1. Crafting a Personal Statement
Monica Anderson-Herzog, PhD

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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 -
CMU - Essay%20Handout.pdf
UIUC -
Study examples of personal statements
I cannot teach you to be a good writer in 75 minutes
1 minute
NSBC – June 10, 2016

28. Resources
REUs
NSF REU Site -
DREU - undergraduates-dreu/
Gender bias in recommendation letters dgenderbiaslettersrecommendation.pdf
1 minute
NSBC – June 10, 2016

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