Personal Statement SOPHAS

[aqua_skies95]

Do we have to have a separate personal statement for each school we apply to? Would each of the personal statements be under "Program Materials" in SOPHAS?

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[ConfusedAsUsual]

Do we have to have a separate personal statement for each school we apply to? Would each of the personal statements be under "Program Materials" in SOPHAS?

Yes, in the Program Materials--Documents section. The personal statement has to be unique to each school, following their SOP guidelines.

 

[aqua_skies95]

Yes, in the Program Materials--Documents section. The personal statement has to be unique to each school, following their SOP guidelines.

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! Do you think it's fine to use the same personal statement and edit it slightly for each program?

 

[ConfusedAsUsual]

I used the same beginning essentially for each one, and then tweaked phrases here and there to reflect the specific department. When I spoke about why I wanted to go to XYZ/why I'm a perfect fit there, that is when I made it completely different and highlighted the things I liked about the specific program.

I looked at 10 different SOP prompts and this is how I summarized the guidelines (the bolded ones are what changed for me with each essay to each school):

1. Reason for interest in public health (why?)
2. Formative experiences in public health (area of interest/public health issue should be clear)
3. Why a particular department/concentration (introduce research interests)
4. Why the university/program - how would you be a good fit
5. How you will use your degree to achieve career goals/what skills or experiences do you hope to gain as you complete your MPH coursework at XYZ, that will help propel your career in public health?