Parts of a Personal Statement: Story/Q & A

The story is a brief description of the skills and achievements applicable to the potential student’s acceptance into a school of choice, or which demonstrates the reason they are best suited to receive a scholarship. This section is important for presenting the potential student as different from other applicants, and should include:

• a strong opening
• an angle—something which makes the potential student memorable
• a demonstration of skills, achievements and experience applicable to the school, department or scholarship
• use of language relative to professionals within the school, department, or field of study

The story may be based on questions presented by the school, department or scholarship board. If questions are presented, this section should include:

• a direct answer to each of the questions presented
• (or) a direct answer to the questions selected by the potential student (if the option of choosing a selection of questions is given)
• original answers to the questions being asked (even if the questions are the same or similar to those asked by other schools, departments or scholarship boards)

While the story does provide a larger image of who the writer is, it should remain concise and applicable. Avoid obvious statements and clichés, and only include those subjects that apply to the school, department, scholarship history or field of study.

Parts of a Personal Statment

A personal statement generally includes some standard sections:

1. Contact information: a list of information that allows the school or scholarship board to reach the potential student.
2. Objective/Summary: a short sentence which describes the reason the student is interested in attending the school or receiving the scholarship of their choice.
   
3. Story/Q & A: a brief story which exemplifies the skills and achievements applicable to the potential student’s acceptance into the school, or which demonstrates the reason they are best suited to receive the scholarship. This story may be based on questions presented by the school, department or scholarship board.
   
4. Profile: a short statement which encourages the representative of the school or scholarship board to read further.
5. Call to Action: closes the letter, and requests contact.

See also:
What is a Personal Statement?

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Types of Personal Statement: Comprehensive vs. Specific

When creating a personal statement, it is important for the potential student to answer all the questions the school, department or scholarship board may have. This can be done in a variety of ways, but typically is done through a comprehensive or specific personal statement.

Comprehensive Personal Statement:

When no questions are directly asked, a comprehensive personal statement can be used as a general statement which sells the potential student based on their personal history and achievements. This type of statement is often the standard for medical or law school application forms.

Specific Personal Statement:

If questions are directly asked, a specific personal statement can be used to sells the potential student based on direct answers to those questions. This type of statement is often the standard for scholarship applications, liberal arts and business schools.

The following video by Senior Law School Consultant, Derek Meeker, for Admissions Consultants, describes some of the things that should be avoided in either form of application essay:

What is a Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a short letter (typically no more than 1 – 2 pages) which accompanies application materials for a scholarship, school, or particular department within a school.

A personal statement serves several purposes:

1. Introduction to a representative for the school or scholarship board
2. Indicates interest in attending a school/program, or receiving a scholarship
3. Clarifies and humanizes other application materials
4. Demonstrates a knowledge of the school, program, or scholarship board
5. Potentially answers questions provided by the school, program, or scholarship board
6. Assists in application or award recipient decisions

The following video from the University of California Television discusses the steps they suggest taking when creating a personal statement for applying to UC:

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Parts of a Cover Letter/Personal Statement: Call to Action

The call to action section of a cover letter or personal statement is the section which closes the letter, and requests contact. This section should include:

• a request for an interview from the potential employer
• (or) a request for contact from the representative of the school/scholarship board
  
• (or) a date and time the writer plans to follow up on the application
• a notice of any enclosures or attachments (application, resume, CV, etc.)
  
• a closing line and signature
  

The following video by Gloria Dixon Campbell with Advantage Training Systems provides reason for including a cover letter with a resume: