Statement o purpose for graduate school sample for utep

The time has come to write a personal statement, but you do not know where to begin. No worries, writing about yourself is no easy task. After all, there’s only so much you can fit when writing a personal statement.

What is a Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a required essay done by a prospective candidate in an educational setting whether they are applying for a scholarship, graduate school admission, studying abroad, fellowship program, etc. However, it should not be confused with being the same as a statement of purpose. A statement of purpose strictly focuses on how your achievements, such as professional or academic, can benefit the program you are applying to. In contrast, a personal statement allows more creativity and freedom to develop within the applicant. Occasionally, personal statements may come with specific questions about what to write about.

Why Should They Choose You?

Although it is important to emphasize your achievements, whether it be academic or professional, the person reading your statement wants to get to know you better through your background information and what inspired you to pursue your goals. Overall, it’s important to ask yourself these questions when considering writing a personal statement:

• ● What exact moment led you to be where you are today?
• ● What separates you from the rest of the candidates?
• ● What personal traits or qualities do you have that will help you succeed?
• ● What do your story, goals, or skills obtained bring to the table?

Are You the Right Fit?

Although the focus of a personal statement is yourself, you must consider that you’re applying to a specific institution or program that offers specific opportunities. Not everyone will be the right fit and that’s okay, there are many opportunities for you to join. However, if you truly want to get in and be accepted, you must try to make a connection with your audience. Mention how the school or program will help you succeed and accomplish your goals. This goes back to what you bring to the table.

Layout

The unique trait about personal statements is that no two are alike. Everybody’s story is different. The requirements for each application vary in length, format, and topics. Nevertheless, having a concrete idea of how to organize your thoughts and ideas before you submit your final draft saves a lot of stress and time when the deadline comes. If you need an idea of where to start, brainstorm, or organize your thoughts, below is an example of a structure for your layout that may help you in getting out of that writing block:

Introduction:

• - Introduce a memory that leads back to where your interest or passion started or motivated you be where you are today
• - Give a sneak peek to your reader in a quick summary as to what you’re going to be talking about in your body paragraph (background information, accomplishments, & future aspirations from being admitted into the school or program) *Note: Introductions should be a brief paragraph of everything you’re going to be writing about, leave the details for your body paragraphs.

Body:

A) 1 st Paragraph (Background Information)

• What’s your undergraduate major/degree or other educational history?
• What part of your demographic information is relevant? (hometown, heritage, family history, etc.)
• What’s an obstacle or challenge that changed the way you viewed your life? *Note:

• Make sure be able make one connection to all three, it’ll make it easier for yourreader to follow through with your story and understand your goals
• If deciding to write about an obstacle or challenge, remember to not solely focus onthe negative experience of it. Instead, try thinking about what you were able to takefrom the experience and how did it change you as a person. B) 2nd Paragraph (Academic and Professional Achievements)
  • Any organizations you’ve joined or rewards you’ve obtained? (The more you have done, the better)
  • What skills have you’ve obtained through participating in any organizations, events, jobs, etc.?
    C) 3 rd Paragraph (Future Goals and Accomplishments)
  • What is the next step after being admitted?
  • What do you hope to learn or take from being part of the program?
  • How will you apply it to your desired goal?

  Conclusion:

  • Restate your goals in one or two sentences
  • Talk about what you envision for your future, what do you hope to gain from all of this?
  • What will you benefit from being on the program?
  • What do you contribute to the program?
  • How will you apply everything you learned? *Note: Your concluding/closing paragraphs are usually short with a maximum of three or four sentences, leave out any details.
    Final Thoughts Ultimately, there are several things to remind yourself of when writing a personal statement: focus on answering the main questions, tell your story, and use examples of any challenge or obstacle that you faced throughout your life. If you decide to focus on a challenge or obstacle, think about the tone you will use. Writing about this challenge or obstacle focuses on the learning experience or the opportunity rather than solely on the negative parts. Remember, you’ve worked hard enough to get where you are today. Hopefully, you can get started on that personal statement you’ve been procrastinating on, and good luck on whatever path you decide to pursue.