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Some
tips to assist you in writing a personal statement- taken from the
"Selecting and Applying to Graduate
School" Handout available on-line or from Career
Services. There are also resources available in the Career
Resource Library to be reviewed or checked out.
Basic Guidelines:
Here are some basic guidelines to follow to help you write an effective
statement/essay:
-
Create
and develop your statement in relation to the question(s): What does
the reader want to know? Follow directions with respect to
word limits and content.
-
Organize
the statement to be clear, specific, detailed and concise.
Think of your response in terms of how your background, skills,
abilities, goals, etc. match the characteristics and opportunities
of the graduate program/school.
-
Think about what sets you apart from
other applicants.
-
Demonstrate
your written communication skills, motivation, energy level,
creativity, commitment and depth of response.
-
Provide specific examples as
appropriate.
-
Tailor your statement to each school;
highlight key
-
Invite
critiques by faculty and staff members in Career Services.
(See
Essay Critiques below)
Things to avoid:
-
Using too many "I's" in the statement
or beginning each sentence with "I".
-
Using the phrase "I have always wanted
to be a..."
-
Including personal information that can
be misread or misjudged by a selection committee. Understand
that there is a fine line between providing personal information
that strengthens an application or information that will have
selection committees questioning your motives, abilities, etc.
(To avoid this, have others read your statement and provide
feedback.)
Essay Critiques:
Would you like to get feedback about your personal statement/essay? If
so, you may contact our
office to set up an appointment by calling (920) 465-2163. To allow our staff time to
effectively critique your statement, we ask that you e-mail or drop off
a copy of your statement at least 24 hours in advance of your
appointment and provide us with a copy of the questions/guidelines that
the graduate school/program has provided for candidates.
Additional Resources:
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