I have completed my draft of this years personal statement and have been using an online tool that checks for passive voice, readability, etc. A couple of the scores indicate the years of school needed to properly understand the essay/sentence. All of the metrics indicate the readability of my PS is at about a college junior level. Overall I am going to edit it so that it also sounds more "natural" and as if I am telling the story to a friend because right now it seems a little too formal. Should the PS be more simplistic? I am a very casual speaker but my writing style is more formal and rigid which is generally fine for formal presentations but I dont know if it will be as effective when trying to captivate the adcom reading my essay.
How simple should Personal Statements be?
- Thread starter buckoh24
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Click on "Personal Statement" in my signature for a resource where other people read your PS and provide feedback.
You could try your uni's writing center, a eng prof, etc. There is something about having a stranger read your PS, I tend to be more blunt and honest when I edit a stranger's PS. I think its important to be chill but also professional at the same time. I've seen people be slick and made jokes that thread between their PS really well. Just be yourself is the my advice.
You could try your uni's writing center, a eng prof, etc. There is something about having a stranger read your PS, I tend to be more blunt and honest when I edit a stranger's PS. I think its important to be chill but also professional at the same time. I've seen people be slick and made jokes that thread between their PS really well. Just be yourself is the my advice.
Ha yeah Im in your 21-27 reading list already. I had my english professor look over it but she is writing me a LOR so she knows me pretty. So having a PhD in english and knowing me well may give her a different perspective than an adcom who knows nothing about me. She personally likes the PS but with a heavy background in english, I think she may find it "easy" to read.
