talent, creativity, leadership experience, accomplishment, contribution or personal quality you will bring to the university; and other information that is important for us to consider, including your tenacity and/or response to life challenges. We are looking for qualities that we know will help you succeed at UC Davis and also enrich our learning community. Our application process involves comparing your application to those of other highly qualified and competitive students. Other applicants may have similar accomplishments to yours, such as serving in student governance, playing on sports teams, chairing committees or traveling abroad. Providing details and examples of your personal experience can help you stand out from the crowd. Your statement can also be very successful if it elaborates on the insights you gained, or on the way your outlook, activities, commitment or goals have been shaped and influenced. Writing a Successful Statement Composing a personal statement can be intimidating, so.
For most people, the slap on the face that turns their life around is figurative. Mine was literal. Actually, it was a punch delivered by a drill sergeant at Fort Dix, New Jersey, while I was in basic training. That day’s activity, just a few weeks into the program, included instruction in “low-crawling,” a sensible method of moving from one place to another on a battlefield. I felt rather clever for having discovered that, by looking right rather than down, I eliminated my helmet’s unfortunate tendency to dig into the ground and slow my progress. I could thus advance more easily, but I also exposed my unprotected face to hostile fire. Drill sergeants are typically very good at detecting this type of laziness, and mine was an excellent drill sergeant. So, after his repeated suggestions that I correct my performance went unheeded, he drove home his point with a fist to my face. We were both stunned. This was, after all, the New Army, and striking a trainee was a career-ending move for a drill sergeant, as we were both aware. I could have reported him; arguably, I should have. I didn’t. It didn’t seem right for this good sergeant, who had not slept for almost four days, to lose his career for losing his temper with my laziness. Choosing not to report him was the first decision I remember making that made me proud. I was not a perfect soldier the next day; neither was I the same unmotivated person who, for lack of effort, had failed at virtually everything I had previously attempted. I was determined (itself a novel experience) to apply myself to soldiering. That was eight years ago. In the interim I have enjoyed a short but distinguished military career, married, fathered a child and resumed my college education. I am currently poised to graduate with honors from [State] University. Looking forward to law school, I can only trust that my distant mistakes are not too.