Personal Statement Samples

When applying to university, it is quite common to be asked to submit a personal statement along with your application. A personal statement, basically, is a summary of your educational attainment thus far and experiences that would explain why you want to pursue a particular programme, such as Project Management. It would also detail why you want to pursue that programme, what motivates you, and what you would do upon finishing the programme. Evaluators use this as a way of determining how suited you are to the programme you are applying form.

However, the mostly tedious process of applying for university leaves us with very little time to write a personal statement. It would thus help if one would have a sample to compare to so as to lesson the time thinking about how it should be done. There are several such personal statement samples that could be found on the web. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, for example, provides several samples for most programmes. As well, the site offers tips and formatting guides that are a huge help in writing your own personal statement. You may also visit the website of the particular university you are applying for as it may contain guidelines, and tips as well, which are specific to their requirements.

One would have to be very careful though in handling personal statement samples from other sites. Admissions officers are very strict when it comes to plagiarism, and they often have submitted personal statements checked by anti-plagiarism software. One good rule to follow is go over several samples, get the gist of how it is done, then write your own according to that.

What Makes a Good Personal statement sample

A personal statement sample brings many benefits to students who are not proficient in personal statement writing. A personal statement is an essay submitted to colleges and universities as part of the university application procedure. Having the skill the write a good personal statement is important for the student because in the course of completing the degree program that he or she has applied to, the student can expect to write a lot more essays, reports, case studies, and a thesis or dissertation among others.

A good personal statement sample that the student can follow must adhere to the standards of good academic writing. Its ideas must be presented logically, in clear and concise language. The writing tone adapted should be formal because the student is communicating with learned scholars in the person of university admissions tutors and professors teaching the subject. The personal statement sample must also not contain any grammatical or spelling errors. It must use a sound writing structure that brings forth all important information in a manner that is easily understood by its readers.

A well-written personal statement sample should show the student’s passion for the subject, his or her ability to withstand the demands and rigors of university life, his or her unique skills, talents and abilities that will help the student in accomplishing the requirements of the degree program. The personal statement sample should also include the student’s relevant work experience relevant to the field of study, time spent abroad or serving in positions of leadership in school or the community, and how these factors have contributed to the over-all personality of the student writing the personal statement. An ideal personal statement sample may use humor, figures of speech and jargon, but make these should be placed well in context of the overall theme of the personal statement.

Schools’ Expectations in a Personal Statement

A personal statement is different from other types of composition. It contains information about the writer himself. Unlike other compositions like a political essay which subject are third persons, a personal statement’s subject is the writer himself. While other compositions are written to pass a course and get out from a university, a personal statement is submitted to enter the academe. Thus, when writing a personal statement, an applicant should emphasize that he is qualified to enter a selected university.

In personal statement writing, the applicant must be able to answer specific questions detailing his qualifications. Schools require an applicant to submit a personal statement in lieu of a personal interview. They personal statement is expect to answer in detail some pertinent yet not-mentioned questions, many of which are related to the applicant academic records. Schools screen their students by looking at their past academic performance. Grades say one thing about an applicant’s academic capacity. Once reflected on paper, an applicant cannot change a thing about his grades. The applicant, however, could explain and elaborate in details his academic achievements that grades cannot reflect.

Most universities want a student to elaborate why he wants to enter their institution. They may also ask a student why he is qualified to enter their school. By carefully answering these questions in the personal statement, an applicant has an opportunity to sell himself. Personal statement writing is a marketing planning, with the applicant as the product being sold. During the personal statement writing, the applicant must not outline what he is not. Colleges and universities could sooner or later find out if an accepted applicant lied about his qualifications.

Schools recognize the importance of the personal statement in their screening process. One’s chance of entry lies well on how well the personal statement is written.

A Very Important Personal Statement Principle

Using personal statement samples is just like basing the principles you adopt from persons who are authorities in given subject matters. These persons may include your parents, your elder siblings and mentors you admire.

When you use personal statement samples, you are just like adopting beliefs that persons you trust introduce to you. For example, young parents use principles they learn, and believe, from their parents and elder siblings who are experienced parents. This is especially so if the siblings are well-learned in the area of parenting. When a statement example from a credible source imbibes a writing principle you adopt, you believe in the principles that underlie the statement. It is just like, in the field of parenting, you apply on other children the principle that you should not reprimand or teach them lessons. The underlying principle in this parenting theory is that the children have their own parents who are the ones responsible and has the sole right to do so.

One important principle you should look for in personal statement samples is avoiding repeating the achievements and awards you already have included in other components of your application like the application form and resume. This principle can be very hard to follow because your goal for your personal statement is to impress admission screeners and the best and easiest way is using your achievements and awards. However, excluding them from the personal statement speaks well of you because this means you have other things to offer other than them. Besides, the screening committee already know your awards and accomplishments because they have read your application form or resume.

When you are able to write a personal statement without mentioning the awards and achievements indicated in your resume or application form, admission officers will say that you have more to offer then these. If you are applying for a slot in a project management course, using this principle in your personal statement might just lead you to an academic life writing the project management essay.