Writing the Personal Statement

The personal statement, your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process, generally falls into one of two
categories:
1. The general, comprehensive personal statement: This allows you maximum freedom in terms of what you write and is
the type of statement often prepared for standard application forms.
2. The response to very specific questions:
Often, school applications ask specific questions, and your statement should respond specifically to the
question being asked. Some applications favor multiple essays, typically asking for responses to three or more
questions.
Questions to ask yourself before you write:
What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story?
What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or
influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or help set you apart from other
applicants?
When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has
further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What
insights have you gained?
How have you learned about this field--through classes, readings, seminars, work or other experiences, or
conversations with people already in the field?
What have you learned from your high school and/or employment activities (leadership or managerial skills,
for example), and how has that contributed to your growth?
What are your career goals?
Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre
test scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)?
Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in
your life?
What personal characteristics (for example. integrity. compassion. persistence) do you possess that would
improve your prospects for success? Is there a way to demonstrate or document that you have these
characteristics?
What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess?
Why might you be a stronger candidate and more successful and effective in reaching your goals than other
applicants?
What are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you?
General advice: Answer the questions that are asked
If you are applying to several schools, you may find questions in each application that are somewhat similar.
Don't be tempted to use the same statement for all applications. It is important to answer each question being
asked, and if slightly different answers are needed, you should write separate statements. In every case, be sure
your answer fits the question being asked.

Tell a story
Think in terms of showing or demonstrating through concrete experience. One of the worst things you can do is
to bore the admissions committee. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you'll be putting yourself
ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story, you will make yourself memorable.
Be specific
Don't, for example, state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific
reasons. Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of specific
experience that is described in your statement. Your application should emerge as the logical conclusion to your
story.
Find an angle
If you're like most people, your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the
big challenge. Finding an angle or a "hook" is vital.
Concentrate on your opening paragraph
The lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. It is here that you grab the reader's attention or
lose it. This paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement.
Tell what you know
Don't include some subjects
There are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences that dont
profile your accomplishments and/or development of positive capabilities are generally not a good idea. Don't
mention potentially controversial subjects (for example, controversial religious or political issues).
Do some research, if needed
If a school wants to know why you're applying to it rather than another school, do some research to find out
what sets your choice apart from other universities or programs. If the school setting would provide an
important geographical or cultural change for you, this might be a factor to mention.
Write well and correctly
Be meticulous. Type and proofread your essay very carefully. Many admissions officers say that good written
skills and command of correct use of language are important to them as they read these statements. Express
yourself clearly and concisely. Adhere to stated word limits.
Avoid clichs
A medical school applicant who writes that he is good at science and wants to help other people is not exactly
expressing an original thought. Stay away from often-repeated or tired statements.
Some advice from admissions representatives:
Steven DeKrey
Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University)
We're looking for a well-written, detailed essay that responds directly to the question. The questions are about
extracurricular activities, motivation, challenges, commitment to the school that kind of thing. We see a variety and
that's fine. Our approach is very individualized. The way the applicant devises the answer, determines the length,
develops the response, is all part of the answer. The level of effort applicants put into essays varies considerably, which
sends messages to the admissions committee as well. Over-involved, elaborate essays send one message, while very
brief and superficial essays send another message.
Trying to second-guess what we are looking for is a common mistake--which we can sense.
We can tell when applicants use answers to other schools' questions for our essays; we're sensitive to this. Poorly written
essays are a bad reflection on the applicant.
Don't over-elaborate; we're reading a lot of these kinds of essays. Also, don't be too brief or superficial. We like to have
major ideas presented well.
( adapted from Stelzer, p. 55)
Dr. Daniel R. Alonso
Associate Dean for Admissions
Cornell University Medical College
We look for some originality because nine out of ten essays leave you with a big yawn. "I like science, I like to help
people and that's why I want to be a doctor." The common, uninteresting, and unoriginal statement is one that recounts
the applicant's academic pursuits and basically repeats what is elsewhere in the application. You look for something
different, something that will pique your interest and provide I some very unique insight that will make you pay some l
notice to this person who is among so many other qualified applicants. If you're screening 5,500 applications over a
four- or six-month period, you want to see something that's really interesting.
I would simply say: Do it yourself, be careful, edit it, go through as many drafts as necessary. And more important than
anything: be yourself. really show your personality. Tell us why you are unique, why we should admit you. The premise
is that 9 out of 10 people who apply to medical school are very qualified. Don't under any circumstances insert
handwritten work or an unfinished piece of writing. Do a professional job. I would consider it a mistake to attempt to
cram in too much information, too many words. Use the space as judiciously as possible. Don't submit additional pages
or use only 1/20th of the space provided.
(Stelzer, p.81)
John Herweg
Chairman, Committee on Admissions
Washington University School of Medicine
We are looking for a clear statement that indicates that the applicant can use the English language in a meaningful and
effective fashion. We frankly look at spelling as well as typing (for errors both in grammar and composition). Most
applicants use the statement to indicate their motivation for medicine, the duration of that motivation, extracurricular
activities, and work experience. So those are some of the general things we are looking for in the Personal Comments
section.
We also want applicants to personalize the statement, to tell us something about themselves that they think is worthy of
sharing with us, something that makes them unique, different, and the type of student that we're all looking for. What
they have done in working with individuals--whether it's serving as a checker or bagger at a grocery store or working
with handicapped individuals or tutoring inner city kids--that shows they can relate to people and have they done it in an
effective fashion? What the applicant should do in all respects is to depict why he or she is a unique individual and
should be sought after. Of course, if they start every sentence on a whole page with "I," it gets to be a little bit too much.
(Stelzer, p. 82)

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