Below is a pdf link to personal statements and application essays representing strong efforts by

students applying for both undergraduate and graduate opportunities. These ten essays have
one thing in common: They were all written by students under the constraint of the essay being
1-2 pages due to the target program’s explicit instructions. In such circumstances, writers must
attend carefully to the essay prompt (sometimes as simple as “Write a one-page summary of
your reasons for wanting to pursue graduate study”) and recognize that evaluators tend to
judge these essays on the same fundamental principles, as follows:

• First, you are typically expected to provide a window into your personal motivations,
offer a summary of your field, your research, or your background, set some long-
term goals, and note specific interest in the program to which you are applying.
• Second, you are expected to provide some personal detail and to communicate
effectively and efficiently. Failure to do so can greatly limit your chances of
acceptance.
Good writers accomplish these tasks by immediately establishing each paragraph’s topic and
maintaining paragraph unity, by using concrete, personal examples to demonstrate their
points, and by not prolonging the ending of the essay needlessly. Also, good writers study the
target opportunity as carefully as they can, seeking to become an “insider,” perhaps even
communicating with a professor they would like to work with at the target program, and
tailoring the material accordingly so that evaluators can gauge the sincerity of their interest