Personal Statement

Criteria for Success 

1. Be genuine. Admissions committees value personal statements that reflect your authentic character and experiences.
2. Reflect on your past experiences, explain what you have learned from them, and connect these insights to your future goals. Demonstrate how your background has prepared you for success in the program.
3. Follow the prompt, and stay within the word limit. 
4. A personal statement should be written, edited, and proofread with the same care as your statement of purpose. Though focused on your personal history, it should maintain a formal, professional tone.

Purpose 

The purpose of the personal statement is to present yourself holistically to the application committee to demonstrate that you are a good candidate for the program. This document allows you to include complementary information beyond your academic achievements listed in your CV and statement of purpose. It’s your chance to share your personal story, highlight your motivations, and showcase the unique experiences and qualities that make you a strong candidate for the program.

The Personal Statement may be referred to by different names depending on the institution or program. Some schools may use terms such as “Personal History Statement,” “Diversity Statement,” or other variations. Some schools may also provide a specific prompt for writing the Personal Statement or a list of questions to answer. Regardless of the name, the purpose of this document remains the same—to provide you as an applicant with an opportunity to share your personal narrative and demonstrate your readiness for graduate-level studies.

Analyze Your Audience

Similar to your statement of purpose, a personal statement is typically read by a graduate admissions committee composed of a handful of faculty from the program you are applying to. They are trying to determine if you will be a successful graduate student in their department, a positive force in the department’s intellectual life, and a successful researcher after you graduate. When reading the personal statement, they are particularly interested in understanding your personal journey, your motivations, and how your unique experiences align with their program’s goals.

The graduate committee could read hundreds of applications a year. To make it easy for them to figure out that you are a good fit, make direct, concrete statements about your accomplishments and skills. To make it easy for them to remember you, use personal stories to emphasize these skills. 

Skills 

Tell your story 

Grad school is about more than just academics; the committee is seeking well-rounded candidates. The personal statement is your chance to showcase your soft skills and demonstrate why you would be a good fit for the school. Unlike the statement of purpose, you have more freedom in terms of structure and content here. Authenticity is crucial—avoid cliché openings or following a standard template.

Remember, your story doesn’t have to be earth-shattering; it simply needs to illustrate how your experiences have shaped you and connect to why you’ll excel as a grad student. If you can’t find a personal story to tell, you can share how a piece of news or a specific person has impacted and/or inspired you. Make sure to align your story with the values and goals of the university or institution you are applying to.

Highlight Relevant Soft Skills 

Based on the prompt and word count limit, choose the soft skills you’d like to emphasize in this document. These might include communication, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, resilience, or others. Consider the following prompts and how they might influence your choice of skills to emphasize in the document:

Prompt 1: XYZ University welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of experiences, interests, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. We invite you to share the lived experiences, demonstrated values, perspectives, and/or activities that shape you as a scholar and would help you to make a distinctive contribution to XYZ University.

Recommendation :

Focus on skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability to show how you’ll contribute to a diverse academic community.

Prompt 2 : Your Personal Statement should provide the admissions committee with a sense of you as a whole person, and you should use it to describe how your personal background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Additionally, it should provide insights into your potential to contribute to the University’s core value to provide a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and work productively and positively together. 

Recommendation : 

Emphasize on skills like resilience, problem-solving, and leadership to demonstrate how your background prepares you to foster an inclusive and collaborative environment.

Provide Context to Highlight Your Skills 

To demonstrate your fit for the program, ensure each part of your personal statement clearly supports this goal. Start with a brief introduction that explains why you’re discussing specific skills and experiences. Instead of making general claims, use concrete examples. For instance, instead of just saying you’re a good leader, describe a project where you led a team, detailing your actions and the successful outcomes.

Instead of making vague claims:

“I have strong leadership skills and the ability to manage large groups of people. I am empathetic with my team members’ needs and give each of them the opportunity to express their ideas.”

Tell a story with concrete evidence:

“Being part of the leadership team that organized the Tech Conference at my university was an enriching while challenging experience. I was the Chair of Content in charge of a team of 5 people who had the responsibility of choosing and inviting the speakers for the different talks and sessions. Dealing with different perspectives and opinions wasn’t an easy task. Some members wanted to focus only on AI while others were more interested in other topics like energy and water supply. Although the topics seemed disconnected at the beginning, we managed to bring speakers with a broad range of backgrounds and to design panels and talks that connected all the topics, showing in the end that an interdisciplinary approach is needed.”

Address Gaps and Transitions 

The personal statement can also be an excellent opportunity to “address the elephant in the room” if you haven’t done so in your Statement of Purpose. For instance, if your college grades aren’t as high as you’d like, or you lack experience in the field you are applying to, use this document to explain the reasons behind these aspects. Everyone faces challenges, makes mistakes, or decides to change their path. It’s not a problem as long as you acknowledge it and demonstrate that you are prepared for the program. Don’t expect the reader to overlook these points—they won’t. It’s better to proactively address any weaknesses in your application rather than leave them unexplained.

Structure Diagram 

The Personal Statement is more flexible than the Statement of Purpose. There is no fixed structure you have to fit your content within. Everyone’s path and personal history are different, and that will frame your write-up. You are welcome to be creative and use the structure that you feel best suits your narrative. However, here we suggest a tentative structure that you can use to help you organize your statement. 

Questions that can help find your hook

• Is there a personal experience that motivated you to pursue grad school or your chosen field of study?
• Have you encountered a significant event or situation that transformed your perspective on the challenges you’re facing?
• Can you draw from real-life examples in the news or academia that resonate with your story or interests?
• Are there personal or family challenges, significant people, or pivotal events in your life that could help the committee better understand you or differentiate you from other applicants?
• If you have worked extensively during college, what leadership or managerial skills have you developed, and how have these experiences contributed to your personal growth?
• Have you faced and overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships, such as economic, familial, or physical challenges?
• What personal qualities (e.g., integrity, compassion, persistence) do you possess that would enhance your potential for success in your field or profession, and how can you demonstrate these traits?

References :

MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering CommKit, Personal Statement 

MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Commkit, Graduate School Statement of Purpose 

Purdue Online Writing Lab, Writing The Personal Statement