Guide to Getting Into Graduate School > The Personal Statement

Graduate schools expect a personal statement with your application. The statement reflects your life and academic background, such as how you came to study Psychology, and career objectives. The personal statement is your chance to speak directly with the admissions committee and your future professors. Though a well-written personal statement will not make up for poor grades or GRE scores, a badly written personal statement could seriously hurt your chances of being accepted.

"Take the case of the student with a competitive grade point average and good references who was not accepted to any of the 11 programs he applied for. One cannot be sure, but the biographical statement included with his applications is the suspected reason. First, it was poorly typed, with many smears and crossed-out words. The spelling and grammar were both appalling. Finally, the content left much to be desired. It was far too long -- about 15 pages -- and went into detail about this person's philosophy of life (which was far from the establishment viewpoint). It also stressed emotional agonies and turning points in his life. Hoping to cure the world of all its evils, this person tried to indicate how a PhD in Psychology was necessary to fulfill that end. In short, it was an overstated, ill-conceived essay that may have been received so badly that it overshadowed his other attributes and data." (Fretz and Stang, 1988).

Give as much care to your personal statement as you would a term paper. Here are some tips for creating an effective personal statement:

• Before you begin writing, read as much about the school's program as you can so that you can tailor your personal statement to their published admission standards. Many schools ask specific questions for the personal statement. You should analyze these questions and answer them individually for each school. Statements which have been answered too generally, especially those which only mention the school in the last few sentences, stand out negatively to the eyes of experienced readers.
• Write a rough draft and set it aside for a week. Go back and read it a week later. If it still sounds good, edit it and finalize it. If not, rewrite it again.
• Ask your advisor to read your draft and make suggestions.
• Your final paper should be succinct -- two double-spaced pages at most. If you are unsure about the length, check the websites or online graduate applications of your prospective schools for word limits. Stick to talking about the points the school is interested in, and avoid lengthy philosophical diatribe. If your statement sounds egotistical, rewrite it. While you want to emphasize your strong points, an element of humility can only help.
• To an extent, it is good to open up a bit. I'm not talking about telling a sob story with the hope of getting pity from the admissions committee, but a personal story that can in some ways highlight your strengths, ability to succeed, think critically, etc. A deeply personal, interesting statement makes for good reading and catches the eye of admissions committees better than an impersonal one. In this vein, if you choose to narrate how you overcame an adversity (such as financial circumstances, debilitating medical issues), it is helpful to also narrate how you learned to succeed from it. Telling the committee about your problems needs to serve as a lead-in to your triumphs.
• Check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation carefully. Avoid slang and jargon that makes you sound uneducated. Avoid elaborate phrases and words that make you sound pretentious.

If you're having writers block, here are some questions you can ask and answer about yourself.

• What makes you unique? Why are you different from other applicants?
• What do you expect to get out of a graduate school?
• What attracts you to your chosen career?
• How did you initially become interested in Psychology?
• How has your academic experience thus far prepared you for graduate school?
• What two or three academic accomplishments are you most proud of?
• What's the most important thing that the admissions committee should know about you?
• Think of a professor that you like and respect. If this person were reading your application essay, what would impress him or her?