Some Ideas For Writing Better Personal Statements

What’s ‘personal’ about a personal statement? Is it the part where you tell the reader about your passion for the subject? Or could it be the fact that so many things in your life have brought you to this point; studying this subject at this institution?

These things are important, and there are other factors that must be included too. Your personal statement should be personal; and it should certainly make a statement. Here are five ways on how to write yours in such a way that it does both.

Originality in your argument

Your approach must be one of uniqueness. Perhaps your topic has been explored before, but not from the angle you plan to take. Your personal statement should tie two things together:

  • One, this subject (and thesis topic) are yours to master.
  • Two, your opinion on the subject is fresh, unexplored and relatively controversial.

Describe your short, mid and long term goals

Why this subject and why this topic? Ask yourself this question, then answer it honestly in your statement. Help the reader see that you belong in your chosen field of study. Where do you see this thesis taking you? What about five years from now? Where do you see yourself ending up? Let your personal statement carry a theme of contribution. Speaking of which...

Watch your tone

The overall theme should be lively. The reader should pick up excitement in your writing. This is, after all, your passion; so make it apparent. The general context of every sentence should convey an air of optimism. This doesn’t mean you should be trivial, but be careful of sounding too robotic.

Have it edited

Your personal statement is only about 500 words, but it’s important enough to ensure perfection. Get a professional academic writer to double check and edit your statement. Something like a spelling mistake or a contradiction may have slipped through unnoticed. It’s always better to make sure your personal statement compliments the rest of your work.

Make sure it’s dense with substantial information

Sacrifice any ‘dead weight’ content with phrases of substance. Wherever you see the slightest phrase not bringing value to your statement, delete it and make space in your word count for something better. By the time you’re done doing this, every sentence will hold true to the statement you personally wanted to convey in the first place.

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