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Looking for grad school personal statement examples? Look no further! In this total guide to graduate school personal statement examples, we’ll discuss why you need a personal statement for grad school and what makes a good one. Then we’ll provide three graduate school personal statement samples from our grad school experts. After that, we’ll do a deep dive on one of our personal statement for graduate school examples. Finally, we’ll wrap up with a list of other grad school personal statements you can find online.

Why Do You Need a Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a chance for admissions committees to get to know you: your goals and passions, what you’ll bring to the program, and what you’re hoping to get out of the program.  You need to sell the admissions committee on what makes you a worthwhile applicant. The personal statement is a good chance to highlight significant things about you that don’t appear elsewhere on your application.

A personal statement is slightly different from a statement of purpose (also known as a letter of intent). A statement of purpose/letter of intent tends to be more tightly focused on your academic or professional credentials and your future research and/or professional interests.

While a personal statement also addresses your academic experiences and goals, you have more leeway to be a little more, well, personal. In a personal statement, it’s often appropriate to include information on significant life experiences or challenges that aren’t necessarily directly relevant to your field of interest.

Some programs ask for both a personal statement and a statement of purpose/letter of intent. In this case, the personal statement is likely to be much more tightly focused on your life experience and personality assets while the statement of purpose will focus in much more on your academic/research experiences and goals.

However, there’s not always a hard-and-fast demarcation between a personal statement and a statement of purpose. The two statement types should address a lot of the same themes, especially as relates to your future goals and the valuable assets you bring to the program. Some programs will ask for a personal statement but the prompt will be focused primarily on your research and professional experiences and interests. Some will ask for a statement of purpose but the prompt will be more focused on your general life experiences.

When in doubt, give the program what they are asking for in the prompt and don’t get too hung up on whether they call it a personal statement or statement of purpose. You can always call the admissions office to get more clarification on what they want you to address in your admissions essay.

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What Makes a Good Grad School Personal Statement?

A great graduate school personal statement can come in many forms and styles. However, strong grad school personal statement examples all share the same following elements:

A Clear Narrative

Above all, a good personal statement communicates clear messages about what makes you a strong applicant who is likely to have success in graduate school. So to that extent, think about a couple of key points that you want to communicate about yourself and then drill down on how you can best communicate those points. (Your key points should of course be related to what you can bring to the field and to the program specifically).

You can also decide whether to address things like setbacks or gaps in your application as part of your narrative. Have a low GPA for a couple semesters due to a health issue? Been out of a job for a while taking care of a family member? If you do decide to explain an issue like this, make sure that the overall arc is more about demonstrating positive qualities like resilience and diligence than about providing excuses.

Specific Examples

A great statement of purpose uses specific examples to illustrate its key messages. This can include anecdotes that demonstrate particular traits or even references to scholars and works that have influenced your academic trajectory to show that you are familiar and insightful about the relevant literature in your field.

Just saying “I love plants,” is pretty vague. Describing how you worked in a plant lab during undergrad and then went home and carefully cultivated your own greenhouse where you cross-bred new flower colors by hand is much more specific and vivid, which makes for better evidence.

A strong personal statement will describe why you are a good fit for the program, and why the program is a good fit for you. It’s important to identify specific things about the program that appeal to you, and how you’ll take advantage of those opportunities. It’s also a good idea to talk about specific professors you might be interested in working with. This shows that you are informed about and genuinely invested in the program.

Strong Writing

Even quantitative and science disciplines typically require some writing, so it’s important that your personal statement shows strong writing skills. Make sure that you are communicating clearly and that you don’t have any grammar and spelling errors. It’s helpful to get other people to read your statement and provide feedback. Plan on going through multiple drafts.

Another important thing here is to avoid cliches and gimmicks. Don’t deploy overused phrases and openings like “ever since I was a child.” Don’t structure your statement in a gimmicky way (i.e., writing a faux legal brief about yourself for a law school statement of purpose). The first will make your writing banal; the second is likely to make you stand out in a bad way.

Appropriate Boundaries

While you can be more personal in a personal statement than in a statement of purpose, it’s important to maintain appropriate boundaries in your writing. Don’t overshare anything too personal about relationships, bodily functions, or illegal activities. Similarly, don’t share anything that makes it seem like you may be out of control, unstable, or an otherwise risky investment. The personal statement is not a confessional booth. If you share inappropriately, you may seem like you have bad judgment, which is a huge red flag to admissions committees.

You should also be careful with how you deploy humor and jokes. Your statement doesn’t have to be totally joyless and serious, but bear in mind that the person reading the statement may not have the same sense of humor as you do. When in doubt, err towards the side of being as inoffensive as possible.

Just as being too intimate in your statement can hurt you, it’s also important not to be overly formal or staid. You should be professional, but conversational.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

Our graduate school experts have been kind enough to provide some successful grad school personal statement examples. We’ll provide three examples here, along with brief analysis of what makes each one successful.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 1

PDF of Sample Personal Statement 1 – Japanese Studies

For this Japanese Studies master’s degree, the applicant had to provide a statement of purpose outlining her academic goals and experience with Japanese and a separate personal statement describing her personal relationship with Japanese Studies and what led her to pursue a master’s degree.

Here’s what’s successful about this personal statement:

• An attention-grabbing beginning: The applicant begins with the statement that Japanese has never come easily to her and that it’s a brutal language to learn. Seeing as how this is an application for a Japanese Studies program, this is an intriguing beginning that makes the reader want to keep going.
• A compelling narrative: From this attention-grabbing beginning, the applicant builds a well-structured and dramatic narrative tracking her engagement with the Japanese language over time. The clear turning point is her experience studying abroad, leading to a resolution in which she has clarity about her plans. Seeing as how the applicant wants to be a translator of Japanese literature, the tight narrative structure here is a great way to show her writing skills.
• Specific examples that show important traits: The applicant clearly communicates both a deep passion for Japanese through examples of her continued engagement with Japanese and her determination and work ethic by highlighting the challenges she’s faced (and overcome) in her study of the language. This gives the impression that she is an engaged and dedicated student.

Overall, this is a very strong statement both in terms of style and content. It flows well, is memorable, and communicates that the applicant would make the most of the graduate school experience.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 2

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 2 – Musical Composition

This personal statement for a Music Composition master’s degree discusses the factors that motivate the applicant to pursue graduate study.

Here’s what works well in this statement:

• The applicant provides two clear reasons motivating the student to pursue graduate study: her experiences with music growing up, and her family’s musical history. She then supports those two reasons with examples and analysis.
• The description of her ancestors’ engagement with music is very compelling and memorable. The applicant paints her own involvement with music as almost inevitable based on her family’s long history with musical pursuits.
• The applicant gives thoughtful analysis of the advantages she has been afforded that have allowed her to study music so extensively. We get the sense that she is insightful and empathetic—qualities that would add greatly to any academic community.

This is a strong, serviceable personal statement. And in truth, given that this for a masters in music composition, other elements of the application (like work samples) are probably the most important.  However, here are two small changes I would make to improve it:

• I would probably to split the massive second paragraph into 2-3 separate paragraphs. I might use one paragraph to orient the reader to the family’s musical history, one paragraph to discuss Giacomo and Antonio, and one paragraph to discuss how the family has influenced the applicant. As it stands, it’s a little unwieldy and the second paragraph doesn’t have a super-clear focus even though it’s all loosely related to the applicant’s family history with music.
• I would also slightly shorten the anecdote about the applicant’s ancestors and expand more on how this family history has motivated the applicant’s interest in music. In what specific ways has her ancestors’ perseverance inspired her? Did she think about them during hard practice sessions? Is she interested in composing music in a style they might have played? More specific examples here would lend greater depth and clarity to the statement.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 3

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 3 – Public Health

This is my successful personal statement for Columbia’s Master’s program in Public Health. We’ll do a deep dive on this statement paragraph-by-paragraph in the next section, but I’ll highlight a couple of things that work in this statement here:

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• This statement is clearly organized. Almost every paragraph has a distinct focus and message, and when I move on to a new idea, I move on to a new paragraph with a logical transitions.
• This statement covers a lot of ground in a pretty short space. I discuss my family history, my goals, my educational background, and my professional background. But because the paragraphs are organized and I use specific examples, it doesn’t feel too vague or scattered.
• In addition to including information about my personal motivations, like my family, I also include some analysis about tailoring health interventions with my example of the Zande. This is a good way to show off what kinds of insights I might bring to the program based on my academic background.

Grad School Personal Statement Example: Deep Dive

Now let’s do a deep dive, paragraph-by-paragraph, on one of these sample graduate school personal statements. We’ll use my personal statement that I used when I applied to Columbia’s public health program.

Paragraph One: For twenty-three years, my grandmother (a Veterinarian and an Epidemiologist) ran the Communicable Disease Department of a mid-sized urban public health department. The stories of Grandma Betty doggedly tracking down the named sexual partners of the infected are part of our family lore. Grandma Betty would persuade people to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, encourage safer sexual practices, document the spread of infection and strive to contain and prevent it. Indeed, due to the large gay population in the city where she worked, Grandma Betty was at the forefront of the AIDS crises, and her analysis contributed greatly towards understanding how the disease was contracted and spread. My grandmother has always been a huge inspiration to me, and the reason why a career in public health was always on my radar.

This is an attention-grabbing opening anecdote that avoids most of the usual cliches about childhood dreams and proclivities. This story also subtly shows that I have a sense of public health history, given the significance of the AIDs crisis for public health as a field.

It’s good that I connect this family history to my own interests. However, if I were to revise this paragraph again, I might cut down on some of the detail because when it comes down to it, this story isn’t really about me. It’s important that even (sparingly used) anecdotes about other people ultimately reveal something about you in a personal statement.

Paragraph Two: Recent years have cemented that interest. In January 2012, my parents adopted my little brother Fred from China. Doctors in America subsequently diagnosed Fred with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). My parents were told that if Fred’s condition had been discovered in China, the (very poor) orphanage in which he spent the first 8+ years of his life would have recognized his DMD as a death sentence and denied him sustenance to hasten his demise.

Here’s another compelling anecdote to help explain my interest in public health. This is an appropriately personal detail for a personal statement—it’s a serious thing about my immediate family, but it doesn’t disclose anything that the admissions committee might find concerning or inappropriate.

If I were to take another pass through this paragraph, the main thing I would change is the last phrase. “Denied him sustenance to hasten his demise” is a little flowery. “Denied him food to hasten his death” is actually more powerful because it’s clearer and more direct.

Paragraph Three: It is not right that some people have access to the best doctors and treatment while others have no medical care. I want to pursue an MPH in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia because studying social factors in health, with a particular focus on socio-health inequities, will prepare me to address these inequities. The interdisciplinary approach of the program appeals to me greatly as I believe interdisciplinary approaches are the most effective way to develop meaningful solutions to complex problems.

In this paragraph I make a neat and clear transition from discussing what sparked my interest in public health and health equity to what I am interested in about Columbia specifically: the interdisciplinary focus of the program, and how that focus will prepare me to solve complex health problems. This paragraph also serves as a good pivot point to start discussing my academic and professional background.

Paragraph Four: My undergraduate education has prepared me well for my chosen career. Understanding the underlying structure of a group’s culture is essential to successfully communicating with the group. In studying folklore and mythology, I’ve learned how to parse the unspoken structures of folk groups, and how those structures can be used to build bridges of understanding. For example, in a culture where most illnesses are believed to be caused by witchcraft, as is the case for the Zande people of central Africa, any successful health intervention or education program would of necessity take into account their very real belief in witchcraft.

In this paragraph, I link my undergraduate education and the skills I learned there to public health. The (very brief) analysis of tailoring health interventions to the Zande is a good way to show insight and show off the competencies I would bring to the program.

Paragraph Five: I now work in the healthcare industry for one of the largest providers of health benefits in the world. In addition to reigniting my passion for data and quantitative analytics, working for this company has immersed me in the business side of healthcare, a critical component of public health.

This brief paragraph highlights my relevant work experience in the healthcare industry. It also allows me to mention my work with data and quantitative analytics, which isn’t necessarily obvious from my academic background, which was primarily based in the social sciences.

Paragraph Six: I intend to pursue a PhD in order to become an expert in how social factors affect health, particularly as related to gender and sexuality. I intend to pursue a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Reproduction. Working together with other experts to create effective interventions across cultures and societies, I want to help transform health landscapes both in America and abroad.

This final paragraph is about my future plans and intentions. Unfortunately, it’s a little disjointed, primarily because I discuss goals of pursuing a PhD before I talk about what certificate I want to pursue within the MPH program! Switching those two sentences and discussing my certificate goals within the MPH and then mentioning my PhD plans would make a lot more sense.

I also start two sentences in a row with “I intend,” which is repetitive.

The final sentence is a little bit generic; I might tailor it to specifically discuss a gender and sexual health issue, since that is the primary area of interest I’ve identified.

This was a successful personal statement; I got into (and attended!) the program. It has strong examples, clear organization, and outlines what interests me about the program (its interdisciplinary focus) and what competencies I would bring (a background in cultural analysis and experience with the business side of healthcare). However, a few slight tweaks would elevate this statement to the next level.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples You Can Find Online

So you need more samples for your personal statement for graduate school? Examples are everywhere on the internet, but they aren’t all of equal quality.

Most of examples are posted as part of writing guides published online by educational institutions. We’ve rounded up some of the best ones here if you are looking for more personal statement examples for graduate school.

Penn State Personal Statement Examples for Graduate School

This selection of ten short personal statements for graduate school and fellowship programs offers an interesting mix of approaches. Some focus more on personal adversity while others focus more closely on professional work within the field.

The writing in some of these statements is a little dry, and most deploy at least a few cliches. However, these are generally strong, serviceable statements that communicate clearly why the student is interested in the field, their skills and competencies, and what about the specific program appeals to them.

Cal State Sample Graduate School Personal Statements

These are good examples of personal statements for graduate school where students deploy lots of very vivid imagery and illustrative anecdotes of life experiences. There are also helpful comments about what works in each of these essays.

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However, all of these statements are definitely pushing the boundaries of acceptable length, as all are above 1000 and one is almost 1500 words! Many programs limit you to 500 words; if you don’t have a limit, you should try to keep it to two single-spaced pages at most (which is about 1000 words).

University of Chicago Personal Statement for Graduate School Examples

These examples of successful essays to the University of Chicago law school cover a wide range of life experiences and topics. The writing in all is very vivid, and all communicate clear messages about the students’ strengths and competencies.

Note, however, that these are all essays that specifically worked for University of Chicago law school. That does not mean that they would work everywhere. In fact, one major thing to note is that many of these responses, while well-written and vivid, barely address the students’ interest in law school at all! This is something that might not work well for most graduate programs.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 10

This successful essay for law school from a Wheaton College undergraduate does a great job tracking the student’s interest in the law in a compelling and personal way. Wheaton offers other graduate school personal statement examples, but this one offers the most persuasive case for the students’ competencies. The student accomplishes this by using clear, well-elaborated examples, showing strong and vivid writing, and highlighting positive qualities like an interest in justice and empathy without seeming grandiose or out of touch.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 1

Based on the background information provided at the bottom of the essay, this essay was apparently successful for this applicant. However, I’ve actually included this essay because it demonstrates an extremely risky approach. While this personal statement is strikingly written and the story is very memorable, it could definitely communicate the wrong message to some admissions committees. The student’s decision not to report the drill sergeant may read incredibly poorly to some admissions committees. They may wonder if the student’s failure to report the sergeant’s violence will ultimately expose more soldiers-in-training to the same kinds of abuses. This incident perhaps reads especially poorly in light of the fact that the military has such a notable problem with violence against women being covered up and otherwise mishandled

It’s actually hard to get a complete picture of the student’s true motivations from this essay, and what we have might raise real questions about the student’s character to some admissions committees. This student took a risk and it paid off, but it could have just as easily backfired spectacularly.

Key Takeaways: Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

In this guide, we discussed why you need a personal statement and how it differs from a statement of purpose. (It’s more personal!)

We also discussed what you’ll find in a strong sample personal statement for graduate school:

• A clear narrative about the applicant and why they are qualified for graduate study.
• Specific examples to support that narrative.
• Compelling reasons why the applicant and the program are a good fit for each other.
• Strong writing, including clear organization and error-free, cliche-free language.
• Appropriate boundaries—sharing without over-sharing.

Then, we provided three strong graduate school personal statement examples for different fields, along with analysis. We did a deep-dive on the third statement.

Finally, we provided a list of other sample grad school personal statements online.

What’s Next?

Want more advice on writing a personal statement ? See our guide.

Writing a graduate school statement of purpose? See our statement of purpose samples  and a nine-step process for writing the best statement of purpose possible .

If you’re writing a graduate school CV or resume, see our how-to guide to writing a CV , a how-to guide to writing a resume , our list of sample resumes and CVs , resume and CV templates , and a special guide for writing resume objectives .

Need stellar graduate school recommendation letters ? See our guide.

See our 29 tips for successfully applying to graduate school .

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Author: Ellen McCammon

Ellen is a public health graduate student and education expert. She has extensive experience mentoring students of all ages to reach their goals and in-depth knowledge on a variety of health topics. View all posts by Ellen McCammon

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How to Write a Personal Statement for a PhD Program Application

Personal statement guidelines, general guidelines to keep in mind:.

• One size does not fit all : Tailor your personal statement to each program and department you are applying to. Do your research to learn what is unique about each of your choices and highlight how this particular program stands out.
• Yes, it’s personal : Showcase your unique strengths and accomplishments. Explain what influenced your personal decisions to pursue the program. Ask yourself, could this be applied to your friend or neighbor? If so, you need to be more specific and provide examples. Saying that you are a “good scientist” isn’t enough. Provide examples of your previous research experience, projects you’ve completed, and what technical skills you learned. Explain how you overcame any challenges along the way.
• Set aside enough time :  Although personal statements are generally short in length (approx. 700 words; 1-2 pages), give yourself ample time to write a strong, well-written statement. It takes more time than you think to develop a final draft for submission.
• Focus on your spelling, grammar, and vocabulary :  It’s important to present a well-written statement with good grammar and vocabulary. Write concrete, succinct sentences that flow well. Avoid flowery language. Visit the  Writing Center  for additional review and feedback.
• Proofread one more time:  Check your grammar and spelling again before submitting your final draft. Ask a friend, professor, or advisor to proofread your final draft one more time before sending it in. 

YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT SHOULD ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

• Why do you want to complete further research in this field?  Write down a list of reasons as to why you are interested in pursuing further study in the field. When did you become interested in the field and what knowledge have you gained so far? Describe how your previous work provided the foundation and for further study.
• Why  have you  chosen to apply to this particular university ? Does the institution have a particular curriculum, special research facilities/equipment, or interesting research that appeal to you?
• What are your strengths ? Demonstrate how you stand out from other candidates. Highlight relevant projects, dissertations thesis or essays that demonstrate your academic skills and creativity. Include IT skills, research techniques, awards, or relevant traveling/ study abroad experience.
• What are your transferable skills?  Be sure to emphasize transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, and time management skills. Give examples of how you have demonstrated each of these with specific examples.
• How does this program align with your career goals?  It’s okay if you don’t know the exact career path you plan to take after completing your PhD. Provide an idea of the direction you would like to take. This demonstrates commitment and dedication to the program.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For examples of successful personal statements, visit the  Online Writing Lab (OWL) .

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• Personal Statements for PhD Study

Written by Mark Bennett

Universities often ask prospective students to provide a personal statement for PhD study. This is likely to be a key part of your PhD application .

Whereas your research proposal explains the potential of your project, your personal statement (also known as a PhD statement of purpose) demonstrates your suitability for doctoral work in general.

Writing a PhD personal statement can seem challenging, but it’s also a valuable opportunity to state what you have to offer and ‘sell yourself’ as a PhD candidate.

This page explains how to write a PhD personal statement, including suggestions for an effective structure and some additional tips for success.

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What is a PhD statement for?

A personal statement provides additional information on a PhD applicant’s academic background, relevant experience and motivations for undertaking postgraduate research.

It is different from a PhD proposal, which outlines a particular research topic, explaining its aims, methodology and scholarly or scientific value.

Put simply, if a PhD is a unique individual project (and it is) then your personal statement shows that you’re the kind of unique individual who can complete one.

The form it takes can vary. Universities may include a space for a personal statement in their application materials, or they might ask you to submit it as a separate document or in place of a covering letter . Make sure you check what’s required before you start writing.

Will I have to write a personal statement for a PhD programme?

Not necessarily. Some PhD applications don’t actually ask for a separate personal statement. This may be because the admissions tutors want to focus on your research proposal instead (and leave other details for interview questions ).

A personal statement is very likely to be requested if you you’re applying to an advertised project with pre-defined aims and objectives (and aren’t submitting your own PhD proposal). If so, it will be your main chance to say why you’re the best student for this position.

Who will read it?

Your PhD statement may end up being read and considered by various people:

• Admissions tutors will check that you have relevant experience and qualifications for this programme and that these are up to the standard expected of a PhD candidate.
• Potential supervisors will be interested in your specific academic background as well as your motivations for working in their department or research group.
• Interview panellists (who may include admissions tutors and supervisors) will probably consult your personal statement when preparing questions for you .

These people will be interested in slightly different things, but don’t worry: a good statement should be able to satisfy all of them.

What is a PhD statement of purpose?

If you’re applying for a PhD programme at an American grad school , you may be asked to provide a ‘PhD statement of purpose’.

A PhD statement of purpose (SOP) is your chance to demonstrate that you’re an ideal fit for the grad school in question.

It’s essentially the equivalent of a personal statement, but you should check the application details for your preferred institution to make sure you’re covering everything you need to. Always follow the conventions of the country that your prospective programme is in.

What should my PhD personal statement include?

The exact content of your PhD statement of purpose will depend on the kind of project you’re applying for and the requirements set by your university.

You should check the latter carefully. If the admission guidelines ask for your personal statement to refer to specific details (such as motivations, career goals, your choice of university, etc) make sure it does.

In general, your PhD statement should cover the following topics:

1. What is your background?

Keep this relevant (and fairly brief). Admissions tutors and supervisors will be interested in what’s brought you to choose a PhD, but they won’t need to know your life story (and you won’t have time to tell it to them).

If your interest in your subject was inspired in childhood, feel free to say so. But focus on the interest, not the childhood.

2. Why do you want to research this topic?

Every personal statement needs to explain your motivation for taking on a PhD, but what you include here will depend on the kind of PhD you want to take on.

If you’re also submitting a separate research proposal you should probably focus more on why you want to research a PhD than the specific topic you’re proposing to research (that, after all, is what your research proposal is for).

If you’re applying for an advertised project (and not proposing your own research) you should say something about your interest in that PhD: what interests you about it and what you can bring to it.

3. What academic experience do you have?

Your personal statement isn’t a CV, so avoid simply listing qualifications you’ve detailed elsewhere in your application (on your CV , for example).

But your personal statement is a chance to comment on your CV and explain the significance of those qualifications for your PhD application. This is vital if you want to stand out from the crowd.

Most PhD applicants are academically excellent. Be proud of your own results, but explain what those degrees (including specific units and dissertation projects) taught you about the subject you now want to research.

4. What extra-curricular experience do you have?

Another way to build upon your academic qualifications is to include other experience that has also demonstrated (or developed) relevant skills for your PhD.

Again, relevance is key. You may also wish to include one or two examples of your wider experience and achievements, but the focus should be on your suitability for PhD study.

Examples of your character and qualities may be relevant for some projects – particularly those with a charitable focus, human-interest angle or clear social benefits / outcomes. Otherwise, try to stick to relevant skills such as organisation, independent project management, self-motivation, etc.

5. What are your broader goals and motivations?

It’s a good idea to say something about how this PhD fits into your wider aims and career goals.

The specifics of what you plan to do after your doctorate may not matter to your admissions tutors, but the fact that you have plans and can show that a PhD fits them demonstrates that you’ve thought seriously about a doctorate and are likely to commit to overcoming the challenges it involves.

6. Are there any other areas or issues arising from your CV?

Your personal statement is a great opportunity to expand upon your CV.

That could mean providing more detail about academic degrees (as above). But it can also mean explaining any gaps or irregularities and anticipating some of the questions they might raise.

Perhaps you didn’t do as well as you hoped on your undergraduate degree, but went on to find your niche and succeed with a more specialised Masters. It’s OK to acknowledge and explain that if so – particularly if your Masters relates closely to your PhD.

Similarly, if there’s a gap in your CV, it’s better to explain it than leave any begged questions – particularly if there’s a perfectly good reason why you weren’t working or studying at that point.

How to write a PhD personal statement

Crafting a good PhD personal statement requires discipline and planning.

Writing about yourself may not seem particularly hard, but selecting, sequencing and organising your material can be harder than it seems. You know a lot about you, after all, but you only have so much time and space. Speaking of which:

How long should a PhD personal statement be?

A PhD personal statement should be 400-500 words, fitting on one side of an A4 sheet of paper. Your university may set a specific word count or maximum length, so make sure to check the application details.

Either way, you should aim to be disciplined and concise. There are two reasons for this:

One is that the ability to think – and express yourself – clearly is a key PhD skill in all subject areas. There’s no harm in demonstrating it now.

The other is that admissions tutors and prospective supervisors are people. People who may well have a lot of personal statements and applications to assess, besides yours. If you give them a long essay to read, they might not.

How should I structure my statement?

The sequence above actually provides a good ‘spine’ for a personal statement (with roughly a paragraph or two for each section):

Start with a quick introduction, explaining who you are and what your background is. Try to have this progress naturally into your research interests and your choice of PhD and university.

From there you can move on, logically, to expanding on your skills and experience and how these make you a good fit for the PhD in question. If you wish to comment on other areas of your CV, do so at appropriate points here.

Finally, you can conclude with a section on your longer-term goals and aspirations.

What writing style should I use?

The ‘personal’ aspect of your statement should extend to its content (it’s a document about you) but not necessarily to its tone (it’s also a professional document, part of an application for a specific role).

That doesn’t mean you can’t express yourself (your reader will want to see that you’re passionate about your subject and enthusiastic about PhD research) but keep things professional and relevant.

These guidelines should also extend to way you write. Try to stick to short sentences and express yourself with clarity and precision. After all, a personal statement that’s easy to read is more likely to be read.

What extra-curricular experience do you have?

What are your broader goals and motivations, are there any other areas or issues arising from your cv, learn more about phd applications.

There are several components of a PhD application , besides your personal statement or statement of purpose. Our guides cover references , research proposals , academic CVs , cover letters and more.

Tips for writing your PhD personal statement

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Some of the ingredients for a great PhD statement vary from project to project and from student to student (it’s a personal statement, after all).

But the following general tips are still worth bearing in mind:

• Keep it relevant – Remember that this is a statement about you as a potential PhD student, not just a statement about you.
• Don’t duplicate your research proposal – A personal statement and a research proposal are two separate things. If you’re submitting both, make sure they cover different (and appropriate) ground.
• Be honest – If you’re lucky, the content of your personal statement could end up informing questions at your PhD interview . Don’t let embellishments or inaccuracies turn those into awkward questions.
• Look for guidelines – If your university asks you to cover something specific in your proposal, make sure you do so. The same applies to space limits or word counts.
• Think of the statement as a beginning, not an end – Resist the temptation to include everything, ‘just in case’. By focussing on the most important elements you’ll improve the clarity of your statement and increase your chance of covering other details at your interview.
• Address questions arising from elsewhere – If there’s a gap in your CV or an issue with one of your references, your personal statement can be an opportunity to (briefly) explain that.
• State, don’t plead - This isn’t a letter asking to be given a PhD place. It’s a statement showing why you should be given a PhD place. That’s even more important if there’s funding involved.
• Be confident – By the same token, don’t be afraid to demonstrate self-belief. Express your skills and achievements honestly, but be proud of what they represent.

Finally, before you submit your statement (and the rest of your PhD application ) ask someone who knows you to read it. They could be a friend, an employer, a current tutor or even one of your referees .

Either way, they’ll have a fresh perspective on your statement and will be able to tell you if it makes sense and comes across effectively. If they know you (and your work) well enough they may also be able to spot any details you’ve missed, or suggest ways to improve what you have included.

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Writing Personal Statements for Ph.D. Programs

Introduction

So you’ve decided to apply to a Ph.D. program—how exciting! While the application process can be harrowing at times, being accepted to a graduate school that is a good fit for your interests and skills is a privilege that will be well worth your efforts.

Before we get too wrapped up in the future, though, let’s return to the task at hand: writing a thoughtful personal statement that compellingly represents your academic journey and makes a persuasive case for your admission. This page will orient you to the process of writing a personal statement. The subsequent pages in this section will give you some general guidelines for constructing a convincing statement.

The advice on these pages is designed for students who are applying to Ph.D. programs in the U.S. While some of what we say may be applicable for graduate school applications to master’s degree programs, professional schools (like business school, law school, or medical school), or other kinds of courses of study, keep in mind that some (or many!) aspects of these applications may be different.

Although the title of this page mentions personal statements, the truth is that each department has different names for the essays they require for admission. Some departments require only a personal statement, others will ask for a personal statement and a research statement, still others will request only a statement of purpose (among other permutations!). While the personal statement, statement of research, and statement of purpose may seem like different essays altogether, this is not always the case. For this reason, it is critical that you read through the admissions guidelines for each program you are applying to. Carefully dissecting and understanding the criteria for each part of the application is an important part of applying to graduate school.

If you have any question about the kind of essay a school requires, your first defense should be your advisor (a professor in the field to which you are applying). Together, you can strategize about the requirements for the essay and can determine if you should reach out to the graduate coordinator for clarification.

That being said, this guide will focus primarily on personal statements, which we will define as essays in which applicants give details about their interest in an academic discipline and intellectual journey. Applicants may also be asked to write about challenges they have faced or the kinds of academic questions that most interest them. These statements’ main purpose is to convince admissions committee that the applicant is a good match for graduate work.

As you write your personal statement, be sure to read through these pages:

• Before you begin: useful tips for writing your essay
• Guided brainstorming exercises
• Get more help with your essay
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Writing Process and a Suggested Timeline

Now that we know what we’re talking about, let’s think about how you will actually write this statement. What follows is a brief outline of one process for writing a personal statement. Keep in mind, though, that everyone is different. You may find that you are able to rigidly follow this process and timeline, but this also may not be the case.

Before you start your applications, think carefully about the kinds of writing you have done in the past. What kinds of writing processes have worked for you? What hasn’t? At what point in the day or week can you get the most work done? When are you not usually as productive?

Based on your answers to these kinds of questions, create a schedule for yourself and set deadlines for completing writing goals (like finishing a first draft of your personal statement, for example). Transcribe this schedule onto a physical calendar, your phone’s calendar application, or a boatload of sticky notes—whatever makes the most sense for you. Just make sure that you can see easily see your schedule in the places where you work.

One last note: try to build in extra time. Most students applying to Ph.D. programs are able to quickly write short essays, so you may be tempted to assume that you’ll also be able to write your personal statement without devoting too much time or effort to this process. Although personal statements are short, they’ll require more time than you might expect. This kind of writing is hard word—and can be emotional, especially because you’ll need to share your statement with tough critical reviewers. Sometimes, too, these reviewers may take a while to get back to you with feedback, so make sure that your schedule can accommodate these anomalies.

What follows is a suggested (and we think, realistic!) timeline for crafting a compelling personal statement based on the assumption that applications are due in December. Here, we’ve outlined a rough schedule that covers when you should start a particular element of the writing process, but we haven’t attempted to say how long each element will take. (For example, we say that you should write the first draft of your personal statement in August, but we don’t say how many hours you should devote to completing this draft.) We hope that you will use the schedule below to create your own calendar that includes your own estimates for the amount of time each element of the writing process will take. For example, you may want to schedule four two-hour writing sessions in August that you can use to write your first draft. Once you have a sense of how long it takes to write this kind of draft, you can tailor your calendar to your own writing habits.

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• Knowledge Base
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• How to Write Your Personal Statement | Strategies & Examples

How to Write Your Personal Statement | Strategies & Examples

Published on February 12, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 3, 2023.

A personal statement is a short essay of around 500–1,000 words, in which you tell a compelling story about who you are, what drives you, and why you’re applying.

To write a successful personal statement for a graduate school application , don’t just summarize your experience; instead, craft a focused narrative in your own voice. Aim to demonstrate three things:

• Your personality: what are your interests, values, and motivations?
• Your talents: what can you bring to the program?
• Your goals: what do you hope the program will do for you?

This article guides you through some winning strategies to build a strong, well-structured personal statement for a master’s or PhD application. You can download the full examples below.

Urban Planning Psychology History

Table of contents

Getting started with your personal statement, the introduction: start with an attention-grabbing opening, the main body: craft your narrative, the conclusion: look ahead, revising, editing, and proofreading your personal statement, frequently asked questions, other interesting articles.

Before you start writing, the first step is to understand exactly what’s expected of you. If the application gives you a question or prompt for your personal statement, the most important thing is to respond to it directly.

For example, you might be asked to focus on the development of your personal identity; challenges you have faced in your life; or your career motivations. This will shape your focus and emphasis—but you still need to find your own unique approach to answering it.

There’s no universal template for a personal statement; it’s your chance to be creative and let your own voice shine through. But there are strategies you can use to build a compelling, well-structured story.

The first paragraph of your personal statement should set the tone and lead smoothly into the story you want to tell.

Strategy 1: Open with a concrete scene

An effective way to catch the reader’s attention is to set up a scene that illustrates something about your character and interests. If you’re stuck, try thinking about:

• A personal experience that changed your perspective
• A story from your family’s history
• A memorable teacher or learning experience
• An unusual or unexpected encounter

To write an effective scene, try to go beyond straightforward description; start with an intriguing sentence that pulls the reader in, and give concrete details to create a convincing atmosphere.

Strategy 2: Open with your motivations

To emphasize your enthusiasm and commitment, you can start by explaining your interest in the subject you want to study or the career path you want to follow.

Just stating that it interests you isn’t enough: first, you need to figure out why you’re interested in this field:

• Is it a longstanding passion or a recent discovery?
• Does it come naturally or have you had to work hard at it?
• How does it fit into the rest of your life?
• What do you think it contributes to society?

Tips for the introduction

• Don’t start on a cliche: avoid phrases like “Ever since I was a child…” or “For as long as I can remember…”
• Do save the introduction for last. If you’re struggling to come up with a strong opening, leave it aside, and note down any interesting ideas that occur to you as you write the rest of the personal statement.

Once you’ve set up the main themes of your personal statement, you’ll delve into more detail about your experiences and motivations.

To structure the body of your personal statement, there are various strategies you can use.

Strategy 1: Describe your development over time

One of the simplest strategies is to give a chronological overview of key experiences that have led you to apply for graduate school.

• What first sparked your interest in the field?
• Which classes, assignments, classmates, internships, or other activities helped you develop your knowledge and skills?
• Where do you want to go next? How does this program fit into your future plans?

Don’t try to include absolutely everything you’ve done—pick out highlights that are relevant to your application. Aim to craft a compelling narrative that shows how you’ve changed and actively developed yourself.

My interest in psychology was first sparked early in my high school career. Though somewhat scientifically inclined, I found that what interested me most was not the equations we learned about in physics and chemistry, but the motivations and perceptions of my fellow students, and the subtle social dynamics that I observed inside and outside the classroom. I wanted to learn how our identities, beliefs, and behaviours are shaped through our interactions with others, so I decided to major in Social Psychology. My undergraduate studies deepened my understanding of, and fascination with, the interplay between an individual mind and its social context.During my studies, I acquired a solid foundation of knowledge about concepts like social influence and group dynamics, but I also took classes on various topics not strictly related to my major. I was particularly interested in how other fields intersect with psychology—the classes I took on media studies, biology, and literature all enhanced my understanding of psychological concepts by providing different lenses through which to look at the issues involved.

Strategy 2: Own your challenges and obstacles

If your path to graduate school hasn’t been easy or straightforward, you can turn this into a strength, and structure your personal statement as a story of overcoming obstacles.

• Is your social, cultural or economic background underrepresented in the field? Show how your experiences will contribute a unique perspective.
• Do you have gaps in your resume or lower-than-ideal grades? Explain the challenges you faced and how you dealt with them.

Don’t focus too heavily on negatives, but use them to highlight your positive qualities. Resilience, resourcefulness and perseverance make you a promising graduate school candidate.

Growing up working class, urban decay becomes depressingly familiar. The sight of a row of abandoned houses does not surprise me, but it continues to bother me. Since high school, I have been determined to pursue a career in urban planning. While people of my background experience the consequences of urban planning decisions first-hand, we are underrepresented in the field itself. Ironically, given my motivation, my economic background has made my studies challenging. I was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship for my undergraduate studies, but after graduation I took jobs in unrelated fields to help support my parents. In the three years since, I have not lost my ambition. Now I am keen to resume my studies, and I believe I can bring an invaluable perspective to the table: that of the people most impacted by the decisions of urban planners.

Strategy 3: Demonstrate your knowledge of the field

Especially if you’re applying for a PhD or another research-focused program, it’s a good idea to show your familiarity with the subject and the department. Your personal statement can focus on the area you want to specialize in and reflect on why it matters to you.

• Reflect on the topics or themes that you’ve focused on in your studies. What draws you to them?
• Discuss any academic achievements, influential teachers, or other highlights of your education.
• Talk about the questions you’d like to explore in your research and why you think they’re important.

The personal statement isn’t a research proposal , so don’t go overboard on detail—but it’s a great opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the field and your capacity for original thinking.

In applying for this research program, my intention is to build on the multidisciplinary approach I have taken in my studies so far, combining knowledge from disparate fields of study to better understand psychological concepts and issues. The Media Psychology program stands out to me as the perfect environment for this kind of research, given its researchers’ openness to collaboration across diverse fields. I am impressed by the department’s innovative interdisciplinary projects that focus on the shifting landscape of media and technology, and I hope that my own work can follow a similarly trailblazing approach. More specifically, I want to develop my understanding of the intersection of psychology and media studies, and explore how media psychology theories and methods might be applied to neurodivergent minds. I am interested not only in media psychology but also in psychological disorders, and how the two interact. This is something I touched on during my undergraduate studies and that I’m excited to delve into further.

Strategy 4: Discuss your professional ambitions

Especially if you’re applying for a more professionally-oriented program (such as an MBA), it’s a good idea to focus on concrete goals and how the program will help you achieve them.

• If your career is just getting started, show how your character is suited to the field, and explain how graduate school will help you develop your talents.
• If you have already worked in the profession, show what you’ve achieved so far, and explain how the program will allow you to take the next step.
• If you are planning a career change, explain what has driven this decision and how your existing experience will help you succeed.

Don’t just state the position you want to achieve. You should demonstrate that you’ve put plenty of thought into your career plans and show why you’re well-suited to this profession.

One thing that fascinated me about the field during my undergraduate studies was the sheer number of different elements whose interactions constitute a person’s experience of an urban environment. Any number of factors could transform the scene I described at the beginning: What if there were no bus route? Better community outreach in the neighborhood? Worse law enforcement? More or fewer jobs available in the area? Some of these factors are out of the hands of an urban planner, but without taking them all into consideration, the planner has an incomplete picture of their task. Through further study I hope to develop my understanding of how these disparate elements combine and interact to create the urban environment. I am interested in the social, psychological and political effects our surroundings have on our lives. My studies will allow me to work on projects directly affecting the kinds of working-class urban communities I know well. I believe I can bring my own experiences, as well as my education, to bear upon the problem of improving infrastructure and quality of life in these communities.

Tips for the main body

• Don’t rehash your resume by trying to summarize everything you’ve done so far; the personal statement isn’t about listing your academic or professional experience, but about reflecting, evaluating, and relating it to broader themes.
• Do make your statements into stories: Instead of saying you’re hard-working and self-motivated, write about your internship where you took the initiative to start a new project. Instead of saying you’ve always loved reading, reflect on a novel or poem that changed your perspective.

Your conclusion should bring the focus back to the program and what you hope to get out of it, whether that’s developing practical skills, exploring intellectual questions, or both.

Emphasize the fit with your specific interests, showing why this program would be the best way to achieve your aims.

Strategy 1: What do you want to know?

If you’re applying for a more academic or research-focused program, end on a note of curiosity: what do you hope to learn, and why do you think this is the best place to learn it?

If there are specific classes or faculty members that you’re excited to learn from, this is the place to express your enthusiasm.

Strategy 2: What do you want to do?

If you’re applying for a program that focuses more on professional training, your conclusion can look to your career aspirations: what role do you want to play in society, and why is this program the best choice to help you get there?

Tips for the conclusion

• Don’t summarize what you’ve already said. You have limited space in a personal statement, so use it wisely!
• Do think bigger than yourself: try to express how your individual aspirations relate to your local community, your academic field, or society more broadly. It’s not just about what you’ll get out of graduate school, but about what you’ll be able to give back.

You’ll be expected to do a lot of writing in graduate school, so make a good first impression: leave yourself plenty of time to revise and polish the text.

Your style doesn’t have to be as formal as other kinds of academic writing, but it should be clear, direct and coherent. Make sure that each paragraph flows smoothly from the last, using topic sentences and transitions to create clear connections between each part.

Don’t be afraid to rewrite and restructure as much as necessary. Since you have a lot of freedom in the structure of a personal statement, you can experiment and move information around to see what works best.

Finally, it’s essential to carefully proofread your personal statement and fix any language errors. Before you submit your application, consider investing in professional personal statement editing . For $150, you have the peace of mind that your personal statement is grammatically correct, strong in term of your arguments, and free of awkward mistakes.

A statement of purpose is usually more formal, focusing on your academic or professional goals. It shouldn’t include anything that isn’t directly relevant to the application.

A personal statement can often be more creative. It might tell a story that isn’t directly related to the application, but that shows something about your personality, values, and motivations.

However, both types of document have the same overall goal: to demonstrate your potential as a graduate student and s how why you’re a great match for the program.

The typical length of a personal statement for graduate school applications is between 500 and 1,000 words.

Different programs have different requirements, so always check if there’s a minimum or maximum length and stick to the guidelines. If there is no recommended word count, aim for no more than 1-2 pages.

If you’re applying to multiple graduate school programs, you should tailor your personal statement to each application.

Some applications provide a prompt or question. In this case, you might have to write a new personal statement from scratch: the most important task is to respond to what you have been asked.

If there’s no prompt or guidelines, you can re-use the same idea for your personal statement – but change the details wherever relevant, making sure to emphasize why you’re applying to this specific program.

If the application also includes other essays, such as a statement of purpose , you might have to revise your personal statement to avoid repeating the same information.

If you want to know more about college essays , academic writing , and AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

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Writing an Effective Personal Statement for PhD Graduate Programs

Personal statements should be a reflection of your academic skills, success, and goals.

By Kaela Singleton Doctoral Candidate in Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience

A personal statement is one of the most important components of any doctoral graduate school application. This post will guide you with some general steps to get you started with generating a personal statement that is concise, reflects your academic success, and emphasizes your goals for graduate school. The individual graduate programs will provide writing prompts that detail exactly what you should address in your statement, so be sure you touch on everything that they want you to cover!

Before you start writing

• Update your CV:  Having a complete list of your accomplishments will make it easier to include and exclude information from your personal statement. Your CV can be used as a timeline of your achievements, and therefore an outline to how your past experiences have prepared you for graduate school. For guidance on CV writing, see  7 Tips for Writing a Successful CV.
• Research Graduate Schools of Interest:  Gain insight into the coursework, faculty, and student life for each program you are considering. Using the program website, generate a list of qualities that appeal to you about each school you’re applying to. Emphasize how and why these qualities contribute to your decision to apply to this program. This list should include research and faculty members that interest you as well as any other pros (i.e. location, cohort size, post-graduate jobs etc.)
• Create a team of editors:  Your personal statement will be read by faculty members and graduate students studying different topics within the program. Therefore, your personal statement should be compelling to a broad audience. Ask peers, mentors and advisors from various disciplines well in advance to edit and provide feedback on your statement.

Now start writing

Introduction.

The goal is to engage your reader with a quick synopsis of who you are, what you want out of graduate school, and your qualifications to join this specific program.

• Introduce yourself and identify your academic interests:  Provide a brief introduction of yourself and your academic interests. If you have a personal anecdote that explains how you became interested in science and research, start there. These “narrative hook” anecdotes engage the reader and set up a great platform to describe the motivation behind your experiences. Then go into your academic interests, which can be a couple of sentences broadly stating your research interests.  
• Emphasize your skills and overall goals:  Use both your research on the program and CV to highlight how your skill set will complement and grow from participation in this program. Speak in broad terms, showcasing how your goals align with the overall mission of the program.

THE BODY PARAGRAPHS

The goal is to expand on the points you mentioned within the introduction. Provide concrete examples of how past and present experiences led you to writing this application.

• Explain how you became interested in your particular scientific field:  Highlight key moments that encouraged you to apply to graduate school. This can be the very start of your interests in the field or from skills and knowledge that you gained from internships, research experiences, or coursework and class discussions.
• Describe your prior research experiences and importantly what you learned from each experience:  Provide a past experience where you used and developed a new skill that is pertinent to your ability to conduct research. Be sure to explain how this skill will be useful for your future in graduate school. It is critical to discuss what you learned from experience and to be as specific and concise as possible.  For example: I worked with Dr. A at institution B. My work focused on C. The project entailed D, E and F techniques. From this experience, I learned G. This taught me F about my decision to attend graduate school. 

In the conclusion paragraph, you should discuss what you learned about the graduate school program that you are applying for. Highlight specific faculty members or courses listed that excite you, and re-emphasize your goals.

• Summarize your qualifications and experiences:  Bring everything together here. Emphasize the skills you currently have and how joining this program will aide in continuing your success. 
• Personalize:  In this final paragraph, include specific faculty and program qualities that appeal to you as an applicant. Show that you have researched specific faculty or courses that will aide in your future training. Also be sure to discuss your career goals. 
• Edit:  Proofread and edit. Send your statement out to friends, faculty advisors, and people outside of your discipline. 

Personal statements should tell your story and be compelling across fields. Remember that a PhD program trains you to build and utilize scientific skills to advance research. You won’t want to try to convince the reader that you’ll cure cancer or discover the flu vaccine. Instead, focus on persuading readers that graduate training is right for you, and that the accompanying enrichment of your research skillset will help you reach your academic and professional goals.

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Writing Personal Statements for Graduate School

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Personal Statements

Preparing a well-written and effective personal statement (sometimes referred to as statements of purpose or personal essays) that clearly articulates your preparation, goals, and motivation for pursuing that specific graduate degree is critically important. You will need to spend a considerable amount of time and effort in crafting these statements. The focus, structure, and length of personal statements vary from program to program. Some will have prompts or questions you need to answer, while others will leave the topic open-ended. The length varies widely as well. Read instructions carefully and make sure to adhere to all parameters laid out in the application guidelines.

Clear writing is the result of clear thinking. The first and most important task is to decide on a message. Consider carefully which two or three points you wish to impress upon the reader, remembering that your audience is composed of academics who are experts in their fields. Your statement should show that you are able to think logically and express your thoughts in a clear and concise manner. Remember that the reader already has a record of your activities and your transcript; avoid simply restating your resume and transcript. Writing your statement will take time; start early and give yourself more than enough time for revisions. If no prompts are given, you can use the questions below to begin brainstorming content to include in your statement; for more information, see our Writing Personal Statement presentation Prezi  and our three-minute video on Writing Personal Statements .

• What experiences and academic preparation do you have that are relevant to the degree you’re seeking?
• Why are you choosing to pursue a graduate degree at this time?
• Why do you want to pursue this particular degree and how will this degree and the specific program fit into your career plans and your long-term goals?
• What specific topics are you aiming to explore and what does the current literature say about those topics?

After you’ve written a first draft, start the work of editing, refining, simplifying, and polishing. Provide specific examples that will help illustrate your points and convey your interests, intentions, and motivations. Is any section, sentence, or word superfluous, ambiguous, apologetic, or awkward? Are your verbs strong and active? Have you removed most of the qualifiers? Are you sure that each activity or interest you mention supports one of your main ideas? Spelling and grammatical errors are inexcusable. Don’t rely on spell-check to catch all errors; read your statement aloud and have it reviewed by multiple people whose opinion you trust. If possible, have your statement reviewed by a writing tutor. For individual assistance with writing your personal statement, consult with the writing tutor in your residential college  or the Writing Center within the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning .

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Personal Statement Example: Student Applying for a Ph.D. in Literature

It represents both a chance for you to introduce yourself to the admission committee of the institution, but also to present your thesis or research goals you plan to achieve during your studies. Read key tips for understanding what a personal statement is and how to write one for your Master's or Ph.D.

What better way to get the creative juices flowing than an example of a successful personal statement, written by a student applying for a PhD in Literature at a university in the United States ?

Read carefully and think what you would include in your personal statement to convince the university you’ve got what it takes to successfully complete your degree and become a prestigious alumna or alumnus.

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Personal Statement for a Ph.D. in Literature

In August 2015, I completed my graduate degree and thesis for the Research Master's in Comparative Literary Studies at [university name2]. As a student in the Research Master's (RMA) program, my scholarly concerns were mostly focused on critical theory, cultural studies, and social discourse, built into the wide-ranging, cross-cultural framework of Comparative Literature. In addition, the rigorous graduate curriculum in the RMA program placed a strong emphasis on individual research and intensive academic writing to prepare me for Ph.D-level studies. As a student, I find myself consistently engaged with the intersection of politics, literature, and critical theory.

I have always had an interest in projects that are interdisciplinary and which also foster a broad, social-political dialogue; I have published in Marxist theory, but I have also presented at conferences on neuroscience and on post-colonialism. While my interests are vast, I have always found literary studies to satisfy my intellectual curiosity and provide a meaningful methodological foundation. Therefore, it is from this theoretical perspective and challenging background as a scholar that I wish to pursue a Ph.D. in Literature at [university name], as it would be a privilege to participate in this critical discourse alongside the immensely distinguished Literature faculty.

Before beginning my graduate studies, I finished a Bachelor's degree in English from the [university name3]. I was fortunate enough as an undergraduate to have found exhilarating joy in academic research. Setting a goal to pursue a lifelong career as an academic allowed me to overcome weaknesses that were initially felt to be insurmountable, including low grades and test scores. Learning the strategies necessary for university study, though, while following a compelling curriculum enabled me to complete my degree, participate in interdisciplinary thesis research, and eventually continue on to graduate school. Relocating to the Netherlands for graduate school proved to be a worthwhile choice, as living abroad for the past few years has been a formative and enriching experience. Thinking globally about academic study and education more generally, while being amid a tumultuous political climate and refugee crisis has developed the way I continue to speak (and write) about cultural experience.

In 2015, I had my first refereed article, "Utopian Registers of the New Italian Epic," published in the peer-reviewed journal Incontri: Rivista Europa di Studi Italiani. After submitting it to this journal, the article underwent a strict external review process where I was able to refine my argument carefully before it was published in the 30th volume of Incontri.

The final six months of my degree were devoted to completing my RMA thesis, entitled "An Ethics of Belonging". For this project, I chose to continue my interest in examining ethics and literature, using several sources of migrant literature as my literary corpus. I framed my discussion within the context of 'belonging,' and considered the ethical complications with that concept. One of the interesting aspects of writing this thesis was the ability to place these ideas in the background of current events and political issues such as racism, police violence, and migrant experience. Adding an urgency to my thesis, I was able to further emphasize the stakes of literature, otherness, and belonging, while illustrating the efficacy of imagination, empathy, and representation in re-calibrating the ethical horizon.

It is with gratitude that I have always looked toward the esteemed Literature department at [university name] as a source of inspiration throughout my undergraduate and graduate education; and, the faculty at [university name] has always held my attention as giving invaluable contributions to literary and social discourse. It would, therefore, be an honor to pursue my Ph.D. in Literature at [university name]. And, given my own scholarly background and academic achievements, I believe I am an ideal candidate for this program.

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How to write a PhD personal statement

16 th August 2022

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Not sure where to start when it comes to writing a PhD personal statement? We have put together a helpful article packed full of advice for writing your PhD personal statement (or cover letter), so you can approach the task with confidence. PhD personal statements are incredibly important bits of work, showing how suitable you are for studying within the department that you are applying to, so it’s wise to make sure you’ve done your absolute best – you only get to make your first impression once! Have a read of our useful PhD personal statement tips, make a cup of coffee, and start showing off your writing skills. 

What is a PhD personal statement?

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When applying for a PhD course, you may have to submit a research proposal as well as a personal statement or cover letter.

The proposal details your research project (such as proposed methods, results and planned analysis) and why there is value in exploring it.

Your personal statement outlines why you are suitable for doctoral study. In addition, it should say why you’re interested in the specific PhD with that particular department and how your experiences can add to it.

Sometimes you only have to submit a proposal or a personal statement. If you have to submit both, be sure that they clearly cover these separate areas.

Your PhD application is very different from an application you may have made before through UCAS. It goes directly to the university and needs to be fully tailored to what the department is looking for. It’s similar to a job application.

If you haven’t already, get in touch with the PhD supervisors or other contacts within the department you want to work in. They regularly need PhD students to support their work, so they will probably be happy to help you with your application.

When planning what to write, read all relevant information about the course and any guidance from the university – for example, lists of desirable criteria, or a person specifications. You can use each criterion as a heading and make bullet points on what to write under each one.

• An introduction that outlines why you want to do the PhD
• Middle paragraphs that say how your interests and experiences make you right for doctoral study, and why the university department is a suitable fit for you
• A concluding paragraph that summarises why you’re the best person for the course

Aim to explain how your skills and experience make you a suitable candidate for this particular PhD at this specific university.

• Why should you be completing research in this area?
• What are your strengths and achievements?
• What are your influences?
• Why is this university the right one for your project?
• Why do you want to work with this team?
• Make sure that you give evidence and not just state points, especially if the criteria are specific. What have you done to match the requirements?

You can discuss your wider achievements or extracurricular activities, but try to keep it suited to the PhD. If you want, add information about gaps in your CV or any other issues that are relevant.

If you're applying for a fellowship (a funded PhD), you should tailor your application to the funder. Spend enough time researching the fellowship so you talk about why it will be beneficial to you.

Aim to be concise in your writing. The university may set a limit on the word count, but if not, your personal statement should ideally be no longer than one side of A4. Be concise and make every word count.

Your statement should reflect the academic nature of the writing you’ll be doing in the PhD. For example, if your work is scientific, the people who will read your statement want to see that you can provide evidence and an explanation with each point you make.

For more information on how to write a personal statement, see our general postgraduate advice article.

Go to: How to write a postgraduate personal statement

When writing your application, spend plenty of time rewriting sections to perfect it. A good idea is to spend 20 minutes editing for every hour you spend writing. If you can, sit in a different environment to edit than where you write from, as this will help keep your mind clear and fresh.

Develop a strong academic CV – this is what admissions tutors will usually look at before reading your personal statement. Use the CV to list your experiences, and don’t repeat the same information in your statement.

Start putting your application together early, even as early as a year before the PhD will begin. This will give you time to contact supervisors. Your applications may be due in January before you start, so you’ll need to set aside plenty of time if you’re applying for funding.

Next: Read more about Mistakes to avoid on your postgraduate application

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How to Write a PhD Personal Statement: Essential Tips and Examples

6th June 2024

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A personal statement is a crucial part of your PhD application. It provides an opportunity to showcase your academic background, research interests, and motivations for pursuing a PhD. Crafting a compelling personal statement can significantly impact your chances of being accepted into your desired course. This guide will help you understand how to write a good personal statement, how to format it, and provide an example for reference.

What is a Personal Statement for a PhD?

A personal statement for a PhD application is a written account of who you are, your academic achievements, your research interests, and your motivations for pursuing a doctoral degree. It is your chance to convince the admissions committee that you are a suitable candidate for their programme. A well-written personal statement should highlight your strengths, experiences, and goals, demonstrating your readiness for the challenges of a PhD programme.

How to Write a Good Personal Statement

Writing a good personal statement requires careful planning and reflection. Here are some essential steps to help you craft a compelling narrative:

Reflect on Your Academic Journey

Begin by reflecting on your academic and professional experiences. Consider what motivated you to pursue your current field of study, any significant achievements or projects, and how these experiences have prepared you for a PhD. This reflection will form the foundation of your personal statement.

Define Your Research Interests

Clearly articulate your research interests and how they align with the programme you are applying to. Be specific about the areas you want to explore and why they are important to you. Mention any previous research you have conducted and how it has influenced your interests.

Explain Your Motivations

Discuss your motivations for pursuing a PhD. Explain why you want to delve deeper into your chosen field and what you hope to achieve with a doctoral degree. This section should convey your passion and commitment to research.

Highlight Relevant Experiences

Include any relevant experiences that demonstrate yo that you are ready to pursue a PhD programme. This could include academic achievements, research projects, publications, presentations, or professional experiences. Emphasise skills and knowledge that will contribute to your success as a doctoral candidate.

Convey Fit with the Programme

Research the PhD programme you are applying to and mention specific aspects that attract you. This could be faculty members you want to work with, research facilities, or unique programme features. Demonstrating a good fit shows that you have thoughtfully considered your application and are genuinely interested in the programme.

Maintain a Professional Tone

While your personal statement should be personal, it should also maintain a professional tone. Avoid colloquial language and ensure your writing is clear, concise, and free of grammatical errors. Proofread multiple times and consider seeking feedback from mentors or peers.

How to Format a Personal Statement

The format of your PhD personal statement is crucial for readability and coherence. Here are some tips on how to format your statement:

Typically, a personal statement for a PhD application should be between 500 and 1,000 words. Check the specific requirements of each programme, as they can vary. Aim to be concise while covering all necessary information.

A well-structured personal statement usually follows this format:

• Introduction: Briefly introduce yourself and your academic background.
• Academic and Research Background: Discuss your previous studies, research projects, and relevant experiences.
• Research Interests: Clearly state your research interests and objectives.
• Motivations for Pursuing a PhD: Explain why you want to pursue a PhD and what you hope to achieve.
• Fit with the Programme: Mention why you are interested in the specific PhD programme and how it aligns with your goals.
• Conclusion: Summarise your key points and reiterate your enthusiasm for the programme.

Formatting Tips

• Font and Size: Use a standard font like Times New Roman or Arial, size 11 or 12.
• Margins: Use 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Spacing: Double-space your text to enhance readability.
• Headings: Use headings and sub-headings to organise your content if appropriate.
• File Format: Submit your statement in the required file format, usually PDF or Word.

PhD Personal Statement Example

Here’s a brief example to give you an idea of what a PhD personal statement might look like:

Introduction:

I am passionate about advancing research in molecular biology and have dedicated my academic journey to exploring the intricate mechanisms of cellular processes. With a strong foundation in biochemistry and hands-on research experience, I am eager to pursue a PhD at [University Name] to contribute to groundbreaking discoveries in this field.

Academic and Research Background:

I completed my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at [University Name], where I graduated with honours. During my studies, I worked on several research projects, including an investigation into the role of protein folding in neurodegenerative diseases. This project, under the guidance of Dr. [Mentor’s Name], resulted in a publication in the Journal of Molecular Biology. My passion for research led me to pursue a master’s degree, where I focused on the genetic regulation of cancer cells.

Research Interests:

My primary research interest lies in understanding the molecular basis of cancer. Specifically, I am interested in the signalling pathways that regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis. My previous work on the genetic mutations in oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes has prepared me to delve deeper into this area. At [University Name], I hope to work with Dr. [Professor’s Name], whose research on cellular signalling in cancer aligns perfectly with my interests.

Motivations for Pursuing a PhD:

Pursuing a PhD will enable me to contribute to the field of molecular biology by addressing critical questions about cancer development and progression. I am motivated by the potential to translate research findings into therapeutic strategies that can improve patient outcomes. A doctoral degree will provide me with the skills and knowledge to lead independent research projects and collaborate with experts in the field.

Fit with the Programme:

[University Name]’s PhD programme in Molecular Biology is an ideal fit for my research goals. The programme’s emphasis on interdisciplinary research and access to state-of-the-art facilities will provide the perfect environment for my studies. Additionally, the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. [Professor’s Name] and the esteemed faculty at [University Name] excites me.

Conclusion:

I am enthusiastic about the prospect of joining [University Name]’s PhD programme and contributing to the advancement of molecular biology research. My academic background, research experience, and passion for discovery have prepared me to undertake the challenges of a doctoral programme. I look forward to the opportunity to further my research and make meaningful contributions to the scientific community.

Take Your PhD Personal Statement to the Next Level

Writing a PhD personal statement requires careful reflection, clear articulation of your goals and experiences, and attention to detail. By following this guide, you can create a compelling personal statement that showcases your qualifications and passion for research. Remember to tailor your statement to each programme, highlighting why you are a good fit and how the programme aligns with your research interests. With a well-crafted personal statement, you can enhance your chances of gaining admission to your desired PhD programme.

Need a second pair of eyes for your personal statement? Our expert academics can review and provide feedback to ensure your statement is polished and impactful . We offer tailored advice to help you highlight your strengths and address any weaknesses, making your application as strong as possible. Contact us today to get started on perfecting your application and take the next step towards achieving your academic goals.

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What Is a PhD Personal Statement?

How to structure your personal statement, final thoughts, phd personal statements.

Updated March 14, 2023

When applying for a PhD position, a personal statement is often required. This can be the case whether you are applying for an advertised PhD research project or with a personally devised project.

This personal statement is separate from your PhD research proposal, which will go into much greater detail about the PhD project you are proposing or applying to undertake.

This article will delve into what to your PhD personal statement should contain and how to structure it for the best chance of success.

A PhD personal statement will support your application and is intended to shed more light on your motivations, academic background/ achievements and personal strengths .

Your statement will most likely be read by the admissions tutor for the department, who, based on your statement and research proposal, will decide whether your application should progress to the next stage of the process.

A personal statement will not always be required, so make sure to check the requirements for your institution and department.

What Should a PhD Personal Statement Contain?

When writing your PhD personal statement, you will need to convey your suitability for the programme or position, indicating that you have the academic ability, background knowledge and drive to take on a project of this level of complexity.

Statements are expected to be heavily related to the discipline and research angle being proposed. Your statement should draw out the strands of your previous exploration and research and illustrate what led you to apply to complete this particular PhD project.

It should discuss your interest in the subject matter, your academic interests within the field and your motivations for applying to the institution in question.

Below is a list of topics that need to be addressed in your personal statement .

The examples provided are for illustrative purposes only. It is important that your writing is grounded in your own experiences and aspirations, and consistently linked to your research proposal.

1. Why You Want to Do This PhD

It is important to talk about your motivations for undertaking the project, along with an awareness of the challenges you may experience, as this will display your drive for completing your research.

Directly reference your research proposal, talking about how your current or previous studies relate and have prepared you to undertake this project.

The strongest argument for why you want to undertake the PhD will come from the arc of your academic research and displaying a genuine enthusiasm for advancing the research of your chosen field.

During my master’s degree at the University of Nottingham, I had two primary focuses: cultural behaviours and social media impacts. I was interested in how culture reacts under new stimuli, so I wrote my dissertation on how cultural practices can be newly read through the lens of media platforms. My proposed research proposal takes this theoretical and desk-based research a step further, exploring the reflections of the specific cultural practice of...

2. How Your Work Will Benefit the University

When applying for a PhD, what you will bring to the university as a junior academic is an important factor in the decision-making process. You will not just be a student but a member of the department, most likely with teaching responsibilities.

The faculty will want to know that you can meaningfully contribute to the department through both your research and teaching.

If your work links into other PhD projects currently being supervised, or to the research of a senior academic or professor, it is good to indicate these connections and the potential they hold – whether this is in terms of supportive research, a complementary strand or a new angle or perspective.

If there is an academic whose work you are particularly interested in and you have not already indicated that you would like the opportunity to work alongside them, highlight this. Display that you are knowledgeable about the department’s current research interests, specialities and standing.

Since beginning my MSc research and developing a more specific interest in mangrove restoration, I have closely followed the research being conducted by Professor Stephens into restoration and wave attenuation. As I subsequently elaborate upon in my research proposal, I believe that my project fruitfully intersects with this research. It aims to make a meaningful contribution to a department world-renowned for its research into marine and coastal climate change impacts.

3. Why You Want to Study for a PhD at This University

It is important to convey why you want to conduct your research specifically at the institution you are applying to. Admissions will want to know that you have thought carefully about your application and know exactly what undertaking a PhD with their department will involve.

Conveying this intersects with the sentiments of the above point, as you should display that you have investigated the work of the professors in the department and are aware of any individual research groups or projects that relate to your work. These intersections help to show why the university is the best choice for you.

I believe that the University of Cardiff offers the best reciprocal environment in which to grow and diversify my approach to this research. Working alongside my supervisor, I intend to tap into the departmental expertise on biodiversity mapping and – using the framework of the 2019 report by Fischer, Raymond and Wills – reveal new insights by building upon the current research.

4. Why You Are the Best Candidate

The PhD personal statement is an opportunity to promote yourself, so it needs to be specific, personal and unique – nobody else has your history, aspirations or skill set, so explain what it is about you that makes you best suited to this endeavour.

When stating that you possess certain skills, back them up with concrete examples or explanations that are unique to you.

Be wary of making your personal statement too general or simply writing what you believe the admissions team want to hear. There are no correct answers, perfect CVs or ideal academic paths to have followed to reach this point. Your personal statement should reflect your journey and what you have gained from it, segues and unconventional routes included.

During my English Literature master’s degree, I focused on videogames and late medieval literature. I could see at that point that literary studies had a lot to offer the study of games and that games provided interesting new angles for applying longstanding theoretical approaches and fields. This led me to complete a further master’s degree in videogames as I sought to apply my research in a more specific and digitally focused arena. I found, because of my background in humanities and literary theory, that I possessed a perspective that my fellow empirically-minded colleagues, with backgrounds in coding, lacked. Using this unique perspective, I am now seeking to develop the research of my master’s dissertation through a PhD project

5. What You Learned During Your past Degrees and the Skills You Developed

To get to this stage, you will have already spent many years devoted to studying and growing your interest in your subject matter, so sell yourself and your talents. Think about the individual and group projects you have undertaken and the skills they helped you to develop and hone.

Remember to be specific and relate your skill set back to your proposed PhD project. For example, talk about the methodological approaches you have used previously to yield results, the new connections and collaboration you fostered across disciplines, or the positive impact made by projects you were involved in.

Your examples will vary greatly depending upon your academic background and the PhD you wish to complete but, regardless of topic, it is important to reveal your high level of skill and competence.

During my MSc, I conducted fieldwork in [location] and gained direct experience of collecting samples for paleolimnological analysis. I developed an aptitude for rapid algal species analysis and enjoyed the challenge of comparing this population data across cores and sample locations. This practical background has enabled me to be confident in my ability to source and analyse the sediment cores I require for this PhD project.

6. Any Explanations for Lower Grades (If Applicable)

If you have any extenuating circumstances for any results or grades, do not be afraid to explain the situation in your statement. Be honest about your struggles or challenges and seek to convey how you have grown as a consequence of these.

7. Your Future Plans

It is important to have thought carefully about your plans for life after your doctorate, as displaying clear goals will help the admissions team to determine that you have the correct motivations for applying.

Having a considered path you intend to follow beyond your proposed research gives confidence in your dedication to the project. Someone with articulated ambitions is more likely to be committed to the programme in the face of challenges.

If you wish to pursue a career in academia, as many PhD graduates do, show that you are aware of what this will involve. If you have a different industry path in mind, don’t be afraid to share it in your statement. PhDs can lead on to a variety of different career paths, so impress the admissions team with your aspirations of practical application.

The university will also want to ensure they can provide you with the skills and training you require to be successful and reach your goals. Letting the department know early on about your aspirations can help to ensure that the tailored support you will require can be provided.

After completing my PhD here, I intend to pursue an academic career within an architectural faculty in the UK. If the opportunity is available, I will be looking to apply for a lecturing position within this department. I am, however, acutely aware of the fierce competition in this field. I will be proactively seeking legacy funding for my research project as its potential to inform the typologies of housing used for settlement upgrading extends well beyond the timescale of this PhD.

If you are applying to more than one institution, which is highly likely, ensure that you tailor your personal statement to each university. Taking the time to craft a statement that speaks to the specificities of the university and the research of the teaching department will exponentially increase your chances of moving on to the next stage in the admissions process.

Below are our tips for structuring your PhD statement. You must ensure that you are aware of all the requirements set out by the university to which you are making your application, as these will influence the structure and content of the piece.

Step 1 . Structure

PhD applicants are expected to be highly adept at writing, so it is paramount that your personal statement is carefully constructed and reflects your ability for written communication .

The university you are applying to may provide you with a word count , or it may be stipulated by the space allowed on an online application form . Check if this is the case, as it is far easier to write to a specific word limit rather than having to make extreme edits to a piece that exceeds accepted length.

A PhD personal statement should be approximately one to one-and-a-half pages in length and be split into clear and concise paragraphs. If a sentence does not add value to the personal statement, omit it.

As a guide, aim for between four and six paragraphs , depending on their length. As previously indicated, it is best to keep paragraphs shorter rather than longer, as this will make your statement easier and more enjoyable for the admissions team to read.

Open your personal statement with a context-setting introduction regarding your academic interests and what has led you to apply for this research project. Seek to convey a real sense of yourself, so that those who read your statement can get a genuine sense of the student and junior academic you will be.

In the middle paragraphs , explore your motivations in greater detail, along with the qualities that make you a suitable candidate– with examples of when you displayed them.

It is important to provide a closing paragraph , bringing together the strands in your statement to solidly iterate why you are the right candidate.

Although it is best to avoid clichés and keep your writing original and interesting, conclude your personal statement by thanking the admissions tutor for taking the time to read your statement and considering your application.

Step 2 . Tone

When writing your statement, use a formal tone , correct grammar and appropriate language.

Colloquial and familiar language should be avoided. It is important to talk about your past academic and, perhaps, fieldwork or research experiences, but keep these professional in tone rather than anecdotal.

Ask someone to read through your statement to sense-check the tone and language used. It is always good to get a new perspective, particularly on a piece you spent a long time crafting.

Ensure you thoroughly check your grammar and spelling using the spell check function on your computer and also by eye. If including complex academic terminology, double-check that your terms are spelt correctly and have not been mistyped or incorrectly recognised and changed by your computer.

Writing a personal statement that accurately reflects your achievements, abilities and drive to take on your PhD can be a difficult task.

It is important to leave yourself enough time to write a draft statement so you can receive outside feedback, review it yourself and make the necessary improvements to ensure your piece does your potential as a PhD student justice.

Demonstrate your suitability for doctoral work with a personal statement that is personal to you and your unique experience and skills. A carefully thought-out, well-structured and well-evidenced statement will sell yourself and your academic abilities.

Seek to connect with those who read your application, explaining why your journey has equipped you for completing a PhD you will be proud of.

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How to Write a Personal Statement for a PhD Program

Writing a personal statement for your PhD program is often a key requirement when applying to most institutions. The personal statement is considered to be a crucial part of the PhD application process, playing a major role in admission decisions. Even though it may seem difficult, writing a PhD personal statement gives you the chance to highlight your qualifications, share your reasons for wanting to pursue a PhD, and, most importantly, highlights your eligibility for the doctoral program.

In this article, we will discuss what a personal statement is, why it is needed, who will read it, and when to write it. We will also provide some tips and guidelines on how to write a successful personal statement for PhD application.

What is a personal statement and why is it needed?

Your personal statement is a key means through which the admissions committee gets to know more about you and your suitability for the PhD program. The statement should therefore demonstrate your motivations, relevant research and work experience, accomplishments, strengths, and your career goals. This is important to position yourself as an apt candidate for the chosen PhD program.

Who will read your personal statement and when to write it?

While the research proposal is considered the most important document in the PhD application process, some institutions also ask candidates to submit a personal statement. Your personal statement will likely be read by the admissions committee and the interview panelists. Along with other documents submitted during the application process, your personal statement plays a big role in assessing whether you meet the often-stringent eligibility criteria and evaluate if you are a suitable candidate for a doctoral program. Remember that panelists for your interview may also have questions for you based on their review of your personal statement, so be as honest as possible.

How to write a personal statement that makes an impact

The PhD personal statement should be concise and convey only the important aspects about your work and professional achievements. You should be aware that the personal statement would be read by a committee that will be evaluating many applications, so keep it short and ensure that it is aligned with the program requirements stated by the institution.

Generally, universities and institutions provide details about the required word count or length of a personal statement. While there is no perfect personal statement format, it is essential that you follow a structure to ensure logical flow. Include a good introduction of yourself followed by details of your research interests, relevant skills, and past experience in the discipline you have opted for.

What to include in a personal statement

• Reasons for pursuing a PhD: Your personal statement should clearly communicate the factors that encouraged you to apply for a PhD program. It should also convey how this chosen program builds on your previous experience and education.
• Relevant skills and competencies: The personal statement provides you with a good opportunity to communicate any international academic exposure, awards, research projects, and any other competencies or experience that may be relevant to the PhD program applied for.
• Address any gaps in your CV: Clearly explain the reasons behind any gaps or short breaks that you may have taken as you pursued your academic career. Also, remember to mention any changes made mid-way during your academic program. This ensures better transparency.
• Long-term career goals and aspirations: It is important to explain how your PhD will feed into your future career plans. To the admission committee, this will reflect your seriousness and commitment to the study program you have opted for.

Tips to keep in mind when writing a personal statement

Prepare a unique personal statement for each university.

Universities offering PhD programs will typically ask for different criteria or questions to be answered in the personal statement. Therefore, relying on creating a single personal statement that will be shared with different universities with only slight modifications may not prove to be effective. Take the time to write personal statements that address specific points required by each university that you apply to.

Avoid repetition

Always remember that a personal statement is very different from your research proposal. Focus on highlighting your goals, skills, accomplishments, and experiences that are relevant to your study program but be careful not to be repetitive. Also mention any challenges you faced and overcame along the way to showcase your problem-solving ability.

Invest sufficient time

Keep in mind that while writing the personal statement, you must provide key information about yourself in a way that will convince the admissions committee of your eligibility. However, this needs to be done in a concise, compelling way. While it might be tempting to write every small detail, be careful to only include points that highlight your candidacy. This requires time and careful consideration, so start the process early enough to write a clear, persuasive personal statement.

Avoid jargon and irrelevant details

Always keep in mind that the admissions committee has to handle numerous applications. Therefore, keep the information in your personal statement  direct and to the point, avoiding complex technical jargon, big words, and/or flowery language.

Don’t skip editing and proofreading your work

Nothing is worse for your candidacy than poor language and difficult-to-read personal statements. So, ensure that the language, grammar, and syntax used in your personal statement is correct and devoid of any errors. It is always a good idea to share what you have written with your close associates for a final read through. Getting a second or third pair of eyes to check and help polish your personal statement can be especially helpful if you have English as a second language.

Finally, it’s important to remember that your personal statement should be the outcome of deep introspection as you take the next step in your career. It should be a good reflection of who you really are and what your aspirations are for the future, both in terms of what you want to study and how you want to steer your career in the future.

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Sample MIT Ph.D. Personal Statement

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In personal statements samples by university.

At one time, I thought that it was nearly impossible for a ‘normal human’ to get into universities like MIT, Stanford, and Harvard. However, of late I have been inclined to think that not only many ‘normal’ students are applying but they are also getting admissions.

Bonus Articles Sample Cambridge University Ph.D. Personal Statement Sample MIT Statement of Objective for Ph.D. applicants

Although it is not necessary for students to turn to a paper writing service  or a personal statement writing service for guidance to write a successful personal statement, many successful students do at least get their essays proofread by an expert. Moreover, these students were kind enough to share their applications with future aspirants from all over the world;  the personal statement .

Before you go on and read the sample Ph.D. personal statement of this student (which I know you will without reading all this :P) I want to highlight the 3 key points that you must cover inside your Ph.D. statement of purpose.

• Why are you choosing this particular area of research  – clearly state why you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in this area. Convey your reasoning and motivation by giving concrete examples of relevant projects, research work, etc. that you have done in this area.
• Why do you have chosen to apply to this particular university and department ? Is there any reason why you are applying to this program, such as special research facilities/equipment or faculty, etc. that appeal to you?
• Short and Long term Career objectives  – at this point you may not have a clear idea of where you want your career to be after completing your PhD, however, you should at least have some loose ideas that you must write down in your statement of purpose.

Here is the personal statement of the MIT PhD Student.

In today’s world, few have the chance to complete high school, even fewer get to college, and only a handful are fortunate enough to pursue graduate studies. Born and raised in a developing country, I have witnessed firsthand the disparity between the haves and the have-nots. Over the past five years, my academic and professional endeavors are an attempt at fulfilling the responsibility which comes with my good fortune of being in the “haves”. In what follows, I discuss how these experiences have shaped my interests and led me to pursue an academic career in Operations Research.

Related Personal Statements Sample Cambridge University Ph.D. Personal Statement Sample MIT Statement of Objective for Ph.D. applicants

My scholastic voyage began with two research internships I had at Cornell during the summers of 2004 and 2005. I worked at the Laboratory for Elementary-Particle Physics (LEPP) studying particle trajectories under electro-magnetic fields. My work resulted in a research paper titled “Emittance & Phase-space Distributions of Electron Bunches in Energy Recovery LINAC”, which I presented at a LEPP seminar. In the summer of 2006 I declared my undergraduate major in Engineering Physics. This degree fulfilled my need for mathematical rigor and my interest in the natural laws governing particle interactions. I subsequently began research at Cornell’s Laboratory for Plasma Studies studying the effects of thin-wire etch techniques on uniform plasma expansion and developed software to analyze multi-wire experiments.

My first exposure to Operations Research was a course I took in linear-optimization during the fall 2006. After studying the Simplex method, I drew closer to the subject, a seemingly simple algorithm boasting an impressive reputation for solving most real-world problems in polynomial time. As the semester progressed, I was able to draw beautiful parallels to familiar concepts from Physics; linear-programming bore an astonishing resemblance to Lagrangian multipliers used to find extrema of constrained functions, and duality seemed to be to linear-programming what Fourier transforms are to signal-processing.

During my junior year, I began pursuing a concentration in Operations Research alongside my coursework in Physics. In the summer of 2007, hoping to experience firsthand the application of the field’s tools in finance, I began an internship as an analyst with BlackRock’s Financial Modeling Group. There, I developed a time-series smoothing application for risk-analytics and implemented a Kalman-filter to validate time-varying volatilities estimates. The highlight of this experience came at summer’s end when I presented my work to the entire modeling group. This very positive first presentation experience in a professional setting kindled my interest for teaching. Returning as a senior that fall, I became an Academic Excellence Workshop facilitator for Calculus I, and subsequently for Linear Algebra. These weekly courses supplemented students understanding of course material by having them practice on a challenging set of problems. Overall, teaching students and helping them solve problems was a unique experience I was fortunate to have.

Following graduation, and upon receiving a fellowship for academic excellence and graduate teaching-assistantships for courses in “Monte Carlo Simulation” and “Spreadsheet-based modeling”, I decided to pursue my Masters degree in Operations Research at Cornell. That summer I worked as a quantitative developer at Milcord LLC, a geospatial intelligence and knowledge management solutions company in Boston. My work involved developing belief-network models to predict geographic changes in insurgency, and prototyping a dynamic risk-avoidance, GPS using a variant of Dijkstra’s algorithm. This experience helped me understand just how much industry relies on academia for insights into solving complex problems, and prompted me to pursue graduate coursework in “Discrete Models” and “Service Systems Modeling” back at Cornell. The first course was built extensively on the foundations of linear-optimization, with a specific emphasis on graph theory, traveling salesmen problems, and a variety of network algorithms. The second course developed, through lectures and individual case-studies, the applications of optimization and queuing theory to radiation-therapy, ambulance deployment, and call-center staffing.

Beyond coursework, perhaps the single most defining experience I had as a graduate student was a semester-long group project sponsored by Iowa farm-owner, Clay Mitchell, and supervised by Prof. H. Topaloglu. Historically speaking, the farming industry has been constrained by domestic animals’ use as a source of power. Still, recent advancements in technology have opened the doors to a sea of innovation and possibilities. Our research aimed at assessing the feasibility of a farm-yield optimization by redistributing eroded top-soil from low-lying areas. We began by framing the problem as a series of “soil pick-up and drop-off” requirements satisfied in some optimal manner. Our first breakthrough was realizing that by assuming prior knowledge of these requirements, the problem simplified into finding a minimum-cost traversable path. Further, by discretizing the farmland into soil “supply” and “demand” regions, the task of generating profit-maximizing requirements assumes the structure of a classic assignment problem.

I took the initiative to develop an integer-program which solved for Manhattan-paths that fulfilled soil-redistribution requirements for this project. As it turns out, solving this formulation optimally was intractable for any reasonably sized grid and requirement set, and thus I proposed an iterative method for solving the problem. Subsequently, we used simulations to develop criteria that guaranteed no substantial loss in optimality. The highlight of working on such a novel project was being able to dissect formulations to understand the sensitivity of our solutions to perturbations in key parameters and constraints. Our project won 2nd place in the Silent Hoist & Crane Company competition for best Masters-of-Engineering project, and received special coverage in the “Cornell Daily Sun” newspaper.

Recent decades have seen a fundamental shift in the market landscape, with e-commerce businesses like Vistaprint taking full advantage of the internet. Being particularly intrigued by its value proposition and marketing strategy, I began my first full-time position with Vistaprint’s Customer Analytics department in July of 2009. Thus far, my work has entailed using an assortment of clustering and predictive modeling techniques to develop preference models and create a performance monitoring system for key business metrics. Here, not only have I acquired a diverse set of analytical skills, I have also developed an admiration for research in its ability to tackle complex problems arising in practice. This, along with my teaching experiences, has inspired me to pursue a PhD in Operations Research.

Through my coursework and internship experiences, I have developed interests in stochastic modeling and data-mining. Specifically, I am interested in pricing and capacity allocation problems arising in revenue-management, as well as dynamic lot-sizing models that govern order-replenishment in supply-chains. Because decision problems in these settings involve complex networks, multiple periods, and a large number of products, I have also taken a keen interest in stochastic approximation methods.

I believe MIT’s Operations Management program is particularly well-aligned with my interests, and find Professor Farias and Perakis’s research in pricing and revenue management particularly appealing. In “Optimal Bidding in Online Auctions”, G. Perakis et al. adopt a dynamic programming framework to derive exact optimal bidding solutions for both single and multiple items in an online auction. The authors test their results on real data from eBay’s website and show how the optimal solution outperforms static heuristics, which have become industry standard. Today, competition in the marketplace is compelling companies to become increasingly creative in persuading their customers to buy. Apart from the familiar limited time and price hurdled offers, online auctions have become an integral part of e-commerce business in the last decade. This paper demonstrates how OR is both changing the way we think about such problems, and continuously improving existing solutions to drive efficiency and profitability. As an aspiring academician, I look forward to contributing to this effort.

The interdisciplinary nature of OM at MIT Sloan stems from its faculty and students; in turn, this enables the program to span the spectrum of cutting-edge applied and theoretical research in OR. Given the range of professional experiences I have had over the years, being a PhD student in this department would be ideal for my academic career. I strongly believe that this program will fulfill my passion for applying mathematical theory to solving complex problems, but will also allow me to leverage my analytical skills and industry experience to contribute to the program’s intellectual diversity.

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Phd personal statement example.

I would like to pursue a Doctoral Degree in Child and Family Development from the University of Georgia. I am currently obtaining a masters degree in Gerontology at Miami University of Ohio and I believe that looking at the older population in a family context gives a detailed insight into individuals’ lives and that of their families.

My current research interests involve exploring the lives of older Kenyans and their families with an interest in resiliency behaviors amidst changing socio-economical practices. I look at their life-course trajectory and the phenomena of their lives as linked with that of their family members.

My view is that older people’s lives are an aggregate of personal choices as well as the environmental factors, which include the influences of individuals within the family. I am interested in exploring this topic by mainly employing narrative gerontology, life-span, and life-course perspectives.

My interest in the aging individual within the family context is driven by my own life experiences. As a child I was homeless and spent two years of my life in the streets of Kenya. I saw many older Kenyans, especially women, living in the streets because of losing their property and being taken advantage of by male members of their families.

This experience in particular opened my eye to the issue economic security for older people in Kenya, especially since a good portion of them do not receive any kinds of pensions or social welfare benefits.

Family has major contributions to older people’s quality of life in rural Kenya especially since it provides a safety network for economic, caregiving, and social reasons among others.

Issues like filial piety and pressures of limited resources make it necessary for gerontology scholars to pay attention to the role of the family in the lives of older adults. The concentration on life-span perspective and the interrelationship between individuals, family and their societies are just some of the attributes that has attracted me to pursuing a degree in Child and Family development.

I have worked on several volunteer opportunities, most notably working for the Booker T. Washington Community Center (BTW), where I was able to independently, and successfully write a grant for $ 13, 000. The community center is located in a low SES part of the city and is used as a safe haven for older community members and young children.

My work at the center involved constructing surveys to evaluate programs for seniors and children to recommend changes and fresh ideas. I found that the seniors and children needed a variety of programming outside of the BTW building, a venture that required a means of transport. I decided to write a grant to the United Way for a chance to obtain the funds needed to obtain a new van. Having this experience gave me the tools necessary to write future grants to fund my own research.

This past summer I worked at HelpAge International’s Africa regional office as an assistant policy analyst and principal investigator for the Kenyan portion of an international research project. HelpAge International is an organization that seeks to highlight issues of social protection, emergency, and health issues of older people with an intention of sensitizing policy makers on the same.

This experience reinforced my interests in social protection issues for older Kenyans and their families. I was assigned the responsibility of leading focus group discussions for a project that seeks to evaluate the quality of life for older individuals across the world, ten years post the 2002 Madrid International Plans of Actions on Ageing. Through this research I was given the first hand

I am currently working on a thesis to explore issues of economic security for older Kenyans and their families. I conducted in-depth interviews with eleven older Kenyans in rural parts of Maraigushu with the intent to understand the perceptions and plans for life after active work.

This work was inspired by the recent increase in longevity in developing nations like Kenya and current world economic crisis. At the same time, not only have the traditional family relationships changed in Kenya but also pensions systems do not tend to cover self-employed older people in rural parts of the country.

I have learned through my phenomenological investigation that the issue of income security for older people and their families in the village of Maraigushu is a problem that needs immediate attention from the government. This study is particularly important because limited studies have been done to capture the insider views of older Kenyans regarding their pensions and general plans for income security in old age. This research is a pilot for future studies that will not only inform Kenyan policy makers but also add to the existing knowledge about income security in old age.

Dr. Denise Lewis’s work on aging families, informal caregiving, rural aging, and intercultural comparisons of aging families pick my interest. Given the chance I intend to work closely with Dr. Lewis due to my interest in the qualitative exploration of the aging family, the social networks and how family and culture affect the economic lives of older individuals.

Dr. Lewis has explored intergenerational exchange for Cambodian refugee families with the main issue being the difference that older people face in different cultures that challenge the traditional reciprocation trends for family members.

The situation is a little different for older people within rural families in Kenya in a time that the whole society is undergoing major changes associated with modernization and development transitions. These changes have challenged the traditional resource exchange between generations in the family; raising issues of income security for older individuals after retirement.

Therefore, as previously stated a PhD in child and family development studies at UGA will give me the right tools to work as a researcher in the exploration of income security for aging families in Kenya.

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Personal Statement for PhD Scholarship Sample

A personal statement for PhD scholarship sample can only help so much, as doctorate-level scholarships have varying, non-universal application requirements. Some scholarships may not even ask for a personal statement, while others will ask you to write a statement based on a very particular prompt or topic that goes beyond the standard “ why do you want to do a PhD? ”. The variety and diversity of scholarships available to PhD applicants mean that your creativity, writing skills, and self-reflection ability matter more than your academic background or achievements.

This article presents a personal statement for PhD scholarship sample, written based on a specific scholarship, the Rhodes Scholarship, along with a few general tips that you should follow to make your own personal statement stand out.

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Article Contents 9 min read

Note: The following personal statement was written according to the requirements of the Rhodes Trust, which awards the internationally renowned Rhodes Scholarship. This scholarship was chosen because it has global reach, and applicants from anywhere entering a program (undergraduate and graduate) at the University of Oxford can apply. It was also chosen because the personal statement is a crucial component of your application. All applicants must write a 750-word personal statement that addresses all three of the following specific prompts:

• 'Which Rhodes Scholar quality do you display most strongly, and how are other contexts and people helping you to develop the others?'
• 'What would you like to learn from the Rhodes and wider community in Oxford?'
• 'From your place in the world, what is humanity’s greatest need?'

Still uncertain about grad school? Check out this video:

Personal Statement for PhD Scholarship Sample  

V.S. Naipaul hated Oxford. 'I hate those degrees and I hate all those ideas of universities', he said in an interview with The Paris Review. Naipaul graduated with a bachelor’s degree – Upper Second Class Honours, not the First Class Honours he wanted – but I don’t believe his ire can be explained by his failing the oral exam to complete the B.Litt. post-graduate degree he was seeking.

While his words are unambiguous and forceful, I think Naipaul’s work, and actions, betray a more complicated relationship with his alma mater and the overarching culture and identity of Britishness Oxford represents. Let’s not forget that Naipaul, born in Trinidad, took the extraordinary step of leaving his home to study in England, and in that remarkable action, I think we can infer a deep-rooted, visceral and intense desire to belong.

I was also born in Trinidad, not far from Naipaul’s birthplace. And, like Naipaul, my grandparents were transplants from another sector of the British Empire, Hong Kong. I too grew up in an environment never feeling like I belonged. I struggled for a long time to create an idea of myself that represented all the aspects of my past and present. I believe the rootlessness and alienation I felt ultimately led me to become post-national.

Writing a personal statement for a PhD scholarship is different from writing a research interest statement , a grad school career goals statement , or a school or program specific personal statement, like the Harvard graduate school personal statement . The main difference, of course, is the reason for writing the statement, which is to win a scholarship to pay for graduate school, not entry into a program or university. This difference matters because you may be asked to write about something totally unrelated to your academic achievements or research plans, which may be difficult at first.

As you can see from the prompts given above, scholarship selection committees look for very specific answers on topics that are the opposite of what you would write in a typical Oxford personal statement , graduate school cover letter or PhD motivation letter . Scholarship selection committees are also bound by the stipulations set forth by the founder or benefactor of the scholarship since they are the ones funding the award. The people who establish academic and non-academic scholarships do so for a variety of reasons.

In the case of Cecil Rhodes, the founder of the Rhodes Scholarship, it was to 'promote unity among English-speaking nations'. The original motivation for the scholarship, which was founded at the turn of the 20 th century, has evolved to be more inclusive of international students, but its core mission to reward scholars who show essential qualities, like an instinct to lead and devotion to duty is unchanged.

The scope of many scholarships means it is difficult to recommend what exactly to write and what to mention since it is the scholarship administrators who determine that, and it can be different for every scholarship. The requirements can be either open-ended, or, in the case of the Rhodes Scholarships, quite precise.

For an example of an open-ended personal statement for PhD scholarship, the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship program, administered by the Canadian government, asks for a two-page Personal Leadership Statement, with the main requirement being that you 'outline how you have gone above and beyond the expected norms' in a leadership capacity. Yet another example of how tricky it can be to navigate all the different requirements scholarships ask for is that the Vanier CGS program also asks for you to expound on much more than your leadership. You are encouraged to write about any personal obstacles you overcame to pursue your studies, what led you to pursue this particular field of study and how you will achieve your particular goals at the institution which has nominated you for the scholarship (you must be nominated; you cannot apply yourself). Therefore, the Vanier CGS resembles a typical personal statement in some ways (writing about overcoming obstacles, answering the 'tell me about yourself' PhD interview question ), but there is much more you need to write about, as it is a PhD-level scholarship which has a myriad of opportunities attached to it.

What Should I Include in my Personal Statement for a PhD Scholarship?

What you include in your personal statement for a PhD scholarship depends on the scholarship you are applying to. Fortunately, many of these scholarships tell you directly what you need to include, whether it be, like the Rhodes Scholarship, how you exemplify certain characteristics, or what you would do to address a certain problem, or how the school or program you want to enter can help you in achieving your academic and career goals.

There are thousands of different scholarship opportunities out there for eligible students, and their eligibility requirements also differ. The scholarship could be academically based, meaning you must meet certain academic requirements. It could be based around your program and only available to students within that program.

Other scholarships are specifically for a certain demographic, such as students who identify as Black, Indigenous or another ethnicity. These students may be asked to write a totally different personal statement than someone who applies for an academic or merit-based scholarship. Other funding opportunities may be based solely on financial need and do not require you to submit any supporting documentation other than financial records.

But there are a few general tips that you can modify accordingly, so that you have some idea of what you need to write about.

1. Don’t Stray from the Requirements

Writing a personal statement for a PhD scholarship is, in some ways, a bit easier than learning how to write a CV for grad school , mainly because (in some cases, not all) you are given a specific set of requirements that can help you formulate and structure your statement, rather than having to do it yourself. The Rhodes Scholarship is only one example of this, but there are many others.

Since these scholarships are explicit about their requirements, you must adhere to them faithfully. These requirements apply not only to the content of your statement, but to the formatting as well. The Vanier GSC program has very strict formatting requirements which, if not followed, will reflect poorly on your overall application: maximum of 2 pages (2.5 pages for essays written in French), 12-point font size, six lines per inch.

Should you pursue a master’s or PhD , you should know that doctorate programs have fluctuating costs, but they usually enter the six-figure range, so figuring out how to fund your education is essential. If you are unsure about how to find a job after grad school , then applying for a full scholarship like the Rhodes or Vanier can help you shoulder the costs so that you are not burdened with student debt.

The Rhodes and Vanier scholarships are only two examples of scholarships that cover all costs associated with a PhD, but not all of them do. Some have limited funds to disburse, and availability depends on various factors, so you should research which scholarships apply to your particular program or whether you fit the eligibility requirements.

Many scholarship programs regardless of the school, program of study or discipline, ask applicants to submit a short essay or statement about either a specific topic or something more general. Usually, but not always, the topic or prompt is based around the reasons the scholarship was created in the first place (to promote a specific ideal or discipline, to help underprivileged students get into graduate school, etc.). But it could also be a general letter about why you want to pursue your PhD. 

Whether or not you write a personal statement for a PhD scholarship depends on what scholarship you are applying for, as they do not all require them. You should check the requirements carefully to find out for sure.  

The differences are that a personal statement for a PhD scholarship may require you to write in response to a very specific topic, whereas a regular personal statement usually does not. A regular personal statement is where you outline various autobiographical details and how they relate to your overall academic and professional goals. A personal statement for a PhD scholarship may or may not ask for those same details. They may ask you to write about something else, which is the main difference between the two. 

What you include in your personal statement for a PhD scholarship depends on the stipulations of the scholarship founder and committee.

Yes, it very well might. Writing an excellent personal statement (if you are asked to write one) is an important part of winning a scholarship, and it can tip the scales in your favour if it helps you stand out in a field of similarly bright and capable applicants. You should put as much time and effort into writing it as you would for any personal statement requirement. 

It depends on the scholarship which you are applying to. The examples given above, Rhodes and Vanier, have many different requirements and ask you to submit other documentation like your research resume , statement of purpose and grad school letters of recommendation . You may have to meet other academic and non-academic requirements, like having a master’s degree or a specific GPA score. 

Scholarships are not specific to PhDs or graduate students, as they can be used by anyone who needs the appropriate funding and resources to complete their education, regardless of the level. A PhD scholarship is a bit different in that it can afford you other opportunities besides money for tuition and living expenses. Winning a Rhodes Scholarship grants you access to several professional development opportunities, an international alumni network and entrance into a hallowed legacy. But other PhD scholarships' benefits may not be as far-reaching and involve only helping you pay for your education. 

Award amounts vary between different scholarships and are not always made public since the prize can be disbursed over several years or all at once, depending on the scholarship. Other scholarships are one-time, non-renewable prizes which cover only one year of study or one semester, and you are told upfront how much money is available. But, again, even those amounts can change, depending on how many applicants apply and how many scholarships are awarded. 

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