You probably think that your life is too boring. As you hold your pen poised to brainstorm content for your personal statement, you cannot think of anything exciting to write about. You remember poring over examples of personal statements. Some of them contain exciting job experiences abroad or life-changing events, like migration or death of a breadwinner. Those examples of personal statements seem the type to be remembered. However, you do remember that some of them are not that earth-shattering if you can rewrite them in ordinary words. Those personal statements have only made use of some important writing elements. You are ready to glamorize your seemingly ordinary life, without lying of course. It just takes a little change of point of view and maybe more enthusiasm on your part.

Dissecting examples of personal statements with details of growing up

Many examples of personal statements talk about childhood memories.  You may not have a traumatic accident as a child but maybe you have been raised by a single parent.  With this, you can emphasize the values that you have learned from the experience, such as independence.  Other people may think of your experiences as unique though you who have lived through them may find them ordinary. Another seemingly ordinary experience is graduating.  Obviously, you have graduated at some point.  However, you may see a different angle, especially if you have a different motivation and then a change of heart.  For example, you have graduated without intending to do anything about it because you want to defy your parents.  Then, you realize during the graduation speech that you do want to make something from your life.   A third routine-like information is your reason for pursuing the course.  This may seem obligatory but with rich and lively detail, you can give it a little twist.  Don’t just say you want to help heal people, tell the admissions committee that the wrong diagnosis given to your cousin’s illness led to a fatal result – this made you decide that you need to be part of future medical research.  It’s all about the detail.

Examples of personal statements highlighting community involvement

People who join community organizations in order to improve a school application know the importance of these involvements.  Those who have been doing what they consider to be “little things” that are unsubstantiated by certificates may think differently.  Visiting an elderly neighbor regularly may just be friendship to you but to an admissions committee, you are presented as a caring person.  You may also talk about a community event that ordinarily people will not think involves you.  Discuss how the event affected your life.

Examples of personal statements that do not believe that anything is ordinary

A detail becomes ordinary if you make it appear to be.  There may be a lot of exciting things going on in your life.  However, you are on the lookout for something sensational or something supposedly special.  If you try to see your personal detail through the eyes of someone more eager and more enthusiastic, you can see that though not sensational, your experience may be special.  Appreciation for little things will let the admissions committee know that you are a humble soul.

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Examples of Personal Statements’ Common Downfalls

If you have to go through thousands of  examples of personal statements, you will see mistakes that keep popping up. If the same mistakes keep happening, knowing about them will prevent future problems with personal statements. These errors can threaten to destroy even the chances of applicants with excellent GPAs. This is because these errors are too common and can at anytime be prevented once proper proofreading has been done. They speak of the applicant’s carelessness, or even apathy. So, if you really want to be part of that college or graduate school, you have to make an effort to prevent these five examples of personal statements’ most common downfalls.

Examples of personal statements’ stylistic and technical errors

Yes, you probably have the best essay content in the whole county but style- and grammar-wise, your personal statement is just… hopeless. The first thing that can really mess up your personal statement is your grammatical, and other technical, errors. Add misspellings to these and you have just completed an image of utter carelessness. Your targeted school will definitely wonder if you have had an education at all. Or, if the institution is convinced that your high marks have not been invented, it may get to the real point of the matter. Yes, your desired school may see carelessness or maybe rushed unpreparedness on your part. Despite glowing praises from your references, your personal statement speaks for itself. You do find many examples of personal statements with careless errors and they can definitely make the job easier if all applicants have acceptable grades. The second thing that can mess up your personal statement is being gimmicky. This includes using clichés and overly fancy words. You’ll end up trashing your essay with other examples of personal statements that put style over substance. Last, but not the least, a style error you must avoid is handing over an essay version of your resume. Do not be redundant; you could have used the space for more important stuff.

Examples of personal statements’ content problems

Content wise, you must avoid vagueness at all times. You may have written a lot but if your targeted school does not understand anything, it will be for nothing. You have to back up every claim that you have. Then, remember that you do have an audience. So, avoid offending your audience through bad humor or through sensitive topics.

Learning from examples of personal statements

When you take away all the content and stylistic errors, you will get a clean essay. However, you still have to keep in mind that you still  have to put in relevant content. Making your essay one of the best examples of personal statements do not have to mean that you will lie to your targeted school. Just avoid the 5 common personal statements mistakes and put in a well-thought of representation of who you are and why you deserve to be accepted. The very best examples of personal statements will not do if they are not personalized.

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I am one of the lucky people who have never had to worry about not having enough finances to tend to my wounds, illnesses and other health problems. My parents worked hard to provide me with all of the essentials in life, including good health, shelter, clothing, food, water, education, love and affection. Having been born and raised in South Africa, however, I have been able to see and experience the pain and suffering that less fortunate people have had to endure because of their circumstances. While many people around the world have seen pictures or videos of those in Africa who lack medical assistance, not many have been able to actually experience it with their own eyes. This is why I have dedicated my self to becoming a doctor and serving the less fortunate in my home country.

Ever since I was a child, I had been exposed to doctors and the realm of medicine. My father was a pediatrician who would often take time away from his clinic to tend to those in the remote areas of South Africa, where health and medical services were not openly available. He would often take me along with him as a sort of exposure trip. Since I was eight years old and even up to today, my father brings me along on these trips. As a child I had neither an understanding of what my father was doing while he was serving these people, nor did I comprehend why he would take me along with him. As I got older and began to mature, I had come to many realizations about medicine, my father and my aspirations. He was not trying to force me into taking up medicine to follow in his footsteps. Instead, my father brought me on these trips for me to comprehend that good health and medical services are basic necessities that need to be tended to.

As a result of the realizations that my father guided me to experience on my own, I have dedicated myself to becoming a doctor and helping those around me. Having graduated from a prestigious college in South Africa, I feel the need to go beyond my boundaries to seek an education in medicine that will help me continue on the legacy that my father had built-up. Like my father, I would like to gain top-notch education in medicine so that I may return to my home country and help those who I grew up with. ________ University provides a medical school with the proper education, training and values-building I need to help in achieving my aspirations in life and to help others achieve theirs.

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Personal statements are one of the most significant parts of your application package graduate programs. The personal statements that you write should be intellectual and creative, while presenting crucial information about your academic (college) life, your career life and your personality. Keep in mind that the purpose for writing and submitting personal statements is to introduce yourself to your program director. This is why personal statements are so important, because these pieces of paper are likely to be the determining factor for whether or not you will be accepted into the program. Since writing these statements can be quite a daunting task, this article will seek to offer some tips on how to write personal statements.

There are numerous steps involved in writing personal statements. Before you begin with the actual writing process, it is first important to prepare yourself for the task at hand. Preparation for writing your statement should begin with gathering application forms, transcripts and any other information that you may need for reference. After you have gathered everything you need, a good place to start would be by reading some tips and examples of personal statements, which you can find online. These sample essays will give you a good idea of what educational institutions expect from personal statements.

Once you have all of the documents that you need and you have read some tips and samples, you should begin the writing process. You may want to begin by brainstorming and reflecting on what you want to write about. Since personal statements should talk about your personality and success, you should try to reflect on difficult times that you have overcome in your academic life and career life. Try to organize your thoughts in a manner that will allow your personal statement to flow coherently. Make sure that what you decide to write on is both personal and relevant to what you are applying to. In order to get more specific tips on writing your personal statements, you may want to check out those for medical school, law school or MBA programs.

After making a well-thought plan for your personal statement, you should begin writing your first draft. In your first draft, you may want to put as much information as you can, because subtracting from what you have written is much easier than adding on to it. Next, try to cut down on what you have written in order to meet the requirements for the application. If there are no requirements, you should try to keep your statement within one page. Be sure that there are no grammatical or syntax errors in your personal statements. Finally, check your personal statements for plagiarism by using online plagiarism checking tools.

Aside from these steps to writing personal statements, there is one more thing that you should keep in mind. Remember that your personal statement is about you. Keep it truthful, personal, intellectual, creative and fun. This should be something that best describes you as a person and a professional.

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Offense-free Usage of Examples of Personal Statements

Whether you are writing admission essays for college or personal statements for graduate programs, using examples of personal statements is a good way of understanding what educational institutions expect from you. Personal statements are an essential part of your application to graduate schools like medical school, law school or MBA programs. This is why you want to make sure that the admissions essays that you write are well-written and meet the requirements and expectations of graduate school directors. Reading through examples of personal statements has many benefits to those who are looking to write their own personal statements.

Before you can actually read through examples of personal statements, it is important to first locate them. There are numerous places where you can find examples of personal statements. One such place is from relatives, colleagues or friends who are willing to show you their own personal statements. Be sure to ask those who are close to you if they have examples of personal statements that they can show you. If you have no luck finding examples from them, you can also find examples of personal statements through the Internet. Various websites offer examples of personal statements to help people who need ideas, themes or inspiration to write their own statements. Try to search for sites that specialize in examples of personal statements, or you can look for the websites of educational institutions that offer examples as well. Here are a few examples of sites that offer samples and tips for medical school and MBA programs.

Once you have found a good source of examples of personal statements, you should learn. Misusing these examples of personal statements may lead to serious offenses, such as plagiarism, which can automatically disqualify you from being accepted into graduate programs and may have more serious repercussions. Perhaps the best way of using examples of personal statements is to use them as inspiration for your own personal statements. If you are stuck and cannot find a topic or theme to write about, you can use examples of personal statements to help you come up with ideas for your admission essay. You can look for examples from those that have had similar experiences, situations or personal qualities to yours. For instance, you may come across examples of personal statements that are made for the same course (law school, medical school, MBA programs, etc.) that you plan to enter into. Use these themes and ideas as a springboard to get your personal statement going. You may also be able to use these examples of personal statements in order to get a good idea of the formatting, style and tone that you should follow.

Regardless of how you use examples of personal statements there are a few things that you have to be aware of. Copying or merely rewording another person’s work is plagiarism. Also, making use of false information in your personal statements is considered a serious offense and may disqualify you from being admitted into the college or graduate programs that you apply for.

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Making It or Breaking It

Personal statements are part of the requirements for entering into post-graduate studies, professional programs, jobs, or internships. Whether you are looking to enter into an Ivy League university such as Princeton or if you want to enter into law school, personal statements are a crucial part of the application package. Your personal statements are likely to either make or break your chances of getting the post-graduate program that you have been eying for the past years.

What personal statements should say

Many people are confused about what to write in personal statements. Before going into what to write, it is important to determine what is expected from your personal statements. Most graduate schools expect two things from this part of the application package. First, they expect to get to know you as a student and professional. This means that your personal statements should include information on your academic and career achievements. Second, graduate schools want to get to know you as a person. The personal statements that you write, therefore, should reflect who you are as a person. One good way of revealing your personality through your personal statements is to talk about notable obstacles or opportunities that you have made the best of. Regardless of what types of personal statements that you are writing, you should be able to adequately express yourself in an intellectual and creative manner.

Remember that your personal statements basically serve the purpose of introducing yourself to your program director. This means that you should always try to present your best side without lying or presenting false information. Entering into medical school, MBA programs or other graduate programs is a serious deal, which is why you should try to make the most out of your personal statements. One way of making the most out of your personal statements is through reflection. Through reflection, you can gain a better understanding of yourself, your personal characteristics and your skills – all of which should be evident in your personal statements. Reflection can also help you shape your future goals, which you should also try to cover in your personal statements.

Online resources in writing personal statements

There are numerous Internet sites that can help you in writing personal statements. Many educational institutions include sections on how to write personal statements.  In fact, the graduate school that you are applying to may even have their own tips on writing personal statements. Before actually sitting down to write your personal statement, be sure to gather information and tips on how to write effective personal statements. This is an essential part of applying to graduate schools, which is why you should do your best when writing your personal statements.

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“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Mohandas Gandhi

For most of my life, I have been a follower. I seldom demanded what I wanted when others prefer the contrary. Sometimes, I follow for the sake of letting others have and do what they want, while, many times, I follow for the sake of avoiding arguments. Sometimes, when I think about why I behave in the way that I do, I come to the conclusion that my behavior is probably because of my melancholic temperament and my traditional ___ upbringing.

I am a peace-loving person and I prefer to avoid conflicts and arguments. As a child, I seldom liked to confront my brothers and sisters about some of the offensive actions and attitudes they exhibit towards me. Usually, for fear of being reprimanded by my parents who are strict and dislike hearing the ideas children have, I let go of my concerns and try to think as if the bothersome attitude or disgruntling childish affairs did not happen.

When I entered the workforce, I carried the same behavior of preferring to keep my opinions to myself. Even if several occasions warranted it, my opinions existed only in my mind. I was involved in several temporary jobs for __ years and experienced many types of discriminating acts. Some were because I am of a different race while some were because I was a temporary worker. Despite these acts, I held my tongue.

But, I was surprised at how some people would still discriminate others considering we are already in the 21st century and are practicing a more global approach to business. I also saw many of the other temporary workers being verbally slighted by some superiors and permanent co-workers just because of their work status and race.

These experiences opened my eyes and my mind to the fact that I should learn how to finally stand up for myself. Even if I am a melancholic person, I have to speak up for what’s right. After all, I am an adult and I have my rights, too. More than that, people have dignity and no matter what they do, they have to be treated with utmost respect.

My strong belief and principle has led me to consider pursuing a career in law. I would like to be a labor and employment lawyer because I want to help other people to rise above the tendencies that their temperaments dictate and to recognize that they have a relevant voice in the world. I want to be the change that I want see in the world. Taking into consideration my genuine interest in law, I believe that I will be an effective labor and employment lawyer who will be the active encouragement and voice of oppressed people. I am determined to fight for what is right and bring justice where it is needed.

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What many applicants complain about is that a personal statement is an added burden over the many requirements of their prospective schools. True as it may seem, personal statements are required for a reason and that is to show who you are as a person. Most colleges, professional schools, graduate programs and MBA programs don’t have the resources to conduct a personal interview of most of their applicants.  A personal statement allows you to present and market yourself to your chosen school because the document boosts your credentials and academic records.

In writing an excellent personal statement, it is helpful to use examples of personal statements and writing tips as a guide. You should also avoid the following most common mistakes when referring to examples of personal statements.

1. When using examples of personal statements in drafting a personal statement, plagiarism MUST be avoided.

There are people who submit plagiarized personal statements when applying to a college, a law school, a medical school, MBA programs or graduate programs. Unfortunately, plagiarism is one of the worst mistakes a person can commit when writing a paper. Plagiarism may get a student kicked out of a school if he is caught.   It also shows the admissions committee how unethical the applicant is.

Just because personal statements are not graded, however, does it mean that an applicant may plagiarize it. In fact, plagiarizing examples of personal statements, even if the error may not be detected, is a poor way of presenting one’s character and capabilities. So, do write your own personal statements and market yourself as honestly and as dignified as possible.

2. Studying examples of personal statements not related to one’s preferred course

When applying to a college, a law school, a medical school, MBA programs or other graduate programs, there are specific instructions, styles of writing or topics for personal statements. For example, when applying to Princeton Medical School, applicants must download a file to know the instructions and content required for a medical school personal statement. Moreover, to guide applicants, some universities provide examples of personal statements specific to each course of study.

Reading examples of personal statements not related to the course one is applying for is one of the most common mistakes. So, to prevent writing the wrong personal statement, refer to the examples of personal statements proper to your chosen course.

3. Rewording examples of personal statements

Rewording examples of personal statements is a form of plagiarism and should not be practiced. The examples of personal statements are only there as a guide on how you should write. When examples of personal statement are merely reworded, applicants may fail to write well-outlined and well-thought of personal statements. Such personal statements will reflect disorganized thinking and personality. So, following the examples of personal statements, do stick to the basic practices in writing.

4. Fabricating personal information based on examples of personal statements

The danger in fabricating personal information based on examples of personal statements is producing exaggerated or unrealistic personal statements. Some applicants format their essays in a manner similar to examples of personal statements and also come up with false personal experiences to impress readers. But contrary to what they think, applicants who exaggerate details in their essays are some of the least agreeable to the expert readers. So, to write a truly appealing essay, research on tips in writing personal statements.

5. Relying solely on examples of personal statements for instruction

Just because there are many examples of personal statements available on the Internet does it mean that you should disregard the instructions for writing prescribed by the schools of your choice. Be careful because some examples of personal statements do not follow specific school instructions either. On top of that, you must remember that personal statements are not the only documents needed during application. For Princeton Medical school, for example, the steps and instructions for the application process is posted in the school’s official website.