Personal statements are often the basis for interview questions, so be prepared to respond to queries about what you have written and clearly remember the details you included.
Personal statements are often the basis for interview questions, so be prepared to respond to queries about what you have written and clearly remember the details you included.
A personal statement should tell a story about you and attract your readers with an effective opening paragraph. Capturing and maintaining the audience’s interest is essential or your application will be passed over.
Most important in a personal statement and contrary to what intuitively you think would impress, such as awards, scholarships, degrees, sports victories, etc., is GROWTH, MATURITY, AND CONFLICT. Read the personal statements on the Wheaton college link. These are not laundry lists of good deeds, but instead stories of how people overcame problems in their life and grew in the process.
The Wheaton Law school video I refer to will reiterate this advice. Lots of applications will have perfect GPAs and interships, etc. But what sets you apart from the others?
We will look at various sources for writing an effective personal statement, including examples, what to include, and what to avoid. Remember that the examples are other people’s work and representations of themselves. While you may refer to the examples as helpful models, you must compose your own original statement to avoid plagiarism. After all, the purpose is to sell yourself and stand out from all the other candidates.
Answer preview Personal statements are often the basis for interview questions, so be prepared to respond to queries about what you have written and clearly remember the details you included.
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