Personal Statement Advice

Graduate school statements, such as the Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose, may be used to assess your writing skills, so how you say something may be as important as what you say. Please work with faculty advisors and mentors when revising statements for graduate school. Peer tutors in the Center for Academic Success are also available for academic and general writing assistance. You and your writing tutor can brainstorm, organize, and review a personal statement or statement of purpose.

CONTENT

DO's

• Write something that only you could honestly write
• Mention who has influenced you and how
• Be personal and anecdotal
• Pose thoughtful questions
• Know that details and descriptions are appreciated
• Title your paper
• Speak of well-defined goals
• Write about what you know and have observed and experienced
• Show you have researched the school
• If applicable, briefly mention that you are bad at standardized tests, but only if you have a history of testing poorly
• If applicable, briefly describe why your grades aren’t the greatest, but only if you had temporary problems and the grades have improved of late
• Let the committee know what it is in particular about their program that interests you

DON'Ts

• Simply repeat your resume
• Say what you think they want to hear
• Be political or mention religion (unless you are applying to a religious college)
• Use clichés (“I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer”)
• Start with a quote
• Blatantly promote yourself. Instead of, “I’m intelligent and caring," describe scenes and events where you acted in an intelligent and caring manner
• Mention popular songs, movies, TV shows
• Write about book knowledge
• Confuse this school with other schools you’ve applied to
• Write an autobiography
• Dwell on reasons why you don’t test well or have a less-than-stellar GPA

STYLE & ATTITUDE

DO's

• Be positive
• Always be honest
• Write in an engaging and accessible manner
• Show enthusiasm for your studies

DON'Ts

• Make excuses, whine or play “poor me”
• Come up with half-baked reasons for going to grad school
• Don’t try to be funny (although genuine humor is appreciated)

MECHANICS

DO's

• Address the prompt
• Display perfect spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Have at least 3 knowledgeable people read your statement and critique it (and don’t give it to them at the last minute)
• Write a statement that is well-planned and well thought out

DON'Ts

• Submit your first draft
• Go on too long

Additional Resources

• Personal Statements Vidcast (Purdue OWL)
• Writing the Personal Statement (Purdue OWL)
• Writing Personal Statements Online (Penn State)