Crafting a Personal Statement Monica Anderson-Herzog, PhD

What is a Personal Statement? An essay that addresses some aspect(s) of the applicant One of two types: General comprehensive statement Response to a specific set of questions Often part of a graduate school or fellowship application Start with a quick introduction - 2 truths and a lie 2 minutes NSBC – June 10, 2016

Why is it important? If your statement is not well-written, it probably does not matter if you meet the secondary goal Primary goal: It provides evidence of your ability to write The primary method of contributing to the discourse in your field is written Research that is not communicated cannot have an impact Teaching good writing takes time (time some professors would prefer not to take) Secondary goal: It allows you to personalize your application It is an opportunity to highlight experiences and skills that make you unique It allows you illustrate your motivation The purpose of the graduate school application is to convince the school that you will be a successful productive researcher We know what quantitative measures are not completely predictive (I am not my GRE score) Being a good writer requires the ability to communicate clearly and precisely 2 minutes NSBC – June 10, 2016

What should I write about? Select an index card from the set on your table (they contain a variety of questions)? Take 5 minutes and write an answer to the question Write some key ideas Do not worry about grammar or sentences 8 minutes – done at 2pm NSBC – June 10, 2016

What should I write about? Report out Name School Graduation Year Major State your selected question and your answer Done at 2:15pm (15 minutes) NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique 6 – 18 - 1 minute NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique What attracts you to your chosen career? What do you expect to get out of it? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique Think of a professor in your field that you've had already and that you like and respect. If this person were reading your application essay, what would most impress him or her? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique What's the most important thing the admissions committee should know about you? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique When did you initially become interested in this career? How has this interest developed? When did you become certain that this is what you wanted to do? What solidified your decision? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique What are two or three of the academic accomplishments which have most prepared you? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique What non-academic experiences contributed to your choice of school and/or career? (work, volunteer, family) Do you have specific career plans? How does graduate or professional school pertain to them? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique What personal characteristics (for example, integrity, compassion, and/or persistence) do you possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? Is there a way to demonstrate or document that you have these characteristics? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique What makes you unique, or at least different from, any other applicant? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique Why might you be a stronger candidate for graduate school—and more successful and effective in the profession or field than other applicants? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique What research have you conducted? What did you learn from it? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique How has your undergraduate academic experience prepared you for graduate/professional school? NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement Customize each statement (address specific requirements) Take an honest inventory…find what makes you unique General writing rules apply Grab the reader’s attention in the first paragraph Be interesting Think of this as a persuasive paper (provide support for assertions) I will be a good researcher because … Put experiences and strengths in context 2 minutes NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement - cont’d Organize your statement Tell a story Make your direction clear in the first paragraph Stay away from controversial subjects (religion, etc) Use empty, vague, over-used words like "meaningful," "beautiful," "challenging," "invaluable," or "rewarding.” Emphasize the negative. Again, the admissions committee already knows your GPA and test scores, and they probably are not interested in reading about how a list of events in your personal life caused you to perform poorly. Explain what you feel you need to, but emphasize the positive. 2 minutes NSBC – June 10, 2016

Considerations when writing a personal statement - cont’d Be succinct – Make it as long as it needs to be to make your point and no longer The admissions committee has limited time. Longer is not better Provide example of feedback when items are poorly written Done by 2:22pm NSBC – June 10, 2016

Personal Statement Critique In groups of two, look at the statement provided Provide a critique of both the content and the mechanics of the statement Grammar issues Spelling Unexpected transitions Poorly formed sentences Unclear ideas Awkwardness Done at 2:30 (10 minutes) NSBC – June 10, 2016

Personal Statement Critique: Report out Please provide two problems that have not previously identified: 1 mechanical and 1 content Mechanics Content Mechanical errors are seldom ambiguous Content issues can be ambiguous; having multiple readers is key As a reader, bad writing is obvious Done at 2:40 NSBC – June 10, 2016

Applying to graduate school - Other tips GPA: Evidence of your knowledge and time management Inconsistent grades = evidence of immaturity Poor grades in key upper division CS courses (data structures, operating systems and programming courses) = inability to pass graduate courses Improvement over time = resilience GRE: Evidence of your knowledge and general skills Quantitative matters most = Computing is discrete math Poor verbal scores are a red flag, especially for native speakers = inability to write Ultimately not predictive of graduate school success (hence personal statements) 1 minute NSBC – June 10, 2016

Applying to graduate school – Other tips Recommendation Letters: Evidence of your work ethic, resilience, communication skills (written and verbal) and team skills Choose letter writers carefully for command of English and their ability to express themselves Be aware that studies show that female students are often described in more passive terms. You want creative, aggressive, fearless, … not helpful, good team player, etc Complete an REU (research experience for undergraduates) Opportunity to impress someone that has existing relationships Research advisors are skilled at writing letters 1 minute NSBC – June 10, 2016

Summary Everything you provide helps the committee determine if you can be successful in a graduate program Do not exclude yourself by not following the important rules Address the request and eliminate grammatical and spelling errors Make yourself stand out by writing an inspired statement Graduate students are a gamble Professors work hard to find funding for graduate students to conduct research Professors have work that needs to be done so that they are successful Professors invest time training graduate students; want return on investment 1 minute NSBC – June 10, 2016

Resources Crafting The Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative by Dinty W. Moore Craft of Scientific Writing by Michael Alley Look up school specific resources Purdue - https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/642/02/ CMU - https://www.cmu.edu/gcc/handouts/Graduate%20School%20Application%20 Essay%20Handout.pdf UIUC - http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/personalstatement/ Study examples of personal statements I cannot teach you to be a good writer in 75 minutes 1 minute NSBC – June 10, 2016

Resources REUs NSF REU Site - https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/ DREU - http://cra.org/cra-w/distributed-research-experiences-for- undergraduates-dreu/ Gender bias in recommendation letters https://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/resources/avoidingunintende dgenderbiaslettersrecommendation.pdf 1 minute NSBC – June 10, 2016

Questions Please complete the evaluation Questions at 2:50pm NSBC – June 10, 2016