Personal Statements

Personal Statements are required for many different applications: scholarships, internships, and job applications all may require one.

What's the purpose of a Personal Statement?

• To share your interest in and enthusiasm for the opportunity to which you are applying

• To show what you can contribute to the program 

• To explain how the opportunity to which you are applying will help you reach your academic and professional goals

How do you get started on a Personal Statement?

• Read the prompt carefully, and be sure your personal statement addresses everything it's looking for.

• Understand your audience.  Who will be evaluating your personal statement?  

  • Will it be an admissions committee, which is usually made up of people who do not hold technical degrees?  In this situation, you may not want to get too technical.  

  • Will it be a scientist or faculty member who has expertise in your field?  If so, getting more technical may be a good thing, but be careful not to get out over your skis -- meaning, don't pretend you know more than you do.  They'll know.

• Make yourself as desirable to the evaluator as possible, but don't be dishonest about your qualifications, skills, or experiences.  Remember that many things you'd apply for as a community college student are meant to be educational experiences, so you're not expected to know everything before you walk in the door.

What to include in your Personal Statement

• Your professional interests and how they relate to the work you are applying for.

• Year of study and current major, related academic and career goals, impressive academic credentials (Honors Program, honors societies, etc.)

• Any prior experience in the field, if you have it.

• List personal qualities that will help you contribute to the program.  Provide concrete examples.

• Indicate how you intend to contribute to the program.

• Explain what you seek to gain from this opportunity, i.e., how this specific work fits into your academic and professional goals.

Do's and Don'ts

• Pay careful attention to your language, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.  Proper English usage demonstrates your attention to detail.  Get others to proofread your statement to find errors you've overlooked.  

• Use strong word choices.  Google "action verbs" and you'll get lots of ideas.

• Don't lead with the negative.  Make statements that lead with the positive: "I have experience in…" not "I don't have experience in x, but do have…”

• Don't make it too long.  Your Personal Statement should be one to one and a half pages at most, using 1.5 spacing.

• Don't use this Personal Statement as a rewriting of your resume.

• Don't include any background that's older than high school.

• Don't include any overtly personal information unless it's relevant to the opportunity.

Before sending your Personal Statement

• Reread your statement.  Does it flow well from beginning to end?  Reading your statement out loud to yourself or others is a great way to check this.

• Do you support your opening statement in the body, and then reiterate it at closing?

• Confirm that you've crafted your Personal Statement to demonstrate your interest in the specific opportunity you're applying for.  You don't want this to be a generic statement that you could send to any program.  

• Ask a faculty member, your mentor, Transfer Services, or Career Services to read the Personal Statement for you.