Many applications require us to write personal statements discussing why we want to join the school or company or organization, and what relevant experiences we might have that will make us suitable for their team of people. Often, I've seen my students spend a walloping number of weeks and months to come up with a personal statement that is actually quite poorly written. Before you jump into writing your piece, keep in mind some of my tips and it will help with how to write the best personal statement that will make you stand out.
1. Don't want to know everything
For us to give an effective presentation, we need to make sure we include information that is most important and relevant. Attempting to pack in all the info into one for the sake of showing off our knowledge will only backfire as you get the marks back indicating you weren't captivating nor concise with your points. It is the same with your personal statement. You don't want to be sharing every single great thing you did in your life, but instead share 2-3 experiences that have shaped you into who you are today. Now, also keep in mind when selecting the experiences that you share the most relevant ones which the institution will see as useful for their team of people. For instance, it's not a wise move to be sharing about how many trophies you won in badminton when applying to a graphic design position. Rather, you should be sharing about experiences with exhibitions, art competitions, awards related to design or an overall portfolio built so far. This is why I emphasize "releavance" when writing any personal statements.
Write in depth 2-3 relevant experiences that have shaped you into who you are today
2. Don't scratch the surface
This point goes with point #1 in that students who tend to write everything about themselves only have so much room to write the details of their achievements. In the end, what you get is a tedious resume instead of a personal statement, which I assure you will not bring the results you want. Make sure that you write in depth on 2-3 experiences that have taught you valuable lessons and make it genuine.
3. Don't use big words, poetic expressions, and fancy language
It's a personal statement where you should be using all the words to describe yourself rather than playing with the language to sound fancy and look elegant. As someone who has marked many application essays and personal statements, the number one thing we don't like to see is the Shakespearean or poetic use of language in efforts to show off their writing skills instead of talking about their experiences. As a marker, I want to get to know you, not your proficiency in poetry. So be creative with the experiences you share, not with the writing skills. If you find that you must resort to the latter to stand out, it might mean that it's time to be proactive in finding more creative activities to add to your life (this is the reality when you are competing against others that are also competent).
Here's an example.
Statement 1:
"My upbringing has been an unending roller coaster where there existed a series of ventures characterized by peril, a sense of unease and instability. Albeit these challenges, I was capable of enduring through them due to an ever-so-close tunnel illuminating with a faint glimpse of light, like a weak stream of water in the most scorching desert."
Yes, I wrote that myself so it might not be as fancy as you want, but you get my point. It is quite surprising how quite a few applicants actually submit this type of personal statement, giving the markers nothing but a memory from grade 9 when we first learned Shakespeare in school.
In all seriousness, take a look at the above statement. At first glance, it may look as though this person can write quite elegantly. But soon you realize that this written piece is more suitable for a fictional story rather than a non-fiction autobiography which is what a personal statement is. In other words, this person should be using more words to talk about himself. Now that you've read this, DO NOT MAKE this fatal mistake!
Statement 2:
"I have had a quite different childhood than most others where I faced a number of major challenging experiences that have shaped me into a stronger person I am today. These include overcoming discrimination as an Asian immigrant, financial crisis within my family, and a failure of family business."
Statement above, unlike the first one, is straight forward and to the point. From this short paragraph, the reader already knows the applicant is of Asian background, had a diverse set of challenging experiences, is now a strong individual and reader is also expecting how you have overcome all these challenges, which obviously intrigues them and inclines them to read further. And it sounds quite genuine because they are sharing experiences which others might not be open to share.
Final Words
Be straight forward, to the point, concise and genuine. I am not saying genuine in a sense that you tell them honestly that money is the sole reason for this application. But, share genuinely why you are suitable for this team and position and certainly why you want to get into their institution, which requires a bit of research. I have shared with you a few "what NOT to do" and I hope it speaks directly to you so that you may avoid these mistakes that can cost you your position you desire.
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