13 Rules for Writing the Perfect Personal Statement

Getting admission into a graduate program is never a linear process. It is a winding road filled with transcripts, standardized tests, references, and personal statements. I know you have heard it ad nauseam, but your personal statement (also called SOP or Statement of Purpose) is the most important part of your application. Think of it as a first date but with the school’s admissions board. And like all firsts, you have to make it count- and impress the socks off them while you are at it. Writing a personal statement can be overwhelming. I should know I have written four for myself and many more for different clients. However, with these commandments, the road to graduate school and writing a personal statement becomes less steep.

Read Other Personal Statements

Writing skills are a condition sine qua non for any graduate program. Asides being a “nice to meet you” of sorts, a personal statement calibrates your writing abilities- or lack of it. Therefore, it becomes important to get a lay of the land before penning anything down. It is not enough to read model personal statements and “ooh” and “aah” at the writers’ lexical fluency. Learn to read like a writer, not a reader. Look out for impressive metaphors and piquant methods of self expression. Trace the personal story the writer is trying to chart and figure out how you can chart yours. It is important to note that copying parts or the entirety of someone’s personal statement is going to get you rejected.

Work with your CV/Resume

Everyone thinks they know themselves until they have to write a personal statement. Suddenly, they feel unfit for the course, the lack of skills becomes obvious and they give up. One of the most important rules for writing a personal statement is to work with your CV. Start at the bottom- with those competitions you won and jobs you did in high school- and work your way to the top. It is easy to feel you don’t have…