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A few tips for writing strong personal statement
Use your own style
An employee in the admissions office reads dozens of personal
statements every day. Your style must strike a different note than
those of the other applications. As a foreigner, you have a
different personality for the reader to appreciate. The schools
expect foreign applicants to bring diversity to the program and
not conformism.
Be professional and structured
Don't get your reader lost in overcomplicated reasoning. Set out
from the very first paragraph your main idea or the goal of your
personal statement. As a rule, Americans prefer reasoning which
gets straight to the point. use directness in your phrasing as
much as possible. The word limit in the questions and statement of
purpose is not set in the stone, but if you go past the limit, it
must be because you have something fantastic to say.
Be enthusiastic and engaging
Dynamism, enthusiasm and the ability to "shake things up" are the
essential qualities for getting into graduate school. The
admission office will place enormous emphasis on your personal
statement to gauge whether the school is the right environment for
you. Don't be shy about your successes if you want to get ahead of
other applicants.
Seduce your reader
The best leaders are those who are liked by their subordinates. At
the end of your statement of purpose, the reader should be
thinking: "well, there's someone I'd like to work with, dine with
or talk with for an hour". Be adorable, spotlight your charisma
and your ability to influence others. Be funny without, however,
taking the risk of shocking your reader.
Make the whole application coherent
Cohere must be applied on two levels:
- You are not supposed to know what exactly your recommenders
have said about you, but you've certainly got a pretty good
idea. You should hand the admissions panel a coherent applicant
and should make sure that you don't contradict what was said in
the recommendations.
- Coherence should also apply to the match between the school
and your personality: give qualitative points i the criteria
which inform your choice, such as a discussion with students,
meetings with professors or former students, etc. Highlight your
abilities to participate in a group, to integrate yourself into
new teams and to be on top of things in every situation you are
involved in.
More:
How to
write a personal statement |
