“By seeking and blundering we learn.” Those words, spoken by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, have been a guiding light for many on their path to success. It is with this sentiment in mind that I have written another series of tips to aid you in regards to writing your postgraduate personal statement. In order to expedite your success, I will present to you more common mistakes that can easily be avoided and bring you one step closer to your ambition. Though we can learn from our own blunders, today I hope you will learn from others’!
- Lack of Relevant Experience
When applying for postgraduate courses, unless explicitly stated otherwise, there is an expectation of a certain level of experience from a potential candidate. With such limited places, universities can only allow the very best to attend their programmes. When deciding between candidates, it can often be a very difficult task to determine who is the most qualified. By displaying how your experiences have led you to this decision and have provided you with the skills to succeed is essential. The most common forms of experience are typically: research conducted, internships and work experience, prior university study, and extracurricular programmes. A university is not looking for a simple description of your experiences, most of that information will be found on your CV. Instead, they wish to know how these experiences have made you the best choice. For example, when applying for a civil engineering course with experience in a bridge building competition, you should describe what you have learned and the skills gained from such work. In this case, you could describe specific concepts such as torsional stress, practical skills such as model-building, and qualities such as team-working or leadership.
If you are applying to a course that is unrelated to your undergraduate study or does not ask for specific experience, then don’t worry. In such an instance, you can describe your transferable experience. Think about what you have done in a more abstract way. How could working at a bank for a summer internship help you during a ‘Geography’ programme? Perhaps, you could consider the role of banks in developing urban infrastructure or the impact of financial success within a city on environmental pollution.
- Poor Format
When an admissions officer is reading through a personal statement, they dream of a smooth and well-considered format. By structuring your essay to flow efficiently from one paragraph to the next, you are making their job much more pleasant and increasing your own chances of a favourable outcome. However, the opposite is equally true; walls of text, non-sequiturs, and disparate information can make your personal statement difficult to read. When considering writing a personal statement, make sure to always think of your structure first. Typically, I will employ a five-paragraph structure that can be summarised as follows: motivation, education, extracurricular/work experience, career/research ambitions, and reasons to choose this university/programme.
When reading though your work, you often overlook the consideration for how others will experience it. Try asking a friend, colleague, or family member to read through your work. If they struggle to see the logic in your format, then so will an admissions officer!
- Negativity
Though it should be commended if you have the perspective to identify gaps and failings in your own skill-set and knowledge, never allow it to become self-criticism. Often, I have seen candidates describe a negative aspect of themselves, such as lacking in team-working experience. However, equally often, that is all the information that they give. From the perspective of an admissions officer, this is merely a reason why you shouldn’t be chosen over another candidate. The best approach is not to lie or pretend to be flawless but offer evidence of your commitment to addressing your flaws and how the university can help too. For example, if a programme highlights programming experience as important, describe how you are taking an evening class or conducting independent study.
My advice is generally to avoid putting yourself in a negative light at all if possible. However, if you genuinely have no direct or transferable experience for a skill requested by your dream programme, then ensure to outline exactly the measures you are taking to overcome this lack of experience.
I hope you have found these tips useful for your own application! Best of luck!