Why Personal Statements Are Important For Admission
Getting admission documents required by many universities for international or local prospective graduate students can be such a herculean task especially when one doesn’t start the process early.
Many institution advisors suggest that you start gathering your documents a year prior to the application date so you would have time to review documents and also edit essays that are required.
One essay most graduate students attest to being time-consuming is the statement of purpose essay because it is unique for each applicant.
Read Also; How To Write A Personal Statement For University
Contents
What Is A Personal Statement Essay?
A personal statement is like a short reflective essay about why you should be considered for admission into an undergraduate or postgraduate degree programme. It involves writing about your skills, experience, and ambitions in order to persuade your chosen university that you are suitable and qualified for your course of choice
Your personal statement should be unique reflecting your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and other relevant experiences that made you interested in taking the course.
The length of a personal statement essay varies from one university to the other, so in writing your essay you should make sure you are writing within the specified word limit.
You do not want your application to be disqualified even before getting a chance to be read by the admissions committee.
Why Personal Statements Are So Important In Admission Applications?
5 Things To Avoid In Your Personal Statement Essay
There are lots of online resources online that show you how to craft a personal statement essay. But, there are certain information that may lead to a rejection of your application if included in your essay. They include;
1. General Cliches
In writing your essay, you should avoid general cliches and proverbs because many applicants include these statements in their essay. Over the years admission committees usually do not read these words, so why not use words to demonstrate why you should be chosen instead of wasting words or space on generalized terms.
2. Appeal For Aid
Most applicants who include the need for aid in their personal statements may find that they get no response from the committee, this is because most courses especially graduate positions come with graduate research or teaching assistantships. the target should be being a candidate worthy of securing positions with your desired department.
3. Grammatical Errors And Spellings
I recommend that one should revise their essays 2-3 times before final submission. Revising your essay gives you the opportunity to edit and correct grammatical errors and spellings before submission to avoid interference or confusion when your essay is read
4. Application Information
Including your application information in your essay is a total waste of time. If you just asked why?
The reason is that most complete applications already have a category for applicants information in their application portal thereby making this information unsolicited in your essay.
5. Exaggeration
If an application makes it past the initial review stage, an interview is scheduled for each applicant. You should avoid situations where questions regarding your essay are asked but cannot be answered due to exaggeration in your essay or having false information present in your essay.
