personal statement in programming

Computer Science Personal Statement (Guide + Examples!)

Applying to study computer science can be quite a complicated programs. There are so many programs out there with so many application requirements. But don’t worry, we’re here to help.

In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips on how to write a computer science personal statement that will increase your chances of getting accepted into the program of your choice.

Table of Contents

What Is a computer science personal statement?

A computer science personal statement is a document that you submit as part of your application to study computer science.

In this statement, you’ll need to talk about your motivation for wanting to study computer science, as well as your skills and experience . This is your chance to sell yourself to the admissions committee and demonstrate why you’re the perfect candidate for their program.

Anatomy of a personal statement

Now that we’ve covered what a computer science personal statement is, let’s take a look at what it should include.

1. Introduction

Your computer science personal statement should start with a brief introduction . In this section, you’ll want to introduce yourself as a computer science applicant and explain why you’re interested in studying computer science. This is your chance to grab the attention of the admissions committee and make them want to read on.

2. Your motivation for wanting to study computer science

In this section, you’ll need to explain your motivation for wanting to study computer science. What is it about computer science that interests you? What are your long-term career aspirations? This is your chance to sell yourself to the admissions committee and demonstrate your commitment to the subject.

3. Your skills and experience

In this section, you’ll need to talk about your skills and experience . What computer science-related courses have you taken? Do you have any industry experience? This is your chance to show the admissions committee that you have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in their program.

4. Conclusion

Your computer science personal statement should end with a brief conclusion . In this section, you’ll want to restate your motivation for wanting to study computer science and reiterate your commitment to the subject. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression on the admissions committee.

Who reads my computer science personal statement?

The computer science personal statement is read by the admissions committee of the computer science department to which you’re applying.

This committee is made up of professors and industry professionals who are experts in the field of computer science. They will use your personal statement to determine whether or not you’re a good fit for their program.

Usually, the admission review process includes several rounds, and your computer science personal statement will be read by multiple members of the admissions committee.

How long should my computer science personal statement be?

Your computer science personal statement should be between 500 and 1000 words . This is enough space for you to introduce yourself, talk about your motivation for wanting to study computer science, and discuss your skills and experience.

Speaking in pages, your computer science personal statement should be one to two pages long . If your personal statement is longer than that, the admissions committee is likely to skim it, or even worse, not read it at all.

What should I include in my computer science personal statement?

There are a few things you will want to include in your computer science personal statement. In general, you should provide the admissions committee with convincing motivation and evidence that will portray you as someone both passionate and promising as a future computer science student.

Some things that you may want to include in your computer science personal statement are:

• Source of motivation for studying computer science
• Evidence of programming or quantitative abilities
• Competitions/olympiads
• Relevant work experience
• Relevant projects
• Accomplishments
• Future career aspirations

Your personal statement may also include other information that you feel is important for the admissions committee to know about you. However, make sure that whatever you include is relevant to computer science and will help you stand out as a strong candidate.

What should I not write in my computer science personal statement?

There are a few things you’ll want to avoid including in your computer science personal statement. First, avoid repeating information that is already available in your application . The admissions committee will already have access to your transcripts, test scores, and resume, so there’s no need to include this information in your personal statement.

Second, avoid including information that is not relevant to computer science . The admissions committee is looking for evidence that you’re passionate about computer science and have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in their program, so including information about your hobbies or extracurricular activities may not be the best way to go forward.

An exception to this is if you’re including information about extenuating circumstances that have impacted your academic performance, in which case you should briefly explain how these circumstances have affected you and why you’re still a strong candidate for their program.

Finally, avoid using cliches, quotes, or formulas in your computer science personal statement . The admissions committee is looking for an original and authentic voice, so be sure to write in your own words.

Tips on writing a top-notch computer science personal statement

Now that we’ve gone over what to include and what not to include in your computer science personal statement, let’s talk about how you can write a top-notch personal statement.

First, start by brainstorming a list of your computer science-related experiences, skills, and accomplishments . This will give you a good starting point for your personal statement and help you determine what information is most relevant to include.

As you’re drafting your computer science personal statement, be sure to keep the following tips in mind:

• Write in clear, concise, and easy-to-understand language
• Use active voice
• Be honest and authentic
• Personalize your statement to the program you’re applying to
• Proofread your statement for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors

By following these tips, you can write a computer science personal statement that is sure to impress the admissions committee and increase your chances of getting into your dream program.

Computer science personal statement examples

Now that we’ve covered the basics of what a computer science personal statement should include, let’s take a look at some computer science personal statement examples.

“I have been programming since I was 12 years old, and ever since then I have been fascinated by the possibilities that computer science offers. I am motivated by the idea of being able to create something from scratch and see it come to life, and I know that computer science will allow me to do just that. In addition, I have experience in working with code from different languages, which has taught me how to think critically and solve problems. My skills in critical thinking and problem solving are essential for studying computer science, as they will allow me to tackle complex challenges head-on.

Apart from my skills and experience, I am also passionate about learning new things. This is why during my free time I volunteered for Code for America, where I worked with a team of designers and developers to build a civic engagement platform. This experience showed me the importance of collaboration when it comes to creating something amazing, and it solidified my belief that teamwork is key to success.

Another project I got involved with was the development of a computer game for blind children. This project was important to me because it allowed me to use my skills for something good, and it also showed me how computer science can be used to create inclusive technologies.

Last year, I also had the opportunity to intern at Lyft, where I worked on a team that developed a new feature for the Lyft app. This experience was invaluable, as it gave me insights into the inner workings of one of the world’s most successful companies. It also showed me how computer science can be used to solve real-world problems.

Ultimately, I believe that I would be an excellent candidate for your computer science program because of my passion for the field combined with my skills and experience. I am confident that I have what it takes to succeed in computer science, and I hope to use my skills and knowledge to make a difference in the world.”

“I have always been interested in the way computers work and how they can be used to solve problems. This interest began when I was very young and has continued to grow as I have gotten older. My father is a computer scientist, so I have been exposed to computer science my entire life. In high school, I took several computer science courses and really enjoyed them. I also competed in several programming competitions and did well in them. In the following essay, I want to highlight my accomplishments as a computer science candidate and express my passion for this exciting field.

I am a computer science major at *NAME* University. I have taken several computer science courses and have gotten exceptional grades. My favorite course so far has been Introduction to Algorithms, for which I worked as a teaching assistant during my third year. I also competed in the Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest, and our team placed in the top 100 out of 6,000 teams worldwide. This experience showed me that I have the ability to solve complex problems and work well under pressure.

As a student, I also worked as a part-time research assistant in the AI and Robotics laboratory, where I assisted in the development of a computer vision system for an autonomous robot. This experience allowed me to develop my skills in programming and computer science. In addition, I have also been a member of the Student Senate and have served on the Executive Board of the Student Government Association. These experiences have allowed me to develop leadership skills and learn how to work with others.

I am interested in computer science because it is a field that is constantly changing and evolving. There are always new problems to solve and new ways to solve them. I find this challenge exciting and invigorating. I am also interested in computer science because it is a field that combines creativity with logic. I enjoy using both my creative and logical sides when solving problems.

I am applying to your program specifically because I believe that it will allow me to further develop my skills in computer science. I am looking forward to taking classes from renowned professors and working with other talented students. I believe that your program will provide me with the skills and knowledge that I need to become a successful computer scientist.”

“Computers have always been a part of my life. As a toddler, I would watch my father work on computer programs for his business. Fascinated by the blinking cursor on the screen, I would ask him what he was doing and how it worked. My parents bought me my first computer when I was in grade school and I taught myself how to program in BASIC.

Since then, computer science has been my passion. I have pursued every opportunity to learn more about it, including taking computer science courses in high school and college and working as a research assistant for a computer science professor. I am excited to continue learning about computer science at the graduate level and to pursue a career in this field.

One of my biggest accomplishments in the field of computer science so far has been developing a computer program that can generate 3D models of human faces. This program has the potential to be used in a variety of applications, such as video game development, computer-aided design, and even law enforcement. I am currently working on submitting this program to a computer science conference for publication.

I have also been involved in a number of extracurricular activities related to computer science. I am a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. I have also volunteered my time to teach computer science to elementary and middle school students through a local program called Girls Who Code.

Besides this, I have worked on several personal coding projects of my own. For example, I created a computer program that can solve Sudoku puzzles by using a technique called constraint satisfaction. I also developed a website for a local business called Joe’s pizzeria. My skills in computer science have also helped me in my other hobbies, such as photography and video editing. For the latter, I made a light correction tool that can automatically color-correct a video based on the primer of a still image.

I believe that my passion for computer science, as well as my experience in the field, makes me an ideal candidate for a graduate program in computer science. I am excited to continue learning and expanding my skills in computer science so that I can make an impact in this field. For this reason, I am excited to submit an early decision application to your computer science graduate program.”

What should I do after I have my first draft?

After you have completed the first draft of your computer science personal statement, you should follow these steps to edit, polish, and finalize your computer science personal statement:

1. Check the word count : Most programs will give you a word or a page limit for your computer science personal statement. Make sure you stay within that limit, as going over it can make you seem like you can’t follow instructions.

2. Proofread and edit it : This step is crucial. A well-written and error-free computer science personal statement will make you look more professional and competent. Use spell check and grammar check , and then have someone else proofread it for you.

3. Ask for feedback : Once you’ve proofread and edited your computer science personal statement, ask a few people for their feedback. Choose people whose opinions you trust and who will be honest with you.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as needed : After you’ve received feedback, make the necessary changes to your computer science personal statement. Then, proofread and edit it again. Repeat this cycle until you’re happy with your statement.

5. Modify personal statement for each program : Don’t just submit the same computer science personal statement to every program you apply to. Tailor it to each individual program, highlighting why you’re a good fit for that specific school.

6. Submit : Once you’re happy with your computer science personal statement, submit it along with the rest of your application.

Make sure you give yourself enough time to do all of the steps above so that you can submit a strong statement. Remember, this is just one part of your overall application package, so make sure all other elements are strong as well—such as your grades, letters of recommendation , and resume.

We hope that this guide has been helpful and that you feel more confident in your ability to write a stellar computer science personal statement. Remember, the most important thing is to be yourself and let your passion for computer science shine through. As long as you are genuine and articulate your interest in the field, you are sure to impress admissions officers. Best of luck!

Elmar Mammadov is a software developer, tech startup founder, and computer science career specialist. He is the founder of CS Careerline and a true career changer who has previously pursued careers in medicine and neuroscience.

Due to his interest in programming and years of past personal experience in coding, he decided to break into the tech industry by attending a Master’s in Computer Science for career changers at University of Pennsylvania. Elmar passionately writes and coaches about breaking into the tech industry and computer science in general.

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Writing the Perfect Computer Science Personal Statement

How to write a perfect computer science personal statement

Introduction.

Securing a place in a prestigious university computer science course can be highly competitive. If you are aiming for a Russell Group University or even an Oxbridge University, you need to know that they expect high standards. With numerous applicants vying for limited seats, it's crucial to present yourself as an exceptional candidate. One powerful tool at your disposal is the personal statement. This blog post will guide you through the process of crafting a winning personal statement, showcasing your passion for computer science, unique experiences, and future goals. By following these tried-and-tested techniques, you will be equipped to impress admissions committees, increase your chances of acceptance, and embark on an exciting academic journey.

1. Know Your Audience

Before diving into writing your personal statement, it's crucial to understand the expectations and values of the university admissions committee. Research the university's mission, vision, and curriculum to align your goals with theirs. Familiarize yourself with the specific requirements of the computer science program, highlighting key characteristics and skills they are seeking in applicants. This knowledge will enable you to tailor your personal statement to resonate with the selection panel and demonstrate your suitability for the course.

2. Reflect on Your Journey

To create a compelling personal statement, delve into your personal and academic experiences that have shaped your passion for computer science. Reflect on any challenges you have faced and how these have reinforced your determination. Highlight standout moments, such as participation in coding contests, internships, or research projects, that have nurtured your interest in the field. Articulate how these experiences have driven your decision to pursue a computer science course at the university.

3. Showcase Your Skills and Achievements

Highlighting your relevant skills and achievements is essential to demonstrate your competence and distinguish yourself from other applicants. Discuss your proficiency in programming languages, problem-solving abilities, and any noteworthy projects you have undertaken. Provide evidence of your skills using concrete examples, including software development projects, technical challenges overcome, or academic awards attained. By emphasizing your capabilities, you will exhibit your potential value to the computer science program.

4. Convey Your Passion

Universities seek individuals who are passionate about computer science and can contribute to the academic community. Communicate your enthusiasm by explaining how the subject captivates you, discussing influential readings or inspirational innovators. Illustrate how you have pursued your passion outside of formal education, such as attending conferences, participating in coding boot camps, or engaging in open-source projects. Conveying your fervor for the subject will demonstrate your dedication and drive for success.

5. Define Your Future Goals

Admissions committees are interested in candidates with clear vision and ambition. Outline your long-term objectives in the field of computer science, showing how the university's program aligns with your goals. Discuss your aspirations to contribute to cutting-edge technology, address industry-specific challenges, or make a positive societal impact through your work. Demonstrating your future plans will assure the admissions panel of your determination and long-term commitment, increasing your chances of acceptance.

6. Be Authentic and Engaging

While ensuring your personal statement meets academic and professional standards, it should also serve as a reflection of your authentic self. Use a conversational tone and inject your unique personality into your writing. However, strike a balance by maintaining professionalism and avoiding overly informal language. Engage the reader with captivating anecdotes, personal experiences, or thought-provoking ideas. By standing out from the crowd and captivating the admissions committee, you increase the chances of leaving a lasting impression.

Crafting a perfect personal statement for a university computer science course is a meticulous yet rewarding process. By understanding the expectations of the admissions committee, reflecting on your journey, and showcasing your achievements and skills, you can effectively highlight your strengths. Coupled with a genuine passion for computer science and clear future goals that align with the program's objectives, you set yourself apart from other applicants. Remember to remain authentic, engaging, and proofread meticulously to ensure your statement shines. Your well-crafted personal statement will undoubtedly make a compelling case for your acceptance, propelling you towards a successful future in the field of computer science.

See the list of DOs and DONTs when writing a computer science personal statement.

Computer Programming Personal Statement

Sample Computer Programming Personal Statement

One of the joys of computing is that it is possible to learn so much simply through experimentation. I have really enjoyed learning through letting my curiosity lead me into teaching myself different aspects of computing. I have fond memories of long periods of time in the 1990s spent immersing myself in learning BASIC. Since then I have learnt new programming languages such as Visual Basic and C#; gaining a level of proficiency in these that has allowed me to develop games and other applications has been immensely rewarding. The Internet and the continued popularity of open-source programming have offered a great opportunity for individuals such as myself to learn by examining source code produced by others. I have also enjoyed learning more about the hardware side of computers through helping friends to upgrade and repair their computers.

This ever-growing fascination with computers and IT has inevitably developed into a serious interest, which in turn led me to the conclusion that it would be essential to study computer science to be able to advance any further. To become a competent IT professional it is necessary to gain expertise and knowledge through formal study and through learning from established experts. Studying for a BTEC in Software Development has been a highly worthwhile first step in this process, and I am now eager to take the next step, in the form of completing a BSc in Computer Science.

My interest in computer science is wide-ranging and virtually limitless, but I am especially interested in strengthening my understanding of programming and software engineering. Recently I have become fascinated by object-orientated programming; I find it remarkable that a piece of software can be assembled, like a machine, after each component of it has been created individually. This interest in programming has led me to read widely about programming developments and also taking steps to sharpen my mathematical skills in preparation for handling the most demanding aspects of the course.

My desire to undertake the training necessary to become an IT professional also partly stems from the pleasure I have derived from working closely with computers. I spent five enjoyable years working in a technical support role at a large consumer electronics retailer. I found that the demands of not just learning the intricacies of a piece of software or hardware but also being able to explain them in layman’s terms to customers really helped to stimulate my computing expertise and my awareness of the critical role that IT plays in people’s lives. Over the five years in which I held this position it was also a privilege to be able to witness directly the rapid and impressive evolution of computing technology, and this experience has increased my desire to dedicate my career to the computing sector.

At present I have two different part-time jobs outside the IT sector – I work in a customer service role for an optician, and also at a local pub – to support myself whilst studying. Although I am keen to return to working with computers as soon as possible, these positions have nevertheless built on the professional skills that I began to develop whilst working in technical support. Advising customers over the phone has helped to further improve my communication skills; working in a busy pub presents a variety of daily challenges, ranging from handling over-enthusiastic drinkers to handling cash and locking up at unsociable hours.

I hope that completing a BSc in Computer Science will equip me with the skills that are necessary for employment in the IT sector. I am open-minded about the precise path my career will take – at present I find virtually all aspects of the computing world highly compelling – but based on my current areas of interest, I would be delighted to be able to one day play a leading role in the software industry.

We hope this sample Computer Programming personal statement has given you some inspiration.

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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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Crafting an Impressive Personal Statement for Programming Students

By IncludeHelp Last updated : July 12, 2023

Personal statements are often crucial in the admission process. It gives students the opportunity to present themselves, their skills, and passion for the chosen field. It is important to know and understand the importance of whether you know how to write it correctly or not. After all, your future fate will be decided: whether you will study at your dream institution or not. For programmer students who want to enter their dream programs, writing an impressive personal statement is no less important. There are a lot of applicants. You need to be able to distinguish yourself accurately and correctly. Let's take a look at some useful tips on how to create a convincing personal statement for programming students.

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Tips on How to Write a Personal Statement

A well thought-out structure and a motivational introduction.

The first thing you should do is think carefully about the structure of your personal statement. Start your personal statement with an introduction that will interest the admission committee and draw their attention.

• Try to avoid template phrases that anyone can say.
• Be sincere.
• Emphasize your motivation. Reveal it.
• Describe what drives you to learn programming.
• Explain what areas of the chosen field you like.
• How do you feel about solving complex problems with code?
• You can also give examples of projects that inspired you.

After the introduction, write the main body and the conclusion correctly.

Let's see how to do this in the best way possible.

Important Subtleties of Creating the Main Body of Your Personal Statement

In the body of your application, talk about your skills and any programming experience you may already have.

• Write about your education and relevant experience.
• Mention courses, projects, or practical experience you already have in programming.
• Indicate how this knowledge and experience stimulated your desire to continue your studies in this field.

As we have already mentioned, a well-written personal statement can play a crucial role in your admission. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask for help, but get acquainted with the professionalism of personal statement writers you can find at personal statement writing service . They are familiar with the requirements of admissions committees. They also have a lot of experience in writing convincing and professional statements. And they can provide you with excellent guidance and help you create an application that will stand out from the rest.

• Use specific examples of projects you have worked on.
• Don't forget to list the technologies you've learned.
• Supplement these facts with your personal story. Nothing attracts attention and is more memorable in a story than personalization. Describe a story related to programming that reveals your passion for the field.
• Show how programming influenced your education and how you see your future career in this area.

After outlining your skills and experience, move on to your problem-solving abilities.

• Explain how you approach complex problems.
• Explain how you use logical thinking in programming.
• Tell the audience about challenges you have faced and how you overcame them.

Also, don't forget to talk about your healthy ambitions, namely:

• Share your future short-term and long-term goals in the field of programming. For example, you can mention your desire to deepen your knowledge of certain programming languages. Or learn how to create web applications, or specialize in artificial intelligence.
• Tell about the projects you would like to work on.

Your motivation and dedication will be additional advantages in the application process.

It is important to show your ambition and desire to develop in the field of programming.

A Memorable Ending

At the end of your personal statement, emphasize your interest in learning, development, and desire to contribute to the programming industry.

Summarize your key points and call on the admission committee to give you the opportunity to realize your potential.

The above should not be just a statement. So, write about your contribution to the community. For example,

• Tell them about your activity in the community of programmers or relevant organizations.
• Indicate whether you have participated in open source projects, volunteer initiatives, or student programming groups.
• Emphasize your ability to work in a team and collaborate with other programmers.

Also emphasize why you are applying to this particular institution.

• Express your interest in the program or specialization offered by this university.
• What makes it different from others in the chosen field?

This way, the admission committee will see that you are well acquainted with the history and structure of the particular educational institution.

Explain why this particular university or program meets your goals and how it will help you realize your potential as a programmer.

As you have already seen, creating an application is not just an interesting and challenging task, but often decisive in the process of entering your chosen specialization. That is why it is important to make it correctly and not to hesitate to use the help of specialists. After all, an admission statement is like a special piece of writing that should be exciting and show specifics about you at the same time. We hope that all of the above tips will definitely help you and that you, as a programmer student, will start your career with confidence and purpose.

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Looking for grad school personal statement examples? Look no further! In this total guide to graduate school personal statement examples, we’ll discuss why you need a personal statement for grad school and what makes a good one. Then we’ll provide three graduate school personal statement samples from our grad school experts. After that, we’ll do a deep dive on one of our personal statement for graduate school examples. Finally, we’ll wrap up with a list of other grad school personal statements you can find online.

Why Do You Need a Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a chance for admissions committees to get to know you: your goals and passions, what you’ll bring to the program, and what you’re hoping to get out of the program.  You need to sell the admissions committee on what makes you a worthwhile applicant. The personal statement is a good chance to highlight significant things about you that don’t appear elsewhere on your application.

A personal statement is slightly different from a statement of purpose (also known as a letter of intent). A statement of purpose/letter of intent tends to be more tightly focused on your academic or professional credentials and your future research and/or professional interests.

While a personal statement also addresses your academic experiences and goals, you have more leeway to be a little more, well, personal. In a personal statement, it’s often appropriate to include information on significant life experiences or challenges that aren’t necessarily directly relevant to your field of interest.

Some programs ask for both a personal statement and a statement of purpose/letter of intent. In this case, the personal statement is likely to be much more tightly focused on your life experience and personality assets while the statement of purpose will focus in much more on your academic/research experiences and goals.

However, there’s not always a hard-and-fast demarcation between a personal statement and a statement of purpose. The two statement types should address a lot of the same themes, especially as relates to your future goals and the valuable assets you bring to the program. Some programs will ask for a personal statement but the prompt will be focused primarily on your research and professional experiences and interests. Some will ask for a statement of purpose but the prompt will be more focused on your general life experiences.

When in doubt, give the program what they are asking for in the prompt and don’t get too hung up on whether they call it a personal statement or statement of purpose. You can always call the admissions office to get more clarification on what they want you to address in your admissions essay.

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What Makes a Good Grad School Personal Statement?

A great graduate school personal statement can come in many forms and styles. However, strong grad school personal statement examples all share the same following elements:

A Clear Narrative

Above all, a good personal statement communicates clear messages about what makes you a strong applicant who is likely to have success in graduate school. So to that extent, think about a couple of key points that you want to communicate about yourself and then drill down on how you can best communicate those points. (Your key points should of course be related to what you can bring to the field and to the program specifically).

You can also decide whether to address things like setbacks or gaps in your application as part of your narrative. Have a low GPA for a couple semesters due to a health issue? Been out of a job for a while taking care of a family member? If you do decide to explain an issue like this, make sure that the overall arc is more about demonstrating positive qualities like resilience and diligence than about providing excuses.

Specific Examples

A great statement of purpose uses specific examples to illustrate its key messages. This can include anecdotes that demonstrate particular traits or even references to scholars and works that have influenced your academic trajectory to show that you are familiar and insightful about the relevant literature in your field.

Just saying “I love plants,” is pretty vague. Describing how you worked in a plant lab during undergrad and then went home and carefully cultivated your own greenhouse where you cross-bred new flower colors by hand is much more specific and vivid, which makes for better evidence.

A strong personal statement will describe why you are a good fit for the program, and why the program is a good fit for you. It’s important to identify specific things about the program that appeal to you, and how you’ll take advantage of those opportunities. It’s also a good idea to talk about specific professors you might be interested in working with. This shows that you are informed about and genuinely invested in the program.

Strong Writing

Even quantitative and science disciplines typically require some writing, so it’s important that your personal statement shows strong writing skills. Make sure that you are communicating clearly and that you don’t have any grammar and spelling errors. It’s helpful to get other people to read your statement and provide feedback. Plan on going through multiple drafts.

Another important thing here is to avoid cliches and gimmicks. Don’t deploy overused phrases and openings like “ever since I was a child.” Don’t structure your statement in a gimmicky way (i.e., writing a faux legal brief about yourself for a law school statement of purpose). The first will make your writing banal; the second is likely to make you stand out in a bad way.

Appropriate Boundaries

While you can be more personal in a personal statement than in a statement of purpose, it’s important to maintain appropriate boundaries in your writing. Don’t overshare anything too personal about relationships, bodily functions, or illegal activities. Similarly, don’t share anything that makes it seem like you may be out of control, unstable, or an otherwise risky investment. The personal statement is not a confessional booth. If you share inappropriately, you may seem like you have bad judgment, which is a huge red flag to admissions committees.

You should also be careful with how you deploy humor and jokes. Your statement doesn’t have to be totally joyless and serious, but bear in mind that the person reading the statement may not have the same sense of humor as you do. When in doubt, err towards the side of being as inoffensive as possible.

Just as being too intimate in your statement can hurt you, it’s also important not to be overly formal or staid. You should be professional, but conversational.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

Our graduate school experts have been kind enough to provide some successful grad school personal statement examples. We’ll provide three examples here, along with brief analysis of what makes each one successful.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 1

PDF of Sample Personal Statement 1 – Japanese Studies

For this Japanese Studies master’s degree, the applicant had to provide a statement of purpose outlining her academic goals and experience with Japanese and a separate personal statement describing her personal relationship with Japanese Studies and what led her to pursue a master’s degree.

Here’s what’s successful about this personal statement:

• An attention-grabbing beginning: The applicant begins with the statement that Japanese has never come easily to her and that it’s a brutal language to learn. Seeing as how this is an application for a Japanese Studies program, this is an intriguing beginning that makes the reader want to keep going.
• A compelling narrative: From this attention-grabbing beginning, the applicant builds a well-structured and dramatic narrative tracking her engagement with the Japanese language over time. The clear turning point is her experience studying abroad, leading to a resolution in which she has clarity about her plans. Seeing as how the applicant wants to be a translator of Japanese literature, the tight narrative structure here is a great way to show her writing skills.
• Specific examples that show important traits: The applicant clearly communicates both a deep passion for Japanese through examples of her continued engagement with Japanese and her determination and work ethic by highlighting the challenges she’s faced (and overcome) in her study of the language. This gives the impression that she is an engaged and dedicated student.

Overall, this is a very strong statement both in terms of style and content. It flows well, is memorable, and communicates that the applicant would make the most of the graduate school experience.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 2

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 2 – Musical Composition

This personal statement for a Music Composition master’s degree discusses the factors that motivate the applicant to pursue graduate study.

Here’s what works well in this statement:

• The applicant provides two clear reasons motivating the student to pursue graduate study: her experiences with music growing up, and her family’s musical history. She then supports those two reasons with examples and analysis.
• The description of her ancestors’ engagement with music is very compelling and memorable. The applicant paints her own involvement with music as almost inevitable based on her family’s long history with musical pursuits.
• The applicant gives thoughtful analysis of the advantages she has been afforded that have allowed her to study music so extensively. We get the sense that she is insightful and empathetic—qualities that would add greatly to any academic community.

This is a strong, serviceable personal statement. And in truth, given that this for a masters in music composition, other elements of the application (like work samples) are probably the most important.  However, here are two small changes I would make to improve it:

• I would probably to split the massive second paragraph into 2-3 separate paragraphs. I might use one paragraph to orient the reader to the family’s musical history, one paragraph to discuss Giacomo and Antonio, and one paragraph to discuss how the family has influenced the applicant. As it stands, it’s a little unwieldy and the second paragraph doesn’t have a super-clear focus even though it’s all loosely related to the applicant’s family history with music.
• I would also slightly shorten the anecdote about the applicant’s ancestors and expand more on how this family history has motivated the applicant’s interest in music. In what specific ways has her ancestors’ perseverance inspired her? Did she think about them during hard practice sessions? Is she interested in composing music in a style they might have played? More specific examples here would lend greater depth and clarity to the statement.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 3

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 3 – Public Health

This is my successful personal statement for Columbia’s Master’s program in Public Health. We’ll do a deep dive on this statement paragraph-by-paragraph in the next section, but I’ll highlight a couple of things that work in this statement here:

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• This statement is clearly organized. Almost every paragraph has a distinct focus and message, and when I move on to a new idea, I move on to a new paragraph with a logical transitions.
• This statement covers a lot of ground in a pretty short space. I discuss my family history, my goals, my educational background, and my professional background. But because the paragraphs are organized and I use specific examples, it doesn’t feel too vague or scattered.
• In addition to including information about my personal motivations, like my family, I also include some analysis about tailoring health interventions with my example of the Zande. This is a good way to show off what kinds of insights I might bring to the program based on my academic background.

Grad School Personal Statement Example: Deep Dive

Now let’s do a deep dive, paragraph-by-paragraph, on one of these sample graduate school personal statements. We’ll use my personal statement that I used when I applied to Columbia’s public health program.

Paragraph One: For twenty-three years, my grandmother (a Veterinarian and an Epidemiologist) ran the Communicable Disease Department of a mid-sized urban public health department. The stories of Grandma Betty doggedly tracking down the named sexual partners of the infected are part of our family lore. Grandma Betty would persuade people to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, encourage safer sexual practices, document the spread of infection and strive to contain and prevent it. Indeed, due to the large gay population in the city where she worked, Grandma Betty was at the forefront of the AIDS crises, and her analysis contributed greatly towards understanding how the disease was contracted and spread. My grandmother has always been a huge inspiration to me, and the reason why a career in public health was always on my radar.

This is an attention-grabbing opening anecdote that avoids most of the usual cliches about childhood dreams and proclivities. This story also subtly shows that I have a sense of public health history, given the significance of the AIDs crisis for public health as a field.

It’s good that I connect this family history to my own interests. However, if I were to revise this paragraph again, I might cut down on some of the detail because when it comes down to it, this story isn’t really about me. It’s important that even (sparingly used) anecdotes about other people ultimately reveal something about you in a personal statement.

Paragraph Two: Recent years have cemented that interest. In January 2012, my parents adopted my little brother Fred from China. Doctors in America subsequently diagnosed Fred with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). My parents were told that if Fred’s condition had been discovered in China, the (very poor) orphanage in which he spent the first 8+ years of his life would have recognized his DMD as a death sentence and denied him sustenance to hasten his demise.

Here’s another compelling anecdote to help explain my interest in public health. This is an appropriately personal detail for a personal statement—it’s a serious thing about my immediate family, but it doesn’t disclose anything that the admissions committee might find concerning or inappropriate.

If I were to take another pass through this paragraph, the main thing I would change is the last phrase. “Denied him sustenance to hasten his demise” is a little flowery. “Denied him food to hasten his death” is actually more powerful because it’s clearer and more direct.

Paragraph Three: It is not right that some people have access to the best doctors and treatment while others have no medical care. I want to pursue an MPH in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia because studying social factors in health, with a particular focus on socio-health inequities, will prepare me to address these inequities. The interdisciplinary approach of the program appeals to me greatly as I believe interdisciplinary approaches are the most effective way to develop meaningful solutions to complex problems.

In this paragraph I make a neat and clear transition from discussing what sparked my interest in public health and health equity to what I am interested in about Columbia specifically: the interdisciplinary focus of the program, and how that focus will prepare me to solve complex health problems. This paragraph also serves as a good pivot point to start discussing my academic and professional background.

Paragraph Four: My undergraduate education has prepared me well for my chosen career. Understanding the underlying structure of a group’s culture is essential to successfully communicating with the group. In studying folklore and mythology, I’ve learned how to parse the unspoken structures of folk groups, and how those structures can be used to build bridges of understanding. For example, in a culture where most illnesses are believed to be caused by witchcraft, as is the case for the Zande people of central Africa, any successful health intervention or education program would of necessity take into account their very real belief in witchcraft.

In this paragraph, I link my undergraduate education and the skills I learned there to public health. The (very brief) analysis of tailoring health interventions to the Zande is a good way to show insight and show off the competencies I would bring to the program.

Paragraph Five: I now work in the healthcare industry for one of the largest providers of health benefits in the world. In addition to reigniting my passion for data and quantitative analytics, working for this company has immersed me in the business side of healthcare, a critical component of public health.

This brief paragraph highlights my relevant work experience in the healthcare industry. It also allows me to mention my work with data and quantitative analytics, which isn’t necessarily obvious from my academic background, which was primarily based in the social sciences.

Paragraph Six: I intend to pursue a PhD in order to become an expert in how social factors affect health, particularly as related to gender and sexuality. I intend to pursue a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Reproduction. Working together with other experts to create effective interventions across cultures and societies, I want to help transform health landscapes both in America and abroad.

This final paragraph is about my future plans and intentions. Unfortunately, it’s a little disjointed, primarily because I discuss goals of pursuing a PhD before I talk about what certificate I want to pursue within the MPH program! Switching those two sentences and discussing my certificate goals within the MPH and then mentioning my PhD plans would make a lot more sense.

I also start two sentences in a row with “I intend,” which is repetitive.

The final sentence is a little bit generic; I might tailor it to specifically discuss a gender and sexual health issue, since that is the primary area of interest I’ve identified.

This was a successful personal statement; I got into (and attended!) the program. It has strong examples, clear organization, and outlines what interests me about the program (its interdisciplinary focus) and what competencies I would bring (a background in cultural analysis and experience with the business side of healthcare). However, a few slight tweaks would elevate this statement to the next level.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples You Can Find Online

So you need more samples for your personal statement for graduate school? Examples are everywhere on the internet, but they aren’t all of equal quality.

Most of examples are posted as part of writing guides published online by educational institutions. We’ve rounded up some of the best ones here if you are looking for more personal statement examples for graduate school.

Penn State Personal Statement Examples for Graduate School

This selection of ten short personal statements for graduate school and fellowship programs offers an interesting mix of approaches. Some focus more on personal adversity while others focus more closely on professional work within the field.

The writing in some of these statements is a little dry, and most deploy at least a few cliches. However, these are generally strong, serviceable statements that communicate clearly why the student is interested in the field, their skills and competencies, and what about the specific program appeals to them.

Cal State Sample Graduate School Personal Statements

These are good examples of personal statements for graduate school where students deploy lots of very vivid imagery and illustrative anecdotes of life experiences. There are also helpful comments about what works in each of these essays.

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However, all of these statements are definitely pushing the boundaries of acceptable length, as all are above 1000 and one is almost 1500 words! Many programs limit you to 500 words; if you don’t have a limit, you should try to keep it to two single-spaced pages at most (which is about 1000 words).

University of Chicago Personal Statement for Graduate School Examples

These examples of successful essays to the University of Chicago law school cover a wide range of life experiences and topics. The writing in all is very vivid, and all communicate clear messages about the students’ strengths and competencies.

Note, however, that these are all essays that specifically worked for University of Chicago law school. That does not mean that they would work everywhere. In fact, one major thing to note is that many of these responses, while well-written and vivid, barely address the students’ interest in law school at all! This is something that might not work well for most graduate programs.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 10

This successful essay for law school from a Wheaton College undergraduate does a great job tracking the student’s interest in the law in a compelling and personal way. Wheaton offers other graduate school personal statement examples, but this one offers the most persuasive case for the students’ competencies. The student accomplishes this by using clear, well-elaborated examples, showing strong and vivid writing, and highlighting positive qualities like an interest in justice and empathy without seeming grandiose or out of touch.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 1

Based on the background information provided at the bottom of the essay, this essay was apparently successful for this applicant. However, I’ve actually included this essay because it demonstrates an extremely risky approach. While this personal statement is strikingly written and the story is very memorable, it could definitely communicate the wrong message to some admissions committees. The student’s decision not to report the drill sergeant may read incredibly poorly to some admissions committees. They may wonder if the student’s failure to report the sergeant’s violence will ultimately expose more soldiers-in-training to the same kinds of abuses. This incident perhaps reads especially poorly in light of the fact that the military has such a notable problem with violence against women being covered up and otherwise mishandled

It’s actually hard to get a complete picture of the student’s true motivations from this essay, and what we have might raise real questions about the student’s character to some admissions committees. This student took a risk and it paid off, but it could have just as easily backfired spectacularly.

Key Takeaways: Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

In this guide, we discussed why you need a personal statement and how it differs from a statement of purpose. (It’s more personal!)

We also discussed what you’ll find in a strong sample personal statement for graduate school:

• A clear narrative about the applicant and why they are qualified for graduate study.
• Specific examples to support that narrative.
• Compelling reasons why the applicant and the program are a good fit for each other.
• Strong writing, including clear organization and error-free, cliche-free language.
• Appropriate boundaries—sharing without over-sharing.

Then, we provided three strong graduate school personal statement examples for different fields, along with analysis. We did a deep-dive on the third statement.

Finally, we provided a list of other sample grad school personal statements online.

What’s Next?

Want more advice on writing a personal statement ? See our guide.

Writing a graduate school statement of purpose? See our statement of purpose samples  and a nine-step process for writing the best statement of purpose possible .

If you’re writing a graduate school CV or resume, see our how-to guide to writing a CV , a how-to guide to writing a resume , our list of sample resumes and CVs , resume and CV templates , and a special guide for writing resume objectives .

Need stellar graduate school recommendation letters ? See our guide.

See our 29 tips for successfully applying to graduate school .

Ready to improve your GRE score by 7 points?

Author: Ellen McCammon

Ellen is a public health graduate student and education expert. She has extensive experience mentoring students of all ages to reach their goals and in-depth knowledge on a variety of health topics. View all posts by Ellen McCammon

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How to Write a Strong Personal Statement

• Ruth Gotian
• Ushma S. Neill

A few adjustments can get your application noticed.

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

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

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

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

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Writing 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

• University Writing Center
• The Writing Mine

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

What is a Personal Statement?

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

Why Should They Choose You?

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

●  What exact moment led you to be where you are today?

●  What separates you from the rest of the candidates?

●  What personal traits or qualities do you have that will help you succeed?

●  What do your story, goals, or skills obtained bring to the table?

Are You the Right Fit?

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

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

Introduction:

-   Introduce a memory that leads back to where your interest or passion started or motivated you be where you are today

-   Give a sneak peek to your reader in a quick summary as to what you’re going to be talking about in your body paragraph (background information, accomplishments, & future aspirations from being admitted into the school or program)

*Note: Introductions should be a brief paragraph of everything you’re going to be writing about, leave the details for your body paragraphs.

A) 1 st Paragraph (Background Information)

What’s your undergraduate major/degree or other educational history?

What part of your demographic information is relevant? (hometown, heritage, family

history, etc.)

What’s an obstacle or challenge that changed the way you viewed your life?

Make sure be able make one connection to all three, it’ll make it easier for your

reader to follow through with your story and understand your goals

If deciding to write about an obstacle or challenge, remember to not solely focus on

the negative experience of it. Instead, try thinking about what you were able to take

from the experience and how did it change you as a person.

B) 2nd Paragraph (Academic and Professional Achievements)

Any organizations you’ve joined or rewards you’ve obtained? (The more you have

done, the better)

What skills have you’ve obtained through participating in any organizations, events,

jobs, etc.? C) 3 rd Paragraph (Future Goals and Accomplishments)

What is the next step after being admitted?

What do you hope to learn or take from being part of the program?

How will you apply it to your desired goal?

Conclusion:

Restate your goals in one or two sentences

Talk about what you envision for your future, what do you hope to gain from all of this?

What will you benefit from being on the program?

What do you contribute to the program?

How will you apply everything you learned?

*Note: Your concluding/closing paragraphs are usually short with a maximum of three or four sentences, leave out any details.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, there are several things to remind yourself of when writing a personal statement: focus on answering the main questions, tell your story, and use examples of any challenge or obstacle that you faced throughout your life. If you decide to focus on a challenge or obstacle, think about the tone you will use. Writing about this challenge or obstacle focuses on the learning experience or the opportunity rather than solely on the negative parts. Remember, you’ve worked hard enough to get where you are today. Hopefully, you can get started on that personal statement you’ve been procrastinating on, and good luck on whatever path you decide to pursue.

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Writing the Personal Statement

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

1. The general, comprehensive personal statement:

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

2. The response to very specific questions:

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

Questions to ask yourself before you write:

• What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story?
• What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or help set you apart from other applicants?
• When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained?
• How have you learned about this field—through classes, readings, seminars, work or other experiences, or conversations with people already in the field?
• If you have worked a lot during your college years, what have you learned (leadership or managerial skills, for example), and how has that work contributed to your growth?
• What are your career goals?
• Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre LSAT or GRE scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)?
• Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life?
• What personal characteristics (for example, integrity, compassion, and/or persistence) do you possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? Is there a way to demonstrate or document that you have these characteristics?
• What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess?
• Why might you be a stronger candidate for graduate school—and more successful and effective in the profession or field than other applicants?
• What are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you?

General advice

Answer the questions that are asked

• If you are applying to several schools, you may find questions in each application that are somewhat similar.
• Don't be tempted to use the same statement for all applications. It is important to answer each question being asked, and if slightly different answers are needed, you should write separate statements. In every case, be sure your answer fits the question being asked.

Tell a story

• Think in terms of showing or demonstrating through concrete experience. One of the worst things you can do is to bore the admissions committee. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you'll be putting yourself ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story, you will make yourself memorable.

Be specific

• Don't, for example, state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific reasons. Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of specific experience that is described in your statement. Your application should emerge as the logical conclusion to your story.

Find an angle

• If you're like most people, your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. Finding an angle or a "hook" is vital.

Concentrate on your opening paragraph

• The lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. It is here that you grab the reader's attention or lose it. This paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement.

Tell what you know

• The middle section of your essay might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as some of your knowledge of the field. Too many people graduate with little or no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the profession or field they hope to enter. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information. Refer to experiences (work, research, etc.), classes, conversations with people in the field, books you've read, seminars you've attended, or any other source of specific information about the career you want and why you're suited to it. Since you will have to select what you include in your statement, the choices you make are often an indication of your judgment.

Don't include some subjects

• There are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences or accomplishments in high school or earlier are generally not a good idea. Don't mention potentially controversial subjects (for example, controversial religious or political issues).

Do some research, if needed

• If a school wants to know why you're applying to it rather than another school, do some research to find out what sets your choice apart from other universities or programs. If the school setting would provide an important geographical or cultural change for you, this might be a factor to mention.

Write well and correctly

• Be meticulous. Type and proofread your essay very carefully. Many admissions officers say that good written skills and command of correct use of language are important to them as they read these statements. Express yourself clearly and concisely. Adhere to stated word limits.

Avoid clichés

• A medical school applicant who writes that he is good at science and wants to help other people is not exactly expressing an original thought. Stay away from often-repeated or tired statements.

For more information on writing a personal statement, see the personal statement vidcast .

Episode 56: Writing A Good Personal Statement For CRNA School

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Even before an interview, a good CRNA school personal statement can already reveal much about you. Though the essay that you write for each school may seem like just a small part of the application process, it still plays a significant role in making yourself stand out as an applicant!

Whether you are an adept writer or a beginner at writing, today you’ll learn how to let yourself shine through!

In this episode, you’ll learn more about –

• Why programs ask you to write a personal statement and how it can greatly affect your acceptance into CRNA school
• Some important tips and tools you can use on how to efficiently write and improve your essay
• How you can make your CRNA school personal statement stand out from the rest of the applicants
• Why having English as a second language or not being a very good writer should NOT be a deterrent to creating a well-crafted personal statement
• Knowing why proofreading is very crucial before submitting
• Avoiding common mistakes
• The benefits of utilizing the academy forum for you and other students

We believe you can succeed as a CRNA, and we are dedicated to giving you the best support you need. Cheers to your success, future CRNA! We’re rooting for you!

Get access to planning tools, valuable CRNA Faculty guidance & mapped out courses that have been proven to accelerate your CRNA success! Become a member of CRNA School Prep Academy here:

https://www.crnaschoolprepacademy.com/join

Book a mock interview, resume edit or personal statement critique:

www.NursesTeachNurses.com

Join the CSPA email list: https://www.cspaedu.com/podcast-email

Send Jenny an email or make a podcast request!

[email protected]

Watch the episode here

Listen to the podcast here

Writing a good crna school personal statement.

In this episode, we’re going to get into how to write a good personal statement for CRNA school. First, why do they have you write a personal statement? What’s the purpose behind writing a CRNA school personal statement? As you may know, your interview is only one piece of the puzzle. Sometimes it’s only 10 minutes long, maybe 15 or 20 minutes.

Some schools, I’ve heard of 30 minutes, 45 minutes, but the vast majority of schools only spend a short period of time interviewing you. They use your personal statement as another way to gauge your personality as well as your writing style. Your personal statement is for them to assess who you are as a person, get to know you, and assess your goals, educational background, work ethic, and writing style.

Remember, you’re entering into a Doctoral degree. There’s going to be a lot of graduate-level writing involved in getting your Doctoral degree. They want to assess your writing skills and word choices, whether it’s unprofessional or if you’re more of a conversational writer, which is the problem I have when I write. I write like I’m talking to you in person versus writing. Be aware of where you may lack and address these areas before starting your statement.

We’ll get into how you can do this and some resources for you to utilize to make sure that you’re looking over your writing prior to submitting that personal statement. Some of the things to point out, as far as looking at your writing style, they will think, “Is this student going to need a lot of guidance and help to get them up to speed, to be able to succeed at writing this paper?”

Let’s say they have two candidates who are relatively about the same interviewed and scored about the same. While one of them has a good personal statement, the other one is mediocre. They may lean on the student who had a better personal statement, knowing they’re going to need less help and less guidance to do all the Doctoral writing involved in the program. I’m not trying to discourage you if writing is not your strong suit.

Know that you need to make sure you make your CRNA school personal statement strong. When you’re in school, you’re going to have to rely on additional resources to make sure you’re getting extra help in proofreading where you need it. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It means that you’re going to need some extra help, and you need to identify that prior to submitting your personal statement.

To also point out, we’ve had students whose English is their second language. They’ve needed 3, 4, or 5 edits on their personal statement, and they still get into school. May they require some additional help during all their writing? Yes, but now they know they can get assistance. They can get someone to proofread their papers for them and help them where it’s necessary.

I don’t want to make you feel like this is not possible if English is not your strong suit. You can do this. You just have to be aware of the possible help you’re going to need along the way to accomplish the goal. That’s been addressed. Let’s get into the structure and some red flags that I want to point out. Students sometimes make themselves sound like they’re good writers.

Personal Statement: CRNA programs get over 200 or more applicants. They have a lot of essays to read. If your personal statement is difficult to read or full of fancy words, they might not read it at all.

Sometimes what they do is inflate their verbiage, meaning they use these big vocabulary words. They think that the more big words they use, it will make them sound smarter. The problem is if you don’t truly understand the word, not only is it going to become difficult to read quickly, but let me also remind you that these programs are getting 150 to 200 applicants or more sometimes.

They have a lot of essays to read. If it’s difficult to read, you’re automatically going to trigger something in their brains and say, “I need to be able to read this efficiently and quickly. They’re using many fancy words that I have to slow down and ask myself, ‘What do they mean by that?'” The reason why I want to bring that up is so that you will be aware of the word choices you’re using and use language that aids in your descriptions, but will also be cognizant of the flow of that and how difficult it is for someone to read quickly and get the gist of what you’re trying to say.

Richard Wilson, who does guided Q&As inside the academy, pointed out that sometimes it’s not about the word. The word definition matches, but it might be used out of context a little bit. You may have to be aware that even if the word definition fits what you’re trying to describe, maybe it’s not used in the best context or the best flow for the sentence.

I also want to point out that you need to proofread. It looks sloppy if you make pretty basic grammar errors in your essay. It shows them that you didn’t take the time to do your due diligence essentially to proofread the paper prior to submitting it. If that means getting help to do that, or reading it over when your eyes are not fatigued.

Sometimes I read something and put letters where they should go, which is my brain, but I didn’t write that down. Especially when I’m fatigued, I tend to do that more frequently. I miss little, tiny errors that I’ve made. If you haven’t used something called Grammarly, I highly recommend you do that, but that isn’t everything. There is a free version of it. While it’s amazing unless you pay for it, you can only get so much out of it. It shouldn’t replace a good proofread, but it’s a good place to start.

You can install it on Google Chrome. Make sure you’re doing that for your first proofread, for example. Also, I’ve noticed when you take documents and put it into a Word doc, Google doc, or whatnot, it will do some proofreading for you, but it can flip words that you may not even catch because maybe your spelling was off a little bit and it will pick a word that’s similar, but maybe it’s so similar that you didn’t catch it.

You have to be careful about that too. You think you’re correcting a misspelling, but in reality, you’re completely changing the word altogether. Maybe your brain doesn’t recognize that right away because it’s similar to the word that you wanted to say. You have to be careful. Don’t rely on spell-check and Grammarly to do everything for you.

Making Mistakes

You still need to put second eyes on that paper, walk away, and come back. Yes, you need to proofread. I want to take this moment to also share with you guys a story from one of our students because another thing that can happen too is when you’re writing multiple personal statements, sometimes you may make a mistake and leave in the wrong school name for example.

Maybe you express how you’d be a good candidate for school X, and you submit that personal statement for school Y. Even though it was relatively the same prompt, and you updated the prompt to match, you left in the wrong school name. That happens probably more often than I would even realize it happens. It’s easy to do.

Let me share with you this because this is from one of our students. I thought it was a great takeaway, “Jenny and CSPA family, I want to take time out to thank everybody who was a part of this community. This is my testimony to the effectiveness of the program. Back in June of 2021, Richard helped me write a concise and thoughtful letter of intent. This letter, along with my decent stats, got me interviews at 2 out of 3 schools. I used the content in the CSPA library and the resources on the site to prepare for my interviews.

I was offered a seat on the spot during my first interview. The second program also offered me a seat two weeks after my interview. I want to pause here and mention the importance of being honest, prepared, and not letting your mistakes define you. I sent my letter of intent with another school name on it to the program that offered me a seat on the spot.

Many people told me to forget about ever getting into that program. Instead of giving up, I wrote a letter to the director of the program, explaining my mistake and showing her that I take responsibility for my actions. In the interview, she later told me that my honesty and willingness to take responsibility for my actions without making excuses is why she wants me in her program.

“I owe my acceptance to this community. During my second interview, I was able to interpret graphs that I saw in one of Richard’s presentations. The interviewer told me I was the only one who was able to correctly interpret the data out of so many applicants. Thank you, Jenny, Richard, and everyone in this community. I look forward to using CSPA resources and crushing CRNA school.”

First, I love everything about it. The takeaway from this for you is the fact that this student had to own his mistake. He did this. He put the wrong school on his personal statement and sent it. He still got offered a spot during this interview, which is amazing. There are a couple of takeaways from this. One, he owned his mistake. There are probably plenty of students who make this mistake, who are fearful.

Plenty of people told him to walk away, to give up on that school. It’s not going to happen. He made a mistake, and he’s got to live with it. Instead, he was like, “I don’t want to end that way. I have to at least let them know that I’m aware that I made a mistake.” That’s what these schools want. They want a student who has a voice to say, “I messed up. I’m sorry.”

That’s important as far as your attitude. That’s what they’re looking for in a candidate. It’s not all about your ICU background, 4.0 GPA, etc. They want to see that personality characteristic that you’re going to take ownership of when you make mistakes. I also love the fact that he was well prepared for his interviews, and that is also clearly displayed in his interview skills.

Personal Statement: Don’t rely on spell-check and Grammarly to do everything for you. You still need to put second eyes on that paper.

Not only did he fess up and take ownership for his mistake, but he adequately prepared for his interview. I want to share that with you because I thought it was touching. If I’m speaking to you, mistakes happen. I also had shared a story of mine that originally, when I reached out to one of my programs I applied to, I was trying to see how it could stand out as an applicant, trying to see how it could be more competitive.

I interviewed the program director and addressed him informally, meaning that instead of saying, “Dear Mr. So-and-so,” I said, “Dear Charles.” That set him off. He was upset, “How dare you address me so informally?” He asked me to write a letter about how rude Generation X was or Generation Y, whatever you want to call me these days.

I had to do some research on Millennials and Generation X and write him this long explanation as far as how I am working towards being more respectful. I did that. It was a five-page paper. It ended up working in my favor because he was impressed with my writing and enjoyed the fact that I took the time to be that thorough in my research. It worked out, and I got into the program.

That was about a year’s time, and then I applied a year later. I’ll be honest with you. During the interview, it never got brought up. It wasn’t like I was going to point it out, but at the same token, I was like, “If they ask about it, I’m going to own it and talk to them about it because I clearly fessed up and wrote the paper. I apologized. We ended up being on good terms via email after that experience.”

It was one of those things where you can’t hold it inside and hope that no one notices. If you make a mistake, whether that’s in your essay, reaching out, or clinical, you have to speak up. That is the only way you can address it, learn from it, and move on. Don’t let that scare you. I also want to be careful and check to make sure. If it does happen to you, there’s still light at the end of the tunnel.

Future CRNA- here’s a quick tip for your CRNA interview. If you apply, assume you will get asked to interview. Do not wait until you get that phone call or email to start preparing. Remember, these panels have interviewed hundreds of students over the years and can easily tell the difference between a candidate who is well-prepared and a candidate who is not. Preparation is not about memorization. It’s about understanding. Understanding challenging concepts take time. It takes you building connections to existing knowledge.

CRNA School Prep Academy helps you build on existing ICU knowledge so that you are well-prepared for your interview. We offer mock group interview coaching with CSPA expert contributor in program faculty, Richard Wilson. These sessions take place every other month. Plan ahead and don’t miss out. What are you waiting for? Get started and challenge yourself and your knowledge, so when you get that phone call, you will be excited and eager to show up and knock that interview out of the park. Learn more about CRNA School Prep Academy at CRNASchoolPrepAcademy.com/join . Cheers to your future.

Assessment Process

Let’s get into how they assess your personality and how you interact with others. Essentially, whatever you place in this essay is going to be considered important by you. You wouldn’t put it there if you didn’t find it important. It’s important to include information about you, as well as your accomplishments. You want to highlight things that you have done, awards that you have won, committees you have been a part of, and any research you have done so they can get a taste.

Think about it. Don’t just regurgitate your resume. Some students make this mistake where they get listy in their CRNA school personal statements. It becomes like a new fancy resume. You got to be careful that you don’t do that, but if you did something special that maybe you want to highlight from your resume, then for sure talk about it, but know that you don’t need to put everything from your resume there. Anything that’s unique or stands out, mention it.

There are so many times where I had a candidate or students who got in, who maybe didn’t the first time they applied. I look at their resume, and I can’t gather the information I can get when talking to them. I’m like, “You’ve done all this amazing stuff, but your resume doesn’t even highlight that. I don’t even understand what this award is or what it means, but now you explain this to me. I wish I would’ve known that.”

It’s the same thing with your resume. You need to be going into enough detail to where they know why, what the award means, and what these certifications are. Use your essay to highlight that as well. There are a lot of things that people may assume that someone’s going to understand or know, but don’t ever assume that someone’s going to know. You have to explain and highlight what you’ve accomplished.

You want to go into the fact that you’ve been on this path for a while and why you want to do it. Let’s give you guys some examples of prompts. A prompt could be, “Share with me in a 500-word or less essay your short-term and long-term professional goals.” They could say, “Describe your personal strengths and weaknesses that you see to be important in completing this educational program.”

Maybe they don’t give you a page length. Maybe they just give you that prompt, but do you want to write a five-page paper? Ideally, most programs are going to give you a length. Maybe it’s two pages, but you want to still make sure, even if you have all this stuff to share, that you’re being succinct, concise, brief, and to the point. Allow a lot of the details to happen when they interview if they want to ask you questions about your personal statement.

I also want to get into this: what if you have something that you feel is a shortcoming and how to address it. I’ve had a lot of students also tell me they’ve had a lot of success by being upfront. I call it addressing the elephant in the room by addressing a shortcoming. The reason why that can be so powerful is because they’re looking at your resume, and they’re already going to be asking the question. They were such a bad student in the beginning, and now, they’ve gotten one A in stats, but how do I know they’re a serious student now? Address it briefly in your essay, and then allow them to ask you more questions in the interview and even bring it up.

Personal Statement: Don’t regurgitate your resume. You don’t need to put everything there, but be sure to mention anything that will make you unique.

“I know you probably saw this in my resume. I know I tried to describe it briefly in my statement.” Address it. They may even ask you, “Tell me why you think you’re a good student now when historically, you haven’t been.” Be ready to answer those hard questions because a lot of people have had traumatic things happen to them.

There are tons of stories that you can tell them, but you have to focus less on how you’re moving forward from it and what you have done to grow from it. Richard has said this before, too. It depends on what mood he’s in. When he reads an essay, he could get an essay that goes into all these details, and it could seem like they’re giving excuses as to why X, Y, and Z happened versus a brief, concise X, Y, and Z and now this.

He or she is admitting to this flaw, and this is what they’ve done to overcome that, versus tons of details of X, Y, and Z that this caused this and this caused that. Make sure you’re not taking up your entire personal statement by addressing one issue because you might miss out on other things you could highlight about yourself and not just focus on the negative. Keep in mind that you’re getting this shot to give the interview panel an overall picture of you. If you have a shortcoming, that’s just one part of who you are. That’s not everything. They’re understanding. They know a lot of students maybe didn’t have a clear focus early on in this career path and didn’t think they would go back to grad school.

That’s a common thing that people hear about pursuing CRNA, “I thought Nursing was it for me. I didn’t plan on going back to school. I was okay with Cs.” That happened. You didn’t have direction and a passion for CRNA, but once you discovered it, now you have found your passion and direction. Now you’re being able to persevere through overcoming what you did when you were younger and didn’t have as much direction on your career path by taking graduate courses, joining committee works, doing research, working at a great ICU, and explaining what you have done to make yourself a candidate that they will want in their program. That’s what I mean.

Give them a little taste of some of your shortcomings without going into so much detail that you’re taking over your entire paper because you want to make sure you’re still highlighting the good things too. You don’t want the whole paper to be about things that are more negative. Keep that in mind when you’re highlighting your shortcomings and focus on where you’re going with it versus what has already happened. That’s my biggest piece of advice.

Editing Your CRNA School Personal Statement

I want to make sure that I touch on this too. You guys are giving yourself enough time to edit your paper and think about what you want to write. Sometimes it takes a while, and it requires you to take a break and come back to it to gather your thoughts. Think about it. You write a paper and like, “I go back and tweak it 4 or 5 more times.” Maybe you even let some time pass, like a few days or so, and come back again. The thing is, what you do every time you do that is you stop and gather some insights around what you want to express and tell them.

Within 3 or 4 days, new insights come to you. They’re like, “I should mention that. The reason behind that clicks. Now I can see how I can fit into their program based on their mission statement. I know what my professional goals look like that are also in line with the school’s mission.” You should know the mission statement. Start it with that.

When you’re looking at how to start writing your personal statement, you should know your school and what they pride themselves on, what’s in their mission statement, and what’s important to them. You can also do this by going to their program, open houses, asking questions, and talking to students. Do your due diligence and research your school to make sure you’re personalizing your personal statement to that program, which is also why you have to tailor it even if you’re applying to 3 or 4 different schools.

Even if it’s the same prompt, you still have to tailor your essay to that school. I’m not saying you have to write a completely new essay, but make sure you’re answering the prompt. Let’s say you wrote a good personal statement for your number one choice school, and then you’re applying to two other schools as a backup. Maybe that’s what you’re doing.

Maybe your two other schools have different prompts where you’re like, “This essay is good. I know I made it great for this school. I’m sure it’s going to be fine for that school.” You submit it. They get it, and they’re like, “It’s a good essay, but you didn’t follow directions. You didn’t answer my prompt.” Immediately, they’re disqualifying you for not following directions. Don’t do that to yourself.

Take the time to tailor it to what the school’s asking. Why even bother applying if they’re going to discredit you from the beginning for not following directions? You may be a good writer, and you may have a lot of good things to say, but because you think what you did is good enough for them, it may not be. They’re still going to want you to follow directions.

It says to them like, “You don’t care enough to rewrite and answer what we’re asking you to write.” They’re going to not feel like they’re your top choice school if that’s the way you’re treating it. If it is a school that you want to potentially get into, if you don’t get into your top school, you have to treat it like the school you want to get into, which means you’ve got to give it your all-out effort.

Keep that in mind. I know it’s more work, but you need to plan ahead. Do not write your CRNA school personal statement the week your application is due. I know I’ve preached this before, but a lot of schools give preference to students who submit their applications early. You should probably be starting your admission statement at least 3 to 4 months out at a minimum, especially if you have more than one to do, because you could take a couple of months to tailor that essay and get feedback inside the academy. We have essay critiques that you can book one-on-one where they’ll review and edit 1 or 2 essays. Take advantage of these resources.

We have students whose English is their second language. They struggle with writing, and they’ve utilized our essay critiques in the academy 3, 4, or 5 times, have an awesome essay, and have gained acceptance. They’re still going to have to make sure that in school, when they are doing all their writing, they seek out resources if they’re struggling writing their papers, but the thought process behind what you want to say is there. It’s a matter of critiquing it to get it to read nicely. You have it within you to write.

Sometimes it takes some extra effort and tweaking to make sure you’re conveying what you want to say to the reader. Another great resource that’s free that I always recommend students to utilize, and I also know program directors frequently tell their students to do this course prior to starting the program, is a free writing course. It’s through Coursera.

If you google Writing in the Sciences and then Stanford, because it’s through a professor from Stanford, you will find it. I believe the platform they use is Coursera.org . It’s called Writing in the Sciences. Check it out. Whether you’ve already gained acceptance or still trying to prepare for your personal statement, it’s a great place to start because it goes over some basic writing style tips for you to take with you. Do that and utilize an essay critique in the academy.

Personal Statement: Don’t copy people’s essays. If you take one from another student and tweak it to your own a little bit, they might recognize that, especially if it was written well.

Live Edits For CRNA School Personal Statements

If it’s something you’re worried about, make sure you’re having multiple eyeballs to take a look at your paper, whether that’s your dad, sister, friend, peer, or coworker, getting an essay critique inside the academy. Make sure you’re doing all those things to give yourself the best chance.

One cool thing we did inside the academy is we did a live essay edit.

We had a student of ours submit an essay for a live critique and Richard Wilson, who is our expert contributor and an Assistant Program Director, critiqued the essay live. You could watch what he’s thinking through reading the essay, what was good, what was bad, and what he corrected, and then allow you to ask questions around it. Those types of experiences are only going to help you when you go to write your own essay.

Don’t be afraid to swap with your peers. What’s great about swapping with your peers is you will get ideas from their writing. Utilizing the academy and the forum to swap your essay, even if you’re like, “I don’t want to have to offer feedback for their essay,” do it because you’re going to gather ideas for your own essay. Believe me. You will find something for them that they didn’t see. Maybe you can give them some advice they didn’t recognize. Don’t think what you have to offer is not valuable. You do have something valuable to offer. Even if you think you’re not a good writer, read it for context and clarity. You don’t have to read it for grammar.

If you’re like, “I have terrible grammar. I can’t proofread someone’s essay,” don’t do it for grammar. Do it for context and content. Do you understand what they’re passionate about? Do you know who they are a little bit more now that you’ve read their essay? That’s the feedback you can give to them if you feel like you can’t correct them on grammar.

Know that you have something valuable to give. It’s valuable to do a swap. That’s free. Pick someone from the forum to say, “I’ll read your essay if you read mine. Let’s do this.” Utilize your community for that resource. I know I did that. Granted, I worked in the medical ICU, and I knew three other girls who were applying to the same program at the same time as me.

We had the same prompt. We read each other’s essays. Why wouldn’t we? We’re friends. We’re going to help each other out. Even if I hadn’t gotten in and they got in, they would’ve helped me the next year trying to figure out how I could get in. We knew we had each other’s backs, and we utilized that to our advantage. Make sure you’re looking for opportunities like that. If you don’t know someone else who’s applying, try to go to these open houses and connect with the current student. They may be nice enough to read a personal essay for you or even show you theirs.

I also want to do a blanket statement. Don’t copy people’s essays. Do not do that. Even though there are a lot of applications that come in, take an essay from a student who got in the year prior, and if you were to take it and use it and tweak it to your own a little bit, they might recognize that. They may remember that essay, especially if it was good and unique. I highly encourage you not to do that. I’m not saying not to use an essay to get ideas. Be careful around that. That’s not an easy way. That would be a mistake.

If you fess up to it, I don’t know if they would overcome that because they would probably worry about you cheating in school too. I want to make sure I threw that out there. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode, and that it gave you something to think about. Best of luck to you in writing your own essay. I hope to see you inside the academy for fun things. The fact that we did a live essay critique, and utilize the students there doing critiques for you. I’ll see you next episode.

Important Links

• Coursera.org

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A Step-by-Step Tutorial to Write PhD Personal Statement

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Are you applying for a PhD program but have no idea what to include in your application statement? Well, then, this guide is for you. When applying for postgraduate study, candidates are often required to write a PhD personal statement that shows they have the right attitude, skills, and knowledge for that course.

The application statement goes directly to the university and needs to be crafted per the requirements of the department in consideration. Candidates have to submit both the cover letter/statements and research proposals to the institute.  Both of these documents shed light on the motivation behind choosing that specific institute for your doctoral study.

We all know that writing your PhD personal statement in the UK can sometimes be stressful. To help you with your mission, the expert admission essay writers of The Academic Papers UK have prepared a step-by-step guide to craft a statement. Let’s explore the tips; we shall go with a basic definition first.

What Is PhD Personal Statement?

As per Postgraduate Studentships, the PhD personal statement serves as a way to promote yourself as a student for the institute you want to enrol in. In that application, you explain to the admission committee why you are perfect for being a PhD student in their institute. You can take this as a perfect opportunity to impress the admissions committee.

How to Write a PhD Personal Statement?

A personal statement for PhD application provides extra information about the background of the applicant, his motivation for undertaking the postgrad research and the relevant experience. Basically, you have to make sure that you appear as a unique individual to the admissions officers.

The Admissions Tutor usually reads your statements for postgrad courses or the Project Supervisors for the research programs. They decide on your suitability for that line of research and study. We have made the writing process of personal statements easier for you. Here are some guidelines to follow when crafting your PhD personal statement:

1. Show Your Curiosity

Your PhD personal statement is ‘personal’- feel free to showcase your unique accomplishments and strengths. Explain what particular factor influenced your decision to pursue the program so that when the admissions committee reads your statement, they will be aware of your passion for joining their university. If it is an institute abroad, you should start planning for the application process 18 months before the program actually starts.

Give the readers an idea about your interests and tell them how they are related to your PhD. Explain why you are attracted to the particular department and what your motivation is for studying your chosen degree subject. It will make the committee see that you are genuinely interested in getting admission to their university.

2. Talk About Your Experience

During the PhD personal statement writing process, you should also include your research experiences, work experiences, and any volunteer jobs that you might have taken already. Highlight any experiences that you might have and briefly describe the responsibilities for any academic projects you have undertaken previously. This will make your personal statement look more convincing and professional to the readers.

Also, if you have any achievements that demonstrate your abilities to work effectively, you should mention them as well in your papers. This will make the admissions tutors realise that you are perfect for a wide range of experiences and environments.

3. Display Your Skillset

As a PhD is a long journey, you must have a lot of essential skills to survive. Some of these skills include critical thinking, problem-solving, research, and collaboration. You must mention these in your PhD personal statement to leave a positive impact on the minds of your readers. It will convince them that you are skilled enough to work on the PhD projects and contribute to the research field.

If these skills have benefitted you in one way or another in academia previously, you should make it known to the admissions committee. However, avoid making it sound too boastful because it will ruin your impression.

4. Discuss Your Goals

Writing about your previously developed skill set and achievements in a personal statement is never enough. The cherry on top is when you share a glimpse of your future research aims with the readers. Tell them about how a PhD degree can help you achieve your goals. A PhD application personal statement should be full of how YOU want to make changes in your academic field.

Although some universities expect the candidates to enlist the research goals in the motivation letter, sharing a bit about your career aspirations will not harm anyone. You can also talk here about the individual research groups that you have led and link them with the course you want to study.

5. Mention Your Transferable Skills

When writing your PhD personal statement, ensure that you have highlighted your transferable skills enough. These are the skills that you develop during your academic journey. Some of the relevant skills that you might want to enlist in your papers are the following:

• Networking and communication skills
• Project management
• Presentation skills
• Analytical thinking
• Time management

Keep in mind that you will have to mention these skills along with the evidence of how you acquired them. Such skills are desirable because a candidate can use them anywhere, irrespective of their field or designation. When you appropriately mention these skills, you let the admission officers know that you will be better able to make positive contributions in your career.

6. Focus on the Grammar and Vocabulary

Keep in mind that it is important for you to present a well-crafted statement that has no grammatical mistakes. You must avoid using slang in your work and use the standard academic vocabulary to leave your readers impressed. Write concise and concrete sentences that flow well with the theme of your work. You can also get admission essay writing help from professional writers online in the UK for this purpose.

In a nutshell, you will have to demonstrate why are you going for that specific institute and if there are any special research facilities they provide. The point is to narrate all this information with a good vocabulary and perfect grammar plus punctuation!

7. Proofread Just One More Time

Before the submission of your PhD personal statement, just make sure to check for your spelling mistakes. Ask an advisor, professor, or friend to review your final draft one time before submitting it. Sometimes, many mistakes go undetected during the first revision session, and they are more likely to be caught in the second or third review.

Check if you have discussed your interests really well and see if the program you are choosing fits in with your intended career path. Your application must make the admission teams see your passion for the programs they offer.

PhD Personal Statement Structure

It is worth noting that your statement must be logically ordered and interesting for the readers. A good and well-defined structure makes the spine of your personal statement for PhD program. Your paper should have the following three well-written sections:

1. Introduction

You should start with a quick introduction, explaining your academic background and describing yourself. Try your level best to naturally build interest in your research aims, the university you have chosen, and the subjects you want to study. It is a no-brainer that the personal statement introduction is a wonderful way to grab the attention of readers.

2. Main Body

In the main body paragraphs, you move towards discussing your experience and skills in further detail. Answer the basic questions about why you are a good fit for the PhD program in question. If you have to comment on several areas of your CV, you can do it appropriately in this part of your paper.

3. Conclusion

Finally, in the concluding paragraphs of your personal statement, you can wrap the entire discussion up by stating your aspirations and long-term goals. You must include your future research plans in this section and make them relevant to the course you are studying. Take the ending as a chance to finish your academic document in a way that makes your admission tutors remember you.

PhD Personal Statement Examples

The requirements for personal application content differ with every university – one size does not fit all. However, a good paper has all of the elements an admission officer wants to see in it. Apart from following the guidelines written above, you should also go through the admission statements of other successful candidates. Here is a PhD personal statement template on the topic of leadership; you can read and review it, and if you like the writing style of that student, feel free to adopt it for your work.

You can also ask your friends who are already in academia or other project supervisors for help with your custom PhD personal statement ideas. Studying for a PhD is not easy; you should be determined to overcome all the obstacles along the way.

What Should Be in a PhD Personal Statement?

You have to make your personal statement PhD interesting for the admission officers and convince them that you are the perfect person to study in their institute. According to the guidelines of the Columbia University Center for Career Education, the following elements must be present in it:

• State the reasons for your application to that particular university.
• Describe your strengths.
• Highlight your transferable skills and demonstrate them with examples.
• Tell them about how you want to contribute to the research field of that domain.
• Discuss how that PhD program aligns with your core interests and career goals.

Apart from these three sections, you can also choose to add these sections to your paper in a sequence:

• Current Degrees
• Why the PhD Course?
• Past Work Experience
• Extra-curricular Activities and Interests
• Why this University?

You should avoid writing clichéd content; try to be unique instead. Strive for depth in your work, find one or two key themes, and give details about those to the readers. It will take a lot of time to craft and finalise this statement, so you must start your research and writing process early.

How Long Should a Personal Statement Be for a PhD Program?

Per the guidelines by Masters Portal, PhD personal statements should be around 700 words (around 1-2 pages). At graduate and post-graduate levels, the statements of purpose are usually shorter in length. So, you should take your time to craft a well-written and strong statement. It will take you quite some time to develop a final draft for the submission of your personal statement. Also, you must check the PhD Personal Statement Length guidelines provided by the university you are applying to.

How Do I Start My Personal Statement?

According to the instructions by UCAS to students, you can stand out from a crowd of candidates if you tackle your personal statement for PhD really well. Before starting the writing process, take your time to ponder over the key points and enlist the things you would want to see in your work. Do not worry about penning down the first perfect draft – you will have enough time to refine it later.

All that you need to do is to show your enthusiasm for the subject and showcase your knowledge. Share your ambitions and what you want to achieve in future with your research. Also, do not forget to read the description of the course as it will give you a good idea about what each university is looking for.

Bottom Line

And that’s a wrap!

When you have written your PhD personal statement, proofread it twice and ask for the unbiased feedback of your friends and family. If they give suggestions for improvement, consider them before tuning in your work. The rule of thumb here is to keep the papers mistake-free and interesting for the readers.

You can also acquire admission essay writing services online to craft tailored personal statements per your choices and academic interests. Tell the writer about your career goals, academic background, and hobbies and they will craft a stellar personal application to impress the examiners.

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Home News What Are the Prerequisites for an MBA Program?

What Are the Prerequisites for an MBA Program?

Looking to take your career to the next level? Perhaps you dream of launching your own business or are striving for more of a leadership or managerial position with your current employer. Regardless, it might be time to explore a master’s in business administration (MBA) as a means of advancing your career and building crucial skills.

Are there prerequisites for an MBA? In short, yes, and by understanding the common requirements for this type of program, you can plan and prepare with confidence.

Understanding the Basics of MBA Prerequisites

One of the most essential MBA degree prerequisites that applies to all graduate-level business programs is having a bachelor’s degree already under your belt.

The Importance of a Bachelor’s Degree

A bachelor’s degree (which usually entails a four-year program) is required for admission into any MBA program. That previous experience in a rigorous degree program is critical to being prepared for the coursework of a master’s degree program. Likewise, an undergraduate degree can provide you with valuable foundational knowledge that will transfer from your general education credits.

Evaluating Your Undergraduate Major’s Impact

Sometimes, a bachelor’s degree in a field related to business (like accounting or finance) may be preferred to gain admission to an MBA program; however, this is not always the case. It is not uncommon for students who majored in a subject completely unrelated to business to pursue MBA degrees, either as part of a career shift or as a means of gaining valuable business experience in their respective fields.

Standardized Test Scores: GMAT and GRE

Certain MBA programs will also require applicants to submit standardized test scores. The two most common graduate school exams are the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)—but how can you know which is right for you?

GMAT vs. GRE: Which Should You Take?

Always check with your school to determine if they require one test over the other, as this will help you make the right decision. If your school or program accepts either test, then you’ll want to consider some other factors.

Generally speaking, the GMAT is more geared toward business schools, but the GRE is becoming increasingly common as an admission requirement. Both are offered in  similar formats  and cost about the same to take, and scores for both exams are valid for five years.

Minimum Score Requirements and How to Prepare

The GMAT and GRE are scored differently, with scores for the GRE ranging from 130 to 170 in one-point increments. The GMAT, on the other hand, offers a composite score that ranges from 205 to 805 in larger 10-point increments. If the business school you’re applying to has a minimum score requirement, it will be posted on the admissions page.

The best way to prepare for the GRE or GMAT is to choose a reputable study guide and take plenty of practice exams. In addition, be sure to give yourself plenty of time to study for the exam.

Work Experience Requirements for MBA Applicants

Some business schools may also require MBA applicants to have a certain amount of relevant professional experience before they can be admitted into an MBA program.

The Role of Professional Experience in Your Application

Professional experience in the business world is key when applying to an MBA program because it will give you some of the foundational knowledge needed to succeed in an advanced program of study. Without any professional experience in business, you may struggle with some of the basic concepts throughout the program.

How Much Experience Do You Need?

The amount of work experience you need will vary from one program to the next. However, there’s a good chance an MBA program could require anywhere from three to five years of related work experience. In other instances, applicants with less experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Academic Performance and GPA Considerations

Many business schools also have academic performance and GPA requirements for MBA applicants, so how well you did in your undergraduate degree program could affect whether or not you get accepted into an MBA program.

Understanding GPA Requirements

It is not uncommon for a business school to require a minimum of a 3.0 GPA for applicants who completed an undergraduate degree in a related or unrelated field. For non-business bachelor’s degree holders, a 3.0 average will be especially essential in courses related to statistics, calculus, and English composition.

Strategies for Overcoming a Low GPA

Usually, a lower GPA alone won’t be enough to disqualify an applicant from an MBA program—but this will differ from school to school. If you had less than a 3.0 GPA in your undergraduate program (or whatever the minimum GPA for your MBA program is), the best course of action is to reach out to an admissions counselor before you submit your application.

Essential Skills and Competencies for MBA Applicants

Do you need prerequisites for an MBA? Yes, but you may also need to demonstrate that you possess some essential skills and competencies required to get through an MBA program.

Leadership and Management Skills

MBA graduates often go on to work in leadership and other management roles, so being able to bring some of these basic skills to the table is key at the beginning of your MBA program.

Communication and Analytical Skills

Additionally, successful leaders and managers need to have solid communication skills. Not only should you be able to communicate effectively in person, but those skills should translate to your writing as well. Likewise, strong analytical skills are also crucial in an MBA program and beyond.

Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills

Much of the work of an MBA program (and any future career in the business world) will require constant analytical and critical thinking. As new problems and obstacles arise, you must demonstrate that you can think quickly on your feet and confidently come up with new ideas that will forge the path forward.

Teamwork and Collaboration Experience

The future generation of business leaders will need to be able to collaborate with people, too, motivating them to work as a team toward a common goal. Ideally, you’ll be able to bring these skills to the table as you enter your MBA program.

The Significance of Letters of Recommendation

Many business schools will also require you to submit at least one, if not several, letters of recommendation as part of your application.

Choosing the Right Recommenders

Keep in mind that not everybody makes a great “recommender” when it comes time to have these letters written. In general, you should not choose family members or friends to write your letters of recommendation. Instead, you’re better off choosing a professional contact (such as a current or previous boss) or a past academic contact (such as a professor).

What Your Recommenders Should Highlight

While you can’t exactly  tell  a recommender what they should write in your letter, you can (and should) provide them with some basic guidelines and insights into what your MBA program is looking for. You might consider providing them with a copy of the admission requirements to your desired MBA program, as well as a copy of your own resume or other accomplishments to which the writer can refer while drafting your letter.

Ideally, your letter of recommendation should highlight the skills, experiences, characteristics, and formal designations that make you a qualified candidate for the MBA program.

Crafting a Compelling Personal Statement

It is also common for a graduate degree program to require something known as a personal statement of all applicants. Typically, a personal statement is a one-page document where you discuss your background, why you’re interested in completing the program, and your professional and career goals for the future.

Tips for Telling Your Unique Story

Writing a personal statement can be challenging, especially for those who don’t always enjoy talking about themselves. This is where it can be helpful to create an outline narrowing down the precise points you wish to make (along with examples). If you have a unique story or anecdote that applies, this can be a great way to make your personal statement stand out as well.

Do’s and Don’ts of Personal Statements

Keep the following in mind as you craft your personal statement:

• DO focus on your strengths.
• DO ask for feedback from people you trust.
• DO connect your ideas with your own experiences.
• DON’T submit more than one page unless explicitly asked to do so.
• DON’T downplay your achievements; this is your one chance to make yourself and your application stand out from the rest.
• DON’T wait until the last minute to write one; give yourself plenty of time to draft, rewrite, and revise as needed.

Additional Requirements for International Applicants

If you’re an international student applying for admission to an MBA program in the United States, there may be additional requirements you need to complete.

TOEFL/IELTS Scores for Non-Native English Speakers

Most business schools will require international applicants to complete a standardized test that assesses their proficiency in English. Common examples of these include the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)  and the  International English Language Testing System (IELTS) . Find out exactly which test your program requires and the minimum score you must obtain to be considered for admission.

Understanding Visa Requirements

In addition to English proficiency tests, international students may also need to provide proof of a visa in order to complete an MBA program in the U.S. Specifically, an F-1 visa is the most common type of visa required for international students. The process of obtaining one can take some time, so it’s important to be proactive about applying for the appropriate visa.

Advance Your Education in Business at Marymount University

As you can see, the specific prerequisites and admission requirements for an MBA will vary depending on the exact school and program you’re considering. Still, most MBA programs will require you to demonstrate some basic competencies, as well as formal work experience requirements and standardized test scores.

Seeking an MBA program that’s built to help students succeed? Marymount University is proud to offer a  Master of Business Administration  that empowers you to meet real-world challenges while exploring specialized skills that can help advance your career.  Get in touch  with an admissions advisor today to learn more about our MBA program, or begin your application for enrollment online.

https://marymount.edu/academics/college-of-business-innovation-leadership-and-technology/school-of-business/graduate-programs/management-master-s-programs/business-administration/

https://info.marymount.edu/apply-to-marymount

https://marymount.edu/admissions/graduate-students/meet-with-us/

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Published May 13, 2024

Best of Both Worlds: Navigating NYU’s Stern–Tisch BS/BFA Dual Degree

Class of 2025

I got into the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Film and Television program in 2022, my sophomore year. And guess what? I was already a student at the Stern School of Business since 2020! How did I manage both? Let me introduce you to the special NYU Stern–Tisch BS in Business and BFA in Film and TV dual-degree program.

How Did I Get into the NYU Film and TV Program as a Stern Business Student?

What Is the BS/BFA Dual-Degree Program? Whom Is It For?

If you’re passionate about film and television and intrigued by the business side of these industries, the NYU Stern–Tisch BS in Business and BFA in Film and TV program might be for you. This five-year, STEM-certified dual degree combines two exciting fields. Over 10 semesters, you’ll earn a Bachelor of Science in Business from Stern and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television from Tisch .

Imagine joining a program that merges rigorous academic standards with extensive resources. You’ll have access to everything the NYU Stern Undergraduate College and the NYU Tisch Kanbar Institute of Film & Television offer. You’ll gain skills in both creativity and business, getting the best of both worlds. What’s more, you’ll receive personalized advice and unique networking opportunities in the media and entertainment industries. I applied to the dual degree because I want to become a film and theatre producer in the future!

As an applicant, you’ll need to show off your creative flair and your knack for analysis and numbers. The program’s aim is clear: to shape you into a future artist, entrepreneur, or industry leader. Once you graduate with your BS/BFA, you’ll be brimming with entrepreneurial spirit and have a rare combination of business and creative skills. This unique mix makes you perfect for starting your own venture or working for the top entertainment firms. You’ll be all set to dive into a variety of creative and entrepreneurial roles in the entertainment world.

What Is the Application Process Like and What Materials Are Required?

The Stern–Tisch BS/BFA program is only open to first- or second-year students enrolled in Business at Stern or Film and Television at Tisch. Not in these programs? High school students and other NYU students can’t apply directly. But, if you’re in high school and are interested in this dual degree, you can start by applying to Business or Film and Television. Then, once you’re at NYU, you can talk to your adviser about your next steps for the BS/BFA degree.

Applying can seem a bit intense. You need to use the Dual-Degree SlideRoom portal . You have to showcase your creative talents in film and TV through a portfolio. And don’t forget your résumé and coursework. They should highlight your number-crunching skills and business interests. If you don’t make it on your first try, don’t lose heart. You can apply twice in your sophomore year, but not after that. I’ve had friends succeed on their second try. Persistence pays off!

You need a few things for your application: a professional résumé, a personal statement, and your NYU transcript.

For the Stern hopefuls coming from Tisch, your artistic side needs to shine. You need a four-part creative portfolio. This includes a one- or two-minute “Tell Us About Yourselfie” video, a story inspired by visual and audio prompts, a short story inspired from a prompt, and a creative submission, such as a five-minute film or an artistic portfolio.

My selfie video introduces my childhood in the northwest of China and how I became interested in art. My short film, “When I Wake Up,” is about the criticism of the exploitation of employees by capitalists.

Application Video: “Tell Us About Yourselfie”

Application Short Film: When I Wake Up

And if you’re a Film and Television major aiming for Stern, the application is all about numbers. You need to submit quantitative standardized test scores or show you’ve tackled quantitative courses at NYU. Think SAT, ACT, IB, AP, or specific math courses. Or take NYU courses like Calculus I or Financial Accounting and Analysis to prove your quantitative prowess.

Mark mid-February on your calendar. That’s when applications are due. It’s true that the program only admits a few students each year, but the competition isn’t as fierce as you might think. The workload and specific eligibility narrow down the applicant pool. I almost didn’t finish my application, fearing the odds. But I’m glad I did!

Once you’re admitted, the world’s your oyster. The program lets you explore, study away, dive into various business concentrations, and even choose cross-school minors. For example, I spent two semesters at NYU Shanghai, focusing on my business credits . I am concentrating my Business degree in marketing and computing and data science at Stern. I also minored in Producing at Tisch. 

For more details about the BS/BFA dual degree, you can attend an information session . The program hosts them each fall, and they are a great resource. Questions about admissions or portfolios? Email [email protected] at Tisch. For curriculum queries, you can email Stern professor Paul Hardart ( [email protected] ) or Tisch professor Joe Pichirallo ( [email protected] ).

How Is It Different from a Double Major?

At NYU, you, as a student from any department, have the option to pick a second major in the College of Arts and Science (CAS) using your elective units. This offers a wide range of choices, including majors like Computer Science, Comparative Literature, and Philosophy. The best part? There’s no separate application needed for this second major. Plus, you can complete the double major within the usual four academic years, so there is no extra tuition cost.

But you can’t double major in any other schools without applying. So, if you’re set on majors outside of CAS, such as the Tandon School of Engineering or the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, you need to apply directly as a high school student or either internally or externally transfer before your junior year in college.

That’s where NYU’s special dual-degree programs come into play. It allows you to be a student in a second school without leaving your current one. But, keep in mind, this requires a fifth academic year to meet both schools’ requirements, which adds up to 160 credits. So you should be prepared for an extra year’s tuition and fees.

How Do You Balance Stern’s and Tisch’s Schedules?

Once you’re admitted to the program, get ready to tackle all the required courses from both Stern and Tisch. But here’s the exciting part: you have the freedom to choose any business or film class that interests you!

For your reference, check out the full BS/BFA Curriculum (Entering from Film and Televison) and BS/BFA (Entering from Stern) worksheets.

Balancing your schedule is key, as film and business courses are on completely different time tracks. Take Tisch production classes, for instance, like Sight and Sound: Filmmaking and Intermediate/Advanced Narrative workshops. They’re demanding. You’re not just shooting your own short films but also helping your classmates with their projects. These classes usually run for two full days, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., totaling 16 hours a week for a six-credit course. They also occupy your whole weekends, from Friday to Sunday. You are required to be on set for your and your classmates’ productions.

On the other side, Stern’s classes involve two midterms, a final exam, and regular weekly assignments and quizzes. It’s crucial to avoid pairing up these intense Stern classes with your film production courses in the same semester. For example, if you’re tackling demanding Stern subjects like finance or coding, opt for lighter film classes like craft courses. Balancing your workload this way will help make your academic journey smoother.

Embarking on the NYU Stern–Tisch BS/BFA journey is a decision that can redefine your academic and professional path. With the unique blend of business acumen and creative filmmaking, this program equips you with the skills to excel in two dynamic industries. If you’re ready to challenge yourself, broaden your horizons, and seize an unparalleled educational experience, it’s time to consider applying. Whether you’re already a student at Stern or Tisch, your journey toward mastering both the boardroom and the film set starts here. Take the leap, embrace the challenge, and join a community of ambitious, creative minds shaping the future of business and entertainment.

Tong Zhao is studying towards a dual degree in Film and Television and Business at Tisch School of the Arts with a minor in Producing and at Stern School of Business with concentrations in Marketing and Computing And Data Science. She became the Class of 2025 due to one extra year from the dual degree after entering the Class of 2024. She is from Lanzhou, China, and had one year’s study away experience at NYU Shanghai. She is a passionate fan of theatre, film, Taylor Swift, and K-pop. Her career goal is to become a film and theatre producer in the future.

More from :

A Unique Dual Degree Program in Business and Film

Art meets enterprise in this five-year dual degree program, where students earn a BS in Business from Stern and a BFA in Film and Television from Tisch.

Studying Film and Business at NYU: The Stern–Tisch Dual Degree Program

Have you ever wanted to study the financing side of the film industry? This is possible at NYU thanks to the Stern–Tisch BS/BFA dual degree program.

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Games programming personal statement example.

Computer games programming isn't a degree that a typical girl would probably be interested in. But then, I do not see myself as a typical student. When I first left school I studied A levels, but at the end of two years I felt as though I lacked direction and still had no idea what I wanted to do in the future. I took the opportunity to work for a year and give myself some time to think about what I wanted to do in the future. I tried to think about something that I had been passionate about my whole life, and what I came up with was games. Ever since playing the Master System II as a child I have always had an interest in playing the newest and most exciting games, and the thrill of completing them. I enrolled on a National Diploma course for IT Practitioners and my resolve was strengthened when I started my Software Design and Development unit and discovered a passion for programming, which I continued to enjoy in my Event Driven Programming unit. I enjoy the logical thinking required to create a program trying to fix any problems, and the sense of achievement when the program is finished and working. I am particularly interested in the advancing technology of gaming, especially human computer interaction and artificial intelligence, and would love to study these in more detail. When I am not at college I work in a shop selling teas and coffees. I am given a lot of responsibility there and I am trusted to run the shop on Sundays, which involves looking after the money and directing my colleagues. I have also been responsible for training new members of staff. This has given me the skills of working in a team. The job also requires me to have a good knowledge of the products, which is something I have studied in my spare time, as well as the ability to explain what you know to the customers. I think this has helped me to be able to speak to people easily and confidently. I have also developed excellent time management skills from my previous job, which required me to get a variety of different meals ready on time. These skills have been useful at college for helping me to plan my assignments and get them in on time. I also volunteer with a group called "Silver Surfers", an organisation run by Age Concern to help elderly people with using computers and the internet. I enjoy doing this because I like helping people with something that I am confident in doing, and seeing the progress in someone who had never used a computer before, and by the end of the session being happy that they have achieved something. I find helping these people becoming more confident with computers very rewarding and have made friends with a lot of the clients that I have helped. I have also helped out at my college in promoting the course that I am studying. I had my photograph taken to be put in this year's prospectus, and took part in a video interview about the course to be shown to prospective students. As well as playing games, I spend a lot of my free time reading. I enjoy many genres but my favourites are fantasy and romance novels. I have even started writing my own novel along these lines. Though it is still a work in progress I find writing is a good way of letting my creativity out, and find it very satisfying when I have finished writing an interesting chapter. I also love watching films and frequently have movie nights with my friends, where we will watch anything from horrors to musicals. After completing my games programming course my aim would be to work in a games company, programming the latest console games. My dream would be to see a project that I have worked hard on selling in shops and people enjoying the products that I have put all of my passion and energy into.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by Vascibean for application in 2010.

Vascibean's university choices Staffordshire University Sheffield Hallam University London Metropolitan University

Green : offer made Red : no offer made

Vascibean's Comments

This personal statement is very unique to me and I think that it why it stood out. Though a lot of the things in here will not be appropriate for everyone I do have some points that I think might be useful:

When I had an interview with one of my universities, the interviewer told me how glad he was to see a personal statement that was different from everyone elses. He said that he reads so many of them, and how they all go on constantly about games, and what games people had played and why they liked them. He said that he liked that I talked about something different, because it was already implyed that I had an interest in games by applying for the course.

He also said that he really liked the fact that I said I read books, and that most of the students would never read a book in their life! So if you do read, I suggest you put it in. I would also reccomend putting other hobbies if you have any, as he also mentioned about how I'm obviously involved in lots of different things.

Lastly, I hope this statement helps someone to make an impression!

Related Personal Statements

Wow, simply wow..

Sun, 21/11/2010 - 14:35

This is awesome. Nice work. I hope you got into the Uni's you applied for, you seem to certainly deserve to!

Fri, 27/01/2012 - 10:55

Thanks, I found this really useful. :) Also, nice to see something that doesn't have poor grammar for a change!

Tue, 20/03/2012 - 21:02

I cannot thank you enough for the article post.Thanks Again. Fantastic.

Thu, 25/10/2012 - 19:04

This is absolutely terrible.

btw im a girl :)

Sun, 09/12/2012 - 17:26

btw I'm a grill :)))

Fri, 28/02/2014 - 13:05

u wot m9 il cum down to ur

Fri, 28/02/2014 - 13:09

u wot m9 il cum down to ur end and nock u out

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