Personal Statement Essay - Guide to Personal Statement Essay Writing

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PERSONAL STATEMENT

Personal statement, or statement of purpose, is a necessary piece of writing for applying to higher education establishment or obtaining a scholarship. Writing personal statement is not an ordinary essay, nor is it a CV (where one merely has to describe the sequence of one's life events). Personal statement is a kind of essay which is meant to give a reasoned explanation of the choice of this particular college, university or program, and persuade the examiners choose the author of this essay among other applicants.
As a rule, the volume of a personal statement is about 250-500 words. Within the body of the statement, it is vital to formulate your own personal and professional goals, both short-term and long-term ones, so that to explain why you are going to study. Personal aims and objectives should be ideally correlated with a broader context of the development of the country, particular branch of science, social, political or cultural life, etc. However, all these aims should be realistic.

Apart from merely outlining the goals, it is necessary to prove that you are able to achieve them - that is, that you have a strong inner motivation and certain capabilities. There is no need to tell the commission your entire biography - it is enough to concentrate upon those events only which are related to the program you are applying to.

It should be proved that you are not a "come-and-go" person: for example it would not be enough to say that you are applying for an MBA program only because you had a course of marketing at college - it is better to point out the situations from life which required from you knowledge of business science, or tell about your own experience in this sphere, if possible - about the job you performed in some company.

The content of a personal statement is largely determined by the type of the program: for instance, applying for a bachelor's program, it is better to tell about yourself as a person with diverse interests, including hobbies, sport, music etc., whereas for master's programs the emphasis should be laid upon academic achievements and scientific activities (thought personal aspects should not be neglected as well). Educational establishments do not only need students who are successful in learning - they are interested in active people who will participate in social life of the university or college. The tone of the personal statement should be positive and persuasive, though it may contain some self-criticism. The main rule is - it is important to be yourself rather than foresee what the examiners want to read.

In case you have any experience of working in the field you are going to continue your studies in, it is also a big advantage. Such precious experience should be described in a personal statement properly so that to provoke a thought with the examining board members that the education you are willing to obtain is a logical step towards your professional and career development. It is also possible to write what you are going to do after the completion of the program, and how it will help you in future life and career.

As for the form and structure of a personal statement, it does not differ much from a standard essay, that is, it should contain an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. Each idea should be supported by arguments or evidence. The subdivisions of a traditional personal statement are as follows:

Part 1: Who you want to become, what you will do then, what life experience and education you have which will help you in studying, why you are applying for this particular program.

Part 2: Elaborating upon points stated in part 1 - what you are planning to do in future in detail.

Part 3: Describing your life experience, practical skills and education and correlating them with your future goals and intellectual development. You may dwell upon some key points of your life which required taking decision and making choices.

Part 4: Assuring examination board that your choice of the program/university/college was not made at random, and that you are a perfect student for them.

Part 5: Conclusion.