personal statement for public management

5 MPA Personal Statement Tips for Driven Applicants

Most graduate degree programs require applicants to submit a statement of purpose, sometimes called a personal statement, along with their other application materials. The statement of purpose is your opportunity to tell your story, describe your motivations, and explain why you would be a good candidate for the program. 

But as a future Master of Public Administration (MPA) student, you must tailor your statement of purpose to your long term career goals specifically in the field of public affairs and public administration. Here are five tips to doing exactly that. 

Make yourself a competitive leader in public affairs; learn more about Cornell’s dedication to career management and professional development within the MPA program.

MPA Personal Statement Tips

When it comes to graduate school admission, the personal statement represents your chance to truly shine.  In addition to providing a tremendous opportunity to convey the quality of your writing to admissions committees, the personal statement allows you to highlight your purpose for pursuing graduate studies."   Thomas O’Toole Executive Director of Public Affairs Programming at the Cornell Brooks School

From specific motivations for applying to exploring your goals in public affairs, here are a few tips to submitting a fantastic statement of purpose . 

1. Be specific about why you're applying to the MPA program

Why is this the right time for graduate study for you .

You have many graduate programs to choose from — and there are myriad MPA programs to choose from across the country as well. For this reason, It is important to detail specifically why you are applying to the MPA program of your choosing: what aspects of the program are you drawn to? Why do you think you are a good fit for this MPA program in particular?

Be specific and really dive into your personal reasons for wanting to join the MPA program you are passionate about and be sure to include details regarding what you will contribute to the community at large

2. Make it personal to your unique experiences

Knowledge, skills, and abilities you will bring to enrich our community (why are you the right person).

What are your personal motivations for obtaining an MPA? What personal experience have inspired you to pursue a mission-driven, impactful career in public affairs ? These are incredibly important questions to answer within your personal statement as they provide context for what is going to drive you throughout your time in the program and beyond.

Detail the kinds of challenges or problems you have encountered during your lived experience and connect those to your dedication to impact societal, systemic change.

3. Describe your long term career goals related to public affairs.

How can the brooks mpa uniquely address your academic and professional interests (why is this the right place).

Within the field of public affairs and public administration, there are nearly countless diverse and dynamic career opportunities. Whether you want to work in environmental , economic , infrastructure , or social policy , there is a public service career for you . 

Take some time to evaluate your long term career goals and describe the specific role or industry in which you want to transform peoples’ lives for good.

4. Include relevant professional experiences that will augment your time in the MPA program.

You will want to highlight your professional accomplishments within your statement of purpose. Be sure to include examples of volunteer work, positions of responsibility, and any other life experiences that have contributed to your interest in public affairs.

In doing so, you will exemplify your dedication to professional development , show your commitment to lifelong learning, and demonstrate how you are well prepared to continue gaining the skills needed to lead in the field.

5. Proofread

You are strongly encouraged to proofread carefully before submitting your personal statement. There are no additional writing samples within the application–this is the best way to show what you are capable of. 

Because public affairs is a writing intensive field, writing quality matters. So this should tell you something about the weight we place on these essays in our overall evaluation.”

Proofread your personal statement multiple times to be sure everything is correct before sending it our way.

6. Be proud; be confident; be passionate.

The field of public affairs and public administration is one of the most transformative fields in existence today. 

Our industry is a deeply ‘human’ field, and the more your passion and motivation come through in your writing, the more success you will have in the application process.” 

Armed with an MPA, you will enter the field with the marketable skills needed to make a difference, and for that reason, you should be excited, proud, and confident in your decision to apply to the MPA program of your choice.

Here’s How to Apply to Cornell’s MPA Program

At the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, we make applying to the MPA program as easy and as accessible as possible. Here are the six steps you need to take to apply.

• Complete Cornell’s Online Graduate School Application . For questions pertaining to any technical issues or errors, contact the Graduate School office at 607-255-4884.
• Submit unofficial copies of your college and university transcripts. Do not send official transcripts to the MPA Program. Before matriculating, all admitted students will be required to submit an official transcript to the Graduate School. Review submission parameters on the Graduate School’s website .
• Submit your résumé and three letters of recommendation (academic and/or professional are acceptable).
• Applicants for whom English is a second language will need to meet minimum scores on either the TOEFL or IELTS exams. Required minimum scores on the TOEFL exam are: writing 20, listening 15, reading 20, speaking 22. Our field requirements for the IELTS exam are an overall score of at least 7.0.
• Submit both a Statement of Purpose and an Essay. ( See this page for more information .)
• You will be sent email instructions to participate in an online interview to complete your application.

Check out our recorded webinar about applying to the MPA program!

Jumpstart Your Public Service Career at the Cornell Brooks School MPA Program

You have the valuable opportunity to obtain a Master of Public Administration degree that will prepare you to launch your career in public service. 

Are you ready to take the plunge?

Take the first step in your next career venture by requesting information or starting your online application today. You can also visit our Webinar Library or Resource Library for additional webinar recordings and downloadable guides.

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• October 16, 2022
• Personal Statement

Personal Statement is written to communicate your background and why you want to join a particular program. When applying for master of public administration, applicants are faced with the task of connecting their current occupation and their chosen course which most times don’t come off as an easy task. So, we are presenting a master of public administration personal statement sample which was actually submitted by another applicant to guide you when writing yours.

P.S: This sample provided here is solely for education purpose, do not copy it. If you need assistance writing yours, click here to hire our experts today .

Areas to cover when writing your personal statement includes:

• Personal motivation to study the course
• Academic and professional background
• Relevance of program to your career
• Why you picked the school and country.
• Qualities that would make you a good addition to the program

What has motivated you to pursue an M.P.A. degree? Why are you interested in public administration and public policy?

I am writing to indicate my interest in your distinguished Master’s of Public Administration Program and I wish to use this study to develop robust knowledge in administration and policy development. Studying Public Administration will help me stay informed about public policy decisions made both in national and international institutions and I hope to apply the knowledge to actualize my personal goal of becoming a policymaker in my country.

One of my reasons for picking Public Administration is because the knowledge can be applied across the public and private sectors, and being equipped with the right managerial, administrative, and leadership competence will put me in a position to proffer effective and efficient solutions in the area of national and international trade. Born and brought up in xxx, and having received my first degree here too, I am interested in enrolling for this study in a country that will give me solid backing in learning and cultural exposure.

How will your background and preparation, including education and professional experience, contribute to your success in the M.P.A. program?

My undergraduate study in xxx equipped me with communication, negotiation and human relationship skills that have paved my path to success on the professional front. So far, my career experiences have involved the application of managerial competencies and understanding, my recent work experience in International Trade Operations in a multinational bank has served as a bridge of communicating and relating with a lot of people, thereby ensuring the resolution of customers’ problems and orienting them on how to apply government policies to succeed as business owners and citizens. More so, this position has made me increasingly aware of the importance of promoting policies that protect customers. Hence, I developed the interest to understand how nations can create an equally competitive playing field for trade and investment both locally and internationally. Public administration is a preparatory and clarifying course that will enable me to establish a refined knowledge to provide a relevant contribution to our private sector. Therefore, I believe that knowledge from my previous study and professional background will play an important role in my success during this program and upon graduation.

What particular policy interests do you hope to explore, specifically as they relate to our three areas of research priority (Governance, Social Policy and Inequality, and Innovation, Science and Technology). Why are you interested in these areas?

My interest to study at the University of xxx stems from the reputation of this school and the courses offered for this program. Going into this program, my area of interest is Social Policy and Inequality, and I am interested in these areas because despite the moral decadence in my country today, a lot of people are hoping to have a better social system that cares and prioritises their needs. So, getting a degree in Public Administration with a focus on Social Policy and Inequality will enable me to understand what it takes to support social policies for my country.

What do you hope to achieve in this program?

I already have experience working in the private sector, and one area of focus will be to utilise my knowledge from this program to serve as a link for policy-makers to ensure the implementation of their corporate responsibilities, especially in the underdeveloped areas where they are operating.

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Need Assistance Writing Master of Public Administration Personal Statement?

If so, contact Fasthire today . We’ll look into your application and compose a good personal statement for your application. We have professionals who are skilled in helping students compose their personal statement and study and visa statement of purpose/explanation and we’ll be ready to assist you right away. You can either use our regular, or express service depending on the urgency of your need

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Breaking down the MPA/MPP personal statement, personal essay, and supplemental essay

Essays for graduate study cover a myriad of topics. Here at SPIA, we hope our essays help reflect and speak to our culture, our community, and our values—the stuff we care about. We require a variety of essays and short answer written responses, and each serves a slightly different purpose toward helping us to understand the academic and professional trajectory of each person as well as the motivation for graduate study at Princeton. No one thing is determinative in our process or application; we read each file individually and holistically, and admissions decisions are based on the totality of information in the file. 

The personal statement should answer the prompt and include an explanation of one’s commitment to a career in public service. We are interested in a clear description of the policy areas of interest to you and why you care about them as well as how your previous academic, personal, and professional experiences have shaped your career goals. We want to know why you want to enroll at SPIA, what you hope to gain from our program, as well as your career plans in terms of policy issues and agencies or organizations you wish to work with and why. We are looking to understand Why Princeton. Why now. And what’s next.

SPIA’s supplemental essay has long been the part of our application where we ask you to go beyond the other dimensions of the file and where we seek to get to know you on a more personal and individual basis. We all come from somewhere and it shapes us – both in who we become and what we value. We’re interested in your story and what shaped you. What do you value? This essay often helps us to further understand the person behind the paper.

This year, the Graduate School introduced the personal essay . The announcement of this essay reaffirms Princeton’s strong commitment to welcoming students from diverse backgrounds and experiences. It provides applicants an additional space to describe how their academic interests and life experiences will help them contribute to Princeton’s scholarly community. We hope to further understand how you will contribute to our tight-knit and vibrant campus community.

We understand there may be some similarities and overlap in how you interpret and write each essay. Our hope, of course, is that each essay will reveal something new and that each provides space and opportunity to translate through as rich and as full a description of your background, goals, and aspirations as possible. 

Through each of them, we are looking for you to tell us your story in the way that only you can.

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Personal Statement for the Master’s in Public Administration

Are you trying to get admission for the master of public administration in a global university but have no idea how to write the personal statement? Need a sample personal statement for MPA that can help you with the writing process? Looking to find a suitable format for MPA personal statements to use for your own statement?

Well, if your answer is affirmative to all these questions, then you have come to the right place. We are a team of  professional personal statement writers . We have been helping students write exceptional personal statements for MPA for a decade.

We know how each personal statement for MPA needs to be written, formatted, and structured for maximum value in the eyes of the admission committee. We also know how the content must follow in the statement and how your candidature needs to be presented for better chances of admission. That’s why we are one of the best.

Master of Public Administration Personal Statement Examples

The possibility and execution of numerous medical procedures could never have been conceivable without the advancement of anesthesiology and its implementation in operating rooms. People always desire to be relieved of their pain, and anesthesiology has improved a huge number of individuals’ lives around the world. I was pursuing medicine, yet I had no clue about what to specialize in. While choosing which specialty to seek out and which fit best with my insight into medicine and my longing to practice, I tried to keep a receptive outlook toward the beginning of my third year. The way that anesthesiology consolidates the psychological obstacles of medicine with the involved approach of medical procedures has inspired me to keep considering and practicing medicine. Having the chance to collaborate with and look at various patients permits me to remain refreshed and keep up with my emphasis on the current turn of events. I’m trusting that the variety in anesthesiology will offer me the valuable chance to treat every patient exceptionally by putting my clinical preparation and creative plans to use.

A profoundly useful method for learning and investigating new things was clinical rotations. I saw many people with differing conditions and ailments who were wanting to rapidly recover. I addressed everybody in the ward, yet they didn’t hold my attention. I genuinely felt pleased with myself when I conversed with a patient named Gabriel. Because of schizophrenia and diabetes, he was admitted to the hospital. The attending doctor and I discussed the expected reasons for his raised glucose level. Notwithstanding my earlier orthopedic clinical rotations experience, I gave him a logical clarification for the new episodes in Gabriel’s day-to-day lives. It fulfilled me to become familiar with medicine and helped me have a positive outlook on utilizing what I had previously realized. Although internal medicine kept my brain dynamic, I was downright anxious and needed to be associated with the patients.

All through my clinical rotations, I came to realize what gives me joy and fulfillment. I conversed with a patient who had been treated for xxx (a sickness) before she went through a medical surgery. I consoled her by telling her that she could have a smooth surgery while we discussed her profession, her family, and her friends. A couple of days after that incident, I ran into her at the hospital, and she remembered me immediately. She showed me around her family while they were present. She said thanks to me for my time with her and her family and requested that I do likewise for her upcoming surgery. Something turned out badly during her second surgery, and I saw nurses running toward the operating room while the anesthesiologist called for help from different associates and endeavored to stabilize the patient. However, she succumbed to intestinal necrosis a week later. 

My communication with her permitted me to understand what and how I needed to practice medicine. I wanted to practice medicine in a manner that would empower me to foster close bonds with my patients. Rather than characterizing patients exclusively upon their sickness, I savored the opportunity to get to know and understand every single one of them personally. I found that anesthesiology was the best fit for my objectives. Both independence and backing are esteemed in this field. I will foster a more elevated level of confidence in the care I can provide for my patients. Furthermore, I need to utilize my anesthesiology experience to give patients the most ideal treatment while likewise offering their families solace and consideration. Since they put their trust in us with their lives, I believe it’s important to give them the regard and care they need.

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How to Write a Personal Statement for MPA?

Writing a winning, engaging, and focused personal statement for MPA for admission in any university in the world is a tough job. The more popular the university is, the better your statements need to be as you will face a lot of competition.Further, with the right focus and hard-work, you can surely create an impressive personal statement for MPA.However, a student has to understand that if you prepare well enough for the challenge, it can easily be met. What happens with most students is that they fail to prepare to write the statement. Hence, they fail.

But if you are willing to put in the right efforts, the following tips will help you:

• Getting to know the university requirements for the MPA statement
• Create a suitable strategy that you can follow to write the statement
• Find the most suitable MPA personal statement format to use
• Decide on the elements you want to include and not in the statement
• Start writing the process well in advance to make the statement better
• Seek someone’s help and advice to review the statement for quality

These tips can help you walk in the right direction while writing a personal statement. This will teach you how to go about making a genuinely impressive statement rather than relying on sample personal statements for MPA online.

What Makes Us the Best Name to Write A Personal Statement for MPA?

Every student that wants to get admission for MPA in any foreign university of repute needs to submit their application with an exceptional personal statement. While a personal statement for MPA alone cannot get you the admission, the document is extremely important for you to bolster your chances.

Over the years that we have worked with our students, we have provided them with exceptional service support when it comes to writing personal statements for MPA. This student-focused support has made us one of the best in the field.

And we can help you write inventive and engaging personal statements for MPA as well. And we do that with the help of our service qualities given below:

Unrivaled Quality

We are extremely adamant about the quality of the MPA personal statements that we offer. Whether we do deliver the statements in PDF or Doc formats, we keep the quality to be the best in the field. In order to do that, we integrate various quality systems into our statement writing processes.

Flexible Services

We know that different students would want to get different services from us. As we know this, we always provide our students with flexible services that can meet their expectations exactly. This client-specific approach has made us one of the best in the field to create customized MPA personal statements for admission.

Timely Deliverance

We know that the timely deliverance of personal statements is extremely important for the student and their application. Keeping this in our minds, we always deliver the statement even before the project deadline. This ensures that our students will have ample time to review the statement before it is submitted.

Samples and Formats

Many students want to see sample personal statements for MPA before associating with us. Being an experienced team, we have numerous sample and MPA personal statement formats with us. If our students need them to review it for our quality, we can deliver them in PDF and Doc formats.

Professional Team

We know that nothing beats an excellent team. Hence, we have taken great efforts to build an excellent team for our service offerings. The team has experienced writers who know how to write a personal statement for MPA creatively. The team also knows how to bring the best out of the given inputs from the students.

Customer Support

In our efforts to deliver our students with the best overall customer experience along with an impressive MPA personal statement, we have constituted a strong customer care team. Our students can contact the customer care team and get all their concerns addressed in the shortest time possible.

As you have seen, each of these qualities has helped us become one of the best places in the market to write winning personal statements for MPA. And we utilize these features to create a unique MPA personal statement for you, too.

Hire the Our Personal Statement Writing Help for MPA

We understand that the potential of public administration for better career and success makes it one of the most sought-after courses in any university. Hence, getting admission to such a course can be tougher than one can imagine. However, with our expertise and experience, you will be in a better position for admission.

As we have created thousands of personal statements, we can help you with writing an engaging MPA personal statement.

We can deliver you with a statement that is:

• Assertive of your candidature
• Creative to impress the university
• Developed from scratch for you
• Focused in your goals for value
• Checked with paid tools for quality

Apart from this, as per your singular requirements, we can create the best and most value-adding personal statement for you for MPA. As we work closely with you, we try to learn about your goals and aspirations in your career. We integrate these insights into the personal statement for MPA for more value.

Being a client-centric service provider, we can also deliver the best MPA personal statements in PDF and Doc as and when you need it.

Get more details about our offerings from our client support desk. Contact us!

What is a Master of Public Administration (MPA) personal statement?

An MPA personal statement is a written document that outlines your academic and professional background, career goals, and reasons for pursuing a Master of Public 

Administration degree.

Why is a personal statement important for my MPA application?

A well-crafted personal statement provides insight into your qualifications, motivations, and suitability for the MPA program, helping you stand out to admissions committees.

What should I include in my MPA personal statement?

Your personal statement should highlight your academic achievements, relevant work or volunteer experiences, your passion for public administration, and your career aspirations.

Can you assist me in creating a customized MPA personal statement that reflects my unique profile?

Yes, our team of experienced writers specializes in crafting personalized personal statements that showcase your individual strengths and aspirations.

Are your writers knowledgeable about the field of Public Administration?

Absolutely. Our writers have expertise in Public Administration and can effectively communicate your passion and understanding of the field.

How do I get started with your service?

To begin, simply reach out to us through our website or email. We will guide you through the process of ordering an MPA personal statement.

What is the typical turnaround time for receiving my completed personal statement?

The turnaround time depends on the complexity of your request and your specified deadline. We offer flexible delivery options to accommodate your needs.

Is my MPA personal statement guaranteed to be unique and free from plagiarism?

Yes, all personal statements we create are unique and written from scratch to reflect your individuality. We have strict quality control measures to ensure originality.

Vasuki Ram, senior writer and the founder of SOP Consultants is a B-tech Graduate who used to work in an MNC. Starting from 2013, she along with her team has assisted more than 10,000 students. Shift in her career was drastic. Read full story here.

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Writing Personal Statements for Graduate School

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Personal Statements

Preparing a well-written and effective personal statement (sometimes referred to as statements of purpose or personal essays) that clearly articulates your preparation, goals, and motivation for pursuing that specific graduate degree is critically important. You will need to spend a considerable amount of time and effort in crafting these statements. The focus, structure, and length of personal statements vary from program to program. Some will have prompts or questions you need to answer, while others will leave the topic open-ended. The length varies widely as well. Read instructions carefully and make sure to adhere to all parameters laid out in the application guidelines.

Clear writing is the result of clear thinking. The first and most important task is to decide on a message. Consider carefully which two or three points you wish to impress upon the reader, remembering that your audience is composed of academics who are experts in their fields. Your statement should show that you are able to think logically and express your thoughts in a clear and concise manner. Remember that the reader already has a record of your activities and your transcript; avoid simply restating your resume and transcript. Writing your statement will take time; start early and give yourself more than enough time for revisions. If no prompts are given, you can use the questions below to begin brainstorming content to include in your statement; for more information, see our Writing Personal Statement presentation Prezi  and our three-minute video on Writing Personal Statements .

• What experiences and academic preparation do you have that are relevant to the degree you’re seeking?
• Why are you choosing to pursue a graduate degree at this time?
• Why do you want to pursue this particular degree and how will this degree and the specific program fit into your career plans and your long-term goals?
• What specific topics are you aiming to explore and what does the current literature say about those topics?

After you’ve written a first draft, start the work of editing, refining, simplifying, and polishing. Provide specific examples that will help illustrate your points and convey your interests, intentions, and motivations. Is any section, sentence, or word superfluous, ambiguous, apologetic, or awkward? Are your verbs strong and active? Have you removed most of the qualifiers? Are you sure that each activity or interest you mention supports one of your main ideas? Spelling and grammatical errors are inexcusable. Don’t rely on spell-check to catch all errors; read your statement aloud and have it reviewed by multiple people whose opinion you trust. If possible, have your statement reviewed by a writing tutor. For individual assistance with writing your personal statement, consult with the writing tutor in your residential college  or the Writing Center within the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning .

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How to Write a Strong Personal Statement

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A few adjustments can get your application noticed.

Whether applying for a summer internship, a professional development opportunity, such as a Fulbright, an executive MBA program, or a senior leadership development course, a personal statement threads the ideas of your CV, and is longer and has a different tone and purpose than a traditional cover letter. A few adjustments to your personal statement can get your application noticed by the reviewer.

• Make sure you’re writing what they want to hear. Most organizations that offer a fellowship or internship are using the experience as a pipeline: It’s smart to spend 10 weeks and $15,000 on someone before committing five years and $300,000. Rarely are the organizations being charitable or altruistic, so align your stated goals with theirs
• Know when to bury the lead, and when to get to the point. It’s hard to paint a picture and explain your motivations in 200 words, but if you have two pages, give the reader a story arc or ease into your point by setting the scene.
• Recognize that the reviewer will be reading your statement subjectively, meaning you’re being assessed on unknowable criteria. Most people on evaluation committees are reading for whether or not you’re interesting. Stated differently, do they want to go out to dinner with you to hear more? Write it so that the person reading it wants to hear more.
• Address the elephant in the room (if there is one). Maybe your grades weren’t great in core courses, or perhaps you’ve never worked in the field you’re applying to. Make sure to address the deficiency rather than hoping the reader ignores it because they won’t. A few sentences suffice. Deficiencies do not need to be the cornerstone of the application.

At multiple points in your life, you will need to take action to transition from where you are to where you want to be. This process is layered and time-consuming, and getting yourself to stand out among the masses is an arduous but not impossible task. Having a polished resume that explains what you’ve done is the common first step. But, when an application asks for it, a personal statement can add color and depth to your list of accomplishments. It moves you from a one-dimensional indistinguishable candidate to someone with drive, interest, and nuance.

• Ruth Gotian is the chief learning officer and associate professor of education in anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, and the author of The Success Factor and Financial Times Guide to Mentoring . She was named the #1 emerging management thinker by Thinkers50. You can access her free list of conversation starters and test your mentoring impact . RuthGotian
• Ushma S. Neill is the Vice President, Scientific Education & Training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She runs several summer internships and is involved with the NYC Marshall Scholar Selection Committee. ushmaneill

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Writing the Personal Statement

The personal statement, your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process, generally falls into one of two categories: 

The general, comprehensive personal statement:  This allows you maximum freedom in terms of what you write and is the type of statement often prepared for standard medical or law school application forms. 

• The response to very specific questions: Often, business and graduate school applications ask specific questions, and your statement should respond specifically to the question being asked. Some business school applications favor multiple essays, typically asking for responses to three or more questions. 

What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story? 

What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or help set you apart from other applicants? 

When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained? 

How have you learned about this field—through classes, readings, seminars, work or other experiences, or conversations with people already in the field? 

If you have worked a lot during your college years, what have you learned (leadership or managerial skills, for example), and how has that work contributed to your growth? 

What are your career goals? 

Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre LSAT or GRE scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)? 

Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life? 

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? 

What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess? 

Why might you be a stronger candidate for graduate school—and more successful and effective in the profession or field than other applicants? 

What are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you? 

If you are applying to several schools, you may find questions in each application that are somewhat similar. 

Don't be tempted to use the same statement for all applications. It is important to answer each question being asked, and if slightly different answers are needed, you should write separate statements. In every case, be sure your answer fits the question being asked. 

• Think in terms of showing or demonstrating through concrete experience. One of the worst things you can do is to bore the admissions committee. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you'll be putting yourself ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story, you will make yourself memorable.
• Don't, for example, state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific reasons. Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of a specific experience that is described in your statement. Your application should emerge as the logical conclusion to your story.
• If you're like most people, your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. Finding an angle or a "hook" is vital.
• The lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. It is here that you grab the reader's attention or lose it. This paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement.
• The middle section of your essay might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as some of your knowledge of the field. Too many people graduate with little or no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the profession or field they hope to enter. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information. Refer to experiences (work, research, etc.), classes, conversations with people in the field, books you've read, seminars you've attended, or any other source of specific information about the career you want and why you're suited to it. Since you'll have to select what you include in your statement, the choices you make are often an indication of your judgement.
• There are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences or accomplishments in high school or earlier are generally not a good idea. Don't mention potentially controversial subjects (for example, controversial religious or political issues).
• If a school wants to know why you're applying to it rather than another school, do some research to find out what sets your choice apart from other universities or programs. If the school setting would provide an important geographical or cultural change for you, this might be a factor to mention.
• Be meticulous. Type and proofread your essay very carefully. Many admissions officers say that good written skills are command of correct use of language are important to them as they read these statements. Express yourself clearly and concisely. Adhere to stated word limits.
• A medical school applicant who writes that they are good at science and want to help other people is not exactly expressing an original thought. Stay away from often-repeated or tired statements.

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I invite you to fill out my I nterview Form at this link. Even if you have a draft, the information on the interview form is often helpful and serves as the basis for me to make creative improvements to the statement. I spend more time with the statement for my premium service customers at US$299.00 ; this is especially true when it comes to making major contributions to creative ideas. My standard service at US$199.00 is for clients who already have a well-developed draft that they need to have tweaked. My premium service is for those clients who want my ultimate effort and further revision after making changes. 

• Sep 23, 2023

Master's Public Administration Personal Statement, Healthcare

Updated: 4 days ago

Earning the MPA degree is more than just a logical or natural progression of my academic path. At my current academic level, I have quickly exhausted every path of challenge and promotion in my professional career, and I seek to participate in progressive change, on a macro scale. Hence, I aspire to fulfill a lead role in a hospital or government health agency, developing and implementing viable - sustainable - programs that keep costs under control without compromising quality of care.

There is a distinct need for greater efficiency, streamlining health administration to enhance health outcomes. I am excited to pursue an MPA Program that will allow me to become an agent of progress in healthcare. With healthcare reform coming into play in recent times, the opportunity to contribute positively to the system is enormous. By increasing my knowledge of existing healthcare systems, and actively addressing the social issues that are pertinent today, I can become a part of the change that is needed in healthcare. I am confident that the MPA Program will enable me to develop logically and critically and facilitate my contribution to this noble cause. I am committed to taking the next step in my professional development by pursuing an MPA degree. This program will provide me with the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in legal issues, public policies, healthcare marketing and resource development. By investing in my education, I will be better equipped to serve my community and contribute to positive social change.

As a BS in Health Science graduate with a focus on healthcare administration, I am eager to continue my education in the field of public administration. The MPA program will allow me to build upon my existing foundation in public health administration and policy, community health planning and evaluation, economics, bioethics, and health services and systems. This program will enable me to sharpen my skills and gain essential knowledge to take my career to the next level.

As an aspiring MPA Program applicant, I am excited to delve into a curriculum that covers a broad range of topics ranging from the practical to the theoretical. What draws me most to this program is the opportunity to discuss ethics, as well as the appreciation of fiscal issues. Additionally, the prospect of building a keen sense of community is integral to student success, so I look forward to engaging in meaningful discussions and exchanging ideas with my fellow students.

My passion for healthcare administration grew out of my decade-long career in pharmacy, where I witnessed firsthand the ins and outs of the medical industry. I have gained invaluable insights into the complexities of healthcare insurance companies, and I know that I can make a difference with my extensive experience and knowledge. I am eager to explore new opportunities to expand my skills and work with like-minded professionals. The MPA program is the perfect opportunity to build a solid foundation in healthcare management and fulfill my ambitions of making a positive impact within my community.

As an MPA Program applicant, I understand the importance of keeping the needs of the community at the forefront of everything we do. Having spent over a decade as a pharmacy professional, I have developed an elevated understanding of the importance of serving others and I'm passionate about making a difference. In choosing this program, I hope to hone my skills and develop new ones that will allow me to have an even greater impact on the community I serve.

I am passionate about finding ways to serve the community and make a positive impact. Many seniors are struggling to survive with their social security benefits and are unable to afford the prescribed medications they need. This leads to them taking their medications less often or not at all. It is important to address this issue and find solutions to ensure that everyone has access to the medication they need to live a healthy life.

As an aspiring healthcare professional, I recognize the importance of providing quality healthcare services to communities in need. It is my calling to make a difference and help create a positive impact on society. My community, clients, and neighbors have inspired me to pursue a Master of Public Administration degree, which will provide me with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively advocate for better healthcare delivery. I hope to use my education to help ensure that everyone has easier access to the healthcare services they deserve.

Master's Public Administration Personal Statement

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100+ Grad School Personal Statement Examples

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In personal statement samples by field | personal statements samples by university.

In this Article

Importance of a Strong Personal Statement

Purpose of this blog post, length and format, tone and style, general tips for success, computer science and engineering, economics and finance, management and business, healthcare and medicine, environment and sustainability, public affairs, international relations and politics, architecture, arts and film, mathematics and statistics, religion and philosophy, phd personal statement examples, scholarship & fellowship personal statements, word count-specific personal statements, prompt-specific grad school personal statements examples, academic achievements and experiences, research experiences, work and internship experiences, volunteer and community service, personal growth and overcoming challenges, future goals and career aspirations, research the program and faculty, emphasize alignment with program objectives, highlight unique program offerings, overused phrases and clichés , excessive self-praise, lack of focus or organization, consulting mentors, and advisors, incorporating feedback and refine, introduction.

A personal statement is essential in the graduate school application process, as it plays a significant role in shaping the admissions committee’s perception of you. In fact, a survey conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools revealed that 64% of graduate admissions officers consider the personal statement to be the most crucial factor in the admissions process. Furthermore, according to a study by Kaplan Test Prep, a well-crafted personal statement can boost an applicant’s chances of acceptance by up to 50%.

The personal statement’s importance stems from its ability to create a lasting impression on the admissions committee. 

Consider this: the admissions committee (adcom) does not know you personally. They have never met or spoken to you, nor have they ever interviewed you. They only know you through quantifiable aspects such as your GPA, test scores, and work experience. However, they lack insight into your thought processes, aspirations, background, and personal experiences. In essence, they need to connect with you on a personal level. The personal statement serves as a bridge, enabling the adcom, who are human beings themselves, to gain insight into your personality, motivations, and aspirations beyond your grades and test scores.

Time and again, adcoms at top universities emphasize the critical role of personal statements in their decision-making process. Drafting a personal statement is your opportunity to market yourself, showcasing your unique qualities and demonstrating your genuine interest in their program. By investing time and effort into creating a powerful personal statement, you can significantly enhance your chances of securing a place in your desired graduate program.

In this blog post, I will be sharing over 100 authentic graduate school personal statement examples from successful applicants across the globe who have secured admission to prestigious programs in the United States and across the world.

These samples encompass a wide range of fields, including MBA, Law, Medicine, Engineering, and Social Work, and originate from esteemed institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. You will find examples of personal statements for various degrees, including MSc, MA, LLM, Residency, MBA, and PhD programs. You will also find examples of statements written by applicants who obtained fellowships, and scholarships. By sharing these diverse examples, I aim to achieve the following goals:

• Inspiration and guidance: I want to provide you guys with a wide range of personal statement examples to serve as inspiration and offer guidance for making your own statements.
• Addressing common topics: These samples will cover all the common personal statement elements, helping you understand how to effectively discuss your academic achievements, research experiences, work history, volunteer work, personal growth, and future goals.
• Tips for success: The post will also provide helpful tips on tailoring personal statements to specific graduate programs, avoiding common pitfalls, and seeking feedback to improve the final draft.
• Empowerment: Ultimately, the goal of sharing these for free is to empower you guys to create compelling and unique personal statements that will increase your chances of being accepted into your dream graduate program.

By providing this comprehensive resource, I hope to demystify the personal statement writing process and equip you with the tools and inspiration necessary to craft a captivating narrative that reflects your unique journey and aspirations. 

Personal Statement Basics

When writing your personal statement, it’s crucial to pay attention to three key areas: length and format, tone and style, and general tips for success.

It’s important to create a well-structured personal statement that adheres to the specified word count and follows proper formatting guidelines. Some programs, particularly MBA programs, might not request a single personal statement. Instead, they may pose several questions and require you to write a brief essay for each one. Such programs typically break down a personal statement into multiple short questions, expecting essay responses tailored to each query. 

As a result, it’s crucial to carefully read the guidelines before you start writing, as students often mistakenly create a single personal statement and try to tweak it for various programs without realizing that different requirements exist. By doing so, they lose time and waste considerable effort and energy. 

Adhering to instructions and responding appropriately will leave a positive impression on the admissions committee. To accomplish this, consider these key aspects:

• Word count: Most graduate programs provide guidelines on the desired length of personal statements, typically ranging from 500 to 2,000 words.Adhere to these limits to show that you can follow instructions and communicate concisely.
• Formatting: Use a clear and easy-to-read font (e.g., Times New Roman or Arial) at a standard size (e.g., 11 or 12 points) with 1-inch margins. Ensure your document is well-organized with paragraphs and headings where appropriate.
• Structure: Start with a strong opening paragraph that hooks the reader, followed by body paragraphs addressing the key topics, and conclude with a memorable closing paragraph that reinforces your main points. This structure will ensure a cohesive and engaging narrative that effectively communicates your experiences and aspirations to the admissions committee.

In terms of tone and style, your personal statement should strike a balance between professionalism and authenticity to effectively convey your unique experiences and perspective. To accomplish this, consider the following aspects:

• Professional and confident: Adopt a professional tone in your writing, using clear, concise language. Be confident in presenting your accomplishments without being overly boastful.
• Authentic and personal: Avoid overly formal or academic language that may make your writing feel impersonal. Showcasing your authentic self will help the admissions committee connect with you on a personal level.
• Engaging storytelling: Use storytelling techniques to make your personal statement more engaging and memorable. This can include anecdotes, vivid descriptions, and a strong narrative structure. Starting with a quote that is relevant to your story is also a good way to begin your personal statement.

Lastly, adhering to tried and tested tips can greatly improve your personal statement, ensuring you present a polished and compelling narrative that effectively showcases your strengths and aspirations to the admissions committee. Some general advice is as follows::

• Start early: Give yourself ample time to brainstorm, write, revise, and seek feedback on your personal statement. On average. Grad school applicants spend 20+ hours in perfecting a personal statement of 1000 words. Moreover, they have their personal statement reviewed and redrafted 5 times on average.  
• Be focused and organized: Clearly structure your personal statement, addressing the main topics and ensuring your narrative flows logically from one point to the next. A well-organized statement will demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and coherently.
• Proofread and edit: Carefully review your personal statement for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Use free tools like grammarly to remove any unwanted errors in your writing.
• Seek feedback: Share your personal statement with your mentors, or peers, to gather valuable feedback. I especially recommend that you show your essay to someone who has already gone through the process successfully as they know the ins and outs well. Then, incorporate this feedback to refine and strengthen your final draft.

To help you get started and see everything that I just discussed in action, here is a list of 100+ personal statement examples from successful graduate school applicants.

Grad School Personal Statement Examples by Field of Study

• Example Personal Statement Computer Science (Admitted to Oxford with Low GPA )
• Example Personal Statement Computer Science (Admitted to Stanford )
• Example Personal Statement Computer Science (Admitted to Cambridge PhD )
• Example Personal Statement Artificial Intelligence (Admitted to UCLA)
• Example Personal Statement Machine Learning (Admitted to Duke )
• Example Personal Statement Data Science and Analytics (Admitted to CMU )
• Example Personal Statement Data Analytics (Admitted to Georgia Tech )
• Example Personal Statement Advanced Analytics (Admitted to NCSU )
• Example Personal Statement Mechanical Engineering (Admitted to USC , Imperial )
• Example Personal Statement Economics (Admitted to LSE )
• Example Personal Statement Economics (Admitted to Oxbridge )
• Example Personal Statement Finance (Admitted to MIT Sloan )
• Example Personal Statement Financial Engineering (Admitted to UC Berkeley )
• Example Personal Statement Financial Engineering (Admitted to UCLA )
• Example Personal Statement Accounting & Finance (Admitted to Michigan University)
• Example Personal Statement Investment Banking (Admitted to UPenn )
• Example Personal Statement (Admitted to Georgetown )
• Example Personal Statement (Admitted to Harvard LLM )
• Example Personal Statement (Admitted to Northwestern )
• Example Personal Statement (Admitted to NYU , Duke )
• 8 MBA Personal Statements (All IVY LEAGUES )
• Example BA Essays ( INSEAD )
• Example MBA Essays ( Kellogg Northwestern )
• Example Personal Statement Operations Management (Admitted to MIT PHD)
• Example Personal Statement Management (Admitted to Duke )
• Example Personal Statement Marketing (Admitted to NYU , Cornell )
• Example Personal Statement Business Analytics (Admitted to MIT , CMU )
• Example Personal Statement Management & Analytics (Admitted to LBS )
• Example Personal Statement Project Management (Admitted to UT Austin )
• Example Personal Statement Logistics & Supply Chain (Admitted to Boston . Penn State )
• Example Personal Statement Supply Chain Management (Admitted to MIT )
• Example Personal Statement Teaching ( Scholarship US State Department)
• Example Education Personal Statement (Admitted to UPenn , NYU , UCLA )
• Example Personal Statement Education Policy (Admitted to USC )
• Example Personal Statement Special Education Teacher (Admitted to TUFTS )
• Example Personal Statement of an Aspiring Teacher (Admitted to American University )
• Example Personal Statement Residency in Internal Medicine (Admitted to ASU )
• Example Personal Statement Counseling (Admitted to Harvard , Yale )
• Example Personal Statement Psychology (Admitted to NYU Steinhardt)
• Example Personal Statement Nursing (Admitted to Duke , Ohio)
• Example Personal Statement Public Health (MPH) (Admitted to Columbia , Emory)
• Example Personal Statement Social Work (MSW) (Admitted to Columbia )
• Example Personal Statement Veterinary (Admitted to UC Davis , CSU , Edinburgh)
• Example Personal Statement Biochemistry (Admitted to Johns Hopkins )
• Example Personal Statement Biology (Admitted to JHU )
• Example Personal Statement Anthropology (Admitted to Stanford )
• Example Personal Statement Environment and Sustainability (admitted to Stanford , CALTECH )
• Example Personal Statement Environmental Sustainability and Energy Management (Admitted to Yale , Duke )
• Example Personal Statement International Relations (Admitted to Columbia , Cornell )
• Example Personal Statement Political Science (Admitted to Duke , UCLA , NYU )
• Example Personal Statement Public Administration MPA (Admitted to Columbia , Harvard )
• Example Personal Statement Public Policy MPP (Admitted to Harvard , Brown , Erasmus Mundus Scholarship )
• Example Personal Statement Architecture (Admitted to Cambridge , Cornell , Yale )
• Example Personal Statement MFA (Admitted to New School and Rhode Island )
• Example Personal Statement in Filmmaking (Admitted to New York Film Academy )
• Example Personal Statement Fashion and Textile (Admitted to Parsons , Royal College of Arts )
• Example Personal Statement Math (Admitted to Oxbridge )
• Example Personal Statement Statistics (Admitted to NCSU , Cornell )
• Example Personal Statement Religious Studies (Admitted to Columbia , Harvard )
• Example Personal Statement 1 (Admitted to MIT )
• Example Personal Statement 2 (Admitted to Cambridge )
• Example Research Statement (Admitted to JHU )
• Example Statement of Research Interests (Admitted to Scripps )
• Example Statement of Objectives (Admitted to MIT )
• Example Personal StatemenT MS leading to Ph.D. (Admitted to Notre Dame )

These essays are written by applicants who are seeking financial aid or funding to support their graduate studies. In most cases, the program does not require a separate essay or application for the scholarship or fellowship, but in a few cases they do.

Most external donors do require a separate application such as the Fulbright program.

The purpose of these essays is to convince the selection committee that the applicant is the best candidate for the scholarship or fellowship.

• Scholarship Personal Statement Example (Won $250,000 Scholarship )
• Scholarship Personal Statement Example (Won Erasmus Mundus Scholarship )
• Fellowship Personal Statement Example (Won MIT Sloan Fellowship )
• Scholarship Personal Statement Example 1 (Won Fulbright Scholarship )
• Scholarship Personal Statement Example 2 (Won Fulbright Scholarship )

Word Count-Specific Personal Statements have a specific word count limit, which must be adhered to by the applicant. These are often required as part of graduate school applications, where the admissions committee wants to ensure that all applicants are providing the same amount of information and not exceeding or falling short of the specified word count.

Writing a word count-specific personal statement can be challenging, as applicants must balance providing enough detail to adequately convey their story and goals, while also being concise and staying within the specified limit. However, meeting the word count requirement is essential for demonstrating an applicant’s ability to communicate effectively, follow instructions, and prioritize information.

Here are a few examples of word-count specific personal statements.

• 100 Word Personal Statement Example
• 150 Word Personal Statement Example
• 200 Word Personal Statement Example
• 250 Word Personal Statement Example
• 300 Word Personal Statement Example
• 400 Word Personal Statement Example
• 500 Word Personal Statement Example
• 600 Word Personal Statement Example
• 700 Word Personal Statement Example
• 750 Word Personal Statement Example
• 800 Word Personal Statement Example
• 1000 Word Personal Statement Example

Prompt specific personal statements are statements that are tailored to answer a specific question or prompt in a personal statement. These statements are typically used in graduate school applications, especially MBA apps. These essays usually have a word-limit as well.

The purpose of a question specific personal statement is to demonstrate to the admissions committee that the applicant has the skills, knowledge, and experience required to succeed in the program. By directly addressing the prompt or question, the applicant can provide a focused and coherent response that highlights their relevant qualities and accomplishments.

For example, if a prompt asks an applicant to discuss their leadership experience, a question specific personal statement would focus on describing specific instances where the applicant demonstrated leadership skills and qualities, such as problem-solving, decision-making, and effective communication.

Here are some samples on Question or Prompt Specific Personal Statements.

• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Career Goals
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Values that have Influenced You
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Leadership
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Describe a Challenge you Faced and How you Overcame it?
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on My Passion in Life
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Why do you want to become a doctor?
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 1 ( Responses to 6 Prompts for Fellowship)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 2 ( Responses to 5 Prompts for Duke)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 3 ( Responses to 3 Prompts for MIT)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 4 ( Responses to 4 Prompts for LBS)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 5 ( Responses to 4 Prompts for UC Berkeley)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 6 ( Responses to 4 Prompts for MIT)

Addressing Common Personal Statement Components

In this section, I will explore the various components that commonly make up a well-rounded personal statement.I have also discussed these in a lot more detail in a blog post here . In that post, I have also shared various examples of personal statements that show how you can put these components in an essay form. Furthermore, that blog post also introduces an 8-point framework designed to assist you in evaluating and rating your personal statement draft.

When applying for graduate programs that are academic in nature, such as PhD, Master of Science, or Master of Arts, it’s essential to emphasize your academic achievements and experiences in your personal statement. To effectively showcase your educational background, you can do the following:

• Highlight relevant coursework: Discuss courses that have prepared you for graduate study and demonstrate your passion for the subject.
• Showcase your academic accomplishments: Mention awards, honors, high GPA, or scholarships you’ve received, and explain their significance.
• Share influential academic experiences: Describe any conferences, workshops, or seminars you’ve attended, and explain how they’ve shaped your understanding of your field.

When applying for research-oriented programs such as PhD, post-doc, or research-based masters, it’s crucial to emphasize your research background, experiences, and achievements in your personal statement. To effectively highlight your research accomplishments, consider including the following in your personal statement:

• Describe your research projects: Outline the relevant research you’ve conducted, including the objectives, methodology, and results.
• Emphasize your role: Detail your specific contributions (co-contributor, co-author, lead researcher) to the research project, highlighting your skills and expertise.
• Discuss the impact: Explain how your research has contributed to the field (maybe you got published in a journal, got a patent or published a white paper). You can also discuss how it influenced your career goals.

When composing your personal statement, it’s a good idea to show your work and internship experiences, as they highlight your practical skills and dedication to your chosen field. These experiences are especially significant for those applying to professional programs such as MBA, Project Management, and Masters in Engineering. 

However, they can also add considerable value to applications for academic or research-based programs. To effectively emphasize your work experiences and their relevance to your graduate studies, take into account the following aspects:

• Detail relevant experiences: Discuss any internships, part-time jobs, or full-time positions related to your field, highlighting the skills you’ve gained.
• Demonstrate transferable skills: Show how your work experience has equipped you with valuable skills (e.g., teamwork, leadership, problem-solving) that can be applied to your graduate studies.
• Share meaningful moments: Describe any significant projects, accomplishments, or challenges you’ve encountered during your work experience that have shaped your perspective or goals.

In your personal statement, highlighting your volunteer and community service experiences can be a valuable addition, particularly for programs that emphasize social impact or community engagement, such as social work, public health, or education.

These experiences demonstrate your commitment to making a difference, and they showcase your ability to apply the skills and knowledge gained in real-world situations. Additionally, they reflect your extroverted nature, openness to new ideas, and willingness to engage with people from diverse backgrounds. 

Emphasizing your involvement in volunteer work and community service not only reveals your personal growth and alignment with your field of study but also highlights your ability to work collaboratively, appreciate different perspectives, and contribute positively to society. To give you some idea, you can demonstrate your service to the community by doing the following in your personal statement:

• Showcase your involvement: Discuss volunteer work, community service, or extracurricular activities you’ve participated in that are relevant to your field of study or personal growth.
• Emphasize personal growth: Describe the impact of these experiences on your personal development, such as gaining empathy, cultural competence, or leadership skills.
• Connect to your field: Explain how your volunteer or community service experiences relate to your graduate studies and future career aspirations.

By sharing the obstacles you’ve faced and the lessons you’ve learned from them, you demonstrate your resilience, adaptability, and motivation. Connecting these experiences to your academic and career goals will further emphasize your determination to succeed in your chosen field and your readiness for the rigors of graduate study. Here are some ideas to get you started with this:

• Share your story: Discuss any personal challenges or obstacles you’ve faced and how they’ve shaped your character, values, or motivations.
• Demonstrate resilience: Explain how you’ve overcome these challenges and what you’ve learned from the experience.
• Relate to your academic and career goals: Show how your personal growth and experiences have influenced your decision to pursue graduate studies and your future career aspirations.

Your personal statement should also address your future goals and career aspirations. You should discuss both your short-term (3-5 year) and long-term (10-15 year) goals in your grad school personal statement. 

Explain the motivation behind them, and connect these goals to the graduate program you’re applying to. This will show that you have a clear plan for your academic and professional journey, and that the program is an essential stepping stone toward achieving your goals. Here is a helping hand that will assist you include this element in your essay.

• Outline your short-term and long-term goals: Discuss your objectives for both your graduate studies and your future career, demonstrating a clear vision of your path.
• Explain your passion and motivation: Share the driving forces behind your goals, showcasing your enthusiasm and dedication to your field of study.
• Connect your goals to the graduate program: Illustrate how the specific graduate program you’re applying to will help you achieve your academic and career objectives.

Tailoring your Personal Statement for Specific Schools

One common mistake that applicants make is submitting a generic personal statement to multiple programs. This can significantly reduce their chances of admission. 

Universities appreciate when applicants have taken the time to research the specific program, courses, faculty, and research facilities, demonstrating genuine interest and effort. 

While it’s acceptable to have a core personal statement that outlines your personal story, achievements, and interests, it’s crucial to tailor part of the essay to the particular program you are applying to. By customizing your personal statement, you show the admissions committee that you’ve done your homework.

Here I have some suggestions for you that you can use to tailor your personal statement for the specific program.

To tailor your personal statement for specific schools, it’s essential to thoroughly research the program and faculty at each institution. This involves exploring the program’s curriculum, core and optional course offerings, summer internship placement opportunities, industry-affiliated projects that are available, faculty research interests, and the school’s overall reputation in your field. By understanding these aspects, you can demonstrate your genuine interest in the program and highlight how your background and goals align with the faculty and coursework offered.

Once you have a solid understanding of the program and faculty, emphasize the alignment between your own values, objectives, and the program’s values and objectives in your personal statement. This can include showcasing your commitment to the program’s core principles, highlighting your passion for the program’s focus areas, and demonstrating your enthusiasm for working with particular faculty members on research or projects that align with your interests.

Each graduate program may have unique offerings that set it apart from others, such as specialized courses, research centers, or industry partnerships. In your personal statement, highlight these distinctive features and explain how they will benefit you. By doing this, you show the admissions committee that you have carefully considered the program’s offerings and have a clear understanding of how they will contribute to your academic and professional growth.

Personal Statement Pitfalls to Avoid

When writing your personal statement, you should be watchful of common traps that can diminish the impact of your narrative. Avoiding these mistakes will help you create a nice, well-rounded and unique story that will stand out to the adcom.

I have also discussed these in a lot more detail in a blog post here . In that post, I have also shared various examples of personal statements that avoid these traps and some that fall for them.

Here are some critical pitfalls to avoid:

Avoid relying on common phrases or clichés in your personal statement. Nearly all the personal statement templates use clichés like, such as “I’ve always known that I wanted to…”, “I have a thirst for knowledge.”, “I want to give back to society.”, “Ever since I can remember…”. These can make your writing appear as copy paste, dull and boring. Instead, you should try to be creative and unique and use expressions that genuinely reflect your own individual experiences and motivations.

While it’s essential to showcase your achievements and strengths, be cautious not to overdo self-promotion. Overly boastful or self-aggrandizing language can be off-putting to the reader and you could come across as arrogant and self-conceited. Focus on presenting your accomplishments and experiences in a balanced and authentic manner, highlighting the impact and the lessons learned from them. In short, stay humble.

A disorganized or unfocused personal statement can make it difficult for the admissions committee to grasp your main points or understand your narrative. Ensure your personal statement is well-structured, with clear coherence between paragraphs and a logical progression of ideas. Stay focused on only talking about experiences that are relevant to your field of study. However, if you want to talk about something that you feel is important for the application but is not relevant to the chosen program, just touch upon it in your essay.

Again, I would recommend you to go through this post where I have delved deeper into the things you should avoid. Additionally, in that post I have also provided you with a 7-point framework that you can use to circumvent the common pitfalls often encountered in personal statements.

Seeking Feedback and Revising Your Personal Statement

Before submitting your personal statement, it’s essential to seek and incorporate feedback. Applicants who create successful personal statements spend 20 hours on average on creating the perfect essay. You should consult mentors, advisors, and peers, to refine your narrative. This section will guide you through the process of seeking feedback and making revisions to optimize your personal statement.

Seek input from individuals who know you well and have experience with the application process. I would also recommend that you should ask feedback from people who have successfully gone through the process in the past. Their feedback can help you identify areas for improvement, and ensure your narrative aligns properly.

After receiving feedback from various sources, take the time to thoughtfully consider their suggestions and incorporate them into your personal statement. Remember that not all feedback may be applicable or useful, so use your judgment to determine which revisions will enhance your narrative. Continue refining your personal statement through multiple drafts, ensuring your final version presents a polished and compelling story that showcases your strengths and aspirations.

I hope that these 100+ personal statement examples for graduate school and all the associated tips will provide you with the inspiration, guidance, and ideas you need to create a captivating narrative of your own. As you embark on this journey, remember that dedication, self-reflection, and resilience are key to putting up a persuasive narrative. Remember, there is no short-cut to success. Good luck, and we can’t wait to see where your academic journey takes you!

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Guide to Effective Public Health Personal Statements

Table of Contents

A  public health personal statement  is a written account of an individual’s experience, qualifications, and expertise in public health. It demonstrates your suitability and capability for a position or program. 

A personal statement allows the writer to display their knowledge while providing insight into their values and beliefs related to public health initiatives.

Whether a student or professional, you’ll likely encounter a task requiring you to write a personal statement. Most special programs and postgraduate programs require applicants to include a personal statement .

The Importance of a Personal Statement

A personal statement is crucial in any application process because it provides recruiters and admissions board members a glimpse into your values .

Understanding an applicant’s values is important because you learn about the things that matter to them most. The values they embody will often determine their suitability for a role, program, or community. This is based on the premise that someone with specific values will likely work well with like-minded people.

Moreover, your personal statement is a golden opportunity to cement a good impression in your reader’s mind.

Tips for Writing an MPH Personal Statement

Add specific examples.

It’s easy enough to make bold claims and sweeping statements that sound great. Specific anecdotes are a surefire way to stand out from the crowd. They sound more authentic and are a chance to create a vivid image in your reader’s eyes. Be sure to also add specific, factual evidence to support your claims. 

Write with Emotion

Speak from the heart. We are inherently drawn to people and things that know how to evoke emotions. Choose words that evoke emotion in your reader, and show off your passion for the subject matter. Your reader may not remember every detail of your personal statement, but they will surely remember how they felt reading it. 

Avoid Repetition

Vary sentence structure and syntax to make your writing more exciting and engaging. To avoid repeating yourself and try using synonyms or uncommon words whenever possible. A clear, interesting personal statement will keep your reader hooked until the end. 

Use Colloquial Language Properly

Try sprinkling in slang or colloquial language throughout your essay to give it a casual, personable feel. However, remember to keep it professional by avoiding overly informal terms. 

Provide Clear Explanations

Your essay should always include clear explanations of why you want to pursue public health and what makes you passionate about the field. Explain in detail why this is the right path for you and how it will benefit you and society.

Public Health Personal Statement Samples

If you have difficulty applying these tips to your personal statement, try to gain inspiration from these examples.

I am an experienced healthcare professional eager to leverage my skill set and passion for public health management in a postgraduate program. From managing critical patients to delivering data-driven insights, I have gained invaluable insight into the importance of preventive and proactive approaches to healthcare. 

My commitment to taking calculated risks and never shying away from difficult conversations or challenging problems makes me an ideal candidate. Through my dedication to interpersonal relationships, I am confident I can serve as a strong collaborator and leader within any public health organization. As someone who thrives in chaotic environments, I look forward to this next step. I am to hone my expertise and become a respected figure in the field.

I have been passionate about the field of public health since I first started college. After completing my undergraduate degree, I pursued a Master of Public Health to further my knowledge and understanding of global health issues. My academic background and professional experience have enabled me to understand the importance of tackling public health challenges from different angles. This inspired me to create an interdisciplinary approach combining epidemiology, basic medical science, research, and practice for better disease prevention and health improvement initiatives. 

I am aware of our work’s impact on people’s lives and the world at large. This drives me to continually seek new opportunities to contribute positively to public health management. 

From researching effective interventions to helping communities access healthcare services, I strongly believe in making positive change through collaboration.

A master’s program in public health is the best step toward achieving this goal while also sharpening my skill set. In particular, I want to excel in global health promotion, policymaking, and data analytics. Attending such a course will undoubtedly enable me to become part of the worldwide effort to improve human well-being and life expectancy. 

Therefore, it is my sincere hope that this application will provide me with an opportunity to attend the desired postgraduate program. I wish to fulfill my ambitions of effectively addressing pressing health issues worldwide.

I am a student applying for a postgraduate program in public health management to further develop my career. Throughout my educational journey, I have had the opportunity to attend diverse universities and schools while focusing on the science of care. 

Through this time, I have been able to think critically about what it takes to lead policy development and teaching focused on public health. Each class has allowed me to expand my knowledge base and better understand how to best serve our community. I’ve been able to develop thought-out initiatives that are both effective and innovative. 

I am confident that I will be able to leverage the skills gained through my education to bring tangible results.

I am a graduate student highly interested in studying public health management. After researching this area for over a year, I have realized its importance in medical care and research. This is especially true when it comes to providing access to crucial information and resources to those who need them most. 

As a student passionate about medicine, my story has always been one of dedication and understanding. It has led me to take a deep dive into the world of public health. 

My experience with public health began long before I ever stepped foot in a classroom. Over the past few years, I have taken on various internships and worked closely with healthcare professionals to gain invaluable insight into the sector. This work has left me feeling strongly connected to public health as a whole and eager to further explore its implications. Throughout my studies, I have become more confident in asking questions and seeking answers that will contribute to better patient care. This is why I believe furthering my education is absolutely essential. 

A postgraduate degree in public health management is the perfect way to combine my passion for medicine with my knowledge of public health-related topics. It would allow me to apply what I have learned throughout my studies. 

Writing a public health personal statement is a straightforward affair that emphasizes your values and character . If you want to increase your chances of success, take the time to master these tips. While they won’t help you master the task overnight, they offer you the opportunity to create good habits. These will serve you well in your future endeavors, whether you work in a local hospital or with an international team.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Schools' privacy policy

The Department of Education (the department) values your privacy and is committed to protecting information that schools collect.

All staff including contractors, service providers and volunteers of the department, and all Victorian government schools (schools), must comply with Victorian privacy law and this policy.

In Victorian government schools, the management of personal information  and health information is governed by Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) (collectively, Victorian privacy law). In addition, the Department and Victorian government schools must comply with the Victorian Data Sharing Act 2017 .

This policy explains how Victorian government schools collect and manage personal and health information, consistent with Victorian privacy law and other associated legislation.

In addition to its obligations described in this policy, the department has limited and specific obligations under national applied law schemes which are set out in the department’s Privacy Policy (National Law) . These additional obligations relate to our role as early childhood services regulator in Victoria, and also in relation to health practitioners who are governed by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Victoria). However, health information collected and managed in Victorian government schools is primarily handled in accordance with the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and obligations are, in practice, consistent. Where clarification is required, contact the Privacy team.

Definitions

Personal information is recorded information or opinion, whether true or not, about a person whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information. The information or opinion can be recorded in any form. A person's name, address, phone number and date of birth (age) are all examples of personal information.

Sensitive information is a type of personal information with stronger legal protections due to the risk of discrimination. It includes information or opinion about an identifiable person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions or affiliations, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or practices, criminal record, or membership of a trade union.

Personal and sensitive information is regulated in Victoria under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic).

Health information is information or opinion about an identifiable person’s physical, mental or psychological health or disability. Health information is a type of personal information which, because of its sensitivity, also has different and stronger legal protections.

Health information is regulated in Victoria under the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).

Note : De-identified information about individuals can become personal information if it is re-identified or if it is at high risk of being re-identified, for example, if it is released to the public or is a small sample size.

What information do we collect?

Schools collect the following types of information.

• Information about students and their families provided by students, their families and others – for example, contact and enrolment details, health information, and parenting and access arrangements.
• Information about job applicants, staff, volunteers and visitors provided by job applicants, staff members, volunteers, visitors and others – for example, qualifications, working with children checks, teacher registration and banking details.
• Information about the activities of students, staff and families if they are on school grounds (for example captured through CCTV) or using school or departmental systems (such as school networks or school-acquired software).

How do we collect this information?

Schools collect information in a number of ways, including:

• in person and over the phone: from students and their families, staff, volunteers, visitors, job applicants and others
• from electronic and paper documentation: such as job applications, emails, invoices, letters, and forms (such as enrolment, excursion, medical, specialist or consent forms)
• through school websites and school-controlled social media
• through online tools: such as apps and other software used by schools
• through any CCTV cameras located at schools
• through photographs, film and other recordings
• through polls, surveys and questionnaires
• and, in some cases, through authorised information sharing arrangements with other services.

Collection notices

Schools provide families with a privacy collection notice (also known as a collection statement or privacy notice) on enrolment and on an annual basis to communicate:

• the reason for collecting information about families and students
• how the information is used and disclosed
• how to access, update and correct the information.

Schools may also send out ad hoc collection notices during the year, for example if they are adopting new technologies or processes.

Consent processes

Consent is when someone voluntarily agrees for their information to be collected, used and/or shared within or outside the school or the department.

Consent, when required, is sought in different ways and can be verbal, online or in writing, depending on the circumstances. There are many consent processes that may be applied during the school year.

Some consents are annual, for example the yearly photography consent process, while some will be for a specific purpose such as to collect information for a school event or use of a new software application.

When seeking consent for photographing students, schools apply the Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy .

Unsolicited information about people

Schools may receive information about you that they have taken no active steps to collect. If permitted or required by law, schools may keep records of this information. If not, they will destroy or de-identify the information when practicable, lawful and reasonable to do so.

Why do we collect this information?

Primary purposes of collecting information about students and their families.

Schools collect information about students and their families when necessary to:

• educate students
• support students’ social and emotional wellbeing, and health
• take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of reasonably foreseeable harm to students, staff and visitors (duty of care)
• make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities (anti-discrimination law)
• ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of people in school workplaces (occupational health and safety law)
• communicate with parents about students’ schooling matters and celebrate the efforts and achievements of students
• maintain the good order and management of schools
• ensure the effective management, resourcing and administration of schools
• fulfil statutory functions and duties
• plan, fund, monitor, regulate and evaluate the department’s policies, services and functions
• comply with reporting requirements
• investigate incidents in schools and/or respond to any legal claims against the Department, including any of its schools.

Primary purposes of collecting information about others

Schools collect information about staff, volunteers and job applicants:

• to assess applicants’ suitability for employment or volunteering
• to administer employment or volunteer placement
• for insurance purposes, including public liability and WorkCover
• to fulfil various legal obligations, including employment and contractual obligations, occupational health and safety law and to investigate incidents
• to respond to legal claims against schools/the department.

When do we use or disclose information?

Using and/or disclosing information refers to how it is utilised for a specific purpose, and how it is shared and/or made available to other individuals or organisations.

Schools use or disclose information consistent with Victorian privacy law and other associated legislation, including as follows:

• for a primary purpose – as defined above
• for a related secondary purpose that is reasonably to be expected – for example, to enable the school council to fulfil its objectives, functions and powers
• with notice and/or consent – for example, consent provided for the use and disclosure of enrolment details (the information collected will not be disclosed beyond the department without consent, unless such disclosure is lawful)
• a person’s life, health, safety or welfare
• the public’s health, safety or welfare
• when required or authorised by law – including as a result of our anti-discrimination law, occupational health and safety law, child wellbeing and safety law, family violence law, or reporting obligations to agencies such as the Department of Health and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and complying with tribunal or court orders, subpoenas, summonses or search warrants, and in some circumstances to meet our duty of care
• when required under the Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes, with other Victorian schools and Victorian services to promote the wellbeing or safety of children, or to assess or manage family violence risk
• to investigate or report suspected unlawful activity, or when reasonably necessary for a specified law enforcement purpose, including the prevention or investigation of a criminal offence or seriously improper conduct, by or on behalf of a law enforcement agency
• as de-identified information, for research or school statistics purposes, or to inform departmental policy and strategy
• to establish or respond to a legal claim.

Unique identifiers

The department assigns a unique identifier to every Victorian government school student in its student records system to enable schools to carry out their functions effectively. In addition, the department uses a unique Victorian Student Number (VSN) assigned to each student by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) when they enrol in a Victorian government school, independent or Catholic school. The use of the VSN is regulated and can only be used as stipulated by legislation.

The department also assigns international students a unique international student identifier number.

Other unique identifiers may be applied by schools.

Students undertaking vocational or university education can also register for a Federal Government issued and managed unique identifier, Unique Student Identifier (USI). The USI is used to create an online record of a student’s recognised Australian training and qualifications. Students are required to have a USI before they can receive their qualification or statement of attainment.

Student transfers

Between victorian government schools.

When a student has been accepted at, and is transferring to, another Victorian government school, the current school transfers information about the student to that school. This may include copies of the student’s school records, including any health information. Parental consent is not required for this.

This enables the new school to continue to provide for the education of the student, to support the student’s social and emotional wellbeing and health, and to fulfil legal requirements.

To and from Victorian non-government schools including Catholic schools

When a student has been accepted at, and is transferring to or from a non-government school in Victoria, the current school provides a transfer note from the student records system to the new school, with parental consent.

Additionally, the current school may share information with the new school to promote the wellbeing or safety of the student or to assess or manage family violence risk pursuant to the Information Sharing Schemes.

To and from interstate schools

When a student has been accepted at and is transferring to or from a school outside Victoria, the current school provides a transfer note to the new school, with parental consent.

Further direction on information transfers between schools is available in the guidance under Enrolment – Student transfers between schools .

NAPLAN results

NAPLAN is the national assessment for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9, in reading, writing, language and numeracy.

Schools use NAPLAN data to evaluate their educational programs by analysing results for students who attended their school.

Victorian government schools can access student NAPLAN results from the student records system. When a student transfers to or from an independent, Catholic or interstate school, with parental consent, the school where the assessment was undertaken can provide a student’s NAPLAN results to the new school.

Responding to complaints

On occasion, Victorian government schools and the department’s central and regional offices receive complaints from parents and others. Schools and/or the department’s central or regional offices will use and disclose information as considered appropriate to respond to these complaints (including responding to complaints made to external organisations or agencies). More information about the process can be found in the Complaints – Parents policy .

Complaints relating to the department’s International Student Program are managed according to the ISP Complaints and Appeals Policy .

Complaints specifically about the department’s or a school’s handling of personal information are managed according to the privacy complaints process .

Complaints about the handling of personal information on the Child Link Register will be responded to by the department’s Privacy team. For all other complaints relating to Child Link email [email protected] or contact the Child Link Enquiry Line at 1800 549 646.

Accessing information

All individuals, or their authorised representative(s), have a right to access, update and correct information that a school holds about them, providing access to information or records doesn’t increase a risk to the safety of a child or children.

Access to student information

Schools only provide school reports and ordinary school communications to students, parents, carers or others who have a legal right to that information. Requests for access to other student information or by others must be made by lodging a Freedom of Information (FOI) application through the department’s Freedom of Information Unit.

In some circumstances, an authorised representative may not be entitled to information about the student. These circumstances include when granting access would not be in the student’s best interests or would breach our duty of care to the student, would be contrary to a mature minor student’s wishes or would unreasonably impact on the privacy of another person.

Additionally, the Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes allow prescribed organisations to share confidential information with each other to promote the wellbeing or safety of children, or to assess or manage family violence risk. Victorian schools and a range of other Victorian services fall under these schemes. For more information, refer to: Information sharing and MARAM reforms .

Access to staff information

School staff may first seek access to their personnel file by contacting the principal. Guidance on access to staff health information is available at: Access to health information – Employees . If direct access is not granted, the staff member may request access through the department's Freedom of Information Unit.

Refer to Freedom of information requests for further information.

Storing and securing information

Victorian government schools take reasonable steps to protect information from misuse and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. They store all paper and electronic records securely, consistent with the department’s records management policy and information security standards. All school records are formally disposed of, or transferred to the State Archives (Public Record Office Victoria), as required by the relevant Public Record Office Victoria record Retention and Disposal Authorities. Refer to the Records Management Policy for Schools for further information.

Victorian government schools are provided with tools and information to help them assess software and contracted service providers for privacy and information handling risk. Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) help schools to assess third party software used in a school that handles personal, sensitive or health information. Conducting PIAs helps schools to identify privacy and security risks, evaluate compliance with Victorian privacy laws and document actions required to manage any identified risks.

The European Union’s (EU’s) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to international students from the EU.For queries, contact [email protected] .

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It is important that the information we hold about students, families and staff is accurate, complete and up to date. Please contact your school’s general office when information you have provided to them has changed.

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To make a FOI application contact:

Freedom of Information Unit Department of Education 2 Treasury Place, East Melbourne VIC 3002 (03) 7022 0078 [email protected]

For more information about FOI, see Freedom of information requests .

If you have a query or complaint about privacy, please contact:

Knowledge, Privacy and Records Branch Department of Education 2 Treasury Place, East Melbourne VIC 3002 (03) 8688 7967 [email protected]

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FACT FOCUS: Trump distorts use of ‘deadly force’ language in FBI document for Mar-a-Lago search

Former President Donald Trump speaks following the day’s proceedings in his trial Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool Photo via AP)

Pages from a FBI document contained in a Trump defense motion filing is photographed Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Former President Donald Trump picked up on standard language used in an FBI document unsealed May 21 to baselessly claim the Biden administration wanted to kill him during a search for documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

A page from a Trump defense motion filing is photographed Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Former President Donald Trump picked up on standard language used in an FBI document unsealed May 21 to baselessly claim the Biden administration wanted to kill him during a search for documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

This image from video obtained by the Justice Department and included as part of an exhibit in a motion filed by the defense team to suppress boxes of records seized at Mar-a-Lago, shows Walt Nauta, personal aide to former President Donald Trump, carrying boxes at the Palm Beach, Fla., estate. (Justice Department via AP)

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Former President Donald Trump pointed to standard language in an unsealed FBI document to baselessly claim that the Biden administration wanted to kill him during a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, nearly two years ago.

“WOW! I just came out of the Biden Witch Hunt Trial in Manhattan, the ‘Icebox,’ and was shown Reports that Crooked Joe Biden’s DOJ, in their illegal and UnConstitutional Raid of Mar-a-Lago, AUTHORIZED THE FBI TO USE DEADLY (LETHAL) FORCE,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday night. “NOW WE KNOW, FOR SURE, THAT JOE BIDEN IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO DEMOCRACY. HE IS MENTALLY UNFIT FOR OFFICE — 25TH AMENDMENT!”

The claim was also boosted online by his supporters.

But the language Trump referenced is a standard policy statement used for issuing search warrants and was not unique to the FBI’s search of his property. It is actually meant to limit the use of deadly force.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

The Biden administration authorized the use of “deadly force” against former President Donald Trump during an FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022.

The policy statement on the “use of deadly force,” which appeared in an operations order for the Mar-a-Lago search, is not evidence of a plot to kill Trump. It is a Department of Justice policy that is standard to include in such documents.

“The FBI followed standard protocol in this search as we do for all search warrants, which includes a standard policy statement limiting the use of deadly force,” the agency said in a statement. “No one ordered additional steps to be taken and there was no departure from the norm in this matter.”

As it appears in the operations order, the policy stipulates in part that Department of Justice officers “may use deadly force only when necessary, that is, when the officer has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to another person.” The policy is in the department’s Justice Manual with only minor differences in wording to what is included in the order and is summarized on the FBI’s website .

Frank Figliuzzi, a former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, reiterated in an X post what the agency said in its statement.

“Yep, every FBI operations order contains a reminder of FBI deadly force policy,” he wrote. “Even for a search warrant. Deadly force is always authorized if the required threat presents itself.”

A motion that Trump’s lawyers filed in his federal classified documents case , also unsealed Tuesday, asserted that the August 2022 search was unconstitutional and “illegal,” misquoting the operations order as saying that “law enforcement officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary.”

Trump wasn’t at Mar-a-Lago , which was shuttered for the season, at the time of the search. The Associated Press reported at the time that the FBI reached out to the Secret Service detail that provides protection to the former president and his homes shortly before serving the warrant.

The facts did not stop Trump and his allies from spreading the erroneous allegation.

A Trump campaign fundraising email with the subject line “They were authorized to shoot me!” was sent soon after he posted on social media and made even more outrageous claims.

“I nearly escaped death,” it reads. “You know they’re just itching to do the unthinkable. ... Joe Biden was locked & loaded ready to take me out & put my family in danger.”

Asked if Trump stands by the false claims, campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in an email: “This is a sickening attempt to run cover for Joe Biden who is the most corrupt president in history and a threat to our democracy.”

Hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican, wrote in an X post that “the Biden DOJ and FBI were planning to assassinate Pres Trump and gave the green light.”

Kari Lake, a Republican Senate candidate in Arizona, wrote in her own X post: “The sicko Biden FBI were ready to use deadly force during the Mar-a-Lago BS raid. That tells you everything you need to know about this criminal Biden admin.”

Trump was charged in June 2023 with illegally retaining classified documents taken with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after he left office in January 2021, and then obstructing government demands to give them back. Additional related charges were filed a month later. The FBI searched Mar-a-Lago as part of a probe that led to the indictment.

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NOAA Fisheries Finds Endangered Species Act Listing of Gulf of Alaska Chinook Salmon May Be Warranted

May 23, 2024

Missed escapement goals, decreasing size and age at maturity are factors in the decision.

In response to a petition to list Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries has found that listing may be warranted. We filed a positive 90-day finding in the Federal Register , which is a threshold determination based mainly on the contents of the petition itself. It triggers a more in-depth review to determine whether listing is warranted.

On January 11, 2024, we received a petition from the Wild Fish Conservancy to delineate and list one or more evolutionarily significant units of Chinook salmon in southern Alaska as threatened or endangered. It also requested that we designate critical habitat concurrently with the listing.

According to the Conservancy, the petition “encompasses all Chinook populations that enter the marine environment of the Gulf of Alaska.” It “includes all populations on the southern side of the Aleutian Peninsula, Cook Inlet, and the coast of Alaska south of Cook Inlet to the southern end of the Alaska/British Columbia border.”

We interpret the request as asking us to consider populations of Chinook salmon on:

• Southern side of the Alaska Peninsula, including Kodiak Island, Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound
• Gulf of Alaska coastline
• Inside waters of Southeast Alaska to the United States/Canada border

The Endangered Species Act requires the Secretary of Commerce make a finding within 90 days on whether a petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating the petitioned action may be warranted.

The 90-Day Finding

To make a 90-day finding on a petition to list a species, we evaluate whether it presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating the species may be either threatened or endangered. At this stage, we do not conduct additional research, and we do not solicit information from outside parties to help us evaluate the petition.

We have reviewed the petition, the literature cited in the petition, and other literature and information available in our files prior to receipt of the petition. We found that the information present in the petition  contained numerous factual errors, omissions, incomplete references, and unsupported assertions and conclusions. Still , we considered missed escapement goals in recent years for many stocks in the petitioned area, and evidence of decreasing size and age at maturity. We concluded that the petition contained enough information for a reasonable person to conclude that the petitioned action may be warranted.

With the positive 90-day finding, we are commencing a review of the status of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon to determine whether listing is warranted. We will convene a status review team of federal scientists to begin an in-depth review of the species’ current status and extinction risk. We will include input from non-federal experts by inviting them to participate as guest consultants to the team as part of a broad-based gathering of information.

“The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has tremendous expertise in salmon biology and management in Alaska,” said NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Administrator Jon Kurland. “In particular, we will seek technical assistance from our state partners on Chinook biology, genetics, and relevant risk factors.”

The status review team will collect and analyze the best available scientific and commercial information on the species to evaluate its current status and extinction risk, including:

• Abundance and population trends
• Traditional Knowledge
• Threats to the species 

The team will develop a status review report that will undergo peer review, and peer reviewer comments will be made publicly available.

Once the status review is complete, we must publish a finding as to whether the petitioned action is warranted within 12 months of receipt of the petition. The finding at the 12-month stage is based on a more thorough review of the available information; a positive 90-day finding does not prejudge the outcome of the status review.

We are dedicating personnel and resources towards a timely completion. We expect significant challenges given the vast geographical extent of the petitioned area. There is also potential for numerous distinct populations within that area that will each require a separate analysis of its status and trends. 

After completing the status review and considering ongoing conservation efforts, we will determine whether a listing is warranted and publish the finding in the Federal Register . 

If we determine that a listing of one or more evolutionarily significant units is warranted, we will seek public comments on the proposed listing. We will host public hearings and engage with Tribes to provide multiple opportunities for public engagement and input to inform our final listing decision.

How to Comment

To ensure that our status review is informed by the best available scientific and commercial data, we are opening a 60-day public comment period to solicit information on Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon. Submit relevant data and information, identified by “Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon petition” or by the docket number, NOAA-NMFS-2024-0042, by one of the following methods: 

• Electronic submissions: via the  Federal eRulemaking Portal
• Mail to: Anne Marie Eich, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region NOAA Fisheries. Attn. Susan Meyer, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802

Comments must be received on or before July 23, 2024.  

NOAA Fisheries   will post all information received on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any personal information that is provided.

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Press Release

Sec adopts rule amendments to regulation s-p to enhance protection of customer information.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2024-58

Washington D.C., May 16, 2024 —

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the adoption of amendments to Regulation S-P to modernize and enhance the rules that govern the treatment of consumers’ nonpublic personal information by certain financial institutions. The amendments update the rules’ requirements for broker-dealers (including funding portals), investment companies, registered investment advisers, and transfer agents (collectively, “covered institutions”) to address the expanded use of technology and corresponding risks that have emerged since the Commission originally adopted Regulation S-P in 2000. 

“Over the last 24 years, the nature, scale, and impact of data breaches has transformed substantially,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “These amendments to Regulation S-P will make critical updates to a rule first adopted in 2000 and help protect the privacy of customers’ financial data. The basic idea for covered firms is if you’ve got a breach, then you’ve got to notify. That’s good for investors.”

The amendments require covered institutions to develop, implement, and maintain written policies and procedures for an incident response program that is reasonably designed to detect, respond to, and recover from unauthorized access to or use of customer information. The amendments also require that the response program include procedures for, with certain limited exceptions, covered institutions to provide notice to individuals whose sensitive customer information was or is reasonably likely to have been accessed or used without authorization.

The amendments require a covered institution to provide notice as soon as practicable, but not later than 30 days, after becoming aware that an incident involving unauthorized access to or use of customer information has occurred or is reasonably likely to have occurred. The notice must include details about the incident, the breached data, and how affected individuals can respond to the breach to protect themselves.

The amendments will become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. Larger entities will have 18 months after the date of publication in the Federal Register to comply with the amendments, and smaller entities will have 24 months after the date of publication in the Federal Register to comply.

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