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Writing a personal statement is the biggest nightmare for many students. You will be rather surprised to know that its not as difficult as it you think!
Many local and international universities demand a personal statement. If you are applying to these places, personal statement can be a decisive factor for your admission. You might have come across people telling you to follow a set pattern, or to make yourself sound like “A CERTAIN KIND OF PERSON” to make your personal statement successful. Please don’t bother.
Remember! It’s called ‘personal’ for a reason!
If we had to tell you the most important thing universities look for in a personal statement, it would be that the statement is PERSONAL! So, what you really need is to learn the art of making your statement highly personalized yet tailored to the institution and programs you are applying for. Let’s dig deeper,
How to Make a Personal Statement ‘PERSONAL’?
A lot of students question about what to write in such statements. Before writing a personal statement, you must understand the secret ingredients that will help your personal statement stand out in front of the admissions committee. These factors include,
1. Originality and Authenticity
2. Your demonstrated passion
3. Your vision and clear purpose for applying
4. Your knowledge of the targeted institution and program
Besides these, the cherry on top is a clear flow of information, harmony, and connection between all the parts of your statement.
Must Read: How to Make University Experience Worth It?
1. Originality and Authenticity
Admissions committees are not looking for people who can be molded into one set picture. Universities that ask you to submit a personal statement wish to know you as a person, and how your personality, and experiences can help you contribute to their institution, and later help you accomplish your goals.
While the process can be highly competitive, if someone has been telling you that your admission depends solely upon fancy awards, a long list of extracurriculars, or projects that have impacted the lives of millions, just know that it’s not true. Those things give you a competitive edge, but check the stats and you will see that many high achievers and award winners of different categories get rejected in every admissions cycle. So, what does your statement need? There’s a two-word answer to that one: Your Passion!
Remember, admissions committees are reviewing thousands of applicants at the same time. If your statement is also about great achievements, but does not reflect a story, your personal motivations for pursuing whatever you have pursued, or a vision behind the things you do, you will not be interesting enough.
This is where originality and authenticity come into the picture. Your achievements can be big or small, but you need to present them in a highly thoughtful manner that truly resonates with you. Let’s share an example,
“I’m passionate about game development since I won an international competition that bought prestige to me and my family “
Vs.
“I saw the true potential in game development when I won an international competition, earned a huge cash prize of X dollars, and used the cash money to form a team and empower my fellow video gamers to turn their hobbies into a profession.”
What is the difference? The first statement is a surface level description of an achievement. While the second statement reflects a thoughtful analysis, a lesson learnt, commitment to the society, and demonstrated leadership. So, make sure that you write from your heart, and unapologetically be yourself.
2. Your Demonstrated Passion
Before we go deeper into the demonstration of your passion, let’s ask you some important questions,
- Are you stating everything your CV already says into your personal statement?
- Are you overloading your personal story with unnecessary details about your personal life, or something that interests you?
- Is your personal statement more about your experiences rather than what you have learnt and how you have grown?
- Does your personal statement lack evidence about you as a deserving candidate in a pool of hundreds of thousands of other applicants?
If the answer to all these is Yes, then your personal statement is not demonstrating your true passion. You can’t just say that you want to study a certain program at a certain institution, and you have done so many things, which is why you are the best candidate. That is not a convincing narrative. Instead,
1. Focus on some of the things you have consistently done, studies, or practically experienced.
2. Tie them with what you learnt through your experience.
3. Express how you have made any efforts to positively contribute to this particular scenario.
4. State how your desired program and institution can help you do greater things in that regard.
This kind of a narrative will show you as a thoughtful candidate, who is committed to be a useful member of society, and has concrete evidence to demonstrate how they have contributed to whatever it is that they are passionate about.
The reason why you are asked for a personal statement is that admissions committees want people who are unique in their own way, and have the potential to use their studies to make actual contributions in the world.
3. Your Vision and Clear Purpose of Applying
Many students think that they need to have their whole life planned out in their late teens or early twenties in order to secure an admission at prestigious universities around the world. That is not true. In your statement of purpose, you need to demonstrate your potential by telling the admissions committee of your vision. You need to talk about what kind of work you would like to do in the pursuit of this vision, and tell them how your targeted institution and program can prepare you for that.
As far as having a concrete plan about what you will be doing is concerned, you may or may not have it figured out. The more important part is convincing the people who will review your application. And you can always do that, if you are clear about why you are applying, and how will you use your education as a resource in the future.
Also Read: Should I Pursue a Degree or a Diploma: Is it Worth It?
4. Your Knowledge About the Targeted Institution and Program
One important thing that many applicants don’t use to their benefit is the research and knowledge of the targeted institutions and programs. Here are some important things that you must know about your targeted institutions, departments, and programs,
1. Values that an institution is looking for in its students
2. Specified skills, and values that are highly beneficial for the targeted programs
3. Clubs, and extracurriculars offered by your targeted universities
4. Professors and their research that interests you
5. Knowledge about the programs courses and other academic information
To be able to convince an admissions committee, you need to portray yourself as someone who has deeply researched the university and program. Using this research, you can tell how the activities, faculty, or program can help you, and how you can make notable contributions towards the university in any of the above-mentioned aspects.
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BLEND THE INGREDIENTS WELL!
Universities are looking for applicants who do not only tick the boxes of what they need. In fact, in a competitive pool of applicants, they pick out the ones who are able to produce a powerful statement weaving all the above factors into a convincing story. So even if your statement ticks all these boxes, you will not stand out if you do not create a well structured statement in which everything you say transitions logically and smoothly into the next.
In order to create that kind of personal statement, all you need is to carefully think about what you wish to write and make several revisions to your statement until you get is right.
A Piece of Paper Can Not Decide Your Future
Applying to universities where you need to submit long applications and constantly alter your personal statements is a daunting and stressful task. Many applicants tend to feel extremely discouraged when they get rejected despite putting in all the right efforts. At the end of the day, your entire application is a piece of paper. Keep on improving and trying again until you achieve your goals. And if you still do not get into your dream universities, you can always work towards your greater goals anywhere in the world. In case you don’t get into your targeted university, find another route to utilize your passion and energies!
Best of Luck!
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