Writing a Personal Statement for Graduate School

A personal statement is an opportunity to:

• Describe your unique strengths for the field.
• Make a positive first impression.
• Show why you are a good match for the program.
• Present your career goals.
• Explain how your interest in the field developed.

Reflect on these questions to shape your personal statement:

• Education: What are your educational achievements, and how do you plan to continue your intellectual development? What accomplishments or experiences demonstrate your knowledge in the field? Do any projects show your potential to collaborate with graduate faculty as a colleague?
• Future Goals: What are your career goals, and how will this program help you achieve them?
• Personal Development: What achievements make you proud? How have you responded to past challenges or failures?

Affirming Your Personal Characteristics

• Write about experiences you’re comfortable discussing, focusing on your strengths.
• Use life experiences to show your potential for success in graduate school.
• Embrace a non-traditional background as an advantage, rather than conforming to a traditional applicant profile.

Development and Use of Evidence

• Create a unifying theme or image of yourself as an effective graduate student and future professional.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the program and how you can contribute to it.
• Highlight intellectual activities and accomplishments that show your commitment to the field.
• Provide specific examples, not abstract qualities. Show, don’t tell, and let readers draw conclusions from your evidence.
• Avoid vague claims (e.g., “the experience was rewarding”). Explain how it was rewarding or challenging.
• Show you’ve explored your intended career and how graduate school will support your goals.
• Explain academic irregularities (e.g., low grades) without excuses, emphasizing what you’ve learned.

Style

• Use first-person point of view to speak directly to your reader, but avoid overusing “I.”
• Avoid clichés like “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in...” or starting/ending with quotations.
• Balance confidence and humility; let your achievements speak for themselves.
• Write in a lively, engaging tone without being overly informal.
• Use active verbs and avoid overusing passive “to be’ verbs.

• Effective preparation for graduate school.
• Ability to succeed in the program and profession.
• Knowledge and commitment to the field.
• Intellectual development and activity (personal development is secondary).
• Ability to collaborate with faculty as a colleague.
• Clear career goals for pursuing the degree.
• Awareness of the program’s distinctive features.

Writing a personal statement requires careful thought and revision. As one student noted: “Writing the essay was difficult. My grades were nothing to brag about, and I knew the essay had to make up for them. It took days of writing and rewriting, but finally I finished one. My advisor later told me the essay was the reason they admitted me” (The Grad School Handbook, Jerrard & Jerrard, p. 98).

Evaluate your draft from your audience’s perspective, ensuring clarity and relevance.

Knowledge of the Graduate Program

Example: “Cornell’s English department, with its world-renowned faculty, extensive library, and literary magazine Epoch, makes your graduate program my first choice. I have begun publishing my writing and want to study with Kathryn Newcastle Curly, an original and gifted writer. I believe I have the ability to succeed if given the opportunity.”

Note: The writer shows awareness of program specifics but relies heavily on adjectives rather than substantive details.

Addressing Academic Irregularities

Negative Example: “I would like to address my excellent GRE scores. I feel I do not test well on standardized testing, and those scores do not fully reflect my other qualifications.”

Note: Admitting poor test-taking skills may weaken the candidacy, especially in fields like physics where testing is relevant. Focus on stronger qualities instead.

Positive Example: “Despite being on the Dean’s List for two semesters and earning a fellowship as a freshman and sophomore, I struggled to find a suitable job after graduating from Cornell with a B.A. in Psychology. I worked briefly as a computer operator, which lacked challenge. Later, in Hollywood, I worked as a carpenter on movie sets, using some computer modeling. After witnessing workplace injuries, I took a night course in computer design and realized my passion for computer-aided design. I am applying to Illinois’ industrial design program for its strong focus on computer graphics and design applications.”

Note: The candidate explains career shifts and demonstrates program knowledge, framing experiences as preparation for the field.

Use these questions to create a bare bones outline of your personal statement, helping you assess its organization and identify areas for revision:

1. Does the essay have a main idea or focus that unifies the paragraphs? If so, what is it, and where is it placed (typically in the first paragraph)?
2. What is each paragraph’s main point? How does it connect to the essay’s overarching theme and other paragraphs?
3. How do the paragraphs progress? Possible organizational structures include chronological development, a theme tied to qualifications, or types of activities/influences (e.g., education, work, volunteer).
4. What supports each paragraph’s main point? List supporting points/examples hierarchically to visualize the structure. Are any points/examples needing more development or explanation?
5. Are any parts of a paragraph unrelated to its main focus?