personal statement covid 19

7 Personal Statement Examples That Survive COVID-19

Sam Benezra

As summer approaches, rising seniors across the United States have college applications on their mind. This time around, however, things are a little different. The outbreak of COVID-19 has disrupted daily life around the world, and many students are concerned about how it will affect their chances of getting accepted to the school of their choice.

Don’t fret too much about cancelled internships and extracurricular activities or postponed SAT dates. A number of colleges, including Yale , Harvard , and Emory University have released statements assuring applicants that their admissions will not be affected by any disruptions caused by COVID-19. Universities know what students are going through right now, and are understanding of the constraints.

Nevertheless, the coronavirus will surely alter what college applications look like over the next couple of years. Without the opportunity to make their extracurricular activities stand out, students will have to lean on other parts of their application, including the personal statement or essay.

The personal statement or essay is the soul of a college application. It is your opportunity to talk directly to colleges in your own voice. It is a space to tell admissions officers who you are, what you’re interested in, and maybe even to charm them a little bit. When admissions officers read your essay, they want to get a sense of your personality, your passions, and the way you see the world. 

Under the current circumstances, the role of the personal statement is even more important than in an average year.

“The reality is, the way that college admissions is going to go in the fall is not going to be based on numbers and scores the way it might have been in the past,” Nicole Hurd, founder and CEO of College Advising Corps, told TUN . “Everybody is going to have to be able to tell a story that is going to be much more based on experiences and aspirations and narrative than just on numbers.”

With that in mind, here is a guide to writing your personal statement during and after the coronavirus outbreak.

What do colleges want to see in personal statements or essays?

First and foremost, when admissions officers read your personal statement, they want to get a sense of who you are, not only as a student, but as a person. They want to know about the things that matter to you, the way you think, and how you respond to challenges.

“You may be surprised to hear this, but one of the reasons we enjoy reading your essays and stories every year is because we get to understand what a generation is thinking about,” Emory University Director of Recruitment and Talent Giselle F. Martin said in an open letter to juniors and sophomores in April. “We encourage you to take this time to think about what matters most to you. After all, there is no greater gift than time.”

Colleges are still looking for the same qualities in applicants that they always have — intelligence, leadership, creativity, passion, curiosity, and maturity.

In your personal statement, be true to yourself and your experiences. Tell a story from the heart, not one cut out from a college applications handbook.

What are the qualities that define a strong personal statement or essay?

Personal statements should be personal — It’s called a personal statement for a reason. Your personal statement should first and foremost be a story about you. Find inspiration in the big moments in your life, but also in the small moments — dinners with family, laughs with friends, etc.

Personal statements should be meaningful — You don’t have to write your college essay about a profound, life-changing moment. However, whatever topic you do choose should carry some meaning to you or else your readers will be asking themselves, “so what?”

Personal statements should be tight — Your personal statement should be tightly edited and have a strong narrative flow. Common App essays are restrained to a meager 650 words. It can be difficult to pack a whole lot of meaning into such a small space, so make sure every word counts and have a teacher or parent proofread.

Personal statements should be engaging — Hook your reader in and don’t let go. The goal of a personal statement is to make a lasting impression on whoever reads it. Boring essays simply won’t cut it!

What are the personal statement topics and questions?

The Common App allows students to respond to one of seven different personal essay prompts, including an open prompt that allows students to choose their own topic, or even write in their own prompt. 

• Identity and passions : “Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.”
• Overcoming challenges, setbacks, and failures: “The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?”
• Thinking critically: “Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?”
• Solving problems: “Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything of personal importance no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.”
• Personal growth: “Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.”
• Inspiration and curiosity: “Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?”
• Anything at all: “Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.”

You can access Common App essay prompts for the 2020-2021 application period here .

When brainstorming, try to come up with at least one idea for each prompt.

Are there tips for brainstorming personal statement topics?

The most challenging part of writing your personal statement is settling on a topic to write about or a story to tell. But while brainstorming can be difficult, it can also be a fun process. Here are a few tips to help you generate ideas:

Ask yourself questions — To start generating ideas, it can be helpful to start looking inward and asking some introspective questions, such as:

• What are you passionate about?
• What do you want colleges to know about you?
• What are some impactful moments in your life?
• Who are some meaningful people in your life?
• What’s a story you will never forget? Why will you never forget it?
• How do you spend your free time? Why?
• What are you looking forward to?
• What do you want to get out of your college experience?

Don’t feel the need to impress — Crazy stories do not necessarily make better stories. Don’t get caught up in the idea that you need to tell an overly exciting or dramatic story. Likewise, don’t use your personal statement to list off achievements and awards. The point of the essay is to shine a light on who you are, not what you’ve done.

Think about the small things — Oftentimes, the most personal essays are those that focus on the details of life. Think about your favorite movies, books, and music. Reminisce on conversations and disagreements, sports events and camping trips, road trips, and walks around your neighborhood.

Avoid clichés — College admissions officers read thousands of personal statements every year and, as a result, are experts in picking out clichéd essays. While any topic can make a great essay, it is harder for yours to stand out when it sounds similar to many others. Topics like sports championships and eye-opening travel experiences can make great essays, but they are also a little overplayed, so it might be harder for them to stand out.

Should you write about the coronavirus?

Probably not. While the COVID-19 pandemic has surely been an impactful moment in many of our lives, writing your personal statement about the pandemic may not be the best choice, simply because so many others will likely also be writing about it.

Virtually everyone in the world has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in some capacity and has a unique story about the event. Unfortunately, admissions officers who have to read through thousands of college essays each year will likely have a difficult time differentiating between yours and two hundred others on the same topic.

The best college essays are memorable and unique. They have the ability to stand out amongst a crowd and leave a lasting impression. As a result, the most out-of-the box essays are often the most compelling. Writing on a common topic can make it more difficult to catch your reader’s attention. 

Furthermore, when you are writing about mass events like the coronavirus, it can be easy to write more about the event and about others than about yourself, which is what admissions officers really want to know about.

That doesn’t mean that the coronavirus is completely off-limits as a topic. If you think you have a powerful story to tell, by all means, tell it. However, you should keep in mind that any essay on the coronavirus will have to be outstanding to catch the eye of an admissions officer. 

A better alternative would be to use the Common App’s added question for fall 2020 admissions on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected you personally. 

“That’s definitely an opportunity for (applicants) to talk about what they were planning on doing and how that was taken away,” said Joe Korfmacher , a college counselor at Collegewise. “But it also gives them an opportunity to talk about what they did instead.”

Are there personal statement examples?

These personal statement examples illustrate what works for the students who wrote them.

• Prompt #1: Identity and Passions — Rocio’s “Facing the Hot Griddle”

In this essay, Rocio makes a tortilla, and in doing so, finds herself reflecting on her Guatemalan heritage and current life in the United States. She recounts some of the obstacles that she has faced as an immigrant and how, like masa harina being made into a tortilla, has been molded by her experiences and challenges.

• Prompt #2: Overcoming a Challenge — Heqing “Amy” Zhang’s “On the day my first novel was rejected, I was baking pies.”

In this essay, Amy Zhang recounts the experience of having her first novel rejected by a publishing house on the day of her church’s annual bake sale. With a unique narrative voice that highlights her storytelling skills, Zhang relates her feelings of disappointment and grief, and how these emotions helped her spin her next novel, which she would end up selling within three days.

• Prompt #3: Thinking Critically — Callie’s “Bridging Polarity”

In this essay, Callie reckons with the difference in beliefs between her friends that she grew up with in Texas and those in her new home of San Francisco. She recounts how a visit from a childhood friend led her to value different perspectives and to listen to those with opposing views.

• Prompt #4: Solving Problems — Seena’s “Growing Strawberries in a High School Locker”

Seena assigns himself a unique challenge: to grow strawberries inside an empty high school locker. What seemed initially like a simple task quickly grew into a complex project involving a solar-powered blue LED light, an automated plant watering system, and a 3-D printed, modified lock system that increased airflow into the locker. As Seena recounts this experiment, his innate curiosity, problem-solving, and disposition toward mechanical engineering are on full display.

• Prompt #5: Personal Growth — Anna’s “Returning to Peru”

Anna remembers how a trip to her father’s homeland in Peru helped instill in her a passion for protecting the environment. She recounts witnessing pollution, lack of clean water, and environmental degradation in impoverished areas of Lima and how it motivated her interest in environmental science and conservation.

• Prompt #6: Inspiration and Curiosity — Jillian Impastato’s quest to find women with tatt oos

Jillian Impastato dives into her fascination with the art of tattoos and the lives of women who have them. Intrigued by the symbology and the meaning attached to them, Impastato has embarked on something of an informal anthropology project in which she asks women she sees with tattoos questions. She hears their stories and learns about the relationships they have with the art on their bodies. All at once, this essay displays Impastato’s natural curiosity, her interest in art, her outgoing personality, and her willingness to pursue answers.

• Prompt #7: Anything At All — Madison’s “On Potatoes”

Madison presents herself with a not-so-simple question: “If you had to choose one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?” After weighing the options, she settles on the nutritious and versatile potato. She uses this as a jumping-off point to discuss her own disposition to variance and diversity. The potato becomes a clever metaphor for her innate curiosity and openness to new ideas.

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To or not to write about COVID19 for my personal statement?

I feel like COVID19 will be a very common topic in this year's essay pool - I don't want to take the risk of writing a cliche/over-done topic.

However, I think my experience with COVID19 was unique? My entire family got infected and March-June were my peak moment of uncertainty in many different ways (my family's health, my own health, our ability to afford things, and of course academics + extracurriculars). I also feel like I have a lot to say about what I learned, how I've grown, how my experience connects to my extra-curriculars, and how it connects to my goal of learning about public health (I think? I'd say I'm undecided).

With all of this said, would you advise me to or not to write about my experiences for my personal statement? If you do think I could/should write about COVID19, do you have suggestions for how I should approach the essay and how I could make my essay stand out from the crowd? Thank you!

(I could talk about this in my additional information section but I was intending to talk about other things there so I don't know....thoughts?)

Earn karma by helping others:

On the Common App (not sure about other application sites), there will be a spot this year specifically to talk about COVID-19 within the "additional information" section and how it impacted you! I'd recommend putting most of your experience with it in this section.

Here's the link to the prompt: https://www.commonapp.org/blog/COVID-19-question-common-app (NOTE: Common App has said that the COVID section word count of 250 words will not take away from the other 650 words you are allotted in the Additional info section, so you are still able to talk about your other personal circumstances).

I personally think if you ultimately talk about your interest in health in your personal statement, you could briefly mention COVID but it should not be the main focus of your essay. Ultimately, if it doesn't naturally fit into what you're writing for your personal statement, then don't force it since you have the extra COVID section.

I agree wholeheartedly!

I had no idea that this section would exist in the additional information section :O Thank you so much both of you!

It wouldn’t appear until the new application opens on August 1 just FYI

The goal of every college essay is to reveal more about who you are, what you care about, and your goals. Your collective essays should also work together as a portfolio. Since there's a specific space in the Common App to discuss how Covid-19 impacted your life, also writing your personal statement about it may seem repetitive. As @mb56 said, you'll have extra space beyond the traditional Additional Information section just to talk about Covid-19, so you'll still be able to mention other special circumstances.

So, it's generally not a great idea to write the Common App essay about the pandemic. The exception is if you want to focus on a specific aspect of how your life changed, rather than how Covid-19 broadly impacted your life. You should also try to focus less on the virus, and more about the change. For instance, if you started writing a book during the pandemic (or some other self-driven extracurricular), that could be a more unique topic.

If you want to talk about your public health ambitions, that's something that could be mentioned in a "Why This Major" or Academic Interest essay. You could also discuss it in the Additional Information section about the pandemic.

I hope this helps, and let me know if you have more questions!

Thank you for this! I especially agree that talking about COVID19 in my essay would be repetitive and would take away valuable space. It feels a bit difficult for me to think of how to limit myself to a specific topic though.... I think I might pick another topic then :(

I heard from a John Hopkins Webinar (but of course this is applicable to any school) that they would rather see a personal statement about you, your strongest attributes, what you would bring to their community, what you are passionate about, what that shows about you, etc. I am sure that you could include a bit of this experience in there and how it has shaped the characteristic about you that you want to talk about in the personal statement. Also, I feel like you could elaborate much more about your experience with Covid-19 in the additonal info section without it being formally written. I hope this helped!

Thank you! I think I'll probably do "snapshots" of my life and this would be one of the "snapshots" I talk about, but not the main focus. And then I'll probably talk more in depth in the additional info section. And I just signed up for a Johns Hopkins webinar now hehe :))

I think it is not the what but the how. Maybe you could place the what in the section about impact from the pandemic and focus on the how:

How did this became a life changing experience for you? How did it alter your character, core values and beliefs? How do you see things now in hindsight?

For sure there will be a plethora of Covid related essays, make sure that yours is unique. Best of luck !

Thank you for the guiding questions, very helpful!

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How to Write About COVID-19 in Your Medical School Personal Statement

Don’t Make Your Personal Statement All About COVID

COVID-centered personal statements are sure to inundate current and future admissions cycles. The pandemic has indelibly altered public health, virology studies, the forms and pace of medical education as well as life in general.

Since your medical school admissions readers are likely also physicians treating COVID-19 patients and guiding the community toward best practices for reducing transmission, there’s not a lot they haven’t already heard about the virus. They likely teach on campuses that suspended instruction or shifted it online last year and are well aware your MCATs were canceled or moved. They may even know first-hand how much more help is needed around the house back home, including consoling folks who are afraid of the vaccine for a variety of reasons.

That’s why it’s all the more important for your medical school essay to illustrate a life that centers on you.

Show Instead of Tell to Illustrate Your Story Personally

The applicant’s life should be the main idea of the personal statement, even though COVID can play the role of literary foil. COVID is an unfortunate part of your daily life, but you can still keep your personal statement about yourself, not the pandemic. This way, you allow your reader to feel the aggravation and doom of these moments while enabling you to emerge as the story’s main character. Don’t just “tell” your story. “Show” your story. See what I mean.

Telling – “COVID disrupted my MCAT.” 

Note: Can you write about this in a more personal way? 

Revised to Showing : “My phone vibrated with a notification that the MCAT was canceled. And here’s what I did to overcome that obstacle.”

Telling – “Among the public are vaccination skeptics.”

Note: Who from the public have you talked to and what was the history and context of their medical fear? 

Revised to Showing – “Grammy and I had a looooong conversation about her grandmother’s flu from the 1918 pandemic .”  Then compare and contrast the public’s reaction between then and now, and the importance of vaccinations.

Telling – “I’ve been taking care of my little brother and my father.”

Note: What was asked of you? How did you respond?

Revised to Showing – “From his basement lair, my dad hollered, ‘Test tomorrow! Place Values and Number Sense!’ I searched upstairs for my little brother who was hiding from Math under all the laundry. My dad’s in quarantine, the dairy’s in the snow. And Paris in springtime means I’m Mom now while blackouts are rolling through Texas.”

When you show the core competencies suggested by AAMC , you create a picture for your reader to visualize how you could be an excellent physician in a way that makes your personality shine through.

You: Resilient and adaptable at a push notification’s notice.

You: E thical and moral with the vulnerable.

You: Taking on extra responsibility. COVID is still prevalent, just decentered because yours is a story about teamwork. 

Set COVID-19 as the Supporting Character in Your Personal Statement 

Set the scene with the pandemic details that help you tell your story.

If your narrative anecdote is about ice hockey team practice, let it be that. Surely there are NHL COVID protocols the team has made and adjustments to uphold, whether it’s “minimize handshakes, high fives and fist bumps” or (courtesy of Highly Questionable on ESPN) “don’t lick opponents in the face.”

These are the details that should provide context and are important for illustrating life distinctly to ensure you haven’t stated the obvious or something that other applicants have already covered. Since it’s about you, personally. 

Another way to include COVID in your story is to consider how it relates to your work in STEM. For instance, Scientific American rendered COVID in 3D . Maybe you have similar accomplishments you’d like to showcase. In your personal statement, include some of the technical details of the project but focus on what it was like to work with your lab partners and perhaps highlight your own sense of reliability and dependability. 

A whopping topic like COVID-19 has the capacity to overshadow even the best pre-med if allowed to dominate an essay.

Customary topics and redundant statements will undercut what the Personal Comments Essay is designed by AAMC for you to be able to do. See their Application Guide to see how you can distinguish yourself from other applicants .

Make your essay all about you and write the daily life details that make your story personal. That will get you accepted, and hopefully, we can put the pandemic behind us.

If you’re still feeling stuck on your personal statement or want expert feedback on an existing personal statement, check out MedSchoolCoach. With MedSchoolCoach, you get the benefit of working with a professional writing advisor to help you develop your essays into a great application. 98% of students who used MedSchoolCoach last year to develop their personal statement received at least 1 interview invite.

Related posts:

• Everything You Need To Know About the AAMC PREview Exam
• 5 Ways to Document Your Pre-Med Experiences
• Can International Students Apply to U.S. Medical Schools?
• Introduction to Ontario Medical School Application Requirements

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‘When Normal Life Stopped’: College Essays Reflect a Turbulent Year

This year’s admissions essays became a platform for high school seniors to reflect on the pandemic, race and loss.

By Anemona Hartocollis

This year perhaps more than ever before, the college essay has served as a canvas for high school seniors to reflect on a turbulent and, for many, sorrowful year. It has been a psychiatrist’s couch, a road map to a more hopeful future, a chance to pour out intimate feelings about loneliness and injustice.

In response to a request from The New York Times, more than 900 seniors submitted the personal essays they wrote for their college applications. Reading them is like a trip through two of the biggest news events of recent decades: the devastation wrought by the coronavirus, and the rise of a new civil rights movement.

In the wake of the high-profile deaths of Black people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers, students shared how they had wrestled with racism in their own lives. Many dipped their feet into the politics of protest, finding themselves strengthened by their activism, yet sometimes conflicted.

And in the midst of the most far-reaching pandemic in a century, they described the isolation and loss that have pervaded every aspect of their lives since schools suddenly shut down a year ago. They sought to articulate how they have managed while cut off from friends and activities they had cultivated for years.

To some degree, the students were responding to prompts on the applications, with their essays taking on even more weight in a year when many colleges waived standardized test scores and when extracurricular activities were wiped out.

This year the Common App, the nation’s most-used application, added a question inviting students to write about the impact of Covid-19 on their lives and educations. And universities like Notre Dame and Lehigh invited applicants to write about their reactions to the death of George Floyd, and how that inspired them to make the world a better place.

The coronavirus was the most common theme in the essays submitted to The Times, appearing in 393 essays, more than 40 percent. Next was the value of family, coming up in 351 essays, but often in the context of other issues, like the pandemic and race. Racial justice and protest figured in 342 essays.

“We find with underrepresented populations, we have lots of people coming to us with a legitimate interest in seeing social justice established, and they are looking to see their college as their training ground for that,” said David A. Burge, vice president for enrollment management at George Mason University.

Family was not the only eternal verity to appear. Love came up in 286 essays; science in 128; art in 110; music in 109; and honor in 32. Personal tragedy also loomed large, with 30 essays about cancer alone.

Some students resisted the lure of current events, and wrote quirky essays about captaining a fishing boat on Cape Cod or hosting dinner parties. A few wrote poetry. Perhaps surprisingly, politics and the 2020 election were not of great interest.

Most students expect to hear where they were admitted by the end of March or beginning of April. Here are excerpts from a few of the essays, edited for length.

Nandini Likki

Nandini, a senior at the Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, took care of her father after he was hospitalized with Covid-19. It was a “harrowing” but also rewarding time, she writes.

When he came home, my sister and I had to take care of him during the day while my mom went to work. We cooked his food, washed his dishes, and excessively cleaned the house to make sure we didn’t get the disease as well.

It was an especially harrowing time in my life and my mental health suffered due to the amount of stress I was under.

However, I think I grew emotionally and matured because of the experience. My sister and I became more responsible as we took on more adult roles in the family. I grew even closer to my dad and learned how to bond with him in different ways, like using Netflix Party to watch movies together. Although the experience isolated me from most of my friends who couldn’t relate to me, my dad’s illness taught me to treasure my family even more and cherish the time I spend with them.

Nandini has been accepted at Case Western and other schools.

Grace Sundstrom

Through her church in Des Moines, Grace, a senior at Roosevelt High School, began a correspondence with Alden, a man who was living in a nursing home and isolated by the pandemic.

As our letters flew back and forth, I decided to take a chance and share my disgust about the treatment of people of color at the hands of police officers. To my surprise, Alden responded with the same sentiments and shared his experience marching in the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Here we were, two people generations apart, finding common ground around one of the most polarizing subjects in American history.

When I arrived at my first Black Lives Matter protest this summer, I was greeted by the voices of singing protesters. The singing made me think of a younger Alden, stepping off the train at Union Station in Washington, D.C., to attend the 1963 March on Washington.

Grace has been admitted to Trinity University in San Antonio and is waiting to hear from others.

Ahmed AlMehri

Ahmed, who attends the American School of Kuwait, wrote of growing stronger through the death of his revered grandfather from Covid-19.

Fareed Al-Othman was a poet, journalist and, most importantly, my grandfather. Sept. 8, 2020, he fell victim to Covid-19. To many, he’s just a statistic — one of the “inevitable” deaths. But to me, he was, and continues to be, an inspiration. I understand the frustration people have with the restrictions, curfews, lockdowns and all of the tertiary effects of these things.

But I, personally, would go through it all a hundred times over just to have my grandfather back.

For a long time, things felt as if they weren’t going to get better. Balancing the grief of his death, school and the upcoming college applications was a struggle; and my stress started to accumulate. Covid-19 has taken a lot from me, but it has forced me to grow stronger and persevere. I know my grandfather would be disappointed if I had let myself use his death as an excuse to slack off.

Ahmed has been accepted by the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Miami and is waiting to hear from others.

Mina Rowland

Mina, who lives in a shelter in San Joaquin County, Calif., wrote of becoming homeless in middle school.

Despite every day that I continue to face homelessness, I know that I have outlets for my pain and anguish.

Most things that I’ve had in life have been destroyed, stolen, lost, or taken, but art and poetry shall be with me forever.

The stars in “Starry Night” are my tenacity and my hope. Every time I am lucky enough to see the stars, I am reminded of how far I’ve come and how much farther I can go.

After taking a gap year, Mina and her twin sister, Mirabell, have been accepted at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and are waiting on others.

Christine Faith Cabusay

Christine, a senior at Stuyvesant High School in New York, decided to break the isolation of the pandemic by writing letters to her friends.

How often would my friends receive something in the mail that was not college mail, a bill, or something they ordered online? My goal was to make opening a letter an experience. I learned calligraphy and Spencerian script so it was as if an 18th-century maiden was writing to them from her parlor on a rainy day.

Washing lines in my yard held an ever-changing rainbow of hand-recycled paper.

With every letter came a painting of something that I knew they liked: fandoms, animals, music, etc. I sprayed my favorite perfume on my signature on every letter because I read somewhere that women sprayed perfume on letters overseas to their partners in World War II; it made writing letters way more romantic (even if it was just to my close friends).

Christine is still waiting to hear from schools.

Alexis Ihezue

Her father’s death from complications of diabetes last year caused Alexis, a student at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology in Lawrenceville, Ga., to consider the meaning of love.

And in the midst of my grief swallowing me from the inside out, I asked myself when I loved him most, and when I knew he loved me. It’s nothing but brief flashes, like bits and pieces of a dream. I hear him singing “Fix You” by Coldplay on our way home, his hands across the table from me at our favorite wing spot that we went to weekly after school, him driving me home in the middle of a rainstorm, his last message to me congratulating me on making it to senior year.

It’s me finding a plastic spoon in the sink last week and remembering the obnoxious way he used to eat. I see him in bursts and flashes.

A myriad of colors and experiences. And I think to myself, ‘That’s what it is.’ It’s a second. It’s a minute. That’s what love is. It isn’t measured in years, but moments.

Alexis has been accepted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is waiting on others.

Ivy Wanjiku

She and her mother came to America “with nothing but each other and $100,” writes Ivy, who was born in Kenya and attends North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Ga.

I am a triple threat. Foreign, black, female. From the dirt roads and dust that covered the attire of my ancestors who worshiped the soil, I have sprouted new beginnings for generations.

But the question arises; will that generation live to see its day?

Melanin mistaken as a felon, my existence is now a hashtag that trends as often as my rights, a facade at best, a lie in truth. I now know more names of dead blacks than I do the amendments of the Constitution.

Ivy is going to Emory University in Atlanta on full scholarship and credits her essay with helping her get in.

Mary Clare Marshall

The isolation of the pandemic became worse when Mary Clare, a student at Sacred Heart Greenwich in Connecticut, realized that her mother had cancer.

My parents acted like everything was normal, but there were constant reminders of her diagnosis. After her first chemo appointment, I didn’t acknowledge the change. It became real when she came downstairs one day without hair.

No one said anything about the change. It just happened. And it hit me all over again. My mom has cancer.

Even after going to Catholic school for my whole life, I couldn’t help but be angry at God. I felt myself experiencing immense doubt in everything I believe in. Unable to escape my house for any small respite, I felt as though I faced the reality of my mom’s cancer totally alone.

Mary Clare has been admitted to the University of Virginia and is waiting on other schools.

Nora Frances Kohnhorst

Nora, a student at the High School of American Studies at Lehman College in New York, was always “a serial dabbler,” but found commitment in a common pandemic hobby.

In March, when normal life stopped, I took up breadmaking. This served a practical purpose. The pandemic hit my neighborhood in Queens especially hard, and my parents were afraid to go to the store. This forced my family to come up with ways to avoid shopping. I decided I would learn to make sourdough using recipes I found online. Initially, some loaves fell flat, others were too soft inside, and still more spread into strange blobs.

I reminded myself that the bread didn’t need to be perfect, just edible.

It didn’t matter what it looked like; there was no one to see or eat it besides my brother and parents. They depended on my new activity, and that dependency prevented me from repeating the cycle of trying a hobby, losing steam, and moving on to something new.

Nora has been admitted to SUNY Binghamton and the University of Vermont and is waiting to hear from others.

Gracie Yong Ying Silides

Gracie, a student at Greensboro Day School in North Carolina, recalls the “red thread” of a Chinese proverb and wonders where it will take her next.

Destiny has led me into a mysterious place these last nine months: isolation. At a time in my life when I am supposed to be branching out, the Covid pandemic seems to have trimmed those branches back to nubs. I have had to research colleges without setting foot on them. I’ve introduced myself to strangers through essays, videos, and test scores.

I would have fallen apart over this if it weren’t for my faith.

In Hebrews 11:1, Paul says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” My life has shown me that the red thread of destiny guides me where I need to go. Though it might sound crazy, I trust that the red thread is guiding me to the next phase of my journey.

Gracie has been accepted to St. Olaf College, Ithaca College and others.

Levi, a student at Westerville Central High School in Ohio, wrestles with the conflict between her admiration for her father, a police officer, and the negative image of the police.

Since I was a small child I have watched my father put on his dark blue uniform to go to work protecting and serving others. He has always been my hero. As the African-American daughter of a police officer, I believe in what my father stands for, and I am so proud of him because he is not only my protector, but the protector of those I will likely never know. When I was young, I imagined him always being a hero to others, just as he was to me. How could anyone dislike him??? However, as I have gotten older and watched television and social media depict the brutalization of African-Americans, at the hands of police, I have come to a space that is uncomfortable.

I am certain there are others like me — African-Americans who love their police officer family members, yet who despise what the police are doing to African-Americans.

I know that I will not be able to rectify this problem alone, but I want to be a part of the solution where my paradox no longer exists.

Levi has been accepted to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and is waiting to hear from others.

Henry Thomas Egan

When Henry, a student at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, attended a protest after the death of George Floyd, it was the words of a Nina Simone song that stayed with him.

I had never been to a protest before; neither my school, nor my family, nor my city are known for being outspoken. Thousands lined the intersection in all four directions, chanting, “He couldn’t breathe! George Floyd couldn’t breathe!”

In my head, thoughts of hunger, injustice, and silence swirled around.

In my ears, I heard lyrics playing on a speaker nearby, a song by Nina Simone: “To be young, gifted, and Black!” The experience was exceptionally sad and affirming and disorienting at the same time, and when the police arrived and started firing tear gas, I left. A lot has happened in my life over these last four years. I am left not knowing how to sort all of this out and what paths I should follow.

Henry has not yet heard back from colleges.

Anna Valades

Anna, a student at Coronado High School in California, pondered how children learned racism from their parents.

“She said I wasn’t invited to her birthday party because I was black,” my sister had told my mom, devastated, after coming home from third grade as the only classmate who had not been invited to the party. Although my sister is not black, she is a dark-skinned Mexican, and brown-skinned people in Mexico are thought of as being a lower class and commonly referred to as “negros.” When my mom found out who had been discriminating against my sister, she later informed me that the girl’s mother had also bullied my mom about her skin tone when she was in elementary school in Mexico City.

Through this situation, I learned the impact people’s upbringing and the values they are taught at home have on their beliefs and, therefore, their actions.

Anna has been accepted at Northeastern University and is waiting to hear from others.

Research was contributed by Asmaa Elkeurti, Aidan Gardiner, Pierre-Antoine Louis and Jake Frankenfield.

Anemona Hartocollis is a national correspondent, covering higher education. She is also the author of the book, “Seven Days of Possibilities: One Teacher, 24 Kids, and the Music That Changed Their Lives Forever.” More about Anemona Hartocollis

How to Discuss Coronavirus in Med School Essays

The key to addressing COVID-19 in medical school applications is an organized approach.

COVID-19 and Med School Essays

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Applicants may consider reflecting on current circumstances in a personal statement.

With changes taking place in virtually all industries across the U.S. as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, medical schools and applicants are also bracing themselves for the impact of this disease outbreak on the admissions process. Many students are anxious and concerned about the repercussions of school closures on their ability to put in a timely and strong application to medical school.

If you are among those applicants whose plans have been altered by recent events, you are not alone. Medical schools are aware that applicants have had to make adjustments to their plans, including taking courses online or postponing their MCAT test date.

If you have experienced changes to your education as a result of the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus , your primary and secondary applications can serve as an opportunity for you to share these changes with medical schools.

In fact, AACOMAS , the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service, specifically asks applicants to address how the pandemic has affected their plans. Some secondary applications also ask applicants to describe any events that have affected their education. You may even consider using your personal statement to reflect on current circumstances.

When writing about COVID-19 in your medical school application, it's important to stay organized. Consider covering one or more of the following areas as they relate to you:

• Clinical and research experiences.
• Outlook on medicine.

If you were enrolled in college classes this spring, chances are your coursework was moved online. Some schools have also changed grading systems, allowing students to opt for a pass-fail grade.

If these changes apply to you, consider how they affected your academics and share the impact with the medical school admissions committee. If you decided to continue taking classes for a letter grade despite having the option of choosing pass-fail, you could let schools know. This shows that you were motivated to work hard and excel despite the challenges you had to face.

You can also write about how changes in coursework have affected your applications to medical school. For example, some students report that it has been harder to ask professors for letters of recommendation . In the absence of in-person office hours, lectures, seminars and labs, they find that it is more difficult for professors to get to know them substantially and write strong letters. If this is the case with you, it may be worth explaining in your application.

If you are among the pool of medical school applicants whose MCAT has been postponed because of testing site closures, you can use the application to inform the admissions committee of this change. If you were intending to take the MCAT in April but have to wait until July, let the medical schools know that your original plan was to take the test early.

Clinical and Research Experiences

Many students have had to cut short clinical volunteer work. Others have had to halt their research in laboratory or hospital settings. It is good to explain such changes in your application. When doing so, provide details.

For example, if you had been volunteering at a hospital for five hours a week for the last nine months and were slated to continue that work in April and May, calculate the number of hours you would have accumulated in those two months and indicate to the admissions committee how many fewer hours you will have as a result of changes.

Similarly, if you were involved in a research project that was close to producing some results or if you were planning on presenting your research at a seminar or conference, it is worth letting the committee know how such plans were affected.

Outlook on Medicine

In addition to the above, it may be worth reflecting on how this pandemic has affected your outlook on life, your career and the medical profession. By thinking about these issues and sharing your reflections in your medical school application, you can help the admissions committee get a better sense of who you are.

For some, this may be a very personal experience. One of our students wrote in her essay about losing her grandfather to COVID-19. She went on to explain that her grandfather always valued a higher education and described how his loss further motivated her to pursue a medical education to keep his legacy alive.

Even if you have not had the direct experience of losing a loved one to COVID-19, or have not had someone close to you fall ill to this condition, you can share your outlook. For example, has the pandemic influenced your view on the roles and responsibilities of health care providers? What have you learned about the disparities in health care as you examine the current situation we face? How has your motivation for medicine increased because of the stories of loss and pain that we hear about every day in the news?

As you reflect on these questions, consider reading reliable news outlets for analysis on the various issues relating to this global public health problem. For example, one student shared in her medical school application that in witnessing COVID-19's disproportionate impact on minority populations , she has become more motivated to work with these populations as a future physician.

Keep in mind that while COVID-19 may have had an important impact on you, it should not constitute the entirety of your essay or application. How much you write about it and exactly where you share the information will depend on your application. You may devote a paragraph to it in your personal statement, use space allotted specifically to this question in the primary application such as AACOMAS or mention it in your secondary applications where relevant.

However, as you describe how the pandemic has affected you, do not neglect to mention the many other ways in which you have prepared for medical school before this unforeseen event.

Medical School Application Mistakes

Tags: medical school , graduate schools , Coronavirus , education , students

About Medical School Admissions Doctor

Need a guide through the murky medical school admissions process? Medical School Admissions Doctor offers a roundup of expert and student voices in the field to guide prospective students in their pursuit of a medical education. The blog is currently authored by Dr. Ali Loftizadeh, Dr. Azadeh Salek and Zach Grimmett at Admissions Helpers , a provider of medical school application services; Dr. Renee Marinelli at MedSchoolCoach , a premed and med school admissions consultancy; Dr. Rachel Rizal, co-founder and CEO of the Cracking Med School Admissions consultancy; Dr. Cassie Kosarec at Varsity Tutors , an advertiser with U.S. News & World Report; Dr. Kathleen Franco, a med school emeritus professor and psychiatrist; and Liana Meffert, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine and a writer for Admissions Helpers. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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College Personal Statement Examples and Writing Tips

So, you have started your college application process and are hitting a wall. You got your high school transcripts and letters of recommendation in order. Your SAT scores are on the way. But your college personal statement is sitting there unfinished, and the deadline is coming fast!

But have no fear!

Because Wordvice edits thousands of essays every admissions season, we have seen some of the best (and worst) college application essays out there. This guide will tell you how to write the best personal statement for college possible for your college application. Included are examples of successful college personal statements and analyses.

What we will learn here about writing a personal statement for college:

• What is a college personal statement?
• How important is the personal statement for college admissions?
• Why do colleges require a personal statement?
• Read examples of successful personal statements
• Successful personal statement example & analysis
• Essay editing services can improve your personal statement

Personal Statements and Other College Admissions Essays

Even knowing what specific terms regarding college admissions documents means can be a bit confusing. To clear up any questions, here is a brief rundown of some main college application terms that are often used:

• Personal statement for college — an essay you write to show a college admissions committee who you are and why you deserve to be admitted to their school. It’s worth noting that, unlike “college essay,” this term is used for application essays for graduate school as well.
• College admissions essay— this is essentially the same as a college personal statement. (I’ll be using the terms interchangeably.) It can also include supplemental essays or widely-used essays such as the Common App Essay . 
• Essay prompt— a question or statement that your college essay is meant to respond to.
• Supplemental essay— an additional school or program-specific essay beyond the basic personal statement. Some schools require both a supplemental essay and a personal statement. Check your college’s application guidelines to determine which specific admissions essays are necessary for submission.

What is the personal statement for college?

The college personal statement is a key part of the college application and a key factor among admissions committees. It is the one opportunity for high school students applying to college to sell themselves on their own terms and using their own words.

Personal statements for college differ from SAT scores and academic transcripts, which are more standardized. Further, while letters of recommendation touch on many of the same issues as personal statements, they are not written by you but by a recommender.

A focused and effective personal statement for college serves three major functions:

1. Personal statements give broad, comprehensive insights into your personal and academic background.

Ultimately, your academic, personal, and even professional background can be the determining factor in your admission to any college program. But there’s a big  difference between a personal statement and resume or CV.

2. It provides college admissions counselors with an accurate overview of your academic goals.

A good college personal statement must explain how your background relates to your university’s program and your goals. It must put in context the tools, resources, and background you bring to the table and how they are aligned with your school’s profile. In the business world, this is called “ vertical alignment .”

In other words, how you write about your background should make you stand out from other college applicants as well as connect with what you want to accomplish. Your background empowers you to succeed!

In admissions essays, small steps can yield big results.

3. Personal statements answer very specific questions.

Often, your college application will require you to apply to a specific program and will ask very specific questions. For example, applying to your university’s business college will require answering different application essay questions than applying to a performing arts program.

So be sure to research not only your target university’s profile but also your specific college major and professors in that department.

We illustrate this exact idea in the two successful personal statement examples below!

How Important is the personal statement for college to admissions officials?

Covid-19 has made the sat/act less important.

Common App announced that it will include a dedicated essay prompt on COVID-19 for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle. As a result, students are scrambling to figure out how to write about COVID-19 in their college admissions essays .

There’s even more evidence that the college personal essay is becoming the most important part of the application process. As CBS News reports :

A growing number of U.S. colleges and universities are abandoning ACT and SAT scores as part of their admissions process. The so-called test-blind movement has gathered steam this year amid widespread cancellations of standardized tests because of COVID-19.

Moreover, a court recently ruled that the University of California public school system can no longer consider SAT/ACT scores in the admissions process . The days of the standardized test may be numbered.

This means that the application essay just got a lot more important.

How to Write a Personal Statement for College to Impress Admissions Officers

Why do college admissions committees rely on college application essays so much? The answer is that a college personal statement sets you apart from your high school peers by explaining three ideas:

Show your personality in your personal statement

College admissions committees rely on your transcripts and GPA as a measure of your academic prowess. Letters of recommendation focus more on how others view you and how you interact.

On the other hand, your college personal statement application essay gives admissions counselors a sense of your personality. It demonstrates how you will fit in as well as contribute to the university community.

Are you hyper-focused and ambitious with a lot of professional experience and projects to back it up? Or are you more curious, with a wide range of interests? Are your motivations related to achieving concrete objectives, or are they more personal or emotional in nature? The lens through which you interact with the world is exactly what your personal statement essay should show.

On paper, your SAT score, GPA, and extracurricular activities may be the same as other applicants. You may end up in the same college classes. College counselors know no two applicants are the same. What matters is that both fit in with what the university wants for its students.

Describe any extenuating circumstances

Are your grades a bit below average? Did you fail a class in high school? Those things jump out when it comes to numbers on paper. Universities want to know the context for abnormal records, and most importantly, how you view them.

As the world continues to become more global and aware of social disparities, the definition of “traditional success” is becoming increasingly irrelevant. It has become standard for U.S. universities to have action plans for the diversity and inclusion of underprivileged students.

Most importantly, colleges want to understand how you struggled and overcame a difficult situation. Those are the exact students they want!

Explain why you are applying to this school

Besides selling your personality and explaining any drawbacks or holes in your record, a great college personal statement should provide insights into why you are applying to university. This may seem obvious, but unfortunately, many students get caught up in proving themselves like a job application. They totally forget to explain why they are applying to college.

How to write about reasons for applying to college:

• Define what part(s) of the university appeal to you. Explain how they align with your personal goals and personality.
• Pick out a couple of unique characteristics of the school. These can be professors, programs of study, or facilities.

Successful College Personal Statement Examples

Now that we know how important a college personal statement is and what it does, what’s the first step?

Success imitates success

At Wordvice, we encourage college applicants to look at successful personal statement examples to really absorb and gain insights into what an engaging personal college essay is. Read as many as you can, as no two students are the same. But you will see many of the themes discussed above again and again in successful college personal statements.

College Personal Statement Examples and Sample Essays

To start, Wordvice is including a couple of successful personal statement essay examples, including comments and feedback provided by our editors to the students. Both of these essays were edited by Wordvice’s professional editors , with both students gaining admission!

Personal Statement Essay #1: The “Holistic Profile” Essay

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to express my interest in studying at the University of ________ as a Supply Chain Management student. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my letter. I am currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in Public Finance and Supply Chain Management at ________ University. I have decided to apply to your Supply Chain Management programme because I am sure it would strongly enrich my future studies and help me in my prospective career. Moreover, I consider this programme as a great opportunity to get to know ________ culture and its well-developed logistic background. I am also very curious about the different approaches taken in this field at a prominent university. I have chosen to apply to the University of________ because it examines all types of supply chain management perspectives, from production to services. During my previous studies, I discovered that simply working on procurement is far from enough. My fellow students and I had the opportunity to create an e-commerce project. At the time, the only thing in our control was the procurement decision, but I soon realized I had the capacity and drive to learn more about solutions and innovations. Another reason I am applying for this programme at ________ is its close relationship with relevant companies in my desired field. I learned on the university’s website that there is a specific resource that helps to connect students with these companies. Since I am interested in working in the Netherlands after I graduate, this resource will definitely be useful for my career. In addition, the fact that this programme offers an option to participate in an apprenticeship is very appealing to me. This could not only broaden my horizons through practical experience but also provide a chance for me to expand my connections in the industry. My current undergraduate studies make me highly suitable for this programme. I have learned the basic foundations of supply chain management through courses such as operations management, strategic purchasing, and inventory management. I have also taken mathematics and statistics to help me understand data problems. In addition to my academic interests, I have a full and interesting life off-campus. I was a member of our school volleyball team, which won several championships; this led to me graduating as an honour’s student. Those times spent on the court have strengthened my team spirit and my ability to work under pressure. During summer vacations, I spend time travelling around Europe and the United States. My first experience in Amsterdam was unforgettable, and it made me consider coming back in the future. Planning the trip carefully, and living alone in an unfamiliar area, have turned me into a more independent young woman. Professionally, I have done internships in international companies such as Red Bull and ASUS. These experiences gave me the chance to work in a global context with people from different countries, which has encouraged me to have a more flexible and adaptive mindset. Because of these wonderful experiences, I am certain I will conquer all future challenges and make the most out of them. In conclusion, I am very eager to study Supply Chain Management at the University of ________, as it would give me a chance to deepen my skills and knowledge in one of the field’s top universities. I am confident I excel in this programme due to my solid educational foundation in business and personality strengths. Thank you again for reading my personal statement. I look forward to hearing from you.

Why was this personal statement for college successful?

The essay is well-organized and directly answers key questions.

The applicant clearly lays out her educational and professional background as well as her skills. She also includes two solid paragraphs about why she has chosen her program of study and later explains why she is both qualified and a perfect fit.

This essay displays excellent organization and has a natural flow of ideas indicative of a native English speaker who can write exceptionally well.

The essay is personal and does not feel like a resume or CV

This college applicant came with a very strong academic and professional background. A solid handle on supply chain management (not the most exciting major) with internships to back it up. But notice how she doesn’t dwell on just that? She is able to connect things like her academic math experience with personal motivation. She even includes her extracurricular activities to show she’s more than a number cruncher.

First, she shows that she is a well-rounded person , not just a student that studies for grades. Second, she conveys her well-developed personal identity that has chosen this course of study at this particular college in this particular country. Make sure your college essay communicates this!

The essay specifically targets the school

Every major university has a business school, and every business school has a supply chain management program. How do the college admissions counselors reading her personal statement know she’s motivated to apply there?

This applicant clearly explains how she personally wants to attend this particular university in The Netherlands. She lists her personal travel experience and mentions a specific mentorship program.

Personal Statement Essay #2: The “Enthusiastic Achiever” Essay

I am passionate about computers because technology will continue to play a fundamental role in our lives. Based on this fact, I researched colleges that have both a strong computer science program and co-op program, and this is when I found Hofstra. I visited the campus for a tour and was really impressed with what I saw. Not only are the campus facilities top-notch, but the advanced computer science labs are world-class. This shows Hofstra’s focus to be able to provide the best intellectual and technical resources for students. I asked my tour guide about the class sizes and curriculum style. I was thrilled when he told me that average class sizes are in the 20s and that the curriculum emphasizes experiential learning.   I am looking for more than just academic excellence; extracurricular activities, including community service opportunities, are also very important to me. In researching schools that would provide students with the most well-rounded lifestyles, I was amazed to see the number of philanthropic events that the school hosts and supports. Philanthropy seems ingrained in the school’s culture. I also saw hundreds of clubs that can cater to everyone’s unique interests. Students are also welcome to start new clubs if no existing clubs can foster their interests. The energy on campus is something that I noticed right away. Both the students and staff show a lot of pride for Hofstra, and it’s truly memorable how enthusiastic the school spirit is among students. Leaving home to attend college is a big change for everyone, and I think school pride and a strong sense of community will help me make a smooth transition. I was very happy to hear that students get two tickets to events on campus. This is especially great because I am a sports fan and would love to experience the electric game-day atmosphere of a division one basketball game and cheer on the Lions!  Hofstra’s location is also ideal because it has the advantages of being in a smaller town but also being very close to New York City. I do not want to attend college in a big city, but the fact that New York City is so close opens up a lot of opportunities. First off, there are numerous internships at top companies in the city. In addition, it would be great to visit the city from time to time and see a show or sports game. Being able to do that with friends would give me great experiences and memories.   Hofstra is my top choice because it fulfills my most important criteria: esteemed faculty members, a strong computer science program, a strong sense of belonging, amazing internship and community service opportunities, and a diverse campus. I cannot wait to be a Hofstra Lion!

This personal statement is brief and under the word count

This essay is 461 words, which is perfectly under the 500-word limit on many college admissions essays. Although content is the main focus, your personal statement needs to abide by all rules laid out in the essay brief. That includes mundane but essential stipulations such as word count.

It is multi-faceted and hits major selling points

The student talks about Hofstra’s location, academics, sports, extracurriculars, and even philanthropy. The student doesn’t just list these as a marketing brochure would; each selling point is connected to the student personally and emotionally. Excitement is something that every student tries to portray in their admissions essay, so be sure you emulate something like this.

Improve Personal Statements with College Essay Editing Services

It’s an understatement that college is one of the most important factors, affecting your social and professional future. Unfortunately, college personal statements and admissions essays sometimes come a bit disorganized and unfocused, just like the students who write them. That’s where essay editing services like Wordvice come in. They are beneficial for a number of reasons.

Why Use an Admissions Essay Editing Service?

1. they help fix errors that you miss.

College admissions committees have to reject a certain number of applicants every year. You can be sure that your application essay will go straight into the reject pile if it has any grammar or spelling errors.

It definitely takes a bit of self-awareness and experience to realize when it’s best to let someone help you. No one person has a monopoly on knowledge or perspective, no matter how strong their background is. Ever played the “what’s the difference between these two pictures” game?

Our brains are hard-wired to lock in our own biases. That’s a major problem when it comes to writing a personal statement where the entire point is convincing someone else.

2. They save students time

College consulting services have stated that the average number of applications is about 5.9 per college applicant. Of course, students will try to maximize their chances of getting into a good college. The downside is lack of time, which no one can buy more of.

English editing services like Wordvice help free up time so you can do what you need to do: apply to college.

3. Editors help improve your ability to communicate

Whether you are an ESL student or a native English speaker, everyone can improve their writing. In the case of a college application essay, this can mean the difference between getting into your dream college and attending your second-choice school. In addition to fixing grammar and basic errors, editing services go above and beyond to match the flow and readability of your writing with your goal – academic or admissions.

If you are writing a personal statement or college essay, you want editors with first-hand college and university admissions experience reviewing and editing your essay.

Additional College Personal Statement Tips

We hope you learned a lot from these examples of successful college personal statements. So what’s next?

I want to learn more about the college admissions process

Interested in learning more tips from experts about the college admissions process, personal statements, or letters of recommendation? Check out the  Wordvice Admissions Resources blog.

I am interested in professional editing for my personal statement

We also got you covered! Whether you choose personal statement editing , recommendation letter editing , resume editing , or any of our other essay editing services , you can find the help you need to improve your college essay.

I want to improve my college personal statement for college right now

Check out our turnaround times and conditions on our editing FAQ page. Or you can jump straight in and use our Editing Price Calculator to start the ordering process.

8.4 Annotated Student Sample: "U.S. Response to COVID-19" by Trevor Garcia

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Identify the genre conventions of an informal analytical report.
• Analyze the organizational structure of a report and how writers develop ideas.
• Recognize how writers use evidence and objectivity to build credibility.
• Identify sources of evidence within a text and in source citations.

Introduction

The analytical report that follows was written by a student, Trevor Garcia, for a first-year composition course. Trevor’s assignment was to research and analyze a contemporary issue in terms of its causes or effects. He chose to analyze the causes behind the large numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the United States in 2020. The report is structured as an essay, and its format is informal.

Living by Their Own Words

Successes and failures.

student sample text With more than 83 million cases and 1.8 million deaths at the end of 2020, COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. By the end of 2020, the United States led the world in the number of cases, at more than 20 million infections and nearly 350,000 deaths. In comparison, the second-highest number of cases was in India, which at the end of 2020 had less than half the number of COVID-19 cases despite having a population four times greater than the U.S. (“COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic,” 2021). How did the United States come to have the world’s worst record in this pandemic? An examination of the U.S. response shows that a reduction of experts in key positions and programs, inaction that led to equipment shortages, and inconsistent policies were three major causes of the spread of the virus and the resulting deaths. end student sample text

annotated text Introduction. Informal reports follow essay structure and open with an overview. end annotated text

annotated text Statistics as Evidence. The writer gives statistics about infection rates and numbers of deaths; a comparison provides context. end annotated text

annotated text Source Citation in APA Style: No Author. A web page without a named author is cited by the title and the year. end annotated text

annotated text Thesis Statement. The rhetorical question leads to the thesis statement in the last sentence of the introduction. The thesis statement previews the organization and indicates the purpose—to analyze the causes of the U.S. response to the virus. end annotated text

Reductions in Expert Personnel and Preparedness Programs

annotated text Headings. This heading and those that follow mark sections of the report. end annotated text

annotated text Body. The three paragraphs under this heading support the first main point in the thesis statement. end annotated text

student sample text Epidemiologists and public health officials in the United States had long known that a global pandemic was possible. end student sample text

annotated text Topic Sentence. The paragraph opens with a sentence stating the topic. The rest of this paragraph and the two that follow develop the topic chronologically. end annotated text

student sample text In 2016, the National Security Council (NSC) published Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents , a 69-page document on responding to diseases spreading within and outside of the United States. On January 13, 2017, the joint transition teams of outgoing president Barack Obama and then president-elect Donald Trump performed a pandemic preparedness exercise based on the playbook; however, it was never adopted by the incoming administration (Goodman & Schulkin, 2020). A year later, in February 2018, the Trump administration began to cut funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leaving key positions unfilled. Other individuals who were fired or resigned in 2018 were the homeland security adviser, whose portfolio included global pandemics; the director for medical and biodefense preparedness; and the top official in charge of a pandemic response. None of them were replaced, thus leaving the White House with no senior person who had experience in public health (Goodman & Schulkin, 2020). Experts voiced concerns, among them Luciana Borio, director of medical and biodefense preparedness at the NSC, who spoke at a symposium marking the centennial of the 1918 influenza pandemic in May 2018: “The threat of pandemic flu is the number one health security concern,” she said. “Are we ready to respond? I fear the answer is no” (Sun, 2018, final para.). end student sample text

annotated text Audience. The writer assumes that his readers have a strong grasp of government and agencies within the government. end annotated text

annotated text Synthesis. The paragraph synthesizes factual evidence from two sources and cites them in APA style. end annotated text

annotated text Expert Quotation as Supporting Evidence. The expert’s credentials are given, her exact words are placed in quotation marks, and the source is cited in parentheses. end annotated text

annotated text Source Citation in APA Style: No Page Numbers. Because the source of the quotation has no page numbers, the specific paragraph within the source (“final para.”; alternatively, “para. 18”) is provided in the parenthetical citation. end annotated text

student sample text Cuts continued in 2019, among them a maintenance contract for ventilators in the federal emergency supply and PREDICT, a U.S. agency for international development designed to identify and prevent pandemics (Goodman & Schulkin, 2020). In July 2019, the White House eliminated the position of an American public health official in Beijing, China, who was working with China’s disease control agency to help detect and contain infectious diseases. The first case of COVID-19 emerged in China four months later, on November 17, 2019. end student sample text

annotated text Development of First Main Point. This paragraph continues the chronological development of the first point, using a transitional sentence and evidence to discuss the year 2019. end annotated text

student sample text After the first U.S. coronavirus case was confirmed in 2020, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was named to lead a task force on a response, but after several months, he was replaced when then vice president Mike Pence was officially charged with leading the White House Coronavirus Task Force (Ballhaus & Armour, 2020). Experts who remained, including Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, were sidelined. Turnover of personnel in related government departments and agencies continued throughout 2020, leaving the country without experts in key positions to lead the pandemic response. end student sample text

annotated text Development of First Main Point. This paragraph continues the chronological development of the first point, using a transitional sentence and evidence to discuss the start of the pandemic in 2020. end annotated text

Inaction and Equipment Shortages

annotated text Body. The three paragraphs under this heading support the second main point in the thesis statement. end annotated text

student sample text In January and February of 2020, the president’s daily brief included more than a dozen detailed warnings, based on wire intercepts, computer intercepts, and satellite images by the U.S. intelligence community (Miller & Nakashima, 2020). Although senior officials began to assemble a task force, no direct action was taken until mid-March. end student sample text

annotated text Topic Sentences. The paragraph opens with two sentences stating the topic that is developed in the following paragraphs. end annotated text

student sample text The stockpile of medical equipment and personal protective equipment was dangerously low before the pandemic began. Although the federal government had paid $9.8 million to manufacturers in 2018 and 2019 to develop and produce protective masks, by April 2020 the government had not yet received a single mask (Swaine, 2020). Despite the low stockpile, a request by the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2020 to begin contacting companies about possible shortages of necessary medical equipment, including personal protective equipment, was denied. This decision was made to avoid alarming the industry and the public and to avoid giving the impression that the administration was not prepared for the pandemic (Ballhaus & Armour, 2020). end student sample text

annotated text Topic Sentence. The paragraph opens with a sentence stating the topic that is developed in the paragraph. end annotated text

annotated text Objective Stance. The writer presents evidence (facts, statistics, and examples) in mostly neutral, unemotional language, which builds trustworthiness, or ethos , with readers. end annotated text

annotated text Synthesis. The paragraph synthesizes factual evidence from two sources. end annotated text

student sample text When former President Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, federal agencies began placing bulk orders for masks and other medical equipment. These orders led to critical shortages throughout the nation. In addition, states were instructed to acquire their own equipment and found themselves bidding against each other for the limited supplies available, leading one head of a coronavirus team composed of consulting and private equity firms to remark that “the federal stockpile was . . . supposed to be our stockpile. It’s not supposed to be states’ stockpiles that they then use” (Goodman & Schulkin, 2020, April 2, 2020). end student sample text

Policy Decisions

annotated text Body. The paragraph under this heading addresses the third main point in the thesis statement. end annotated text

student sample text Policy decisions, too, hampered the U.S. response to the pandemic. end student sample text

student sample text Although the HHS and NSC recommended stay-at-home directives on February 14, directives and guidelines for social distancing were not announced until March 16, and guidelines for mask wearing were inconsistent and contradictory (Goodman & Schulkin, 2020). Implementing the recommendations was left to the discretion of state governors, resulting in uneven stay-at-home orders, business closures, school closures, and mask mandates from state to state. The lack of a consistent message from the federal government not only delegated responsibility to state and local governments but also encouraged individuals to make their own choices, further hampering containment efforts. Seeing government officials and politicians without masks, for example, led many people to conclude that masks were unnecessary. Seeing large groups of people standing together at political rallies led people to ignore social distancing in their own lives. end student sample text

annotated text Synthesis. The paragraph synthesizes factual evidence from a source and examples drawn from the writer’s observation. end annotated text

student sample text Although the first cases of COVID-19 were detected in the United States in January, genetic researchers later determined that the viral strain responsible for sustained transmission of the disease did not enter the country until around February 13 (Branswell, 2020), providing further evidence that the failed U.S. response to the pandemic could have been prevented. Cuts to public health staff reduced the number of experts in leadership positions. Inaction in the early months of the pandemic led to critical shortages of medical equipment and supplies. Mixed messages and inconsistent policies undermined efforts to control and contain the disease. Unfortunately, the response to the disease in 2020 cannot be changed, but 2021 looks brighter. Most people who want the vaccine—nonexistent at the beginning of the pandemic and unavailable until recently—will have received it by the end of 2021. Americans will have experienced two years of living with the coronavirus, and everyone will have been affected in some way. end student sample text

annotated text Conclusion. The report concludes with a restatement of the main points given in the thesis and points to the future. end annotated text

Ballhaus, R., & Armour, S. (2020, April 22). Health chief’s early missteps set back coronavirus response. Wall Street Journal . https://www.wsj.com/articles/health-chiefs-early-missteps-set-back-coronavirus-response-11587570514

Branswell, H. (2020, May 26). New research rewrites history of when COVID-19 took off in the U.S.—and points to missed chances to stop it . STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/26/new-research-rewrites-history-of-when-covid-19-arrived-in-u-s-and-points-to-missed-chances-to-stop-it/

COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic . (2021, January 13). Worldometer. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

Goodman, R., & Schulkin, D. (2020, November 3). Timeline of the coronavirus pandemic and U.S. response . Just Security. https://www.justsecurity.org/69650/timeline-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-and-u-s-response/

Miller, G., & Nakashima, E. (2020, April 27). President’s intelligence briefing book repeatedly cited virus threat. Washington Post . https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/presidents-intelligence-briefing-book-repeatedly-cited-virus-threat/2020/04/27/ca66949a-8885-11ea-ac8a-fe9b8088e101_story.html

Sun, L. H. (2018, May 10). Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly. Washington Post . https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/05/10/top-white-house-official-in-charge-of-pandemic-response-exits-abruptly/

Swaine, J. (2020, April 3). Federal government spent millions to ramp up mask readiness, but that isn’t helping now. Washington Post . https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/federal-government-spent-millions-to-ramp-up-mask-readiness-but-that-isnt-helping-now/2020/04/03/d62dda5c-74fa-11ea-a9bd-9f8b593300d0_story.html

annotated text References Page in APA Style. All sources cited in the text of the report, and only those sources, are listed in alphabetical order with full publication information. See the Handbook for more on APA documentation style. end annotated text

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How to Write a Great Personal Statement for the Global MPH

May 15, 2019

Imperial College London’s School of Public Health is renowned for conducting world-class research on today’s most pressing public health issues. No matter how compelling your research findings are, it is essential to communicate them clearly in order to promote positive change.

The same principle applies to your personal statement for the Global Master of Public Health (MPH) program . This personal statement is a chance to make the case that you belong at Imperial. Making that case clearly and effectively can be as important as your academic and professional qualifications.

Many students get anxious about this portion of the application, or worry that their writing skills aren’t up to the task. Our advice? Don’t panic!

You don’t have to be an outstanding writer to craft a great personal statement. Your task is to provide Imperial’s reviewers with the information they’re looking for in 1500 words or less. Let’s break the key points down into three specific areas: your past, present, and future.

1. Past: your background in public health

Start by introducing yourself. You’ve already provided a CV with your application, so this is an opportunity to put your experience in context. Tell us how and why you became interested in public health, the skills you’ve developed, and what you’re most proud of in your studies and career. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through!  

Key points:

• Previous academic and professional experience
• Relevant exposures to public health related work and research
• Areas of interest in healthcare and why they interest you

Examples from the MPH Class of 2018-19:

“Throughout my years at University and recent postgraduate studies, I have worked in a pharmacy as a pharmacy/ dispensing assistant, in both community and hospital settings with the latter being involved with cancer clinical trials. These roles have greatly advanced my knowledge of patient care, different treatment options and health awareness strategies within the NHS and local CCGs.”

“I worked on a retrospective study to examine the trends and outcomes of aortic valve replacements performed on veterans from 2005 to 2015. Prior coursework in statistics equipped me to interpret data analyses. I co-authored two abstracts. I often considered how researchers contribute towards reducing health inequities in specific populations.”

2. Present: why you are applying to the Imperial College MPH

After you’ve introduced yourself, explain your motivation for your application. What is driving you to take your career in public health to the next level, and why is the Imperial Online MPH right for you? Make a compelling case why you are applying to this program, specifically, and why now is the right time.

• Your motivation for your professional and/or research career in public health
• Why you are applying for the Online MPH program, specifically

Examples from MPH Class of 2018-19:

“My healthcare background has given me the drive to move my career from disease treatment to increasing awareness of disease prevention. With an increasing life expectancy and an uncertain national healthcare budget, prevention of poor health from preventable diseases has never been more imperative.”

“I am particularly interested in studying at Imperial College London due to its Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, as the research areas of the unit match my own areas of interest for future research which include big healthcare data, healthcare access and health policy; within these areas I have an interest in mental health, cancer and primary and secondary care.”

3. Future: goals for your research at Imperial and your career beyond graduation

Finally, show that you have a specific vision for your time at Imperial and your post-MPH career. Include a short proposal (150 words or less) for a research project that you would be interested in carrying out as part of your dissertation over approximately a three month period. This gives the team more of an idea of your research interests and motivation to undertake the online Global MPH program. If you are accepted, you will not be required to carry out the proposal from your application. If you’d like to pursue the proposal from your application as part of your research portfolio, you can.

Key Points:

• Your future career goals
• Your proposed research area

“I believe the course will be able to provide an opportunity to obtain a more in-depth knowledge within these areas, but also developing a strong theoretical understanding of health policy, epidemiology and research methods, which I will give me the underpinning knowledge to undertake a PhD in Public health evaluation and policy in the future.”

“I aim to perform research to evaluate and improve the effectiveness and accessibility of health services for chronic conditions in low-income communities.”

__________________________

One last piece of advice: write an honest statement that gets across your true character and motivations, rather than writing something you think the panel will want to hear. Imperial’s goal in requesting these personal statements is to get to know prospective applicants on a personal level. Focus on providing a clear account of who you are, why you’re applying, and what you plan to do during and after the program.

The Global MPH offers the opportunity to get a world-class graduate degree in public health from one of the top 10 universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2019). The program is affordable, flexible, and 100% online. As such, it attracts a diverse, highly-qualified group of students from across the globe. With a great personal statement, you can significantly increase your chances of joining the next cohort!  

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COVID-19 Professional Impact Statements

This page lists COVID-19 questions, answers and examples focused on COVID-19 Professional Impact Statements.

What is a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement?

What is the purpose of a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement?

• What should COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement contain?

What are examples of professional impacts that can be included in COVID-19 Professional Impact Statements?

How are personal impacts from COVID-19 handled in my review materials?

• What should I do if I’m unsure whether I need a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement?

Is a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement optional or required?

Do I have to include a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement?

In which kinds of faculty review can a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement be included?

For which academic year should COVID-19 Professional Impact Statements be included?

When will COVID-19 Professional Impact Statements no longer be accepted?

Is there a standard format for COVID-19 Professional Impact Statements?

How do I include a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement in my promotion and tenure dossier and other faculty review materials (like mid-probationary review, comprehensive periodic review and annual review)?

• If I received an extension to my probationary period for COVID-19, may I still include a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement in my tenure dossier?

How does COVID-19 change faculty review and promotion standards?

Should faculty review committees assume that all faculty have been equally impacted by COVID-19?

What should a unit (department, school, college) share with its faculty about the submission of a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement?

Beyond possible inclusion of the COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement, are there any other best practices that my unit might consider as a part of annual review when the year under review coincides with COVID-19?

How should review committees use information shared in COVID-19 Professional Impact Statements?

A  COVID -19 Professional Impact Statement  is an optional statement that faculty can include in their review materials. The  Statement  should briefly document the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has directly had on faculty workload and professional opportunities and the resulting impact on faculty productivity, performance, and trajectory. This two-page statement can be shared with faculty review committees to contextualize the faculty member’s performance and contributions. The  Statement  can be included for all types of review including annual, mid-probationary, promotion and tenure, and comprehensive periodic review.

The purpose of a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement offers a single statement in which faculty can document the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has directly had on faculty workload and professional opportunities and the resulting impact on faculty productivity, performance and trajectory. The Statement provides reviewers information that they need to perform a fair, contextualized evaluation of the faculty member’s professional performance and contributions.

What should COVID Professional Impact Statement contain?

The COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement:

• Should include a time period (ONLY– not the reason) for approved medical or personal leaves related to COVID-19.
• Should describe the faculty member’s workload, performance and trajectory prior to COVID-19.
• Should not contain ANY personal information (e.g., dependent care inaccessibility challenges, personal or dependents’ health information, etc.).
• Should describe the impact that COVID-19 has had on workload and professional opportunities and the resulting impact on faculty productivity, performance and trajectory in each of the relevant areas of specialization (research and creativity, teaching, mentoring, service, awards).
• Should describe how the faculty member has adjusted or plans to adjust their work in light of COVID’s professional impact to continue or re-build their trajectory.
• Should not be longer than two pages.
• May detail different kinds of professional impact on faculty work (negative and/or positive effects).

Faculty members who include personal circumstances in their COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement will be required to revise their statement to omit personal information.

Keeping in mind all facets of our faculty members’ workload and professional opportunities depending on faculty title and rank (research, teaching, service, mentoring, etc.) there are many different possible effects (negative and positive) that COVID-19 might have introduced including but not limited to the following broad examples about changes in:

• Amount, patterns and performance in terms of workload, responsibilities and accomplishments
• Prospects for development and innovation
• Timing and availability of opportunities and access to facilities and personnel

Below we offer some examples of potential professional impacts that might have disrupted faculty members’ typical workloads, opportunities, workload distributions, accomplishments and performances. The COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement should highlight these impacts while explaining how the faculty member is handling or handled them and how they might redress the impact (if needed) in the future.

Teaching and Mentoring Examples

• Moving class online might have led to negative impact in terms of re-distribution of workload away from scholarship
• Impact on student CIS results could be contextualized given the move to online instruction
• Invisible student care or mentoring support added to faculty workload
• Faculty member covered another faculty member’s course for some period of time (which is positive in terms of service but might have diverted the work time the faculty member had for scholarship or other workload)
• Moving class online resulted in improved pedagogical experience of some kind (e.g., increased office hours attendance, etc.)

Research Examples

• Conference presentations / keynotes / invited talks
• Performances
• Exhibitions
• Artist/scholar-in-residence appointments
• + Pivot in response to COVID-19 led to new avenue for research and discovery
• + Scholarly expertise of relevance to pandemics led to more research opportunities and collaborations
• – Closing of labs or access to research resources (field work sites, archives and libraries, human subjects, performance space, data-gathering / collaboration travel, etc.)
• – FRA or other faculty development leave shortchanged, delayed, interrupted, etc.
• – Restricted
• + Expanded opportunities for those in COVID-related research fields
• – Paying students although not making expected progress in research – time spent re-defining how to achieve research objectives
• – Cancelation or delay of book contracts and publication due to book press closures or restrictions
• – Delays in publications due to reviewer inaccessibility
• – Delays in arrivals or visits of international collaborators (faculty, students, post docs)
• – Other professional responsibilities and workload foci intruded on research or creative performance time

Service Example

• Clarify the level of the service leadership (program, department, college, school, institution, community, national, etc.)

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced personal challenges for many faculty members and those impacts are addressed by the faculty member designating periods during which their productivity was negatively impacted because of the personal circumstances, and those designated periods are excluded from the review. For example, tenure-track faculty members had the option of requesting an extension to their probationary period and tenured faculty members had the option of requesting a personal circumstances flag due to the impact of COVID-19.  All candidates are evaluated based on the number of years of probationary service or the number of effective years of service in rank, not the total time in rank.

What should I do if I’m unsure whether I need a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement? Even if you do not think you need a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement , it is always useful to document COVID-related professional challenges that have impacted your opportunities and workload and ultimately your productivity, performance and trajectory while they are happening so that you will not have to rely on your memory to compose the content for future evaluation statements.

The COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement is optional for each of the types of faculty review (annual, mid-probationary, promotion and tenure, and comprehensive periodic review). Each unit (department, college, school) will have their own policy about whether a Statement should be included in core review materials (“dossier”) or in supplemental materials. The host unit must clarify how they will interpret a lack of a Statement in a faculty member’s review materials. Faculty should check with their supervisor (department or division head or dean) about whether the Statement should be included as part of core or supplemental review materials.

No.  COVID -19 Professional Impact Statements  are optional. If a faculty member wants to frame the impact of COVID-19 on their workload and professional opportunities and they do not want to compose a  COVID -19 Professional Impact Statement ,  then they can include relevant information as part of their other candidate statements. For example, the vast majority of faculty teaching during spring 2020 and through spring semester 2022 had their teaching impacted by COVID-19. That professional impact can be documented in teaching statements (for promotion and tenure) or in teaching materials more generally (e.g., for annual, comprehensive periodic or mid-probationary review). See previous sections above for examples of potential professional impacts. Similarly, the impact can be captured in other statements (e.g., research, service, advising, honors) and review materials. And note that while much of the disruption was detrimental to conventional workload and performance, there were some positive professional benefits experienced by some faculty that can also be highlighted (e.g., some faculty working in fields related to pandemics, etc.). Last, as with any professional challenges that faculty might experience, faculty should still document the challenges and how they were handled and plans for how they will be overcome to contextualize faculty members’ records.

The University has determined that candidates for promotion and tenure review may include a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement  in their supplementary materials in accordance with the relevant year’s General Promotion and Tenure Review Guidelines .

Each unit (department, college, school) will have their own policy about whether to include a  COVID -19 Professional Impact Statement  in core or supplemental review materials for other types of faculty review (annual, mid-probationary, comprehensive periodic reviews).

The pandemic directly started impacting work in spring, 2020. Inclusion of a  COVID -19 Professional Impact Statement  will be optional for any academic year from 2020 on in which the faculty member’s professional workload and opportunities has been impacted by COVID-19.

The pandemic directly started impacting work in spring, 2020. Inclusion of a  COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement  will be optional for any academic year from 2020 on in which the faculty member’s professional workload and opportunities has been impacted by COVID-19.

Faculty should check with their unit (department, college, school) to find out whether there is a standard format for  COVID -19 Professional Impact Statements  beyond the two-page limit and the content restrictions (e.g., no personal impacts) as detailed above.

Each unit (department, college, school) will have their own policy about whether to include a  COVID -19 Professional Impact Statement  in core or supplemental review materials for each other type of faculty review (annual, mid-probationary, comprehensive periodic reviews

If I received an extension to my probationary period or personal circumstances flag for COVID-19, may I still include a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement in my tenure dossier?

Yes, you may include a  COVID -19 Professional Impact Statement  whether or not you have received either an extension to your probationary period or a personal circumstances flag. The Statement captures the professional impact. The extension or flag identifies personal impact.

COVID-19’s impact does not change the standards for review and promotion, nor is it meant to be an explanation for not meeting standards.

No. Even within the same discipline, it should not be assumed that the direct professional impact of COVID-19 on faculty workload and professional opportunities and how that has influenced faculty performance and trajectories has been the same. The COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement should provide the relevant information and context for the individual faculty member.

The University has determined that candidates for promotion and tenure review may include a COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement  in their supplementary materials in accordance with the relevant year’s General Promotion and Tenure Review Guidelines . Each college / School / Unit CSU) should clarify:

• The CSU’s policy about inclusion of a  COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement in core or supplemental faculty review materials for each other type of faculty review (annual, mid-probationary, and comprehensive periodic reviews)
• COVID-19 In addition to the two-page limit and content restrictions as noted above, the CSU should clarify any additional formatting requirements that they have for the  Statement
• The CSU should clarify how a failure to include a  Statement  will be interpreted (e.g., that COVID-19 has had no substantial professional impact on faculty workload and professional opportunities).
• The University’s response to COVID-19’s impact on faculty cannot change standards for review
• For faculty who have a year flagged for a personal circumstance (either through a probationary period extension or an approved personal circumstances flag (for COVID-19 or other personal circumstances), that year should not be included in the denominator for accomplishments for the timeframe under review
• to identify faculty who are struggling and find ways to offer them access to resources [e.g., mentor(s)] to support their future professional development, and also
• to notice the faculty who are finding ways to thrive professionally to acknowledge their performance and contributions.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in teaching modalities across UT Austin beginning in spring 2020 and continuing through spring 2022.  Review committees must carefully interpret Course Instructor Survey (CIS) / Course Evaluation Survey (CES) results from this time period in light of the multiple disruptions resulting from the pandemic.

Review committees should adhere to the following guidance:

• Use the  COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement  to contextualize the faculty candidate’s performance and contributions given the pandemic’s disruption of faculty workload and professional opportunities.
• COVID-19’s impact does not change the standards for review and promotion.
• If a faculty member reveals details of personal circumstances (beyond timeframe for a personal leave) then the review committee must bring that to the supervisor’s attention so that the Statement can be revised to exclude the personal circumstance information by the candidate before the committee conducts its review.
• As with any review even in non-pandemic times, if a tenure-track faculty member receives a tenure clock / probationary period extension, that should frame the period of review such that it does not include the year during which the extension occurred.
• If a tenured associate professor or professional / non-tenure-track faculty member’s record includes an approved personal circumstances flag during their time in rank, then that should frame the period of the multi-year review such that the review does not include the year that was flagged.
• The review committee should acknowledge that COVID-19 has not affected faculty workload and professional opportunities equally and should use evidence from the COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement to contextualize the review of an individual faculty member.
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Home > LIBRARIES > Archives and Special Collections > Personal Narratives of COVID-19

Together Again: Personal Narratives of COVID-19 Uniting the Seton Hall Community

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life at Seton Hall as it has for millions of others around the country and the world. In the name of saving lives, the social distancing needed to slow the spread of the virus has scattered us into our homes around the region and the country. Although we are now physically distant from one another, we remain united as Setonians through our connection to Seton Hall.

To reconnect as a community, we seek your stories of what this time has been like for you. How has it changed your experience at Seton Hall, as a student, faculty, staff member, or alum? We hope that sharing these stories with one another will bring us back together in a new way, through sharing our personal experiences of this moment. When we move forward, because there will be a time when we move forward, we plan to listen to these stories together as a community, reflect on what we have learned, and let them guide us into the future.

Questions to guide your response:

● What is your day to day life like? What would you want people the future to know about what life is like for us now?

● What has been most challenging about this time? What do you miss about your life before COVID-19? Are there specific places or things on campus that you miss?

● Essential is a word we are hearing a lot right now. What does essential mean to you? Who is essential? What are we learning about what is essential?

● What is COVID-19 making possible that never existed before? What good do you see coming out of this moment? How can we re-frame this moment as an opportunity?

● What is it you want to remember about this time? What have you learned?

● After this pandemic ends, will things go back to the way they were? What kinds of changes would you like to see? How will you contribute to rebuilding the world? What will you do differently?

Please submit your 1-3 minute audio or video recording to our portal. Please view submission instructions.

Need an Accessible transcript of this submission? Please email [email protected] to request.

With thanks to the scholars and librarians who came together to create this project: Professors Angela Kariotis Kotsonis, Sharon Ince, Marta Deyrup, Lisa DeLuca, and Alan Delozier, Technical Services Archivist Sheridan Sayles and Assistant Deans Elizabeth Leonard and Sarah Ponichtera.

COVID19: How it Has Changed Our Lives

Anirudh Ramesh

sentiments during the pandemic

Amanda DeJesus

Covid-19 experience

Cole Corregano

George's Quarantine Experience

George K. Waweru

Personal COVID-19 submission

Tyler Abline

COVID-19 Personal Narrative-Andrew

Andrew Tiess

Time Capsule

Eric Sweeney

Samuel Perez

View from the front door

Nicholas Shraga

Nick's COVID experience

Nicholas DeMizio

Redefining the Essential

Blake Harrsch

COVID-19 Experience

Samantha Vail

My COVID-19 Experience

Stephanie Wickman

covid-19 reconnection video

Robert Caola

Liem Pham's COVID-19 Audio Message

Michael Turiansky

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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.

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COVID-19 Professional Impact Statement

What is a COVID-19 Impact Statement?  A COVID-19 Impact Statement is a document of up to two pages in length in which a faculty member describes the ways in which the pandemic has affected, both positively and negatively, their effectiveness and/or productivity. This could be in instruction & instructionally related activities and/or research, creative & scholarly activity, and/or in service. 

Is a COVID-19 Impact Statement required?  No, the statement is optional. It is one option that CSULB is providing to help faculty members with the impact of the pandemic. It is likely to be helpful to you to reflect on the ways in which your work may have been affected by the pandemic, and it may be helpful to your reviewers to have context for the ways in which your work has been affected. You may want to discuss whether or not to provide a statement with your Department Chair/School Director/Program Director.

Where will the COVID-19 Impact Statement appear? You may add a COVID-19 Impact statement to your candidate file when undergoing any personnel review (range elevation, lecturer evaluation, mini-review, reappointment, tenure, promotion and ETF). The document provides context to those reviewing the file.

Are there things I should not include in a COVID-19 Impact Statement? Yes, if you had a leave you may choose to include this information, but you should not include the reason for the leave/nature of the leave, simply the timing and duration of the leave.  You should also avoid providing any other information that is personal in nature.  While we recognize that a faculty member’s personal life may have affected their work life during the pandemic, personal information cannot be used to make personnel decisions and such information can increase the chance of implicit bias playing a role in the personnel process.

What might a professional impact look like [1] ?

Teaching and Advising Examples

• Moving classes online might have led to negative impact in terms of re-distribution of workload away from scholarship, service and other aspects of instruction.
• Impact on SPOT results [2] given the move to alternative modes of instruction.
• Informal student care or advising support added to workload.
• Faculty member covered another faculty member’s course for some period of time (which is positive in terms of service but might have diverted the work time the faculty member had for scholarship or service)
• Moving class to alternative modes of instruction resulted in improved pedagogical experience of some kind (e.g., increased office hours attendance, etc.)

Research Examples

• Conference presentations / keynotes / invited talks.
• Performances
• Exhibitions
• Artist/scholar-in-residence appointments
• Pivot in response to COVID-19 led to new avenue for scholarship.
• Scholarly expertise of relevance to pandemics led to more scholarly opportunities and collaborations.
• Closing of specialized facilities or access to research/creative resources (field work sites, archives and libraries, human subjects, performance space, data-gathering /collaboration travel, etc.)
• Expanded opportunities for those in COVID-related research fields.
• Paying students although not making expected progress in research – time spent re-defining how to achieve research objectives.
• Cancelation or delay in the appearance of publications due to publisher’s closures or restrictions
• Delays in publications due to reviewer inaccessibility
• Other responsibilities and workload foci left little time for scholarly activities.

Service Example

• Clarify the level of the service leadership (program, department, college, school, institution, community, national, etc.)

[1] https://covid.provost.utexas.edu/faculty/search/COVID+Professional+Impa…

[2] Note that you are not required to include Spring 2020 SPOT summaries in your file although you may choose to do so.

Writing a Personal Statement

There are two personal statements that are a part of the CASPA application: 1-A statement addressing “Why you want to be a PA?,” which is   required , and 2- A “COVID-19 Essay,” which is   optional . The COVID-19 Essay is an opportunity for applicants to disclose any hardships (financial, health, education, family, etc.) that may have been faced during this time. If a COVID-19 Essay is not submitted, the program   will not   hold it against the applicant.

Many applicants make writing a personal statement a daunting task, but it does not have to be. Below are helpful hints and topics to avoid that can help you write a good personal statement on the topic:   Why you want to be a PA?

Personal Statement Helpful Hints

• Engage the reader and create interest.
• Get to the point. There is a character limit for personal statements. One page is usually all it takes to make your point.
• Avoid using flowery language and/or big words throughout your statement.
• Make sure the statement is structured in a logical order and flows nicely so it is easy to read.
• Do not restate your resume.
• Incorporate how your healthcare experience and non-healthcare experience (academics, volunteer, and leadership positions) prepared you for PA school.
• Be insightful and analytical about your understanding of the role of the PA. Use your clinical experiences to draw this conclusion.
• Call out the elephant in the room. If you had a “hiccup” in your academic career, you should BRIEFLY address it (i.e. death in the family, immaturity factor, poor study habits), state what you did to overcome it, and what you have done to sustain an upward trend in your academic performance.
• If you have a strong desire to enter a certain field of medicine, explain why. For example, if you want to go into primary care, what have you done to prepare yourself for this field (i.e. clinical experience opportunities, skill sets, are you from a disadvantaged background, etc.), and the challenges PAs face, if any in the particular field.
• Have more than one person review your statement. An advisor, career services representative, or a writing center are good resources to utilize.
• Avoid contractions.
• Avoid acronyms that the common person would not know (this is especially true for military applicants).

Qualities to Portray

• Reflectiveness
• Honesty and integrity
• Clarity of thought
• Individuality
• Distinctiveness
• Ability to relate to diverse people
• Insight into the chosen health profession
• Compassion and empathy
• Genuineness and sincerity
• Insightfulness
• A realistic perspective
• Lessons learned
• Self-awareness

Themes to Avoid

• “I want to be a PA because I like science and I want to help people…”
• “Ever since I was five I played with my mom/dad’s doctor’s kit..”
• “I loved to play the game Operation as a child and that sparked my desire to be a PA…”
• “As I watched my beloved family member pass away, I knew then I wanted to be a PA…”
• Restating your resume : We have already read the majority of your application up to this point, so do not retell your life story again.
• Story Time : Limit your personal stories about a patient or incident in the clinic to ONE no more than TWO. The statement should focus more the topics mentioned above.
• The “epiphany into medicine” : Your pursuit of the PA profession should be based on your adult experiences up until this point, NOT an instantaneous realization.
• Manifest Destiny : You have not always known you want to be a PA and the fact that someone tells you “you’ll make a great PA one day” does not justify why you should be a PA.
• Grandiosity : Claiming that you plan to eliminate all the healthcare problems in an area is not realistic and shows a grave lack of understanding of the profession.
• The “humble brag” : Of course you’re special, but claiming “you probably do not see many applicants like me” is not only arrogant, but is likely untrue. We’ve seen it all!
• Remember your audience : Remember people do have other biases and views that may not agree with yours so avoid controversial topics and statements that could offend someone. Also, remember the admissions committee can be made up of all types of members of the healthcare team. Avoid statements like “I want to be a PA because PAs spend more time with their patients in comparison to physicians.” These types of situations are not always true and you do not want to stereotype an entire profession when you’ve only been around .00000001% of them.
• “I am a victim” : Victims are never attractive applicants and any difficulties along the way should be dispassionately addressed. These explanations should be brief and also address what you have done to overcome the situation and what you learned from it.
• Excuses : Never, ever blame anyone else for difficulties in your life or academic career.

Masks Strongly Recommended but Not Required in Maryland, Starting Immediately

Due to the downward trend in respiratory viruses in Maryland, masking is no longer required but remains strongly recommended in Johns Hopkins Medicine clinical locations in Maryland. Read more .

• Vaccines  
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Coronavirus (COVID-19): What Do I Do If I Feel Sick?

Reviewed By:

Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H.

If you have a cough, a fever or difficulty breathing, and you are worried that you may have  COVID-19, here are recommendations from Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H.,  senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins, on what to do, step by step.

Coronavirus: What do I do if I Feel Sick?

If you are concerned that you may have COVID-19, follow these steps to help protect your health and the health of others.

1. Stay home and call a health care provider

Unless it is an emergency, to reduce your risk of catching or spreading illness, stay home if you feel sick, even if your symptoms are mild. Do not go to work, school or public places, and avoid public transportation.

If your symptoms are severe or you feel like you need medical care, call before you go to your health care provider. Describe your symptoms over the phone.

If you have a medical emergency, call 911 and tell the dispatcher about your symptoms.

2. Answer questions to determine your risk

When you call a health care facility, you will be asked about your risks for COVID-19. Risk factors include being unvaccinated, attending indoor events, recent travel to certain areas or exposure to an infected person.

For instance, people calling Johns Hopkins Health System hospitals or clinics are asked:

• Have you had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus? (Close contact means having been within 6 feet of that person for an extended time or being exposed to their cough or sneeze.)
• Do you have a cough, fever or chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, headache, new fatigue, nausea or vomiting, or congestion or runny nose?
• Has a public health officer said you were potentially exposed to COVID-19?

3. Follow your health care provider’s instructions

Based on your answers to these questions, the care provider will provide instructions over the phone. You will be told if you need to be evaluated, and if so, what to do next. Based on your risk for COVID-19, your health care provider may recommend that you:

• Continue to monitor your health and call back if you develop a fever or respiratory symptoms.
• Stay home and await further instructions.
• Report to a designated medical care facility for evaluation and treatment. It’s best to go alone to your appointment. Do not bring children or other family members unless you need assistance.
• Go to a clinic or emergency department if you have more severe symptoms, such as shortness of breath.

4. Practice hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette

• If you do leave your home to go to a care facility,  wear a mask so droplets from your breath, coughs and sneezes are less likely to infect others. 
• Wash your hands thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds) after sneezing, blowing your nose, coughing or using the bathroom, and before preparing or eating food.
• If you cough or sneeze, do so into the bend of your elbow, not your hand. Or use a tissue, and then throw it away immediately afterward.
• At home, clean often-touched surfaces such as doors and doorknobs, cabinet handles, bathroom hardware, tabletops, phones, tablets and keyboards regularly with disinfectant.

Learn other ways to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 .

5. Stay calm

The possibility of having a contagious illness can be scary, but doctors, nurses and other caregivers can help provide care to patients while avoiding spread of the illness in the community.

6. Consider being vaccinated for COVID-19

Once you feel better, talk to your doctor or health professional about getting vaccinated for the coronavirus. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people who have already had COVID-19 or tested positive should still get the COVID-19 vaccination. Studies show that vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19.

For Johns Hopkins Patients

Learn how we are adapting our care practices to avoid spread of COVID-19.

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Patient Safety Infographic

Coronavirus: Younger Adults Are at Risk, Too

Related Topics

Updated COVID-19 Boosters: What Employers Need to Know

For the first time since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, people in the United States are now able to get an updated booster shot specially formulated to strengthen immunity against the original coronavirus strain and also protect against the newer Omicron variants that account for most of the current cases. As new variants of the virus emerge, updated boosters are intended to provide optimal protection against COVID-19 and address waning vaccine effectiveness over time.

The new booster comes just in time for a possible fall or winter surge — and gives employers a new tool to help improve the health and safety of their people and workplace.

Here are five things every employer should consider to strengthen the uptake of the new COVID-19 boosters.

Share facts about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 boosters. Use our key messages to craft your employee communications.

Provide paid time off for employee s to get their boosters and recover from any possible side effects. Consider offering paid time off to working parents to take their eligible children for booster appointments too.

Encourage employees to use Vaccines.gov to find local booster distribution sites and to schedule appointments. Many of the major retail pharmacy chains – including Walgreens and CVS – also offer online appointment scheduling for boosters, and multiple states — including Massachusetts , New Jersey and Colorado — have websites to help you find other clinics with new boosters in stock.

Engage your employee resource groups (ERGs) to share the latest information about boosters, answer their questions and address any unique access challenges their members may face. Remember, it’s important to make it as easy as possible for your workers to get questions answered and access boosters.

Reach out to your local public health department to learn more about hosting a booster clinic at your worksite. This makes it easiest for your employees and their families to access the new COVID-19 boosters.

For more information and resources, visit HealthAction.org .

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