personal history vs. statement of purpose - am I getting too personal?

[buzzworm]

So I'm in the midst of my application process for clinical psych PhD programs, and one of the schools I'm applying to asks for both a statement of purpose and a personal history statement. This is what they say about the personal history statement:

"Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include information about:
• How you have overcome barriers to access in higher education;
• Evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others;
• Evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education;
• Evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality;
• Evidence of your leadership among underserved populations."

I'm a white, middle-class woman and am fortunate enough not to have gone through a lot of personal hardships in my life. I also haven't had much experience in the way of helping underserved populations.

So here are my two options:
1.) Write about a severely mentally ill high school friend of mine, who sparked my emotional investment in psychology
2.) Write about my experience as a woman in science

I feel like option #1 is far more emotionally compelling, but is it too personal? I've shied away from writing anything about this in my statement of purpose, fearing that it will seem unprofessional, but this essay seems to be inviting more personal experiences.

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[hamsterpants]

So I'm in the midst of my application process for clinical psych PhD programs, and one of the schools I'm applying to asks for both a statement of purpose and a personal history statement. This is what they say about the personal history statement:

"Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include information about:
• How you have overcome barriers to access in higher education;
• Evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others;
• Evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education;
• Evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality;
• Evidence of your leadership among underserved populations."

I'm a white, middle-class woman and am fortunate enough not to have gone through a lot of personal hardships in my life. I also haven't had much experience in the way of helping underserved populations.

So here are my two options:
1.) Write about a severely mentally ill high school friend of mine, who sparked my emotional investment in psychology
2.) Write about my experience as a woman in science

I feel like option #1 is far more emotionally compelling, but is it too personal? I've shied away from writing anything about this in my statement of purpose, fearing that it will seem unprofessional, but this essay seems to be inviting more personal experiences.

Hmm. I do think this essay prompt is asking for a more personal response but I don't see anything in the prompt that fits #1. They are really looking for an essay about underrepresented groups or barriers to access in higher ed. it doesn't look like they are looking for experiences dealing with those with severe mental illness (unless perhaps if she is from an underrepresented group). #2 may work.

this is just my very unexpert opinion.

 

[buzzworm]

Hmm. I do think this essay prompt is asking for a more personal response but I don't see anything in the prompt that fits #1. They are really looking for an essay about underrepresented groups or barriers to access in higher ed. it doesn't look like they are looking for experiences dealing with those with severe mental illness (unless perhaps if she is from an underrepresented group). #2 may work.

this is just my very unexpert opinion.

Thanks for your input, hamsterpants! I think you're right; it's just that I really don't have any experience that perfectly fits what they're asking for. I guess I'll try to stick closer to the topic and go with #2, since it's pretty much all I've got.

If anyone else has thoughts on this, please feel free to chime in.

 

[Neuropsych2be]

Have you ever experienced the "glass ceiling" that so many women struggle with? Even white middle class women frequently experience this. I think that these questions are dealing with how an under-represented minority person or a woman is impacted by the power hierarchies in our society.

 

[multicultpsyc]

I would also focus on your research interests. Are you interested in any kind of research that will benefit underrepresented groups or work to address inequality? If so, what about your background led you to those research interests? If not, then probably stick to your second option and just be clear about how that will make you a good psychologist/student.

 

[buzzworm]

Have you ever experienced the "glass ceiling" that so many women struggle with? Even white middle class women frequently experience this. I think that these questions are dealing with how an under-represented minority person or a woman is impacted by the power hierarchies in our society.

That is a good idea, but I've actually had a pretty positive experience overall. I went to a very woman-friendly school, my most recent employer was a successful female researcher, and I had a leadership role at that job. I guess I'll stick to talking about my own positive experiences and discuss the inequalities that still exist, which I'm fortunate not to have personally experienced.

 

[UsagiChan26]

Evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education;

I'm trying to write my personal statement/personal history, but I'm not quite understanding what they mean by this prompt. Could someone give me some ideas on how I can even address this in my personal history? Thanks!

 

[CheetahGirl]

"Evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education"

I'm trying to write my personal statement/personal history, but I'm not quite understanding what they mean by this prompt. Could someone give me some ideas on how I can even address this in my personal history? Thanks!

Whether you are a man or woman, coming out of undergrad or applying after earning a masters or working for several years:

Think of these questions and options:
- Have you ever had a woman professor/mentor/family member/close other who helped you persevere? And don't effeminate your response (that would be insulting) by saying 'Oh yes, there was one who was nurturing...' Think of Jennifer Lawrence's current argument with how women are not paid equally as her male counterparts. How have interactions with the abovementioned woman empowered you personally? Did she inspire you? Do you she make you realize that gender is only a quality of ours but not necessarily a barrier?
-Have you ever known anyone of a racial minority who inspired you through witnessing his/her struggles (if you are claiming to be WASPy)? How do you view racial minorities? Do you view them as an out-group member (as in social psych concepts) or do you understand that you share more in common with these individuals than the limits of ethnicity? Do you know multicultural, biracial (I prefer not to use biracial, I like the former term) friends, classmates, others who have touched you personally as far as how they compromise their differences...and if this may be true for you, how do you find negotiating (for example) your Latina and American cultures and traditions?
-Can you think of individuals who have been strongly discriminated against (like a friend who was gay/lesbian), transgendered, or disabled or even has an addiction or mental illness? How have you observed this person further his/her goals? And if this is true for you, what strengths have you developed to inspire you when you lost hope?

Remember, as a clinical psychologist, you will be submersed in academia for several years, while treating all kinds of people from all different walks of life. The main goals of questions like these are to tap into your individual sophistication as a thinker and doer. Are you narrow-minded and does it come across in your essay, or can you be expansive in your thoughts to the point of being open to everyone and learning to discriminate against no one...and I mean NO ONE. You will learn this delicate play of your personal thoughts and feelings about people (i.e., I know I do not want to treat adults who perpetrate severe abuse on children, but I would be able to get through several sessions knowing this bias enough to transfer them to another clinician within a brief period of time...but my preference is not to travel down that road with that particular patient). And once you learn your own personal biases, you learn how it translate them into professionalism along the course of graduate school. But these programs need to see you are coming from a solid, open-minded foundation....they don't want to waste time training you there.

Edit: And if you claim not ever having felt discriminated against, why is that? Have you surrounded yourself around others who make you safe? Are you willing to step out of the box and train at a facility that has predominately ethnic minorities. Can you be a man/woman of the people, or would you fear this opportunity?

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[smalltownpsych]

I'm trying to write my personal statement/personal history, but I'm not quite understanding what they mean by this prompt. Could someone give me some ideas on how I can even address this in my personal history? Thanks!

That would have been a really tough one for me to answer since in undergrad I had done really nothing that would provide evidence that I had advanced underrepresented groups so I likely would not have been a good candidate for that program.

 

[UsagiChan26]

Thank you, CheetahGirl! That was really helpful. I'll definitely consider those things when writing my personal history.