Personal Statement

Checklist by Jessica Droujko

You have an introduction
If there were specific questions asked by the institution,
you’ve answered them all
You’ve included your relevant past and current education
You’ve included relevant work experiences, projects,
theses, etc.
You’ve included your reasons for wanting to study in this
program
(Maybe it’s a specific professor, a certain lab, the courses, etc.)
You’ve included your future goals and how this program
will help you achieve those goals
You demonstrated knowledge of this school or program
You did not summarize your entire life
All of your claims are backed up with evidence
(This is when you can bring up other experiences, interests,
accomplishments, hobbies, etc.)
Your writing is specific (not vague)
Your conclusion isn’t more than a few sentences and
doesn’t reiterate everything you’ve written in your letter
You have no clichés
(eg. “Since I was little…”, “My father always told me…”, “I’ve
always had a passion…”)
You have a catchy opening sentence or anecdote
Your letter is 1 page (or length specified by the institution)
All of your sentences are clear and aren’t extremely long
Your writing is clear and isn’t too wordy
(You don’t use smart words just for the sake of using smart
words.)
You have no spelling or grammatical errors
Your letter has been reviewed by 3 different people (one
native speaker)