Planning for the Personal Statement
- Due No due date
- Points 5
- Questions 5
- Time Limit None
- Allowed Attempts Unlimited
Instructions
Getting started writing your personal statement can be intimidating and overwhelming. While personal statement prompts vary from very broad to specific, you can generally break down the personal statement into three primary ideas:
- What makes you a good fit for graduate school (think of your skills, experiences, knowledge)?
- What makes a specific program a good fit for YOU (what do they offer, who are the faculty)?
- How will attending graduate school help you achieve your career goals?
While you might want to dive right into the writing phase, it's important to start with brainstorming. Check out these tips for getting started on your personal statement directly from UMD's Graduate School. If you are applying to graduate school at another university, be sure to see if that university has information and resources about what they seek in personal statements, too. After reviewing the information above, complete the activity below.
Instructions:
To begin thinking about these questions, respond to the following five questions. Then, consider how your responses could be combined or altered to address the larger three ideas.
Evaluation:
To earn points for this assignment, answer each question in the quiz thoughtfully.
For more information and additional resources, visit: careers.umd.edu