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Business School Personal Statement Examples

Browse our collection of Business School personal statement examples to inspire you to write your own unique statement.

My father was born in Tehran, Iran. He and his side of the family migrated to America as political refugees. My grandfather worked for the government at the time of the revolution, and when the political situation in the country changed, my father was added to a list of dissidents. My father understood what this meant for the safety of his family, so he made provisions to leave. He, my mother, and my grandparents first went to Britain to live with my mother’s cousin before moving to Chicago in the late eighties. After starting and failing multiple businesses, they started the Mohar Corporation in 1994. Read more >>

Everyone wants to be inspired by their leaders. History provides us with multiple examples of leaders who—for better (i.e., Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs) or for worse (Adolph Hitler)—inspired people to action and promoted change on such a major scale that the globe was forever changed. Although sources of inspiration are diverse, leadership remains a central factor in the extent to which individuals, especially on teams, are inspired to success or driven to failure. I believe that management—effective management—and leadership go hand in hand. Good managers know how to lead people and inspire change. Read more >>

James Broughton said, “The only limits are, as always, those of vision”. Truer words have never been spoken, for I believe that vision is the foundation upon which the impossible is built. Leadman University School of Business’ mission is centered on vision because, like me, the leadership of the institution believes that with a strong vision, students can go out and achieve the impossible. After all, everything is impossible until it has been done. Leadman has been producing visionary leaders for decades, and attending Leadman University School of Business is an integral part of the vision I have for myself and my future. Read more >>

My father was born in Holguin, Cuba. He and his side of the family migrated to America as political refugees. My grandfather worked for Castro at the time of the revolution, and when Castro became communist, he vowed to kill all his associates, necessitating my family’s departure. After starting and failing multiple businesses in the early 60s, they started the Esperanza Corporation in 1994. Over the last 10 years, I have helped grow this family business from a startup to a global company specializing in management. I have held many positions within the company, from sales manager to director, and I am looking to further my education in the hopes that I will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to not only take my business acumen to the next level but to positively impact the world at large. Read more >>

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How to Write a Top MBA Personal Statement (With Examples)

Working on your MBA application? You aren’t alone. In 2021, over 200,000 students graduated with an MBA degree making it the number one choice for graduate students for the 10th year in a row. And there’s good reason for this. According to the National Center for Education Statistics , post-MBA, grads can earn significantly more at work—experts estimate an additional $20,000 each year depending on the industry. 

During the application process, you’ll want to stand out. A well-crafted personal statement will help distinguish you from other applicants. It serves as a powerful tool to showcase your unique experiences, skills, and aspirations to admissions committees. To make a lasting impression, tailor your personal statement to each MBA program you’re applying to, highlighting how your background aligns with their values and goals. For additional support, keep reading for some MBA personal statement examples and guidance. 

Understanding the Foundations – Word Count, Templates, and Pricing

When you start your personal statement, keep the word count in mind. Make sure to write your statement succinctly. Templates can give crucial structure to a first draft and make sure you hit necessary points. Finally: is it worth it to hire a professional proofreader? We break down the pros and cons. 

Word Count Considerations

A well-written personal statement is often the deciding factor in the business school admissions process. Conveying your thoughts concisely is a crucial skill in the business world, and future peers will be grateful for your brevity.

One strategy is to start with a longer draft and edit it down when revising. Remove unnecessary details and tighten wordy language. Focus on improving the quality of your content over meeting the maximum word count. 

Templates as a Starting Point

Templates can help to organize your thoughts. Use them to provide structure and give your writing direction. By planning ahead, you can decide how much space you want to dedicate to each element—this can also help you meet the word count.

Remember: popular templates are popular for a reason, and following them too strictly can make your statement feel rigid and unoriginal. To avoid that pitfall, personalization is key. Your individual experiences, goals, and perspectives are all unique. What would a Master’s in Business Administration mean to you? Don’t be afraid to customize any template to fit your voice. 

Professional Proofreading

Graduate schools know what a well-written personal statement looks like—and so do professional proofreaders. Experts can help catch small grammatical errors and improve clarity in your writing. It can be challenging to review personal writing from an objective standpoint. A good proofreader will streamline your writing and ensure overall coherence, improving your odds with your preferred school of business. 

Unfortunately, this can be expensive. Pricing for these services can easily cost hundreds of dollars. If hiring one isn’t in the budget, here are some alternatives: 

• Find writing groups online or in person. Not only will you receive feedback, you’ll get a better idea of what other personal statements look like. Be prepared to help edit other statements.
• Reach out to peers and mentors. Turn to people who know your voice and can tell when your writing is authentic. Make sure they aren’t afraid to give negative feedback.
• Utilize free online resources. Writing tools like Grammarly or Hemingway help check grammar and sentence structure. They won’t help with essay format and aren’t infallible; double-check any changes they might suggest.
• Read your statement out loud. This can help make sure your statement has a good rhythm and flows naturally.
• Take breaks. Be your own set of fresh eyes. When you’re in the thick of writing, you might glaze over easy-to-spot details while you’re thinking of the big picture. Allow yourself to recharge and clear your head before you get back to it. 

Tailoring Your Personal Statement to Top MBA Programs

Make sure to personalize your essays to specific MBA programs . Include details about specific classes and faculty, unique opportunities, and the strengths that make this program stand out. 

Then, tie yourself into the narrative. What role would you fill as a graduate student or an alumnus? Consider your own strengths and where they align with this specific program. What career goals could this opportunity help you achieve? 

Remember to mention your soft skills and other details that may not show up elsewhere on your application. Finally, shine a spotlight on your unique contributions in past roles. 

Write a Captivating Introduction

A beautiful personal statement will be overlooked unless the introduction captivates the audience. You can begin with compelling anecdotes, personal stories, or influential quotes. Tie this introduction into your reason for pursuing an MBA. Make the reader care before launching into your achievements. Then, clearly state why you’re pursuing an MBA. Example: “From the dynamic intersections of global markets to the intricate strategies driving corporate success, the realm of business has always beckoned to me as a realm of boundless opportunity and perpetual evolution..” 

Discuss Academic and Professional Background

Now it’s time to discuss what you’re bringing to the table. It’s okay to brag! Think about any key achievements or acquired skills that are transferable to an MBA program. What motivated you to apply? Example : “As a project manager at XYZ Corp, I navigated intricate challenges, demonstrating resilience and strategic thinking – skills I am eager to refine in a top-tier MBA program.” 

Answer the Questions: Why an MBA? Why Now? 

What does an MBA mean for your career goals ? Break down your short and long-term goals to answer this essay question. How do the skills you gain from earning an MBA connect to your plan? Research the program you’re applying for and use examples from the curriculum. Example : “My immediate goal is to transition from project management to strategic consulting, and Crummer’s MBA program’s focus on experiential learning and global business strategy perfectly complements my aspirations.” 

Emphasize Soft Skills

Think about moments you demonstrated personal growth or teamwork. Are there any moments you stepped up to lead a project or team? Your past experiences will influence your habits in a graduate school setting. Example :  “Leading a cross-functional team on a high-stakes project not only honed my leadership skills but also taught me the importance of collaborative problem-solving, a cornerstone of Crummer’s MBA program. “

Spotlight Unique Contributions

What sets you apart from other applicants? Moreover, what impact will your unique perspective bring to the MBA cohort? Explain how your background will enrich the learning environment. Detail personal qualities and experiences that showcase your value. 

Key Elements for a Powerful Personal Statement

Take a holistic approach to strike the right chord in your personal statement. Give admissions committees a more concrete impression of you. Weave in your qualifications, experiences, and aspirations. Don’t just mention your professional achievements—detail all of your positive qualities. 

Showcase Work Experience 

Be strategic when discussing your real-world work experience. If you can, including measurable results is a great way to show your professional impact. Earnings numbers, statistics, and other metrics will show off your professional experiences. 

Articulate Career Goals and Aspirations

When discussing career goals for an MBA application, detail your short and long-term objectives clearly. Ambiguity can weaken your statement’s impact. Whether you’re joining a family business, starting your own business, or looking to go abroad for international business you should discuss how you see yourself navigating the business world. Connect these career aspirations to the MBA program. 

Incorporate Extracurricular and Real-World Experiences

Touch on any extracurricular experiences like internships or entrepreneurship. Explain how these real-world experiences impacted your analytical skills, business acumen, and decision-making. If you’re an entrepreneur, touch on your journey or discuss the vision for your next startup. 

You can also talk about moments where you demonstrated leadership and communication skills. Teamwork is critical to business leaders. Reflect on your leadership experience—the successes you’ve won and the lessons you learned. 

Maintain Authenticity

Write authentically. Admissions officers want genuine stories. Give readers a reason to empathize with you. Overly formal and generic language can depersonalize your statement and keep readers at arm’s length. 

Also, use conversational language. If something sounds clunky or unnatural, it probably also reads that way. Plus, the way you speak naturally showcases your personality. While you should always use proper grammar, don’t suck the life out of your statement in the name of sounding more “academic.” Use this opportunity to demonstrate your communication skills. 

Navigating Common Challenges

Crafting your personal statements can be challenging! Let’s answer some FAQs. 

How Do I Balance the Personal and Professional Aspects?

Be intentional about what you choose to mention from your personal life. Use elements that either contrast or emphasize your professional experience. How does your background influence your business philosophy? Make sure to keep a professional tone and align your statement with the admissions committee’s expectations and be prepared for any questions the interviewer could ask.

How Do I Handle Sensitive Topics?

If you’re writing about a sensitive topic, do so thoughtfully. You don’t know what type of people will be reading your statement, so be considerate and intentional about any details you choose to share. 

However, your application essay should be a reflection of you. Sensitive subjects often play a major role in personal growth and development. Discuss what you learned from this challenging experience and how it influenced you. 

How Do I Make My Writing Stand Out? 

We’ve touched on all of the story elements you need—now trim the fat. Avoid common clichés and generic statements. Common phrases will dilute the unique perspectives in your personal statement. Make sure the language aligns with you. Avoid language that could apply to everyone when possible. 

Other MBA Application Process Essentials – GMAT Score, GPA, and Statement of Purpose

The MBA application process is multifaceted and holistic. Alongside your statement, admissions committees also consider your GMAT scores and GPA. GMAT scores are used to gauge applicants’ aptitude for business studies, while GPA showcases your readiness for MBA rigor. If you have a lower score in either category, address these challenges by highlighting your other strengths, relevant experience, and resiliency. Remember: committees consider the entire application, not just scores. 

The other factor in the application process is your Statement of Purpose or SOP. This will complement your personal statement. Make sure your SOP articulates your academic and career goals without echoing your other application essay. Avoid redundancy. Focus on the future: link the MBA program to your long-term plan. Take a forward-looking perspective and demonstrate how the MBA will work as a natural progression in your life. 

Your personal statement should be as unique as you are. Start with a compelling narrative and a plan. Proofread your essay, and don’t be afraid to seek help from peers or professionals. Explain how your personal and professional life gives you the necessary skills to thrive at your desired program and be specific about what you want to do there. This is your chance to differentiate yourself from other applicants—take advantage!

Crummer is the #1 ranked MBA program in Florida. You can learn more about what we offer and when you’re ready, start working on your application . 

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Gre prep online guides and tips, how to write a stand-out personal statement for grad school.

If you’re applying to graduate school, you’ll likely need to write a personal statement. But what exactly is a graduate school personal statement? And what should you write about to give yourself your best shot at admission?

In this guide, we teach you how to write a personal statement for grad school, step by step. But first, let’s go over how the personal statement differs from the statement of purpose as well as what schools look for in a great graduate school essay.

What Is a Graduate School Personal Statement?

A graduate school personal statement is an admission essay that typically focuses on your personal reasons for wanting to enter a grad program and particular field of study. Essentially, you must tell the story of who you are and how you developed your current research interests.

So is a personal statement for graduate school the same thing as a statement of purpose? Well, not always (though it can be). Here are the general distinctions between the two essay types:

• Statement of purpose:  A formal essay that summarizes your academic and professional background, research interests, and career goals. In this essay, you’ll usually explain your reasons for applying to grad school and why you believe the program is a good fit for you (as well as why you’re a good fit for it!).
• Personal statement: A less formal essay that focuses on your passion and motivation for wanting to enter your chosen field and program. This statement is typically more flexible than the statement of purpose, with a bigger emphasis on storytelling. Schools often encourage applicants to discuss (relevant) challenges in their lives and how they’ve overcome them.

Both the graduate school personal statement and statement of purpose are usually anywhere from one to three double-spaced pages long, depending on the program you’re applying to.

Below is a chart comparing the personal statement and statement of purpose:

Usually, the personal statement and statement of purpose are considered two different graduate school essay types.

But this isn’t always the case. While some schools consider the personal statement and statement of purpose two distinct essays, others use the names interchangeably.

For example, Michigan State University’s College of Engineering  considers them two distinct essays, while The Ohio State University uses “personal statement” to describe what is essentially a statement of purpose.

Many schools require just one essay  (and it’ll usually be the statement of purpose, as it’s the more academic one). But some, such as the University of Michigan , ask for both a personal statement and statement of purpose, while others, such as  Notre Dame’s Creative Writing MFA program , want an essay that combines the features of both!

Ultimately, the type of graduate school essay you  submit will depend entirely on where you’re applying.

What Do Schools Look For in a Personal Statement?

Many grad schools require a personal statement in order to learn more about you, your interests, your struggles, and your motivations for wanting to enter a field of study. Through this essay, schools can get to know you on a deeper, more intimate level and learn about you in ways they can’t through transcripts and letters of recommendation alone.

But what specifically do universities look for in a great personal statement for graduate school? Here are some of the most important elements to include in your essay.

A Compelling Story

First off, your personal statement must tell a story. After all, this essay is basically your autobiography: it introduces who you are, your interests and motivations, and why you’ve decided to apply to grad school.

Unlike the statement of purpose, the personal statement should focus mostly on your personal history, from your failures to your triumphs. All experiences should tie back to your field or research area, emphasizing what you’ve learned and what this means in terms of your potential as a grad student.

Since you’re talking about yourself, be conversational in your storytelling: use an authentic voice, open up about your experiences, and maybe even throw in a joke or two. Though you’re still writing an essay for school, it’s generally OK to be a little more informal here than you would in a statement of purpose.

That said, there are a couple of things you absolutely shouldn’t do in your personal statement.

• Open your essay with a quotation. Professors have heard the quotation before and don’t need (or want) to hear it again. Plus, quotations often take up too much space in an already short essay!
• Use clichés. Think of unique ways to tell your story and grab readers’ attention. Schools want to see you can be creative yet honest about yourself, so avoid clichés like the plague (see what I did there?).
• Get too creative. Your goal is to look like a serious, committed applicant—not a wacky risk taker—so write clearly and avoid any unnecessary distractions such as images, colors, and unprofessional fonts.

Most importantly, remember that your graduate school personal statement should focus on your successes. Try to use strong, encouraging words and put positive twists on difficult experiences whenever possible. It’s OK to mention your setbacks, too—just as long as you’re discussing how you ultimately overcame (or plan to overcome) them.

Inspirations for Your Research Interests

Schools don’t only want to see clearly defined research interests but also  why you have these particular interests.   While the statement of purpose elaborates on your professional goals, the personal statement explains what personally motivated you to explore your interests.

For example, in my personal statement for a Japanese Studies MA program, I wrote about my hot-and-cold relationship with the Japanese language and how a literature class and a stint abroad ultimately inspired me to keep learning.

Don’t make the mistake of going way back to the beginning to start your essay. Many applicants open their statements with something along the lines of “I fell in love with psychology when I was ten years old” or “It all started when I was in high school.” But these broad statements lack the creativity and zest needed to secure an acceptance, so avoid them at all costs.

Your Motivation for Applying to Grad School

Your statement of purpose should explain why grad school is a practical next step in your professional life—but your personal statement should focus on what personally motivates you to take this step.

Generally, schools want answers to the following questions:

• Why is grad school an appropriate step for you now?
• How will a graduate degree help you achieve your goals?
• Why didn’t you apply to grad school earlier (if you took time off after undergrad)?
• Were there any struggles or problems you faced that prevented you from applying to grad school before?

Be honest about why you’re applying, both to grad school and the program in particular. In my graduate school essay, I discussed how my passion for Japanese literature and desire to translate it inspired me to seek advanced language training at the graduate level.

Strong Writing Skills

A great personal statement shows that you can write cogently and coherently. After all, strong writing skills are imperative for success as a grad student!

So in addition to telling a good story, make sure you use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Use paragraphs to break up your thoughts, too. Because the personal statement is slightly less formal than the statement of purpose, feel free to play around a little with paragraph form and length.

Also, remember that  good writing doesn’t necessarily equal big words.  You’re writing about yourself, so use words that come naturally to you. Don’t grab a thesaurus and start throwing in a bunch of high-level vocabulary wherever you can; this will make your essay sound less authentic, not to mention stiff.

On the other hand, don’t get too colloquial. You’ll lose respect if you start inserting conversational words such as “gonna” and “gotta.” Therefore, look for the middle ground and write from there.

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Explanations for Any Hiccups in Your Academic Career

Lastly, the personal statement  gives applicants a chance to explain any problems or changes in their academic histories, such as low grades or gaps in education.

Because transcripts and resumes are severely limited in what information they give, schools often use the personal statement to understand your reasons for abrupt changes in your resume and/or transcripts, and to see how you’ve overcome these barriers in your education (and life).

Essentially, a personal statement equalizes the playing field by giving you full rein to explain yourself and emphasize your success over any struggles you’ve had.

How to Write a Personal Statement for Grad School: 9-Step Guide

The personal statement is a fiercely important part of your grad school application. In this section, we teach you how to write a memorable personal statement for grad school so that you’ll have a better shot at getting accepted.

Step 1: Start Early

Personal statements (actually, grad school applications in general!) take a lot of work, so don’t put off writing your essay until the week before your deadline. Rather, try to start working on your essay at least two or three months before your application is due.

You might want to give yourself more time to write it if you’re currently in school or working a demanding job. Setting aside more time lets you work on your graduate school essay routinely without having to squeeze in too many hours each week.

If you only have a month or less until your application deadline, get started on your essay pronto! Though it’s possible to write a personal statement quickly, I recommend carving out more time so that you can put more thought and effort into what you write and how you present yourself. (Doing this also gives others more time to edit your essay for you! We’ll cover this more in later steps.)

Step 2: Read the Instructions

Perhaps the most important step is to read your program’s instructions for the personal statement. Not following these instructions could very well result in a rejection, so always read these first before you start writing! Most programs put their personal statement instructions on their application materials pages.

Your program should give you the following information:

• What type of content your personal statement should include or generally focus on (you might even get an actual prompt to answer!)
• How long your statement should be
• What type of heading, if any, you must include on your statement
• How to save and submit your statement (e.g., .docx, PDF, etc.)

For example, let’s say you’re applying to the History PhD program at UC Berkeley . In this case, your personal statement can’t exceed 1,000 words (three double-spaced pages). You must also answer this prompt :

Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include information on how you have overcome barriers to access in higher education, evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others, evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality, or evidence of your leadership among such groups.

On the other hand, if you were to apply for an MS in Mining, Geological, and Geophysical Engineering at the University of Arizona , your personal statement would follow these parameters:

Your personal statement is an opportunity to sell yourself, in terms of your research interests, research experience and research goals. Unless you have extensive research experience, most personal statements should be about two single-spaced pages. Your writing should be clear, concise, grammatically correct and professional in tone. You may convey some personal experiences that have led to your current interests or that make you a particularly promising candidate.

Clearly, grad programs can approach personal statements quite differently. Some schools consider them the same as statements of purpose and want a formal focus on academic and research interests, while others want applicants to explain more informally the challenges they’ve overcome to get to this point.

Simply put,  follow your program’s directions exactly in order to give yourself your best shot at admission.  And if any part of the instructions is unclear, don’t hesitate to contact your program!

Step 3: Figure Out Your Angle

Your “angle,” or focus, in your graduate school personal statement will depend on a few key factors:

• What your grad program wants you to write about
• Your field of study and research interests
• How much experience you have in your field

As I mentioned in step 2, it’s extremely important to  read the personal statement instructions for your program. Many times these guidelines will tell you what to include in your essay, thereby clarifying what your overall angle needs to be.

Let’s look back at the example we used above for UC Berkeley’s doctoral program in history. If you were applying here and came from a low-income family, you could discuss how you’ve overcome these financial challenges in your life to get to where you are today.

No matter the prompt, you’ll need to discuss your research interests (to some degree) in your personal statement.  How much you talk about your interests, however, will depend on whether you have to submit a separate statement of purpose. If so, you can focus less on your research plans and more on your passions and motivations for applying.

On the other hand, if your personal statement is essentially a statement of purpose, dive deep into your research interests—that is,  be specific! For example, those applying to English lit programs should think about the works, eras, and writers they want to study, and why.

More broadly, though, try to answer the question of  what you hope to accomplish, either during or after the program. Is there any particular project you want to do? Skills you want to improve? Field you want to break into?

Finally, always choose a positive angle.  Use affirmative words and phrases to highlight both your successes and overall enthusiasm for the program.

Step 4: Ask Yourself, “Why This Program? Why This Field?”

Although the statement of purpose usually answers this question directly, you’ll likely need to address this in your personal statement as well—ideally, with a less academic and more conversational tone.

As you brainstorm, try to come up with answers to the following questions:

• What goals or experiences led you to apply to this program?
• How will this program help you grow on a personal level?
• What made you interested in this field? Why do you want to study it more?
• What are your research interests? How did you develop these interests?
• Are there any particular professors you wish to work with?

Step 5: Make an Outline

Now that you’ve brainstormed some ideas, it’s time to start outlining your essay.

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How you choose to outline your statement is up to you. Some people like drawing bubble charts for organizing their thoughts, whereas others (like myself) prefer to write a list of rough ideas in the general order they want to present them.

Even if you’re not sure whether you want to include something, just add it to your outline anyway. You can always cut it out later as you draft and edit.

Step 6: Draft Your Essay

It’s now time to start writing! Once you’ve got your outline ready, work on expanding what you’ve written into full-fledged paragraphs.

In the beginning, it’s OK to write down anything you feel is relevant, but as you continue to draft, try to look for any extraneous information you can chop.

Remember, most personal statements will be short— usually one to two double-spaced pages—so you don’t want to risk exceeding your program’s word limit. Schools want to see that you can tell a story concisely yet effectively.

If you’re having trouble coming up with a way to open your statement, try skipping around as you draft. Go ahead and jump to a paragraph you have more ideas for—it’s perfectly OK! Just make sure you start to tie all of your ideas together the closer you get to finishing your draft.

On a related note, be careful not to copy any material from your statement of purpose (if you’re required to submit two separate essays). These statements may share a little overlap but should still focus on different aspects of your (academic) life, accomplishments, and goals.

Step 7: Get Feedback

Once you finish drafting, give your essay to people you trust for feedback. This could be a parent, friend, sibling, or mentor (such as a former or current professor).

Ask your editors to give you  specific feedback  on what you can change, both stylistically and technically, to make it more impactful. Ideally, they’ll also note any unclear, awkward, or redundant ideas/phrases and will offer you helpful suggestions for improvement.

If you’ve written a separate statement of purpose, see whether your editors are willing to check that essay over as well so that you can ensure there isn’t too much overlap between the two.

Step 8: Revise & Edit Your Essay

Once you get feedback, revise and edit your personal statement using your editors’ comments as a guide.

For example, if your editors told you your essay lacked detail, look for places in your writing where you can be more specific and that are likely to have a strong impact on the admission committee.

As you revise, keep an eye out for any awkward sentences or extraneous information. Personal statements are usually pretty brief and you don’t want to accidentally exceed the word limit. So when in doubt, take it out!

Step 9: Proofread

The final step is to proofread your draft. Start by using your computer’s spell check function to quickly find any glaring typos and grammatical errors.

Then, proofread your essay one sentence at a time. Since it’s easy to miss errors in your own writing, I recommend editing your essay from back to front (i.e., from the last sentence to the first sentence). Doing this prevents you from glossing over words and lets you pinpoint punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors more easily.

In addition, check that you have page numbers on each page (if required—though I suggest adding them regardless) and a proper heading (again, if required) that meets the requirements of your program.

Before you submit it, see if you can get someone else (preferably one or all of your editors from step 7) to look over your final draft as well.  If anyone spots a problem with your essay, go back to step 8. If you get all thumbs ups, read over your statement one last time and then turn it in without looking back! (Seriously, don’t read it again or you’re going to want to change something.)

The Key to a Great Graduate School Personal Statement

The personal statement is an essential part of your grad school application. Like the statement of purpose, it highlights your research interests, experiences, and goals.

But more importantly, the personal statement showcases  your unbridled passion for your field, lets you reflect on challenges you’ve faced (and subsequently overcome), and answers the overarching question of why you want to attend grad school.

A great graduate school personal statement will normally include most or all of the following elements:

• A compelling story
• Inspirations for your research interests
• Your motivation for applying to grad school
• Strong writing skills
• Explanations for any changes or problems in your academic career

Above, we walked you through how to write a personal statement for grad school. To recap, here are the nine steps to follow:

• Start early—at least two or three months before your application is due
• Read your program’s instructions for the personal statement
• Figure out your angle by brainstorming ideas
• Ask yourself, “Why this program/field?”
• Make an outline using charts, a list, etc.
• Draft your essay
• Get specific feedback from multiple editors
• Revise and edit your essay
• Proofread (and get other people to proofread it, too!)

What’s Next?

Need to write a statement of purpose, too? Waste no time!  Our expert guide offers tons of tips to help you come up with a statement of purpose that’s certain to impress admission committees.

Do your schools require a CV or resume?  If you’re totally lost on where to begin, read our guides to learn how to put together a great CV or resume for grad school. And for extra help, check out our four original CV and resume templates !

What do you need to submit for your grad school application?  Get the scoop on what kinds of materials you’ll need to prepare when applying to grad school .

Ready to improve your GRE score by 7 points?

Author: Hannah Muniz

Hannah graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in English and East Asian languages and cultures. After graduation, she taught English in Japan for two years via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel. View all posts by Hannah Muniz

How to Write a Stand-Out Personal Statement for Your Graduate School Application

While deciding to embark on the path to graduate school is an exciting first step toward advancing your career, the application process can sometimes feel daunting and confusing.

One major part of the application that most schools require is a personal statement. Writing a personal statement can be an arduous task: After all, most people don’t necessarily enjoy writing about themselves, let alone at length.

A compelling personal statement, however, can help bring your application to the top of the admissions pile. Below, we’ve outlined what you need to know about crafting a personal statement to make your application shine.

What Is a Personal Statement?

The point of a personal statement is for the admissions board to gain a deeper understanding of who you are apart from your education and work experience. It explains why you’re the right fit for the program and a worthwhile applicant. It’s also an opportunity to highlight important factors that may not be readily available in the rest of your application.

A personal statement is different from a statement of purpose (if you’re asked for that as well). A statement of purpose will touch on your academic and career goals, as well as your past credentials. While those should also be discussed in your personal statement, it’s more about your life experiences and how they’ve shaped you and your journey to graduate school.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Writing a Personal Statement

Before you start crafting your essay, there are a few prompts you can ask yourself to help clarify what you want to accomplish.

• What are the key points you want to communicate about yourself?
• What personal characteristics or skills do you have that make you a strong candidate for this field?
• What exactly are your career goals, and how does graduate school play into them?
• What have you learned about this field already? When did you first choose to follow this path, and what do you enjoy about it?
• What do you think is important for the admissions board to know specifically about you?
• Are there any discrepancies or causes for concern in your application you need to address? For example, is there a career and schooling gap, or a low GPA at one point? This is the time to discuss whether a personal hardship may have affected your academics or career.
• Have you dealt with any unusual obstacles or difficulties in your life? How have they affected and shaped you?
• What sets you apart and makes you unique from other graduate school applicants?
• What factors in your life have brought you to where you are today?

Top Tips for Writing a Graduate School Personal Statement

Pick a few points to emphasize about yourself . Introduce yourself to the admissions board. Select key factors about your background that you want the university to know — elements that reveal what kind of person you are and demonstrate why you’re a strong candidate for the school and field of study.

Be very specific . Again, a personal statement is all about communicating what distinguishes you from other applicants. To accomplish that, you need to share specific anecdotes that underscore your statements. If you say you’re a strong leader, present an example of a time you’ve proven that skill through work, school or your personal life. These specific, personal stories provide a deeper understanding of who you are and prove your intentions.

Do your research . Demonstrate what attracted you to the program. If there is a specific faculty member or class that caught your attention, or another aspect of the program that greatly interests you, convey it. This shows you’ve truly researched the school and have a passion for the program.

“Whatever the topic may be, I would recommend writing in a manner that reflects or parallels the institution’s and/or department’s missions, goals and values,” said Moises Cortés, a graduate/international credentials analyst for the Office of Graduate Admission at USC .

Address any gaps or discrepancies . Explain any factors that may have impacted your academic career. If you had an illness or any other personal hardships that affected your grades or work, discuss them. If there is a discrepancy between your grades and your test scores, you can also take the time to go over any extenuating circumstances.

Strike the right tone . While it’s important to give readers a glimpse of your personality, avoid oversharing or revealing intimate details of your life experiences. You should also avoid making jokes or using humorous cliches. Maintain a professional tone throughout your writing.

Start strong and finish strong . As with any piece of writing, you want to draw in your readers immediately. Make sure to start off with an interesting and captivating introduction. Similarly, your conclusion should be a well-written, engaging finish to the essay that highlights any important points.

“ For a personal statement, I think the first and last paragraphs are most important and should always relate the program they are applying to their own experiences and ideas,” Hoon H. Kang, a graduate/international credential analyst with the Office of Graduate Admission, told USC Online.

Proofread, proofread and proofread again . We can’t emphasize enough the importance of rereading your work. Your personal statement is also an analysis of your writing skills, so ensure you have proper grammar and spelling throughout. In addition, we recommend having multiple people look over your statement before submission. They can help with the proofreading (a second person always catches a mistake the writer may miss), give advice about the statement’s structure and content, and confirm it’s the proper recommended length.

Once you’ve considered all of the above and reviewed and edited your personal statement to perfection, it’s time to submit and check off any remaining application requirements, including your resume and letters of recommendation .

Personal statements are arguably one of the most challenging aspects of applying to graduate school, so make sure to revel in this accomplishment and acknowledge your successes.

For more information, visit the  Office of Graduate Admission at USC  and explore  USC Online ’s master’s degrees, doctoral programs and graduate certificates.

Which program are you applying to?

Mba personal statement examples.

Get accepted to your top choice business school with your compelling essay.

MBA Personal Statement Sample Essays & Tips

Your academic record, GMAT scores, and GPA are important factors in the MBA application process. But, more than that, business schools ultimately care about who you are and whether you would be a good fit for their program. This is where your application essays come in. The goal here is to complete the picture that your scores and stats began sketching. Take your time when writing these essays. They will form the image the admissions committee will see before they meet you at your interview. Write, edit, and edit again. Be sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors in your essay. You want your portrait to be clean and clear. Once you are satisfied with your essay, ask a trusted friend, mentor, or admissions pro to read it. A fresh pair of eyes can often see things that you can’t.

7 tips for creating the best MBA essays

Here are some important things to remember when writing your MBA essays.

• Show who you are in a background essay Use this opportunity to reveal your values and personality, the obstacles you’ve overcome, and the seminal experiences that have shaped you into the person you are today. No two people have the same history. Use stories and examples to make your background bright and stand out to demonstrate what makes you special. Discuss how your history has brought you to this point. What is there in your background that compels you to pursue an MBA at this time?
• Show your direction in the goals essay Use this opportunity to show that you have clear direction and purpose based on experience and planning. Business school is not another opportunity to “find yourself.” Even if you have had one career path and will use your MBA to launch another career, this essay must describe the reasons behind your career-change, your new goals, and how the program will help you achieve them.
• Use your optional essay to explain negatives in your stats If your GPA was lower than you would have liked early in your undergraduate education, use your essay to show how you learned from this experience. Everyone makes mistakes. How you deal with your mistakes shows a lot to the admissions committee – determination, discipline, success, resilience, and breadth of experience are qualities that will serve you well in your MBA studies and later in life. Be sure that you explain your negatives and don’t try to justify them. Show that you understand the mistake you made, learned from it and changed as a result of processing the experience. That response shows maturity. Justifying – instead of learning or changing – is a sign of immaturity. MBA programs want mature adults. Almost all of them have made mistakes.
• Say what you mean, and mean what you say Admissions committees read thousands of essays during each admissions round. A concise, well thought-out essay will have them reading yours to the end.  You need examples and stories to support your statements and make your essay interesting and readable. Each of these needs to be to the point. These professionals are trained to spot an essay that is full of fluff and without substance.Avoid rambling and the use of keywords that you think the reader wants to see. A non-substantive essay will lead the reader to conclude that you, too, are without substance.
• Find your passion This relates to tip #4 above. You want to grab the reader right away and create an essay that will keep their attention to the very end – and leave them wanting to meet you and get to know you even better. In other words, offer you a coveted interview! Find a theme, and weave it throughout your essay. If you can identify a passion that you had from an early age and follow it through the different stages of your life, you will have an interesting, readable essay. Connect your passion to your childhood and you professional and extracurricular experiences and accomplishments. Demonstrate how your passion will influence your future career and serve the community at the school you want to attend.
• Focus on your professional experience and achievements Not everyone has a passion that they have carried with them throughout their life. However, since you are planning on attending an MBA program, you must have had professional and personal achievements. Highlight your professional skills and successes, as well as personal accomplishments. Show how these experiences and achievements have brought you to this point, and how they have influenced your long-term plans and reasons for pursuing an MBA.
• Highlight your experience in your EMBA essay An applicant to an Executive MBA program is an executive or manager currently in the workforce, usually with at least eight years of business experience. As an EMBA student you will be expected to excel in your coursework while continuing to hold down your full-time job. You must demonstrate significant leadership, impact, potential, and the legitimate need for the degree to be accepted. Highlight your current responsibilities and recent achievements, as well as your skill sets. Discuss your goals and how an EMBA will help you reach them. Include how you will positively impact the community at the program you are applying to.

Read MBA Personal Statement Examples

Now that you have the tools to write your compelling essay, check out our sample MBA application essays to see what you will be able to accomplish.

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BONUS: You'll also receive a free copy of our popular guide,  5 Fatal Flaws To Avoid in Your MBA Applications Essays.

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How to Write a Graduate School Personal Statement (with example!)

Varonika Ware is a content writer at Scholarships360. Varonika earned her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications at Louisiana State University. During her time at LSU, she worked with the Center of Academic Success to create the weekly Success Sunday newsletter. Varonika also interned at the Louisiana Department of Insurance in the Public Affairs office with some of her graphics appearing in local news articles.

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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Congratulations on finishing your bachelor’s degree, and starting the next chapter! You might be thinking about applying to graduate school, and fortunately, it’s very similar to applying to an undergraduate program. However, it’s probably been a few years since you’ve had to write an application essay, so you might be wondering how to write a personal statement for graduate school. If so, this guide is the perfect resource for you! Keep reading below to find out more, and don’t forget to check out the example of a graduate school personal statement.

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is an essay that encapsulates your personal journey and how that’s shaped who you are as an applicant. They are typically 400-600 words, but can be longer or shorter. 

Be sure not to confuse a personal statement with a statement of purpose as they are two different types of admissions essays. Use this as an opportunity to show colleges what you value and what’s turned you into an ideal student for your desired school. 

What should I write about?

Personal statements are your chance to get, well, personal. While you should answer the prompt in its entirety, you should also write about yourself. Bring a personal element into your essay like family or a story of you overcoming an obstacle. 

Ideally, your story should relate to what you’re trying to accomplish at your graduate school of choice. Tie it all together: your personal experiences, your desired major, and your ideal outcome. 

Tips for writing a personal statement for graduate school

It’s important to start your graduate application as soon as you’re able. Usually, the first round of applications receive the best financial aid packages, so start early! 

Starting sooner can also give you the time to outline your essay and get it read over by your support system. You’ll want it all to be perfect, so don’t rush.

Be transparent

Instead of telling admissions what you think they want to hear, be open and honest about yourself. You want them to understand you, and the only way to do that is to show who you actually are. Offer up personal stories or things that genuinely interest you so that you can show off your sparkling personality!

Be original

Graduate programs are often very competitive since there’s a smaller admissions pool. As a result, your essay should be as original as possible to stand out from the crowd. Tell your story in an organic way, and approach the given prompt with an open mind. 

Related : How to write an essay about yourself

Check your work

It’s extremely important for you to proofread and check for correct spelling and grammar throughout your personal statement. Even simply reading your statement out loud can help you catch any errors and make sure your words flow together. You should also consider having mentors or people within your support system read over your essay to ensure your message is clear.

Common mistakes when writing a graduate school personal statement

Reusing your undergraduate essay .

Reusing your first supplemental essay as a template is a big mistake you want to avoid. Years have passed since then, and you’ve learned new skills and grown as a person and a student. 

The experiences you previously wrote might not resonate with who you are today or tell the graduate team what they want to know about you. It may also have grammatical errors that you might not have noticed before, so take a little extra time to start from scratch and create something new.

Repeating what’s in your resume

It’s likely that your graduate school of choice will require you to upload a copy of your resume as part of your application. Therefore, the admissions committee will already know your professional background, so tell them something else about yourself or provide further depth to a job experience. Repeating yourself only tells them one thing, and you want to be the most well-rounded applicant that you can be.

Graduate school personal statement example

Prompt: Please discuss how your experiences, both personal and professional, have led you to pursue a graduate business degree at this time. What are your short- and long- term goals and how will this program and the J. Mack Robinson College of Business help you achieve these goals? (750 words max)

While many of the applications you receive will detail the many ways that person has been the first to do something, I pose a different perspective: hope to be the last. In other words, you might see me as a first-generation college student, but I see the makings of becoming the last generation to worry about generational wealth in my family. 

Though it is true that I would be the first in my family to get my master’s degree, I’m hoping that my future success means I’ll be the last “first.” It’s not lost on me what this title means, but most of all, it signifies the dawn of an era. A dynasty bred from the struggles and achievements of those before it.

These are big shoes to fill, but I’ve never been afraid of a challenge and the things I’ve learned have helped me secure my future. For example, by observing different business models throughout the years, I found a secret about marketing: people love a product that loves them back. In my case, a product that’s always loved me back were books. I’d fallen in love with bookshelves and bookstores alike, so it only makes sense that a culmination of my love of marketing and books is the goal of one day working in book publishing. I want to know the inner workings of book promotion including design decisions and book tours. Eventually, I plan on working at one of the big publishers such as Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, or Macmillan.

Fortunately, I’ve been given opportunities to decide on my own path, which I hope to execute at Georgia State University. This school’s unique curriculum will be an asset to me since there are classes that specifically cater to buyer behavior, and that’s an area of study I’m particularly interested in. The Social Media Intelligence Lab and social media marketing class will hopefully give me an inside look into influencer marketing and its impact on product profitability. According to your mission statement, GSU educates future leaders, and I want to be a part of that.

As a mentor of mine once said, knowledge is meant to be shared, and if it isn’t, it’s control. I hope to build up the people around me with knowledge and experiences as I go out into the professional world just as I hope this program will do for me. If I’m accepted into this program, I plan on using my creativity and drive for not only my success, but for my family’s as well. There may be times I fall short of a goal, but failure isn’t an option. Each benchmark professors put in front of me will be conquered, and one day, I’ll be one of your notable alumni. 

Why this essay works:

• The writer clearly researched the school and understands its values
• The prompt is answered completely and seamlessly
• The applicant knew their goals and thought of ways to achieve them at the college 
• This statement communicates not only what the college gains from this applicant’s admission, but also what the applicant gains
• It’s also well within the word limit

Frequently asked questions about how to write a graduate school personal statement

Do i have to write a personal statement to get into graduate school, how long is graduate school, do i have to take an exam to get into graduate school, scholarships360 recommended.

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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 Winning Personal Statement

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•       Resources       Writing a Winning Personal Statement for Grad School

Writing a Winning Personal Statement for Grad School Tips and Advice for Standing Out as a Graduate Program Candidate

Applying to graduate school can be a significant step toward reaching academic and career goals, which can make the admissions process even more intimidating. Along with gathering letters of recommendation, taking exams and submitting transcripts, prospective graduate students typically have to write personal statements to include with their applications. The personal statement is an oft-elusive element of the grad school application, but it fulfills a specific and significant need in the eyes of admissions committees. By learning about the personal statement and its role, getting familiar with this essay's key elements and soaking in tons of advice from an admissions expert, graduate school applicants can prepare to write outstanding personal essays that can help them land spots in their ideal graduate programs.

• What is a Personal Statement?
• Personal Statement Components
• How to Write a Winning Statement

Personal Statement Example

Additional resources, what's the personal statement on a grad school app.

Graduate school applications often have prospective students include personal statements. These help admissions committees get to know the person behind each application. A personal statement is a short essay that introduces a grad school candidate and his or her personal reasons for applying to a particular program. While metrics such as GPA and test scores can give an admissions committee an idea of a student's qualifications, they are impersonal and don't indicate whether a candidate would be a good fit for a given program. "Metrics only show one small part of the entire picture," says career coach and former university admissions representative Meg Radunich. "Graduate programs care about the person behind the standardized test score and grade point average. A personal statement is the only part of the application where a candidate gets to make their own case for what they can add to the cohort of incoming first year students."

Students may get applications that ask for statements of purpose, or statements of intent, as well as personal statements. With such similar names, it's no surprise that many students wonder whether there is a difference. Depending on the program and writing prompt, a personal statement and a statement of purpose may fill the same need in the eyes of the admissions committee. In cases where both are required, however, things can get a little tricky. In general, the statement of purpose focuses more on a student's reasons for applying to that particular graduate program and may address topics such as career and research goals, how his or her academic track record demonstrates qualification for that particular school or program of study and how a given program will impact the student's future.

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By contrast, personal statements usually lend more freedom when it comes to content and form and are intended to give the admissions committee a glimpse into a candidate's personality. This narrative essay combines specific, self-reflective anecdotes with details about past experiences (internships, volunteer experiences, etc.) and a clear delineation of a student's goals and interest in the prospective graduate program to provide a fuller picture of the applicant. This combination, often unaccompanied by an explicit writing prompt or set of instructions, can make even the most practiced essay writers freeze up. Familiarizing themselves with the ins and outs of writing strong personal statements for graduate school can alleviate stress and ease the process of sending out those applications.

Components of a Successful Personal Statement

Because personal statements are individual to the applicant, there is no one-size-fits-all way to write them. However, there are a few key elements of strong personal statements that prospective graduate students should keep in mind as they write.

• Broad Understanding
• Vulnerability and Sincerity
• Awareness of Audience
• Individuality

When writing personal statements, students may feel pressured to tell admissions committees everything about themselves. People are multifaceted, and it seems extra important to hit all your personality highlights and accomplishments. However, the personal essay isn't meant to be an autobiography or a long-form reiteration of the applicant's resume. "One major mistake I see all the time is students who try to tell too much in the personal statement," says Radunich. "Tell one or two specific stories or scenarios really well instead of having a broad focus and attempting to tell your life story. The goal of the essay is to get an interview, one-on-one face time that will you allow you to divulge more. Use that personal statement to tease them just enough so they feel like they need to get you in for an interview to learn the rest of your story."

• An MFA program applicant could build his statement around a sculpture class reluctantly taken during sophomore year of undergraduate study that encouraged him to experiment and ultimately changed his art style and approach. This is more telling and interesting than meandering through a lifelong love of art that began at childhood.
• Students should try to keep the scope of their personal statements within the past few years, as admissions committees are generally most interested in applicants' undergraduate experiences.

The best personal statements have clear purposes and easily draw readers in. Students should be cautious about turning their personal statements into risky or edgy creative writing projects and instead maintain a strong narrative structure using anecdotes for support when necessary. "Everyone loves a coming-of-age story," Radunich says. "Remember that the faculty have a vested interest in admitting students who will be fun for them to work with and watch grow." Applicants should determine which key points about themselves are most important to make and then choose situations or experiences that demonstrate those points. This serves as the main content of the personal statement. It's important that students remember to keep anecdotes relevant to the specific programs to which they are applying and to make it clear how the experiences led them to those programs.

• A prospective engineering student who volunteered abroad might set the scene by writing about how working with members of the local community who had their own innovations based on supplies that were readily available in their area, like flip phone batteries and dismantled mopeds, challenged her exclusively Western understanding of infrastructure and exposed holes in her knowledge.
• She could follow up with brief but concrete examples that showcase both hard and soft skills relevant to her program of study, like how experience as a resident assistant affirmed her desire to help people, and her senior thesis project pushed her to reach out to others and collaborate for the sake of better research.

Along with a focused narrative, grad school applicants should demonstrate for the admissions committee why they want to attend this program and how doing so relates to their place academically, locally and globally. Radunich notes that strong personal statements show that candidates understand the "big picture" of the profession and the true meaning and impact they will have in their communities.

Applicants often feel as if they have to show how highly accomplished and impressive they are in their personal statements, but Radunich stresses the significance of being honest and vulnerable. "It helps the reader connect. Admissions deans read enough essays from 23-year-old applicants who brag about their accomplishments and think they have life figured out." Acknowledging faults or weaknesses shows the committee that an applicant is self-aware, teachable and eager to grow.

• "One medical school candidate I worked with wanted to become a psychiatrist due to her own personal experience with anxiety in high school," recalls Radunich. "Instead of hiding this experience, she owned it. Her personal statement was phenomenal as a result."
• Vulnerability should be presented as something that leads to growth rather than an excuse for doing poorly in certain academic areas.

Strong personal statements demonstrate awareness of audience and how content may be received. Radunich advises applicants to think about their essays from admissions deans' perspectives: What would and wouldn't you want to read it if you were in their shoes? As they write, students should remember that admissions personnel must read many personal statements and sort through thousands of applications. Being conscious of how words or stories may be perceived by those with experiences different from their own can be invaluable to students.

• Radunich cites a time when she worked with a student who wrote about her experience providing medical care in a developing country as part of her medical school application: "The student had good intentions, but in writing she sounded patronizing and even condescending when describing her interactions with patients. She had no idea. Remember that people who see the world differently from you will be reading this essay."

One of the biggest keys to writing a successful personal statement is in the name itself. This essay is meant to be personal and completely unique to the writer. "You have full control over this part of your application," Radunich says, urging students to avoid coming across as desperate in their essays. "Fight the urge to ‘shape shift' into whom you think that program wants you to be. You're not going to be a perfect fit for every single graduate program. Be you, and if a graduate program doesn't get it, you most likely aren't going to be happy in that program for the next three or more years." Many applicants may have similar metrics, but each student has different experiences to write about in a personal statement. Students should commit to their experiences and own them rather than err too far on the side of safety, something Radunich says is a common pitfall.

• "Students also make a mistake when they play it safe and write personal statements that have been played out. For example, medical students tend to cite experiencing illnesses, watching family members struggle with their health or wanting to help people as the reason why they want to become a doctor. Admissions deans have to read thousands of these. Make it personal and offbeat. Give them something new to read."

Applicants must take time to ensure their personal statements are tight and free of errors. Radunich stresses the importance of proofreading. "Do not even bother sending in an application with a personal statement that has spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. This personal statement is a reflection of the quality of work you will submit for the program."

One of the hardest parts of writing a personal statement is getting started. These steps and strategies can help prospective graduate students push through the initial hesitation and get on their way to writing winning personal statements.

• Read the instructions. Some applications provide little in the way of guidance, asking prospective students to expand on why they want to apply to the program or supply information on their backgrounds and interests. Others, however, give specific guidelines on content, format, word count and submission method. It's crucial that applicants read and understand what is expected of their personal statements. It won't matter how beautifully crafted the statement is if it doesn't address the prompt or disregards stated length requirements.
• Self-reflect. Before sitting down to write, students should spend a good amount of time thinking about their strengths and what they want to convey to admissions committees. Radunich says it's essential for students to really dwell on what makes them special. "Take time to reflect on your personal brand. What qualities do you bring to a cohort of graduate students that this program doesn't know they need?" When students are confident in their positive qualities, it can make it easier to convince admissions officers the value they bring to any given graduate program.
• Talk to friends and family. Sometimes figuring out how to write about oneself or what elements to highlight can be tough. Radunich says that this is where friends and family can be extremely helpful. She recommends talking those who know you best. "Ask the people who have been with you throughout your journey to provide feedback on who you are and what they've observed. Use them to provide feedback on what you have to offer a graduate program. How would they describe you in five words? This is your ‘essence self' — what makes you stand apart from others."
• Be authentic. "We hear this all the time, but it's the best advice," says Radunich. "Admissions personnel can smell a phony. They know when you're using words outside of your vocabulary or when you're exaggerating what an experience meant to you. They read thousands of personal statements per year and also see which applicants show up as the people they said they were once they're admitted. Don't sell yourself to an admissions panel; present a polished yet real account of who you are and what you care about. This way, the right school will recognize what you bring to the table."
• Keep it relevant. The focus should remain on why the student is qualified and wants to apply to that particular program. Admissions personnel want to get familiar with their applicants, but they mostly want to make sure they choose students who value the program and have specific reasons for applying. For instance, a student may be drawn to a program because one or two faculty members conduct research that aligns with that student's interests. That is something worth mentioning in a statement. Anecdotes and stories bring a personal element, but it's also important to include practical, academic- and career-focused details, too.
• Get feedback from outside sources. It's helpful for students to ask other people to read their personal statements. As Radunich points out, this can help students see how their statements may be perceived by others, and another set of eyes can help a student determine whether or not the essay is engaging and well-organized. Friends, family members, teachers and writing center staff can all be great resources.
• Use specific examples. Grad school applicants should do their best to avoid using general statements or listing their experiences and qualifications. "Use specific examples and strong storytelling to pull the reader into your life and care about you by the end," suggests Radunich. "For example, if you're applying to medical school, give us one specific, personal story about something that happened while volunteering at the hospital that changed your worldview, challenged you and confirmed your goal of being a doctor."
• Address potential shortcomings. The personal statement is an excellent opportunity for a candidate whose metrics aren't top notch to stand out and plead his or her case. "If the student earned less-than-stellar grades during their undergraduate education," notes Radunich, "(the student) can provide some context in the personal statement." Students may not feel this is necessary or be comfortable with this, but it is an option. Applicants should be cautious about how they address any weak points; explanations should not sound like excuses but should be framed in a way that demonstrates perseverance, improvement or the learning that followed those challenges.
• Use space efficiently. Personal statements are generally pretty short, often ranging between 500 and 1,000 words. This means that filler words and phrases, such as "the truth is," or "it's my personal belief that," take up valuable space that could be used to compel admissions into requesting an interview. It's important to convey a clear image in a few paragraphs, so be both concise and precise. In statements allowing longer word counts, keep in mind that more isn't always better. Admissions committees read thousands of personal essays each year, and longer ones may be at greater risk of being skimmed through rather than thoroughly read.
• Draft, edit, repeat. Depending on the program, a student's personal statement can carry considerable weight. It shouldn't be thrown together at the last minute. Allowing for adequate time to write multiple drafts, edit and thoroughly proofread is a must. Have other people proofread and check for grammar before sending in the application; they may catch errors that were glossed over in earlier drafts.

Writing a personal statement can be intimidating, which may make it difficult for applicants to get started. Having enough time to ruminate and write is also valuable and can give students the opportunity to choose a strong point of view rather than feel pushed to write about the first thing that comes to mind. Radunich emphasizes that students who aren't sure what to write about or how to approach writing about themselves should do some considerable brainstorming and get input from those who know them well. Students are often self-critical, especially in high-stakes situations, and they may not realize the positive qualities they may have that stand out to others.

Radunich also offers tips for getting in the mindset of admissions personnel: "They're reading the personal statement and gauging the candidate's fitness for the program. Can this person deal with stress and persevere? Does he/she have grit? Has this person overcome adversity, and does that give us confidence that they can handle the three demanding years of law school? Can this person handle receiving feedback, or will he/she drop out after the slightest bit of challenge or criticism? Can this student tolerate differing viewpoints and be open to growth?" Considering these questions can help guide students through the writing process.

It may also help students to look at example personal statements and see how these key considerations play out in an actual essay. Take a look at this example personal statement from a prospective grad student.

As I approached the convention hall, I wondered if I had gotten the room number wrong. I couldn't hear any signs of life, and I was losing my nerve to open the door and risk embarrassing myself. As I imagined a security guard striding up and chiding me for being somewhere I shouldn't be, a hand reached past me and pushed the door open, jolting me back to the real world. I peeked in. More hands. Hundreds of them. Hands were flying, waving, articulating, dancing . I was at once taken by awe and fear.

You can do this.

I had never planned on taking American Sign Language, and I certainly hadn't planned on it taking my heart. In my first term of college, I signed up for German, a language I had loved the sound of since I was a child. A week before classes began, however, the course section was cut. In my frustration, I decided I would take the first available language class in the course register. In hindsight, that probably wasn't the smartest approach, but it was a decision that completely altered my supposedly set-in-stone plan of becoming a linguist. The complexities of nonverbal language floored me, and I found myself thinking about hand signs while writing essays on Saussure's linguistic signs. I rearranged my schedule so I could take improv classes to help with my facial and body expressions. Theater! That was completely out of character, but I suddenly found myself compelled toward anything that would help immerse me in ASL and deaf culture.

Except actually getting involved in the community.

I knew going to my first deaf convention would be intimidating. My hands shake when I'm anxious, and nothing brings on nerves quite like throwing yourself into a situation where you are a total outsider. Between my limited vocabulary, quaking fingers and fear-frozen face, would anyone be able to understand me? What was I doing here? I had been studying American Sign Language for nearly three years and had somehow managed to avoid spontaneous conversation with the deaf community, and I was terrified. Workbook exercises and casual conversations with classmates — who had roughly the same ASL vocabulary and relied on the same linguistic crutches as I did — had become increasingly comfortable, but immersing myself in deaf culture and community was something entirely different. I was afraid. However, American Sign Language and deaf studies had captured my heart, and I knew this fear was a huge barrier I needed to get past in order to continue working toward my goal of becoming an advocate and deaf studies educator.

It must have been pretty obvious that I was both hearing and petrified, because I was immediately greeted by someone who, very formally and slowly, asked if I was a student and offered to accompany me. This small gesture is representative of how I became so fond of deaf culture in such a short period of time. The hearing community tends toward posturing, indirect communication and a sometimes isolating emphasis on individualism, and my limited experiences within the deaf community have been the opposite. The straightforward communication that exists in a beautifully nuanced and perspicacious language and the welcoming enthusiasm to grow the community is something I intend to be part of. I am an outsider, and I have much to learn, but I want to do everything I can to encourage understanding and exchange between the deaf and hearing communities and make hearing spaces more inclusive, especially for those who have more experience as outsiders than I do.

My devotion to language and learning about culture through communication hasn't changed, but the path by which I want to pursue that passion has. My foray into deaf studies and American Sign Language may have started as an accident, but no matter how nervous I still get when my fingers fumble or I have to spell something out, I am humbled and grateful that this accident led me to a calling that could have remained unheard my whole life.

Brainstorming is an important step in writing a convincing personal essay, and Coggle may be just the tool to help. Coggle is a mind-mapping app that helps users organize their thoughts in visual, nonlinear ways. Users can easily share with collaborators, such as writing coaches, advisers or friends.

Inspiration may strike at any time. Students can make sure they're prepared to jot down any personal statement ideas, gather inspiration and organize their thoughts with Evernote , a popular note-taking app.

Writing personal statements requires distraction-free writing time. However, most students do their writing on their most distracting devices. FocusWriter is a simple tool that helps mitigate the distraction problem by hiding computer interfaces and substituting a clean, clear digital writing environment.

This web browser add-on makes checking grammar quick and easy. Grammarly scans users' text and provides context-specific suggestions and corrections. Detailed explanations of each suggestion help users improve their writing over time.

This subject-specific book is a guide to writing personal statements for graduate school. It includes tons of tips and examples to help students write their application essays.

Microsoft's OneNote app is one of the most popular among those who like to use outlines to gather and organize their thoughts, but its many features make it a great prewriting tool for writers of all organizational preferences.

Mindomo can help grad school candidates brainstorm and pinpoint key elements to include in their personal statements. The app's mind maps, concept maps and outlines help users easily visualize and organize their ideas.

Students who are looking for an advanced editing tool to help them power through their grad school applications might want to look into ProWritingAid , a comprehensive application that helps with basic and advanced editing and addresses issues in style, word choice and structure.

The academic writing standby, Purdue OWL , weighs in on the 10 essential dos and don'ts of personal statement writing.

The UNR Writing Center offers this extensive, alphabetized list of tips on writing, from academic voice to writing introductions, to help with the writing process. Students should also consider consulting their own undergraduate schools' campus writing centers for help as well.

UNC provides specific guidance for students writing personal statements and other significant academic essays. The guidance on this page is not exclusive to UNC, so students from many different schools may find these tips helpful.

Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences provides this online manual to help students understand and successfully write personal statements and other graduate admissions and scholarship essays. The easy-to-navigate chapters provide many examples and tips to meet a range of criteria.

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Personal Statement for Business School: 6 Tips for Writing a Stand-Out Essay

September 16, 2016

The Personal Statement for Business School: 6 Tips for Writing a Stand-Out Essay

The personal statement for business school is the most important part of your application. By the time you are applying, you probably cannot significantly alter your GPA or GMAT/GRE score. Thus, if your numbers make you a “borderline candidate” – someone who could be admitted but could just as easily be rejected – your personal statement for business school is your greatest opportunity to swing the decision in your favor. In this case, you should also make sure to pay close attention to the MBA application timeline - apply in the first two rounds. As one Director of Admissions put it: “If someone with your numbers has a possibility of being admitted to a particular school, but not everyone with your numbers is admitted to that school, the major deciding factor is the personal statement.”

On the other hand, even if you seem like a shoo-in – you have, for example, a perfect GPA and a 750 on the GMAT – a weak personal statement for business school is damning . Indeed, nothing looks worse than a candidate with perfect numbers and no personality – or, worse, who exhibits a lack of effort on their application.

In short, your personal statement for business school is what makes you a person, rather than simply a set of numbers and achievements. It is your chance to introduce yourself to the admissions officers, and one of the only opportunities you will have to make an admissions officer like you , rather than simply liking your achievements.

Like most written assignments, the personal statement for business school is more of an art than a science. Although there are no formulas for success, your chances of acceptance improve greatly if you are willing to put in the time and effort necessary to produce a masterful essay. This is no small task – it will involve dozens of revisions and hours of re-writing and re-organizing. However, by committing yourself to producing an essay that far exceeds adequacy, you can help swing the admissions fortunes in your favor.

6 Key Tips for Writing the Best Personal Statement for Business school

1. Tell YOUR story.

Everyone has their own story to tell. You may have the same test scores or GPA or even work experience as the application sitting on top of yours in the admissions office. But not everyone has your individual stories. Tell them in a way that nobody else can replicate.

In addition to that point, your essay needs to be about you . Admissions officers from nearly every elite business school – Wharton, Harvard, and Stanford, to name a few – lament the number of essays written about a candidate’s parents and grandparents. Those relationships obviously affect your life, but writing about these individuals in an essay does not help a reader understand who you are as individual.

2. Your essay should coherently tie together the other parts of your application.

Most people enjoy participating in activities outside of only school and work. Maybe you play the harmonica in a folk band, maybe you were a track star in college. Maybe you do both. Whatever experiences and background you bring to your application, the personal statement for business school is your chance to tie them together in a meaningful way.

That being said, they should come together in a coherent manner as well. Don’t try to explain every experience you have ever had. Choose the ones that will be most relevant to business, to business schools, and to the person sitting in the admissions office reading your essay. There should be a cohesive narrative that ties together everything you have ever done.

3. Your essay needs to stand out.

Your essay needs to stand out. Applications are read on a comparative basis, which means that your personal statement for business school is read next to thousands of others. That is a lot of essays for an admissions officer to remember, so you need to make yours count.

This can be done in many ways. For example, by demonstrating your unique perspective or background, discussing a particularly interesting or unusual passion, or discussing any other experiences and characteristics that would be considered rare or special among your co-applicants. Remember: your excellence is not evaluated in a vacuum; you must show in your personal statement for business school that you are not only excellent, but you are better in some way(s) than your peers.

4. An admissions reader should be able to sum up your personal statement (and the rest of your application) using the same phrase you would use for yourself.

When you pick up your personal statement for business school , think to yourself: “If I were reading this application, how would I describe myself in 10 words or less?” If you can’t come up with a memorable and compelling answer in a few seconds, go back to the drawing board.

Most admissions officers remember essays that have a very clear persona about them. Think of your personal statement for business school as very similar to a business’s “30-second elevator speech”. Perhaps you are the “entrepreneur who launched her first company at age 10,” the “fitness expert,” the “orthodox rabbi,” or the “professional musician.” Remember: every admissions officer will look over hundreds of applications. If your pages aren’t readily distinguishable from the other 14,985 pages an admissions officer must read through, you simply cannot expect that an admissions officer will remember much about you, much less advocate that you be admitted.

5. Show your motivations for pursuing an MBA.

This tip might sound obvious, but many people neglect to address it in their personal statement for business school. One of the key questions that admissions officers ask as they are evaluating applications is: “Why does this applicant want to pursue an MBA...at our school?”

If the answer you suggest in your application is that you want an MBA in order to get a pay raise at your current job, then a school might be less inclined to admit you. Top MBA programs are looking for people who will leave their schools to become change-makers and leaders in the business world. Even if you are applying to business school as a more experienced applicant, you need to have a compelling answer for "Why an MBA now?"

Maybe you have been working your way up the ladder at an investment bank for the past few years, and you want an MBA so that you can take your managerial skills to the startup world. That example tells a more compelling story than “I want a better job.”

6. Show that you have the personal and professional qualifications to achieve your goals (which means you need to have goals!)

Your past work experiences and qualifications should in some way inform what your future goals are. To take the last example, if you have strong experience in managing a team, but would like to switch to the startup or nonprofit or other fields, you need to show - through your personal statement for business school - that an MBA is imperative to achieving your goals. These goals should be explicitly outlined in your essay.

MBA programs are looking for qualified, experienced, and motivated candidates. Your application - particularly the essay - is your only chance to display how you fit the bill. While your test scores and GPA may qualify you academically for certain schools, the personal statement for business school is where you have to opportunity to stand out.

Make it personal. Make it coherent. Make it goal-oriented. And you just might make it into your dream school.

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Personal Statement Examples for Graduate School: Good, Bad, & Everything In Between

Your personal statement should demonstrate that you have thought deeply about why you are making the decision to go to grad school and that you are an excellent fit for your target school. Sounds a little challenging? Don’t worry, these personal statement examples will break down the strategy of writing a strong graduate school application.

Comparing Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

Below I will share types of personal statement examples: one with a strong writing approach and one that lacks clarity and may cause confusion for an admissions committee reader. Then I will describe the strengths and weaknesses of each example.

Introduction Paragraph Examples:

Ex. 1-Strong) The ocean is as fundamental to our lives as any other ecological habitat, so why don’t we have systems in place to treat it that way? Growing up in Monterey, California I was first introduced to marine biology through my advanced placement biology class. While in community college I helped form a student-led monthly beach clean-up team. This rewarding experience led me to pursue an undergraduate degree in Biology with an emphasis in ocean preservation. My passion for developing innovative and culturally informed approaches to marine preservation on a global scale have led me to pursue a doctorate in the field of marine biology. My desired research focus will explore solutions to the impacts of micro plastics in our ocean.

Ex. 2-Weak) Yea sure, the ocean is in a devastated condition, but what are we going to do about it? Well, with my degree in bio I plan to get a PhD in marine biology to help figure out how to address micro plastics in our ocean. I know so much already, and I just know that with a PhD I will be able to contribute on a greater scale. I know the PhD is a lot of work, but I am pretty sure I will be able to complete the program and have a great time doing so. I have always wanted to live in Santa Barbara, and that is definitely a part of my decision to apply to your program.

Diving Deeper Into Personal Statement Introductions

So, let’s discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the example introductions above!

• Throughout the paragraph the applicant demonstrates that they have been involved with marine biology since high school, this is important because it demonstrates their commitment to the field early on in the essay
• The applicant mentions a desire to live in Santa Barbara, while it may be true, it is not a strong enough reason to pursue a PhD and signals to the admissions committee that you may be pursuing the program for the wrong reasons. Keep details like this out of your personal statement and focus on reasons for applying that are academically motivated.

Conclusion Paragraph Examples:

Ex. 1-Strong) As a first generation college student, and an English language learner, my journey to receive my bachelors of science in marine biology has been tough. Along the way I have developed leadership skills, research and lab experience, as well as a refined passion for the work that marine biologists are able to do when informed by the local community members. I desire to continue my studies with an emphasis on ocean preservation research through the innovative and unique PhD program offered at UC Santa Barbara. It would be an honor to work with Dr. Jonas Mendoza and Dr. Raquel Pacheco, two professors whose work aligns with my research interests and who have been welcoming and encouraging through our email correspondence. While my research goals are ambitious, I am confident that your program offers the resources and mentorship required for a unified effort to resolve the impact that microplastics have on not only human life, but all marine animals and ecosystems.

Ex2. -Weak) I think it’s a miracle that I even completed my B.S degree! That’s how I know that with the funding and laid back atmosphere at UC Santa Barbara I can definitely complete the PhD. I’m not so interested in the teaching part, or the amount of course work I would be required to take, but I just know that once I get out there and get into the water, it will all be worth it. My research experience is competitive and top-notch, I am a great person to work with and easily make friends. I am hopeful to hear back and excited for the next steps! Thanks for reading this far.

Exploring Personal Statement Conclusions

• The applicant concludes by mentioning the importance of a “unified effort” for their research goals. This goes a long way to demonstrate that they understand how important collaborative effort is. This helps make an applicant more attractive in the eyes of an admissions committee that must also consider the work ethic of all applicants.
• The applicant describes their research experience as “competitive and top-notch”, even if you have the most impressive curriculum vitae focus on instead listing what you have done, with who and what they outcomes were and let the admissions committee decide how they interpret it.

So, what makes a good personal statement?

Your personal statement will be one of many that an admissions committee will read to assess who its strongest applicants are. you have to remember that the committee members do not get to meet you before they read your application materials. you cannot risk leaving out crucial information. oftentimes, students struggle to talk about themselves, they see it as “bragging” or “showing off”. it is important that you overcome your discomfort and realize that the personal statement is essentially the first impression you will make on the committee. make the most of the opportunity to introduce yourself and make sure to address the following:.

• Why now? Admissions committees have been through graduate school. They know better than anyone that graduate school is not a choice one makes simply because “you don’t know what else to do”. Demonstrate that you are prepared for the commitment and the work by specifying why you have decided that graduate school is the best option for you at this time and that your current and past experiences align with your intentions if admitted into the program.

A good personal statement will address all of these questions and be mindful about appropriate boundaries with each. Ultimately, it will demonstrate to the committee that you are prepared for the program, that you are likely to succeed if admitted, and that you are passionate about and committed to pursuing a career in which the training and the degree that you will receive is imperative to your future goals.

The importance of a clear narrative:

A clear narrative will allow for the admissions committee to extract the necessary information about you without any hassle. Remember that you are one applicant amongst many, when writing your personal statement do not assume that your reader will know the importance of any information or the necessary context if you do not provide these details for them. Consider these tips when writing:

• Do not overestimate the importance of proofreading! Read your essays out loud and record the audio while doing it. Does it flow? Does it answer every question provided in the prompt (if provided one)? I recommend finding at least one person who is in graduate school and preferably within your field to read your essay.

Summary and Major Takeaways

The personal statement is usually just 1-2 pages. With a document this short and with so much importance towards your chances of admission, every word matters! Consider these takeaways and do your research at every stage of the writing process.

Do this before you get to writing. Gather information from this blog post, the program’s official website, any correspondence between you and professors or graduate students at each program you will be applying to, and develop a document that lists every experience and detail you wish to include. Use this as a reference as you write so that you are certain you are hitting every point.

Do not skip this step! Seek out support from current graduate students or a writing service for some feedback. Double check for any language that is too casual, or can be off putting or concerning to anyone who will review your application.

Remember that admissions committees are made up of real people who read an unbelievable amount of applications. Do your best to stand out, really think about what sets you apart and what skills you have developed throughout your life that are relevant to the program you are pursuing. After you have your first draft, focus on language and phrases that are both professional and captivating to your reader. Sprinkle in some flare! For more examples, visit our blog to see more personal statement examples that got their writers into graduate programs!

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Outstanding MBA Personal Statement Examples

Introduction.

Applying to an MBA program is a lengthy process that involves multiple steps and numerous requirements. Some parts of the process are relatively simple, such as academic transcripts or test score submissions. 

Other parts are more complex and require more from you, such as the MBA essay(s) that you’ll likely have to submit. Of course, every bit of information you include in your application is vitally important because your application will be considered in its entirety before any decisions regarding your candidacy are made. 

However, certain portions of your application may hold more weight than others. There is no doubt that grades are important, and having a high GPA or an exceptional GMAT score certainly helps improve your chances of acceptance. 

Yet, numbers don’t leave much room for standing out, which is necessary when considering the sheer amount of applications MBA admissions committees have to sort through. However, writing an outstanding MBA personal statement is your chance to do precisely that. 

An exceptionally well-written personal statement could be the gateway to your success and could land your name on a shortlist for an interview invitation to the business school of your choice, getting you that much closer to an acceptance to a future MBA program. 

On the other hand, “ An essay that reveals any weakness in your candidacy could quickly put you in the reject pile,” so the stakes are high when you get to this point in your application. To learn more about where you should start, how you can ensure that your MBA personal statement makes you stand out, and what kinds of things you should avoid writing about - read on.

What is an MBA Personal Statement?

An MBA personal statement introduces you to the school’s admissions committee that you’re applying to. It is also an opportunity for you to show them what you could potentially contribute to the community that exists at their school.

For most schools, your chance to write a personal statement comes with your responses to the MBA essay questions. Each school has its own requirements when it comes to the MBA essay. There is only one essay prompt for some schools, and for others, there are multiple questions that you must answer. 

Similarly, some schools have word requirements that limit either the minimum or maximum word count that you can use for your answers, whereas others provide the question and let you decide how much to contribute.

Although each school has topics they typically like to cover, many schools change their questions from year-to-year, but some general themes tend to reoccur quite often in these kinds of prompts. One theme that often comes up has to do with your interest in the school or how you envision yourself fitting into the school’s program. 

For example, the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania requests their applicants to answer “What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA?” They also ask “how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community?” 

Other schools are more interested in the theme of self-reflection. The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business , for example, wants to learn “more about you outside of the office,” and they request that you take their essay as an “opportunity to tell us [them] something about who you are.” 

For many schools, the theme of goals and ambitions is a popular topic. At NYU Stern , they ask applicants, “What are your short and long-term career goals?” and  “how will the MBA help you achieve them?”Another major theme shared by many schools is that of leadership. 

Berkeley Haas requires that applicants consider how “the definition of successful leadership has evolved over the last decade and will continue to change,” and they’re interested in knowing “What do you need to develop to become a successful leader?” Although some schools branch away from these general subjects, these themes tend to be the most common, so the chances are good that you may have to write about one or more of these topics in your MBA personal statement.

Top Tips on Writing an Outstanding MBA Personal Statement

Focus on the question.

You’re going to want to keep in mind several things while you’re writing your MBA personal statement. One of the things is that you maintain a steady focus on the actual question(s) asked throughout your essay. Of course, the questions are often very open-ended and allow you to answer them in a variety of ways. 

Once you’ve chosen a path, try your best to stick with it and continuously remind yourself of the task at hand, so you can question whether you’re straying too far from what you’re trying to write about. Staying on topic and focusing on the question at hand will also help prevent you from wasting space and time on irrelevant information. 

Although the admissions committee probably doesn’t have a distinct black and white answer to the question that they’re asking, they are still looking for an answer, so make sure that you’re not just providing them with an autobiography. 

Writing about your strengths and experiences is still necessary, so make sure you cover any  relevant strengths and experiences in accordance with the theme and question. Although admissions committees are generally interested in applicants who write unique content, it is important to avoid getting too far off track with your MBA personal statement. There is still a question at hand to answer, with directions that must be followed, so don’t write about whatever you please.

Show Your Passion

A good, compelling MBA personal statement is chalked full of passion. If you let your passion shine through in every line, you’re bound to grab the attention of the admissions committee that reads your application. No business school is interested in an applicant that lacks passion and enthusiasm. 

The main goal of each school is to fill their cohort with future leaders, who are passionate and driven to succeed. Let them know what kind of  business goals you have in mind and give them an idea of your ultimate ambitions. Whether you want to create a startup, start a nonprofit, or even move up within the ranks of the company that you’re already working for, let the admissions committee in on how you view your future in the business world.

With that said, make sure it's overtly clear why that envisioned future has ignited a passion inside of you that has pushed you to apply for an MBA program. Ensure that you go back to the source of your ambitions and give them an idea of where your passion originally stemmed from. Doing this will help them understand your aspirations better, and it will also give them a better overall understanding of who you are at your core.

Get to Know the School

It should also be evident in your MBA personal statement that you’ve invested time into getting to know the school that you’re applying to. Schools differ from each other in varying ways, and each of their MBA programs have distinct features that set them apart from one another. 

If you can demonstrate an understanding of the school’s missions, values, and goals in your personal statement, it will let the admissions committee know that you’ve done your research. Knowing these things will also help you tailor your MBA personal statement to meet some of the school’s criteria. 

Once you know the goals of a school, you can detail various ways that you’re capable of contributing to them. Once you know their values, you can show them various traits, which you possess, that align with those values. Once you know what their mission is, you can highlight ways in which your mission is similar. 

Of course, it isn’t necessary to reflect every single virtue that the school values in your MBA personal statement, but if you’re able to make enough of these connections between yourself and the school, they’ll see that you’re a good fit for a future cohort, increasing your chances of acceptance into one of their programs. 

Let the admissions committee know why you feel their MBA program is the best fit for you. If you can think of some specific things that their program provides, such as experiential learning or internships, mention why these opportunities excite you. Additionally, if a particular member of their faculty or a specific course interests you, explain where your appeal is coming from. 

There are many ways for you to gain more information about a school that will be useful during this portion of your personal statement. You can check out the school’s website, reach out to department heads, look into previous or current students’ profiles, look at the school’s online forums and social media groups, and even attend their events scheduled for prospective students.

Highlight Your Leadership Qualities

Upon closer inspection of some business school websites, it will be apparent that most of them value leadership above all else. Essentially, all business schools are looking to fill their cohorts with students who will become global leaders in the future. 

If you can show a school’s admissions committee that you have leadership qualities and that you have the potential to be a great leader, it will undoubtedly pique their interest in you. The best way to do this is by providing an insight into your motivations, strengths, and capabilities by emphasizing experiences that you’ve had, which present you as a proactive person who takes charge of the situations. 

You don’t need to describe some grand situation where you made a global impact. However, if you’ve taken the initiative to lead a local fundraiser, or you’ve started a club and led them to a set goal, these are the kinds of experiences that are worth mentioning because they will portray you as a leader.

Back-Up Your Claims

It is of vital importance that you don’t merely tell admissions why you’re a good fit for their school, or that you’re a strong leader, or that you have what it takes to make it in the world of business. Instead, you must show them all of these things by backing up your claims with examples. 

Your claims will feel empty and baseless if you don’t have real-life examples to back them up. Rather than telling a school how resourceful or imaginative you are, tell them an anecdotal story that helps them independently draw this conclusion . 

You can describe a situation when you made use of connections you have within your community to get something done that would benefit everyone or a time when you had to come up with a creative solution to a setback that you were facing. 

Unlike general statements, stories are memorable and will be hard for admissions committees to forget about you if you tell them a story that shines a light on your best side. Keep your stories brief and to the point, but include the necessary details to illustrate the points you’re trying to make.

Mistakes to Avoid While Writing an MBA Personal Statement

Don’t be too eager to please.

Many people make a common mistake when writing their MBA personal statement by focusing too much on writing exactly what they believe the committee wants to hear. In other words, trying too hard to please the admissions committee can sometimes have the opposite effect. 

When taking on an MBA essay, if you write what you think the admissions committee is expecting, you’ll waste a perfect opportunity to show them your actual value to their program, and you’ll likely blend in with the rest of the applicants. 

Each admissions committee has boxes that they are looking to tick, and the overall goal is for you to tick as many or all of those boxes as possible in a natural manner. If your aim is fitting the bill, it will be obvious and will detract from your chance to come across as unique. 

It will also make for a dull and underwhelming MBA personal statement. Beyond fulfilling specific requirements, you should demonstrate that you have character. Don’t be afraid to break the mold, at times, if it will allow you to open up more and share something genuine about who you are. 

Diversity is essential at any business school because diverse perspectives are what make a cohort attractive and interesting. So, think of how you can contribute to this diversity and embrace your authentic self when you craft your MBA personal statement.

Avoid Summarizing Your Résumé

By the time that an admissions committee gets to your MBA personal statement, the chances are good that they’ve already read through your résumé . Thus, there is no need for you to restate information directly from your résumé during your MBA personal statement. 

The admissions committee has that information already, and you can trust that they will not forget it if it is worth remembering.  By the time they get to your personal statement, they are craving something original and fresh. 

The purpose of a résumé is to list your relevant experience, but the purpose of an MBA personal statement is to show why that experience matters and why it sets you apart from all the other applicants. 

If you want your essay to be captivating, you must draw the admissions committee in with your storytelling skills. Use vivid descriptions to bring the stories that you’re telling to life and take the admissions committee on a journey that demands their attention.

No Need to Apologize

A general rule to keep in mind when writing your MBA personal statements is to avoid making any apologies. If there is a portion of your application that you aren’t feeling overly confident about, don’t draw attention to it. 

It might feel like you must explain yourself, whether this means justifying a lower than average GPA or test score or why there is a gap in your employment. 

However, your MBA personal statement is a limited opportunity for you to convince an admissions committee of your candidacy for their program, so spending time on things that don’t accentuate your best side is a waste of valuable time and words. Rather than apologizing for your potential downfalls, draw the admissions committee’s attention away from those parts of your application. 

Give them a good reason to naturally forget those things by wowing them with an MBA personal statement that highlights all of the reasons you are the ideal choice for their next cohort. The only time it is acceptable to explain your shortcomings is if the essay question specifically asks about them.

Outstanding MBA Personal Statement Examples 

Goals essay example.

Essay 1: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)

Sample Introduction:

Prior to COVID, I dreamed of a future as an entrepreneur building on my mother’s example of using business to make a difference in local communities. 2020, however, afforded me the opportunity to simultaneously begin pursuing the impact I hoped to make, even without my own venture, by participating in [Name] and [Name] recruiting efforts, while pausing to reflect on those aspirations.

Though I would still like to build on my mother’s legacy of community-minded entrepreneurship, I believe I will be able to make the most direct impact by founding my own venture capital fund that incubates companies from seed to late stage. My three years at [Company] have helped me develop analytical and operational skills necessary to be a thoughtful founder, but a Wharton MBA will help me refine my leadership style, as well as help me adopt the mindset of a community-minded investor.

Sample Body Paragraph:

With a flexible core foundation, I will use my time at Wharton to focus on classes that will uniquely help me achieve my goal. As a double major in Business Economics and Public Policy and Entrepreneurship & Innovation, I will not only understand the best way to use business to improve a community with classes like “Urban Public Policy and Private Economic Development,” but I can also study different methods to bring solutions to life with classes like “Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Management” and “Finance of Buyouts and Acquisitions.” Best of all, I can begin applying and practicing what I have learned in the classroom by working with the [Company] or spending a semester in [Place] with the robust [Community] in the [Area].

Sample Conclusion:

After graduating, I intend to be an active alumni, joining the Alumni Angel group, as well as serving as a mentor for Wharton students. Bolstered by my experiences inside and outside the classroom, I will be ready to make my mark on the Venture Capital world, bringing more equitable access to financial resources for entrepreneurs of color. When I do, I know that I will have the support of my Wharton community behind me.

Why it Works:

This is a fantastic sample of a MBA personal statement for many reasons. Firstly, the applicant doesn’t waste any time and gets right into an explanation of their personal goals and aspirations at the beginning of their essay, which then ties into a brief explanation of the source of their inspiration. 

They also highlight their opportunistic nature by showing how they took advantage of the situation when COVID began. They consistently reference specific parts of the Wharton MBA program they’re interested in, such as some specific classes they intend to take. They also mention how they plan to use their experience at Wharton to make their dream a reality.

Contributions Essay Example

Essay 2: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

While I may have a few years before launching my own fund to transform local communities, during my time at Wharton, I intend to be an active participant in Wharton’s Anti-Racism goals, fighting to bring equity and inclusion with the same passion I have brought to my office and B/LX network. I want to help usher in a new era at Wharton focused on today’s business concerns where diversity and inclusion are top of mind.

I plan to be an active member of whatever initiatives are formed with student involvement seeking to effect that change, such as the Wharton Graduate Association (WGA). As a member of the [Organization], I can work with my peers to network in our hometowns to increase [Ethnicity] participation in MBA programs, which has been historically under-represented, as well as welcome prospective students as a host during [Initiative], to ensure that all who are interested feel welcome the moment they approach this school.

I have learned through my work at [Company] that one needs to bring in allies to improve diversity - cultivating a strong affinity group is a start, but not enough. As a member of the [Group], I will support Wharton founders, specifically ones with social ventures addressing poverty and inequality in the greater [City] community, thus growing student-funded entrepreneurship with a social benefit. As a fellow, I will also be able to further hone my own sense of leadership to understand the best way to motivate people to prioritize community benefit.

When not focused on ventures and leadership, I plan to school fellow students in the Tennis Club, share meals with the Wharton Food Club, and continue bragging about California’s Cabernet Sauvignons to the Wine Club. I envision my Wharton experience moving beyond the classroom to build an alumni cohort to last a lifetime, supporting each other to overcome the challenges we will inevitably face as we become next generation leaders.

This MBA personal statement is yet another strong sample. This applicant has clearly done their research and has discovered that they have a goal in common with the school they’re applying to. They focus on this shared goal and highlight how they intend to achieve progress towards it by working together with the school and its community. 

They make sure to back up their claims with examples of relevant work experience  that is in line with this vein of thought. Doing this demonstrates focus and shows that they are serious about their passions. 

Their conclusion further reinstates the fact that they are familiar with what the school has to offer, and it also flushes their personality out a little more. It also helps the admissions committee to envision the applicant fitting into the school’s community in various ways.

Self Reflection Essay Example

Essay 3: As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program?

Disability has always been close to home; my family and community have a long and painful history of degenerative disease. I often think of my uncle, who steadfastly refused to let others help him eat meals following a string of kidney surgeries, and to my grandfather, suffering from neurodegenerative decline, who would rather exert excruciating effort to walk up a flight of stairs than ask me to get reading glasses from his bedroom.

It dawned on me that a reliance on others to move through daily life slowly chips away at one’s humanity; that lost independence is a common denominator of disability, and it impacts people almost as meaningfully as the underlying medical condition does. While various technologies and medical subspecialties exist to ease physical suffering, there is woefully little out there aimed to mitigate this deeper psychological problem. What’s more, the data and tools to solve this issue do exist, but millions continue to suffer.

I’m driven by finding answers to the most complex, most challenging problems faced by humanity; the ones that are too daunting, or those that go unrecognized. I felt a moral obligation to intervene. What followed would help me discover my life’s mission – building AI-driven tech to improve healthcare.

Sample Body Paragraphs

I rallied a friend, and together we built an AI-driven, low-cost speech-recognition platform that enabled voice-activated control over electronic systems in a household, thus empowering individuals suffering from ALS and multiple sclerosis. It was an exercise in creativity and persistence. It was quite daunting at the outset - I still have scars from initial circuit prototypes exploding in my hand. But, in the end, our solution worked, and cost a fraction of a now commercially available solution like Alexa.

As I think back to my core questions of independence, disability, and the juxtaposition of

medical and psychological suffering, I see increased life expectancy as a testament to modern advances in medicine. I now want to start the conversation around ensuring that people like my uncle or grandfather live not just longer, but happier, more dignified lives.

In the long run, by proving the benefits of AI-driven healthcare to the world, I want to build an enterprise that not only continues to develop sophisticated technologies, solve complex medical challenges, and change lives, but also improves the underlying fabric of healthcare policy. Like Uber and Airbnb, my dream is to eventually create an organization that fundamentally shifts the contemporary regulatory paradigm in healthcare to one that evolves and appropriately reflects both the medical and psychological needs of the modern patient.

The more I study disability, disease, impairment, and their implications on the human psyche, the more I appreciate the power of community - the feeling that there are people who fearlessly stand with you as you look to defy the odds. As I look to achieve my life’s mission and create a better healthcare system, I can’t think of a stronger, more supportive, and more inspiring community than Harvard.

The general management toolkit, network, and leadership skills that I develop will stay with me long past my time at HBS. I am confident in finding co-founders, collaborators, and investors who are as passionate as I am about solving entrenched challenges in healthcare. I plan to engage in cross-disciplinary inquiry through the [Initiative], and strive to develop a deft understanding of the interplay between the business, policy, and technological aspects of healthcare, something made uniquely possible through close collaboration with HMS and HKS.

I am more inspired than ever to realize my dream of restoring the lives of millions who suffer through no fault of their own, and the Harvard MBA will enable me to achieve exactly that.

This essay manages to take a very broad MBA essay question and turn it into a highly focused and genuine personal statement. The applicant doesn’t merely state their goals, but paints a delicate picture of their very personal inspirations that have become their driving force. 

This MBA personal statement includes numerous details, while refraining from including irrelevant ones. Each part of the narrative that they’ve told is necessary and is carefully woven together to provide an accurate background of where their motivation stems from and how it has led them to apply to this school. 

They also reference relevant achievements and experiences that they’ve had that indicate a strong sense of leadership within them, making them an attractive candidate for the school they’re applying to.

1. What is the purpose of an MBA personal statement?

The general purpose of an MBA personal statement is to show the admissions committee a little more about who you are and why they should consider your candidacy for their program. It is also a chance for you to show your goals and ambitions, while demonstrating how they pertain to the specific MBA program you’re applying to.

2. How long should an MBA personal statement be?

Some schools have specific minimum or maximum word counts for their essays, while others don’t. A school will typically list these kinds of requirements together with the essay questions.

3. What should I focus on with my MBA personal statement?

Your MBA personal statement should focus on answering the question(s) that the school has provided. These questions vary from school-to-school, but are usually found on the applications page of a school’s website, along with all of the other information relevant to your application. In conjunction with your answer to the prompt, you may focus on describing experiences, skills, and goals of yours that are relevant to the MBA program you’re applying to.

4. Should I write a different personal statement for each school that I apply to if I’m applying to multiple schools/programs?

Yes. Not only does each school have their own essay questions, but each school also has its own set of values, missions, and interests. Thus, your MBA personal statement isn’t easily transferable from one school’s application to another. 

If you want to maximize your chances of getting accepted into a school’s MBA program, you must carefully craft a unique MBA personal statement for each school that you apply to.

5. What should I research before writing my MBA personal statement?

Some research into a school is necessary before you can begin writing an MBA personal statement to submit to them. You may want to research a school’s mission statement, curriculum, faculty, extracurricular activities, or other pertinent information related to their MBA program. 

It will be necessary to reference these kinds of things throughout your MBA personal statement when you explain why this particular school is the best option for you and why you are the best fit for their next cohort.

6. Should I mention my GPA or GMAT/GRE scores in my MBA personal statement?

No. Your academic transcripts and test score submissions will be part of a different section of your application. The admissions committee does not need to see the same information in two places. 

Use the MBA personal statement as an opportunity to improve your candidacy for the school’s program in fresh, new ways by discussing things that would not be possible to include in your transcripts or on your résumé.

Your MBA personal statement is a vital part of your MBA application, and, as such, it requires that you approach your writing process with careful consideration. Your personal statement is a significant opportunity to make a good impression on the admissions committee by showing them who you are and why you deserve a coveted spot in their program. 

Plan out what you want to say, and take your time organizing exactly how you’d like to say it. Remember that every word counts, so make sure that you stay focused and don’t get off-topic. Once you’ve written an outstanding MBA personal statement that you feel packs a punch, proofread your essay, and, if possible, have others proofread it as well to ensure that there are no errors that will detract from the content.

You should also make sure that your writing conveys a sense of confidence, creativity, and passion. If you account for all of these things, and you let your true self shine through in your MBA personal statement, then there is no reason why an admissions committee wouldn’t be interested in having you join their next cohort of students.

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Writing Your Personal Statements

Your personal statement must demonstrate to the admissions committee that you have considered graduate school and their specific program seriously. It’s your opportunity to summarize your academic and research experiences. You must also communicate how your experiences are relevant to preparing you for the graduate degree that you will be pursuing and explain why a given program is the right one for you.

The personal statement is where you highlight your strengths. Make your strengths absolutely clear to the reviewers, because they will often be reading many other statements. Your self-assessments and honest conversations with peers and advisors should have also revealed your strengths. But you must also address (not blame others for) weaknesses or unusual aspects of your application or academic background.

Your personal statement should focus on two main aspects: your competence and commitment.

1. Identify your strengths in terms of competence that indicate that you will succeed in the grad program and provide examples to support your claims. Start your statement by describing your strengths immediately. Because faculty will be reading many statements, it’s important to start off with your strengths and not “bury your lede.” Consider traits of successful graduate students from your informational interviews, and identify which of these traits you have. These traits could involve research skills and experiences, expertise in working with techniques or instruments, familiarity with professional networks and resources in your field, etc.

• Check your responses from the exercises in the self-assessment section. You may wish to consult notes from your informational interviews and your Seven Stories . Write concise summaries and stories that demonstrate your strengths, e.g. how your strengths helped you to achieve certain goals or overcome obstacles.
• Summarize your research experience(s). What were the main project goals and the “big picture” questions? What was your role in this project? What did you accomplish? What did you learn, and how did you grow as a result of the experience(s)?

My research examines the interplay between U.S. domestic politics and foreign policy during the Cold War. As a native New Yorker, I saw firsthand how dramatically my city changed after 9/11, which prompted my early interest in U.S. policy at home and abroad. As an undergraduate at the City College of New York, I planned to study international relations with a focus on U.S. foreign affairs. I also quickly became involved in student activist groups that focused on raising awareness about a wide range of human rights issues, from the Syrian refugee crisis to asylum seekers from Central America.

The more I learned about the crises in the present, the more I realized that I needed a deeper understanding of the past to fully grasp them. I decided to pursue a PhD in history in order to gain a clearer understanding of human rights issues in the present and to empower young student-activists like myself.

— Vannessa Velez, PhD candidate in History

Addressing weaknesses or unusual aspects

• Identify weaknesses or unusual aspects in your application—e.g., a significant drop in your GPA during a term; weak GRE scores; changes in your academic trajectory, etc. Don’t ignore them, because ignoring them might be interpreted as blind spots for you. If you’re unsure if a particular issue is significant enough to address, seek advice from faculty mentors.
• Explain how you’ll improve and strengthen those areas or work around your weakness. Determine how you will address them in a positive light, e.g., by discussing how you overcame obstacles through persistence, what you learned from challenges, and how you grew from failures. Focusing on a growth mindset  or grit  and this blog on weaknesses might also help.
• Deal with any significant unusual aspects later in the statement to allow a positive impression to develop first.
• Explain, rather than provide excuses—i.e., address the issue directly and don’t blame others (even if you believe someone else is responsible). Draft it and get feedback from others to see if the explanation is working as you want it to.
• Provide supporting empirical evidence if possible. For example, “Adjusting to college was a major step for me, coming from a small high school and as a first-generation college student. My freshman GPA was not up to par with my typical achievements, as demonstrated by my improved  GPA of 3.8 during my second and third years in college."
• Be concise (don’t dwell on the issues), but also be complete (don’t lead to other potentially unanswered questions). For example, if a drop in grades during a term was due to a health issue, explain whether the health issue is recurring, managed now with medication, resolved, etc.

2. Explain your commitment to research and their graduate program, including your motivation for why you are applying to this graduate program at this university. Be as specific as possible. Identify several faculty members with whom you are interested in working, and explain why their research interests you.

• Descriptions of your commitment should explain why you’re passionate about this particular academic field and provide demonstrations of your commitment with stories (e.g., working long hours to solve a problem, overcoming challenges in research, resilience in pursuing problems). Don’t merely assert your commitment.
• Explain why you are applying to graduate school, as opposed to seeking a professional degree or a job. Discuss your interest and motivation for grad school, along with your future career aspirations.

I am definitely not your traditional graduate student. As a biracial (Native American and white), first-generation PhD student from a military family, I had very limited guidance on how best to pursue my education, especially when I decided that graduate school was a good idea. I ended up coming to this PhD in a very circuitous manner, stopping first to get a JD and, later, an MFA in Young Adult Literature. With each degree, I took time to work and apply what I’d learned, as a lawyer and as an educator. Each time, I realized that I was circling around questions that I couldn’t let go of—not just because I found them to be fascinating, but because I did (and still do!) feel that my research could help to bridge a gap that desperately needs bridging. Because my work is quite interdisciplinary, I strongly feel that I wouldn’t have been able to pursue this line of research without the degrees and life experience I gained before coming to this program.

— Jamie Fine, PhD candidate in Modern Thought and Literature

Statement of Purpose: subtle aspects

• Think in terms of engaging faculty in a conversation rather than pleading with them that you should be admitted. Ask reviewers to read drafts with this concern in mind.
• With later drafts, try developing an overall narrative theme. See if one emerges as you work.
• Write at least 10 drafts and expect your thinking and the essay to change quite a bit over time.
• Read drafts out loud to help you catch errors.
• Expect the "you' that emerges in your essay to be incomplete. . . that’s OK.
• You’re sharing a professional/scholarly slice of "you."
• Avoid humor (do you really know what senior academics find funny?) and flashy openings and closings. Think of pitching the essay to an educated person in the field, but not necessarily in your specialty. Avoid emotionally laden words (such as "love" or "passion"). Remember, your audience is a group of professors! Overly emotional appeals might make them uncomfortable. They are looking for scholarly colleagues.

© Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305

7 Outstanding MBA Personal Statement Examples

For top 5 mba programs in the world: updated.

Featured Expert: Hassan Awan, MBA

Reviewing MBA personal statement examples can really inspire your own! Before applying to competitive professional programs, many students review medical school personal statement examples or law school personal statement examples , as these can be a great way to gauge what is expected of you. And if you are applying to an MBA – you should certainly review MBA personal statement examples! In this blog, we will teach you what an MBA personal statement is and why it’s needed, the types of essay questions commonly asked and how to answer them, and provide 7 MBA personal statement examples you can study to craft your own. This blog will also cover some of the key elements of a winning personal statement and some of the biggest mistakes to avoid when writing your personal statement.

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Article Contents 26 min read

What is an mba personal statement.

An MBA personal statement is an integral part of any MBA application. But what exactly is it? Simply put, an MBA personal statement, sometimes called a goal statement or statement of purpose, is a summary of your goals and experiences, why you are applying to your chosen MBA programs and what you hope to achieve in doing so. It’s a document, written in essay form, that tells admissions committees the skills, experiences and fresh perspective you can bring to the program.

A personal statement convinces admissions committees that you are the most suitable choice for a position in a department of Business Administration. MBA personal statements work a bit like a great cover letter for a job interview. A good cover letter tells a hiring committee a bit more about you and your suitability for a job position. A great one will get you an interview or even a job offer from the chosen company. Similarly, your MBA personal statement should cinch your acceptance to a chosen program in the field of business administration.

For almost every application process, you’ll be asked to write a personal statement, and an MBA program is no exception. Schools want to know more about you. They want to know your motivations, your purpose in applying to business school, and any significant part of why you chose to pursue this degree. They’re looking for more than high grades and impressive resumes.

Admissions committees know that the competition is fierce, so they want to make the best decision possible. A personal statement is the best way to show them why your candidacy should be considered above others.

Your personal statement is your chance to shine. It’s a chance to make an impression on your business school’s admissions committee. It also shows committees that you have top-notch writing and communication skills, two things that are big assets to any future business leader. So, admissions officers aren’t just using your personal statement to measure how you stand out from the crowd, they’re judging your professional skillset as well. If you struggle with writing college essays for your application, consider reading some sample college essays to find inspiration and expert tips. Or, if you’re looking for a more holistic guide to the graduate school application grind, think about seeking help from an MBA admissions consulting service.

Still working on your MBA Resume as well? Here are some tips:

Common MBA personal statement prompts

For personal statements, MBA programs will usually pose a question to applicants, which the admissions committee expects to be answered in essay format. While the questions will vary from program to program and likely change from year to year, there are some commonly asked questions you can prepare answers for ahead of time.

These questions often seem a lot like common job interview questions, but it’s important to remember that the answers should focus on your personal, professional, and academic achievements that can relate to your MBA success. Admissions committees provide these personal statement prompts to encourage students to self-reflect on their motivations, goals and perspectives, and then to share their insights and discoveries with the school. Graduate school programs may also ask for a statement of purpose to ask you further questions about yourself, so review some graduate school statement of purpose examples and tips for extra help. The key is delivering a personal answer while tying it back to the skills and qualities needed to succeed in business school. It’s also good preparation for the MBA interview questions !

There’s no magic formula when it comes to writing the perfect personal statement, but there are some key elements that should be included to pack more of a punch. Aside from being well-written, MBA personal statements need to contain the content admissions committees are looking for, be presented in the essay format they want, and they need to keep the readers’ attention.

Below we’ve highlighted a few things to keep in mind when creating your personal statement.

Use essay format

Your personal statement needs to be organized in an essay format. A sentence or a short paragraph won’t do. Admissions committees are looking for a little more content, and a bit more structure. The typical word count of an MBA personal statement is around 400-1,000 words, so think one to two pages long. Some programs may have very strict word count requirements, while others may not specify the word count but ask students to answer two essay questions.

Craft your personal statement just as you would an essay, with an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. Start with a brief introduction that captures the reader. Use the introduction to engage the reader and keep them reading until the end of the statement.

Follow this with 3 to 5 body paragraphs that dig a bit deeper into your answer to the prompt in front of you. Each body paragraph should elaborate on how you came to apply to MBA and what makes you a great candidate. Remember to always use examples to support your claims- in other words, “show, don’t tell” them your story!

The conclusion

For the conclusion, wrap up your statement neatly, impressing upon the reader that you are the right fit for the program. Your reader should be left with the incitement to action, namely, they should want to extend you an interview invitation.

Being able to master the short essay format will also show admissions committees that you have the writing chops needed to excel in their business program!

Keep in mind that personal statements are usually between 750 and 1,000 words, so they don’t need to be long, meaty essays. Be concise in your statement and cut out any unnecessary information or fluff that isn’t needed.

Have a compelling story

When writing your personal statement, it’s important to leave an impression. Admissions committees will remember a great narrative over another student with high marks in all their classes. Crafting a compelling narrative is easier said than done, but it can be done.

Consider the question being asked. Are they asking for a moment of personal achievement? Your greatest failure? Do they want to know what motivated you to apply for business school? From there, choose a significant moment in your life that relates to the question.

Tell the story of this personal moment, using narrative story structure to deliver it with the greatest impact. Story structure means taking the reader—the admissions committee—on a journey.

For example, a story about the time you decided to run a marathon might start with a bit of background on the race and why you decided to run it. Then it would talk about any obstacles or setbacks you faced in preparing for this challenge, and how you overcame them. In your essay, you could write about the race itself, your mindset and any unexpected difficulties like a twisted ankle, finishing with the result of you completing the marathon anyway or beating your personal best time. Discuss why this moment of personal triumph was significant to you and how it relates to your decision to apply to business school.

Use your natural voice

When writing your personal statement, it’s key to maintain your authenticity. It is, after all, a personal statement, so use your natural voice and style in your writing. Admissions committees appreciate unique voices, and it will be noticeable in your writing if you’re trying to be overly formal or adopt the style of another writer.

Remember that committees are asking who you are as a person. Being honest and natural in your responses will shine through with way more impact than trying to sound like the smartest person in the room or the most business-savvy applicant.

Prove your leadership qualities, be introspective and honest

No matter the essay question, it’s best to showcase your leadership qualities. Show admissions committees that you can be introspective and honest with yourself. They want to see proof of self-growth and self-reflection in the experiences you share in your personal statement.

Demonstrate your leadership as part of a team environment by highlighting the ways in which you built up your team or encouraged them. Show the admissions team that you have leadership over yourself as well, in your commitment to your goals, writing about how you saw a difficult project through to the end, or a moment of personal self-development in which you learned from past mistakes.

Share how you will contribute, and how the program will help you achieve your career goals

Lastly, draw attention to what contributions you can make to the school or program of your choice. Pump up your strengths and the unique perspective or skills you bring to the table. Present compelling arguments for why you should be chosen over others.

Also mention how the program you’ve chosen will contribute to your business education or help you achieve your career goals. Mention specific elements in the school’s culture or curriculum that you feel will be an asset to your education in business administration or your future in business.

Worried about your MBA Interview? These are some of the question types you can start preparing for:

What should be left out of an MBA personal statement?

Just as there are elements that need to be included in your MBA personal statement, there are parts to avoid as well. Some common mistakes in poorly written personal statements are making it too long, not proofreading or checking your work, and not answering the essay question effectively.

Below we’ve listed some key mistakes to avoid when writing your personal statement.

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Below we’ve provided 7 examples of great introductions, body paragraphs and conclusions of MBA personal statements, each answering the common types of essay questions we talked about above.

1. What motivated you to apply for this MBA program?

My family owns one of the oldest small businesses in our tight-knit community. I have always been proud to be a part of this family tradition, and it is my dream to open a small business myself. During the pandemic, I witnessed my parents and their fellow small business owners struggle to keep the doors open and the lights on. Many businesses, some of which had been here for decades, were ultimately unable to and had to close their doors for good. This was difficult for me, as it is not just a failing business, but an individual’s dream being shuttered. There are many hard-working small business owners in my community who simply could not compete or adapt to the changes of the past year. And they had no system to guide them on how to get back on their feet.

My dream to become an entrepreneur has now evolved; in the future, I want to create a company which incubates local start-up businesses. In working with [Company], I have developed my leadership and organizational skills, but an MBA from [University] will allow me to grow into a community-minded leader. With [Company], I have been fortunate to be able to lead a team of like-minded individuals, and see how both my actions, and the actions of the team, can lift up us all. It would be my goal to view my community of small business owners in the same way: as one unit that can be raised out of the circumstances we are all mired in.

[University’s] MBA program was my first choice because its foundational values align with my goals. With the program’s focus on the operation and management of small business, I believe it will provide me with the proper toolset to serve local business owners and up and coming start-ups. [University] also focuses on entrepreneurial leadership and development, which will be a great class to augment my existing skillset. The curriculum of this program will provide me with the necessary professional skills I need to succeed as a small business owner myself, particularly with its foundation of management, finance and leadership. Since the program also holds a high standard for innovative, exemplary leadership, I feel it will augment my developing leadership style and skills and mold me into becoming the kind of leader my community and its business owners need right now.

The small business owners in my community are like members of a family, and when they were faced with difficult times, I was amazed to see how they supported one another, and reached out to one another. My goal as a business incubator would be to provide a space for these businesses who were struggling or had to shutdown to restart again and get back on their feet. To have a community support system to reinvigorate them. It would also be a resource for any budding entrepreneurs in the community, who were scared off by these challenging times or simply don’t have the resources they need to get off the ground.

After graduating, I will achieve my dream of running a business incubator with the full guidance of my experiences inside and outside the classroom. With the skills I will have learned, I will be able to give back to my community and make a true impact on the lives of its small business owners. I am passionate about my goals, and deeply committed to making a real, tangible difference in my community’s business sector. I will take the lessons I’ll learn at [University] with me throughout my life and career in business and pass along the tools and skills I will have learned to the small business owners, like my parents, for whom it makes such an incredible difference.

2. Who do you most admire?

The businessperson I most admire is not a well-known titan of industry. Her name is [Name]. She is the founder of a not-for-profit organization which provides stray animals in need with care and housing, as well as educates on proper animal care. She has been my mentor as I have volunteered for her organization for the last 3 years. My passion for animals led me to volunteer with [Organization], but it was the incredible example set by [Name] which inspired me to further my professional goals and pursue an MBA. With an MBA degree, I can pour my experiences, skills, and passion into helping other not-for-profits like [Organization] succeed and continue to help animals. The world, particularly the not-for-profit sector, needs more leaders like her. She continues to inspire me with the commitment and passion she has for her business.

The reason I admire [Name] is because of her dedication to her business, her sense of responsibility to her team and the animals, and her vision in creating a better solution to stray overpopulation and pet abandonment. Every day, she works to educate pet owners on the problems organizations like hers face, and the effect on the animals and communities involved. People often misunderstand the work done by animal shelters and organizations like [Name’s], and it’s important to not only raise awareness but educate others on the real problems we are seeing everyday, and the proven solutions that can be provided. Overpopulation of strays and inadequate pet care often mean our shelters are at capacity, stressing our already taxed resources. It sometimes means we’re not able to accept an animal in need off the street, because someone else has returned a pet they weren’t prepared to care for.

[Name] puts everything she has into her business to ensure it runs in a responsible, organized way, from caring for the animals, to managing staff and customers. She tackles problems head-on, and she is involved in every step of the process to see where we can make improvements. Every year, she organizes our Adoption Day event and fundraiser. She sets up pens for potential pet owners to interact with our animals safely, signs up new shelter volunteers and accepts donations. And then she is in charge of educational presentations and a thank you speech in front of the crowd of our supporters and donors. She truly makes being an organized professional an artform. As part of the team, she is our leader by example, showing our team how to organize and set up a safe, fun and successful event. She leads from the front and shows us how to properly care for animals and advocate on their behalf.

[Name] is not only dedicated to her position as the team leader and head of the organization, but personally takes the time to do the work around the shelter and can fill in for any position flawlessly. She proves the importance of being able to multi-task, and how crucial it is to know every part of the business, when she shows our shelter volunteers how to clean out cages, maintain our animals’ physical health with grooming or properly delivering necessary medications, and how to socialize our animals with structured play with other animals and humans. She uses her creative thinking and innovation to keep finding ways the team can work smarter, not harder, and brainstorm ways that we can improve the lives of our animals. When our resources aren’t enough, or a piece of equipment breaks down, there is always another solution. When we didn’t have enough proper feeding and water bowls for our pets, she took it upon herself to recycle pieces of PVC pipe and plastic storage bins from our storage room to create a feeding and watering system that saved us time in caring for our animals and provided space for everyone during busy feeding times.

My mentor will always be an inspiration to me in the world of business for her leadership qualities and the way she executes her vision. Not only is she a prime example of a not-for-profit business owner, but she also never lets herself forget why she’s there, and she always shows up for her business. Working in the not-for-profit sector requires a surplus of passion, patience, integrity and dedication. It also requires superb organization, knowing your business inside and out, creativity and innovation. She demonstrates these qualities every single day, and inspires others to develop these qualities within themselves, too. [Name] is the best example I can think of a leader, a not-for-profit business owner and someone who truly cares about their mission. I hope to emulate the qualities she has shown and instilled in me in my future professional life.

3. Describe a time you led a team and what challenges you faced, how you overcame them.

The bulk of my professional experience has been as a member of team. I have been fortunate to have experience both being a part of and leading a team of talented and dedicated individuals. Working at [Newspaper] as chief layout editor, I consistently lead a team of 5 layout editors in creating and publishing a weekly paper. Journalism is a fast-paced environment that requires focus and collaboration. My team edited, laid out and approved a large volume of pages each week, working under tight deadlines. Our work requires adaptation and perseverance, and a fair amount of commitment to see things through to their deadlines and complete a project to the best of one’s ability. In my role as chief layout editor, I had the invaluable opportunity to develop my leadership style, grow as a leader, and prove to myself and my team that I can lead.

Within a newsroom, there are multiple departments all operating with a degree of separation from one another, but all key parts of the overall team. Normally, the department heads are in contact with one another to fix problems quickly where they come up and stay in contact throughout the publication process. My team of layout editors would inevitably run into a roadblock or have a question they needed to pose to another department head about the copy. Communications between departments were usually streamlined by being communicated exclusively through department heads. If a team member had a request, it went through me and on to the appropriate department head. Since department heads were not always available at the time the issue arose, I took the initiative to make it easier for my team to get the answers they needed to work, even if myself or the other department heads were absent. Through a shared Slack message board, members of my layout team could post a request or question to the related department. All team members of that department would be able to see the request and respond. Or, messages could be sent directly to the individual to answer the request.

Another major hurdle was ensuring every page that came through our hands kept to our strict style and layout guidelines. As team leader, it was my responsibility to clearly communicate our style and layout guidelines to my team members, providing a comprehensive guide for them to follow. This guide became a staple in the office and part of the package prepared for new hires. The guide helped new hires onboard more quickly and increased the team’s self-sufficiency. All pages being worked on were also visible to the entire team, so everyone knew who was working on what and how projects were progressing in real time, without the need for constant meetings and updates.

Leading my team at [Company] was a challenging but rewarding experience. In my responsibilities as team leader, I learned valuable lessons about the importance of transparency, clarity and advocacy in the workplace. I learned the importance of fostering an environment where the entire team could excel and be self-sufficient. Being a leader is about much more than delegating, fixing problems and guiding team members. In an environment as dynamic and fast-paced as a newsroom, I learned how to use my creative skills to improve the work environment. By making these seemingly small changes to our communications and operations, the team was able to thrive. Through my time as leader, I believe my best accomplishments were removing the team’s hurdles to productivity and efficiency. Once I did, my team showed me how adept they were at leading themselves.

My greatest personal achievement was also the realization of a lifelong dream. This year myself and my water polo team won the gold medal for the Junior Olympics. It has been my dream to become an Olympian since I was young and being awarded a gold medal for competing in my sport has been by far my proudest moment. Not only was this a significant feat of athleticism, perseverance, and dedication, it was an affirming moment for me personally. It proved what I was capable of once I set my mind to something. It showed me what my passion and hard work could bring me.

My journey as an athlete has taught me many important skills applicable to every area of my life. Water polo is a team sport, and I could not have succeeded in this personal victory without the hard work, encouragement, and help of my teammates. The team’s strengths and weaknesses must complement each other to form the best unit it can. And thinking and functioning as a team helps keep us sharp and focused. Being a part of a team also inspired me to push myself and constantly improve upon my own performance. During training with my team, I often had doubts about myself and my performance. I never viewed myself as the strongest link, and saw only how I fell short compared to my teammates in speed, strength or maneuverability in the water. My teammate, [Name], noticed how hard I was pushing myself and encouraged me to share my self-doubt with her. I carried her following pep talk with me to the gold medal match. She told me that our teammates all relied upon one another, but that we were also there to support each other. To complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And she reminded me that my strengths were knowing who was the quickest, who was the strongest, and who was the best teammate for any given situation in a match. She pointed out that I had a knack for analyzing a situation quickly and immediately moving into position to support the teammate that needed it to maximize our chance of success in the round. Having the team’s expectations of me, knowing they were relying on me, but also supporting me, inspired me to be my best. To challenge myself and expand the limits of what I thought I was capable of.

Water polo is also a physically demanding sport, and my long hours of training and practice have taught me diligence, patience and perseverance, especially when there is a goal I am striving for. But frustration bubbles up in you when you don’t see results or even a shred of improvement. Self-doubt might creep in, because you know that even your best might just not be good enough. Not to mention, when you’re in the arena and all eyes are on you, it’s easy to get distracted. My self-doubt was keeping me from seeing my personal strengths, and the improvements I had made. The mix of frustration at lack of progress and determination to do better pushed me too hard. After my teammate’s inspiring talk, I started to focus on my strengths, playing out different match scenarios in my head and in the pool and practicing drills with my teammates to improve my reaction times.

I remember walking out and trying to tune out the noise and distractions. You run through the mental checklist, and you’re so focused you almost forget what’s coming next. It feels a bit like sleepwalking, because you’re not aware of what’s happening around you, but you don’t miss a thing. Everything you have practiced comes rushing back to you and you’re waiting for everything to start. When it does, there’s the snap to action. All your training is remembered in a single instant, and suddenly you’re ready for everything. Your team is with you, all of them connected to you, sharing the same thoughts. You don’t need to tune anyone out anymore, because the only thing that exists in your world is your team and the game. It’s almost hard to believe when the game is over and you come back to the real world. It’s a surreal feeling. And then you realize: we won.

Although I have achieved this personal goal through hard work and dedication to my sport, it has opened my eyes to the other possibilities still ahead of me. In achieving this milestone, it has made me strive to reach for the next rung on the ladder and keep improving myself in my sport and in my personal development. In achieving something I wasn’t always sure I could, I’ve shown myself what I’m capable of, and taught myself the value of challenging myself and growing myself.

Want to learn more about MBA courses? Check out this video:

5. How will you contribute to school’s diversity?

As a female entrepreneur, I know the unique perspectives and value I can bring to the table. Growing up with a grandmother who started her own business had a huge impact on me, as it taught me what women in business are capable of. Now, as a proud business owner myself, I can see how my personal journey affects my approach to business. My grandmother owned a small hardware store, and hers was the only store around for miles in a rural area. She knew each of her customers by name, and took the time to chat with each one, providing advice or recommendations on their home improvement projects. As a child, I was astounded by her depth of knowledge and how she always seemed to have an answer for everything. It inspired me to follow her and soak up the information she had. As we worked, she also provided me with gems like ‘if they come back with a smile on their face, you’ve done your job’.

When I built my business, I was focused on one mission: to help empower my fellow female entrepreneurs and business owners. Now that I have been in business for a few years, it still amazes me how often my clients share stories with me that echo my own. We share so much of our struggles, triumphs and experiences, and yet we each have our own story to tell. We all have different reasons for going into business for ourselves. Some of the best interactions I’ve had are when my clients share their stories with me. When I was still working with my grandmother in her shop, I was helping a young girl with a school project. She wanted to construct a birdhouse and needed some help finding the right materials. Unlike her classmates, she wanted to construct the most unique birdhouse possible. Something the most colourful birds would call home. Together, we went through the store picking out flashiest glitter, buttons and faux feathers we could find. The following week, she returned to proudly show off her birdhouse, the most colourful I have seen yet. Seeing the proud smile on her face and seeing the result of what I had helped to build, ignited the spark that has never left me. Knowing I was a part of her passion project, of helping it become a reality, fills me with the same pride I feel now helping other women to succeed in their business. Whenever a client tells me that I’ve given them the tools they never thought they’d have access to or given them the advice they never knew they needed to succeed, I know I’ve done my job.

As a female business owner, I bring my own special brand to my business. My business was built on my personal passions and values, and it shows in every interaction with my stakeholders, my employees and my clients. My motivation to pursue my MBA comes back to my grandmother’s words of wisdom in doing my job. Doing the best job I possibly can for my clients. And I know I can’t continue to grow, and provide my clients with my best work, without continuing to develop myself professionally. In pursuing my MBA, I am filling myself up with even more knowledge, even more skills, that I can pass onto those who need my help.

6. Talk about a personal failure and what you learned from it.

Even as a child, I was never good at accepting failure. Whatever I did, I wanted to excel. And I quickly grew disinterested in activities I didn’t have a natural talent for. While in life it is inevitable to experience failures, there is one incident in my personal life that stands out. A few years ago, I was training for a national track and field competition. Track and field was something I was effortlessly good at, and I knew I would have no trouble competing when I qualified for the race. I would be racing in the 100 m sprint, a category in which I excelled and was sure to win first place. Even though I was assured of my victory, I devoted myself to my training. It was important to me that I show my best efforts and impress.

Before my defining race, I was warming myself up, preparing myself for the feat of athleticism. I also sized up the competition, taking note of the strongest runners, as I usually did. It became a pre-race ritual for me, to mentally catalog my opponents and consider how their strengths and weaknesses matched up to mine. There was one runner I noticed and dismissed immediately for being the smallest and weakest-looking of the group. Unlike the rest of us, he wasn’t warming up for the upcoming race. He was sitting quietly on his own, concentrating only on himself and whatever mental pep talk he was running through his head. Thinking nothing of it, I approached the starting line and waited for the gun blast. As soon as it fired, I took off, digging my toes in and launching myself ahead of the pack. I was pushing my body to its limits to reach that finish line. I could see my opponents falling back, on my heels but unable to catch me as I sprinted with confident strides. But to my surprise, the small runner I had dismissed so easily was a pace ahead of me in my sightline. Determined to beat him, I poured everything I had into my sprint, feeling the effort burn through me. But it wasn’t enough. The runner effortlessly flew over the finish line before me, nabbing the first-place prize I had worked so hard for.

While my defeat in an arena I excelled in could have brought bitter disappointment, it was also a good reminder for me that we all fail. Competition is inevitable, and we should never grow complacent in the areas where we excel. If we stop growing, our competition will catch up to us quickly and unexpectedly. If we want to stay ahead of the game, it’s important to keep improving. Because even the best athletes continue to train to stay at the top. My fellow runner didn’t care about their competition, and they weren’t concerned about comparing themselves to others. They were solely focused on their goal, as any top athlete should and will be. This is a lesson I took to heart.

During this race, I did also beat my personal best time, so it showed me that even if I excel at something, there’s always room for improvement. It taught me that complacency is the enemy of my success. I was so satisfied with what I thought to be my peak performance. I had thought I was at the top of my game. But this experience showed me how wrong that was, and how important it is to keep growing and developing myself. I’ve learned that even with our best efforts, we can sometimes still fall behind. Sometimes, someone’s strategy will be better. Or they’ll be better prepared. But mostly, it showed me that instead of focusing on how I measure up to others, I need to shift my perspective and ask how I measure up to who I want to be. My goal now shouldn’t be to be the best, my aspiration should be to become the best version of myself I can possibly be.

7. What are your career aspirations?

Brewing has been my family’s calling for generations, from my father brewing backyard beer to my ancestors’ colourful history of distilling illegal spirits. Recipes have been passed down through the family, and we each have our own favourites and specialties. Some of us add unexpected flavours to our home brews. Others swear by old or superstitious techniques. Still other members of the family have kept their ‘secret ingredient’ close to the vest. Something I want to change is the fact that the family hobby has never quite grown out of the backyard. Because the other family tradition is in the sharing of a cup, and I think with the growing popularity of micro-breweries and micro-distilleries, other families might enjoy a taste of our traditions, too. In applying for this MBA program, I believe it will help me to achieve my dream of opening a micro-distillery. It has long been my goal to own my own business and incorporate my passion for brewing. Being a small business owner requires supreme organizational and management skills, which [School’s] program will provide me.

In opening my own micro-distillery, I will be able to share my passion with my customers. The area in which I grew up has a unique history of locally made spirits, and the ingredients that grow in the area cannot easily be found anywhere else. They provide an inimitable flavour profile and a taste of the local land that cannot be matched. It is my goal to carry on the proud traditions of my hometown region by opening my own micro-distillery, to share our unique regional flavours with the world. Although my dad has taught me his home-brewing techniques, I also have experience working for [Beer Brand] as a brewer. Learning the modern techniques of brewing has definitely expanded my skillset, although brewing the same brand of beer, using the standard recipe, doesn’t have the same passion in it. My work experience has rounded out my technical skill as a brewer, and it has also given me some insight into the operations of a business. I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to operate a small business, and I know I have more to learn in this area. I know if I want to succeed in turning my family tradition into a real business, I need to build up my business sense. 

To achieve my goal of owning my own micro-distillery, it is important to have a strong business sense behind the passion and big idea. I believe with this program I will add the leadership, management and operational skills I need to see my micro-distillery off the ground. My business will need a team, and I will need to develop myself as a leader to be able to choose and develop my employees. I know I will also need to learn the management skills that will allow me to help them be successful. It is my belief that this program will instill in me the soft skills I need to become the leader and teammate I need to become to see this venture succeed.

Writing an MBA personal statement is tricky, but it is a must for any business school application. By following the above tips or studying the examples we’ve provided in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to writing an awesome personal statement. Finally, if you are looking for more inspiration, check out our Harvard MBA personal statement examples . This renowned institution is well-known for its standards. If you can write a personal statement like this, you can get into any MBA program out there!

MBA personal statements are typically between 750 and 1,000 words.

An MBA personal statement is almost like a cover letter for a job application. It is written in essay form and should explain why you are the right choice for an MBA program. Your MBA personal statement should also highlight why you wish to attend the schools you're applying to and what you hope to do with your MBA.

Yes. Most MBA programs will ask for a personal statement as part of their application process.

A general rule of thumb is to include a strong personal narrative, compelling arguments for your candidacy and qualities or strengths you will bring to the program you’re applying for.

Yes. Usually, schools will change the essay question each application cycle. Though this may vary depending on the program.

Some of the most common personal statement essay questions relate to personal achievements, motivations for applying to business school or how you will contribute to the school’s MBA program.

Yes. Admissions committees will be expecting your personal statement to be in short essay format. If it’s not, it may lead your application to the rejection pile.

The simplest way is to study the short essay format, read the essay question, reflect on your personal experiences, and answer the question being asked!

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLES Business studies personal statements

Discover personal statement examples written by students accepted onto business studies and related courses. Read through the examples to help shape your own personal statement.

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Sample Personal Statement Business Analytics

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

In personal statement samples by field.

Here is the personal statement of an applicant who got admitted to top Master’s in Business Analytics programs, including CMU, and MIT. For personal statement, the programs posed several questions to applicant, which the admissions committee expects to be answered in an essay form. The universities provide these personal statement prompts to encourage students to self-reflect and then to share their insights with the program.

The following essays are an example of a compelling story and reflect the original voice and personality of the applicant. Get inspiration from them and try to incorporate their strengths into your own personal statement.

Related Personal Statements 1) Sample Personal Statement in Advanced Analytics (admitted to NCSU) 2) Sample Personal Statement in Analytics (admitted to Georgia Tech) 3) Sample Personal Statement in Data Science and Analytics (admitted to CMU and Vanderbilt) 4) Sample Personal Statement in Management and Analytics (admitted to LBS)

In this Article

Personal Statement Prompt 1

Personal statement prompt 2, personal statement prompt 3, personal statement prompt 4.

Please attach to the application a brief narrative outlining your academic interests. Include any current or long-range interests in research, teaching or other professional objectives. Please describe these if you have progressed far enough in your career to have publications or other evidence of scholarly endeavour.

I want to play the critical role of a business strategist and capitalize on the most useful of the sophisticated technologies flooding modern businesses. In the short run, I want to set up a consulting firm which provides analytics-driven marketing solutions to large firms operating to deliver a consistent and easy buying experience for their customers. I would ideally like to leverage recent shifts in the marketing industry towards data, expand my consulting services across countries, and become a global leader in revolutionizing customer experience through data analytics.

I am an ideal candidate for the Business Analytics program due to my strong academic record as I graduated in Electrical Engineering with a cum laude GPA. My undergraduate has equipped me with extensive quantitative knowledge and technical experience around different themes in engineering. I’ve focused most of my studies on parametric analysis using different software like C++, VB, MySQL, Python and MATLAB. This was further honed when I joined Facebook’s Meta as an Analyst Software Engineer and, using MySQL, predicted patterns of interpersonal behaviour to optimally pair customers with an agent. Solving demand-related issues of customers from all around the globe, I have become aware of the mismatches between marketing outreach and customers’ buying needs. Therefore, I aspire to influence global customers’ marketing experience by investigating ways in which customer needs can be well aligned with the sales strategies of firms supplying goods online.

To materialize my aspirations into a successful reality, I want to glean more information on predicting customer behaviours and matching it with the right promotion offers since it ideally dovetails with my professional expertise in using MySQL to predict patterns of interpersonal behaviour to optimally pair customers with an agent. While I developed a strong skillset in matching commercially available information to determine successful behavioural interaction patterns, I plan to extend my research pursuits by exploring the right mix of traditional and digital marketing vehicles.

Beyond the classroom, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with the influential faculty and the Center and Laboratory for Behavioral Operations and Economics’ endeavours to solve critical IT-related decisions that advance company performance. In particular, the techniques of Professor Gary Bolton in experimenting with real-world trading markets within laboratory settings are foundational for my current work. Moreover, they will equip me with experimenting tools through which I can excel in my future career. Moreover, my future aspirations require strong leadership qualities recognized in a data-driven world. For this purpose, I would greatly benefit from The Leadership Center’s four dynamic offerings to mould my personality into a global leader’s persona.

Lastly, I will exploit the strong placement services and gain access to leading consulting companies where I can seek pro bono consulting opportunities and enhance my problem-solving acumen. I am also confident in acquiring the necessary communication skills to present solutions to Product Managers, Sales Associates, Engineers, and Marketing Teams for effective decision-making.

Thus, to sum up, owing to my strong academic credentials and professional expertise in applying artificial intelligence, I am confident of fully utilizing vibrant opportunities at Master in Business Analytics and converting it into an ideal segue for my future career aspirations.

Introduce yourself to your future classmates in 100 words or less.  

I have a passion for entrepreneurship, and during my sophomore year, I laid the foundations of the “ pay as you play”  console gaming platform and earned $4,000 a month. I have strong interpersonal skills and have won five national debating championships and represented at various national and international competitions. I am a fighter and showed great resolve in fighting acute liver failure, which I suffered in my junior year. I am a risk taker and quit my high-paying job at Unilever to start my venture of connecting home-cooked food suppliers with potential buyers.

What professional experiences have made you determine that business school is the right next step? (150 words)  

I pitched a business idea named Homestove – a food sharing application based on the B2C model. The business idea was successful as it won a substantial seed funding. Encouraged by its traction, I spearheaded its execution of supplying home-cooked food to potential buyers. However, the main factor I overlooked was doing intensive data analytics based on the market’s demographics. The locus I initially defined was 8 km, which was far from optimal. As a result, it created a mismatch between the area from where demand was being generated and where the chef was supplying the home-cooked food. Consequently, we incurred a considerable loss and customer dissatisfaction because of extended delivery times. Therefore, to avoid such losses, I strongly need a degree based on data management, technology, and analytics to create an ideal operations model for my business.

What career do you plan to pursue after business school and why? (150 words)

In the short run, I would restructure my business model by carefully analyzing the individual-level micro-data. Ideally, I aim to optimize my operations, mitigate the mismatch of distances between chefs and potential buyers, and reclaim the currently lost market share. If successful, I would like to expand my business to other metropolitan cities of US.

In the long run, alongside my business, I would like to provide consulting services to other tech-based startups suffering from a lack of operational optimization of their business. Unfortunately, despite having a lot of potential, most tech-based startups fail because of a lack of proper training in operational research. Consequently, they are unable to sustain themselves and run out of funding. I want to provide such firms consulting based on data analytics, business insights and marketing so they can harness themselves and become profitable.

Is there anything not addressed elsewhere in the application that you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (300-word maximum)

During my senior year, I got recruited by British American Tobacco after winning their battle of mental challenges. They had devised stringent criteria based on a rigorous aptitude test. Additionally, they assigned a group-based project related to any issue in public policy. I was the team lead and submitted a basic blueprint idea for using solar panels for domestic power needs. The basic plan was that the cost of these solar panels, being the main hindrance, would be offset once the government provided low-interest loans to homeowners to power their own houses. The savings on electricity bills would then be used to pay off the loans. It was an innovative idea that was well crafted after hundreds of hours of hard work. For example, my team and I conducted a rigorous field activity and accumulated over 400 bills from different homes in Frederick, Maryland to prove that using solar panels would not cost anything extra to these houses. We won the competition based on our innovative idea, and I was later called for an interview. Later, I was selected as MT and five other candidates out of 7000 applicants. I worked there for two years and eventually moved to Unilever. However, I always wanted to create social value and impact the lives of others, so after a brief stint at Unilever, I started my venture.

Describe a situation in your life where you failed to achieve a goal. What did you learn from this experience? (Max. 400 words)

I pitched a business idea named Homestove – a food sharing application based on the B2C model. The app’s primary purpose was to create local clusters where domestic chefs and homemakers market and sell their food to potential buyers within a particular locus. The business idea was successful as it was selected at top incubators and won a substantial seed funding award. Encouraged by its traction, I spearheaded its execution  to become a pioneer in supplying home-cooked food to potential buyers . The main factor I overlooked was doing intensive market research based on the market’s demographics. Due to a lack of in-depth data analysis, the locus I initially defined was an 8km radius, which was far from optimal. As a result, it created a mismatch between the area from where demand was being generated and where the chef was supplying the home-cooked food. Consequently, we levied a considerable cost of transportation and customer dissatisfaction because of extended delivery timings. The  goal of becoming a pioneer not only failed severely , but the loss’s extent was so much that it even eroded our initial seed funding. 

Although I failed in my initial ambition, my failure taught me deep insights into this business. Therefore, I am not let down by this experience. Instead, it has given me a direction leading me to future success. I realize that I conceded this partly because I didn’t discount some factors but, more importantly, because I lacked the necessary skill set. I realized that had I had better analysis skills in synthesizing microeconomic data, I would have developed a better spatial model of the business. I also felt that I needed to hone my skills in optimizing the operations of this business so that the mismatch between consumer and food supplier localities is mitigated. 

My more profound understanding of my failure and firm resolve to stand up again only point in one direction. And that is to pursue a Master’s degree in Business Analytics, where I can bolster my quantitative research skills and get international exposure to similar business models. I am therefore confident that a Master’s degree in Business Analytics will go a long way in pursuing my career goals and ambitions.

You just entered the elevator with a member of the Applicant Review Committee for the MS in Business Analytics. You can only speak to this person on the elevator for a short time. What would you say to this individual so that they would look favorably upon your application? (Max. 250 words)

During my senior year, I was inducted as Management Trainee by British American Tobacco after aced their “Battle of Minds” challenge. I was among the top 5 candidates out of other 7,000 aspirants. I worked there for almost two years, and after a very brief stint at Unilever, one of the leading multinationals, I decided to start my business venture. I looked for seed funding programs and pitched them my idea of supplying home-cooked food to potential buyers. The business idea won a substantial seed funding award. The idea was unique and covered on the local news channels during their prime-time transmission. After initial success, I experienced a downturn in my business. I realized the need to hone my quantitative analysis skills, particularly focusing on the operational optimization of business ventures. While searching for programs, I was excited by the curriculum. The vibrant community and home to more than 400 businesses, is an ideal place to learn and build new experiences. Additionally, the business analytics research centre is a perfect platform where I can test new quantitative research methods to calibrate the optimal spatial model of my business. In short, my strong credentials and desire to learn more align with the core values of the program in Business Analytics and will be ideal for fulfilling my career ambitions. 

One of our core values is Integrity. What does academic integrity mean to you? (250 words or less)

Academic integrity to me means being honest first and foremost to myself and anyone else. For me, it’s a way of life beyond just being honest in academic writing and following rules and regulations. I have stood up for academic sanctity, even against my friends and peers and have never tolerated slight slip-ups. I clearly remember how I had to take a firm stand against my group fellows in a Finance course when they were inclined to plagiarize a business idea. Additionally, when I started my undergraduate, I had many problems with citing during my writing courses. I wanted to learn and uphold academic integrity, so I took an additional paid online course to understand and master the art of referencing and citations. I have ensured that I take academic integrity beyond my university. As an entrepreneur, I have created a platform where cooks from around the city supply food to various customers. Dealing with almost 40 such cooks, I have ensured everyone is treated equally and honestly. For this purpose, I have developed systems where my employees’ names and background details are encrypted against an identification number so that my judgment remains impartial towards them. These are just some notable instances. Still, throughout my life, I have not let my moral guard down and confidently say that my ethical code of conduct strongly resonated with the core value of integrity.

Describe your experience using Excel, Databases or Software Tools. How has this influenced your decision to pursue a career in analytics? (250 words or less)

During my undergraduate studies, I worked with advanced Excel and basic STATA for various courses involving small and medium datasets. However, I realized a massive handicap of advanced data analytics when I started my business venture. I started a business named Homestove – a food sharing application based on the B2C model. Due to a lack of in-depth data analysis, the locus I initially defined was an 8 km radius, which was far from optimal. As a result, it created a mismatch between the area from where demand was being generated and where the chef was supplying the home-cooked food. I realized that had I had better analysis skills in synthesizing microeconomic data, I would have developed a better spatial model of the business. I also felt that I needed to hone my skills in optimizing the operations of this business so that the mismatch of consumer and food suppliers’ localities is mitigated. My deeper understanding of my failure and firm resolve to stand up again only point in one direction: to pursue a Master’s degree in Business Analytics. Through this, I can bolster my quantitative research skills and get international exposure to similar business models.

What is your target industry post-graduation? What impact do you want to make in your industry using analytics? (250 words or less)

In the short run, I would like to restructure my business model by carefully analyzing the individual data. Ideally, I aim to optimize my operations and mitigate the mismatch of the distance between chefs and potential buyers and reclaim the currently lost market share. If successful, I would like to expand my business to other metropolitan cities. In the long run, alongside my business, I would like to provide consulting services to other tech-based startups suffering from a lack of operational optimization of their business. Unfortunately, despite having a lot of potential, most tech-based startups fail because of a lack of proper training in operational research. As a result, they cannot sustain themselves and run out of funding. I would like to provide such firms with the necessary training based on data analytics, business insights and marketing to harness themselves and become profitable.

Please provide any additional information you would like to bring to the admissions committee’s attention. (250 words or less)

I have a keen sense of developing businesses from simple ideas of human needs. During my sophomore year, I developed a passion for console gaming. However, I soon realized my limited options as each game cost around $50. It was my handicap that I started my first business. I formed a virtual club initially with only 17 of my friends who could play up to 17 other games by only paying an additional fee of $20 per day. By the following year, my club had 123 members across various cohorts. Just by renting the games I bought from the initial deposits; I earned as much as $4,000 per month. 

When I joined Unilever, I had many problems having lunch at the office. So, I searched for cooks nearby my office and found a lady who was ready to supply it. Her food was tasty, and soon she had five customers from our office. This gave me an idea to lay down the foundations of Homestore – a food-sharing B2C modelled application. The application’s primary purpose was to create local clusters where domestic chefs and housewives marketed and sold their food to potential buyers within a particular locus. The idea was well received as it won seed funding and got promoted on local news channels’ prime-time transmission. Currently, I am running this business, but I need a data analytics degree to smoothen operations so that I can increase the impact of my venture. 

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IU Indianapolis IU Indianapolis IU Indianapolis

• My area of study is in accounting
• My area of study is not in accounting
• Discover downtown Indianapolis
• MS in Accounting
• Graduate Certificate in Accounting
• Graduate Certificate in Internal Audit
• MS in Taxation
• Graduate Certificate in Taxation

How to Apply

• Cost and Funding
• International Students

Kelley School of Business

• Centers & Institutes
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• Graduate Accounting

Apply to earn a graduate certificate, an MS in Accounting or an MS in Taxation.

To apply for our Graduate Certificate in Accounting, Taxation or Internal Auditing Programs, complete only the "Graduate school application" and "Official transcripts" portion of the application process below. To apply for the MS in Accounting or MS in Taxation Programs, complete all parts of the application process.

Graduate school application

Complete and submit the  online application  for the Indiana University Graduate School.

All students must submit an application to the graduate school. You are  not  required to complete all sections of the application; however, the following sections  must  be completed:

• Personal information
• Education history
• Test scores
• Educational objectives (Please note: Kelley School of Business is listed alphabetically under Kelley rather than business.)
• Work experience

International students will be directed to continue the application process by completing several sections for international students only.

A nonrefundable application fee of $70 must be paid when you submit your application. You may pay the fee with a Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit card.

If you are an international student and have questions regarding your status at IUPUI, contact the International Affairs Office at 317-274-7000.

Admission testing

The GMAT and GRE are now optional.  Successful applicants will have a minimum 3.2 GPA. Applicants with a GPA between 3.1 and 2.8 may be admitted with additional requirements (including the GMAT) and with permission of the program chair.

Update and send your résumé

Update and send your résumé to [email protected] .

Proof of English proficiency (international students only)

We accept the  TOEFL  (minimum IBT score: 79), the  IELTS  (minimum score: 6.5) or Level 112 through  ELS.

Official transcripts

Mail your official transcripts to:

Kelley School of Business Indianapolis Graduate Accounting Programs 801 W. Michigan Street, BS3024 Indianapolis, IN 46202-5151

If you are an international student, you will also need to mail your diploma, both in your native language and in translation.

Letters of recommendation

Two letters of recommendation are required. You will provide your name, address, phone number and email on the Graduate school application. A link to the electronic recommendation form will be emailed to your references.

Personal statement

Questions about the application process, application deadlines.

Applications should be submitted at least one week before the first day of classes begins in the fall semester, spring semester, first summer session and second summer session. You can find the start dates for each semester on the long-term calendar on the Student Central website. Earlier applications are encouraged to secure your position. International students should submit applications at least one month before the start of classes for each semester.

Kelley's MSA Program is streamlined. I walked in, and they said, 'Here's your plan; here's how we are going to get you where you want to go, and here's how quickly you'll do it.' Hearing this, I knew Kelley was the place for me. Nan Schulze, MSA’10 | Senior Accountant at La Rosa & Co., LLC

Read Nan’s Story

Each class I've taken in the Kelley MST Program has molded me into a more strategic man. It's sharpened both my analytical and listening skills, which has helped me in my professional and personal relationships. Christopher Patterson, MST'16, MSA'17 | Lead Accountant for the U.S. Navy in Washington, D.C.

Read Christopher's Story

Statistics and Actuarial Science

Information for new graduate students in actuarial science, data science and statistics at the university of iowa..

Welcome New Graduate Students!

Information for NEW graduate students in Actuarial Science, Data Science and Statistics at the University of Iowa. 

Last Updated, May 31, 2024.                                   Additional  updates will be sent this summer!

Important Information for International Students

The Office of International Students and Scholars does an incredible job helping you settle into Iowa City and the University of Iowa.  They have webinars to help with:  

1. Getting Started and Making Travel Arrangements

2. Achieving Success: On-campus Involvement and Cultural Adjustment (undergraduate students)

3. Graduate Student Professionalization and Support

4. Understanding Orientation Expectations, Responsibilities, and Placement Tests (graduate students)

5. On-campus Housing Assignments and Move-in Tips (undergraduate students)

6. Student Employment

7. Money Matters - University Billing

Do you need to take the SPEC (Spoken Proficiency of English for the Classroom)?

All students for whom English is not a first language (as self-reported on their admissions application) and who have first-time appointments as graduate teaching assistants (TAs) are required to go through a testing process to assess their effectiveness in speaking English before they are assigned assistantship responsibilities. Beginning in Fall 2024, there will be a new test to assess communication in English in a classroom context called SPEC (Spoken Proficiency of English in the Classroom).  This is replacing ESPA and ELPT.  Details will be coming soon.

Any graduate student who is included in the following categories needs to have their oral English proficiency tested by the TAPE Program:

• Students whose first language is not English (i.e., learned another language first) as self-reported on their admissions application, and
• Have been appointed as a Teaching Assistant

Exemptions (may change):

• Students with an official valid (within the last two years) iBT Listening score of 25 and an iBT Speaking score of 26.
• Undergraduate degrees and/or     
• Continuous attendance of English-language schools since the age of 12 (or younger)
• Students who served as teaching assistants at other institutions of higher learning in which the language of instruction is English, if they were listed as the instructor of record for a course or led a discussion section in English for at least one year, with a year defined as either two academic semesters or three academic quarters.
• Requests for exceptions regarding the SPEC  can be submitted for evaluation to a committee consisting of the Director of ESL Programs, the Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs in the Graduate College, and a representative from University Human Resources.

Requests for exemption and exceptions must come from the department by the deadline, not the student.   Deadlines to register students for the SPEC are:

• March 1  

NOT Exemptions:

• Students who come from a country where English is one of the official languages.
• Students who are U.S. permanent residents or U.S. citizens whose first language is not English.

Testing Procedures & Results

 To be announced soon!

Graduate/Professional International Students Important Dates

July 12, 2024:  Earliest date you may enter the U.S. in F-1 or J-1 status. August 11, 2024:  Latest date by which you should arrive in Iowa City August 12 - 16, 2024: International Student Orientation August 26, 2024:  Classes begin.

Housing Information for All Students

The department has a housing webpage, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. If you are looking for a roommate, please let us know and we can update this web page!

Looking for housing options ?

All US citizens that are financially supported (TA, RA) need to be here on August 21.

All students will register for classes the week before classes start.  International students must complete the required Orientation Program before  they can register for classes.    

____________________

Fall Classes Advising will be August 19-23

All NEW UI students must meet with their advisor prior to registration.  There is no worry about getting into any of the classes we teach.  

• IF you are an Actuarial Science MS or PhD student you will need to meet with Professor Shyamalkumar.  Email him after August 12 at [email protected] to set a time to meet to discuss what classes to take, it may be on Zoom or in his office (233 Schaeffer Hall).
• IF you are a Data Science MS, Statistics MS, or PhD student you will need to meet with Professor Boxiang Wang.  Email him after August 12 at [email protected]  to set a time to meet to discuss what classes to take, it may be on Zoom or in his office (261 Schaeffer Hall).

New Graduate College Welcome and Orientation, August 21

The Graduate College Fall 2024 Graduate Student Orientation event will take place on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.  A registration form will be sent to your UI email sometime this early summer from the Graduate College. All new doctoral and master’s students are invited to attend.  

New Teaching Assistant Orientation, August 22- required for all new supported students

Sponsored by the Center for Teaching

This event will introduce participants to the role of teaching assistant at the University of Iowa and prepare them for the first week of classes and beyond. 

Participants will discuss evidence-based teaching strategies for lesson planning, inclusive teaching, and more with Center for Teaching staff. Participants will also choose two workshops of interest to them out of several options; these will be facilitated synchronously by experienced TAs.  This is a virtual event for 9-noon.

• Sign up before August 21!

New Student Department Orientation, August 23 at 9 a.m., Room to be determined.

• All New Student Orientation —Group Introductions and General Policy Procedures.

New Supported Graduate Assistants Orientation, August 23 at 1 p.m., Room to be determined.

• Our Director of Graduate Studies will have a department review of expectations and your specific roles in our department. Teaching and grading assignments will be explained, as well as preparation, teaching tips, problems and questions, quizzes and exams, weekly meetings, grading, appropriate office use and the Sexual Harassment Prevention Education

Mailbox in 241 Schaeffer Hall 

All graduate students will have a mailbox in our main office.  The faculty do as well.  Please check your mailbox at least once a week!

Office Desk Assignment

Nearly all supported students will have a desk in one of our offices.  The assignment priority (in this order) includes Ph.D. and Fellowship candidates, research assistants, half-time teaching assistants, quarter-time teaching assistants and lastly graders.  Having a desk is a privilege and should be used only for university business.  Office assignments will be given to students on, August 23.  Keys are checked out ONLY after that time.  Please remember to keep the rooms clean and take out all trash to the large bins in the main hallways.

Set-up your University of Iowa Email

All University of Iowa students are required to activate their assigned uiowa.edu email address, as all official communication from university offices are now sent via email, rather than hard copy. This address usually follows the pattern [email protected]   (However, often a number is also attached.) 

To activate the account:

• Log on to  MyUI
• Click on My UIowa / My Email / Request Email Account
• Complete the specified steps.

Students who prefer to maintain only their work or home email addresses can do so by routing the uiowa.edu email to a work or home account. To do so, follow these steps:

• Click on My UIowa / My Email / Update Email Routing Address

Important Notes:

• If your uiowa.edu email address is routed to a different account, you will  not  need to change your address in ICON, as your messages will already forward to your routed address.
• Log on to MYUI.
• Click on My UIowa / My Email / Email Account Filter bulk mail.
• Make sure that none of the categories are checked.

Required Graduate Assistants Teaching Courses:

• ONLINE CLASS Requirement: Sexual Harassment Prevention Edu.  Use your HawkID and password to log into Employee Self Service. Click the Personal tab, next (under Learning and Development) click on Sexual Harassment Prevention Edu., follow instructions.
• ONLINE CLASS Requirement:  Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Use your HawkID and password to log into Employee Self Service. Click the Personal tab, next (under Learning and Development) next click on Available Online Icon Courses, next FERPA Training, then click on View Details twice and the last click will be to Enroll in this ICON Course Session.
• A six-hour orientation program will be required of all students who are certified at level A or B and are teaching for the first time.  This orientation helps new teaching assistants understand the culture of the U.S. classroom and treats topics such as student expectations, teacher-student relationships, and understanding and answering student questions. Discussion focuses on suggestions for maximizing comprehensibility in spoken English. This course meets twice for 3 hours early in the semester. Both meetings are held in the evening.

Administrative Department Staff:

Professor aixin tan (until july 1, 2024).

Director of Graduate Studies, Statistics and Data Science Graduate Advisor: [email protected]   (319) 335-0821.

Professor Boxiang Wang (beginning July 1, 2024)

Director of Graduate Studies, Statistics and Data Science Graduate Advisor: [email protected] (319) 335-2294.

Professor N.D. Shyamalkumar

Actuarial Science Graduate Advisor:  [email protected]    (319) 335-1980

Margie Ebert

Academic Services Coordinator ,  [email protected]  (319) 335-2082

Heather Roth

Administrative Services Coordinator  [email protected]   (319) 335-0712

Tammy Siegel

Department Administrator ,  [email protected] , (319) 335-0706

What is an income statement?

• Key components of an income statement 
• Why they matter
• How to read an income statement 

What is an Income Statement?

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• An income statement is a financial document that details the revenue and expenses of a company.
• Some investors and analysts use income statements to make investing decisions.  
• The income statement, along with additional financial documents, is required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

An income statement is one of three major financial statements used to evaluate the health of a company, along with the balance sheet and cash flow statement . There are several terms you'll need to understand in order to know how to read an income statement. 

An income statement is a financial statement that outlines a company's gains, losses, revenue, and expenses during a specific period. 

Also called a Profit and Loss (P&L) Statement or a statement of revenue and expense, the income statement is one of three major documents, along with the cash flow statement and the balance sheet , that provide information on a company's financial results during a specified time frame. 

Key components of an income statement  

There are several key components of an income statement, and knowing them can go a long way toward helping you interpret one of these documents effectively. 

Revenue 

Revenue is the amount of money the company brought in during the reporting period. With revenue, it may be important to note any trends to determine whether the company is making more money over time or if sales are slowing down. 

Expenses 

This section, crucial to analyzing an income statement, details how much the company has spent. Similar to revenue, it may be important to note trends to see if the company is spending more or if they're becoming more efficient over time. When looking at expenses, "We should consider whether the expenses grow in proportion to revenue and the drivers of these expenses," says Patrick Badolato, PhD, CPA, an associate professor in the accounting department at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. 

Expenses can include many different line items, for example interest paid on debt, depreciation and amortization, rent and overhead, as well as money paid toward salaries and benefits. 

For the sake of clarity, depreciation is an accounting measure to account for the cost in the loss of value for tangible assets of the company, whereas amortization is an accounting technique to lower the book value of debt over time. 

Expenses also include cost of goods sold (COGS), which is the amount spent on the production of the products or services sold. For a company like Apple, it would include the glass to make the phone screen or the chips that go into the iPhone. 

Other costs that would be counted under expenses would be operating and non-operating expenses. Operating expenses are the cost to bring the product to the market. This could include things like marketing, payroll, and overhead expenses, such as insurance and rent. Non-operating expenses could include things that do not directly relate to core business functions. It may include things like contributions to pension plans or dividends to shareholders. 

Another major consideration is taxes, which of course cuts into any financial results a company generates. 

Net income 

Net income represents the total income left over after all deductions and expenses, including taxes, have been taken out. This is the last line on the income statement, frequently referred to as the bottom line, and it tells you what a company's profit or loss was during a specific time period. 

Why income statements matter

The income statement is important for a wide range of parties, including investors and people responsible for running a company (its executives and managers). 

"The income statement should be used by anyone trying to understand the business conducted as well as the profitability of a company," says Badolato. 

Assesses profitability

One simple way an income statement can come in handy is by providing a sense of just how profitable a company really is. Is the company in question making money? 

Income statements can help answer this question, along with providing some excellent insight into why, exactly, a company is experiencing its current financial performance. 

Informs business decisions 

By reviewing a company's income statement, you can quickly pinpoint areas that have room for improvement. For example, a company could cut costs in one area and put more money into others, such as sales and marketing, that could potentially fuel expansion. 

Attract investors 

Investors may use income statements, along with other financial statements, to make investing decisions and determine the financial health of a company. 

For example, an increasing amount of sales from year to year might be attractive for a potential investor and can be found in the first line of an income statement. Conversely, if costs are rising this can also be seen on the income statement and may lead an investor to ask more questions about the long-term profitability of the company. 

Investors and financial analysts also use the income statement to derive popular financial ratios like Earnings Per Share (EPS) .

Earnings per share is a measure that compares a company's net income compared to the outstanding shares. The price-to-earnings ratio, or P/E ratio , is another commonly used metric that factors in the company's stock price in relation to EPS. When comparing companies, EPS and the P/E ratio can help differentiate two companies in the same category and help an investor make a more sound investing decision, but both use information provided through the income statement. 

"The equation driving the Income Statement is: Revenues – Expenses + Gains – Losses = Net Income," says Badolato. 

Income statements are also important to regulators. All public companies are required to file a Form 10-K each year with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Form 10-Q each quarter which include the income statement and other financial documents and disclosures. 

Income statement analysis

When analyzing income statements, there are two primary methods that are used: vertical analysis and horizontal analysis.

Vertical analysis shows each item on a financial statement as a percentage. An example of this would be the COGS expressed as 35% of the total revenue. This type of analysis can be useful when comparing with other companies in the industry. 

Horizontal analysis is used to review a company's performance over two or more periods by stacking each line item directly next to each other from the previous period. Instead of looking at one income statement at a time from different periods, horizontal analysis compares them side-by-side in one view. 

How to read an income statement 

Below is the 2021 quarterly income statement from Ford's Form 10-Q . One of the first things that you will notice is that the report is using horizontal analysis. This is because the report is comparing the second quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2021 as well as the first half of 2020 and the first half of 2021. 

In the first section under Revenues, you'll see each of Ford's major revenue streams, including car sales under Automotive, Ford Credit, and Mobility. In the notes section of the 10-Q, the Mobility line refers to Ford's autonomous vehicles and related business as well as its equity stake in Argo AI.

Next in the cost and expenses section, you'll notice where Ford is spending its cash. The bulk of those expenses fall under cost of sales, which is another name for the cost of goods sold. You can also see that costs have increased from the second quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2021 resulting in a net income of $561 million during the second quarter and $3.8B during the first half of 2021 in the final column on the right. 

Income statement vs. balance sheet 

Both income statements and balance sheets provide important details about how a company uses its cash and other assets, but there are a few key differences between the two.

Think of an income statement like a financial timeline, whereas a balance sheet is a snapshot at one point in time. This is because income statements provide details on the amount of money made and spent during a period. The income statement essentially answers the following questions: How much money did the company make? How was that money spent? Did the company make a profit? 

The balance sheet, on the other hand, tells you how much the company has in assets, liabilities and shareholder's equity. The balance sheet follows a simple formula:

Asset = Liabilities + Shareholder's equity

Like the name mentions, the figures on the balance sheet must match as any increases or decreases must be offset. Unlike the income statement, it does not provide information on how much money the company has made or lost, it only provides the amount of debt, cash and other assets that the company owns at that point in time. 

While these financial statements are different, both the income statement and balance sheet along with the cash flow statement are still linked and should be used together to determine a more holistic financial picture of a company. 

Income statements: Conclusion

The income statement is a good entry point to understand and evaluate a company's revenue and costs, but it's important to keep in mind that it's not a document that can tell the full story. 

"Financial statements are designed to work as a system and not as stand-alone statements," adds Badolato. "The Income Statement is only one piece in understanding the financial performance of a business. Using one financial statement without the others and other publicly available information — such as the footnotes in a financial filing — would be similar to betting before looking at one's cards."

The frequency can vary, but usually, companies prepare income statements either quarterly or annually. 

An income statement shows a company's financial performance during a specific time frame, whereas a balance sheet shows a company's assets and liabilities at one point. 

Companies release income statements in their financial reports, and you can also find them on the investor relations sections of corporate websites. 

An income statement can display a negative net income, which indicates that a company suffered a loss during a specific period. 

You can use the information on an income statement to calculate key ratios like gross margin, operating margin and earnings per share. 

• Main content

Watch CBS News

Trump was found guilty in his "hush money" trial. Here's what to know about the verdict and the case.

By Graham Kates

Updated on: May 31, 2024 / 11:57 AM EDT / CBS News

Former President Donald Trump was found guilty  of 34 counts of falsifying business records by a jury in New York on Thursday, marking the end of a historic trial stemming from a "hush money" payment made to an adult film star before the 2016 election.

The trial lasted roughly six weeks, and the jury spent two days deliberating before returning a verdict. Trump denounced the decision as "rigged" and vowed to fight the conviction. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11.

Here are the basics of the charges, what happened during the trial and what comes next:

What were the charges?

Trump was indicted on March 30, 2023, and charged with 34 state counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony in New York.

What was the verdict?

Trump was found guilty on all charges on May 30, 2024. The jury returned a unanimous verdict in the Manhattan courtroom where the trial unfolded for six weeks.

What was needed for the jury to convict?

Justice Juan Merchan instructed jurors before they began deliberations that in order to find Trump guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree, they needed to unanimously conclude not only that he caused records to be falsified, but that he "conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means."

There were a few types of "unlawful means" that the jury heard evidence about, including: falsification of other business records, violations of campaign finance laws and violations of tax tax laws.

What exactly did prosecutors say Trump did?

Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said Trump met with former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and ex-fixer Michael Cohen in his Trump Tower in August 2015, and that the trio hatched a conspiracy to identify, purchase and squash stories that might harm Trump's reputation and presidential campaign. 

Just days before the 2016 election, Cohen paid $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels , who claimed she had sex with Trump in 2006. She agreed to keep her story under wraps in exchange for the money.

After Trump became president, Cohen was paid $35,000 a month for a year in a series of checks, most of which were signed by Trump. Prosecutors said the checks and associated business records were illegally portrayed as payments to Cohen for his legal work, when in fact they were intended to reimburse him for the Daniels deal, among other things.

What did Trump's lawyers say?

Trump's lawyers said the arrangement with Pecker and the National Enquirer was not atypical for political campaigns, which often try to influence media narratives about candidates. They said non-disclosure agreements like the one Cohen struck with Daniels are common, too.

As for the checks to Cohen, Trump's lawyers noted that Cohen's title at the time was "personal attorney to the president," and he actually was being paid for ongoing legal work. They said Cohen and Trump had a verbal retainer agreement, but not a signed one.

How about Trump himself?

Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied all wrongdoing. He accused Bragg, a Democrat, of pursuing the case for political gain. Trump has called the case a "con job" and said the charges were "rigged" after the verdict came down.

Who were the key players?

Trump, Cohen and Pecker got top billing during the trial. Pecker was called to the stand by prosecutors first, and described the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting , as well as years of communications with Cohen and Trump about the scheme.

His testimony corroborated key moments relayed by Cohen, whose credibility the defense repeatedly sought throughout to undermine. Pecker's time on the stand was the lead-in to weeks worth of testimony from 18 others before Cohen, their final witness. Prosecutors sought to use those weeks to back up Cohen's story with corroborating evidence.

During the first day of their deliberations, the jury asked to hear portions of Pecker and Cohen's testimony related to the Trump Tower meeting.

What did Cohen say?

Cohen said Trump received regular updates on efforts to cover up salacious stories about him when he ran for president in 2016, and personally signed off on the scheme to falsify records related to them.

Cohen recounted three instances when he, Pecker and the editor of the National Enquirer worked to secure the rights to stories with salacious claims about Trump.

The jury heard a secret recording Cohen made of a conversation with Trump, in which Trump appeared comfortable with the purchase of a story told by another woman, named Karen McDougal.

"So, what do we got to pay for this? 150?" Trump can be heard saying on the tape.

Not long after the Enquirer paid for McDougal's story, Daniels' story hit the market. Her attorney approached the Enquirer about selling the rights one day after the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape in October 2016. On the recording, Trump was heard saying he could "grab [women] by the p****" and "make them do anything." The tape posed a major threat to his electoral prospects.

Cohen recounted intense negotiations in which everyone involved — Trump, Cohen, Daniels, her attorney and the Enquirer editor — were aware that Daniels' claim of a sexual encounter with Trump might have dire consequences for his campaign.

Cohen wired Daniels' attorney $130,000 of his own money on Oct. 28, 2016. 

During his testimony, Cohen described how working for Trump for a decade was an "amazing" experience that turned sour after the "hush money" payment to Daniels became public in 2018.

He testified that he believed he was subject to a "pressure campaign" by Trump and his allies after the FBI raided his home and office that year, leading to a pair of guilty pleas to federal charges.

Under scathing cross-examination from defense attorney Todd Blanche, Cohen acknowledged that he's since made a living by loudly criticizing Trump.

He admitted wanting to see Trump imprisoned, and saying as much on his podcast.

Cohen also acknowledged lying under oath on multiple occasions, and, in a shocking moment, admitted for the first time to having stolen tens of thousands of dollars from the Trump Organization.

What did Daniels say on the stand?

Daniels wasn't part of the scheme to influence the election. She never worked for Trump and had no involvement in any of the crimes alleged in the case. 

Still, her story of sex with Trump in 2006 was the catalyst that sparked a series of events leading to this unprecedented criminal trial. Prosecutors said she was called to the stand because Blanche denied they ever had sex in his opening statement, an assertion they believed they had to rebut.

Daniels said she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada, and later was invited by Trump's bodyguard to a dinner with the famed businessman. She said they met up at a hotel suite she described in elaborate detail, right down to the tiles, and she was expecting to go to dinner when instead they began talking about business.

Daniels said Trump showed a keen interest in her industry, and seemed to value her insights. After some two hours of talking, with no dinner in sight, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. She recalled being surprised when she emerged to see that Trump had undressed down to a T-shirt and boxers. She described the sex that followed as, on her part, reluctant.

This part of her testimony caused the defense to demand a mistrial, a motion that was denied.

Daniels then described interacting with Trump frequently over the next year or so — including briefly meeting with him at Trump Tower — because he promised to advocate for her to get a spot on his reality television competition. When he told her it wouldn't happen, they stopped communicating.

Later, through a representative, she began shopping her story, seeking to sell the rights to it. When Trump's presidential candidacy gained steam in 2016, those efforts also became heated. They reached a fever in October of that year, when the "Access Hollywood" outtake surfaced.

Daniels said she realized her story was potentially more valuable, because it could be bad for his campaign. Cohen testified to frantic efforts to purchase it.

What comes next?

Trump's conviction kickstarts the sentencing portion of the case. Merchan, the judge, set a date of July 11 for Trump's sentencing hearing. He asked the defense to submit any motions they plan to request no later than June 13, and said prosecutors must respond by June 27. 

Falsification of business records carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each charge, but Merchan has broad leeway when determining the punishment. Some experts expect Merchan to use other options, like fines, probation or home confinement. But others say he could order Trump to serve some time behind bars. 

• Donald Trump

Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] or [email protected]

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