Definition Of A Personal Statement
Definition of a Personal Statement
Mary Hale Tolar1
Deputy Executive Secretary, Truman Scholarship Foundation
If you are applying for nationally competitive scholarships,
• A resume in narrative form. An essay that reads like a
f
or graduate school, or for a number of post-graduate
resume of accomplishments and goals tells the reader
service or employment opportunities, you have seen the
nothing that they could not glean from the rest of the
vaguely phrased request; in one form or another, it comes
application. It reveals little about the candidate, and is a
down to “tell us something about yourself.”
wasted opportunity.
The Rhodes and Marshall competitions require a 1000-
• A journal entry. While you may draw on experiences
w
ord personal essay: the Fulbright, a “curriculum vita.”
or observations captured in your personal journal, your
You are asked to share your “academic and other interests.”
essay should not read like a diary. Share what is
A clearer charge might be: compose an essay that reveals
relevant, using these experiences to give a helpful
who you are, what you care about, and what you intend to do
context for your story. And include only what you are
in this life. Tell this story in a compelling manner, and do so
comfortable sharing—be prepared to discuss at an
in less than a thousand words. What’s so hard about that?
interview what you include.
Simply make sense of your life. (right.) But what does that
• A plea of justification for the scholarship. This is not
mean? What will it look like?
an invitation to “make your case.” Defending an
assertion that you are more deserving of the scholarship
than other candidates is a wasted effort—you’ve likely
Because personal statements are personal, there is no one
t
ype or style of writing that is set out as a model. That
just accomplished the opposite.
can be liberating; it can also be maddening. But while every
personal statement is unique in style, it’s purpose is the same.
Most importantly, a personal statement is authentic. Don’t
make the mistake of trying to guess what the committee is
looking for, and don’t write what you think they want to hear.
A personal statement is your introduction to a selection
committee. It determines whether you are invited to
They want to know you.
interview; and if selected as a finalist, interview questions
will be based on this material. It is the heart of your
o, what must you include in the personal statement? An
application.
Seffective personal statement will answer the following
questions:
A personal statement is:
• Who am I?
• A picture. Your personal essay should produce a picture
• Who do I want to be?
of you as a person, a student, a potential scholarship
•
winner, and (looking into the future) a former
What kind of contribution do I want to make, and how?
scholarship recipient.
• Why does it make sense for me to study at Oxford (or
York, LSE, Cambridge, Sussex)?
• An invitation. The reader must be invited to get to
know you, personally. Bridge the assumed distance of
For the Rhodes, you will want to include a proposal of study,
strangers. Make your reader welcome.
one or two paragraphs devoted to why Oxford makes sense to
• An indication of your priorities and judgement. What
you. For the Marshall and Fulbright, your “proposed
you choose to say in your statement tells the committee
academic programme” is presented separately. Your
what your priorities are. What you say, and how you say
proposal should be as detailed and specific as possible,
it, is crucial.
including degree plans, course titles, and professors with
• A story, or more precisely, your story. Everyone has a
whom you hope to study (especially if you have contacted
story to tell, but we are not all natural storytellers. If you
them by email or letter). Why is this the right place and
are like most people, your life lacks inherent drama.
program? Is it consistent with your studies and activities to
This is when serious self-reflection, conversation with
date? Draw connections.
friends, family, and mentors, and permission to be
creative come in handy.
Remember the goal: grab the readers’ interest, and make
them want to meet you for an interview. Get a sense of
A personal statement is not:
the experiences and dreams you wish to share, then examine
• An academic paper with you as the subject. The
them for a helpful means of making sense of it all. You will
papers you write for class are typically designed to
find your story; and if you share it honestly, you will have
interpret data, reflect research, analyze events or
written a personal statement.
reading—all at some distance. We are taught to
eliminate the “I” from our academic writing. In a
Finally, know that writing a personal essay is hard and will
take many drafts and much reflection. Don’t wait until
personal statement your goal is to close the distance
you have it right to share it with others; their input will likely
between you and the reader. You must engage on a
make it stronger, clearer, and tighter. Don’t put it off until
different, more personal level that you have been trained
you have it right … just write!
to in college.
1Mary Tolar is a 1988 Truman Scholar and 1990 Rhodes Scholar; served as scholarships advisor at four institutions, and has served on
a State Rhodes Committee of Selection. She has helped over sixty students win nationally competitive scholarships.
Getting Started….
The personal statement comes from inside you, passionate and gutsy. Its composition is
organic, a natural growth dictated by an obscure, internal logic. You don’t “make it up”;
instead you listen. You “get it down.”
First, you must trick your brain into letting you play. It wants everything nice and tidy,
arranged in neat, labeled cubbyholes. Your artist brain is messy; like playing with finger
paints. Lull your logic brain to sleep:
Engage in mindless, repetitive activity. Turn off the TV and stereo; go for a run, do
dishes, dig holes. Do anything that keeps you busy but allows your mind to wander.
Be sure to keep a micro cassette recorder handy! Ideas may come thick and fast.
Begin writing as soon as you wake up in the morning. Don’t shower, don’t eat (OK,
you can have coffee), just turn on the computer. So you’re not fully awake; that’s
good. Neither is your logic brain.
Now do this everyday. Well, maybe not every single day; make appointments with
yourself. You won’t have brilliant ideas each time. Some days you sit and stare at the
computer screen. Nothing happens. You develop imaginary rashes that need immediate
medical attention. You suddenly remember a test you should be studying for. But you sit
there; you focus; eventually, an idea bubbles to the surface. You start writing.
From Getting Creative with the Truman Personal Statements, written by Jane Curlin, Ph.D.; Director of Student Academic
Grants & Awards, Willamette University; writer and consultant.
An Exercise in Self-Reflection
Reflect on some specific questions that may lead you to a more general expression of yourself.
• What errors or regrets have taught you something important about yourself?
• When have you been so immersed in what you were doing, that time seemed to
evaporate while you were actively absorbed?
• What ideas, books, theories or movements have made a profound impact on you – be
honest.
• To what extent do your current commitments reflect your most strongly-held values?
• Where or how do you seem to waste the most time?
• Under what conditions do you do your best, most creative work?
• To what extent are you a typical product of your generation and/or culture? How might
you deviate from the norm?
(Taken from From a Faculty Representative: The Truman and Marshall Scholarship Processes As Educational
Experiences, by Cheryl Foster, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy and Scholarships Coordinator at the
University of Rhode Island)
