Tips for Writing Your Personal Statement

Write an effective, memorable personal statement

Start here! At the听following group meetings, we will provide you with the foundational knowledge you need to听write a compelling personal statement:

  • Overview of Application Prep Process
  • Pre-Application Workshop, Part 1
  • Pre-Application Workshop, Part 2

Attendance at the live meetings is mandatory for participation in our Application Coaching Program, but the video versions are available at any time.

To begin, we recommend learning about this style of writing as well as reading examples of effective personal statements. Many students found the following resources听useful:

  • The Continuing Education Pre-Health Advising Personal Statement Writing Tips听handout
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  • , by Dr. Ryan Gray. You may purchase a copy听or borrow one of ours that we have on hand in our office.
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  • Ohio Wesleyan University's听. This free download听offers tips on topic selection, essay organization, and logistical tips. It also provides sample essays so that you can gain exposure to this genre of writing.

The most effective essays are full-fledged expressions of the听following three characteristics:

  • Authentic, thoughtful self-reflection
  • Illustrative storytelling
  • An explanation of how the writer has changed and grown over time.

One of the keys听to writing an excellent personal statement is storytelling. Space is limited, but the best personal statements typically include two or three vignettes from relevant and meaningful experiences in the person's life. Tell your stories with enough detail that the reader will be able to imagine the scene unfolding as you describe it. In addition, it is important to reflect upon the ways in which your life experiences have changed you and have shaped your motivations.

Aim to present a thoughtful, heartfelt reflection on your experiences, not a sales pitch. Do NOT blandly write, 鈥淴 experience allowed me to develop Y attribute.鈥 Rather, share anecdotes and examples that convey those traits implicitly.

Avoid using buzzwords; for instance, rather than saying, "I am a compassionate person" (which is something that anyone could say, so it's not particularly compelling), tell an engaging听story from a meaningful life experience听that illustrates your compassion in action and then share your thoughts on the ways in which experiences like that one have helped you understand your own value system.

By telling illustrative stories from your life experiences and sharing thoughtful reflections upon the ways in which your experiences have shaped you, you will end up with a听personal statement that not only helps the reader truly get to know you but also will be听truly unique to you.

Allow 20-30 minutes for the following exercise. We recommend really doing it: get out some paper and some markers and sit down to really focus on this exercise:

  1. Get out a big piece of paper (legal size, if possible) and a set of colored pencils or markers
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  2. Take 15 minutes for a听brainstorming session, writing down as many interesting, significant things that you've听done or have experienced. Think back from your听childhood to the present. This is a 鈥渂rain dump鈥 onto the paper.
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    • Did certain life events profoundly influence your values, goals, or life trajectory?
    • Which of your experiences have impacted who you are and what you stand for?
    • Which of your intellectual experiences (coursework, research, etc.) got you excited about learning (in general, or about a specific topic area) and intellectual problem-solving
    • What are some of the accomplishments that听you鈥檙e most proud of?
    • Have you overcome听tough challenges?
    • Which of your hobbies do you hold most dear?
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  3. Write down your thoughts:
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    • Keep it short鈥攐ne or two words, not full sentences. For instance, if you worked at a summer camp, just write down the name of that camp.
    • Draw a circle around each entry, to keep it separate from the others.
    • Fill the page with as much information as you听can.
    • Do not try to organize your entries, and do not censor or edit what you're听writing. Anything that comes to mind should go on the paper鈥攅ven if it seems trivial or silly, and even if it has nothing to do with becoming a health professional.
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  4. Once you come to a stopping point on your "brain dump," look back through what you've written down听(but you can always add more entries as you think of them) and "connect the dots" of your life experiences.
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    • Look for underlying themes that different entries have in common. For instance, if you were the captain of a sports team in high school, served as a dorm RA in college, and then worked as a teacher in your first career, you might identify "leadership" or "mentoring" as the motivating factor they all had in common.
    • When you identify a theme, write it down听("leadership," etc.) on the side of the听page in a certain color, and then use that same color to circle all of the entries on the page that fit that theme.
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  5. Finally, write down 3-5 of the top motivations or themes听that you听have uncovered. You can now start to think about how you might want to convey those themes in your听professional school applications, essays and interviews.

鈥Personal statement mapping exercise adapted from an exercise presented by Dr. Katharine Brooks in You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path from Chao to Career, as presented in Eileen Tom's 2014 article in The Advisor听1.

Within听most personal statements for professional schools, the same two main themes will arise: 鈥淚 like science,鈥 and 鈥淚 want to help people.鈥 That鈥檚 okay! Everyone considering a career in the health professions听should听like science and want to help people. Do not avoid these themes just because they seem clich茅; instead, develop them according to your personal experiences.

"Some of the best statements I have read focus on ordinary events that many other people may have experienced. What makes the essay stand out are the writer's unique insights and ability to reflect on these experiences."

Dr. Rachel Tolen, Assistant Director of the听Health Professions Center at听Indiana University2

What fires you up about science and learning? Why do you find it rewarding to help others? Tell stories that help the reader understand your motivations. Your personal stories and reflections will be different from everyone else鈥檚.

When you are ready to start working on your personal statement in earnest, you can start scheduling your 1:1 application coaching sessions with Jessica Talbot. You may want to use your first session for brainstorming, to explore听ways to describe your motivations and can help you identify meaningful anecdotes to include in your writing. You can use your subsequent coaching sessions to review drafts of your written materials. (Each coaching session must be focused on either your personal statement, your set of application experience descriptions, or a representative set of your supplemental application essays.) Jessica听will provide you with candid feedback on what is working well in your current draft and听will help you identify topics you may want to add, change, or delete. We recommend you complete your first personal statement coaching session relatively early in your writing process.

Visit our Preparing Your Written Application Materials webpage for details on scheduling your coaching sessions.

Most people end up writing 10 or more drafts of their personal statement before they are happy with the final version. In addition to your coaching sessions with Jessica Talbot, ask several other people to read subsequent drafts.听Include people who know you well in addition to听those who know you in a more limited fashion. Ask each reader to provide you with the following feedback:

  • What are the key impressions of me that came across in this essay?
  • Are there any sections you found especially compelling or that fell flat?

We suggest you provide your reviewers with our听Personal Statement Writing Tips handout as a reference tool.

Before submitting your application, have a well-qualified person proofread your personal statement for flow, word choice, grammar, and punctuation. (In fact, you should have that person proofread all of your entries for the Activities section of your application, as well.) Even if you are excellent at grammar and punctuation, you should have another person check for errors that you may have missed. The Writing Center in Norlin Library is a good resource.