Are you applying to a four year college?
Virtually all four-year colleges and universities require a personal statement as part of the application process. A personal statement is your chance to tell your desired school about yourself. It is a chance to give your application something unique, and it gives the admission’s committee a chance to get to know you. It is your opportunity to convince the school that you are ready and capable of being successful.
Examples
We offer two examples of real personal statements used to get into four year schools. We offer these only so you could see what a personal statement can look like - please do not copy these statements nor take them as absolute exemplars. For more information on personal statements please see the suggested guidelines below.
A personal statement used to apply to University of Wisconsin
A personal statement used to apply to University of Virginia.
Note: UVA's personal statement is not one essay but answers to a series of questions. Great thanks to George P. Batten for providing his personal statement for use on this website!
Personal Statement Guidelines
(Remember, these are just suggestions and guidelines.)
Part I: Tell a personal story about yourself that leads to your academic interests
Part II: State your interest in wanting to attend an undergraduate program. State why you are ready to attend a university/college.
Part III: Show some of your knowledge. What have you learned from your experiences (work, volunteer, community college education, etc)
Part IV: What have you done to prepare yourself for undergraduate school? What specific experiences have you had?
- Organizations
- Volunteer work
- Jobs
- Internships/researchships
- Projects you have worked on
How do your experiences relate and help make you a good candidate? What have you overcome? How has it lead to your current interests?
Part V: Speak to what this university/college program can specifically do for you (you can’t write a different statement for each school so you tailor the last section to each specific school you are applying to). Here is the chance to make it unique to this school.
- What major/department do you think you will choose?
- Any special programs that the university has?
- Is there something unique about the location?
- Do you have any personal connections to the location or professors?
Part VI: Tell them, very directly and explicitly how great you are. You have the experience to be there. You have commitment and dedication (do not sound like you are unsure). State your desire to just not be in undergraduate school, but at this school.
Tips:
- Personal Statements are like cover letters for jobs so don’t just restate the information that is already on your application
- Make it personal. Something they can remember. They are reading a lot so make sure there is something unique about it.
- If you have taken any time off from school then speak to it. Don’t ignore it
- More detail and no lists is a good thing
- If possible, have a teacher read over your essay
- Showing work experience is not a bad thing
PERFECT GRAMMAR AND EASY PROSE - DON’T BE JARGON-Y
Do Nots:
- Don’t mention everything just to put in more information - speak to what best highlights you.
- Don’t mention bosses or scholars/professors without first asking their permission
- Don’t sound hesitate in your statement about what you want to do
A personal statement used to apply to University of Virginia.
