Step-By-Step Guide On How to Write A Personal Statement

Personal statements are very vital as far as university application is concerned. It contains your academic passion and interests, on no account should you add unnecessary information about your personal life. The things you need to include are your skills and ambitions as they will help in convincing the university that you are a suitable applicant for the institution.

A personal statement should buttress your academic achievements and other activities; commitment, leadership roles, sport, educational clubs and some other relevant skills. All these must be supported with references.  The admission committee are particular about your academic record and potentials, so you have to give your all to ensure that they are not disappointed after reading your personal statement.

When writing a personal statement, you must ensure that there is a logical arrangement of your paragraphs. This way, all the paragraphs that make up your statement will be linked adequately.  Start your introduction from an interesting part of your story, this will keep your readers’ eyes glued while they read. Your personal should  be between 250 and 500 words. Write in simple and short sentences; don’t complicate things by using complex words. Use catchy headings to emphasize your strengths.

How to Write A Personal Statement

Write A Compelling Introduction

Compose a personal introduction that reveals a bit about your personality. Now, this does not mean that you should write an autobiography. What you need to do here is to state your interest in that course, your research experience in the course topics. Beginning your personal statements with compelling words would sustain the interest of reader. In a single, compelling sentence, intimate the reader on how the programs and the university align with your academic goals. This should be done in a paragraph.

Emphasize your ambition and interests

The body of your personal statement is where you dwell on the skills and passion. While doing this, make sure you relate it with your course study. These are some of the things that can make up the body of your personal statement. Write about your future goals as well as the plans you are putting in place to accomplish these goals. Why have you chosen a particular course? State it. What interests you about your course of study. How being a student at that college will help the career plans you have set for yourself. Present these things in the most original way possible. Don’t begin with over floggged expressions like. ” I have always wanted to become a doctor when my late grandma was hospitalised, the doctor was donned in… Make yours unique and original, avoid cliches.

Narrate compelling experiences

Your experiences should centre on passion and personal growth. If there are specific things you would like to achieve in future, relate experiences that pertain to your ambitions.

The phase of your life where you noticed a significant growth should not be left out. Experiences are what mould you; the difference between who you were yesterday and what you have become today. It could overcoming  a challenge you thought was impossible or a that period where you were intentional about your academic growth and you put so much effort in achieving.

You can also talk about your hobby; what you could spend a large chunk of your day doing without getting tired. There is no rule or limit to what a hobby can be. It could be volunteering, sports, learning about other culture, strengthening family bonds, etc. These are what make you stand out from thousands of applicants.

Talk about what motivates you 

Why you want to study in that institution, Why interests you about the course you applied for? What are your career plans after school? These are questions you should seek to answer in your personal statement.

When these questions have been answered, create an outline for your personal statement.
After an outline has been created, carefully write your first draft. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it’s the first draft, significant changes will be made before you have your submission. Don’t make the mistake of plagiarising someone else’s personal statement, you won’t relate to it like the authentic owner will. Originality can’t be stressed enough.

Make your conclusion strong 

Your conclusion should leave a good impression on the admission officer reading your statement. Reiterate why you have to be admitted to that school and how much you value being in the school. This is also where you redirect the admission officer to read your resume and all other credentials submitted with your application. This will go a long way in persuading the admission committee

Proofread 

You can either proofread and edit yourself  by reading it aloud check for grammar and spelling errors, relevance, tone or ambiguity or give it to someone, though it is better if someone does that for you. Giving your draft to someone who will give you a feedback is very important( your college teacher, parents or friends can help). Each draft must be proofread  until you get a solid one that can be submitted.

Do’s 

• Always remember that personal statements should be more about you than your course of study. In that wise, it should talk extensively about you not your course.
• A thorough proofreading must be done before your final draft. Reading essays laced with obvious grammatical blunders will only give your reader an eyesore. This will only kill their interest.
• Enjoying a course is not a solid reason for wanting to study a course. Give good reasons but that.
• Ensure your personal statement is related to your subject.
• Only include things that you will be able to talk more on if questions are asked during interviews.
• Arrange your essay properly so it’s not muddled up. This makes it easy for your reader to continue.
• Get feedbacks from people who read your article before the final draft. Close friends and family may  recall some of your past achievements better than you. these will help in improving the quality of your article.

Don’ts 

• Don’t start your personal statements with salutations like Dear Sir/Madam. Personal statements are not letters.
• Don’t plagiarise another person’s statement. It would implicate you.
• Don’t list your current experience without describing their relevance to the course you are applying for.

Conclusion

Let your statement end positively. Re-instate your interest, passion and goals as it is your last chance to leave a good impression that will stand you out. Drafting a personal statement can be very daunting which is why we have put together a step-to-step  guide on how to write a personal statement and help  you achieve your academic goals. Personal statement is a big determining factor as far as admission is concerned which is why you must take enough time to plan and do a thorough research before you set out to write it. Make your introduction lucid and clear, grab your reader’s attention at your introductory paragraph. Write about extra curricular activities you engaged in how they are relevant to your course. If it is not relevant why put it. In your conclusion, make references to the goals, ambitions you have mentioned in your introduction and link them together. Your concluding paragraph is a very good opportunity to write about your plans after the university.