I have to write a personal statement for Grad school and I hate it!

[JVS]

Any advice on personal statements? Knowledge of what they want to hear? Ways to write them without feeling like a self promoting whore? As the product of a rather strict Minnesotan Lutheran upbringing (think Lake Woebegone), I find it almost unbearable to have to say good things about myself. What should I do?

[Nikia]

1. What sort of program?

That makes a difference. Don't be afraid to promote yourself though.

[JVS]

5. Mathematics

I take good math courses and get mostly A's and a few A minuses. The thing that bugs me is that I have no research experience. I've also taken a bit more time to do my undergrad studies than most people. I came to school on a full tuition scholarship that gave me 5 years instead of 4 for persuing a dual degree (Both B.S. and B.A) I took advantage of that to do a dual degree and triple major so that I will be getting a B.S in Math and Economics and a B.A. in German. I also independently applied to a German university and went there for a year and a half to complete a rigorous Sprachpraxis language program. So now I'm 24 and getting ready to graduate. How can I explain this without sounding either too apologetic or too arrogant?

[noiretextatique]

7. you are very accomplished

i would certainly empahize the study in germany...and i'm sure you can do so without being too arrogant or apologetic.

[JVS]

8. One of the things that bugs me is having to rectify breadth of interest..

with my hope to focus on the particular subject, namely math.

Also, should I mention extracurricular activities in honors, such as VP of German Club, Phi Beta Kappa, etc?

Thanks for the encouragement.

typo

[noiretextatique]

9. i think you absolutely should show you are a well-rounded person

by including all your activities. and i sincerely hope your intellectual curiosity and breadth doesn't work against you...isn't that what undergraduate work is supposed to be about?! best of luck...i know you will do fine. if your nerves can stand it, you can always post your statement here first :D

[Nikia]

10. You could try to relate other interests

Economics is a good application of mathematics. I do not know what your plans are following graduate study but I have known several math majors to get jobs doing business analysis. As far as your language study, knowledge of a foreign language, especially one useful to research, is usually considered helpful. You could try to relate extracurricular activities as well. Leadership abilities is also usually seen as a positive thing.

[FlaGranny]

11. Well, gee whiz,

I haven't read the rest of this thread, but didn't you just make a personal statement? Just flesh it out. Just add some history and some goals and you have it.

On edit: You don't even have to change the tone from what you just wrote.

[noiretextatique]

2. they want to get a sense of who you are

what makes you unique, and what you have to offer. since i know nothing about strict minnestoan lutheran upbringings, i would find a discussion about that very interesting...especially as it relates to who you are now. it would probably help to mention what you hope to accomplish after you have the degree also.

[TXlib]

3. Imagine yourself as an interviewer

for the college.

What would that person see as good points?

[HereSince1628]

4. Is there a question that the personal statement is supposed to address?

A labmate of mine answered the question "Why do you want to be a graduate student?" (it was a zoology program) With the following:

In his wisdom God made the fly
and then forgot to tell us why.

I thought it was one of the best responses possible.

[JVS]

6. No. Not yet. My advisor told me to write a generic one

so that I can adjust it for each different place.

[idaholeft]

13. grad school statements

JVS, I'm chair of the grad admissions committee in my department. When I review applications from prospecive students, I want to see as much detail as possible about his/her career plans (i.e., pure or applied math - if applied, what what fields are of interest, etc.), reasons for applying to grad school, unique preparation...many of the points you made in post # 5. I would cerainly explain that you took advantage of opportunities to develop critical thinking skills across a diverse array of disciplines. Anyone who would hold that against you would likely make a poor major professor.

As far as all the extracurricular stuff, I would leave them out of the personal statement, but include them in a c.v. that you send along with your app.

I'd be a little hesitant to make your statement too generic. If I have a half dozen applicants and only space for one additional student, a generic statement does little to make an applicant stand out. Above all, I would contact you potential major professor a priori via e-mail. If she/he does not respond, again probably not a good prospect for major professor.

If you want more advice, you can send me an e-mail. Good luck, grad school is a ton of fun.

[JVS]

14. Welcome to DU

and thanks for using your first post to offer me some advice.

[U2Shark]

12. I hated it too.

I wrote mine for enterance into a Public Policy program. I highlighted how I needed the stuff I would learn in the program in order to meet my personal goals. I then listed all sorts of admirable goals. I also wrote about enough of my experiences to show that I was competant and worthy.