9/26/18. + Where to Start??? + Take Inventory: What Do They Want? Crafting a Successful Personal Statement. Sample Prompts.

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1 Craftig a Successful Persoal Statemet Deae Gute, 2018 Where to Start??? Take Ivetory: What Do They Wat? Sample Prompts Please provide a statemet, o more tha two pages i legth, about your persoal history, family backgroud, ad other iflueces o your itellectual developmet. Please provide more iformatio about yourself i a writte persoal statemet. The subject matter of the essay is up to you, but keep i mid that the reader will be seekig a sese of you as a perso ad as a potetial studet ad graduate of. Describe a sigificat experiece from the past two years which required you to iteract with someoe outside of your ow social or cultural group (ethic, religious, geographic, socioecoomic, etc.). How did this impact you? What did you lear ad what surprised you? Describe a ethical dilemma ad how you hadled it. 1

2 What Do They Wat? Cosider persoal characteristics, academic attributes, ad professioal assets most desired i the graduate or professioal program ad career you pla to pursue. What is a successful like? Get started the easy, low-stress way: with self-reflectio ad braistormig. What Do You Have to Offer? List all possible evidece from your life, work, educatio, ad voluteer experieces that could show reviewers what you are like ad what you ca do. All reviewers care about Motivatio Commitmet Work Ethic Sicerity/Autheticity Examples of pursuig your iterests beyod what s required Examples of what you leared from your experiece Isights that may set you apart Evidece of capability to do graduatelevel coursework ad research 2

3 DRAFTING CONTENT Outlie ad orgaize a rough draft i three parts: your past, preset, ad future. Remember that you do t have to write the essay i the order it will be read! Writig the Itroductio: Create a Positive First Impressio Write the easier parts first; fid ispiratio for your itro. from the body or coclusio of your rough draft. Cosider relevat aecdotes, quotes, or other iterestig devices to itroduce your essay. Avoid clichés ad blad statemets of fact. Be yourself! See samples Writig the Body of the Essay: Oe Idea per Paragraph! Orgaize so that each paragraph makes a sigle clear poit about yourself: I did t aticipate that my job as a emergecy room tech would ivolve performig chest compressios o codig patiets, witessig people s loved oes passig away, or workig to calm psychiatric patiets ad listeig to their uique stories. My experieces i the ER have taught me the importace of stayig positive while cotiuously adaptig to chagig circumstaces. Back up every geeralizatio you make about yourself Examples Iterpretatio Ask: What does this example show about me? 3

4 Draftig a Coclusio Leave the reader with a sese of completeess Summarize why you ll be a positive asset to the program Visualize your future specializatio, desired accomplishmets, type of professioal you wat to be Covey for the fial time a sese of your spirit Cosider Your Word Choice Carefully Deal with weakesses hoestly, but with a positive spi, if you thik they have potetial to damage your chaces of acceptace. Show how you dealt with setbacks i a positive way: problemsolvig Show your commitmet to improvig yourself, servig others, etc. Examples: Workig two jobs to pay for ret ad food cotributed to the grades I received i my juior year... My strog sese of self-reliace has bee a asset throughout my life, but I realized I eeded assistace to improve my performace i. My work with a sciece tutor helped me raise my F grade to a A whe I repeated the course. Avoid geeric self-promotio & empty praise for disciplies ad uiversities I have always worked hard to make a differece. Medicie is fasciatig/rewardig/iterestig I am iterested i your icredible Public Policy program. 4

5 Avoid vague arrative I have a commitmet to lifelog learig which keeps me up to date i the ever-chagig field of IT. The best part of my itership was experiecig how project team members would be there for each other. My study abroad taught me about the challeges of beig a miority laguage speaker. I worked with a diverse group of seiors at New Aldaya i Cedar Falls. Edit Thoroughly to Keep the Crige Factor i Check Rats Costatly cofrotig the masculiist hegemoy of Sioux Falls, South Dakota made me realize the importace of practicig detistry i a more progressive settig. Self-pity Whe my parets divorced, there was o moey left for school. I had to quit Biology Club to watch my little sister. I would have liked to be i o all the opportuities my classmates had, but family comes first, so I did't mid makig the sacrifice." Showy displays of vocabulary I still remember how elated I was whe my professor told me I would be his research assistat workig o fidig the lysie gees o spore bidig phage 8(SP8,) which might be a atibiotic for athrax. We kept askig ourselves why somethig wet wrog istead of how somethig wet wrog, ad I leared a lot more from my mistakes tha from my achievemets. Whe I leared that I got my first S.O.A.R grat, it felt like all my hard work had paid off. I am still workig o the sequecig of the SP8 ad the results ever cease to ethrall me. Customize Each Persoal Statemet Make sure you've doe your research; show you re well-iformed about each program. Cosider differet specializatios, faculty iterests (ad compatibility with your ow research), ad other uique program features. 5

6 PERFECT THE WRITING Pay attetio to the craft of writig. The fiished statemet should be lively, focused, well-orgaized, exhaustively-edited, ad proofread thoroughly. Do multiple revisios ad proofreadig reviews with time i betwee. Get additioal feedback from ayoe ad everyoe who will agree to read it. Use Your Persoal Statemet to Assist Recommedatio Writers Provide the persoal statemet, résumé, ay ecessary forms, deadlies, ad addresses. Prove that you re orgaized, capable, ad appreciative. Show appreciatio for your recommeders time ad willigess to do you a favor. NEED A WRITING COACH? HOW TO CHOOSE: APPOINTMENT VS. WALK-IN Walk-Is Appoitmets 20 miutes 1 hour You re Welcome to Walk I If You eed help gettig started with a project You have oe or two focused questios to ask You The have A a draft shorter tha 5 pages Team for us to review Choose a Appoitmet If You wat feedback o a draft loger tha 5 pages You wat as much feedback as you ca get you re ot sure what you eed You wat help preparig to re-take the Praxis Core You wat to reserve a loger sessio for ay reaso Please ote: Walk-is ad appoitmets are ot proofreadig services. Writig Coaches are here to help you help yourself. To schedule a appoitmet, visit 6