Step-by-Step Tips on Writing a Personal Statement

A personal statement is a paper that is written by applicants who want to enter a college or university; by students who want to receive grants and scholarship and by anyone who wants to get a job. Therefore, you should write about yourself effectively if you have to represent your own personality for the definite purpose. Obviously, every personal statement should be written in accordance with the definite rules and standards, so you are able to follow these instructions and learn about the process of writing more.

Step One: Be Honest but Not Too Frank

The most important initial step is to think about the purpose of writing and your chances to receive a grant, scholarship or a job. You should think what types of applicants are suitable for the position you are struggling for and evaluate your own traits of character, level of knowledge, qualification, etc. You must not invent anything about yourself, because your lies will be detected very soon. Here are some extra tips to follow:

• Try to be honest and objective.Try to be honest and objective. It doesn’t mean you should be excessively frank. Don’t overwhelm your readers with sincerity — it may sound offensive at some point, but committee members don’t like to be emotionally manipulated. So if you have a tear-squeezing story to share, try to make it sound decent. Truth is your armor, it protects you, but it is not your sword with which you attack your audience. Everything should be written elegantly.
• Demonstrate all your strong and weak sides to the committee. Again, you should be honest but moderate. Don’t try to describe your weaknesses too brightly. It is better to choose one major and one additional. Both of them should not be related to your potential success in the chosen field or even should make you look better as a candidate. For example, if your future profession requires research skills, etc. you can write that sometimes you are too slow because you get stuck meticulously checking every detail.

Step Two: Write Your Story

Every personal statement is a story about your skills, temperament, knowledge, ambitions, achievements, dreams, etc. Consequently, you should take efforts to compose an interesting and persuasive personal statement that will impress the committee and convince all its members in your professionalism. It is reasonable to write a story from your real life that would reflect your knowledge, ambitions and industriousness. You are able to write about the case that has happened during your practice, internship, seminars, scientific circle or part-time job and revealed your potential in this crucial moment. The committee will see that you are able to react in complicated situations adequately and will surely accept your personal statement. Points to remember/

• Your story is not your confession. Don’t start with the moment of your birth even if it was spectacular. Choose only the stories which emphasize your skills and abilities. Reading EVERY sentence, you should understand how the idea of this sentence works for your goal. Don’t let any extra information crawl into your writing.
• Write only YOUR OWN story. It is a huge mistake to start telling the story of your family, friend, distant relative or celebrity (yes, people do it). Even if you find those stories relevant to your vision or your point, skip them. Mention other people only when it is absolutely necessary. Telling your story, make yourself the main character of it, not a secondary. Remember, there is always a leading lady and her friend. BE a leading lady… or gentlemen.

Step Three: Avoid Being Cliché

You should know that no one is interested in reading standard and dry texts, because the committee is looking for someone new, fresh and extraordinary. You must not write about trivial things and absolute truth, because such things cannot attract attention and impress anybody. On the other hand, you should not prepare an informal personal statement, because your text loses seriousness. You will need to find the golden mean and demonstrate your academic achievements, ambitions and plans for the future supporting your words with light jokes. In addition, it is wise to use professional terminology in order to show that you are strong at the selected field.

• Don’t use free online samples. Never. They have been used for thousands of times, and they are of no use to you, they are not good, they are cliche and mediocre. It is very important to use a necessary structure but be creative.
• Try not to be too creative. There are people composing their personal statements in the form of the poem. If you are not applying for a scholarship to study Poetry, it is highly unnecessary. Even if you do apply for some creative specialty, you should still respect the procedure.

Step Four: Keep to the Format and Edit Your Text

You should follow the structure of your personal statement and complete its introduction, the main body and conclusion to construct a logical and concise text. When you are through with your statement, proofread and edit it attentively to correct all stylistic and grammatical errors.

• Read instructions for at least five times. We tend to skip valuable information because we’ve read dozens of such requirements and feel like we already know everything in advance. This way you can skip something really valuable.
• Don’t violate the deadline. Simply don’t.

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