# Writing your personal statement: a guide for prospective graduate students

**Channel:** uwaterloo
**Source:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoywSFO1JWE
**Transcript page:** https://www.withtranscript.ai/video/ZoywSFO1JWE

## Chapters

- 0:04 — What a Personal Statement Is
- 1:58 — Showing Your Interest in the Program
- 3:01 — Highlighting Skills and Experience
- 4:06 — Explaining Why the Program Fits
- 6:05 — Choosing Evidence and Revising

## Transcript

**[0:04]:** when putting together your application for graduate school one of the pieces that's often required is a personal statement also referred to as a letter of intent or statement of interest a personal statement is your opportunity to explain more about who you are and why you belong in the program you're applying to aside from your grades and test scores this can be a powerful tool for demonstrating that you're a great candidate unlike what you might be used to in an academic environment there is no rubric for evaluating personal statements and there is also no one structure or number of paragraphs to conform to the key is to represent yourself as authentically as possible and to balance your information to make your best case at waterloo we have different names and formats for personal statements they can be a couple hundred words or more than five pages and some programs will have specific question prompts if these

**[1:06]:** details aren't stated for your program consider asking a program representative if it's still unspecified it is generally safe to plan for between one and two pages standard letter format isn't required even if it's called a letter of intent and you may choose to use a conventional introduction or opt for more of a narrative document while there are no universal criteria a strong personal statement will incorporate three main elements number one your interest in the program number two the tools and skills that will help you succeed number three why the program is a good fit for you we'll look at each of these elements in detail along with what types of experiences are best to include

**[1:58]:** element number one your interest in the program it's key to share why you're applying to the program and to convey that you want to be there this is more than simply saying hey i'd like to do this understand your motivations so you can make a unique case that will make your application stand out some prompting questions to ask yourself can include what problem do you want to solve how do you know it's a problem what have you learned about it over time what is drawing you to this program what makes this a good next step for you who is it that you want to help with this degree how do you know they need help why are you interested in this topic what learning have you done in this area what is it that you find exciting there is no one right answer for these questions it's about what's important to you

**[3:01]:** element number two you have the tools and skills to help you succeed you also want to share your background and experience that demonstrates that you have the tools and skills to be successful some prompting questions to ask yourself can include what do you do well how do you know you do it well what do you do that's different than somebody who's not good at this what does it take to be good at what you want to do what does someone need to know do or learn when have you worked or learned in an environment like this you may think you don't have relevant experience but reframe the experience you do have for example if you don't have relevant research experience how do you share that you're a good candidate you've completed previous degrees which teach you how to research what have you observed or thought about that's relevant to this work element number three why

**[4:06]:** the program is a good fit for you this element of your statement is all about making the connection between you and the program that you're applying to here it's important to understand what the program values which you can figure out several different ways read the program websites very carefully attend events like information sessions or open house days you'll get a much better feel for the program instructors staff and physical location talk to professors graduate students or alumni of the program you're interested in at waterloo you could connect with the graduate officer of the department once you've figured out what the program values and is looking for you can make the case for how these align with your skills abilities and experience don't simply repeat what's on the website make it about you some prompting questions to ask yourself include how do your research interests match faculty interests this is particularly important for research or thesis-based

**[5:16]:** programs what connects your proposed work with fares what did you notice about the program design location or content what do you want to learn and how does this match the degree for example if a master's degree is a prerequisite for a career you're interested in why is it required you can also frame this around your goals when you finish how do these goals match the program sharing your interest in the program that you have the tools and skills to help you succeed and why it's a good fit will all help make your best case to the application committee now that we've looked at the elements of a personal statement let's look at what experiences should

**[6:05]:** be included experiences are essentially the evidence that you use to prove your claims from the three elements there is no prescription of what exactly you need to have done on what timeline required experiences are highly specific to the program to which you're applying but many different types of experience are valuable generally experience falls into three categories academics lived experience and other let's look at each of these in more detail academics every program wants to know that you can succeed as a student and have appropriate academic prerequisites like grades or courses they want to know that you are an effective student and have a relevant academic past if your program's focus is on research but you don't have official research experience in that area remember that your skills from your previous degrees count you know how to search databases how to evaluate articles for relevance and how to select relevant research for a problem you're working

**[7:15]:** on the second category is lived experience this includes work volunteer or extracurricular experiences that are personal to you your friends or family depending on the type of program it could be something more specific for example if you're interested in a public policy and governance program with a stream around immigration and you have experience immigrating between countries that is relevant in a personal statement you can disclose as much or as little relevant personal information as you're comfortable with for example if something happened in your life that negatively affected your academics or if it took you eight years to do your degree because you were balancing supporting a family you may feel these are relevant to include and can be framed as you feel comfortable the third category can be described as other assorted experience that doesn't fall neatly into either of the previous ones this can include things like projects you've worked on whether inside or

**[8:21]:** outside of school self-directed learning or work and specific demonstrations of interpersonal skills reflecting on your different types of experience will help you figure out what to include in your statement remember that it's all about self-understanding and understanding the program to which you're applying you've reflected brainstormed and organized your ideas and now it's time to put it all together make an outline to figure out the overall structure of your statement and then fill in your ideas with more detail as you revise your draft make sure to take a break from your document and then come back to it with fresh eyes ask for structured feedback from others and see if they understand the main points you're trying to convey you'll know your statement is ready to go when you have shared what is most important to you and you hear from others that your statement clearly shares the messages you want an admissions committee to receive

**[9:25]:** about you happy writing and best of luck

**[9:36]:** you