Have you ever wondered how to write a personal statement? If you are applying to university or college, or for graduate studies, having the right personal statement is crucial. The last thing you want is an ill-formatted or dull personal statement that makes it obvious you haven’t taken the time to tailor your application directly to the university. This article will give you all the knowledge to know how How to Write Personal Statement.
A personal statement is most often a letter that goes with your application for med school, law school, or other higher learning institutions. It’s a special cover letter for college, designed to show the great passion needed to get into one of the toughest school experiences on the planet.
Sometimes the term “personal statement” has other meanings and uses, such as a business cover letter or resume summary (UK). Most often, though, it’s proof positive that you deserve to be in a highly-selective school.
Sound daunting? You’ve got this. You’ve already got the drive. You just need to show it so the admissions office understands.
Table of Contents
What is a personal statement?
A personal statement is an account of your achievements, talents, interests and goals often included in job or university applications or on resumes. Personal statements for university and jobs have similar content, but university personal statements are usually longer and more detailed. University personal statements are typically three or four paragraphs. When included in job applications and resumes, these statements are generally a single paragraph. Employers and universities may have their own requirements, so make sure to heed any word or character limits.
How long should a personal statement be?
A personal statement should be at least three paragraphs, but successful statements are 5 to 8 paragraphs long. For word count, they’re about 700 to 1,000 words. The key factor isn’t length though, but whether you convey your passion in a way that proves you’ll overcome any obstacle in your path.
How to write personal statement
Breaking the task of writing a personal statement down into small, manageable steps can help you write a strong statement for a job or university placement. While your introduction, body and conclusion sections should be in that order, you can write them in any order that best helps you effectively write your statement. For example, writing your body first and then returning to write the introduction can help you craft a stronger opening because you already know what the rest of your statement discusses.
The following approach ensures you include all essential components and make each sentence as effective as it can be:
1. Write a personal introduction
Write an introduction that reflects you and your personality. It should say why you are interested in the job or degree and, if appropriate, your recent experience with the job type or course topics. Starting a personal statement with sentences that show who you are can help encourage the recipient to read further.
For a job application, consider addressing what first interested you in the position’s listing. Use a single, strong sentence to mention the most relevant aspects of your personality and interests in the role or company. For a university application, discuss what parts of the program or school align with your passions. Your university introduction should be a full paragraph.
2. Expand on relevant skills, interests and experiences
The body of your personal statement lets you share more about your relevant skills, interests and experiences. Write about personal details that relate to the job or course for which you are applying. You could write about the following elements, where relevant, in the body of your personal statement:
- Your achievements and experience: Write about your degrees, certifications, awards, years of industry experience and positions you have held that relate to the job’s responsibilities or the university’s educational offerings.
- Your relevant skills and talents: Describe the talents and skills you have learned during university or on your career path. Consider mentioning specific skills discussed in a job listing or values the school is looking for in students.
- What you would bring to the organization: Discuss why you feel you would be an asset to the company or university. You can mention your experience or eagerness to learn specific skills, perform tasks or earn credentials in a field.
- Your professional or academic goals: Write about how the job or course you are applying for fits into your dreams for the future. Consider selecting a specific goal the job or course can help you achieve.
Two sentences should be sufficient for the body of your job personal statement. You may choose two or three of the previously listed elements to discuss in those sentences to keep it comprehensive while also being brief. If your university personal statement is a general prompt asking about your interest and goals, the body of your college personal statement should be one or two paragraphs. A recent high school graduate may need just one paragraph, while someone applying for an advanced degree should write two paragraphs when discussing the professional experience and skills they have in their chosen field.
3. Write a strong conclusion
Craft a conclusion that leaves a strong, lasting impression on the prospective employer or university admissions officer. It should be a clear restatement of why you applied and what you hope to achieve with the experience. It should also persuade the reader to take action on you as a candidate, either reading through the rest of your resume or reviewing your other academic credentials.
In this final section of your statement, you can include:
- Extension of your professional goals: Some statements for job applications may include specific reference to your goals and how the position can help you achieve those goals. For a university personal statement, reinforce how the school’s mission or coursework can prepare you for a career. In both types of statements, consider discussing relevant short- and long-term goals, such as what you hope to achieve in the school or position and where you see yourself in 5-10 years.
- Summary of your personal statement: A brief summary of the main points in your statement can be an effective strategy for a one-sentence conclusion or one sentence of a larger conclusion. Be sure to connect your achievements, experiences and skills directly to your future contributions with the company or university.
- Link back to your introduction: Revisit your introduction and what interested you in the position, school or degree program. Consider extending this idea by combining your desire with your qualifications. Ending a personal statement on your enthusiasm for the opportunity can influence a company or university to consider your candidacy seriously.
The conclusion of your personal statement for a job should be a single sentence, so consider selecting only one of the above strategies. Write a full paragraph for the conclusion of your personal statement for a university and consider using a blend of two or three of these strategies for a comprehensive and engaging conclusion.
4. Proofread and edit
Once you have written your personal statement, take the time to proofread and edit it. Read your personal statement aloud to hear how your writing sounds and find areas of improvement, such as:
- Spelling and grammar
- Relevancy
- Specificity
- Passive voice
- Clear phrasing
- Simple, easy-to-understand language
Review your personal statement to find these areas yourself, and consider having a friend or colleague read it for you, too. This person can give you feedback on improving it in those areas.
Beginning your personal statement – tips from the experts
We spoke to a number of admissions tutors to get their number one tip for starting a personal statement. This is what they said:
- ‘Don’t waste time trying to think of a catchy opening; it’s often a complete turn-off.’
- ‘Your interest in the course is the biggest thing. Start with why you chose it.’
- ‘The best personal statements get to the point quickly.’
- ‘Start with a short sentence that captures the reason why you are interested in studying the area you are applying for and that communicates your enthusiasm for it.’
- ‘Go straight in. Why are you excited about studying this course?’
- ‘The opening is your chance to introduce yourself, to explain your motivation for studying the course and to demonstrate your understanding of it.’
- ‘It’s your enthusiasm for the course we want to know about. Start with that.’
- ‘Write what comes naturally.’
- ‘What you want to study and why should be in the first two sentences. What excites you about the course and why do you want to learn about it more?’
- ‘Be specific from line one.’
- ‘Talk about you and your enthusiasm for the subject from the very start.’
- ‘In your opening paragraph you need to show that you know what you are applying for. Don’t waffle or say you want to study something just because it’s interesting. Explain what you find interesting about it.’
- ‘It’s much better to engage us with something interesting, relevant, specific and current in your opening line, not ‘from a young age’ or ‘I have always wanted to’. Start with what’s inspiring you now, not what inspired you when you were six.’
Five cliche statement beginnings to avoid
However, try to avoid the most obvious opening sentences in your personal statement, so you stand out from the first line. To help, every year UCAS publishes a list of the most common opening lines in personal statements, and urges applicants to avoid using these hackneyed phrases. Previous years’ top five included:
- ‘From a young age…’
- ‘For as long as I can remember…
- ‘I am applying for this course because…’
- ‘I have always been interested in…’
- ‘Throughout my life I have always enjoyed…’
And at number eleven was a Nelson Mandela quote, which brings us on to our next section…
Connect the beginning of your statement to the end
A final thought. One technique that can be effective is the ‘necklace approach’. This is when you make a link between your opening sentence and closing paragraph, reinforcing and adding an extra dimension at the end to what you said at the start.
For example, if you started with an interesting line about what is currently motivating to study your chosen degree course, you could link back to it in your closing paragraph, perhaps with something about why you would love to study this further at uni.
Conclusion
The personal statement is one of the most important parts of a job application. It’s a chance for you to show potential employers not just what your skills are, but also what makes you tick – and why you’d be a great fit as an employee.