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What are your biggest hurdles in your personal statement?

  • Getting organized

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Definitively choosing a theme for the PS

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • Keeping it short and concise

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mentioning multiple experiences and topics and having it all merge together

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1

tutorthepeople

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Just about every graduate program requires a personal statement as part of the application. A personal statement can be daunting. Unless you keep a daily journal or diary log (hey, this does not include social media updates), writing a full essay about your life is unexpectedly challenging. Applicants are tasked with using words to paint the picture of themselves, detailing how their academic history (and any mishaps), extracurriculars, and unique personality traits all blend together harmoniously to make them a qualified candidate.

Writing a personal statement can be a cathartic exercise. It really digs deep into human psychology. Why are you the way you are, what is your existential purpose, and why would an applications committee consider you as a competitive candidate? Here are some helpful steps to take in order to make this process a little less difficult:
  1. Just start writing!
    Write as much about yourself as possible. This could be 5 pages long. The more, the merrier. While this may be just a rambling train of thought, this is such a useful exercise. In the process, you will discover what parts of your experience and personality are most influential. You'll also come up with unique sentences and ideas that can be integrated into your essay.
  2. Review your Personal Catharsis Document
    Once you have completed your round of Personal Catharsis Writing, use it. Review the document multiple times. Highlight any particular experiences, sentences, or ideas that you would like to keep for your Personal Statement.
  3. Create a bullet list
    Now that you have gone through the document and identified points or ideas that you would like to discuss in your personal statement, create a concise bullet list. Visualizing these ideas in a bullet list will help you begin to formulate the essay in your head.
  4. Create an outline
    Using the bullet list you have created, develop a structure for your essay. This should have a clear beginning and end. Craft a story behind your ideas. How can you make everything flow and work together for your personal statement?
It's all a matter of polishing and reviewing after these preliminary steps are completed. It never hurts to have multiple sets of eyes reviewing your document. Still not satisfied? You may benefit from working with a professional PS editing service. Over here, TTP has helped students gain interviews and acceptance to top medical schools and graduate programs! Please reach out if we can help.

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