{"id":3272,"date":"2015-11-23t09:02:43","date_gmt":"2015-11-23t09:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/?p=3272"},"modified":"2015-11-23t09:02:43","modified_gmt":"2015-11-23t09:02:43","slug":"13-mistakes-to-avoid-in-your-personal-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/blog\/13-mistakes-to-avoid-in-your-personal-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"13 mistakes to avoid in your personal statement"},"content":{"rendered":"

without question, your grades and test scores are the most important part of your grad school application. but stellar grades and a high gre score are not enough to make you stand out from the thousands of other applicants with similar scores. <\/span><\/p>\n

so how can you distinguish yourself? the answer: a unique and thoughtfully crafted personal statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

think about all the study sessions, missed parties and hard work you\u2019ve put into maintaining good grades and achieving a score that made your mother cry tears of joy. don\u2019t throw all that away by writing a weak<\/i> personal statement. this is a valuable opportunity for you to show the admissions department why they would be remiss not to accept you.<\/span><\/p>\n

on the other hand, it\u2019s important to not get too creative. i\u2019m sorry, but you should probably save your quentin tarantino-style statement for another time. trust me on that one. <\/span><\/p>\n

instead, it\u2019s time to channel your inner goldilocks and express who you are in a way that\u2019s not too much and not too little, but is \u201cjust right\u201d to catch the admission department\u2019s attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

to help you navigate through the writing process, we\u2019ve compiled a list of 13 mistakes you should avoid when writing your personal statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. cliches<\/h2>\n

\"image\"<\/p>\n

cliches can be hard to avoid. they\u2019ve been lodged in our memory since the dawn of time. (see what i did there?) but they\u2019re uninspiring, tired, and show a lack of creativity. instead, come up with your own metaphors and similes to say in your unique way that you \u201chave a thirst for knowledge,\u201d and avoid clich\u00e9s like they\u2019re going out of style.<\/p>\n

2. redundancy<\/span><\/h2>\n

don\u2019t include your gpa in your personal statement. let me say that again. don\u2019t include your gpa in your personal statement. in fact, avoid including any information \u2013 such as awards you\u2019ve received, etc. \u2013 that can be found elsewhere in your application. it\u2019s redundant. think of your personal statement as valuable real estate and there\u2019s only enough space for the best, most unique information. <\/span><\/p>\n

3. spelling or grammatical errors<\/h2>\n

\"personal<\/p>\n

this cannot be overstated. admissions directors won\u2019t be able to fully appreciate your powerful personal statement if they have to keep stumbling over spelling and grammar errors. avoid errors by asking a friend or family member to help you proofread your statement. another pair of eyes is more likely to catch if you misspelled \u201cconscientious,\u201d for example.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. profanity or slang<\/span><\/h2>\n

this should go without saying, but some students forget to leave out certain inappropriate four-letter words. just. don\u2019t. do. it.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. quotes<\/span><\/h2>\n

quotes can be very inspirational, especially when they come from great writers and charismatic people like martin luther king, jr. or e.e. cummings. but they\u2019re not your words, and they don\u2019t tell the admissions director who you are. leave them out of your personal statement and post them on your instagram instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. hyperboles<\/h2>\n

\"personal<\/p>\n

you want to show enthusiasm in your statement, but it\u2019s not necessary to say that if you don\u2019t get into grad school your \u201cmother will kill you.\u201d the admissions director will also likely not be impressed if you tell them you have studied no less than a million hours to get into their school. in fact, avoid any and all exaggerations.<\/p>\n

7. plagiarism<\/span><\/h2>\n

these days, it\u2019s easy to find examples of great personal statements online. however, keep in mind that universities will be able to identify if you have copied any material from another source. it\u2019s not worth the risk and, again, it doesn\u2019t let the school see your uniqueness. <\/span><\/p>\n

8. other people<\/span><\/h2>\n

remember, keep the focus of your statement on you and what makes you stand out. avoid too much mention of mentors, family members, or other people who may have inspired your academic goals. keep it all about you.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. negativity<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

keep your personal statement upbeat and positive. avoid talking about any past educational experiences. you should also avoid mentioning any personal circumstances that have caused you difficulty \u2013 unless you are able to highlight how you overcame the circumstances and what you learned from them. <\/span><\/p>\n

10. money<\/span><\/h2>\n

although you may be trying to secure a financial award from the school, you should leave out any mention of money in your essay. period.<\/span><\/p>\n

11. arrogance<\/span><\/h2>\n

of course you want to highlight what differentiates you from other students, but be sure to do so in a humbling way. boasting about how awesome or great you are may be off-putting to those reviewing your application. also, you should show<\/i>, rather than tell how wonderful you are by describing certain unique experiences rather than listing superficial adjectives to describe yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

12. humor<\/span><\/h2>\n

often times, we immediately try to use humor to showcase what makes us unique. being quirky, though, can be risky in an admissions essay. so proceed with caution. keep in mind that those in the admissions department may not share your sense of humor, so it\u2019s best to keep your weird jokes between you and your friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

13. confessions<\/span><\/h2>\n

this is an opportunity to describe your educational and professional goals in an intentional way. it is not an opportunity to reveal the deepest, darkest corners of your mind, so stay on point and avoid any irrelevant information.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0about the author:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jfriend<\/p>\n

jennifer is here to help you navigate college and grad school while still maintaining your sanity. she is a graduate of\u00a0the university of florida (go gators!), with a major in journalism and communications and a minor in psychology. she\u2019s also a certified montessori instructor and once witnessed a four-year-old correctly\u00a0label all 54 countries on a map of africa. she prefers to sing when not in the shower, and she’s\u00a0not afraid\u00a0of heights as long as she’s\u00a0standing on something that is less than 15-feet tall.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

image sources:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. https:\/\/tessatypt.wordpress.com\/author\/tessaotten\/<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. http:\/\/thumbpress.com\/10-funny-spelling-and-grammar-mistakes\/<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/533113674616215339\/<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. http:\/\/tnova.fr\/notes\/refonder-l-aide-aux-eleves-en-grande-difficulte-scolaire<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    without question, your grades and test scores are the most important part of your grad school application. but stellar grades and a high gre score are not enough to make you stand out from the thousands of other applicants with similar scores. so how can you distinguish yourself? the answer: a unique and thoughtfully crafted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":3273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[257,75,258,55,259,200,260,29,261,262,50,225],"ppma_author":[506],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n13 mistakes to avoid in your personal statement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"to help you navigate the application essay writing process, here are examples of 13 mistakes you should avoid when writing your personal statement.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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