Scribd
Upload
407 views3 pages

Personal Statements

The document discusses different types of personal statements for college admission. It defines personal statements and their purpose. It describes two main types - general/comprehensive statements and responses to specific questions. It provides more details on undergraduate and graduate personal statements, including typical length, content, and tips for writing.

Uploaded by

MOURAD EL MENDILI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
407 views3 pages

Personal Statements

The document discusses different types of personal statements for college admission. It defines personal statements and their purpose. It describes two main types - general/comprehensive statements and responses to specific questions. It provides more details on undergraduate and graduate personal statements, including typical length, content, and tips for writing.

Uploaded by

MOURAD EL MENDILI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Personal statement

Prepared by Abdelghani REMCH

Personal Statement :Definition

Due to the fact that personal statement is not like other documents you need for college
admission, it’s easy to struggle with understanding its primary objective. That’s why it’s
necessary to define the term first. Statement of purpose, or personal statement, is a paper or
document wherein a student is meant to give concrete evidence of his/her promise as a
member of the academic community and depict an image of their personality to the
committee.

The personal statement goes by many names including application essay, admission essay,
personal essay, reflective essay, and narrative essay. Regardless of the term provided in the
application materials, your goal is to represent your full potential, describe hopes, goals, and
talents that make you a perfect fit for that college. When writing the statement of purpose, it is
necessary to demonstrate how your values, non-traditional educational background, and other
factors have influenced the academic career.

There is no one size fits all rule for personal statements. Every student can use their own
unique approach to show what makes them ideal for some particular institution.

Types of College Statements

In writing, there is no such thing as one, generic form of anything and personal statement isn’t
the exception. We can divide these statements into two forms:

The general or comprehensive personal statement – gives a student the maximum freedom
regarding the things they want to write. Also referred to as the open topic essay, this type of a
statement only has formatting rules you have to follow, everything else is up to you. You just
have to create a perfect way to represent yourself and start writing;

The response to a specific question – unlike the above-mentioned type of a statement of


purpose, this form requires students to answer adequately to a certain question in order to
demonstrate their knowledge, expertise, skills, and plans for the future We can also divide
personal statements based on the programs, undergraduate and college graduate.

College Personal Statement


College graduate personal statements usually involve questions a student has to answer
throughout the essay. This type of admission essay is considered more demanding and
advanced. The reason why you’re more likely to write the response to a specific question is
simple – the graduate applicant is expected to have a certain level of independent thinking.

By the time they graduate, students develop critical thinking skills and they get more
experience in life. As a result, you also have a clear idea of what you want to study further
and how a certain program can help you achieve that goal.

Bearing in mind that most graduate programs include some form of financial aid wherein a
student has to return for research work or teaching, the applicant has to demonstrate he/she is
capable of that work. This explains why a vast majority of personal statements for graduate
students focus on applicants’ academic and professional interests rather than vague subjects.

Undergraduate Personal Statement

Application essays for undergraduate students usually fall into the category of general or
comprehensive statements. You have the liberty to write a statement that shows your
motivation, inspiration, and other factors that make you an ideal candidate.

Why do undergraduate students write open topic essays instead of a response to a certain
question? At this point, a student is eager to learn, start a new chapter in life, and finally step
into the adulthood. That being said, the applicant doesn’t really have any idea of what will
come after college.

For students who want to enroll in the underground program, the focus is on demonstrating
how he/she has explored interests and world around them. They talk about their passions and
desires while demonstrating how they relate to other people, forms opinions, and show a
glimpse of their personality.

How long should my personal statement be?


Personal statements should be no less than 1000 words,up to a maximum of 2000 words, or
two A4 pages in standard font.

What should I say in my personal statement?


Your personal statement is personal to you and intended to reflect your own situation.
However, there are certain areas that we need you to cover.

What are your motivations for your chosen studies?


In this section you should address the following questions and areas;

1. Why are you applying for your chosen course?


2. Why does this subject interest you? What is it about this course and the modules in it that
interests you?
3. What are your reasons for choosing this College and University and have you considered
any other Colleges or Universities for a similar course?
4. Why do you want to study in the UK and did you consider any other countries?
5. How will this course help you to achieve your career goals, and what are your plans after
you have completed your studies?
6. Why do you want to study in the UK rather than any other country?
7. What was your most previous qualification, where did you study it and what have you
been doing since you finished it?
* If the time between your last course and your chosen course is more than six months, we
will expect you to have been doing something useful since then. This might include voluntary
work, a paid job or short academic courses. If you were previously unsuccessful in your
studies, we will need you to explain why this was and why you will be able to perform better
with us.
 

Why are you the right person for this course?


This is your chance to demonstrate that you would be student for the course.

Also in this section, you could tell us about your hobbies, school/ college, any relevant work
experience, and anything you think might be helpful in showing us that you are a
knowledgeable student.

Tips on Writing Personal Statements: Do’s and Don’ts


There are several ways to write a personal statement. Again, it is up to you, but remember:

Do…
 Do keep your sentences clear and concise and come straight to the point. Fore example,
when answering the question, ‘Why does this subject interest you?’, you could begin
your sentence with, ‘This subject interests me ..’
 Remember to include the name of your College and
 Do your research in
 Do use a spell checker, but remember that it doesn’t work in all cases.
 Do be original and express yourself. Let your personality come through.

Do not…
 Do not use automatic translation
 Make sure that you know that what you say is
 Plagiarism is taken very seriously and is when you copy or take another’s work and use
it as your own. We ensure that personal statements are checked for plagiarism, and if you
are found to have copied either part or the whole of another person’s statement, your
application is likely to be unsuccessful.
Get Your Assignment Done

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy