Writing the Personal Statement
Helpful tips and advice for drafting a compelling personal statement whenapplying for graduate admission
What does this statement need toaccomplish?
The personal statement should give concrete evidence of your promise as amember of the academic community, giving the committee an image of you as aperson.
This is also where you represent your potential to bring to your academiccareer a critical perspective rooted in a non-traditional educationalbackground, or your understanding of the experiences of groups historicallyunder-represented in higher education and your commitment to increaseparticipation by a diverse population in higher education.
What kinds of content belongs here?
Anything that can give reviewers a sense of you as a person belongs here;you can repeat information about your experiences in your research statement,but any experiences that show your promise, initiative, and ability topersevere despite obstacles belongs here. This is also a good place to displayyour communication skills and discuss your ability to maximize effectivecollaboration with a diverse cross-section of the academic community. If youhave faced any obstacles or barriers in your education, sharing thoseexperiences serves both for the selection process, and for your nomination forfellowships. If one part of your academic record is not ideal, due tochallenges you faced in that particular area, this is where you can explainthat, and direct reviewers’ attention to the evidence of your promise forhigher education.
The basic message: your academicachievement despite challenges
It is especially helpful for admissions committees considering nominatingyou for fellowships for diversity if you discuss any or all of the following:
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Demonstrated significant academic achievement by overcoming barrierssuch as economic, social, or educational disadvantage;
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Potential to contribute to higher education through understanding the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and other members of groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. For example,,
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attendance at a minority serving institution;
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ability to articulate the barriers facing women and minorities in science and engineering fields;
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participation in higher education pipeline programs such as, UC Leads, Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), or McNair Scholars;
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Academic service advancing equitable access to higher education for women and racial minorities in fields where they are underrepresented;
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Leadership experience among students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education;
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Research interests focusing on underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example,
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research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion;
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research that addresses health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups;
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artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.
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Writing the Statement of Purpose
The statement of purpose should convince readers– thefaculty on the selection committee– that you have solid achievements behind youthat show promise for your success in graduate study. Think of the statement ofpurpose as a composition with four different parts.
Part 1: Introduce yourself, yourinterests and motivations
Tell them what you’re interested in, and perhaps, whatsparked your desire for graduate study. This should be short and to the point;don’t spend a great deal of time on autobiography.
Part 2: Summarize your undergraduate andprevious graduate career
a) Research you conducted. Indicate with whom, the titleof the project, what your responsibilities were, and the outcome. Writetechnically, or in the style of your discipline. Professors are the people whoread these statements.
b) Important paper or thesis project you completed, aswell as anything scholarly beyond your curricular requirements.
c) Work experience, especially if you had any kind ofresponsibility for testing, designing, researching or interning in an areasimilar to what you wish to study in graduate school.
Part 3: Discuss the relevance ofyour recent and current activities
If you graduated and worked prior to returning to gradschool, indicate what you’ve been doing: company or non-profit, yourwork/design team, responsibilities, what you learned. You can also indicatehere how this helped you focus your graduate studies.
Part 4: Elaborate on your academicinterests
Here you indicate what you would like to study ingraduate school in enough detail to convince the faculty that you understandthe scope of research in their discipline, and are engaged with currentresearch themes.
a) Indicate the area of your interests. Ideally, pose aquestion, define a problem, or indicate a theme that you would like to address,and questions that arise from contemporary research. This should be an ampleparagraph!
b) Look on the web for information about departmentsyou’re interested in, including professors and their research. Are thereprofessors whose research interests parallel yours? If so, indicate this. Checkthe specific program; many may require you to name a professor or professorswith whom you might work.
c) End your statement in a positive manner, indicatingyour excitement and readiness for the challenges ahead of you.
Essential Tips
1. What the admissions committee will read between thelines: self-motivation, competence, potential as a graduate student.
2. Emphasize everything from a positive perspective andwrite in an active, not a passive voice.
3. Demonstrate everything by example; don’t say directlythat you’re a persistent person, show it.
4. If there is something important that happened to youthat affected your grades, such as poverty, illness, or excessive work, stateit. Write it affirmatively, showing your perseverance despite obstacles. Youcan elaborate more in your personal statement.
5. Make sure everything is linked with continuity andfocus.
6. Unless the specific program says otherwise, beconcise; an ideal essay should say everything it needs to with brevity.Approximately 500 to 1000 well-selected words (1-2 single space pages in 12point font) is better than more words with less clarity and poor organization.
