have any of you ever had to write a personal statement before? if so, help!

[mouthrat]

so for those of you who saw my "i'm a little nervous" thread talking about the top school i'm trying to get into and how i'm really mixed on how i feel about going - well, i took the test, and i passed every portion except reading which i failed by 5 points. no big deal, but now that i'm done with testing i have to submit an application that includes a personal statement with a maximum of 500 words. right now, i'm at 164, and i know for a fact i'm not submitting this until i have at least half the maximum. except the problem is, i feel complete right now. i'm not really sure what else to write. i wrote about why i "want" to attend the school (i can be expressive to my own interests later on in life), why i belong there (i'm a good student), and about how throughout my last few years of school i received high honors and/or honors with distinction.

what the heck else do i write??? someone help please!!!

 

[amemome]

I've had to write one for grad school and also for job apps. I think that's a good start. I think it might be good for you to think about specific things (for instance, aspects of your identity or specific topics that you're passionate about) and describe why those things are important to you. What kind of person do you want to grow to be and what specific resources can school provide you so that you can become that person? I think coming up with an answer to those questions could help you frame something that hits closer to the max word count.

 

[daringred_]

i had to write one for university, although we're talking 4 years ago now, and i don't know that i could ever write a second one considering that writing about myself is the hardest thing for me to do. i basically kept it relevant to the field i applied for (criminology and law, i think) and discussed how exposure to those things throughout my life had made me want to pursue the subject, i.e. "i first saw crime-drama shows at the far too young age of 7, but a part of me was undeniably hooked on the idea of investigating crime from then on." and so forth. some sites say to avoid 'origin stories', but i got accepted to everywhere i applied, so a lot of that advice is arguably bunk. although our limit was 4000 characters/47 lines, not 500 words. i'm not entirely sure what advice i can offer other than to write almost from the heart and show not tell. you don't want to say, "i am a good student", you want to prove it by describing your punctuality or your diligence or how important school is to you etc. you could mention your ambitions and interests -- what you hope to achieve later in life, your hobbies, how aspects of school might help with said hobbies and dreams or give you opportunities to progress in them. idk man. good luck !!

 

[Chris]

I am part of a team within a student-facing company that proofreads and provides feedback on personal statements (for free). I'd rather not link any of it publicly due to my personal information being freely available on there, but if you'd like I can PM you some of the advice and resources we provide to students.

 

[Foreverfox]

I would also incorporate things that draw you to that specific school - what about that school differentiates it from others that offer the same program? What do you feel that you have to offer them that benefits them, and what do they have to offer you that benefits you?

If I think of anything else, I'll add it, but those are what immediately comes to mind.

 

[mouthrat]

I am part of a team within a student-facing company that proofreads and provides feedback on personal statements (for free). I'd rather not link any of it publicly due to my personal information being freely available on there, but if you'd like I can PM you some of the advice and resources we provide to students.

i would really appreciate this, thank you!!! if you could do that i would love that!