Personal Statement
Workshop
WERONIKA WASILEWSKI
FULBRIGHT ENGLISH TEACHING ASSISTANT
Thoughts
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How do you define a personal statement?
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What do you want out of this workshop?
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Is there any sort of secret formula?
Agenda
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What is a personal statement?
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What are the expectations?
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What does a successful personal statement include?
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How can you write one?
What is a personal statement?
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500 word essay asking you to describe yourself to a committee
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An opportunity to showcase your writing skills
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Chance to really wow a committee
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Persuasive writing
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Personality comes through
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What should an excellent personal statement have?
Expectations
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Why would you make an excellent candidate
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Provide writing sample
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Discuss your accomplishments, merit, goals for the future and ambitions
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Opportunity to stand out!
Branding
Personal Branding
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Marketing yourself!
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Uncover your personal brand
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What are my biggest strengths?
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Where are my passion areas?
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What makes me unique?
What are three characteristics you would use to describe your brand?
Good Personal Statement Beginning
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You need a hook! Something that grabs their attention and makes them want to keep
reading.
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Which one is more interesting to read – why?
“Blood is warm and tastes bitter as it runs down my face and into my mouth. I grab Joe’s arm
to pull him out of the fight, but he wiggles away and escapes my grasp, darting into the
school hallway. That day, the rush of intervening in a fight and keeping the peace, ignited
within me a lifelong passion to educate and to help.”
“When I was 17 years old I decided I wanted to do something important with my life. I knew I
wanted to be a school teacher when I broke up a fight between people at my high
school. This moment proved definitive in my ambitions to become an educator. After this,
this was always my life goal, since I was 17. ”
More Hook Examples

Which one is better:
“Tears streamed down my mother’s face as I walked onto the stage to
receive my diploma. The sun shone through the clouds, and I could hear
thunderous applause from the crowd. As I walked back, she grabbed me
by the shoulders and wiped her eyes, ‘Grandpa would be so proud of
you.’”
“I will be the first one in my family to go to both college, and graduate school.
Fulfilling this ambition is meaningful to both me and my family.”
Hooks
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Creating a scene is the most effective means to deliver information.
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You need to be able to talk about yourself in a way that is interesting,
active, and clear.
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Use SENSORY details. Remember this is CREATIVE writing.
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This is a simple matter of showing, not telling.
Body
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Follow a standard 4-5 paragraph essay format
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Outline your reasons for admission into a program
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Factor your hook into all parts of the essay
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Relay your important achievement and qualifications
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Should not be a list
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Figure out which parts of your experience are essential to your success as a future
__________.
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Give supporting details: If you mention in your personal statement that you will be a great
doctor because you are hard working, then you’ll have to provide proof!
Be assertive!
No: “If you let me in I promise I will do my very very best.”
Yes: “When I am admitted, I will contribute to both the academic and social communities of
New York University.”
Body Paragraph Examples
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“Drug addiction, pregnancy, broken families and sexual abuse are all
issues I have encountered as a student services counselor. Each issue
requires me to deal with sensitivity, understanding, and action. The same
skill set that motivates me towards graduate study in education at NYU. In
June of 2012 I was awarded Employee of the Month at the Student Center
for my work in creating a support group.”
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“As a student services counselor I dealt with many issues within the student
body. During this time, I learned the skills of compassion and sensitivity. This
is why I want to study education at New York University.”
Conclusion
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Natural sigh of relief at the end of your essay
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Should feel like a conclusion without needing to say “in conclusion”
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You have already proven how great you are in body
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Return to the original moment and end with a bang
Conclusion Examples
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“In conclusion, the experiences I have just described have helped to make me
into an ideal candidate for graduate study. They have shaped me into the
individual I am today and will continue to influence me into the future, if
admitted for study at New York University. My graduate study would not only
benefit my own development as a professional, but also it would help me to be
a better educator and mentor to my students.”

“My professional life has been anything but a series of experiences, it has been
chemical reaction, each fuse igniting the next, until I have arrived at the pursuit
of graduate study. My admission to New York University would not only fulfill my
goal of obtaining a Masters Degree, but it would also function as a means by
which I can further this education by using what I learn at NYU within my own
classroom, igniting passion in each of my students, into the future.”
A Good Place to Start
Get You Thinking
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What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story?
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What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have
shaped you or influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or
help set you apart from other applicants?
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Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (economic, familial, or
physical) in your life?
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What personal characteristics (for example. integrity. compassion. persistence) do you
possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? Is there a
way to demonstrate or document that you have these characteristics?
Ctd.
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Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain
(great grades but mediocre SAT/GRE scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to
your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)?
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When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and
about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction
that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained?
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What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess?
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Tell a story: Use a story to illustrate the point that you really want to express. Stories are
easier to remember than straight facts and this will make the committee members
remember you.
Tips
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Boil down an ESSENTIAL moment or a sensory image.
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Outline your reasons for admission CLEARLY.
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Always make the introduction pop. You want to draw them in!
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Make your sentences flawless. Don’t use the same word twice. Don’t be repetitive or use
cliché’s.
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Have a running theme throughout your personal statement which you keep referring back to.
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End strong and memorably. Take their breath away!
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CHECK FOR SPELLING AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS!!
Personal Statement Don’t’s
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Do not use the same answers as other applications
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Do not include high school achievements (unless they are absolutely
remarkable!)
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Do not touch on controversial or political topics
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DO NOT LIE!!!
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Avoid clichés
Any Questions?

Weronika Wasilewski

Fulbright English Teaching Assistant