mistakes in personal statement

13 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Personal Statement

Without question, your grades and test scores are the most important part of your grad school application. But stellar grades and a high GRE score are not enough to make you stand out from the thousands of other applicants with similar scores.

So how can you distinguish yourself? The answer: A unique and thoughtfully crafted personal statement.

Think about all the study sessions, missed parties and hard work you’ve put into maintaining good grades and achieving a score that made your mother cry tears of joy. Don’t throw all that away by writing a weak personal statement. This is a valuable opportunity for you to show the admissions department why they would be remiss not to accept you.

On the other hand, it’s important to not get too creative. I’m sorry, but you should probably save your Quentin Tarantino-style statement for another time. Trust me on that one.

Instead, it’s time to channel your inner Goldilocks and express who you are in a way that’s not too much and not too little, but is “just right” to catch the admission department’s attention.

To help you navigate through the writing process, we’ve compiled a list of 13 mistakes you should avoid when writing your personal statement.

Cliches can be hard to avoid. They’ve been lodged in our memory since the dawn of time. (See what I did there?) But they’re uninspiring, tired, and show a lack of creativity. Instead, come up with your own metaphors and similes to say in your unique way that you “have a thirst for knowledge,” and avoid clichés like they’re going out of style.

2. Redundancy

Don’t include your GPA in your personal statement. Let me say that again. Don’t include your GPA in your personal statement. In fact, avoid including any information – such as awards you’ve received, etc. – that can be found elsewhere in your application. It’s redundant. Think of your personal statement as valuable real estate and there’s only enough space for the best, most unique information.

3. Spelling or Grammatical Errors

This cannot be overstated. Admissions directors won’t be able to fully appreciate your powerful personal statement if they have to keep stumbling over spelling and grammar errors. Avoid errors by asking a friend or family member to help you proofread your statement. Another pair of eyes is more likely to catch if you misspelled “conscientious,” for example.

4. Profanity or Slang

This should go without saying, but some students forget to leave out certain inappropriate four-letter words. Just. Don’t. Do. It.

Quotes can be very inspirational, especially when they come from great writers and charismatic people like Martin Luther King, Jr. or E.E. Cummings. But they’re not YOUR words, and they don’t tell the admissions director who you are. Leave them out of your personal statement and post them on your Instagram instead.

6. Hyperboles

You want to show enthusiasm in your statement, but it’s not necessary to say that if you don’t get into grad school your “mother will kill you.” The admissions director will also likely not be impressed if you tell them you have studied no less than a million hours to get into their school. In fact, avoid any and all exaggerations.

7. Plagiarism

These days, it’s easy to find examples of great personal statements online. However, keep in mind that universities will be able to identify if you have copied any material from another source. It’s not worth the risk and, again, it doesn’t let the school see your uniqueness.

8. Other People

Remember, keep the focus of your statement on you and what makes you stand out. Avoid too much mention of mentors, family members, or other people who may have inspired your academic goals. Keep it all about you.

9. Negativity

Keep your personal statement upbeat and positive. Avoid talking about any past educational experiences. You should also avoid mentioning any personal circumstances that have caused you difficulty – unless you are able to highlight how you overcame the circumstances and what you learned from them.

Although you may be trying to secure a financial award from the school, you should leave out any mention of money in your essay. Period.

11. Arrogance

Of course you want to highlight what differentiates you from other students, but be sure to do so in a humbling way. Boasting about how awesome or great you are may be off-putting to those reviewing your application. Also, you should show , rather than tell how wonderful you are by describing certain unique experiences rather than listing superficial adjectives to describe yourself.

Often times, we immediately try to use humor to showcase what makes us unique. Being quirky, though, can be risky in an admissions essay. So proceed with caution. Keep in mind that those in the admissions department may not share your sense of humor, so it’s best to keep your weird jokes between you and your friends.

13. Confessions

This is an opportunity to describe your educational and professional goals in an intentional way. It is not an opportunity to reveal the deepest, darkest corners of your mind, so stay on point and avoid any irrelevant information.

  About the Author:

Jennifer is here to help you navigate college and grad school while still maintaining your sanity. She is a graduate of the University of Florida (Go Gators!), with a major in Journalism and Communications and a minor in Psychology. She’s also a certified Montessori instructor and once witnessed a four-year-old correctly label all 54 countries on a map of Africa. She prefers to sing when not in the shower, and she’s not afraid of heights as long as she’s standing on something that is less than 15-feet tall.

Image Sources:

• https://tessatypt.wordpress.com/author/tessaotten/
• http://thumbpress.com/10-funny-spelling-and-grammar-mistakes/
• https://www.pinterest.com/pin/533113674616215339/
• http://tnova.fr/notes/refonder-l-aide-aux-eleves-en-grande-difficulte-scolaire

Jennifer is here to help you navigate college and grad school while still maintaining your sanity. She is a graduate of the University of Florida (Go Gators!), with a major in Journalism and Communications and a minor in Psychology. She’s also a certified Montessori instructor and once witnessed a four-year-old correctly label all 54 countries on a map of Africa. She prefers to sing when not in the shower, and she’s not afraid of heights as long as she’s standing on something that is less than 15-feet tall.

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15 Effective Strategies for Writing a Compelling Personal Statement

By Eric Eng

Writing a personal statement is an essential step in the college application process. By employing effective strategies, you can showcase your strengths, aspirations, and what makes you stand out. A compelling personal statement serves as your unique voice in a sea of candidates.

How? Consider the following tips:

1. Start with a captivating hook.

The opening lines of your personal statement are your first opportunity to make a lasting impression on the admissions committee. Think of it as the equivalent of a firm handshake or a confident introduction at an interview. A well-crafted hook can distinguish your application from hundreds of others.

For example, beginning with a vivid account of the moment you found your passion for environmental science during a volunteer project not only grabs attention but also sets a thematic tone for your statement.

To achieve this, start with a powerful or intriguing statement, a question, or a brief anecdote related to your field of interest. This should be something personally significant or a defining moment that sparked your interest in the subject you wish to pursue. Be creative but authentic. Your goal is to engage the reader from the very first sentence.

2. Showcase your authentic voice.

Your authentic voice is what makes your personal statement genuinely yours. Admissions officers are keen on identifying applicants who present a genuine reflection of themselves. Infusing your essay with your sense of humor, for instance, can make your statement memorable.

To showcase your authentic voice, write in a way that feels natural to you while maintaining a professional tone. Avoid overly formal language if it doesn’t reflect how you normally express yourself. Instead, use a style that feels comfortable and is reflective of your personality. This authenticity makes your essay more relatable and engaging to the reader.

3. Tell a compelling story.

Writing a compelling story within your personal statement is an effective strategy for illustrating your character, values, and aspirations. Consider narrating your journey of organizing community clean-up events; this can highlight your leadership skills and commitment to environmental advocacy. This storytelling approach makes your application stand out by showcasing your active engagement in your passions.

To tell your story, focus on a specific event, experience, or insight that has significantly shaped your personal or academic life. Structure your narrative to build towards a revelation or learning experience that highlights personal growth or a deepening of your intellectual interests.

The most impactful stories are those that allow your personal qualities and convictions to shine through.

4. Highlight your unique experiences.

The experiences that set you apart from other applicants are invaluable in painting a picture of who you are beyond grades and test scores. For instance, sharing your experience working in a family business during high school, illustrating how it fostered your interest in entrepreneurship and developed your work ethic, effectively highlights your uniqueness.

To highlight your unique experiences, focus on what you’ve learned from them and how they’ve shaped your perspective or skills. It’s not just about what you did, but also about how these experiences contribute to your personal narrative. Importantly, be specific about your role, your contributions, and the impact these experiences had on your personal and academic growth.

5. Focus on your passions and interests.

Colleges are looking for passionate individuals who will bring enthusiasm and energy to their campus. An applicant’s personal statement that vividly describes their passion for a particular subject area, such as a detailed account of their ongoing project in robotics, can significantly bolster their application by showing depth of interest and proactive engagement in their field.

To effectively focus on your passions and interests, delve into the specifics of what excites you about your chosen field or hobby. Discuss any projects, research, or reading you’ve undertaken on your own initiative. Illustrating your dedication and enthusiasm helps admissions officers envision you as a committed and vibrant part of their college community.

6. Address the specific prompt or question.

Adhering closely to the prompt or question provided by the college is another strategy for writing an effective and compelling personal statement. Meticulously addressing the prompt by relating each part of your essay back to how your experiences have prepared you for the challenges and opportunities of the college program demonstrates thoughtfulness and a clear direction in your application.

To address the specific prompt or question, first ensure you understand what is being asked. Then, organize your response to directly address each component of the prompt. Use your experiences and reflections to provide concrete examples that answer the question thoroughly.

7. Show self-awareness and reflection.

Self-awareness and the ability to reflect on your experiences are qualities that colleges value highly, as they indicate maturity and a capacity for growth. For example, discussing a failure or challenge you faced, such as struggling with a particular subject, and then outlining the steps you took to overcome this, demonstrates resilience and self-improvement.

To exhibit self-awareness and reflection in your personal statement, focus on how specific experiences have contributed to your personal or academic development. Discuss what you learned about yourself through these experiences and how they have shaped your future aspirations. Be honest and introspective, recognizing both strengths and areas for growth.

8. Demonstrate your skills and achievements.

Highlighting your skills and achievements gives the admissions committee a sense of your accomplishments and potential contributions to their campus. An effective approach is to integrate your achievements into your narrative, like detailing how leading a volunteer project honed your leadership and organizational skills, rather than simply listing accolades.

To demonstrate your skills and achievements, select examples that are most relevant to your college goals and the program you’re applying to. Describe the context and your involvement in detail, focusing on the impact of your actions and what they reveal about your character, work ethic, and capabilities.

In short, avoid boasting. Present your achievements as reflections of your commitment and drive.

9. Use concrete examples and anecdotes.

Citing concrete examples and anecdotes is an effective strategy for writing a vivid and compelling personal statement. It allows admissions officers to see the real person behind the application. For instance, rather than stating you have a strong work ethic, describe the time you balanced a part-time job with your studies to support a family project, illustrating your determination and responsibility.

Incorporate specific examples and anecdotes that highlight your qualities, skills, and experiences. Choose stories that are meaningful and demonstrate your values, such as teamwork, perseverance, or creativity. These real-life examples provide a solid foundation for your claims, making your personal statement more compelling and persuasive.

10. Connect your experiences to your future goals.

Linking your past experiences to your future ambitions demonstrates forward-thinking and a clear vision for your college journey and beyond. An applicant who articulates how their volunteer work with a local environmental group inspired them to pursue a degree in environmental science, with the goal of developing sustainable solutions, effectively bridges their past actions with their future aspirations.

To connect your experiences to your future goals, first identify the key experiences that have shaped your interests and aspirations. Then, articulate how these experiences have prepared you for the challenges you anticipate in college and your career. Explain how the program you are applying to fits into your long-term plans, showing that you have a direction and are committed to achieving your goals.

11. Maintain a clear and concise structure.

A well-organized personal statement makes your narrative accessible and engaging, guiding the reader through your experiences, reflections, and aspirations with ease. For instance, structuring your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs that each focus on a specific theme or experience, and a cohesive conclusion, ensures that your narrative flows logically and coherently.

To maintain a clear and concise structure, plan your personal statement before writing. Outline the main points you want to cover and decide on the best order to present them. Each paragraph should serve a clear purpose and lead smoothly to the next. Avoid tangents and overly complex sentences that could distract or confuse the reader, focusing instead on delivering your message with clarity and precision.

12. Edit and revise meticulously.

Editing and revising are critical strategies in the writing process, for they ensure your personal statement is polished and error-free. A personal statement with typos, grammatical errors, or awkward phrasing can detract from the overall impression it makes. Meticulous editing can make your personal statement more effective and compelling.

To edit and revise, start by reviewing your statement for any spelling or grammatical errors. Then, read it aloud to catch awkward phrasings or inconsistencies in flow. Seek feedback from teachers, mentors, or peers, as fresh eyes can catch errors you might have missed and provide valuable perspectives on the clarity and impact of your narrative.

Ultimately, be open to constructive criticism and willing to make changes to strengthen your statement. This iterative process is crucial for refining your message and ensuring it accurately reflects your voice and aspirations.

13. Seek feedback from others.

Getting feedback from others is invaluable for refining your personal statement. It offers perspectives on how your narrative is received, highlights areas for improvement, and confirms the clarity of your message.

To effectively seek feedback, choose individuals who know you well and others who may not be as familiar with your story, such as teachers or mentors, to provide a balanced view. Ask specific questions about how your personal statement comes across: Does it convey my passion? Is my narrative clear and engaging?

Use this feedback to make targeted improvements, ensuring your statement accurately and effectively communicates your strengths and aspirations.

14. Show enthusiasm and passion.

Expressing enthusiasm and passion in your personal statement can significantly enhance its impact. Admissions committees are drawn to candidates who demonstrate genuine excitement for their field of study and future career paths. For instance, a detailed description of your science fair project and its influence on your decision to pursue biomedical engineering can vividly showcase your passion for the subject.

To convey enthusiasm and passion, use vivid and energetic language when describing your interests and experiences. Reflect on why these areas excite you and how they align with your personal and academic goals. Your enthusiasm will naturally shine through when you discuss something you truly love and are committed to pursuing further in your college career.

15. Tailor your personal statement to the institution or program.

Customizing your personal statement to reflect your fit with the specific institution or program you’re applying to shows that you’ve done your research and are genuinely interested in what they offer. This is one of the most effective strategies for writing a compelling personal statement.

For example, mentioning specific faculty members you wish to work with or unique aspects of the program that align with your career goals demonstrates a proactive and thoughtful approach to your application.

To tailor your statement, research the college or program thoroughly. Identify specific courses, faculty, research opportunities , or community aspects that align with your interests and goals. Then, weave these details into your statement to illustrate how you see yourself contributing to and benefiting from the program.

Why is the personal statement important in college admissions?

The personal statement is a critical component of your college application, offering a unique opportunity to present your voice and personality to the admissions committee. Unlike standardized test scores and GPAs, which provide a quantitative measure of academic achievement, the personal statement allows you to share your personal journey, challenges, successes, and aspirations.

In essence, it serves as a narrative that ties together the various elements of your application into a cohesive story. It helps admissions officers understand who you are beyond the numbers, showcasing your writing skills, self-awareness, and potential to contribute to the college community.

What are the common mistakes to avoid in my personal statement?

One of the most common pitfalls in writing a personal statement is failing to make it personal enough. Many applicants fall into the trap of reiterating their resume or writing what they think admissions officers want to hear, resulting in a statement that lacks authenticity and personal insight.

Another frequent mistake is overlooking the importance of storytelling and structure, leading to a personal statement that feels disjointed or aimless. Successful personal statements are those that not only provide a glimpse into the applicant’s life but also engage the reader through a well-organized narrative that clearly communicates the applicant’s aspirations and how the college fits into their future plans.

How can my cultural and personal identity enhance my personal statement?

Incorporating your cultural and personal identity into your personal statement is an effective writing strategy that can significantly enrich your narrative, making it compelling. This approach allows you to showcase how your unique background has shaped your perspectives, values, and goals. It provides a deeper understanding of your character and the diverse experiences you bring to the college community.

To effectively highlight your cultural and personal identity, focus on specific experiences, traditions, or challenges that have played a pivotal role in your development. Discuss how these elements have influenced your academic interests, career aspirations, or personal growth. This not only adds depth to your application but also demonstrates your ability to contribute to the campus’s cultural diversity and intellectual life.

How do I balance professionalism with personality in my personal statement?

Finding the right balance between professionalism and personality is key to crafting a compelling personal statement. While it’s important to maintain a professional tone to demonstrate your readiness for college-level work, infusing your statement with your unique voice and personality makes it genuinely engaging. This balance shows admissions committees that you are a well-rounded candidate who can communicate effectively while staying true to yourself.

To achieve this balance, write in a tone that is reflective of your natural speaking style, but be mindful of grammar, syntax, and appropriateness. Use anecdotes and examples that highlight your personality traits, such as humor, empathy, or curiosity, without overshadowing the overall professionalism of your statement. This approach ensures that your personal statement is both polished and personal, offering a true reflection of who you are.

How does feedback help me revise my personal statement?

Using feedback effectively is crucial in refining your personal statement. It offers insights into how your personal story is perceived by others and highlights areas that may need clarification, expansion, or reduction. Seek feedback from a variety of sources, including teachers, mentors, family members, and peers, to gain diverse perspectives on your writing.

When revising your personal statement based on feedback, prioritize comments that align with your goal of presenting a clear, cohesive, and compelling narrative. Consider each piece of feedback carefully, but also stay true to your voice and the core message you want to convey. This process of revision and refinement is essential for crafting a statement that truly resonates with admissions committees.

Crafting a compelling personal statement requires effective strategies such as introspection, creativity, and a willingness to share your unique story. Write a personal statement that not only showcases your achievements and aspirations but also leaves a lasting impression on college admissions officers. Remember, your personal statement is your opportunity to shine. Make it count.

Want to assess your chances of admission? Take our FREE chances calculator today!

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Shona Barrie – Director of Admissions, University of Stirling

UCAS asked admissions tutors – the people who read and score your personal statement – for their advice on what you should and shouldn’t do when writing your personal statement. 

The most common piece of advice was not to worry about it – and don’t be tempted to copy anyone else’s.

Read our step-by-step guide to writing your personal statement

Then follow our simple tips below.

• Do talk about why you’re a good candidate – talk about you, your motivations and what brings you to this course.
• Do be enthusiastic – if you show you’re interested in the course, it may help you get a place.
• Do make it relevant . Connect what you’re saying with the course and with your experiences.
• Do outline your ideas clearly .
• Do avoid the negatives – highlight the positives about you, and show you know your strengths.
• Do expect to produce several drafts of your personal statement before being totally happy with it.
• Do ask people you trust for their feedback.
• Don’t be modest or shy . You want your passions to come across. 
• Don’t exaggerate – if you do, you may get caught out in an interview when asked to elaborate on an interesting achievement.
• Don’t use quotes from someone else, or cliches.
• Don’t leave it to the last minute – your statement will seem rushed and important information could be left out.
• Don’t let spelling and grammatical errors spoil your statement , but don't just rely on a spellchecker. Proofread as many times as possible.
• Don’t copy and paste – make yours original.
• Don’t post your personal statement on the internet or on social media or share your personal statement with anyone including your friends and family, unless asking for feedback from people you trust.
• Don’t worry about it – we have all the advice you need to help you stand out in your personal statement. 

The personal statement tool image

Don’t be tempted to copy or share your statement.

UCAS scans all personal statements through a similarity detection system to compare them with previous statements.

Any similarity greater than 30% will be flagged and we'll inform the universities and colleges to which you have applied. 

Find out more

Ana ghaffari moghaddam – third year law student and careers coach, university of liverpool.

You’ve got this. Follow those simple steps and use your personal statement as your chance to shine .Use the below as a checklist to make sure you've avoided all common pitfalls.

Want more tips on what to include in your personal statement? Use the links below.

• Get started with our personal statement builder . 
• Five things all students should include in their personal statement. 
• See how you can turn your personal statement into a CV, apprenticeship application or covering letter. 
• Read How to start a personal statement: The attention grabber .

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How to Write a Personal Statement That Wows Colleges

← What Is an Application Theme and Why Is It Important?

10 Personal Statement Examples That Work →

  Most of the college applications process is fairly cut and dry. You’ll submit information about your classes and grades, standardized test scores, and various other accomplishments and honors. On much of the application, your accomplishments must speak for themselves. 

The personal statement is different though, and it’s your chance to let your voice be heard. To learn more about the personal statement, how to choose a topic, and how to write one that wows colleges, don’t miss this post.

What is the Personal Statement?

Personal statements are used in both undergraduate and graduate admissions. For undergrad admissions, personal statements are any essays students must write to submit their main application. For example, the Common App Essay and Coalition Application Essay are examples of personal statements. Similarly, the ApplyTexas Essays and University of California Essays are also good examples .

Personal statements in college admissions are generally not school-specific (those are called “supplemental essays”). Instead, they’re sent to a wide range of schools, usually every school you apply to. 

What is the Purpose of the Personal Statement?

The personal statement is generally your opportunity to speak to your unique experiences, qualities, or beliefs that aren’t elsewhere represented on the application. It is a chance to break away from the data that defines you on paper, and provide a glimpse into who you really are. In short, it’s the admissions committee’s chance to get to know the real you.

So, what are colleges looking for in your personal statement? They are looking for something that sets you apart. They are asking themselves: do you write about something truly unique? Do you write about something common, in a new and interesting way? Do you write about an aspect of your application that needed further explanation? All of these are great ways to impress with your personal statement.

Beyond getting to know you, admissions committees are also evaluating your writing skills. Are you able to write clearly and succinctly? Can you tell an engaging story? Writing effectively is an important skill in both college and life, so be sure to also fine-tune your actual writing (grammar and syntax), not just the content of your essay.

Is your personal statement strong enough? Get a free review of your personal statement with CollegeVine’s Peer Essay Review.

How To a Choose A Topic For Your Personal Statement

Most of the time, you’re given a handful of prompts to choose from. Common personal statement prompts include:

• Central aspect of your identity (activity, interest, talent, background)
• Overcoming a failure
• Time you rose to a challenge or showed leadership
• Experience that changed your beliefs
• Problem you’d like to solve
• Subject or idea that captivates you

One of the questions that we hear most often about the personal statement is, “How do I choose what to write about?” For some students, the personal statement prompt triggers an immediate and strong idea. For many more, there is at least initially some uncertainty.

We often encourage students to think less about the exact prompt and more about what aspects of themselves they think are most worthy of highlighting. This is especially helpful if you’re offered a “topic of your choice” prompt, as the best essay topic for you might actually be one you make up!

For students with an interesting story or a defining background, these can serve as the perfect catalyst to shape your approach. For students with a unique voice or different perspective, simple topics written in a new way can be engaging and insightful.

Finally, you need to consider the rest of your application when you choose a topic for your personal statement. If you are returning from a gap year, failed a single class during sophomore year, or participated extensively in something you’re passionate about that isn’t elsewhere on your application, you might attempt to address one of these topics in your statement. After all, the admissions committee wants to get to know you and understand who you really are, and these are all things that will give them a deeper understanding of that.

Still, tons of students have a decent amount of writer’s block when it comes to choosing a topic. This is understandable since the personal statement tends to be considered rather high stakes. To help you get the ball rolling, we recommend the post What If I Don’t Have Anything Interesting To Write About In My College Essay?

Tips for Writing a Personal Statement for College

1. approach this as a creative writing assignment..

Personal statements are difficult for many students because they’ve never had to do this type of writing. High schoolers are used to writing academic reports or analytical papers, but not creative storytelling pieces.

The point of creative writing is to have fun with it, and to share a meaningful story. Choose a topic that inspires you so that you’ll enjoy writing your essay. It doesn’t have to be intellectual or impressive at all. You have your transcript and test scores to prove your academic skills, so the point of the personal statement is to give you free rein to showcase your personality. This will result in a more engaging essay and reading experience for admissions officers. 

As you’re writing, there’s no need to follow the traditional five-paragraph format with an explicit thesis. Your story should have an overarching message, but it doesn’t need to be explicitly stated—it should shine through organically. 

Your writing should also feel natural. While it will be more refined than a conversation with your best friend, it shouldn’t feel stuffy or contrived when it comes off your tongue. This balance can be difficult to strike, but a tone that would feel natural when talking with an admired teacher or a longtime mentor is usually a good fit.

2. Show, don’t tell.

One of the biggest mistakes students make is to simply state everything that happened, instead of actually bringing the reader to the moment it happened, and telling a story. It’s boring to read: “I was overjoyed and felt empowered when I finished my first half marathon.” It’s much more interesting when the writing actually shows you what happened and what the writer felt in that moment: “As I rounded the final bend before the finish line, my heart fluttered in excitement. The adrenaline drowned out my burning legs and gasping lungs. I was going to finish my first half marathon! This was almost incomprehensible to me, as someone who could barely run a mile just a year ago.”

If you find yourself starting to write your essay like a report, and are having trouble going beyond “telling,” envision yourself in the moment you want to write about. What did you feel, emotionally and physically? Why was this moment meaningful? What did you see or hear? What were your thoughts?

For inspiration, read some memoirs or personal essays, like The New York Times Modern Love Column . You could also listen to podcasts of personal stories, like The Moth . What do these writers and storytellers do that make their stories engaging? If you didn’t enjoy a particular story, what was it that you didn’t like? Analyzing real stories can help you identify techniques that you personally resonate with.

3. Use dialogue.

A great way to keep your writing engaging is to include some dialogue. Instead of writing: “My brothers taunted me,” consider sharing what they actually said. It’s more powerful to read something like:

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

Having dialogue can break up longer paragraphs of text, and bring some action and immediacy to your story. That being said, don’t overdo it. It’s important to strike a balance between relying too much on dialogue, and using it occasionally as an effective writing tool. You don’t want your essay to read like a script for a movie (unless, of course, that’s intentional and you want to showcase your screenwriting skills!).

Want free essay feedback? Submit your essay to CollegeVine’s Peer Essay Review and get fast, actionable edits on your essay. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Personal Statements

1. giving a recap or report of all the events..

Your essay isn’t a play-by-play of everything that happened in that time frame. Only include relevant details that enrich the story, instead of making your personal statement a report of the events. Remember that the goal is to share your voice, what’s important to you, and who you are. 

2. Writing about too many events or experiences. 

Similarly, another common mistake is to make your personal statement a resume or recap of all your high school accomplishments. The Activities Section of the Common App is the place for listing out your achievements, not your personal statement. Focus on one specific experience or a few related experiences, and go into detail on those. 

3. Using cliche language.

Try to avoid overdone quotes from famous people like Gandhi or Thoreau. Better yet, try to avoid quotes from other people in general, unless it’s a message from someone you personally know. Adding these famous quotes won’t make your essay unique, and it takes up valuable space for you to share your voice.

You should also steer away from broad language or lavish claims like “It was the best day of my life.” Since they’re so cliche, these statements also obscure your message, and it’s hard to understand what you actually mean. If it was actually the best day of your life, show us why, rather than just telling us.

If you want to learn more about personal statements, see our post of 11 Common App Essay Examples .

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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• Knowledge Base
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• How to Write Your Personal Statement | Strategies & Examples

How to Write Your Personal Statement | Strategies & Examples

Published on February 12, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 3, 2023.

A personal statement is a short essay of around 500–1,000 words, in which you tell a compelling story about who you are, what drives you, and why you’re applying.

To write a successful personal statement for a graduate school application , don’t just summarize your experience; instead, craft a focused narrative in your own voice. Aim to demonstrate three things:

• Your personality: what are your interests, values, and motivations?
• Your talents: what can you bring to the program?
• Your goals: what do you hope the program will do for you?

This article guides you through some winning strategies to build a strong, well-structured personal statement for a master’s or PhD application. You can download the full examples below.

Urban Planning Psychology History

Table of contents

Getting started with your personal statement, the introduction: start with an attention-grabbing opening, the main body: craft your narrative, the conclusion: look ahead, revising, editing, and proofreading your personal statement, frequently asked questions, other interesting articles.

Before you start writing, the first step is to understand exactly what’s expected of you. If the application gives you a question or prompt for your personal statement, the most important thing is to respond to it directly.

For example, you might be asked to focus on the development of your personal identity; challenges you have faced in your life; or your career motivations. This will shape your focus and emphasis—but you still need to find your own unique approach to answering it.

There’s no universal template for a personal statement; it’s your chance to be creative and let your own voice shine through. But there are strategies you can use to build a compelling, well-structured story.

The first paragraph of your personal statement should set the tone and lead smoothly into the story you want to tell.

Strategy 1: Open with a concrete scene

An effective way to catch the reader’s attention is to set up a scene that illustrates something about your character and interests. If you’re stuck, try thinking about:

• A personal experience that changed your perspective
• A story from your family’s history
• A memorable teacher or learning experience
• An unusual or unexpected encounter

To write an effective scene, try to go beyond straightforward description; start with an intriguing sentence that pulls the reader in, and give concrete details to create a convincing atmosphere.

Strategy 2: Open with your motivations

To emphasize your enthusiasm and commitment, you can start by explaining your interest in the subject you want to study or the career path you want to follow.

Just stating that it interests you isn’t enough: first, you need to figure out why you’re interested in this field:

• Is it a longstanding passion or a recent discovery?
• Does it come naturally or have you had to work hard at it?
• How does it fit into the rest of your life?
• What do you think it contributes to society?

Tips for the introduction

• Don’t start on a cliche: avoid phrases like “Ever since I was a child…” or “For as long as I can remember…”
• Do save the introduction for last. If you’re struggling to come up with a strong opening, leave it aside, and note down any interesting ideas that occur to you as you write the rest of the personal statement.

Once you’ve set up the main themes of your personal statement, you’ll delve into more detail about your experiences and motivations.

To structure the body of your personal statement, there are various strategies you can use.

Strategy 1: Describe your development over time

One of the simplest strategies is to give a chronological overview of key experiences that have led you to apply for graduate school.

• What first sparked your interest in the field?
• Which classes, assignments, classmates, internships, or other activities helped you develop your knowledge and skills?
• Where do you want to go next? How does this program fit into your future plans?

Don’t try to include absolutely everything you’ve done—pick out highlights that are relevant to your application. Aim to craft a compelling narrative that shows how you’ve changed and actively developed yourself.

My interest in psychology was first sparked early in my high school career. Though somewhat scientifically inclined, I found that what interested me most was not the equations we learned about in physics and chemistry, but the motivations and perceptions of my fellow students, and the subtle social dynamics that I observed inside and outside the classroom. I wanted to learn how our identities, beliefs, and behaviours are shaped through our interactions with others, so I decided to major in Social Psychology. My undergraduate studies deepened my understanding of, and fascination with, the interplay between an individual mind and its social context.During my studies, I acquired a solid foundation of knowledge about concepts like social influence and group dynamics, but I also took classes on various topics not strictly related to my major. I was particularly interested in how other fields intersect with psychology—the classes I took on media studies, biology, and literature all enhanced my understanding of psychological concepts by providing different lenses through which to look at the issues involved.

Strategy 2: Own your challenges and obstacles

If your path to graduate school hasn’t been easy or straightforward, you can turn this into a strength, and structure your personal statement as a story of overcoming obstacles.

• Is your social, cultural or economic background underrepresented in the field? Show how your experiences will contribute a unique perspective.
• Do you have gaps in your resume or lower-than-ideal grades? Explain the challenges you faced and how you dealt with them.

Don’t focus too heavily on negatives, but use them to highlight your positive qualities. Resilience, resourcefulness and perseverance make you a promising graduate school candidate.

Growing up working class, urban decay becomes depressingly familiar. The sight of a row of abandoned houses does not surprise me, but it continues to bother me. Since high school, I have been determined to pursue a career in urban planning. While people of my background experience the consequences of urban planning decisions first-hand, we are underrepresented in the field itself. Ironically, given my motivation, my economic background has made my studies challenging. I was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship for my undergraduate studies, but after graduation I took jobs in unrelated fields to help support my parents. In the three years since, I have not lost my ambition. Now I am keen to resume my studies, and I believe I can bring an invaluable perspective to the table: that of the people most impacted by the decisions of urban planners.

Strategy 3: Demonstrate your knowledge of the field

Especially if you’re applying for a PhD or another research-focused program, it’s a good idea to show your familiarity with the subject and the department. Your personal statement can focus on the area you want to specialize in and reflect on why it matters to you.

• Reflect on the topics or themes that you’ve focused on in your studies. What draws you to them?
• Discuss any academic achievements, influential teachers, or other highlights of your education.
• Talk about the questions you’d like to explore in your research and why you think they’re important.

The personal statement isn’t a research proposal , so don’t go overboard on detail—but it’s a great opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the field and your capacity for original thinking.

In applying for this research program, my intention is to build on the multidisciplinary approach I have taken in my studies so far, combining knowledge from disparate fields of study to better understand psychological concepts and issues. The Media Psychology program stands out to me as the perfect environment for this kind of research, given its researchers’ openness to collaboration across diverse fields. I am impressed by the department’s innovative interdisciplinary projects that focus on the shifting landscape of media and technology, and I hope that my own work can follow a similarly trailblazing approach. More specifically, I want to develop my understanding of the intersection of psychology and media studies, and explore how media psychology theories and methods might be applied to neurodivergent minds. I am interested not only in media psychology but also in psychological disorders, and how the two interact. This is something I touched on during my undergraduate studies and that I’m excited to delve into further.

Strategy 4: Discuss your professional ambitions

Especially if you’re applying for a more professionally-oriented program (such as an MBA), it’s a good idea to focus on concrete goals and how the program will help you achieve them.

• If your career is just getting started, show how your character is suited to the field, and explain how graduate school will help you develop your talents.
• If you have already worked in the profession, show what you’ve achieved so far, and explain how the program will allow you to take the next step.
• If you are planning a career change, explain what has driven this decision and how your existing experience will help you succeed.

Don’t just state the position you want to achieve. You should demonstrate that you’ve put plenty of thought into your career plans and show why you’re well-suited to this profession.

One thing that fascinated me about the field during my undergraduate studies was the sheer number of different elements whose interactions constitute a person’s experience of an urban environment. Any number of factors could transform the scene I described at the beginning: What if there were no bus route? Better community outreach in the neighborhood? Worse law enforcement? More or fewer jobs available in the area? Some of these factors are out of the hands of an urban planner, but without taking them all into consideration, the planner has an incomplete picture of their task. Through further study I hope to develop my understanding of how these disparate elements combine and interact to create the urban environment. I am interested in the social, psychological and political effects our surroundings have on our lives. My studies will allow me to work on projects directly affecting the kinds of working-class urban communities I know well. I believe I can bring my own experiences, as well as my education, to bear upon the problem of improving infrastructure and quality of life in these communities.

Tips for the main body

• Don’t rehash your resume by trying to summarize everything you’ve done so far; the personal statement isn’t about listing your academic or professional experience, but about reflecting, evaluating, and relating it to broader themes.
• Do make your statements into stories: Instead of saying you’re hard-working and self-motivated, write about your internship where you took the initiative to start a new project. Instead of saying you’ve always loved reading, reflect on a novel or poem that changed your perspective.

Your conclusion should bring the focus back to the program and what you hope to get out of it, whether that’s developing practical skills, exploring intellectual questions, or both.

Emphasize the fit with your specific interests, showing why this program would be the best way to achieve your aims.

Strategy 1: What do you want to know?

If you’re applying for a more academic or research-focused program, end on a note of curiosity: what do you hope to learn, and why do you think this is the best place to learn it?

If there are specific classes or faculty members that you’re excited to learn from, this is the place to express your enthusiasm.

Strategy 2: What do you want to do?

If you’re applying for a program that focuses more on professional training, your conclusion can look to your career aspirations: what role do you want to play in society, and why is this program the best choice to help you get there?

Tips for the conclusion

• Don’t summarize what you’ve already said. You have limited space in a personal statement, so use it wisely!
• Do think bigger than yourself: try to express how your individual aspirations relate to your local community, your academic field, or society more broadly. It’s not just about what you’ll get out of graduate school, but about what you’ll be able to give back.

You’ll be expected to do a lot of writing in graduate school, so make a good first impression: leave yourself plenty of time to revise and polish the text.

Your style doesn’t have to be as formal as other kinds of academic writing, but it should be clear, direct and coherent. Make sure that each paragraph flows smoothly from the last, using topic sentences and transitions to create clear connections between each part.

Don’t be afraid to rewrite and restructure as much as necessary. Since you have a lot of freedom in the structure of a personal statement, you can experiment and move information around to see what works best.

Finally, it’s essential to carefully proofread your personal statement and fix any language errors. Before you submit your application, consider investing in professional personal statement editing . For $150, you have the peace of mind that your personal statement is grammatically correct, strong in term of your arguments, and free of awkward mistakes.

A statement of purpose is usually more formal, focusing on your academic or professional goals. It shouldn’t include anything that isn’t directly relevant to the application.

A personal statement can often be more creative. It might tell a story that isn’t directly related to the application, but that shows something about your personality, values, and motivations.

However, both types of document have the same overall goal: to demonstrate your potential as a graduate student and s how why you’re a great match for the program.

The typical length of a personal statement for graduate school applications is between 500 and 1,000 words.

Different programs have different requirements, so always check if there’s a minimum or maximum length and stick to the guidelines. If there is no recommended word count, aim for no more than 1-2 pages.

If you’re applying to multiple graduate school programs, you should tailor your personal statement to each application.

Some applications provide a prompt or question. In this case, you might have to write a new personal statement from scratch: the most important task is to respond to what you have been asked.

If there’s no prompt or guidelines, you can re-use the same idea for your personal statement – but change the details wherever relevant, making sure to emphasize why you’re applying to this specific program.

If the application also includes other essays, such as a statement of purpose , you might have to revise your personal statement to avoid repeating the same information.

If you want to know more about college essays , academic writing , and AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

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How to write an excellent personal statement in 10 steps

Stand out from the crowd: here's how to write a good personal statement that will get you noticed

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Your personal statement forms a core part of your university application, and the sooner you get going, the better you can make it. You may think that your personal statement won’t matter as much to unis as your grades and experience but a great personal statement could make all the difference between you and a candidate with the same grades. Sure, your application might not reach that deal breaker stage. But is it something you want to leave to chance?  Here we’ll take you through the process of planning, writing and checking a good personal statement, so you end up with something you can submit with confidence. And to make sure the advice we're giving you is sound, we’ve spoken to admissions staff at loads of UK universities to get their view. Look out for video interviews and advice on applying for specific subjects throughout this piece or watch our personal statement playlist on YouTube .

• Are you looking for personal statement examples? Check our library of hundreds of real personal statements, on The Student Room

Personal statement deadlines

You'll need to make sure you've got your personal statement written well in advance of your application deadline. Below are the main university application deadline dates for 2024 entry.

2024 entry deadlines

16 October 2023: Deadline for applications to Oxford and Cambridge universities, along with most medicine, dentistry, and veterinary courses.   31 January 2024: Deadline for applications to the majority of undergraduate courses. After this date, universities will start allocating places on these courses –   but you can still apply after the 31 January deadline , as this article explains . 30 June 2024:  Students who apply after this date will be entered into Clearing .

• Read more: Ucas deadlines and key application dates

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is a central part of your Ucas application, where you explain why you’ve chosen a particular course and why you’ll be good at it. It's your chance to stand out against other candidates and hopefully get that all-important offer. You only write one personal statement which is then read by each university you apply to, so if you are applying for more than one subject (or it's a combined course) it's crucial that you include common themes or reference the overall skills needed for all subjects. Personal statements are especially important if you’re trying to get on a very competitive course, where you need to do anything you can to stand out to admissions tutors. Courteney Sheppard, senior customer experience manager at Ucas, advises that your personal statement is "the only part of the application that you have direct control over. Do lots of research to demonstrate your passion, curiosity and drive to pursue your chosen subject." There’s a limit on how much you can write: your personal statement can be up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines of 95 characters (including spaces); whichever is shorter. This may appear generous (read: long) but once you've got going you may find yourself having to edit heavily.

• Read more: teacher secrets for writing a great personal statement

1. Plan what you want to cover

The first thing you need to do is make a plan. Writing a personal statement off the top of your head is difficult. Start by making some notes, answering the following questions:

• What do you want to study?
• Why do you want to study it?
• What is there about you that shows you’re suited to studying this subject at university? Think about your personality, as well as your experiences.
• What are your other interests and skills?

These few points are going to form the spine of your personal statement, so write them in a way that makes sense to you. You might want to make a simple bulleted list or you might want to get all arty and use a mindmap. Whatever you choose, your aim is the same. You want to get it clear in your own head why a university should offer you a place on its course. Getting those details down isn't always easy, and some people find it helpful to make notes over time. You might try carrying a notebook with you or set up a memo on your phone. Whenever you think of something useful for your personal statement, jot it down. Inspiration sometimes comes more easily when you’re thinking about something else entirely. It might help to take a look at The Student Room for some sample personal statements by university and sample personal statements by subjects , to give you an idea of the kind of thing you want to include. 

• Read more: personal statement FAQs

2. Show off your experience

Some things are worth adding to your personal statement, some things are not. Firmly in the second camp are your qualifications. You don’t need to mention these as there’s a whole other section of your personal statement where you get to detail them very precisely. Don’t waste a single character going on about how great your GCSE grades are – it’s not what the admissions tutor wants to read. What they do want to see is: what have you done? OK, so you’ve got some good grades, but so do a lot of other applicants. What have you done that’s different, that shows you off as someone who really loves the subject you’re applying for? Spend some time thinking about all the experience you have in that subject. If you’re lucky, this might be direct work experience. That’s going to be particularly appropriate if you’re applying for one of the more vocational subjects such as medicine or journalism . But uni staff realise getting plum work experience placements is easier for some people than others, so cast your net wider when you’re thinking about what you’ve done. How about after-school clubs? Debating societies? Are you running a blog or vlog? What key skills and experience have you picked up elsewhere (eg from hobbies) that could be tied in with your course choice? Remember, you’re looking for experience that shows why you want to study your chosen subject. You’re not just writing an essay about what you're doing in your A-level syllabus. Use this checklist as a guide for what to include:

• Your interest in the course. Why do you want to spend three years studying this subject at university?
• What have you done outside school or college that demonstrates this interest? Think about things like fairs/exhibitions, public lectures or voluntary work that is relevant to your subject.
• Relevant work experience (essential for the likes of medicine, not required for non-vocational courses such as English )
• Skills and qualities required for that career if appropriate (medicine, nursing and law as obvious examples)
• Interest in your current studies – what particular topics have made an impression on you?
• Any other interests/hobbies/experiences you wish to mention that are relevant either to the subject or 'going to uni'. Don't just list your hobbies, you need to be very selective and state clearly what difference doing these things has made to you.
• Plans for a gap year if you’re deferring entry.

Read more: 6 steps you need to take to apply to university

3. Be bold about your achievements

Don't be bashful about your achievements; that’s not going to help you get into uni. It's time to unleash your inner Muhammed Ali and get all “I am the greatest” with your writing. Do keep it focused and accurate. Do keep your language professional. But don’t hide your qualities beneath a layer of false modesty. Your personal statement is a sell – you are selling yourself as a brilliant student and you need to show the reader why that is true. This doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and if you’re finding it difficult to write about how great you are it’s time to enlist some help. Round up a friend or two, a family member, a teacher, whoever and get them to write down your qualities. Getting someone else’s view here can help you get some perspective. Don’t be shy. You are selling your skills, your experience and your enthusiasm – make sure they all leap off the screen with the way you have described them.

• Read more: the ten biggest mistakes when writing your personal statement  

4. How to start your personal statement

Type your personal statement in a cloud-based word processing program, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word and don’t copy and paste it into Ucas Hub until it’s finished.  One of the benefits of doing it this way is that you can run spell check easily. (Please note, though, that Word adds "curly" quotation marks and other characters (like é or ü) that won't show up on your Ucas form, so do proofread it on Ucas Hub before submitting it to ensure it is how you typed it.)  Another big benefit is that you'll always have a backup of what you've written. If you're being super careful, you could always save your statement in another place as well. Bear in mind that extra spaces (eg adding spaces to the beginnings of paragraphs as indentation) are removed on Ucas. In your first sentence, cut to the chase. Why do you want to do the course? Don’t waste any time rambling on about the daydreams you had when you were five. Just be clear and concise – describe in one line why this course is so important to you. Then, in the rest of your intro, go into more detail in demonstrating your enthusiasm for the course and explaining how you decided this is what you want to do for the next three or more years. However you choose to start your statement, just avoid the following hoary old chestnuts. These have been some of the most used lines in personal statements over the years – they are beyond cliche, so don’t even think about it.

• From a young age I have (always) been [interested in/fascinated by]…
• For as long as I can remember, I have…
• I am applying for this course because… 
• I have always been interested in… 
• Throughout my life I have always enjoyed… 
• Reflecting on my educational experiences… 
• [Subject] is a very challenging and demanding [career/profession/course]… 
• Academically, I have always been… 
• I have always wanted to pursue a career in… 
• I have always been passionate about…   

5. Focus your writing on why you've chosen that subject

So you’ve got your intro done – time to nail the rest of it. Bear in mind that you’ve got to be a little bit careful when following a personal statement template. It’s easy to fall into the trap of copying someone else’s style, and in the process lose all of your own voice and personality from your writing. But there is a rough order that you can follow, which should help keep you in your flow. After your opening paragraph or two, get into any work experience (if you’ve got it). Talk about extracurriculars: anything you've done which is relevant to the subject can go here – hobbies, interests, volunteering. Touch on your career aspirations – where do you want this course to take you? Next, show your enthusiasm for your current studies. Cite some specific examples of current work that you enjoyed. Show off your relevant skills and qualities by explaining how you’ve used these in the past. Make sure you’re giving real-world examples here, not just vague assertions like “I’m really organised and motivated”. Try to use examples that are relevant.   Follow this up with something about you as a person. Talk about non-academic stuff that you like to do, but link it in some way with the course, or with how it shows your maturity for dealing with uni life. Round it all off by bringing your main points together, including a final emphasis of your commitment to studying this particular course.

• Read more: how to write your personal statement in an evening  

6. How long should a personal statement be?

You've got to work to a very specific limit when writing your personal statement. In theory you could use up to 4,000 characters – but you’re probably more likely to be limited by the line count. That's because it's a good idea to put line breaks in between your paragraphs (to make it more readable) and you only get a maximum of 47 lines. With this in mind, 3,500 characters is a more realistic limit. But when you’re getting started you should ignore these limits completely. At first, you just want to get down everything that you feel is important. You'll probably end up with something that is far too long, but that's fine. This is where you get to do some polishing and pruning. Keep the focus of your piece on the course you’re applying for, why you want to do it and why you’re perfectly suited to it. Look through what you’ve written so far – have you got the balance right? Chop out anything that goes on a bit, as you want each point to be snappy and succinct.

• Read more: universities reveal all about personal statements  

7. Keep it simple

8. Smart ways to end your personal statement

Writing a closing line that you’re happy with can feel as tricky as coming up with your opener. What you’re looking for here is a sign-off that is bold and memorable. The final couple of sentences in your statement give you the opportunity to emphasise all the good stuff you’ve already covered. Use this space to leave the reader in no doubt as to what an excellent addition you would be to their university. Pull together all your key points and – most importantly – address the central question that your personal statement should answer: why should you get a place on the course?

• Read more: universities explain how to end your personal statement with a bang  

9. Make sure your personal statement has no mistakes

Now you’ve got a personal statement you’re happy with, you need to make sure there are no mistakes. Check it, check it a second time, then check it again. Once you’ve done that, get someone else to check it, too. You will be doing yourself a massive disservice if you send through a personal statement with spelling and/or grammatical errors. You’ve got months to put this together so there really is no excuse for sending through something that looks like a rush job. Ask your teachers to look at it, and be prepared to accept their feedback without getting defensive. They will have seen many personal statements before; use what they tell you to make yours even better. You’ve also got another chance here to look through the content of your personal statement, so you can make sure the balance is right. Make sure your focus is very clearly on the subject you are applying for and why you want to study it. Don’t post your personal statement on the internet or social media where anyone can see it. You will get picked up by the Ucas plagiarism checker. Similarly, don't copy any that you find online. Instead, now is a good time to make your parents feel useful. Read your personal statement out to them and get them to give you feedback. Or try printing it out and mixing it up with a few others (you can find sample personal statements on The Student Room). Get them to read them all and then try to pick yours out. If they can't, perhaps there's not enough of your personality in there.  

10. Don't think about your personal statement for a whole week

If you followed the advice at the very start of this guide, you’ve started your personal statement early. Good job! There are months before you need to submit it. Use one of these weeks to forget about your personal statement completely. Get on with other things – anything you like. Just don’t go near your statement. Give it a whole week and then open up the document again and read through it with fresh eyes. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on what you’ve written and will be well placed to make more changes, if needed.

• Read more: how to write your personal statement when you have nothing interesting to say  

10 steps to your ideal personal statement

In summary, here are the ten steps you should follow to create the perfect personal statement.  

Personal statement dos and don'ts

• Remember that your personal statement is your personal statement, not an article written about your intended field of study. It should tell the reader about you, not about the subject.
• Only put in things that you’re prepared to talk about at the interviews.
• Give convincing reasons for why you want to study the course – more than just "enjoying the subject" (this should be a given).
• For very competitive courses, find out as much as you can about the nature of the course and try to make your personal statement relevant to this.
• Be reflective. If you make a point like 'I like reading', 'I travelled abroad', say what you got from it.
• Go through the whole thing checking your grammar and your spelling. Do this at least twice. It doesn’t matter if you’re not applying to an essay-based course – a personal statement riddled with spelling mistakes is just going to irritate the reader, which is the last thing you want to do. If this is something you find difficult then have someone look over it for you.
• Leave blank lines between your paragraphs. It’s easier for the reader to get through your personal statement when it’s broken into easily digestible chunks. Remember that they’re going to be reading a lot of these! Make yours easy to get through.
• Get someone else's opinion on your statement. Read it out to family or friends. Share it with your teacher. Look for feedback wherever you can find it, then act upon it.
• Don’t write it like a letter. Kicking off with a greeting such as "Dear Sir/Madam" not only looks weird, it also wastes precious space.
• Don’t make jokes. This is simply not the time – save them for your first night in the union.
• Don’t criticise your current school or college or try to blame teachers for any disappointing grades you might have got.
• Be afraid of details – if you want your PS to be personal to you that means explaining exactly which bits of work or topics or activities you've taken part in/enjoyed. It's much more compelling to read about one or two detailed examples than a paragraph that brushes over five or six.
• Just list what you're doing now. You should pull out the experiences that are relevant to the courses which you're applying to.
• Mention skills and activities without giving examples of when they have been demonstrated by you or what you learnt from them. Anyone can write "I have great leadership skills" in a PS, actually using a sentence to explain when you demonstrated good leadership skills is much rarer and more valuable.
• Refer to experiences that took place before your GCSEs (or equivalent).
• Give explanations about medical or mental health problems. These should be explained in your reference, not your PS.
• Apply for too many different courses, making it difficult to write a convincing personal statement which supports the application.
• Write a statement specific to just one institution, unless you're only applying to that one choice.
• Copy and paste the statement from somewhere else! This means do not plagiarise. All statements are automatically checked for plagiarism by Ucas. Those that are highlighted by the computer system are checked manually by Ucas staff. If you’re found to have plagiarised parts of your statement, the universities you apply to will be informed and it could jeopardise your applications.
• Use ChatGPT or another AI program to write your personal statement for you. Or, if you do, make sure you thoroughly edit and personalise the text so it's truly yours. Otherwise you're very much at risk of the plagiarism point above.

You may want to look at these...

How to write your university application.

Tips for writing your university application, including deadlines and personal statements

What to do if you miss the 25 January Ucas deadline and still want to apply to uni

How long does it take for universities to reply to your application?

It might feel like it's taking forever for your uni offers to come through. Find out what's going on, and when you should hear back

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How to Write a Resume Personal Statement

What is a resume personal statement?

A resume personal statement expresses who you are, where you’ve been, and sometimes where you plan to go next right at the top of your resume.

Everyone has different circumstances, so the personal statement helps to orient a potential future boss in terms of what they are about to read in the resume. Think about what you would like to share that matters to you. This space is particularly useful if you are changing industries , coming back in to the employment market or looking for a promotion. Your shop window starts here. The personal statement may be the only thing than an employer reads.

The resume personal statement hooks in a reader, influencing them to read more. So, how do you write a resume personal statement that is both natural and grabs an employer’s attention? Offer them a brief insight into who you are and why you would be a fantastic hire. So what do you write in a personal statement for a job?

This guide will cover:

• The basic formatting of a personal statement: How to tailor your personal statement to give you a competitive advantage
• Personal statement examples you should (and shouldn’t) use
• Practical steps for getting started on your resume personal statement

The personal statement format

The personal statement is a short paragraph that sits right below your contact information at the top of a resume . It sums up your experience, goals and skills with confidence. Think of your resume’s personal statement like an extended tagline for your career. A resume personal statement should include:

• Between 50 and 200 words in 3 - 4 sentences
• Your title or function, for example “Junior developer” or “Passionate hospitality manager”
• An opening hook
• Soft skills and hard skills
• Impressive facts and stats
• Your short and/or long-term goals
• Job-specific slant for the position you’re applying to

This may seem like a lot to cram into 200 words but perfecting your elevator pitch shows that you have a firm grasp of why your experience, goals, and skills make you the perfect fit for the job. Go all out to make this as fitting for each role as possible. Too often candidates come up with what they see as the perfect introduction to them and forget about how a hiring manager for each specific role might read it. Be flexible with the personal statement. It might not present the very best version of you - it should present the best version of you for this particular role.

This brief introduction is only a short piece of text, it is not disruptive and in many cases even serves as a welcome addition to what is otherwise a dry and impersonal document. It should be clear to you by now how we feel about the personal statement: Include it, especially because it allows you that bit of creativity that may make all the difference. Adopt a conversational tone and consider using the first person for these few lines. Third person (past tense) is standard for resumes, but if you want to go personal, this is where to do it.

How do I start my personal statement? How do you not start a personal statement? Even with a personal statement of 3-4 lines, sometimes the first sentence is the hardest. Even the first few words can have a disproportionate effect on how your personal statement is viewed. Your starting "hook" should make your fit with the role clear and specific. Use an example that is as unique to you as possible - you have to make your future employer sit up and pay attention. The first word of your personal statement should never be "I" - a great resume explores the potential of a common partnership and should not be a uni-directional monologue.

Align your resume’s personal statement with the job description

The hiring manager delicately chose every word in their job description. Gather clues from its tone, which skills they highlight, and any hints that point toward their dream employee. One of the top resume tips from HR managers is to include relevant keywords specific to the job posting itself as well as the actual wording of the job title .

What would this job description look like in 3 - 4 sentences? What keywords, skills, and tone would the job description have?

While still sticking to the facts about who you are and your experiences, your resume personal statement should highlight as many similarities with the job description as possible. When the hiring manager reads the first few sentences in your resume, they feel like you are exactly the person they were describing when they wrote the job description.

Position of the personal statement

Recruiters still prefer to see a candidate's personal details at the top (or running along a column on either side) of the resumes that cross their desk. This allows them to quickly search through the resumes that Applicant Tracking Systems have sorted into their virtual “yes” pile. You do not want your (relatively modern) personal statement to get in the way of this tradition. 

The best place to put your statement is after your personal details (if they are at the top) and before your employment history section. Remember that the length of your resume is important. If you have already been very selective and cannot possibly leave out any more information and if adding your personal statement means your resume spills over onto a third page, you may consider not including your statement for the position in question. This ensures you comply with the unwritten rule that a resume should not be longer than two pages.

What is a good personal statement length? 200 words is the maximum suggested length, but if you go with one powerful sentence that you want the hiring manager to remember for the rest of the interview process, then why not? Less is more, but you have to be confident in your application to go with this option.

Plan to write your resume personal statement last

Instead of getting stuck at the beginning trying to write the perfect statement, skip this section and jump right into your employment history first. Once you’ve added your relevant work experiences , take a look at your keywords, phrases and skills from your past positions.

Your complete work history and the job description for the job you want are the foundations for your personal statement. By writing your resume personal statement last, it should be easier to get started once you have the right inspiration.

It might be the case that you leave a certain number of lines for the personal statement on your resume and write an individual statement for each role. You will often have a public version of your resume that is accessible on job boards (etc), so there should still be an "ideal" personal statement version.

How do I write a resume from scratch? While it is good advice to write the resume personal statement after your have written the resume itself (giving your brain a chance to ponder your true highlights), starting writing a resume is a mammoth task in itself. There are many useful pieces of advice when sitting down to write a resume, but for me, the key is to think about the reflecting the combination of what you are good at, what you enjoy and how those things will contribute to the direction of your career. For sure, be honest about your experience, but there has to be a creative flavour of ensuring that your past adequately reflects where you want to go.

Check out resume personal statement examples

Before you dive into writing, get a sense for different rhythms and layouts by checking these resume personal statement examples. How do you write a good personal statement?

Let's start with the basics. Since every person is unique, all personal statements should be unique too. You should, therefore, resist the urge to (largely) copy someone else's existing statement. This is the only spot on your resume to let your voice be heard, so try to write something that would prompt a friend to exclaim, “That sounds like something you’d say!” while, of course, keeping it professional.

Example. Innovative Executive Assistant with 10+ years of experience with global financial firm assisting a team of three C-Level directors. Expertly coordinate travel, manage large-scale expense reports, and streamline communication and calendars across departments..Seeking an Executive Assistant role with the Resume.io team to expand my office management career and thrive in an environment that requires independent problem-solving skills and focus under short deadlines.

The example above does the following things:

• States their title in the first sentence
• Includes specifics such as team size and duties
• Succinctly sums up major responsibilities and skills
• Highlights hard skills —experience arranging travel and expense reports—as well as soft skills —grace under pressure, attention to detail and communication.
• Specifically tailors the final statement with the company and/or job description

Here are a few more resume personal statement examples:

Experienced Digital Marketing Manager with five years of expertise in heading up a global firm. Increased inbound leads by 500% and raised online sales from 100,000 annually to over 2 million in a three-year period. Looking to grow career by applying skills to the Resume.io marketing team.

Straight to the point and accomplishment focused, without the use of “I”. Now let’s look at a less effective example:

I have worked as a Digital Marketing Manager for five years. During this time I have been an important and hard-working member of the team and showed my ability to work under pressure to deliver on company targets. I am looking to bring my skills to a new role in digital marketing.

Generic and ignores accomplishments. Also, too many uses of “I” in a passive voice.

Next is an example of a personal statement that focuses more on career objectives . A career objective can be used as a way to get across your skills and experience, without the personal bit. It’s a good option if you’re an entry-level candidate or college graduate without a lot of experience in the industry you’re applying for. The idea is, because you don’t have the relevant experience to talk about, you pull skills and experience from other areas of your resume so you can show you have what it takes.

Keep your career objective brief — 2-3 sentences max — following the same rules as the personal statement.

Content writer with three years' experience in a large e-commerce company. Delivered content that grew brand social presence to over 700,000 across three channels and improved email open rates by 48%. Looking to further career by joining the Resume.io as an SEO Executive.

See how it uses transferable skills? Combining these with numbers makes them all the more impressive.

And a less effective resume personal statement example:

I am a content writer looking to secure a role as an SEO Executive. While I have no experience in this field and am a dedicated individual and a keen learner. My enjoyment of how search engines work will help me excel in your company.

There’s not enough here to capture attention and it doesn’t sell transferable skills. Whichever type of opening statement you go for, if you have numbers to show, make them count.

Writing your personal profile resume

Always write the first draft of a personal profile resume without editing. Don’t worry about length or word choice in the first pass. Brag about yourself, be proud of your accomplishments , and add in all of your most impressive stats.

Some of the best writing happens without editing too soon, so don’t worry about sounding over the top or egotistical, that’s what editing your personal profile resume is for. If the goal is to get 3 - 4 perfect sentences, it’s likely your first draft will be closer to 6 - 8, maybe even longer. Then consider which parts are closest to helping you get the job and cull the rest. It might seem brutal, but brevity is critical at the top of your personal profile.

Polish your personal statement and experiment

Once you’ve narrowed your focus, use the following questions to help you review your work and edit your statement:

Is my first sentence clear and concise? The opening line should state your position and use strong, enthusiastic language to hook in the reader. It often includes years of experience as well.

Is it direct opposed to passive? A strong sense of self comes through in a personal statement. Instead of sentences that begin with “I believe I am…” or “I enjoy…” be bold. Get right to the point and take ownership of your skills .

Does it include objective information? For this one, try to get inside the hiring manager’s mind. If you were filling this role, what boxes would you need to check off? The second and third sentence often include specific skills, facts or figures to support this need.

Does it read naturally? Even with all these specifics, the statement should still be easy to understand and have a natural rhythm when read aloud. Cut out any jargon that acts as filler or that changes your tone. Formality may vary from company to company, but personal statements should always reflect the type of employee or person you are.

What are three tips for writing a personal statement?

• Make sure that your personality comes across in the writing.
• Quantify any accomplishments and include financials where possible.
• If you are at a moment of career change, don't fail to mention your goals.

Common mistakes in personal statements

When writing your personal statement, beware of platitudes. These are clichéd expressions that have become meaningless from overuse. They induce recruiters to roll their eyes and move on to the next candidate. Think of such terms as “an administrative jack-of-all-trades” or “a cog in the wheel’ and being ready for a “new challenge.”  Definitely avoid this list of human resources’ most hated resume phrases. 

Try to be original in your choice of words and ask a friend or family member to take a critical look at your personal statement when you are done. By the way, you should always have someone proofread your entire resume when you think you are ready to send it.

Some people call their personal statements " resume objectives ." This is something else entirely. A resume objective is required when a candidate needs to project their hopes for their next role that differe from their previous experience a little. This objective can then be used to outline the motivations behind a career change and is also common with early-career professionals. 

Does a personal statement need a title? Some resume templates might call the opening statement a summary and others may exclude a description entirely. Either option is fine as employers are conditioned to expect a few lines at the to of a resume to serve as a headline for your job application.

What do employers expect from your resume opening statement?

Sometimes it is useful to consider job seeking activity from the point of view of the end hiring managers. External recruiters are important people to impress, but it is the employers that will be making the ultimate hiring decision. They will be reading lots of resumes, so what would they want to read in your resume opening statement?

• They will want the resume opening statement to be written for them. When you are on the hunt for a new member of your professional family, an intensely personal connection is vital from the first lines.
• They will expect a quantifiable context to your resume opening statement. Impressive words come easily when you really need a job, but backing them up with numbers to demonstrate their scale is less simple.
• They will expect to be impressed. If you cannot impress a specific employer for a specific role with the first lines of your resume, then the role is almost certainly not for you. Nothing to shout about? Move on.

Key takeaways

Think of your CV personal statement as the first 2 minutes of an interview—whether on the phone or in person. The HR manager asks you to “tell me a little about yourself,” and you have a quick minute to set the tone for the rest of the conversation. Similarly, the CV personal statement should include:

• A natural, yet professional CV tone that reflects your personality
• The top reasons your experience makes you a unique fit for this position
• Why this role aligns with your career plans
• Facts and data on your CV that back up your earlier points

Crafting a personal statement for each role will cause some serious thought. What is your essential fit for the role that will make a hiring manager sit up and think "wow, I need to have them on my team?" What would you want to read if you were in their shoes. You will definitely have lots to say, but keep it simple and powerful.

One more good CV statement example:

Expert SEO copywriter with a decade of B2C and B2B experience across three industries. Versatile in writing social, website and long-form copy to convey each brand’s unique tone and message. I cultivated 15 new clients in two years and grew readership by over 200%. I am now seeking to expand my editing and content creation expertise in a Marketing Manager position.

Once you’ve mastered writing your CV personal statement, this clear sense of who you are and what you want will prepare you to pitch yourself during interviews.

13 Mistakes Students Make When Writing a Personal Statement

#scribendiinc

Need help writing a personal statement? You came to the right place!

We've seen everything here at Scribendi, which means we know what makes a good personal statement and what makes a bad one. The bad news is that there's a very fine line. The good news is that we've compiled a list of common mistakes that students make when writing a personal statement. Now, you can learn from the mistakes of others so you don't have to learn them the hard way.

1. Ignoring the rules

If there's one time to think inside the box when writing a personal statement, it's with the technical rules. If there's a required word count, stay inside of it, whatever you do. If they want a specific font type or size, don't try to wow them with your downloaded font pack. If they need a specific file type, make sure your document is in it.

It sounds obvious, but little details like these can be easily overlooked. They're also the first step to getting your foot in the door and onto the desks of the application committee, so color inside of the lines. Doing so will prove that you know how to follow guidelines. Not doing so will get your personal statement a reserved spot in the trash.

2. Failing to answer the question

It's easy to derail from the topic at hand or to answer a question with which you feel more comfortable than the original question posed. However, it's so important to stay on track and show that you are more than equipped to deal with whatever is thrown at you. First, provide an interesting hook—a succinct and engaging sentence to draw readers in and make them want to read more. Then, ensure you follow a clear structure and present a logical flow of thoughts. When answering the question, get to the point as quickly as you can, and stay relevant. If you're not sure whether to include something, keep rereading the question or topic to make sure you're not off track.

3. Making it "one size fits all"

"One size fits all" isn't just a lie in the fashion industry; it's also a lie for personal statements. You shouldn't submit the same personal statement to multiple different schools, just changing the school and program names. Even though the application committee won't know this for sure, they'll get a sense that the whole statement is just a little too generic. Worse, you're proving to yourself that you don't have what it takes to write a different statement for each school, which is a little lazy and pretty insulting to the addressee. So don't do it!

Many hopeful students, especially at the post-grad level, make it a point to show they've done their homework, mentioning particular researchers at the school whom they'd love to work with. Remember that one size never fits all.

4. Taking the "personal" out of "personal statement"

Let's be honest. Nobody wants to hear about the rising tuition costs in America or how the field you're in is progressing at a steady pace. Generalized statements are a killer in personal statements because, of course, the focus should be on you. Talk about how these things affect you specifically. Make your personal statement personal!

Home in on a level of specificity, and keep zooming in until all of the broad statements are vanquished. Instead of talking about rising tuition costs, talk about how you worked two jobs to feed your cat.

On that note, though . . .

5. Telling a sob story

Don't tell a sob story. Everybody has one; it's part of being human.

But you can't let something bad that's happened to you become an excuse. You don't want to rely on it, and you don't want the application committee to think you're trying to gain pity, so it's important that you remain professional. If you have overcome a struggle or a tragedy and it has genuinely influenced or changed you, of course you can and should talk about it. However, try to put a new or positive spin on it when possible. Talk about how working those two jobs was worth it, the different things you learned from your two bosses, or how your experiences made you who you are today.

6. Blasting to the past

In writing a personal statement , you should present yourself as a well-rounded individual but outline your achievements in different areas like academics, athletics, the arts, and your work, volunteer, and social experiences. Make sure, though, that you've moved on from high school. Your experiences should be current and professional.

What you did last weekend is more important than a project you completed three years ago. The application committee wants to know who you are now, not who you once were. What will you do in your free time today, tomorrow, and in the future? It's important that the application committee gets a sense of who you really are.

7. Apologizing and making excuses

Maybe you lack experience. Maybe you've never had a job in your field, or you haven't volunteered enough. Maybe your marks fell halfway through school, or you lost a scholarship. Maybe you don't have any extracurricular activities to list, or you've been out of the game for a while. The worst thing you can do, when faced with these common problems, is to make excuses. Don't even make excuses when they're valid, and don't apologize. There are always explanations for doing poorly, doing nothing, or just not doing the right thing, but they should never be used as excuses. If you absolutely feel the need to address your mistakes, try to talk about what you've learned or how you've grown and changed for the better.

8. Putting on a show

Another common mistake on the flip side of the last is putting on a great big show. Drop the dramatics. If you haven't found a cure for the common cold, then don't act like you have. Can the over-the-top descriptors, adjectives, and adverbs, and let your accomplishments speak for themselves. Similarly, the jargon, the overly academic language, and the stuffy personality have all got to go. It's okay to keep your personal statement simple because that will make it genuine. Write like yourself, and the personal statement will not turn into a drama.

9. Taking the backseat

It's important, though, that you don't take the backseat. This is your personal statement. What is it about you that the application committee needs to know to understand who you are and how you function? How can you best demonstrate your strengths, achievements, and ability to overcome challenges? Which ones have made you the person you are? These are all worth considering.

There will be points where you have to brag a little bit, but do so subtly. Mentioning your achievements is important. Explaining how you made them and what you learned is more important.

10. Forgetting give and take

There's a very fine balance to strike in your personal statement, and it's one that's often overlooked. This is probably the most important tip! Here it is: you need to balance how you can benefit the school in question and how the school in question can benefit you. If you focus too much on the first, you'll come across as arrogant. If you focus too much on the second, you'll come across as desperate. So make sure you balance it out.

What does the school gain from accepting you? That's important to answer, and that's the whole point of writing a personal statement. Answering that question well will get you accepted. At the same time, you have to thoroughly explain what it is about the school that makes it so desirable. Without that, the application committee may believe that you don't think you need its school and that any school will suit your purposes fine. Make sure you give and take!

11. Failing to convey excitement

If you're enthusiastic about the prospect of attending a school, say so! Most students decide to apply for a program because they are excited about the material and the prospect of using the knowledge they'll gain in their future careers. You can also add a touch of altruism by explaining how you hope to harness your passion to help others. For example, if applying to a business program, express your excitement to take advantage of its prestigious alumni roster as well as your hope to help a particular nonprofit. Be specific about why you're excited about the opportunities a school or program will provide.

12. Turning into a cliche

Focus on highlighting unique experiences that could have only happened to you. This will help get your personal statement remembered and cared about. Show that you have energy and passion, that you are committed, and that you are unique (because you are). However, be humble. Unique does not mean "the best." There's always room for improvement, so instead of trying to sound like the best, try to sound irreplaceable. What makes your point of view your very own? That's what you want to demonstrate. Everybody's different, so make sure the application committee understands how you're different by the end of your essay.

13. Thinking it's finished when it's not

Here's the hard truth: one typo can make or break your personal statement. You need to have your personal statement edited and proofread, whether professionally or by a friend or colleague. Seriously, just do it. There's always, always room to improve. Even if you have flawless grammar and spelling (and no typos), perhaps you can work on clarity, tone, structure, or flow. Having others look at your document for you can provide a fresh perspective not unlike that of the application committee. An editor will not only improve the language in your piece but will also give you pointers on how to improve the content. Your personal statement isn't complete unless it's been edited!

Time to start writing!

Now that you know the common mistakes students make, you can avoid them. Writing a personal statement can be a little more than intimidating, but following these suggestions will at least put you ahead of the others. Here's to getting your personal statement on the top of the pile!

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Personal Statement: Top 10 Rules and Pitfalls

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Writing the Personal Statement: Top 10 Rules

• Strive for depth rather than breadth. Narrow focus to one or two key themes, ideas or experiences
• Try to tell the reader something that no other applicant will be able to say
• Provide the reader with insight into what drives you
• Be yourself, not the 'ideal' applicant
• Get creative and imaginative in the opening remarks, but make sure it's something that no one else could write
• Address the school's unique features that interest you
• Focus on the affirmative in the personal statement; consider an addendum to explain deficiencies or blemishes
• Evaluate experiences, rather than describe them
• Proofread carefully for grammar, syntax, punctuation, word usage, and style
• Use readable fonts, typeface, and conventional spacing and margins

Writing the Personal Statement: Top 10 Pitfalls

• Do not submit an expository resume; avoid repeating information found elsewhere on the application
• Do not use the same personal statement for each application. Generic statements are often obvious
• Do not preach to your reader. You can express opinions, but do not come across as fanatical or extreme
• Do not talk about money as a motivator
• Do not discuss systemic and social injustices simply as complaints, but as a relevant source of motivation for your overall goals and intended studies
• Do not remind the school of its rankings or tell them how good they are
• "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is..."
• "This question asks me to discuss..."
• "I would like to thank the admissions committee for considering my application."
• "It is my sincere hope that you will grant me the opportunity to attend your fine school."
• "In sum, there are three reasons why you should admit me..."
• Do not use unconventional and gimmicky formats and packages
• Do not submit supplemental materials unless they are requested
• Do not get the name of the school wrong
• Do not incorporate technical language or very uncommon words

Stewart, Mark Alan. Perfect Personal Statements. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1996.

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Personal Statement for College: 8 Common Mistakes to Avoid

September 20, 2016

Writing a good personal statement for college is a tricky task. There are endless ways to write a good essay, as well as endless ideas to draw upon from your own individual life. The smallest experience can be the perfect example of a stand-out quality you want to highlight, and sometimes it is difficult to pinpoint these good experiences to write about. A good personal statement for college is one that is unique, well-written, and demonstrates who you are. The key word here is personal.

But while most of your experiences, honors, and activities are fair game to that end, there are certain topics which are either overly used, poorly executed, poorly received, or a combination of all three. The following list outlines topics to avoid in your personal statement for college.

1. Writing your resumé twice makes you seem boring and uncreative

Perhaps the most common mistake that college applicants make is to re-write their resumé or activities list and call it a personal statement. This is bad for several reasons.

First, it gives admissions officers no information about you that they didn’t already have. In general, the less they know about you, the less likely you are to be admitted.

Second, rewriting your resumé makes you seem uncreative. If you are incapable of writing a 2-3 page paper that doesn’t repeat the other 12 pages you’ve sent the admissions office, then you seem uncreative, or, worse, lazy.

This does not mean that you cannot discuss activities or experiences which also appear on your application; indeed, you almost always should discuss activities and experiences which appear elsewhere. Your personal statement for college is a great time to reinforce and highlight your unique interests and views. However, those activities which you discuss must be related to the broader theme of your personal statement. They should not be a simple recitation of your most impressive awards, honors, etc.

2. Overcoming adversity is only a viable topic in your personal statement for college if you’ve actually overcome adversity

A classic mistake is for college applicants to “invent” adversity in their lives. This often takes the form of re-imagining a small set-back as being equivalent to a life of hardship and tribulation. Students might write about having difficulty in a class, failing a test, or being unpopular in middle school, as evidence that they too have overcome adversity. While it is certainly true that everyone experiences hardship differently, you must understand that from a third party perspective, these sorts of problems do not register as true adversity.

Thus, if you are going to discuss how you overcame adversity in your personal statement for college , be sure that you are discussing a matter with which anyone could sympathize.

On the other hand, if you had to work the night shifts of a part-time job to save up for college, you can feel fairly confident that most admissions officers will not question the challenges you’ve faced. In short, if you have to ask yourself, “Is this really adversity?” the answer is almost certainly no. Remember that you will be applying against individuals who have endured unquestionable adversity: people who have endured war, crippling disease, traumatic violence. That is the standard by which you should assess your struggles.

3. Save the diversity for the diverse candidates

If you lack genuine racial, ethnic, or national diversity, do not depict yourself otherwise in your personal statement. Many applicants try to trump up their distant and attenuated lineage, in the hopes of getting “diversity points” for their application. This is almost always a bad idea. Admissions officers are easily able to spot this sort of ploy for the “diversity points.” So, if your diversity isn’t related to succeeding in college, then it doesn’t belong in your personal statement. That being said, colleges do look for people with varied backgrounds and perspectives - i.e. diversity - so if you come from a unique background, then you should of course highlight this in your personal statement for college or elsewhere on your application.  

4. The “Injured Athlete” Cliché

“After years spent honing my talents, it was devastating to leave the team...”

This is one of the essay topics that appears so frequently in the average  personal statement for college  that they make every admissions officer’s eyes roll. Most students applying to college participate in athletics at some point throughout their high school careers. Many get injured. Unless you were the top Division I field hockey recruit in the country, steer clear of this topic (and even if you were, this topic is still clichéd). The “injured athlete” story is usually similar to the “overcoming adversity” motif. So, to reiterate, you need to make sure that the adversity you face is objectively true.  

5. The “International Sojourn or Tropical Vacation” Cliché

“I learned so much about Mexican culture during my extended stay in Cabo San Lucas.” It is worth noting that tons of students write about the time they spent traveling. For the most part, admissions officers can easily determine when these trips were glorified vacations and when they were meaningful academic, intellectual, or philosophical experiences. It is tempting to write about global connections and experiences in your personal statement for college , but unless your experience abroad was highly standout and unique, this topic is best to avoid because it is overdone.

6. The “Inspiring Relatives” Cliché

“My grandmother has an incredible life story.”

Most of us can relate to being inspired by someone close to us. Our family members have gone through great lengths to help us get to where we are are today. But recounting the great feats that your grandmother met to arrive successfully at the present moment is a bad idea. An admissions officer in most cases would commend your inspiring relative. But they are not evaluating your grandmother’s application. They want to find out about you. Your personal statement for college needs to be, first and foremost, personal . You should be the main character in your essay. Always.

7. Writing about middle school

If you write about your middle school achievements, admissions officers will think you have accomplished nothing of value in high school. Unless your achievements were truly outstanding (for example, you started a successful company that is still in place today), or if the topic you write about is ongoing and still relevant, you should avoid writing about middle school. It is a personal statement for college - make it personal, and make it relevant to college.

8. Trying to do too much

You have 650 words on your personal statement for college , which in the grand scheme of things, is not very many. There is certainly not enough space to highlight everything you have ever done or achieved. Instead, you should focus on choosing a specific time or experience or topic that can stand as an example of your interests and background more generally. In trying to accomplish too much, you will in turn, accomplish very little.

Every part of the application is important. Your GPA and standardized test scores qualify you for certain schools. But sometimes you don’t have the highest SAT score . You can still get into top schools by using your personal statement for college as a chance to set yourself apart. Draw from experiences that are unique, that are personal, and that clearly display your individual interests.

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How to Avoid the 7 Biggest Personal Statement Mistakes

During each application cycle — for college, a premed postbac , med school, residency, fellowship — you have to be good at writing personal statements. While the specifics will change a bit depending on where you are on your journey, there are certain tips you can use to improve the quality of your personal statements. In our experience working with pre-meds, pre-med post-bacs, and med students there are a lot of mistakes that students make regularly. You can easily avoid these and vastly improve your chances of getting an interview. Below are seven of the biggest personal statement mistakes we see applicants make and tips for how to improve your premed postbac or medical school personal statement.

1. Forgetting who your target audience is. 

If you’re a pre-med post-bac applicant, your target audience is an admissions officer/program director. These people see a ton of personal statements. And, yes, a lot of them are pretty similar. Your goal is to stand out, but you do not want to stand out too much. Nine times out of ten, attempts at originality will lose you points. Your goal is to tell a story that an admissions officer/program director has heard a hundred times before with your unique personal spin on it . What will get you points is knowing exactly what the program director wants to see and what they don’t want to see.

Here’s what they want: they want to see you are a normal, caring human being with normal human interests and a coherent story that explains why medicine is right for you. They do not want to learn things about you that would dissuade them from thinking you would be a good doctor. For instance, if you have hobbies that include binge drinking or playing video games 24/7, please don’t mention these in your personal statement. This sounds silly, but we have seen personal statements that include similar hobbies. Remember: if you don’t come off well in it, don’t mention it in your essay! If you have questions about whether something will sound good, consult people who have gone through the application process in the past for their advice.

2. Telling someone else’s story.

Many applicants use a large portion of their personal statement on anecdotes that focus on a patient, a parent, or grandparent. Often, this is a bout with illness. This is perfectly acceptable. The problem is when your essay becomes an essay about a parent/grandparent’s experience with illness, rather than about how their illness affected you. While it is okay to mention someone else’s story, remember to fit that story into your story. This is your personal statement. The way to focus on your story is to shorten anecdotes not directly related to you as much as possible. Then frame the story around what you saw and its impact on your decision to go into medicine.

3. Starting at the beginning.

Your childhood is likely not relevant to why you became a doctor. If your 7-year-old self’s love for dressing up with a stethoscope is why you are trying to become a doctor, you should seriously reconsider going to medical school. The truth is—particularly for post-bacc career changers—you did something else, and were not interested in medicine initially. Then, something changed and now you are interested in medicine. That is what admission’s officers want to hear about.

You studied German or Russian, worked for two years at a non-profit, eh? That’s interesting. Write down why you were interested in studying what you studied, what you did after that, what you learned from that experience, and then what happened to make you now interested in a different path. Explaining that transition is key. Bonus points for relating some aspect of your interest in previous stuff (say, teaching middle school) to the skills you will bring to medicine (say, being a leader, multitasking, promoting equity, etc). 

4. Oversharing.

You don’t need to explain ALL of the factors that led you to your med school decision. In fact, including 6 different threads that made you conclude that you should become a physician will likely confuse an admissions reader. In a cogent essay, it’s better to focus on one or two of the reasons you decided on medicine and then to tie those to your previous experiences. Coherent storytelling often requires this distillation process so that the reader (program director) can understand your decision-making clearly. 

5. Ignoring community service.

One of the most common mistakes applicants make is not focusing on community service in their personal statements. Community service is essential to being a physician. Or better put: the sort of person who cares enough to volunteer is the sort of person an admissions director wants to accept into a premed postbac program. For better or worse, this is why many premeds volunteer to begin with.

If you have done any recent community service, it’s important to link this to your why medicine story. You could say something like: at my position as a non-profit worker, I saw elderly individuals struggle with their activities of daily living. Afterwards, I decided to start volunteering at a nursing home/ hospice/whatever to try to support people in the same position. This linking of your consideration of medicine with a specific community service act is great for persuading admissions officers that you’re a good person and a reasonable medical school/ premed postbac candidate.

6. Being too abstract.

Your personal statement isn’t an essay about the etymology of the word doctor (yes, many applicants talk about this). Nor is it appropriate to get into the weeds about historical events. Try to stay personal! Remember this is a personal essay, which is about you and your experiences. This is not your thoughts on what doctors as an abstraction do. This is about specific doctors you worked with, what you admired about those specific doctors, and why you want to become one. A helpful way to be more specific is to frame sentences in this manner: “While shadowing, I observed Dr. so-and-so helping a patient which such-and-such. Through this experience, I learned XYZ about being a physician.” Then link what you learned to previous experiences you have had, or later experiences, such as deciding to do community service, where you developed these skills further. 

7. Being negative.

Program directors want to hear why you want to be a physician. They are not interested in how much you dislike working as a laboratory tech. The intricacies of what you hate about your current position are not only beside the point, but may be counterproductive. In fact, I would urge you to avoid saying anything you didn’t like about your previous experiences. It is much better to rephrase an experience you didn’t like as a learning opportunity where you found out what you want in a job.

For instance, “my experience working as an administrative assistant taught me that I wanted more direct personal connections with patients. I felt I could contribute more to patients directly rather than through administrative work.” This is better than saying “my job as an administrative assistant was emotionally deadening and I can’t imagine doing this for the next 20 years”. Try to imagine the program director’s spouse is [insert your previous career here] and proceed that way. That is, focus on what you learned about yourself. And be positive!

We hope you enjoyed these tips to improve your premed or med school personal statement. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at [email protected] .

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Most Common Personal Statement Mistakes

1. Writing a cover letter or résumé rundown

When you apply for a job, you write a cover letter to entice the hiring manager to look at your résumé. When you apply to law school, the admissions committee will look at your résumé no matter what. Your personal statement should tell a story that your résumé doesn’t.

Here’s an example of a personal statement written as a résumé rundown.

2. Making excuses

Do not explain why you performed poorly on the SATs, got rejected from your top-choice college, or did not earn the GPA you had hoped for. You can explain any mitigating circumstances in an addendum. Dwell on the positive.

3. Starting with a meaningful quote

Essays built around quotations are usually strained, boring, impersonal, and trite—plus they smell like high school.

4. Going for novelty

Don’t submit an essay in the form of a poem, play, or legal brief. Submit your essay in the form of an essay.

5. Dwelling on the distant past

If you are a college senior, it’s probably a mistake to set your whole essay in high school. If you’ve been out of college for more than a year, it’s probably a mistake to set your whole essay in college. It’s possible to write a great essay about high school or childhood; you just have to make sure you don’t seem like a victim of arrested development .

6. Writing about a disappointment as if it’s an obstacle

Asha Rangappa, Associate Dean of Admissions at Yale Law, explains this mistake in an excellent blog post. .

Illness, poverty, divorce, civil strife, abuse, and physical handicaps are obstacles. Flunking a math test, being rejected from Harvard, or losing a class election is a disappointment. Obstacles imperil your ability to survive or succeed. Disappointments, as Asha explains [1] , “are things you wanted but didn’t get.” They imperil nothing but your ego. When you write an essay about overcoming a disappointment, you don’t convey your resilience so much as your immaturity.

[1] Sadly, this article is no longer available to the public.

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Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS: The 10 Big Mistakes Students Should Avoid

James is senior content marketing manager at BridgeU. He writes and directs content for BridgeU's university partners and our community of international schools

• Writing a UCAS Personal Statement for a subject that isn’t the right fit
• Spelling & grammar mistakes
• Avoid pointless cliches
• Endlessly listing extracurriculars
• Over-using quotes or taking them out of context
• Telling the reader something they already know 
• Ignoring word limits
• Unnecessary origin stories
• Making things up
• Controversy

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Writing a UCAS Personal Statement requires a student to convey a lot of information in a short space of time. Mistakes are easy to make. Read our run down of the most common ones and how to avoid them

Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS is, in many ways, like asking a student to tell the story of their life in 4,000 characters or less. 

And if that sounds hard, it’s because it is. 

The UCAS Personal Statement is the  cornerstone of a UK university application . Students need to write a genuine, authoritative and compelling account of who they are and what they want from a UK university degree. They need to quickly grab the attention of the university admissions officer reading their Personal Statement, and they need to make sure they stand out from the hundreds of other applications that will be crossing that admission officer’s desk. 

In order to do this, the Personal Statement will require a student to master form, structure and content in such a way that makes their writing stand out. 

Understandably, students might feel an inordinate amount of pressure to get their Personal Statement right first time. 

Indeed, more often than not, it’s not a case of students being lazy when writing their UCAS Personal Statements. The problem is often that students will have a lot to say and will have put a lot of thought into their Statement, but may make some simple stylistic mistakes that could cost them when they finally submit their application. 

But if these mistakes are easy to make, they’re also easy to avoid. 

So we’re going to take you through the 10 most common (and potentially costly) mistakes that a student might make in their UCAS Personal Statement, and give you some tips on how to help your students avoid them. 

Bonus Resource –  To help your students avoid any major mistakes before they begin, our Personal Statement worksheet helps them to plan and write a truly compelling account of themselves.  Click here to download

1. Writing a UCAS Personal Statement for a subject that isn’t the right fit 

If students have done their research carefully and considerately, then this shouldn’t be a problem. Ideally, in the year leading up to the submission of the Personal Statement, your students will have shortlisted their university and course preferences to the point where they’re applying for a subject area they’re truly passionate about. 

But this first, major mistake is the natural conclusion of a student being pressured into a subject or career path by family, parents or even school peers. Hopefully this won’t happen – but if a student is writing their UCAS Personal Statement for a subject they’re not truly passionate about, then this should set off alarm bells. It will ultimately affect the quality of the Personal Statement. 

And, most importantly, admissions staff will easily spot a Personal Statement where the student’s heart isn’t in it. 

Top tip:  We at BridgeU are big fans of students finding their best-fit universities and courses (after all, it’s why we built our platform!). Students need to put a lot of time into making sure the UK course they are applying for is right for them. Starting a Personal Statement without having thoroughly researched university and course options is one of the most fundamental mistakes a student could make. 

2. Spelling & Grammar Mistakes 

This may seem like a rather obvious mistake, and one your students hopefully shouldn’t be making. 

But the tight time frames associated with a UCAS Personal Statement will make spelling and grammar mistakes more likely, especially if your students aren’t taking the time to proof-read their personal statement before submitting it. 

Spelling and grammar mistakes can really count against students, and can make their writing appear sloppy or poorly thought through. It’s an especially bad look if your students are applying for humanities or social sciences courses, or indeed any degree that requires a lot of extended writing! 

Top tip:  Encourage your students to print out their Personal Statement. Whilst we know that a lot of students do more things digitally these days (and BridgeU is an online platform after all!), reading a UCAS Personal Statement back as a living, printed document can really help students hone their eye for detail! 

3. Avoid exuberant language and pointless cliches 

“My love of Physics began when I used to look up at the night sky as a child, and found it simultaneously breath-taking and awe-inspiring.” 

“I’ve been passionate about the works of William Shakespeare since seeing my first production on stage. I’m fascinated by how Shakespeare remains relevant for today.” 

Can you see what’s wrong with these two examples? 

Whilst they are very positive and well-worded statements about why a student might want to study astrophysics, or Shakespearian literature, both these Personal Statement examples tip very quickly into cliche and generalisation. 

We’re not suggesting you shouldn’t encourage your students to use positive language when writing a UCAS Personal Statement, but this positive language needs to be backed up with clear, specific examples and rigorous analysis. 

Remember – the key to an excellent Personal Statement is showing, not telling. 

So why is Shakespeare still relevant to today? What specific examples could a student writing about a 16th century author use to demonstrate their relevance to the 21st century? 

Likewise, proclaiming a love for the wonders of the night sky is all well and good, but why did it make our example student want to study Physics? 

Top tip:  Encourage students to set a limit on the number of adjectives or descriptive phrases they use in their writing. It’s important to remember a Personal Statement has to accomplish a lot in a relatively short number of words. If students over-use words like ‘passionate’, ‘breathtaking’ and ‘awe-inspiring’ they’re just going to end up repeating themselves. 

4. Endlessly listing extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities are a vital part of any Personal Statement. If used in the right way, they can help a student to stand out, and seem like a more well-rounded person. Extracurriculars can also help to showcase valuable soft skills that universities value in their students. 

But there’s no point using extracurriculars like a grocery list. Students endlessly describing their extracurriculars will mean nothing if they don’t link them back to the overall narrative of the Personal Statement. 

Again, it’s about showing, not telling. Saying ‘I have captained my school football team for three years’ means nothing if the writer doesn’t explain this activity within the context of the Personal Statement. 

Top tip:  When planning their Personal Statement, students need to think about the extracurricular activities that can demonstrate soft skills. What did they learn from doing this particular extracurricular activity? Do they think it will set them apart in their overall application? If the answer is no, then it’s best not putting it in. 

5. Over-using quotes or taking them out of context

Remember what we said about exuberant language and cliches? 

It’s the same with the use of quotes. 

Quotes can be a powerful tool to back up any argument, be it in a UCAS Personal Statement or any other kind of essay. 

But quotes used clumsily can often have the opposite effect, and make the writer of a Personal Statement seem pretentious or just quoting for the sake of it. 

Many students may feel tempted to open their Personal Statement with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, or Martin Luther King. A student who is submitting an application for psychology may feel it necessary to begin their Personal Statement with a quote from Sigmund Freud. 

The trouble is that many UK university admissions tutors have probably seen the same quotes again and again. Again, if quotes aren’t used in context, or don’t serve the overall narrative of the Personal Statement, then it may be worth not putting them in. 

It’s also important to remember that universities want to hear from the student, not Sigmund Freud! If in doubt, a student writing a Personal Statement should use their own thoughts and insights, not someone else’s. 

Top tip:  Encourage students to use less well-known quotes in their Personal Statement. Quotes from less well-known, specialist thinkers within a subject discipline are more likely to show that a student is widely read and has a deep and rich knowledge of the subject they’re applying for. 

6. Telling the reader something they already know 

Demonstrating subject knowledge and background reading is vital for a UCAS Personal Statement. But this must fit in with the student’s overall story of  why  they want to study that particular degree. 

What students shouldn’t do is explain academic or scientific theories at length, or regurgitate existing arguments that have already been made by other writers in their chosen field of study. 

Students writing a UCAS Personal Statement need to operate from the assumption that the person reading it is probably an expert in their field. It’s only worth students talking about their wider reading, or their take on another piece of academic writing, if they can demonstrate its relevance to them. 

Top tip:  Students should avoid going into depth about other academic or scientific theories unless they have a bearing on the student’s own worldview, and can tell the reader something about why they want to study for that particular course. 

Video: Tips from UCAS on starting a Personal Statement

7. not paying attention to word/character limits .

It’s pretty hard to literally ignore the word/character limit for the UCAS Personal Statement, as there will come a point where students will simply run out of space. 

But some students can fail to pay attention to word/character limits to the extent that they don’t plan the form and structure of their UCAS Personal Statement properly. 

Planning the overall structure and flow of the Personal Statement before writing it is absolutely essential if students are to make the most of the space that UCAS allocates. Half finished thoughts and hastily written conclusions will do more harm than good when someone reads the Personal Statement. 

Top tip:  Run one class/workshop with students where they brainstorm and plan the overall structure of their UCAS Personal Statement. Break the components of a good personal statement down into chunks, and get students thinking about the optimal structure for making their Personal Statements as good as they can be! 

8. Unnecessary origin stories 

Everyone loves an origin story (why else would film studios keep remaking Spiderman?). But origin stories in UCAS Personal Statements can sometimes be a waste of time (this is in sharp contrast to an application like the Common App in the USA), where they love to hear a student’s origin story)

Remember our physics student from Tip no.3 who loved to gaze at the night sky? Childhood anecdotes are great, and can certainly add character to a student’s application. But they’re not always necessary to showcase a student’s devotion to their chosen subject. 

In fact, it’s fair to say that admissions tutors at UK universities are more interested in an applicant’s more recent contributions or achievements in their chosen field of study than snippets of their biography. 

Yet it remains the case that students sometimes feel the need to profess their lifelong devotion to a subject they’re hoping to study at university. It’s really not necessary. 

In fact UCAS themselves once published a list of the  most commonly used opening lines in a Personal Statement . Three of the most frequent openings were 

“I have always been interested in…” (used 927 times)

“For as long as I can remember I have…” (used 1,451 times) 

“From a young age I have always been interested in/fascinated by…” (used 1,779 times) 

Not only does drawing on childhood memories risk losing sight of more relevant information, it’s also something that lots of universities have seen before. 

9. Making things up 

We hope that none of your students would ever lie in their Personal Statement. But if someone feels the pressure to stand out from the crowd and really impress a university, then it could happen. 

Even small, believable exaggerations could come back to haunt a student if they were hypothetically invited to an interview further down the road. It could be as small as pretending to have read a particular book, or quoting/discussing a piece of research in their chosen subject field and not having fully engaged with it. 

Top tip:  When it comes to putting anything untruthful in a Personal Statement, we can only offer you one piece of advice to give to your students. 

Don’t do it! It’s not worth it, students will probably get found out and there’s likely plenty of achievements and skills that students can talk about in their Personal Statement. They just need to think long and hard about what it is! 

10. Being controversial or contrarian for the sake of it 

Being controversial or argumentative can seem like a good way to sit up and get the reader’s attention – but it’s not worth a student doing it unless they’ve really got the evidence and the argument to back it up. 

For example, arguing against a famous essay or piece of research in a student’s chosen subject might seem like a good way to score some brownie points. But why does a student take issue with this particular piece of research? And is it really wise to try and tackle it in the space of a 4,000 character Personal Statement. 

Top tip:  Students should definitely be independent and analytical when discussing their degree subject in their Personal Statement – after all, it’s the most surefire way to stand out. But taking a contrarian position, or trying to make an explosive new contribution to academic discourse in the course of one Personal Statement probably isn’t a good idea. 

Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS – final tips to avoid mistakes

What do these mistakes all have in common? 

The answer is they are the natural consequence of students forgetting some of the core principles of UCAS Personal Statement writing. 

• Students need to ensure their Personal Statements are well-structured and well-planned – so as to avoid spelling mistakes and/or falling foul of the character limit. 
• Students need to keep their Personal Statements as unique to them as possible – this means staying truthful to their own ambitions and worldview, and avoiding generalisations or cliches. 
• A good Personal Statement needs to be rooted in strong analysis and writing that makes good use of evidence and specific examples to back up an argument. 
• A standout Personal Statement needs to be compelling account of a student’s suitability for a course with a good story at the heart of it – it needs to show, not tell. 

Our Personal Statement template is a great resource if you want to help your students plan and write a truly individual Personal Statement, and avoid some of the mistakes we’ve listed here. Download it below! 

Bonus Resource!

How to write a Personal Statement Worksheet & Template

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What To Avoid In A Personal Statement: No More Mistakes!

Making a mistake in your personal statement can have far-reaching consequences , from failing to get an offer to the complete rejection of your application.

Whilst it is rare to make them all, just one of these errors has the potential to derail your application completely!

But what are the personal statement mistakes that you must avoid?

Easily avoidable mistakes in personal statements include irrelevant, unoriginal and illogically structured content alongside poor spelling, punctuation and grammar. Excessive use of quotes, exaggeration and filler content are also serious mistakes, as is the fabrication of facts and experiences.

You can discover more about each of these mistakes below, and make sure that you never make them …

Make Sure all the Content you Write is Original

Borrowed your content from a UCAS personal statement Reddit?

The biggest mistake any candidate can make in their personal statement is copying or paraphrasing content from elsewhere.

When you see outstanding examples of content that seems to relate perfectly to your application, it can be tempting to cut and paste or rewrite elements to make them seem original.

This is always a mistake that you must avoid making.

There are two significant reasons why including unoriginal content in your personal statement is an error. Firstly, if you are copying content from elsewhere, it is highly likely that your personal statement will not pass the stringent plagiarism checks that each application goes through.

If your writing is flagged as unoriginal, the universities you apply to will be alerted to this and are unlikely to make you an offer. If your statement is entirely unoriginal, then your application has a good chance of being rejected , leaving you without any options.

If you’d like to find out more about plagiarism in personal statements, check out my detailed post here .

Don’t forget, your personal statement is an opportunity to evidence your suitability for the course or role you are applying for, and this is the second reason in support of originality. In planning, researching and writing it, you are proving that you have the skills and experience you need to succeed.

If your personal statement is copied from elsewhere, not only are you attempting to access the course fraudulently, but you aren’t preparing yourself as fully as you can for its demands.

You may even find that the course isn’t for you, but by that point, it could be too late to change your decision.

Don’t Tell a Story – Do Follow a Logical Structure

Lots of personal statements that do not make it past the scrutiny of an admissions officer are written in a narrative style. They start by outlining an important or apparently inspirational event in the applicant’s childhood before painstakingly describing each stage of preparation and education in chronological order, ending with a plea for admission.

Alternatively, some candidates try to tell a literal story in their application, often attempting to make allegorical connections between their own experiences and the story they are weaving.

These are not sound approaches to take, and will often put readers off before they have the opportunity to really get to know the candidate, or fully understand their achievements and suitability.

The extract above tries to draw a parallel and connect the applicant and the university. Still, in reality, this passage gives the reader no positive or relevant information upon which to make the candidate an offer. It is also a tremendous waste of a significant proportion of the available character count. 

This kind of mistake comes top of the list on the uniguide website , so do have a read of that post, when you are finished here.

Write Balanced Content Using your own Voice

If someone were to read your personal statement aloud, it should, with a few exceptions, sound like it was written in your voice . The reader should feel as though you are speaking to them directly, and they should be able to hear the individual quality of your personality coming through clearly.

That can be difficult to achieve without making your personal statement too informal, and it is undoubtedly a big mistake to use exclamations, slang or profanity .

The key to achieving this is to take the time to plan and revise your writing, so that by the time you achieve your final draft, every single phrase, sentence and point you want to make has been carefully considered and communicates its meaning with precision.

If you can achieve this, then the chances are you will have written a balanced and original statement that speaks in your voice and compels the reader to take notice of what you have to say.

UCAS has published a list of the top 10 ‘hackneyed phrases’ that applicants often rely on rather than taking the time to develop original content. If you can avoid these, not only will your application stand out, but you will inevitably be communicating more clearly and originally with the reader.

Unoriginal content is usually bland, generalised and unspecific in terms of its value to the applicant or the institution , so check all of your content against these criteria.

If you want some great advice on the right kinds of sentence starters to use, then take the time to check out my sentence starters post here . In the meantime, I have summarised the phrases that UCAS suggest you avoid in the table below and added several examples of my own for you to consider.

Write with Relevancy and Connect with Your Subject

Applicants often write about how much they enjoy a subject, or how excited they would be to study it. This can be extremely descriptive, and whilst admissions tutors want to know that you are dedicated and engaged, they are also looking for relevancy and evidence of connection to the subject.

Look at the contrasting examples below. In the first column, the writing is largely descriptive and irrelevant in terms of what the reader needs to know.

The same example has been rewritten in the second column and is not only more relevant, but shows that the writer has a tangible connection to their subject .

If you are not sure if you are achieving the right balance of relevancy and connection with your subject in your personal statement, then ask yourself these two questions:

Does each point I am making demonstrate that I have engaged with the subject beyond the demands of my current course of study? Does each point evidence the value of my experience in relation to the demands of the course I am applying for? Your Personal Statement Support

UCAS have put together a helpful video on the basics of a compelling personal statement, so check it out once you’ve read the rest of this post…

Get Your Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Right

Not checking your spelling, punctuation and grammar is a mistake that can have costly consequences when it comes to the success of a personal statement. It is an essential piece of academic writing; consequently, universities will use it to help evaluate your academic potential.

If yours contains errors, it indicates that you may be a weak academic student, disorganised, or may not be dedicated enough to warrant an offer. You can read my helpful post here regarding the best ways to check your personal statement ; it gives you lots of helpful advice for making sure your spelling, punctuation and grammar reflect positively on you.

Another great way to manage this process is to use a software tool like Grammarly . I always recommend it to the applicants I work with because the basic functions are free, the support it offers you is incredibly valuable, and if you get accustomed to using it during your application, you’ll be familiar with it when you start your studies (and that’s where it will be incredibly useful as well).

You can check it out here , or click on the link below to find out more about how to install their free package.

Avoid Using Excessive Quotations and Titles

The reader wants to learn about the ambitions that drive you and the achievements underpinning them. Using a quote to illustrate your knowledge and understanding can be an excellent strategy, but too many will make your writing less personal, relevant and original.

Using too many quotes can also give the impression that you do not have enough content to complete the application under your own merits, and can become tiresome and predictable.

No one wants to read a list of the things that other people have said.

Equally, repeatedly listing the full titles of books you have read or videos you have watched will take up a valuable chunk of your word count.

The admissions officer or employer want to hear your thoughts, and whilst introducing a quote to argue against or to inspire a new compelling point can be a valuable technique, do not fall into the trap of thinking that quotes make you sound more intelligent.

Your best strategy is to use quotes sparingly, where relevant, and as an opportunity to make an original observation that demonstrates your suitability.

If you want to ensure you have this covered, there’s a detailed guide on quotes and how to use them here .

Don’t Forget to Write About Your Relevant Skills

A common error is to forget to evidence the ways in which the skills you have are relevant to the course. This mistake is based upon two key assumptions made by several candidates each year. If you can avoid making it, you will automatically increase the chances of your application being successful.

The first assumption that causes unsuccessful candidates to make this kind of mistake is failing to realise that universities and employers need to see tangible evidence of their suitability .  

If this is included in your personal statement, then the admissions tutor reading it can connect your experiences with the demands of the course and be reassured that you will complete it successfully. It is in no one’s interest for students to drop out.

Explain what you can bring to a course and try not to just list experiences, but describe how they have given you skills that will help you at university. James Seymour, University of Gloucestershire

The second mistake is more personal and is rooted in a misguided sense of modesty. Even when applicants realise that outlining the value of relevant skills is an important part of the process, they can fail to include this content as it seems to be boastful or too self-centred.

Simply listing skills and experiences that support your application isn’t compelling enough , but connecting academic, practical or experiential knowledge with the content of the course you are applying for is not boastful, it is essential.

Edit Your Content to Remove Irrelevant Filler

Not editing down your personal statement and removing excess content can have an incredibly damaging effect on your chances of success, for three reasons.

• Admissions tutors and employers are busy. If it takes them a long time to work through the irrelevant content that you have included, then chances are that they will give up long before they get to the end. If that happens, some of the important content that is worth reading will be ignored or even missed entirely. You know how frustrating it is to read a blog post or an article that just won’t get to the point, so don’t put the reader in that situation.
• If you include unnecessary material in your final draft, it can be a clear sign to the reader that you do not have enough content of value to include. In turn, that sends the signal that your application is not as prepared as it should be, by comparison with other candidates. This could be viewed as laziness, disengagement or simply as a lack of academic suitability. In any case, it is not the impression you want to give.
• If you have not edited out all extraneous content, and you are working to a word or character count, there is every chance that you will not have the room you need to include all the elements a personal statement requires. That can lead to you cutting compelling content in favour of descriptive filler, or not including core elements in the first place.

Put simply, each word needs to earn its place by adding value, so remember your ABC’s …

• Show APTITUDE
• Evidence BROADER KNOWLEDGE
• CONNECT with your subject.

Keep Everything Truthful and do not Exaggerate

Very few applicants set out to purposefully lie in their personal statement. Those that do quickly fall foul of the rigorous verification systems employed by organisations such as UCAS. Material that is purposefully plagiarised or included with the intention to deceive is taken extremely seriously. As UCAS reports:

We have a responsibility to our applicants, course providers, and stakeholders to screen applications for false, missing and/or misleading information, check personal statements for patterns of similarity, and to report our findings. UCAS

You must not knowingly include false material in your statement, or elsewhere in your application.

It is much more likely that, if you do include a falsehood in your application, it will be due to exaggeration or error. Whilst that can be understandable in a few contexts, the end result is still likely to be the rejection of your application.

Here are the top mistakes that you need to avoid when it comes to falsehoods and exaggeration in your personal statement:

Above all, remember that there are no secrets or unwritten rules to writing a mistake-free personal statement.

Most mistakes can be avoided through the application of some common sense, some technique and lots of time and effort spent developing the right content .

Writing a personal statement should be an exciting and fulfilling process that crystalizes your thinking and clarifies your suitability.

If that’s how you approach the task, then you are unlikely to make too many errors.

Good luck with your personal statement, and don’t forget to contact me if you’d like some 1-1 support. You’ve got this! D

Research and content verified by Personal Statement Planet.

David Hallen

I've worked in the Further Education and University Admissions sector for nearly 20 years as a teacher, department head, Head of Sixth Form, UCAS Admissions Advisor, UK Centre Lead and freelance personal statement advisor, editor and writer. And now I'm here for you...

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Personal Statement Mistakes: 5 Common Errors to Avoid

by  Antony W

September 5, 2021

Nothing hurts more than a rejected college application, especially if the reason is that your personal statement wasn’t up to the standard that an admissions board expected.

Sure, a personal statement requires you to tell a story about yourself and answer important questions about the program you’d like to apply to. But completing this paper requires more than just your ability to meet the expected word count.

You need to know how to write a personal statement to get this assignment right. Still, it doesn’t actually end there. You also need to know the kind of mistakes to avoid if you want your personal statement to get an approval from the admissions team.

In the following section, we’ll highlight some of the most common mistakes that shouldn’t appear in a personal statement. If you notice any of these mistakes appearing in your write up, go back and fix them before submitting your application.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Personal Statement

1. failing to answer the question asked.

When you first read the definition of a personal statement, the description may sound like this is a more open-ended assignment. While it’s more about telling an admissions panel about yourself so that they get to know you better to determine if you are fit for the program, it doesn’t mean you can write whatever you like.

More often than not, the panel will give questions that they would like answered in a personal statement.

The worst mistake you can make is to answer your own version of the question.

A right approach to getting the personal statement right is to read the questions asked alongside the requirements of the work. This will enable you to understand what the panel expects.

But how do you know you have answered all the questions correctly? It’s simple. Ask someone else to read the essay and give his or her neutral view.

Also Read: How to Write a Personal Statement

2. Using a Technical Academic Language to Look Showy Instead of Being Clear and Relevant

There is nothing worse in writing a personal statement than dressing it up with complex words and phrases. If the statement requires an admissions committee to have cups of coffee and dictionaries on the table, then it’s already a big fail.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with knowing a dense language, but what’s the point of merging it into your writing if the target reader won’t understand the message you intend to communicate?

Instead of adding complex and showy verbs, adverbs, adjectives, quotes, and vocabularies, dress your statement with a simple language that even a grade 6 student can read and understand.

Don’t worry; using a simple language won’t make you look too foolish to apply for a college diploma or university degree. On the contrary, it proves that you care more about being clear and precise with your application.

3. Using Generic Statements

A personal statement that features generic phrases can be very boring to read. Not only do they show your lack of disinterest in an application, they also fail to convince an admissions board that you’re a perfect candidate to consider.

When it comes to writing a personal statement, you have zero room for vagueness. So you can’t take your chances.

Remember that in this writing, every sentence count. To stand out from many other applicants, back every statement with your real life experiences as well as examples.

Re-read your personal statement and highlight vague words and phrases, and then improve them. Show how and why an event or experience is important to use instead of just stating it.

Also Read: Personal Statement vs Statement of Purpose

4. Writing More Words than Expected

Writing too much doesn’t mean you’ll stand out from the crowd. It’s the quality of the information that you provide that will matter at the end of the day.

To be clear, an admissions board may give you a word count to work with as you write your personal statement. In some cases, they won’t. Whether they give you a word limit for the essay or not, you shouldn’t write less than 500 words or more than 700 words.

In other words, a good personal statement should be between 500 and 700 words long.

Sure, you may have many good things to say about yourself and thus fall for the temptation of making the document longer. But if you’re honest with yourself, some of your points will be stronger than others are. So it’s best to include only the strongest statements to establish a good connection with the admissions panel while sticking to the suggested word count.

5. Poor Writing and Grammatical Errors

This is one of the personal statement mistakes that students make.

Your writing has to be up to the standard from the first sentence to the last. So you can’t compromise on your writing skills for any reason whatsoever.

From vocabulary and choice of words to grammar use and sentence structure, your writing skills must be up to the best standard if your personal statement must win the attention of an admissions panel.

As soon as you complete writing your personal statement, go back to the very beginning of the paper and proofread your work thoroughly. Identify words and phrases that neither add meaning nor make sense and delete them from the statement.

If it helps, get a friend or a family member and let them read your statement and give you their opinion. The advantage is that they will read the statement and give you their perspective. You can then go a step further and use their suggestions to improve the quality of your personal statement.

Let Help for Assessment Write Your Personal Statement

While writing a good personal statement isn’t impossible, it can be challenging. If you have no idea how to approach the project, chances are you may more than likely write a low quality personal statement.

But you don’t have to risk your chances of being accepted. Simply reach out to us and we’ll help you write a personal statement that will get you noticed by an admissions board.

Our team of writers and editors has what it takes to write the best in-class personal statement for you.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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Top 8 Most Common Mistakes When Writing a Personal Statement

The LSAT is over, and it's time to send out applications. You thought the rest would be easy, didn't you? Then you sat down to write your personal statement — and you're still sitting there. How much should you share about yourself?  What will the admissions counselors think is important or worthy of acceptance? What makes my story unique, powerful, and interesting?  We know. It's tough.

We see a lot of personal statements done both well and poorly.  Here are a few mistakes we don't want you to make.

Mistake #1: Not paying attention to instructions, like page limitations. 

Stetson requires 2-3 double spaced pages; any longer or shorter, and we know that you're not paying attention to details.  You've got one job!

Mistake #2: Relying on spell and grammar check and not actually editing properly.

It's pretty easy to pick out the machine-generated fixes and more importantly, the misses. Have a friend or family member read your statement out loud to you. You should be able to tell when transitions are weak or flow is off. If you feel reliant on machine assistance, go beyond the standard spell check with a tool like Grammarly . 

Mistake #3: Inappropriate use of humor.

Are you  sure  we're going to get your jokes?  Sarcasm and humor are very difficult to pull off in written form, so keep the jokes for another format.

Mistake #4: Misuse of the Find/Replace feature.

If you're applying to multiple schools, this is very important.  We don't want to hear that XYZ school is your top choice because you forgot to search and replace XYZ school with  Stetson Law.  Believe me: it happens far too often. 

Mistake #5: Not clearly answering our question, "Why Law School?"

We truly do want to know! What are your aspirations for the study of law? We are not asking for an academic statement like some of our competitors; we are not asking you to regurgitate your resume.  We want to know why you're choosing law school for your future.

Mistake #6: Teaching the law.

Really, just don’t do it. Law professors have a one up on you and you sure don’t want to come across pompous when you are competing for a limited number of seats.

Mistake #7: Not doing your research.

I do want to know why you are interested in Stetson. This statement is like an interview on paper. Did you demonstrate that you did research on our school and that you have a true interest in the school?

Mistake #8: Plagiarism.

Obvious, or so I thought.

Not only does your personal statement give us a glimpse into who you are as a person, but it is also a way for us to assess your writing — is it clear, concise, organized and persuasive? Do you demonstrate attention to detail with respect to editing? Did you demonstrate that you researched the profession before deciding that law school was really your path to achieve your goals?  

We spend a lot of time reading these statements and they're evaluated alongside all of your other academic achievements, so spend the time and focus required to get it right. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact our Admissions team . 

Topics: Applying to Law School

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Student Spotlight: Rylie Pennell -         J.D. Candidate '24

Further reading.

Personal Statement Tips from a Law School Student

How to Write an Addendum for Law School

What NOT To Say In Your Personal Statement

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Common personal statement mistakes and how to avoid them

I'm a freshman at Stanford who recently made it out of the college admissions process (lol what a nightmare). I also have a side job as an essay consultant/tutor helping seniors refine their college essays. I'm definitely not an expert by any means, but think I have a good understanding of the college admissions "game," consider myself a relatively strong writer, and have read a TON of essays... which pretty much repeat the same mistakes.

In my experience, these are some of the most common Personal Statement mistakes, and some tips for avoiding them:

1. Telling over showing — detail, detail, detail!

There’s no doubt you’ve heard this from your English teacher, and I’m here to say it again: Show, don’t tell. It seems like such a simple concept, and yet, this is by far the worst offense I've seen high school essayists commit.

Whenever you’re writing a description — of yourself, of your environment, or the activities you do with your friends — be sure to include as much detail as possible. Detail is what takes an essay from a generic, forgettable, and even cliche life experience to one that is uniquely your own.

In fact, here’s a hint: if you need to literally write “I was upset/thrilled/confused” in order to convey your emotions clearly, your description is insufficient. Instead, your mood should already be evident in the tone of the language you’re using — emotionally charged diction, varied punctuation, vivid imagery. That isn’t to say that you can’t state feelings directly, but rather, you should be sure that these vague emotional assertions aren’t supplanting actual writing.

For example, take a look at the drastic difference between these two descriptions–one vague, and one detailed:

I spent summer working on my parents’ farm. It was hard dealing with the animals, but I always felt very satisfied at the end.

From sunrise to sunset, I worked as a farm hand for my parents. Herding cows through thick pastures, carrying heavy buckets of slop, trying not to get roundhoused by the temperamental old horse in the far stall of the barn: my work was far from glamorous, yet rewarding just the same.

Ask yourself: Which description is more engaging? Which experience seems more believable? Which demonstrates a stronger command of the English language? Clearly, the second.

If you’re having trouble with description, writing out the Who/What/When/Where/Why for the main events of your essay can be a simple but effective tool for adding detail to your writing. The goal is to craft a scene vivid enough for the reader to immerse themselves in, as if they were seeing the world from your shoes. After all, what’s mundane to you may be completely foreign to the admissions officer — so even the little details matter a lot.

2. Neglecting the growth process in an essay about failure

We all know what a story looks like. There’s a beginning, middle, and end. So why do so many students forget the middle?

Here’s a typical first draft for essays about failure and growth, or the way they changed their initial perspective:

In seventh grade, I was stupid and I thought X was true. For example, I did A, B, and C silly things that demonstrated how naive I was. [ 5 paragraphs long ]

Suddenly, after (volunteering / travelling / talking to a teacher), I realized that I was wrong about X! Actually, Y was true. [ 0.5-1 paragraph long ]

This incident helped me confront my mistakes. Now, I understand that it is important to be (humble / open-minded / resilient to failure). [ 1-2 paragraphs long ]

So now the admissions officer has a detailed, thorough understanding of stupid middle school you, and little to no understanding of the new and improved you. Is this what you want to highlight in your application? Probably not.

How can we move away from this model? Once again, think from the perspective of a university: they’re seeking to admit students who take initiative in their personal development. They want to know HOW you improved yourself or re-evaluated your initial viewpoint, not just the fact that you did. But when you spend barely any of your essay describing that growth process, i.e. the specific steps you took toward progress, it’s impossible for the admissions officer to see how you’ll apply that work ethic toward the obstacles you face in college.

Therefore, make sure that the majority of your essay is dedicated to illustrating your growth process and how your actions brought about self-improvement. This might mean cutting down your introduction section by 50% to make room for explanation. This might mean doing a little more “bragging” than you’re comfortable with regarding the results you achieved. But ultimately, you’re making sure that your essay reader comes away with more than an impression of your seventh grade follies… so I’d consider that a win.

3. Writing forgettable introductions and lazy conclusions

Introductions and conclusions are the bane of many students’ existence, and for good reason. We all want to get into the substance of the story, and introductions and conclusions seem auxiliary, only existing out of obligation — like the bland steamed vegetables accompanying a juicy steak. But at the same time, first and last impressions matter most, so half-assing these portions of your essay means playing a dangerous game.

When you first start writing, it’s difficult to put words on the page, let alone come up with an engaging hook. Consequently, students often end up making vague, generic statements repeating their main “thesis” or giving irrelevant backstory. This strategy causes the reader to fall asleep before they even reach the body, so here are a couple tips to keep that from happening:

Write multiple versions of your introduction. Try different hooks, structures, and styles: for example, beginning with dialogue between you and another character, defining a common word in an unconventional or unique way, or making a short, provocative assertion to command attention immediately. Then, consider which is most effective.

Check the first five to ten words of your introduction. Do they immediately catch the reader’s eye? Oftentimes, I notice that essays begin with bland exposition, such as “ Three years ago when I was at summer camp, I noticed that… ” or “ The primary reason I’d like to attend Insert University is because... ”. If your intro sounds something like this, delete the filler or rewrite the first sentence so it pops. I find that as much as two paragraphs can be chopped off from the start of many essays without losing anything of value.

Similarly, it’s tempting to write generic, summary-style conclusions — like the ones you might have churned out in a literary analysis or essay for AP Euro. But your personal statement is not a formal paper, and treating it as such will guarantee an eye-roll. Instead, try the following strategies:

Bring your essay back full circle. Return to your introduction, which hopefully by this point, doesn’t suck. Did you use an interesting metaphor, quote, or anecdote to draw your reader in? If so, create a sense of continuity and completion by referencing that same concept — whether explicitly or through clever wordplay — in your conclusion.

Gesture toward the future. Especially if your essay describes a past situation, try taking the ideas and characteristics you emphasized in your essay, and demonstrate how you plan on applying what you learned in future endeavors. Think big: not just the next few months or years, but in terms of your wildest hopes and dreams.

Sorry for the long post, & hopefully this provides some big-picture guidance for effective essay writing. There's no formula for what constitutes the perfect essay, so don't feel too confined by these guidelines either. Sounding authentic is probably the most important thing anyway, especially given the cutthroat admissions climate nowadays.

If you found this at all helpful, consider following my blog , where I've written more about college admissions (here's a post about refining your college list) and my Stanford experience :) Best of luck!

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10 Common Personal Statement Mistakes to Avoid

With university admissions tutors reading thousands of personal statements every year, here are 10 common mistakes to avoid to give a good impression and do your hard work justice!

Writing your  Medicine personal statement can be tricky, especially when you’re applying for medicine. It’s a fine balance between hitting all the points required, but making it unique to your own personality and experiences. Here are some of the common personal statement mistakes to avoid!

Mistake 1. “I want to be a doctor because I want to help people”

Opening with this seemingly heroic reason is a very easy trap to fall into. While mentioning your hope to help people and serve the community is completely valid, and should definitely be mentioned at some point in your personal statement, it will be considered a weak opening.

Realistically, many jobs help people: nurses, policeman, fireman – you name it – and this is something your interviewers will eventually challenge you on. Instead, I would recommend starting by mentioning a specific aspect of medicine which you are interested in and linking it to something personal and specific to you.

Read about  how to start planning your personal  statement

Mistake 2. “Medicine is great because…”

Many candidates are often tempted to give extremely elaborate, flowery statements praising medicine. However, people reading your personal statements are probably doctors or researchers who have dedicated their life to medicine – they appreciate just how great it is.

Instead, they are much more interested in you as a person and would likely skip over these parts. Therefore with such a strict limit on word count, it is better to avoid these descriptions as they are often too general, and do not give them any idea on your personality and why you, specifically, want to study medicine.

Read  5 tips on writing about motivation for medicine

Mistake 3. A synopsis of a book

It’s great to mention a book that you’ve read in your personal statement, it shows your inquisitive nature and interest in studying this subject. Unfortunately, many candidates make the mistake of using up a big paragraph purely to describe what the book was about.

This is something you should definitely avoid as university admissions are much more interested in what you’ve gained from the book and your opinions on it.

For example, if it was a fictional novel addressing an ethical issue such as  abortion , you could discuss whether the pros and cons of issue were portrayed well, and if you agreed with the character’s choices of action.

If it was a non-fiction book, you could mention which aspects you found most interesting, and how you extended your knowledge by perhaps doing extra research on that particular topic.

Read our  11-step checklist for your personal statement 

Mistake 4. Name dropping famous hospitals and world-class surgeons

Work experience forms an integral part of many personal statements. Some candidates may think that mentioning famous hospitals and doctors leaves a better impression, but this is not true.

People reading your application are frankly not interested in whether you had a placement at an award-winning trauma centre or a district hospital, or whether you shadowed a pioneering heart transplant surgeon or your local GP.

What they value is what you’ve learnt from the experience. Was it the doctor delivering bad news sensitively to a patient that impressed you? Was it the long hours that made you aware of the realities of the profession? Was it the son’s smile of relief after seeing his mother wheeled out from a successful surgery that inspired you?

These are situations that you would be able to witness in any hospital, shadowing any doctor, and are reflections that university admissions are definitely much more interested in.

Read about  3 books to check out to help with your personal statement

Mistake 5. Misusing buzzwords

You know the ones we mean: empathy , teamwork , leadership , communication skills … Are we suggesting you don’t use this words? Not at all! It’s great that you are showing you know the core requirements needed to be a great doctor. The mistakes are: a) using them without backing them up, or b) not using them at all. We advocate a method called ‘signpost and substantiate’. Use these buzzwords words (signposting you know about them) but ALWAYS back up this use with personal examples (substantiating them).

Read about  how to write the perfect personal statement introduction 

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Mistake 6. Using passive language

Check out the following sentences:

• ‘Writing an EPQ on stigma associated with HIV presented me with lots of challenges.’
• ‘I rose to the challenges presented by writing an EPQ on HIV stigma, by seeking out research papers and arranging meetings with experts.’

The second is better, right? That’s purely because it is very active – it’s all about what you did. The first example is passive – things happened to you. Go through your personal statement and ensure everything is active.

Read  how to build your personal statement up whilst social distancing

Mistake 7. Writing really, really long sentences……

…that seem to go on for a very long time and when you get to the end of the sentence it’s actually not very clear because the sentence, it turns out, is actually so long that the person reading it has forgotten the beginning of it by the time they get to the end and then they have to go back and reread it and that’s not great because….

Hopefully this one is self-explanatory! If sentences are getting long and meandering, break them into two, or even three. This will really help improve clarity.

Read  our tips on writing about work experience in your personal statement

Mistake 8. Excessively using medical jargon or technical language

While it is important to demonstrate your understanding of medical concepts and terminology, be cautious not to overwhelm your personal statement with excessive jargon. Remember that the admissions committee may consist of individuals from various backgrounds, including non-medical professionals.

Use clear and concise language to effectively communicate your experiences and motivations without alienating readers who may not be familiar with complex medical terms. Strive for a balance between showcasing your knowledge and ensuring your personal statement remains accessible and engaging.

Mistake 9. Focusing solely on academic achievements

While academic achievements are important, relying solely on them in your personal statement can be a mistake. Admissions committees are interested in understanding your personal qualities, experiences, and motivations beyond your academic performance.

Avoid simply listing your grades or academic accomplishments without providing context or reflection. Instead, focus on sharing meaningful experiences, such as volunteer work, research projects, or personal challenges, and discuss how these experiences have shaped your desire to pursue medicine. Highlight personal qualities like empathy, resilience, and teamwork that are essential for a successful career in medicine.

Mistake 10. “Thank you for your consideration.”

Now that the university has read about all your great achievements, leadership qualities, work experience, it is important to end strong. By applying to that particular university, it is clear that you wish to be admitted.

Therefore, while it may seem polite and courteous to end by saying “I hope that I will be admitted to your university”, or “thank you for your consideration”, these sentences are too general and would not do justice to all the impressive aspects of your application you’ve mentioned in your personal statement.

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Personal Statements/Interest Statements/Admissions Essays

A personal statement allows you the opportunity to sell yourself to an admissions committee; much like you would sell yourself to an employer when writing a cover letter.

Most often, personal statements will fall into one of two categories:

• General Statement: Allows you the most freedom and flexibility in terms of what to include.
• Question-Specific Statement/Directive: The academic program asks specific questions which you should address in your statement.

Make your statement distinctive by selling your image briefly and accurately, including real-life examples to back up your points. Authentic enthusiasm is a plus, writing about parts of your life or career that are interesting and relevant help grab a reader’s attention. Use your personal statement to clear up any confusion or gaps in your résumé, but do not dwell on weaknesses. Avoid trying to include as much information as possible, without regard for limitations or strategic intent. Focus on being more distinctive than comprehensive.

As you begin to draft your personal statement, consider the following:

• When did you become interested in the field? What knowledge have you gained about the field that has strengthened that interest?
• Use key words to show your knowledge. Speak the language of the field.
• What are your career goals after graduate study is complete?
• What personal qualities/experiences will make your application appear unique?
• How has your involvement in college activities, part-time work, internships, or volunteer work helped prepare you for this next phase of study?
• What skills do you possess that would be most relevant to the field? (Use EXAMPLES)
• Are there any academic discrepancies on your transcript or in your application you need to address?
• Why this school and this program?
• Connect with the mission of the organization.

Tips as you write:

• Write in the active voice: Candidates who write well have an advantage in the application process because they can state their case in a concise, compelling manner.
• Be specific. Use examples to illustrate your interests, skills, etc.
• Length: Some schools are specific about how long they want your statement to be. Adhere to their guidelines. If no details are provided, aim for a 500-word essay.
• Tell an interesting story. Admissions committees read a lot of these statements…what will you write that will make them remember your story?
• Make sure your opening paragraph is an attention-grabber.
• Avoid clichés. Use this statement to show your originality.
• One size does not fit all. Tailor your statement to specific schools.
• Proofread! Review and revise your document and get others to review it as well.

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Tips for Writing Your Master of Legal Studies Personal Statement

By Miami Law Blog Contributor 07-25-2024

Applying to a Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) program is an excellent first step in advancing your legal knowledge in your respective field. Each M.L.S. program sets its own requirements for application and admittance—yet for any graduate-level program, it is common for a personal statement to be required as part of any application.

Read on for practical tips to integrate into your statement, along with common mistakes to avoid.

Understanding the Importance of Your Personal Statement

A personal statement refers to an essay that is typically required as part of a college or graduate program application (most often for advanced degree programs).

The Role of the   Personal Statement   in Your Application

Personal statements give applicants a unique opportunity to share additional information about themselves that may not already be reflected in their academic transcripts, resumes, or other application materials. In advanced degree programs where spots may be limited, a personal statement could make or break an application.

Preparing to Write Your M.L.S. Personal Statement

As you prepare to write your personal statement, there are a few steps that can make the writing process as easy as possible.

Gathering Necessary Information and Resources

Start by collecting any specific information, resources, or documents you may need to write your M.L.S. personal statement accurately. This is especially essential if you plan on referring to your academic transcripts, awards received, or other formal documents in your text.

Identifying Your Unique Qualities and Experiences

Compelling personal statements tend to be ones that communicate an applicant's distinct experiences and qualities. With this in mind, it is useful to set aside time for self-reflection before you start writing. Specifically, consider the personality traits you have that might make you a good fit for the program. In addition, think about any examples of life experiences that you may want to incorporate into your essay.

Tips for a Successful Personal Statement for Legal Studies

As you begin crafting your Master of Legal Studies personal statement, keep in mind some best practices to help your essay stand out from the dozens (or hundreds) of essays your admissions committee will be reading.

Start With an Outline

When writing any kind of important document, it is wise to start with a  detailed outline  that includes your thesis, your main points, and any supporting evidence (such as real-world examples or stories). Once you have a solid outline, you may find it considerably easier to start writing.

Be Authentic and Honest

One of the most crucial characteristics of any successful personal statement is authenticity. While there iss nothing wrong with highlighting your strengths and even bragging a bit, you want to avoid dishonesty or anything that might come off as less than genuine.

Highlight Your Interest in Legal Studies

One of the main reasons many M.L.S. programs require a personal statement is because in the first place, the admissions committee wants to truly get to know applicants and what interests them in a legal studies program. Therefore, it is critical to clearly communicate why you want to pursue an M.L.S. degree, whether it is to expand your knowledge in a specific area or advance your career.

Demonstrate Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills

Completing an M.L.S. program requires a great deal of critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills. You can demonstrate how you possess these skills in your personal statement by sharing specific stories or examples of situations where you have been required to think outside of the box or make an important, calculated decision.

Avoid Common Pitfalls and Cliches

There are certain phrases and tropes that M.L.S. admissions committees have probably seen in personal statements hundreds of times already, so it is ideal to avoid these in your writing. Try to ensure every sentence is truly unique and not something you would find in other essays—or that could be easily upstaged by other applicants. A few examples of content and cliches to avoid could include:

• Discussing legal topics or issues that might be controversial.
• Focusing too much on the external world or other people instead of your own goals and experiences.
• Starting with a quote, statistic, abstract question, or anything else that directs the attention away from you .
• Leaning too heavily into sharing personal hardships (particularly cliches like a sports injury) to prove how you have overcome struggles.
• Pulling from scenarios in the distant past (such as how you learned to be a team player in high school extracurriculars or opening with, “My passion for legal matters began at a young age…”)

Showcase Your Unique Experience

Everybody has something different to bring to the table, but your admissions committee will not understand the scope of your personal experience unless you address it in your personal statement. If you have relevant work experience, a background in legal education, or something else that sets you apart, be sure to weave it into your M.L.S. personal statement.

Emphasize Your Motivation for Pursuing a Master of Legal Studies

People have various motivations for obtaining an M.L.S. degree. Your personal statement is your chance to highlight your own reasons for wanting to pursue this degree. Remember that your reasoning should not be all about  you , so it can be useful to consider how earning your M.L.S. might help others or even contribute to the field as a whole.

Highlight Your Academic Achievements

Even if your academic achievements are already covered in an academic transcript, resume, or other application materials, your M.L.S. personal statement can be an opportunity to succinctly call out anything noteworthy or particularly relevant that might not be immediately apparent in those documents. Ideally, you can connect these achievements to a personal story or anecdote in your essay.

Incorporate Your Future Goals

Take time to reflect on your short- and long-term goals as well as how obtaining an M.L.S. degree may help you pursue those goals. This is something you'll also want to cover in your personal statement, most likely toward the end of the document.

Be Open to Feedback from Peers

One of the best things you can do when creating your personal statement is to get feedback from peers. After you have finished your first draft, do not hesitate to ask family members, mentors, or trusted friends to read through your essay and make comments. This can be an excellent way to gain and incorporate valuable feedback that could strengthen your essay even more.

Take the Time to Proofread

Even with built-in spell checkers in most word processing software today, it is still crucial to actually read through your essay and do your own proofreading before submitting your personal statement. A helpful rule of thumb is to read through the document twice: The first time, read it out loud to check for flow and grammatical errors. The second time,  read it backwards  to better spot typos and misspellings.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

As you work on your personal statement for your M.L.S., you’ll also want to make note of some errors to avoid.

Being Too Vague or Generic

In many cases, your personal statement is your one opportunity to really make your application stand out—so make sure to avoid language that is overly vague or generic. Instead, refer to specific life experiences and the unique qualities you would carry into a graduate-level program.

Overloading on Legal Jargon

As tempting as it may be to flaunt your knowledge of legal jargon in your Master of Legal Studies personal statement, remember that the admissions committee members reading your essay might  not  be in the legal field. With this in mind, it is best to stick with simple language regarding the law. There is nothing wrong with incorporating a few common legal terms here and there, but this is not the time to overdo it with the terminology.

Ignoring the Prompt or Instructions

One of the biggest mistakes applicants make when crafting a personal statement is ignoring the prompt and going in their own direction. Oftentimes, writing prompts will include specific questions to answer or topics to address. Failing to closely adhere to the prompt may demonstrate to your admissions committee that you are not detail-oriented or do not follow directions carefully.

How Long Should My Personal Statement Be?

Generally speaking, most personal statements should be at least a page or 500 words long, but this will all depend on your program's specific guidelines regarding word counts, page limits, spacing, and font sizes.

How Do I Start My Personal Statement?

The best way to start a personal statement is with a "hook," or something that will capture your readers' attention and interest. Many applicants find success beginning their essays with a personal anecdote, a question, or even a surprising fact.

What Topics Should I Avoid in My Personal Statement?

Try to steer clear of any taboo topics that might stir up controversy (e.g., politics and religion), as you never know who might be reading your essay. Additionally, avoid discussing personal struggles that lack a clear, relevant resolution or lesson. Lastly, do not include information that is redundant with skills, accomplishments, or credentials already clearly listed on your resume or transcripts; put a spin on it so you are sharing a personal story, insight, or competency that the reader could not glean from your application elsewhere.

How Can I Make My Personal Statement Stand Out?

There are plenty of ways to set your personal statement apart from other essays, such as incorporating personal anecdotes and experiences while tying them back to your motivation for applying. The more creative yet authentic you remain, the more memorable and compelling your essay will be to the admissions committee reading it.

Ready to Apply for a Master of Legal Studies Program?

Ultimately, writing an M.L.S. personal statement is all about reflecting upon why you are interested in the program and what might set you apart from other applicants. By following the above tips and best practices, you will be in better shape when it comes time to write your personal statement for legal studies.

Are you seeking the right  online Master of Legal Studies  degree program for you? Learn more about the University of Miami School of Law's  online M.L.S. curriculum  with tracks in human resources, cybersecurity, finance, and more—then get started with your online  application  today.

https://admissions.law.miami.edu/academics/mls/

https://admissions.law.miami.edu/academics/mls/curriculum/

https://lifehacker.com/think-backwards-when-proofreading-your-writing-for-spel-1793189994

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Understanding credit disputes

• Obtain your Credit Reports
• Identify errors on your credit report

3. Contact your creditor

4. submit your dispute with the credit bureaus, 5. following up on your dispute and what to expect, 6. add a consumer statement to your credit report, dispute credit reports with credit karma, how to file a credit dispute.

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• As documentation of your credit history, your credit reports need to be accurate. 
• Look for inaccuracies in your personal information and accounts, such as your delinquency status.
• Sign up for a credit monitoring service such as Credit Karma to keep tabs on your credit report. 

Your credit report documents your credit-related activity, resulting in your credit score , which lenders use to set the terms of any money you borrow. If you want the best interest rates on a credit card , mortgage, or personal line of credit, you'll want to ensure your credit report accurately reflects your credit history.

Checking your credit report periodically is also the best way to stay on top of any fraudulent purchases, inaccurate information, or identity theft issues that crop up. 

While you can hire companies to help with all of the above, even the best identity theft protection services and the best credit monitoring services usually stop short of reporting errors on your credit report to the credit bureaus. However, you can dispute an error on your credit report yourself through several easy steps. 

What is a credit dispute?

A credit dispute is a formal request to a credit bureau to investigate, update, or remove information on your credit report that you think is inaccurate or incorrect. You can dispute information on your credit report with any of the three major credit bureaus : Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. 

Common reasons for filing a credit dispute

 Reasons why someone would dispute items on their credit report include: 

• Inaccurate information: This could include wrong balances, incorrect payment history, account status, or credit limit. It could also be due to a creditor accidentally entering the wrong information.
• Outdated information: Negative items, except for bankruptcy, should appear on a credit report for seven years. If negative entries are older than seven years, they can be disputed and removed.
• Unverified information: Items that someone believes cannot be verified for accuracy can be disputed.
• Identity theft: Inaccurate information on a credit report could be a sign of identity theft. If there are credit accounts that you did not open and are a result of identity theft , they can be disputed. 

Steps to file a credit dispute

1. obtain your credit reports.

Before you can object to anything in your credit report, you'll need to gain access to it to see what's in there. Everyone is eligible for one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit bureaus — which are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — from AnnualCreditReport.com .

Setting a reminder to check in with a different agency every four months is a great way to keep an eye on your credit report throughout the year.

2. Review and identify errors on your credit report

Once you receive the report (which happens instantly), make sure you go through the report itself carefully and thoroughly. You can double-check any reports of new lines of credit, missing or late payments on current credit cards or loans, and check out which hard inquiries have popped up.

Common inaccuracies to look out for

Margaret Poe, head of consumer credit education at TransUnion, says that certain information on your credit reports will be more susceptible to error than others. For example, she says that monthly balances are usually very accurate as long as the overarching information on your credit report is correct. 

"I wouldn't say that you need to go through with a ledger of your actual credit card and compare number to number," Poe says.

However, these areas are more prone to mistakes:

Identity information: Make sure your name, address, date of birth, social security number, and all other information is accurately reported. Inaccurate information may result from a mixed credit report (when the information from one credit report gets spliced into another) or identity theft.

Account status:  An error on your account status can come in many forms:

• Accounts on your credit report that you did not open
• Incorrect credit limits on each revolving credit account
• Incorrect account payment status, such as a misreported delinquency on a credit account
• Incorrect date of delinquency reported on a delinquent payment
• Delinquencies older than seven years that are still on your credit report

Reinsertion of incorrect information: If you've noticed incorrect information on your credit report, there's a likelihood that it will reappear at one point or another. Make a note of corrections you've had to make in the past and keep an eye out to see if those same errors reappear on your current credit report.

Depending on the problem, you may be able to solve a credit report problem by directly contacting the creditor — like your bank — and resolving the issue. Have as much information as possible, including inaccurate information from your report, to hopefully resolve the issue quickly and in your favor.

If you cannot resolve your problem directly through the source, your next step would be to contact the credit reporting company that issued the report. You will need to prepare some documents that substantiate that the item you're challenging is an error, including your credit report with the error circled and how it can be rectified. 

You can do so over the phone, online, or through the mail. 

If you're filing a dispute by mail, you can use the FTC's sample letter to alert the credit reporting company in writing about the inaccurate information. Be sure to mail your form letter to the credit reporting agency by certified "return receipt requested" mail so that you can track the movements of your request. Keep copies for yourself of all the documentation.

Here is the sample letter:

You may also ask the credit reporting company to send correction notices to anyone else who received your report in the past six months and anyone who received a copy for employment reasons during the past two years.

Credit reporting companies should investigate your issue within 30 days unless they deem your argument frivolous. When they have finished their investigation, they will contact you in writing to let you know and send you a free copy of your report with the change listed.

Unfortunately, unresponsiveness from the credit bureaus can be quite common. A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report from 2022 revealed that across all three credit bureaus, only 2% of covered complaints received relief in 2021, down from 25% in 2019. 

If your request for a change to your credit report doesn't resolve in your favor, you can still add a consumer statement to your credit report mentioning the dispute, which will be visible to anyone who recently received a copy of your report. There is usually a fee associated with this service, so be sure to ask before taking this step.

In addition to your own vigilance in keeping tabs on your credit report throughout the year, it helps to sign up for credit monitoring services to keep you updated between credit reports. These services send notifications when new information is recorded on your credit report.

Credit Karma offers free monitoring services for both TransUnion and Equifax and gives you the option to dispute any errors you see on your credit report from either bureau. Note, however, that in the CFPB's analysis of credit bureau responses to disputes, it says credit bureaus were more likely to give substantive responses to disputes filed by consumers rather than third parties.

Experian offers its own credit monitoring service, called Experian Boost . With these two free services, you can monitor all three credit bureaus for free. However, you can also seek out other paid credit monitoring services or identity protection services which will give more comprehensive security.

Frequently asked questions about credit disputes

Errors on your credit report are surprisingly common. A Consumer Reports survey found that 34% of consumers had an error on at least one of their three credit reports.

Yes, you can dispute credit report errors online. Most credit bureaus allow you to file disputes online for convenience.

If your credit dispute is rejected, you can provide additional evidence to the credit bureau or contact the creditor directly. 

You should check your credit report for errors at least once every year. Also check for inaccurate information before making major financial decisions.

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What to Know About Kimberly Cheatle, the Secret Service Director

She has spent more than 20 years with the agency and provided security for President Bill Clinton, Vice President Dick Cheney and other leaders.

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By Tim Balk

• Published July 18, 2024 Updated July 23, 2024

Kimberly A. Cheatle, the Secret Service director who has come under intense scrutiny after the assassination attempt against former President Donald J. Trump, is an agency veteran who helped protect President Bill Clinton and Vice President Dick Cheney.

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