Personal statements are essential to the admission process. Admissions committees in colleges and universities often rely on them to make a decision. If you are applying for a competitive course, the admissions team will need to consider much more than your grades. As you can imagine, there will be a big pool of high performers pursuing the same opportunity.
Students should treat their personal statements as critical components of their university applications. It will make a difference and be the deciding factor if you compete with students who share the same grades. To have the advantage, ensure your statement stands out. You are free to engage a professional online essay writing service like essayservice.com for support with creating a compelling personal statement.
What Is a Personal Statement?
Personal statements are admissions essays students write that university and college admissions boards read to understand who the applicants are and why they feel the institution would be an excellent fit for them. They are helpful to the application and admission process as they allow you to show your authentic self.
Through personal statements, you can highlight your achievements, goals, interests, and talents to paint a picture of your future in the institution. Institutions have varying requirements for personal statements in terms of word count. Regardless of the length, students should be able to write their essays authentically while keeping them fresh.
How to Write an Excellent Personal Statement
Most students don’t have a problem with achieving the required word count. However, they have challenges with creating a personal statement that is effective and adequately talks about them.
1. Read Through the Instructions
Before you start to research, read through the instructions or requirements. Some colleges have length limits for personal statements ranging from 500 to 1000 words. They will provide questions or prompts to guide your content in some cases. This will ensure you address the areas the school requires you to.
2. Research
Tailoring your statement to match the program of the specific institution is more likely to tip the scales in your favor than writing a general statement. You want to show the admissions committee that you have done your homework and understand the benefits the institution or program will bring to your academic journey.
The research will give you content that is convincing to the admissions team.
3. Focus on Yourself
Remember that it is a personal statement, and you are the center of attention. As tempting as it may be, desist from talking about the schools you have been to or places you have worked at. The goal of the essay is to help the admissions committee know more about you.
Your audience will be interested in how different experiences influenced your perspective, motivation, and intellectual development. You are the focal point of the personal statement, so focus on your strengths.
4. Be Authentic
Be honest in your statement. Be authentic about everything you write, from your reasons for pursuing a program to your strengths. The objective of the personal statement is to sincerely and clearly paint a picture of you as a person. Being inauthentic will therefore beat the purpose.
If you create a false image of yourself, the truth will catch up and may not end well. The only way that the admissions committee will read authenticity from your paper is when you tell them who you are and not what you have done. Talk about where you are and who you are now, and where and who you would like to be at the end of the program.
Through this, the team concerned will be able to paint a picture and see why you are excited, motivated, and interested in pursuing the opportunity.
5. Be Detailed About the Reasons Behind Pursuing the Program
The admissions committee will pick applicants who can articulate very persuasive and rational reasons for their interest in a program. Being vague about your motivation will not make your statement stand out.
For instance, you could mention that the delivery of the curriculum will adequately equip you with the knowledge you need in a particular subject. Suppose you are familiar with the instructors and professors in the institution that are experts in the program you are interested in. In that case, you could also mention that you look forward to becoming their mentee.
Make sure that you mention things about the program that sparked your interest.
6. Consider the Reader
As aforementioned, the personal statement is about you. However, don’t forget that you are writing it for a specific audience. Students must keep this in mind and write an application essay that would be compelling to their audience.
To achieve this, you have to ask yourself a couple of questions. For instance, what are the things or factors the admissions committee looks at when approving an application? Which is the best way to demonstrate your interest in the program you are pursuing? Also, ask yourself what about your statement you want to stand out and for your audience to remember.
With these questions in mind, you should be able to write an essay that appeals to your audience.
Conclusion
Before submitting your statement, proofread and revise it to ensure everything is set and there are no unnecessary embarrassing errors. With the guide above, you should not have challenges drafting an application essay that checks the boxes of a college admissions committee.