Career Development Centre

your Personal Statement

Career Development Centre

Work Skills

Experience

PERSONAL STATEMENT

what to include REVIEW

ACHIEVEMENTS

Interests How to write it

Postgraduate Study Applications

Personal statement.indd 1

1 31/01/2014 08:37

your Personal Statement

2 Personal statement.indd 2

31/01/2014 08:37

What's in this guide?

Introduction............................... pg1

Preparation................................ pg1

What to Include ........................... pg2

Brainstorm Worksheet....................... pg3

How to Write a Personal Statement......................... pg5

Personal Statements for Specific Disciplines................... pg5

Personal statement.indd 3

3 31/01/2014 08:37

Introduction

Many postgraduate courses require a personal statement as part of the application. The personal statement is an important part of the application process and allows course directors to compare applicants to determine their suitability for the course they are applying for. It is important that your personal statement is well thought out and is as impressive as possible. This booklet gives some ideas on how to prepare for and approach writing a personal statement for course applications.

Preparation

When preparing your personal statement ensure that you know the correct deadline as colleges have different application timelines. Check relevant websites and contact course directors directly to see what skills and prior qualifications they are looking for as this will help you write a targeted personal statement.

Make a list of everything you would like to include using the personal statement brainstorming worksheet on page 3.

Make sure you are aware of any length restrictions as institutions and application processes have different instructions, for example, most NUI Galway postgraduate programmes require a personal statement of roughly 500 words which is the equivalent of one typed page. If you are applying for a course through the UCAS system you are allowed 47 lines or roughly 600 words for your personal statement. While parts of your personal statement may be the same for different applications you need to follow the specific guidelines and instructions for each application process.

Ensure you give yourself enough time to get some feedback on your statement. Career Development Advisers are available in the Career Development Centre for one to one appointments to give advice on your career options which includes giving advice and feedback on your application form, CV and personal statements. Appointments may be booked online during term by visiting nuigalway.ie/careers and logging on to Careers Connect. Review appointments with Careers Connect book out well in advance. It is a good idea therefore to draft your personal statement and book your review appointment well in advance of the deadline.

1

Personal statement.indd 1

31/01/2014 08:37

What to Include

The course director, reviewing your personal statement for further study, will want to know why you are applying for this course. It is important therefore to outline the following:

? what interests you about the course and the subject? ? your clear understanding of the course and what motivates you to complete it. ? your background knowledge of the subject and how your previous study is related to

the course being applied for. ? What skills have you developed that you can transfer to this new area of study? This

is particularly important if your current or previous study is not related to the course being applied for. ? any specific areas of the course that you are particularly interested in and how you developed this interest? ? the relevance of any previous work experience (voluntary or paid) to the course being applied for. ? your skills, interests and abilities and how these make you a suitable candidate. ? what you intend to do upon successful completion of the course.

Possible Section Outline

Write the personal statement in essay format and group into sections that ensures a coherent flow with no repetition. The information below outlines a sample outline that could be followed when writing your statement.

Section 1 ? Intro ? Why you have chosen this course/profession/university.

Section 2 ? Your academic qualifications, relevant subjects/modules/projects studied.

Section 3 ? Personal qualities and achievements that make you suitable (including evidence of how you have developed them).

Section 4 ? Any work experience you have completed, outlining what you learnt from the experience and the relevance to the course.

Section 5 ? Summary ? sum up your overall suitability for the course and show clearly that you know what you want to get out of the course and where you hope the qualification will lead you.

Personal statement.indd 2

2 31/01/2014 08:37

Personal Statement Brainstorming Worksheet

You can use this worksheet to brainstorm what you need to include in your personal statement. Once you have completed this worksheet you can group this information into sections and use it to create a first draft of your personal statement in essay form.

Why do you want to apply to this course?

What have you studied for your undergraduate degree? What aspects of this did you enjoy? Is there anything distinctive about your academic results or any awards or scholarships that you achieved that should be highlighted?

How have you developed an interest in the course you are applying for? (Can include relevant areas or modules from your degree programme, if applicable )

What skills, interests and aptitudes do you have that make you a suitable candidate for the course or related profession? (Back these up with evidence of where you have developed them).

3 Personal statement.indd 3

31/01/2014 08:37

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download