Speaker 1: If you're thinking about applying to graduate school, one of the most nerve-wracking aspects of the application is the personal statement. I would say it's around tied with getting recommendations, but if you want me to make a separate video on that, let me know in the comments and I will definitely consider making one. With the personal statement, there's a lot of pressure because it's kind of the main part of the application. You already have your grades, hopefully your transcript from undergrad. You already have your test scores, although to be honest, a lot of places are waiving test scores because of the pandemic. It's very hard to take your GRE in the pandemic. But the personal statement is the main area where you have to start putting in work and ask yourself, what do I want out of this program? So in today's video, I will be giving you my top tips on how to craft a foolproof grad school personal statement. For the best college and career advice, subscribe to my channel and hit the bell to be notified when I post a new video every other Monday. Now, you might be thinking, who is this person and why should I take her advice? Well, two things. One, I'm currently a master's student at Penn, so I've been through this whole process myself, you know, crafting my own personal statement and going through the rounds of edits needed for that. And then I'm also a admissions reader for Yale and US College in Singapore. So I have professional experience reading for admissions, reading dozens, hundreds of personal statements. So I have both personal and professional experience doing this. And trust me, I have read a lot of not great personal statements. So let's dive right into the tips. And by the end of this video, hopefully you will be on the right track to having the personal statement of your dreams. I will get you into the school of your choice. Now, if you're in the process of applying to grad school, you already applied and got into undergrad. So you might be thinking that you can take the same types of ideas from your undergrad personal statement or college essay into writing your grad school personal statement. And I want to tell you that that is not what you want to do. Because if you think back to your undergrad and your college essay, it was probably a very generic essay about how you managed to overcome some kind of challenge or you displayed open mindedness in some situation like a sports competition or maybe a personal challenge. I don't know. But the point is, is that when you apply to undergrad, you're not really expected to know exactly what it is that you want to do. Because undergrad college is a time where you get to explore different majors, do all sorts of different things and really hone in on that. So by the time you're applying to grad school, whether it be for a master's program, a doctorate program, law school, med school, like whatever it is, you really have to know what you're doing and why you want that specific degree. Because it's a lot more niche, it's a lot more narrowed down. So the main objective of your grad school personal statement needs to be proving that you know what you want to do with this degree and how it fits into your larger career plan. So I touch on this in a few of my other videos. You really have to know why you want to go to grad school, of course. That goes without saying. But if you find yourself just wanting to go to grad school because, say, you're having trouble finding a job after graduating from undergrad, from university, or you are kind of interested in something, like, say, you always thought philosophy was cool. So you're thinking, okay, I'll just get my doctorate degree in philosophy and just do that for five years. It's not really advised that you do that. You need to think about your education beyond just the time that you'll be spending in school, which I'm sure will be very fun and rewarding. I mean, if you're thinking about going to grad school, you probably like school. But you shouldn't just go to school for the sake of going to school, as I'm sure you already know, but I know there are a few people who need to hear this. You really need to think about, okay, how is this going to contribute to my next job, my next role? And how does it all fit in to my goals, not even just in my career, but as a person? So that really needs to come through. And then you can also tie in your past experiences as well. So say you are pivoting from doing something completely unrelated, like you were an archaeology major or something, and now you want to get your MBA. That's okay. You can definitely pivot and do something, apply for a grad program that you didn't really have much experience in in the past. But number one, it is going to be harder to craft your personal statement around that type of story. You need to put in a lot more work into creating a specific narrative that communicates why you now want to commit to this entirely new direction, say this MBA. Or you can, you know, take a gap year or two, try to get some experience in that field, get a job in that field, and then apply. Even volunteering and doing other work can make a big difference in communicating why you want to do this program because you have the experience to back it up. So, okay, let's get into the structure of the personal statement now. There are going to be two main parts. So as I kind of alluded to already, you want to tie in your past experiences, your past educational experiences, like your academics, maybe some great classes or projects you did in undergrad that relate to the subject that you'll be studying on the graduate level, as well as your future career goals and your ultimate plan, your ultimate vision for how this degree fits in with that. So those are the two things that you want to cover. And, of course, sometimes your grad school personal statement will come with a prompt. So when you go to the application portal, they'll tell you, like, describe blah, blah, blah, and how it fits in with your career trajectory or, like, why this program? Why Harvard College? You know, why insert college name here? So that is something you want to address as well. But basically, those are the two main things, past, future. And then when it comes to actually crafting the statement, like why that specific school, that's really important, too. Now, if they mention it in the prompt, like they say, why do you want to go to this particular school? Why this particular program? Then that shows you, okay, I really need to do my research and write a very customized personal statement for this particular program. Like, you need to go on their website and figure out what it is about their program that they really value. So say some programs have a values page on their website where they say they really value diversity or they really value inclusion. They really value cutting edge research. Whatever it is, you can borrow that language from their website into your personal statement because it shows that you've not only done your research, but your values align with the school's values. And then you can also pick particular classes or particular professors whose research you find really interesting. And just straight up say, I want to study with so-and-so because their research is really advanced in this field and it aligns with my interests. So, you know, there you go. So that's usually something that comes in more towards the end of the essay where you start talking about your future goals, the program, how it all fits in perfectly. And it's a beautiful fit. I think one of the biggest mistakes that I see people make with their graduate school level personal statements is like treating it like a recap, almost like a cover letter of their undergrad experience. So instead of just like summarizing everything, saying I was in this club, I took these classes, I did this internship, I was amazing at all of them. You should really focus on the narrative, the story of how those things took you to your present moment. You know, like don't summarize every single thing you've done in the past if it doesn't relate to the current program or the current trajectory that you're on. Like you can provide a little bit of context, but at the end of the day, you want the focus and the takeaway to be why you are an amazing fit for this program and why this particular program, I'll say it again, fits in with your larger career trajectory. And that's more than just saying I want to be, going back to the MBA example, I want to be a manager at this business or at this company. If you're applying for a med school program, it's beyond just saying I want to be a doctor. Like, of course, you know, you should mention these things because if your career has a specific end goal or a specific position in mind that this degree will help you with, you should mention that. But I want to encourage you to go deeper than that. Like what exactly is your purpose with becoming a doctor? You know, what is your purpose with becoming a business manager or a lawyer or, in my case, a higher ed administrator? What do you foresee yourself really making changes in? How do you see this field changing and evolving and how do you view yourself as playing a role in making it a better place, making the world a better place really? That is the question. Because if you just go in your personal statement and say, I want to be a doctor because I always wanted to be a doctor. I thought doctors were cool ever since I was young and I want to help people. That's very generic. And even saying something like I find it very rewarding to help people in this particular way. Like, yes, but think to your past and think about the motivation that you have for this particular program and really try to weave that moment into the personal statement. And again, this goes back to the introspection that I talked about at the very beginning of this video that I encourage you do. Because if you are in it for the wrong reasons, say you are just unable to find a job in your field, you're bored, you like school or you just feel like applying for a master's program. Then that might come across in your personal statement. Also doing it for just like purely financial reasons is fine, but you can't say that in your personal statement. So really ask yourself, what exactly do I want out of this program? How does this particular school, their particular program align with my goals? And how do I see myself taking what I learn and using it to change the world, to revolutionize not just myself, but the field? And how can I position myself as a changemaker, as someone who has a big vision for not only my career, but the future of this field, whether it be law, med school, getting your MFA, getting your MBA, whatever it is. You want to show that you are a visionary and that you're doing this for the benefit of the collective, not just for yourself. I would say that is my biggest tip of all. Show that you're doing it for the collective and that you have a bigger mindset than just your own advancement. Because at the end of the day, the person reading your essay knows that you want to go to grad school for personal advancement because another degree will oftentimes do that for you. But to make yourself stand out, you don't really have to do anything super gimmicky or tell a crazy story about how you traveled around the world to cure sick kids in another country, say. Because a lot of people think that pulling a wild or unusual experience will set them apart from other candidates. But the problem is that once everyone starts thinking that way, it doesn't really do that anymore. I think having a really genuine attitude and a really generous attitude is what makes the biggest difference. I hope you found this video helpful in coming up with some ideas for your personal statement. I know I asked a lot of questions, so I will include those for you in the description of this video down below if you need help with prompts or generating ideas for your personal statement and making it as strong as it possibly can be. And I will also link below a link where you can book me if you are interested in having your personal statement revised. I do cover letters, I do resumes, I do LinkedIn, and then I also do personal statements. So that is just a service that I offer as well, but totally optional. Either way, I hope you got something out of this video, and if you're applying to grad school for this upcoming year, I wish you the best of luck with your applications. I hope it goes well, and feel free to email me or DM me if there's anything that I can help with on that end. I'll see you in the next video, and I hope you have an amazing week, an amazing year, and an amazing life.