So I am just about through the graduate school application process– heard back from all of the universities I applied to and just have to decide where to go right now, which is turning out to be a lot more stressful than I anticipated, but I thought that I would just write a blog to pass on some tips I learned through my own experience, specifically with regards to the personal statement which I think is one of the most important parts of your application portfolio, next to your writing sample and recommendation letters. For more general tips about the graduate school application process see Frances’ blog:.

Anyways so here are a few things that students should keep in mind while writing their personal statement:

1. The word “personal” is rather deceiving because for the most part admissions committees are not really interested in reading about your “personal” life – hobbies, favorite books and movies, exaggerated sob stories about yourself, etc. I think it is always more helpful to think of this essay as a “statement of purpose” where you write about your future career goals and what you hope to accomplish in graduate school.

2. It is ok to include extracurricular activities, programs and organizations that you are involved in so long as they somehow influenced or are related to the work you intend to do in graduate school – programs generally require that you attach a resume or CV so do not feel as if you have to cram everything into your personal statement and it that probably isn’t even a really good idea because you want your essay to come across as a coherent, unified narrative

3. I am not sure if this is true for all graduate school programs because I applied for English doctoral programs but I imagine that many expect students to define some type of larger research project they intend to tackle while in graduate school. It is especially important to identify a specific field you are interested in entering and how you intend to contribute to it in a unique and innovative way

4. The personal statement is where you really want to stress what you have learned academically during your undergraduate career. When I showed an earlier draft of my personal statement to one of my advisors she pointed out that I only mentioned two texts and authors in my entire essay, which would give the admissions committee the false impression that I have a shallow reading knowledge, so it is important to list several theorists and influential figures that shaped your intellectual thought and you certainly want them to know that you have a breadth of experience and knowledge

5. Definitely mention at least three names of specific faculty members you would like to work with in graduate school, if you go to department websites you can find a lot of their profiles listed online, it also doesn’t hurt to read some of the books or articles they have written to broaden your knowledge of the field and use as references in your writing sample and certainly pay attention to the research they are working on right now because it would be a little anachronistic for you to ask them to mentor you on a project that regards research they finished years ago (this is also a great way to narrow down some of the universities you want to apply to because if you can’t identify three people there that can help you with your research, that is probably not the best school for you to be in)

6. Thoroughly research the university you intend to apply to and see if there are any institutes or additional programs that would be particularly beneficial to you as a graduate student. As you are trying to demonstrate how great of a scholar you are, it is also important to let the admissions committee know why this particular school is a great fit for you and how it will provide you with a unique academic experience that you cannot find any where else

7. I would also encourage students to not feel so constricted by the page limits, I know that I went over for some of the programs I applied to and fudged with the margins and line-spacing a bit but I don’t think that it really hurt me too much, if you have a lot of things that you feel are important to say I think that it would be better for you to say them even if that leads you to break some of the general guidelines – but if you get the vibe that a school is really really strict about formatting and page limits then obviously don’t

Well that is really all the tips I can think of for the moment but people who are seeking further guidance can feel free to contact me and I will try to help however I can because I know how stressful this entire process can be, after just going through it and all. I am also open to sending people a copy of my personal statement, I don’t think it is the greatest sample in the world and I am a little uneasy about holding it up as a kind of model but I did do relatively well in the graduate school admissions process so I am open. ^^