Byline: Carl E. Anderson

Professor – Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures

All graduate school applications include metrics, such as transcripts, grade-point averages, and test scores, from the applicant’s previous studies. But most graduate school applicants have strong grades and test scores—and neither grades nor test scores are strong predictors for success in graduate school (or professional life). How does an admissions committee decide which of two students, both with good grades, to accept? This is why most graduate school applications require a “personal statement”; they may also call this something like a “statement of purpose” or a “statement of intent”. These short essays are your opportunity to show an admissions committee what makes you not only different, but a good choice for them, their university, and their program.

Some universities provide very explicit instructions for personal statement essays (in which case, follow them exactly); others provide virtually no instructions. However, they are all looking for an answer to the same questions in these essays: Is this applicant a highly motivated, well-prepared person with a passion for their topic of study, who can work effectively alone or in groups, is resilient and in the face of adversity, and has a clear sense of why they want to study in this program and this university, as well as what they plan to do in life after they earn their degree? In other words, is this applicant going to be a credit to their program and university, or “just another face” – or even a liability? Your personal statement essay needs to provide the kinds of answers to these kinds of questions (and usually in a very short space – generally not more than about 500 words) that encourage the admissions committee to select you instead of another candidate with similar grades and test scores.

Accordingly, a personal statement essay – or a successful personal statement essay – is probably not something you can sit down and write in an hour. It benefits from planning, customizing, and drafting and redrafting.

Although some applications processes may require you to address particular topics in particular ways, other will not. Lacking other insturctions, a general structure for a personal statement essay might be structured in four parts to answer four questions. Firstly, what kind of person are you? Secondly, what do you want to do in graduate school? (Have a clear topic or area of study or research in mind.) Thirdly, why do you want to do it (whatever you want to do) in this particular department or program? Fourthly, what do you plan to do after graduate school?

To answer the first question (about what kind of person you are), think about how to present yourself as the kind of person that a graduate program should want to have. Do not simply describe your qualities; show them by presenting brief (very brief) anecdotes that illustrate the kind of person that you are. Try to restrict yourself to your experiences since beginning your university studies. Focus on aspects of yousrself – peronality, skills, research expertience – that are relevant to what you would do in your graduate studies. Avoid controversial topics, and avoid being negative. You can successfully address experiences in which you made mistakes and learned how to become more successful from them – graduate programs like students who can learn from challenges – but avoid anything that might raise questions about your suitability as a student or professional. If there are any irregularities or gaps in the records of your previous studies – such a semester of unusually bad grades, or time of from university – ensure you explain them. (The admissions committee will know about them, and they will wonder what your explanation is.)

To answer the second and third questions (about what you want to do and why you want to do, firstly have some clear ideas about the specific kinds of topics you would study and research in graduate school. Admissions programs are not impressed by applicants who might not seem to know why they want to go to graduate school in the first place. Secondly, carefully research the universities and programs to which you plan to apply. Ensure you know are familiar with the programs and professors, as well as the specific details of their applications requirements. Consider emailing professors who work on topics that you might study and ask (intellgient!) questions about their research and the kind of work you might or would like do as a graduate student. (Many professors enjoy talking about the topics about which they are also passionate, and they may remember an exchange of emails with a potential graduate student who shares their passion.) Your personal statement should demonstrate knowledge of the university, the department, and the program, and you need to be able to emphasize why you are applying to this department/program specifically (even if you are also in fact apply to others). You cannot simply use the same essay for each application; you need to be able to customize it to suit your application to specific contexts. A program will often pick a more enthusasitic and better-informed applicant over another applicant with better grades but a more “generic” personal statement.

Finally, be prepared to talk about your future plans—what you would do after graduate school. Admissions committees are more impressed with applicants who have clear longer-term goals – and they also considering how your possible future activities after graduate school might reflect on them. Have a clear idea of the kinds of things that people with graduate degrees in your field might do in their later life, and be prepare to present (conceisly!) your possible trajectory during the first decade after you earn your degree.

Throughout your personal statement essay, you can (and should) let your personality – even your humor – shine through, but ensure your communication is smart, professional, and concise. Admissions comittees read dozens, often hundreds, of personal statements every year. Yours needs to stand out, without making you look like “an amateur”, or someone too difficult or insufficiently mature to work with. The language, style, grammar, spelling, and punctuation must all be immaculate. Any instructions must be complied with in every detail. There is no easier way for the admissions committee to shrink the pile of applications than by moving the ones with mistakes to the “rejection” pile. You should tune your essays for each department or program to which you apply, you should draft and re-draft your essays, you should ensure that your colleagues (and, idealy, professors) also read them and offer constructive feedback. You will, of course, write much, much more during a graduate school career, but these brief “personal statement” types of essay that you must write during the application process may be the most important part of getting you to graduate school.

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