Getting into college, medical school, law school, graduate programs, and MBA programs is tough because you’re competing for a spot that thousands, if not tens of thousands, of other applicants are also shooting for. You need to have a decent grade point average and score score well enough on the entrance exam. Although these are important, you should not take your personal statement essay for granted. After all, it is through your personal statement essay that admission officers can learn more about you. The personal statement also allows you to explain (and compensate for) low grades and/or low test scores.
Writing a personal statement essay is challenging, but doing so gives you the chance to distinguish yourself from the rest of the candidates. Make sure that your personal statement essay lists down your unique abilities so that the admission officers will know what you can contribute to the school. It’s also important that you write about your life experiences and how these influenced your choice of program. When writing your personal statement essay, make sure that your first paragraph is engaging so that admission officers will be drawn to the rest of your essay.
It’s important that you list down the special abilities you have on your personal statement essay. Do you play the violin excellently? Are you adept at dealing with numbers and are good at math? Did you overcome any challenges in life? What are your dreams? Writing these elements down on your personal statement can increase your chances of getting accepted by the program or school you’ve chosen. If you’ve done volunteer work in your community or have held down a number of summer jobs over the past years, then your personal statement essay should reflect these as well.
Crafting an excellent personal statement essay is especially important if you’re also applying for a scholarship in college, law school, medical school, graduate programs, and MBA programs. In fact, in many cases of “equally qualified” applicants within a certain “GPA and admissions score” range, your personal statement essay can make or break your chances of admission. When you write your personal statement essay, don’t expect the first draft to be perfect. Get your ideas down on paper first. You can create an outline or just let your thoughts flow all over the page. You can edit and organize this later. That being said, it’s important that you give yourself adequate time to write your personal statement essay. Start writing your essay well before the deadline. You might even want to ask someone else to read your personal statement essay and give you some suggestions.
Make sure that your personal statement essay is devoid of any typographical or grammatical errors. It’s important that your essay is interesting and easy to read, so make sure that it’s engaging and concise. If you want to revise your personal statement essay because you’ve suddenly discovered a better angle or style, then go ahead and do so just as long as there’s enough time for you to do that. You should also ensure that your personal statement essay meets the word count criterion.
Photo credits: Martineric
