How to Write a Personal Statement: Tips and Sample Essays

It should always be your goal when applying to a job or a university to make the decision-makers think, This is someone we need to meet. A personal statement can help you do just that. This short essay allows you to tell your story beyond test scores and bullet points on your résumé.

But no matter how many doors we know a well-written personal statement can open, writing about yourself can still feel awkward. How do you make it sound natural? That's exactly what this guide is here for; we'll break everything down into manageable steps to make things easier for you. Here are the steps we'll cover in detail:

1. Writing a Personal Statement Introduction
2. Highlight Skills and Achievements
3. Include Experience and Goals
4. End with a Strong Conclusion
5. Proofread and Polish

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What Is a Personal Statement

A personal statement is your story on paper. It's a short essay where you talk about your personality, achievements, and aspirations, but in a way that doesn't feel forced. Personal statements are one of the most important parts of the admissions process for many colleges and universities, especially if you’re aiming for highly selective ones. Sure, your grades and test scores might get you in the running in fierce competition, but your personal statement is what makes you stand out. 

Personal statements are also commonly used by potential employers and scholarship committees who'd like to understand who you really are. This assignment, if done right, doesn't just give facts about what you've accomplished and what you're planning. It should connect you to the reader so they decide they want you on your team.

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How to Write a Personal Statement?

Your personal statement is what's meant to help you stand out in the crowd of suitable applicants, so we can safely say that it's quite a big deal. That doesn't mean that you need to be stressing about it, though! We've broken down the steps to writing a personal statement into a simple guide so you don't have to stare at a blank page trying to sum up your entire life:

• Hook The Reader
• Show What Makes You Awesome
• Include Experience and Goals
• End With Impact
• Proofread and Edit

You'll know how to write a killer personal statement by the end of this article; however, EssayPro can still help you write your personal statement if you can't juggle deadlines or simply need someone to take over.

Step 1: Hook The Reader

The first few sentences of your personal statement are defining. You have to grab the reader's attention and somehow demonstrate your uniqueness all at once. If it starts with 'Ever since I was a child...', you've already lost them. You need an opening that pulls in rather than sounding like every other essay.

• Skip the clichés – No one wants to hear about your childhood fascination with stethoscopes unless you’ve got a really good story to back it up.
• Start strong – Open with a bold statement or a shocking fact so the reader's hooked right from the get-go.
• Show your passion – Demonstrate your excitement about your particular field. If you're excited, the reader will be, too.
• Be yourself – Write like a real person, not a robot.

Step 2: Show What Makes You Awesome

Okay, you've got their attention, but now you need to keep it and show the reader why you're a great candidate. But here's the trick: you should show off your skills and accomplishments in a natural way. You shouldn't sound like you're just listing stuff.

• Go beyond the résumé – Your resume already says you have leadership skills, for example. Dig deeper into your essay and talk about the actual time you led a project.
• Be specific – “I’m a great problem solver” is vague. Instead, you should describe specific details from the time you handled a tough challenge and won.
• Be relevant – Your achievements should align with your field.
• Add some proof – The essay must sound natural, but numbers, awards, and real-life examples still give your claims more credibility.

Step 3: Include Experience and Goals

You can write your personal statement in the most natural and even artistic way possible. However, it's the "why" behind your application that the admission officers (or employers) actually rely on when making a decision. So, it's time to show off your past experiences and how they've shaped you.

• Tie it all together – Your background, skills, and aspirations should all be connected to each other in the big picture.
• List Important Experiences – Internships, volunteer work, personal projects, anything that helped shape your passion, you should talk about.
• Show growth – How have these experiences changed your outlook on life? How have they prepared you for the next chapters?
• Be forward-thinking – What you've accomplished so far is important, but you should also know where you're headed. Discuss your aspirations and how this particular job or program fits into them.

Step 4: End With Impact

A weak ending will probably make your entire essay sound all over the place, so you have to make it count. Don't undo all your hard work by trailing off with a generic closing. Leave the reader with something that sticks.

• Summarize your main points – Reinforce once again why you're the perfect fit, but don't sound repetitive!
• End on a high note – Confidence gets you far. Don't sound unsure about your future.
• Avoid clichés – No “thank you for your time” or “I hope to be considered.” Close with something meaningful.

Step 5: Proofread and Edit

Even the most impressive accomplishments won't make up for typos and awkward phrasing. Don't think that your essay is done after you put the last full stop; make sure the entire thing is polished before you hit submit so you don't lose valuable points because of grammar.

• Step away – Give yourself some time before rereading and editing so you catch more mistakes with a fresh eye.
• Read it out loud – Some sentences just sound weird. If they do, they will read weird on paper, too.
• Check for clarity – Every sentence should add value to your essay. You should cut out the ones that don't have a purpose.
• Get a second opinion – A second set of eyes might help you catch mistakes you haven't noticed before. Get feedback from a teacher, mentor, or even a peer.

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Personal Statement Outline

Let's talk strategy for a few minutes. If you know how many headaches a little planning can save you during the writing process, you'll probably learn this section by heart. Without a plan, it's easy to lose track or, worse, end up with a personal statement that sounds like it was written by a chatbot.

That's exactly where your outline comes in; it's a well-planned structure that helps you write a memorable paper. Here's a general personal statement structure:

1. Introduction – Start with something that grabs attention and makes them want to find out more about you.
2. Skills & Achievements – Explain why you should be considered for a position at a job or a program. This isn't the place where you should be shy.
3. Experiences – Reflect on the moments that shaped you. No fluff, just talk about the meaningful stuff.
4. Future Goals – Connect the dots. How did your past help you get closer to your professional goals? How will the next steps of your life help you get where you want to be?
5. Conclusion – Wrap your statement up with something strong (without sounding repetitive!).

What Makes a Personal Statement Actually Great?

A great personal statement shouldn't just list your skills, accomplishments, and goals. It should be a piece of academic writing that helps the decision-makers get to know the real you. So, what's the secret to writing a statement that makes anyone want you to be a part of their team? Here's how to write a good personal statement to impress even the pickiest admissions officers:

The best statements should feel personal and real. Check out our personal statement examples to get a better idea of how your paper should look.

Personal Statement Examples

Professional tips can save you a lot of time and effort in the writing process, but there's nothing quite like reading an actual sample of a personal statement:

Here's our sample statement of purpose while you're at it. Review this article as well and learn the ins and outs of writing a one-of-a-kind college application.

Wrapping Things Up

The pressure to sum up your entire life's work under a word count of a few hundred words can stress anyone out. But once you understand that all you have to do is break the writing process down and approach it with a plan, everything becomes completely doable.

Let's go over the details once again. A strong personal statement should:

• Hook the reader from the start
• Let your personality shine
• Connect your past to your future
• Demonstrate growth
• Have a clear, logical flow
• End with something memorable
• Be polished and error-free

Does your task still feel like an uphill battle? Don't worry, EssayPro has got your back. Writing about yourself isn't always easy, but with the help of our professional writers, it doesn't have to be a struggle.

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