What Should Be In A Personal Statement?

Crafting a perfect personal statement is vital to enter the university of your choice. But how to make it effective? We prepared a list of the best recommendations from an expert personal statement review service highlighting what to consider and avoid for writing a brilliant essay for application.

What To Write In A Personal Statement?

Are you wondering how to write a personal statement? The most frequent question that comes to the potential student’s mind. Here are some personal statement dos and don‘ts you should know.

1. Brainstorm and Outline Your Ideas

Very often, future students suffer because of writer’s block. And writing a personal statement becomes a big deal. Still, there is a perfect solution to overcome this challenge. Brainstorming is an ideal technique to focus and generate ideas to mention in your personal statement.

It will be more effective if you combine brainstorming and outlining. Before transforming your ideas into text, organize them into a short plan or list. This will work best if you want to keep the logical connection through the paragraphs.

If you lack ideas, EssayEdge Premier Package allows you to cooperate with editing experts from Ivy League during the brainstorming session.

One of the different personal statement dos and don’ts suggest outlining your structure. Here are the main components to include:

• Introduction (with an intriguing/eye-catching hook);
• Main Body (3-4 paragraphs or more, depending on your experience);
• Conclusion (summarising key ideas and highlighting the importance of the chosen program).

With a well-organised outline, it will be easy to maintain the flow of your text.

2. Add Specific Examples

It’s also crucial to stay focused till the last paragraph. One of the many personal statement dos and don’ts state that you should be specific and mention only appropriate data. Thus, your experiences, skills, and background should fit the chosen program and its requirements.

You can also look through personal statement samples to find out what a perfect application essay should include.

In addition, you need to emphasize your experience and strong points by adding specific examples. For instance, tell about a particular event in your life and how it affected your personality. The same with the experience: together with the description, specify what skills you’ve got and how they will be useful during your future education.

3. Proofread Before Submitting

Unfortunately, applicants often underestimate the power of proofreading. Of course, the content plays a great role. But what if the quality of this content is not good enough? Even minor mistakes in your personal statement can create a bad impression and damage your chances of entering the top prestigious university.

Still, if you are unsure of your paper's quality or want to check that everything is OK, an admission editing service like EssayEdge will be helpful. It is a legal service that cooperates with former students and even profs from the Ivy League. Their editing helps students improve their admission papers and get accepted to the best universities worldwide.

4. Highlight Your Unique Experiences

Your personal statement is an opportunity to showcase your unique background, experiences, and skills. Try to identify what sets you apart from other applicants and emphasize those qualities. Think about what makes you special and how you can contribute to the program or institution you are applying to.

5. Show Your Passion And Motivation

Admissions committees want to see that you are genuinely interested and motivated to pursue the program or field you are applying for. Use your personal statement to demonstrate your enthusiasm and dedication for the subject matter. You can talk about relevant experiences that sparked your interest, or discuss your long-term goals and how the program will help you achieve them.

What Not To Write In A Personal Statement?

After you’ve discovered some tips for enhancing the quality of your essay, it’s time to look through some personal statement dos and don’ts. So,  what not to write in a personal statement to not fail your admission?

1. Don’t Rush It

It’s not a good idea to wait until the last minute. This is one of the most common personal statement dos and don’ts as it requires a lot of effort and concentration. This essay is your opportunity to represent your candidacy from the best possible perspective. And you need to catch the committee's attention to win this race.

If to write a personal statement in a hurry, you may miss many important points. Moreover, you’ll have no time to re-read the essay to ensure it highlights your strong sides and will help you stand out from the crowd of competitors.

Before submitting your application, we recommend proofreading it and checking out several factors:

1. Does your essay intriguing/interesting enough for you as a reader?
2. What is a personal statement’s main idea? Is it easy to catch it?
3. Whether it presents your candidacy as the most fitting one or not?
4. Can you see the connection between your experience and the chosen program?
5. How strong is your motivation? Does the personal statement convey your passion for joining the desired institution community?  

2. Pretending to Be Someone Else

Clichés are another frequent mistake among applicants. The matter is that the potential candidates are worried they won’t make their personal statements eye-catching. Thus, they prefer to write what the admission committee expects to read. Still, this technique won’t work if you want to be impressive.

Your personal statement should be “personal” and unique. Do not try to pretend to be someone else. Just find out the best sides of your personality and show them to the officers.

3. Absence of Personal Motivation

Your personal statement is a chance to demonstrate your candidacy and show your drive and passion for studying the chosen program. Unfortunately, applicants often need to remember to write about the reasons that made them choose a particular educational institution.

You should make the committee members feel the same passion that drives you to follow your dream. Forget about doubts and fear to express your feelings in your personal statement. But there is one thing to remember—you need to do it appropriately.

Now you know some secrets of writing a perfect personal statement that will increase your chances of entering your dream university. Our tips will be useful and help you create a real masterpiece. 

4. Avoid Controversial Or Sensitive Topics

While it's important to be honest and authentic in your personal statement, it's also important to remember that the purpose of the statement is to convince the admissions committee that you are a good fit for the program or institution. Avoid controversial or sensitive topics that might offend or alienate the reader. This could include political or religious views, controversial social issues, or personal details that are too private or inappropriate.

5. Don't Repeat Your Resume Or CV

Your personal statement is not the place to simply list your achievements and qualifications. Admissions committees have access to your resume or CV, so there's no need to repeat that information in your personal statement. Instead, use the personal statement to provide context and meaning to your experiences and qualifications, and explain how they have prepared you for the program or institution you are applying to.