5 Steps to Write Your Personal Statement

Confirm Instructions
- Research your top professional schools.听
- Confirm the national application portal or process your top school(s) use. Review your individual professional school admissions instructions to determine if your professional school utilizes a specific, national application portal. The application portal will include instructions for a personal statement. If not, review the individual professional school admissions instructions for specific personal statement details.
- Application instructions听may change each cycle.听Always review your official instructions when your application cycle begins.
- Don't overthink听it.听Specific instructions and word count limits are found in the application instruction manual听specific听to your school(s).
Update Your Resume & Unscramble The Egg
- Fully听update your听resume and move on to the 鈥淯nscramble the Egg鈥� exercise below.
- If you听do not听have a resume, create one for general usage听and听as a starting block in this process.
- 91吃瓜网 Career Center听has听online resume resources and you may make an appointment or access in drop-in hours with their staff for resume assistance.听
Next:
- Create a听second version听from your original resume.
- Remove all resume categories and "耻苍蝉肠谤补尘产濒别"听your bullet points.听List all items in chronological order versus听your existing categories (work experience, volunteering, skills, etc.) found on your resume. Unscrambling allows you to see duplication and can also identify gaps.听
- Go back in time.听Reflect about your听entire听91吃瓜网 pre-health / pre-professional journey. Add any personal involvement/items not already listed. Include awards, positions, work or volunteer experiences, extracurricular activities, etc.听anything that is not already included.听It does not have to be health related experiences.听Leave no stone unturned.听
- How far back?听A good starting place is your adult life (post-high school).听If听听during high school听you had unique, health-related experiences or circumstances (prestigious state/national award, certified health care provider or worked in a healthcare office, etc.) you are welcome to include those items if you wish. However, primarily focus on your adult-age timeline, regardless of when you started college.
- Expect all entries and writing will be much longer than your original resume. Take as much time and written space as you need.

Step 2: Self-Reflect

Journals and helpful reflection techniques.

Expand Your Voice
- Review your expanded resume. Write a journal entry discussing each experience or item listed. Remember, this is an exercise 鈥撎�not听about marketing yourself. Take as much time/space as you need.
- Not sure where to start? Write and consider one or more prompts听below.听Go beyond a written a list of听your general 鈥渢asks, duties and responsibilities鈥澨齝ommonly听summarized on your resume:
  - Why was this activity, role or involvement important to me?
  - What does time spent on this activity say about me?
  - What have I learned about myself/my community/the profession? How have I grown/changed from this experience?
  - How has this activity, role, involvement or personal circumstance prepared/influenced:
    ...my personal interest to serve my community?
    ...my specific听motivation for a lifetime of public service as a provider in the health field?听
Trouble Self-Reflecting?
- Talk through it.听Record yourself talking through your thoughts.听
- Actively listen听to your recordings.听This may help you find a starting point for your written personal journal entries.
- Remember, no one else will be reading your journals - so speak from the heart.听Being open and honest helps you process your written reflections and where/how they may relate to various parts of your pre-health/pre-professional journey and application听process.听

Step 3: Brainstorm

Formulate your personal statement focus.

Review Your Reflections
- Take a break.听Step away from your听written journal self-reflections for a few days.
- Resume with a quiet space and a fresh perspective.听Thoughtfully read/review听all your personal writing and journal entries.
Formulate Your Statement Focus
- Spend time and answer the questions听below听to narrow and formulate your individual personal statement focus.听This time will allow you to think more freely, without fear or judgment.
  - What initial thoughts/feelings arise from your reflections?
  - What seems to speak to you within any experience or in your personal journey so far?
  - Is there any special information that you feel is听extremely听relevant for an admissions committee to specifically know about you?
  - Are there any special circumstances which you feel are听extremely听important for an admissions committee to better understand you?
- Need听additional techniques to听narrow听your focus?听Use a听dry-erase board or sticky notes to organize听after听answering these questions. Often it helps further brainstorm, narrow or connect key thoughts you may have in this formulation process.
- Looking for more strategies or guided exercises? Explore the .

Step 4: Communicate

Writing techniques and tips.

Key Elements & Reminders
- Structure your statement with purpose and impact. Each statement should have a thoughtful introduction, thesis, body and conclusion overall. Ensure you:
  - Create an introduction that is concise, intentional and reflective. Your goal is to spark curiosity, convey maturity and motivate the reader to keep learning about you.
  - Present a clear and focused thesis that clarifies what your statement will illustrate. State the central idea, purpose, or key takeaway(s) that will guide the rest of the essay.
  - Develop well-organized, substantive body paragraphs which highlight key experiences, reflections, skills and growth that support your message.
  - Write a conclusion that leaves the reader with a sense of closure, summarizing your key ideas or delivering a meaningful final perspective.
- Don鈥檛 over-communicate. Stay focused on your key elements听when answering these questions听below:
  - What key elements and specific thoughts would you like to听primarily听focus on? (two or three听maximum听suggested)
  - Out of your entire 91吃瓜网 pre-health/pre-professional Journey, what is听most important听to communicate to a professional admissions committee to better understand you and/or your motivation towards this specific profession?听
- Be authentic and specific. Avoid clich茅s, and make sure the rest of your statement consistently supports and develops that thesis. A few clich茅 examples include phrases such as:
  - 鈥淔ollow your dreams.
  - 鈥淓verything happens for a reason.鈥�
  - 鈥淚 learned the true meaning of teamwork.鈥�
  - 鈥淚t changed my life forever."
Write
- Get started.听Always remember:
  - 鈥淪tart writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.鈥�
  - 鈥淚f you wait for inspiration to write you鈥檙e not a writer, you鈥檙e a waiter.鈥澨�
- No matter what your key elements may be in your personal statement,听all听great essays will:
  - Be clear and stay on topic.
  - Be logically organized.
  - Be grounded in meaningful experiences / experience-based.
  - Concise (few wasted words).
  - Free of grammatical or mechanical writing errors.
Writing Tips
- Not sure where how to begin? Start by writing the body of your statement. You can craft your introduction and thesis later, shaping them to effectively lead the reader into your key elements and experiences in the body of the statement.
- Don鈥檛 feel that you must tell your entire life story听or that it must be shared from the very beginning.
  - Personal statements do have word limits.
  - Nearly every candidate is initially drawn to a healthcare profession for fairly common reasons. If your brainstorming reveals stronger, more relevant elements than your initial motivation or starting point鈥攆ocus on the experiences that best showcase your suitability for the profession.
  - First impressions of why you听initially听became interested in your specific health care career听are often very powerful and personally unforgettable. However, it听might not always be the most relevant, key element(s) that you need to focus on or discuss in your personal statement.听
- Stay focused in your adult-life perspective听to connect who you are today. It is okay to discuss your non-adult听past听if听it provides extremely crucial context to your adult-life and viewpoint today. However,听诲辞苍鈥檛听spend most of your statement discussing your individual thought process at a听less-developed, non-adult age听versus who you are today.
Admissions Perspective
- Professional school statements often are not memorable simply because of 鈥渨hat鈥� experiences听you鈥檝e had. Often thousands of candidates applying, like you, commonly may share similar personal experiences or circumstances.
- What truly stands out is the genuine meaning and growth you've gained from your key experiences and/or circumstances in your personal journey. Be intentional about choosing what feels most important to you to communicate in your personal statement.
- If听appropriate, consider how your key experiences or circumstances have changed you听and/or your听pathway听in a very specific, personal way.
- REMEMBER, personal statements are:
  - Not听just your 鈥渨hat.鈥澨�= The facts of what happened/occurred.
  - It is your 鈥渟o what.鈥澨�= The genuine personal meaning behind your key experiences and/or circumstances along your journey.听
  - And, when appropriate, the "now what" = In what ways have your past experiences changed/influenced/shaped the person you are now? Provide a brief personal context that highlights your recent growth, development, capacities, or contributions that stemmed from those past experiences.

Step 5: Edit, Feedback & Submission

Tips, approaches and resources.

Statement General Tips
- Expect to go through multiple drafts.听鈥�There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.鈥�
- A personal statement is like art.听It is听one of a kind听and may feel in this collective process that it may never be fully done. Don鈥檛 expect this to be about perfection but ensure that the statement best represents听you.
- Don鈥檛 obsess about the 鈥減erfect鈥� personal statement.听If you were asked to write this statement from a blank slate听10 times, it might be slightly different听each听time. Overall, focus on your genuine voice. Stay on topic, be organized and draw from experience-based personal context. Focus on few wasted words, clean grammar and mature writing mechanics.
- No person is admitted听solely听on their personal statement.听However, is a very important piece of your holistic application, providing additional context of your personal readiness for professional school. Your entire professional application is a collective body of "artwork" which helps fully represent you as a candidate. Always keep in mind that your personal statement, along with many other factors -听all听matter to professional school admission committees.
Proofreading Tips
- Take a break between听your writing and editing.听Approach self-editing with a clear head. Plan for听one uninterrupted hour听to work on written edits to ensure a thorough and thoughtful job. The results will definitely be worthwhile.
- Remember, editing isn鈥檛 just about errors.听Polish your sentences at this point, making them smooth, interesting, and clear. Watch for very long sentences, since they may be less clear than shorter, more direct sentences. Pay attention to the rhythm of your writing; try to use sentences of varying lengths and patterns. Look for unnecessary phrases, repetition, and awkward spots.
- Read aloud, like a speech听or听use Microsoft Word鈥檚鈥�Read Aloud鈥� review feature to听actively listen听to your own words. This will slow you down to hear the difference between what you meant to write and what you actually wrote.
- Use a spell-checker on your computer but use it carefully.听Always听do your own spell-checking.听Computer spell-checkers often make errors. It might suggest a word that isn鈥檛 what you want at all or may not catch you've used the wrong word if it's spelled correctly (e.g. there, their, and they鈥檙e).
- Be aware of your tone.听Self-awareness in your written communication and tone is very important. Does it come across as arrogant, entitled or uninformed to the realities of a career and/or service as a future provider in health care?
Self-Editing, Support & Pre-Feedback Advice
- 91吃瓜网 Writing Studio听offers free consultation services to 91吃瓜网 students and alumni 0-2 years after graduating, providing in-person and online one-on-one meetings with trained writing consultants to discuss your personal statement or any writing project. They also provide online resources and individualized support at every stage of the writing process-from brainstorming and drafting to revising, editing and proofreading techniques.
- Do not听expect a 91吃瓜网 Writing Studio staff or others who review your work to decide 鈥�what is best鈥� or 鈥�what looks good.鈥澨�Your statement is personal to you and only you can objectively evaluate your own myriad of experiences to determine what is best for you.
- The听individual听5-step personal statement process is something that听you听truly must do on your own听鈥� it is a听personal听statement, which must come from you.
- Although it is encouraged to seek additional feedback听on your听final听personal statement draft,听it is imperative to听continually improve听your overall effective written communication and self-editing skills听throughout your journey.
  - Why? Additional writing and essays are听expected听in your professional healthcare school admissions application听and may be discussed during admission interviews. Effective written communication abilities are imperative for future success in professional school.
Final Statement Feedback
- Before听seeking final draft personal statement feedback, re-read your final draft. Ask yourself:
  - Does it answer the听specific听question/prompt听(if appropriate)?
  - Did I lose my statement focus? Does it make sense when I read it aloud (like a speech)?
  - Is this written from听my听perspective听or from听someone else鈥檚 viewpoint?
  - Does it听genuinely听communicate the key elements I wanted the committee to know about me or my journey towards this profession?
- Brainstorm a trusted peer, mentor or other individual(s) to review.听It is听not听required to have someone review or provide you with feedback on your personal statement. However, consider feedback to ensure that your written communication effectively aligns with your intentional personal message in your statement.听
- Don鈥檛 wait until the last minute.听Ask in advance if they would be willing to read and provide honest feedback regarding your personal statement for a healthcare professional school. Schedule an appointment with an individual in advance to ensure appropriate time to discuss your personal statement together.
- (Optional)听HPAO Services Feedback:
  - Upon听completion of all these steps听and your final personal statement version is completed,听you are welcome to attend a HPAO Personal Statement Support Workshop (offered fall/spring semesters) to discuss your personal statement.
  - All support workshops are found online听via our HPAO website,听"Attend Events, Workshops & Group Sessions"听听Select the appropriate听"Personal Statement Support"听event option to RSVP.
  - Personal statement support workshops focus on听effective, professional school personal statement feedback and techniques听to ensure that you have found听your听authentic voice.
  - We will听not听edit or proofread your personal statement. A professional school candidate鈥檚 writing abilities must stand on their own.听Consult with the 91吃瓜网 Writing Studio听if听you need help with general writing structure and self-editing techniques to improve your overall writing skill sets in the writing process towards your final, personal statement draft.
Personal Statement Submission
- Detail matters. Follow all official submission instructions and guidelines.听Often your submission may听not听be an 鈥渦ploaded鈥� document in the national application portal instructions. Please review all official application instructions and formatting guidelines听before听submission.
- Complete your final editing on your own personal device (Microsoft Word, etc.)听before听typing it into your application portal.听They will not have a spell-checker tool in national application portals. If your individual school does not use a national application portal, please follow their individual official admissions website submission instructions to the letter.
- Always double-check your work.听Once you submit your application, you will not be able to edit your essay in the application portal.

91吃瓜网

5 Steps to Write Your Personal Statement

Getting started can be the hardest part.

Ready to Begin?

Step 1: Organize

Step 2: Self-Reflect

Step 3: Brainstorm

Step 4: Communicate

Step 5: Edit, Feedback & Submission