Graduate School Personal Statement Essays Text

Jonathan Friesen - Writing Coach

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this page is brought to you by the owl at purdue . This handout provides information about writing personal statements for academic and other positions. contributors: jo doran, allen brizee last edited: 2012 05 08 0:04 the personal statement, your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process, generally falls into one of two categories: 1. The general, comprehensive personal statement: this allows you maximum freedom in terms of what you write and is the type of statement often prepared for standard medical or law school application forms. The response to very specific questions: often, business and graduate school applications ask specific questions, and your statement should respond specifically to the question being asked.

Some business school applications favor multiple essays, typically asking for responses to three or more questions. It is important to answer each question being asked, and if slightly different answers are needed, you should write separate statements. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you'll be putting yourself ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story, you will make yourself memorable. Don't, for example, state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific reasons.

Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of specific experience that is described in your statement. find an angle if you're like most people, your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. concentrate on your opening paragraph the lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. tell what you know the middle section of your essay might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as some of your knowledge of the field. Too many people graduate with little or no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the profession or field they hope to enter. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information.

Melting Pot Essay

, classes, conversations with people in the field, books you've read, seminars you've attended, or any other source of specific information about the career you want and why you're suited to it. Since you will have to select what you include in your statement, the choices you make are often an indication of your judgment. don't include some subjects there are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences or accomplishments in high school or earlier are generally not a good idea. Don't mention potentially controversial subjects for example, controversial religious or political issues.

do some research, if needed if a school wants to know why you're applying to it rather than another school, do some research to find out what sets your choice apart from other universities or programs. If the school setting would provide an important geographical or cultural change for you, this might be a factor to mention. Many admissions officers say that good written skills and command of correct use of language are important to them as they read these statements.

avoid clich s a medical school applicant who writes that he is good at science and wants to help other people is not exactly expressing an original thought. For more information on writing a personal statement, see the personal statement vidcast.

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this page is brought to you by the owl at purdue .

statement 1

my interest in science dates back to my years in high school, where i excelled in physics, chemistry, and math. When i was a senior, i took a first year calculus course at a local college such an advanced level class was not available in high school and earned an a.

When i began my undergraduate career, i had the opportunity to be exposed to the full range of engineering courses, all of which tended to reinforce and solidify my intense interest in engineering. I've also had the opportunity to study a number of subjects in the humanities and they have been both enjoyable and enlightening, providing me with a new and different perspective on the world in which we live. In the realm of engineering, i have developed a special interest in the field of laser technology and have even been taking a graduate course in quantum electronics. Another particular interest of mine is electromagnetics, and last summer, when i was a technical assistant at a world famous local lab, i learned about its many practical applications, especially in relation to microstrip and antenna design. Management at this lab was sufficiently impressed with my work to ask that i return when i graduate. Of course, my plans following completion of my current studies are to move directly into graduate work toward my master's in science. Later i would like to work in the area of research and development for private industry.

It is in r amp d that i believe i can make the greatest contribution, utilizing my theoretical background and creativity as a scientist. I am highly aware of the superb reputation of your school, and my conversations with several of your alumni have served to deepen my interest in attending. I know that, in addition to your excellent faculty, your computer facilities are among the best in the state. I hope you will give me the privilege of continuing my studies at your fine institution. 38 39

statement 2

having majored in literary studies world literature as an undergraduate, i would now like to concentrate on english and american literature. I am especially interested in nineteenth century literature, women's literature, anglo saxon poetry, and folklore and folk literature. For the oral section of my comprehensive exams, i specialized in nineteenth century novels by and about women.

The relation ship between high and folk literature became the subject for my honors essay, which examined toni morrison's use of classical, biblical, african, and afro american folk tradition in her novel. I plan to work further on this essay, treating morrison's other novels and perhaps preparing a paper suitable for publication. In my studies toward a doctoral degree, i hope to examine more closely the relationship between high and folk literature. My junior year and private studies of anglo saxon language and literature have caused me to consider the question of where the divisions between folklore, folk literature, and high literature lie. Should i attend your school, i would like to resume my studies of anglo saxon poetry, with special attention to its folk elements. I have just begun submitting to the smaller journals with some success and am gradually building a working manuscript for a collection. The dominant theme of this collection relies on poems that draw from classical, biblical, and folk traditions, as well as everyday experience, in order to celebrate the process of giving and taking life, whether literal or figurative.

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