Organizing Your Personal Statement: An Outline to Get You Started

One of the biggest challenges when applying to graduate school is writing the personal statement, particularly given that the personal statement is one of the most important criteria for graduate admission (Norcross, Kohout, & Wicherski, 2006). Applicants have a restricted amount of space to describe their past accomplishments, future plans, and interest in a particular graduate program. Despite impressive credentials and experiences, students often don’t know how to get started. As suggested below, getting started can begin with organizing the information that needs to go into your personal statement.