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How to write a personal statement

If you want to give current article to your teenage child you might be right. But adults can be interested in it too. Personal statement is a piece of individual writing a person usually encloses to his or her university application. It's never too late to study, universities accept not only young and enthusiastic people but representatives of all ages. Anyway, we think it's vital to know how to write a personal statement. Who knows maybe next year you'll express desire to go back to school! Internet as usual can offer you a huge amount of personal statement examples for any case. We prefer to stick to theory that it should be unique and reflect best traits of your character and has a full story of your achievements. Personal statement format is not strict but of course there is a plan to follow. First is introduction. It should be catchy and captivate reader's attention from first sentence. In several blocks tell briefly but vividly about your education, experience and skills. Don't ask anyone for help, use your own words and phrases, let the committee know what a person you are. Search for tips on how to write a personal statement but do writing part yourself, without appropriating anyone's thoughts. In personal financial statement explain need of scholarship or financial aid. In personal mission statement define your primary goals you plan to achieve in life with help of high school.

Personal statement examples for different aims

Not to get lost under flood of information about personal statements, everyone should know that for each type of high school there should be a unique piece of paper.

Personal statement for graduate school won't contain any information about your desperate need of financial assistance in studying. This is what a personal financial statement for.

Planning to become a famous doctor and getting a medical certificate? Write a medical school personal statement, describe your preference. There is surely a noble reason for choosing career of doctor. After finishing studies and applying for a place in hospital as an intern there is a necessity to write residency personal statement. And again you say what made you think this very hospital would provide the best experience for you.

Dreaming of a career in jurisprudence? Be sure to make best law school personal statement ever. The competition between applicants is quite hard, as there are plenty of them. With moderate or low grades knowledge of how to write a personal statement is not just important, it's vital. When looking through samples ignore those that don't belong to necessary sphere. Medical school personal statement examples are not proper when applying for law school.

Importance of a good statement

Use of correct personal statement format is significant. Grades matter too but a brilliant piece of writing may win you a place in high school. Devote as much time as possible to compose it. Even when making a personal statement for college do your best. Examine your work several times, make notes, change part you don't like, give it to you teacher or senior to evaluate. Personal mission statement examples will help to make a right decision and sometimes completely change your mind.

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Getting College Essay Help: Important Do's and Don’ts

College Essays

If you grow up to be a professional writer, everything you write will first go through an editor before being published. This is because the process of writing is really a process of re-writing —of rethinking and reexamining your work, usually with the help of someone else. So what does this mean for your student writing? And in particular, what does it mean for very important, but nonprofessional writing like your college essay? Should you ask your parents to look at your essay? Pay for an essay service?

If you are wondering what kind of help you can, and should, get with your personal statement, you've come to the right place! In this article, I'll talk about what kind of writing help is useful, ethical, and even expected for your college admission essay . I'll also point out who would make a good editor, what the differences between editing and proofreading are, what to expect from a good editor, and how to spot and stay away from a bad one.

Table of Contents

What Kind of Help for Your Essay Can You Get?

What's Good Editing?

What should an editor do for you, what kind of editing should you avoid, proofreading, what's good proofreading, what kind of proofreading should you avoid.

What Do Colleges Think Of You Getting Help With Your Essay?

Who Can/Should Help You?

Advice for editors.

Should You Pay Money For Essay Editing?

The Bottom Line

What's next, what kind of help with your essay can you get.

Rather than talking in general terms about "help," let's first clarify the two different ways that someone else can improve your writing . There is editing, which is the more intensive kind of assistance that you can use throughout the whole process. And then there's proofreading, which is the last step of really polishing your final product.

Let me go into some more detail about editing and proofreading, and then explain how good editors and proofreaders can help you."

Editing is helping the author (in this case, you) go from a rough draft to a finished work . Editing is the process of asking questions about what you're saying, how you're saying it, and how you're organizing your ideas. But not all editing is good editing . In fact, it's very easy for an editor to cross the line from supportive to overbearing and over-involved.

Ability to clarify assignments. A good editor is usually a good writer, and certainly has to be a good reader. For example, in this case, a good editor should make sure you understand the actual essay prompt you're supposed to be answering.

Open-endedness. Good editing is all about asking questions about your ideas and work, but without providing answers. It's about letting you stick to your story and message, and doesn't alter your point of view.

Think of an editor as a great travel guide. It can show you the many different places your trip could take you. It should explain any parts of the trip that could derail your trip or confuse the traveler. But it never dictates your path, never forces you to go somewhere you don't want to go, and never ignores your interests so that the trip no longer seems like it's your own. So what should good editors do?

Help Brainstorm Topics

Sometimes it's easier to bounce thoughts off of someone else. This doesn't mean that your editor gets to come up with ideas, but they can certainly respond to the various topic options you've come up with. This way, you're less likely to write about the most boring of your ideas, or to write about something that isn't actually important to you.

If you're wondering how to come up with options for your editor to consider, check out our guide to brainstorming topics for your college essay .

Help Revise Your Drafts

Here, your editor can't upset the delicate balance of not intervening too much or too little. It's tricky, but a great way to think about it is to remember: editing is about asking questions, not giving answers .

Revision questions should point out:

• Places where more detail or more description would help the reader connect with your essay
• Places where structure and logic don't flow, losing the reader's attention
• Places where there aren't transitions between paragraphs, confusing the reader
• Moments where your narrative or the arguments you're making are unclear

But pointing to potential problems is not the same as actually rewriting—editors let authors fix the problems themselves.

Bad editing is usually very heavy-handed editing. Instead of helping you find your best voice and ideas, a bad editor changes your writing into their own vision.

You may be dealing with a bad editor if they:

• Add material (examples, descriptions) that doesn't come from you
• Use a thesaurus to make your college essay sound "more mature"
• Add meaning or insight to the essay that doesn't come from you
• Tell you what to say and how to say it
• Write sentences, phrases, and paragraphs for you
• Change your voice in the essay so it no longer sounds like it was written by a teenager

Colleges can tell the difference between a 17-year-old's writing and a 50-year-old's writing. Not only that, they have access to your SAT or ACT Writing section, so they can compare your essay to something else you wrote. Writing that's a little more polished is great and expected. But a totally different voice and style will raise questions.

Where's the Line Between Helpful Editing and Unethical Over-Editing?

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether your college essay editor is doing the right thing. Here are some guidelines for staying on the ethical side of the line.

• An editor should say that the opening paragraph is kind of boring, and explain what exactly is making it drag. But it's overstepping for an editor to tell you exactly how to change it.
• An editor should point out where your prose is unclear or vague. But it's completely inappropriate for the editor to rewrite that section of your essay.
• An editor should let you know that a section is light on detail or description. But giving you similes and metaphors to beef up that description is a no-go.

Proofreading (also called copy-editing) is checking for errors in the last draft of a written work. It happens at the end of the process and is meant as the final polishing touch. Proofreading is meticulous and detail-oriented, focusing on small corrections. It sands off all the surface rough spots that could alienate the reader.

Because proofreading is usually concerned with making fixes on the word or sentence level, this is the only process where someone else can actually add to or take away things from your essay . This is because what they are adding or taking away tends to be one or two misplaced letters.

Laser focus. Proofreading is all about the tiny details, so the ability to really concentrate on finding small slip-ups is a must.

Excellent grammar and spelling skills. Proofreaders need to dot every "i" and cross every "t." Good proofreaders should correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. They should put foreign words in italics and surround quotations with quotation marks. They should check that you used the correct college's name, and that you adhered to any formatting requirements (name and date at the top of the page, uniform font and size, uniform spacing).

Limited interference. A proofreader needs to make sure that you followed any word limits. But if cuts need to be made to shorten the essay, that's your job and not the proofreader's.

A bad proofreader either tries to turn into an editor, or just lacks the skills and knowledge necessary to do the job.

Some signs that you're working with a bad proofreader are:

• If they suggest making major changes to the final draft of your essay. Proofreading happens when editing is already finished.
• If they aren't particularly good at spelling, or don't know grammar, or aren't detail-oriented enough to find someone else's small mistakes.
• If they start swapping out your words for fancier-sounding synonyms, or changing the voice and sound of your essay in other ways. A proofreader is there to check for errors, not to take the 17-year-old out of your writing.

What Do Colleges Think of Your Getting Help With Your Essay?

Admissions officers agree: light editing and proofreading are good—even required ! But they also want to make sure you're the one doing the work on your essay. They want essays with stories, voice, and themes that come from you. They want to see work that reflects your actual writing ability, and that focuses on what you find important.

On the Importance of Editing

Get feedback. Have a fresh pair of eyes give you some feedback. Don't allow someone else to rewrite your essay, but do take advantage of others' edits and opinions when they seem helpful. ( Bates College )

Read your essay aloud to someone. Reading the essay out loud offers a chance to hear how your essay sounds outside your head. This exercise reveals flaws in the essay's flow, highlights grammatical errors and helps you ensure that you are communicating the exact message you intended. ( Dickinson College )

On the Value of Proofreading

Share your essays with at least one or two people who know you well—such as a parent, teacher, counselor, or friend—and ask for feedback. Remember that you ultimately have control over your essays, and your essays should retain your own voice, but others may be able to catch mistakes that you missed and help suggest areas to cut if you are over the word limit. ( Yale University )

Proofread and then ask someone else to proofread for you. Although we want substance, we also want to be able to see that you can write a paper for our professors and avoid careless mistakes that would drive them crazy. ( Oberlin College )

On Watching Out for Too Much Outside Influence

Limit the number of people who review your essay. Too much input usually means your voice is lost in the writing style. ( Carleton College )

Ask for input (but not too much). Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your essay. They know how unique and spectacular you are, and they can help you decide how to articulate it. Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we're probably going to notice. ( Vanderbilt University )

Now let's talk about some potential people to approach for your college essay editing and proofreading needs. It's best to start close to home and slowly expand outward. Not only are your family and friends more invested in your success than strangers, but they also have a better handle on your interests and personality. This knowledge is key for judging whether your essay is expressing your true self.

Parents or Close Relatives

Your family may be full of potentially excellent editors! Parents are deeply committed to your well-being, and family members know you and your life well enough to offer details or incidents that can be included in your essay. On the other hand, the rewriting process necessarily involves criticism, which is sometimes hard to hear from someone very close to you.

A parent or close family member is a great choice for an editor if you can answer "yes" to the following questions. Is your parent or close relative a good writer or reader? Do you have a relationship where editing your essay won't create conflict? Are you able to constructively listen to criticism and suggestion from the parent?

One suggestion for defusing face-to-face discussions is to try working on the essay over email. Send your parent a draft, have them write you back some comments, and then you can pick which of their suggestions you want to use and which to discard.

Teachers or Tutors

A humanities teacher that you have a good relationship with is a great choice. I am purposefully saying humanities, and not just English, because teachers of Philosophy, History, Anthropology, and any other classes where you do a lot of writing, are all used to reviewing student work.

Moreover, any teacher or tutor that has been working with you for some time, knows you very well and can vet the essay to make sure it "sounds like you."

If your teacher or tutor has some experience with what college essays are supposed to be like, ask them to be your editor. If not, then ask whether they have time to proofread your final draft.

Guidance or College Counselor at Your School

The best thing about asking your counselor to edit your work is that this is their job. This means that they have a very good sense of what colleges are looking for in an application essay.

At the same time, school counselors tend to have relationships with admissions officers in many colleges, which again gives them insight into what works and which college is focused on what aspect of the application.

Unfortunately, in many schools the guidance counselor tends to be way overextended. If your ratio is 300 students to 1 college counselor, you're unlikely to get that person's undivided attention and focus. It is still useful to ask them for general advice about your potential topics, but don't expect them to be able to stay with your essay from first draft to final version.

Friends, Siblings, or Classmates

Although they most likely don't have much experience with what colleges are hoping to see, your peers are excellent sources for checking that your essay is you .

Friends and siblings are perfect for the read-aloud edit. Read your essay to them so they can listen for words and phrases that are stilted, pompous, or phrases that just don't sound like you.

You can even trade essays and give helpful advice on each other's work.

If your editor hasn't worked with college admissions essays very much, no worries! Any astute and attentive reader can still greatly help with your process. But, as in all things, beginners do better with some preparation.

First, your editor should read our advice about how to write a college essay introduction , how to spot and fix a bad college essay , and get a sense of what other students have written by going through some admissions essays that worked .

Then, as they read your essay, they can work through the following series of questions that will help them to guide you.

Introduction Questions

• Is the first sentence a killer opening line? Why or why not?
• Does the introduction hook the reader? Does it have a colorful, detailed, and interesting narrative? Or does it propose a compelling or surprising idea?
• Can you feel the author's voice in the introduction, or is the tone dry, dull, or overly formal? Show the places where the voice comes through.

Essay Body Questions

• Does the essay have a through-line? Is it built around a central argument, thought, idea, or focus? Can you put this idea into your own words?
• How is the essay organized? By logical progression? Chronologically? Do you feel order when you read it, or are there moments where you are confused or lose the thread of the essay?
• Does the essay have both narratives about the author's life and explanations and insight into what these stories reveal about the author's character, personality, goals, or dreams? If not, which is missing?
• Does the essay flow? Are there smooth transitions/clever links between paragraphs? Between the narrative and moments of insight?

Reader Response Questions

• Does the writer's personality come through? Do we know what the speaker cares about? Do we get a sense of "who he or she is"?
• Where did you feel most connected to the essay? Which parts of the essay gave you a "you are there" sensation by invoking your senses? What moments could you picture in your head well?
• Where are the details and examples vague and not specific enough?
• Did you get an "a-ha!" feeling anywhere in the essay? Is there a moment of insight that connected all the dots for you? Is there a good reveal or "twist" anywhere in the essay?
• What are the strengths of this essay? What needs the most improvement?

Should You Pay Money for Essay Editing?

One alternative to asking someone you know to help you with your college essay is the paid editor route. There are two different ways to pay for essay help: a private essay coach or a less personal editing service , like the many proliferating on the internet.

My advice is to think of these options as a last resort rather than your go-to first choice. I'll first go through the reasons why. Then, if you do decide to go with a paid editor, I'll help you decide between a coach and a service.

When to Consider a Paid Editor

In general, I think hiring someone to work on your essay makes a lot of sense if none of the people I discussed above are a possibility for you.

If you can't ask your parents. For example, if your parents aren't good writers, or if English isn't their first language. Or if you think getting your parents to help is going create unnecessary extra conflict in your relationship with them (applying to college is stressful as it is!)

If you can't ask your teacher or tutor. Maybe you don't have a trusted teacher or tutor that has time to look over your essay with focus. Or, for instance, your favorite humanities teacher has very limited experience with college essays and so won't know what admissions officers want to see.

If you can't ask your guidance counselor. This could be because your guidance counselor is way overwhelmed with other students.

If you can't share your essay with those who know you. It might be that your essay is on a very personal topic that you're unwilling to share with parents, teachers, or peers. Just make sure it doesn't fall into one of the bad-idea topics in our article on bad college essays .

If the cost isn't a consideration. Many of these services are quite expensive, and private coaches even more so. If you have finite resources, I'd say that hiring an SAT or ACT tutor (whether it's PrepScholar or someone else) is better way to spend your money . This is because there's no guarantee that a slightly better essay will sufficiently elevate the rest of your application, but a significantly higher SAT score will definitely raise your applicant profile much more.

Should You Hire an Essay Coach?

On the plus side, essay coaches have read dozens or even hundreds of college essays, so they have experience with the format. Also, because you'll be working closely with a specific person, it's more personal than sending your essay to a service, which will know even less about you.

But, on the minus side, you'll still be bouncing ideas off of someone who doesn't know that much about you . In general, if you can adequately get the help from someone you know, there is no advantage to paying someone to help you.

If you do decide to hire a coach, ask your school counselor, or older students that have used the service for recommendations. If you can't afford the coach's fees, ask whether they can work on a sliding scale —many do. And finally, beware those who guarantee admission to your school of choice—essay coaches don't have any special magic that can back up those promises.

Should You Send Your Essay to a Service?

On the plus side, essay editing services provide a similar product to essay coaches, and they cost significantly less . If you have some assurance that you'll be working with a good editor, the lack of face-to-face interaction won't prevent great results.

On the minus side, however, it can be difficult to gauge the quality of the service before working with them . If they are churning through many application essays without getting to know the students they are helping, you could end up with an over-edited essay that sounds just like everyone else's. In the worst case scenario, an unscrupulous service could send you back a plagiarized essay.

Getting recommendations from friends or a school counselor for reputable services is key to avoiding heavy-handed editing that writes essays for you or does too much to change your essay. Including a badly-edited essay like this in your application could cause problems if there are inconsistencies. For example, in interviews it might be clear you didn't write the essay, or the skill of the essay might not be reflected in your schoolwork and test scores.

Should You Buy an Essay Written by Someone Else?

Let me elaborate. There are super sketchy places on the internet where you can simply buy a pre-written essay. Don't do this!

For one thing, you'll be lying on an official, signed document. All college applications make you sign a statement saying something like this:

I certify that all information submitted in the admission process—including the application, the personal essay, any supplements, and any other supporting materials—is my own work, factually true, and honestly presented... I understand that I may be subject to a range of possible disciplinary actions, including admission revocation, expulsion, or revocation of course credit, grades, and degree, should the information I have certified be false. (From the Common Application )

For another thing, if your academic record doesn't match the essay's quality, the admissions officer will start thinking your whole application is riddled with lies.

Admission officers have full access to your writing portion of the SAT or ACT so that they can compare work that was done in proctored conditions with that done at home. They can tell if these were written by different people. Not only that, but there are now a number of search engines that faculty and admission officers can use to see if an essay contains strings of words that have appeared in other essays—you have no guarantee that the essay you bought wasn't also bought by 50 other students.

• You should get college essay help with both editing and proofreading
• A good editor will ask questions about your idea, logic, and structure, and will point out places where clarity is needed
• A good editor will absolutely not answer these questions, give you their own ideas, or write the essay or parts of the essay for you
• A good proofreader will find typos and check your formatting
• All of them agree that getting light editing and proofreading is necessary
• Parents, teachers, guidance or college counselor, and peers or siblings
• If you can't ask any of those, you can pay for college essay help, but watch out for services or coaches who over-edit you work
• Don't buy a pre-written essay! Colleges can tell, and it'll make your whole application sound false.

Ready to start working on your essay? Check out our explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications and then explore our step-by-step guide to writing a great college essay .

Using the Common Application for your college applications? We have an excellent guide to the Common App essay prompts and useful advice on how to pick the Common App prompt that's right for you . Wondering how other people tackled these prompts? Then work through our roundup of over 130 real college essay examples published by colleges .

Stressed about whether to take the SAT again before submitting your application? Let us help you decide how many times to take this test . If you choose to go for it, we have the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs of the best ways to study.

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Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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How to Write a Personal Statement That Wows Colleges

← What Is an Application Theme and Why Is It Important?

10 Personal Statement Examples That Work →

  Most of the college applications process is fairly cut and dry. You’ll submit information about your classes and grades, standardized test scores, and various other accomplishments and honors. On much of the application, your accomplishments must speak for themselves. 

The personal statement is different though, and it’s your chance to let your voice be heard. To learn more about the personal statement, how to choose a topic, and how to write one that wows colleges, don’t miss this post.

What is the Personal Statement?

Personal statements are used in both undergraduate and graduate admissions. For undergrad admissions, personal statements are any essays students must write to submit their main application. For example, the Common App Essay and Coalition Application Essay are examples of personal statements. Similarly, the ApplyTexas Essays and University of California Essays are also good examples .

Personal statements in college admissions are generally not school-specific (those are called “supplemental essays”). Instead, they’re sent to a wide range of schools, usually every school you apply to. 

What is the Purpose of the Personal Statement?

The personal statement is generally your opportunity to speak to your unique experiences, qualities, or beliefs that aren’t elsewhere represented on the application. It is a chance to break away from the data that defines you on paper, and provide a glimpse into who you really are. In short, it’s the admissions committee’s chance to get to know the real you.

So, what are colleges looking for in your personal statement? They are looking for something that sets you apart. They are asking themselves: do you write about something truly unique? Do you write about something common, in a new and interesting way? Do you write about an aspect of your application that needed further explanation? All of these are great ways to impress with your personal statement.

Beyond getting to know you, admissions committees are also evaluating your writing skills. Are you able to write clearly and succinctly? Can you tell an engaging story? Writing effectively is an important skill in both college and life, so be sure to also fine-tune your actual writing (grammar and syntax), not just the content of your essay.

Is your personal statement strong enough? Get a free review of your personal statement with CollegeVine’s Peer Essay Review.

How To a Choose A Topic For Your Personal Statement

Most of the time, you’re given a handful of prompts to choose from. Common personal statement prompts include:

• Central aspect of your identity (activity, interest, talent, background)
• Overcoming a failure
• Time you rose to a challenge or showed leadership
• Experience that changed your beliefs
• Problem you’d like to solve
• Subject or idea that captivates you

One of the questions that we hear most often about the personal statement is, “How do I choose what to write about?” For some students, the personal statement prompt triggers an immediate and strong idea. For many more, there is at least initially some uncertainty.

We often encourage students to think less about the exact prompt and more about what aspects of themselves they think are most worthy of highlighting. This is especially helpful if you’re offered a “topic of your choice” prompt, as the best essay topic for you might actually be one you make up!

For students with an interesting story or a defining background, these can serve as the perfect catalyst to shape your approach. For students with a unique voice or different perspective, simple topics written in a new way can be engaging and insightful.

Finally, you need to consider the rest of your application when you choose a topic for your personal statement. If you are returning from a gap year, failed a single class during sophomore year, or participated extensively in something you’re passionate about that isn’t elsewhere on your application, you might attempt to address one of these topics in your statement. After all, the admissions committee wants to get to know you and understand who you really are, and these are all things that will give them a deeper understanding of that.

Still, tons of students have a decent amount of writer’s block when it comes to choosing a topic. This is understandable since the personal statement tends to be considered rather high stakes. To help you get the ball rolling, we recommend the post What If I Don’t Have Anything Interesting To Write About In My College Essay?

Tips for Writing a Personal Statement for College

1. approach this as a creative writing assignment..

Personal statements are difficult for many students because they’ve never had to do this type of writing. High schoolers are used to writing academic reports or analytical papers, but not creative storytelling pieces.

The point of creative writing is to have fun with it, and to share a meaningful story. Choose a topic that inspires you so that you’ll enjoy writing your essay. It doesn’t have to be intellectual or impressive at all. You have your transcript and test scores to prove your academic skills, so the point of the personal statement is to give you free rein to showcase your personality. This will result in a more engaging essay and reading experience for admissions officers. 

As you’re writing, there’s no need to follow the traditional five-paragraph format with an explicit thesis. Your story should have an overarching message, but it doesn’t need to be explicitly stated—it should shine through organically. 

Your writing should also feel natural. While it will be more refined than a conversation with your best friend, it shouldn’t feel stuffy or contrived when it comes off your tongue. This balance can be difficult to strike, but a tone that would feel natural when talking with an admired teacher or a longtime mentor is usually a good fit.

2. Show, don’t tell.

One of the biggest mistakes students make is to simply state everything that happened, instead of actually bringing the reader to the moment it happened, and telling a story. It’s boring to read: “I was overjoyed and felt empowered when I finished my first half marathon.” It’s much more interesting when the writing actually shows you what happened and what the writer felt in that moment: “As I rounded the final bend before the finish line, my heart fluttered in excitement. The adrenaline drowned out my burning legs and gasping lungs. I was going to finish my first half marathon! This was almost incomprehensible to me, as someone who could barely run a mile just a year ago.”

If you find yourself starting to write your essay like a report, and are having trouble going beyond “telling,” envision yourself in the moment you want to write about. What did you feel, emotionally and physically? Why was this moment meaningful? What did you see or hear? What were your thoughts?

For inspiration, read some memoirs or personal essays, like The New York Times Modern Love Column . You could also listen to podcasts of personal stories, like The Moth . What do these writers and storytellers do that make their stories engaging? If you didn’t enjoy a particular story, what was it that you didn’t like? Analyzing real stories can help you identify techniques that you personally resonate with.

3. Use dialogue.

A great way to keep your writing engaging is to include some dialogue. Instead of writing: “My brothers taunted me,” consider sharing what they actually said. It’s more powerful to read something like:

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

Having dialogue can break up longer paragraphs of text, and bring some action and immediacy to your story. That being said, don’t overdo it. It’s important to strike a balance between relying too much on dialogue, and using it occasionally as an effective writing tool. You don’t want your essay to read like a script for a movie (unless, of course, that’s intentional and you want to showcase your screenwriting skills!).

Want free essay feedback? Submit your essay to CollegeVine’s Peer Essay Review and get fast, actionable edits on your essay. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Personal Statements

1. giving a recap or report of all the events..

Your essay isn’t a play-by-play of everything that happened in that time frame. Only include relevant details that enrich the story, instead of making your personal statement a report of the events. Remember that the goal is to share your voice, what’s important to you, and who you are. 

2. Writing about too many events or experiences. 

Similarly, another common mistake is to make your personal statement a resume or recap of all your high school accomplishments. The Activities Section of the Common App is the place for listing out your achievements, not your personal statement. Focus on one specific experience or a few related experiences, and go into detail on those. 

3. Using cliche language.

Try to avoid overdone quotes from famous people like Gandhi or Thoreau. Better yet, try to avoid quotes from other people in general, unless it’s a message from someone you personally know. Adding these famous quotes won’t make your essay unique, and it takes up valuable space for you to share your voice.

You should also steer away from broad language or lavish claims like “It was the best day of my life.” Since they’re so cliche, these statements also obscure your message, and it’s hard to understand what you actually mean. If it was actually the best day of your life, show us why, rather than just telling us.

If you want to learn more about personal statements, see our post of 11 Common App Essay Examples .

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

The opinions expressed are solely those of Find My Profession. Click to see our Advertising Disclosure.

Best Personal Statement Writing Services 2024

We've compiled a list of the best professional personal statement writing services. Compare costs and reviews of the top writers.

2024 Winners: Add your badge to your marketing materials.

A personal statement, or statement of purpose, contains fundamental information about you.

Although it’s sometimes referred to as an admissions essay, a personal statement is different from an essay written on a general topic to assess your writing skills.

A personal statement lets the hiring manager or selection board read about who you are, what you excel at, and what your educational and professional goals are.

It’s perfectly fine to get some help with this.

Hire a professional personal statement writing service!

Of course, there are plenty of personal statement writing services out there and it can be difficult to know which one to choose.

We have done the heavy lifting for you and devoted countless hours to research.

Finally, we have come up with a list of the best personal statement writing services.

Best Personal Statement Writers

Best writers for personal statements.

How We Choose Winners

Each of the personal statement writing services below was reviewed by a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) taking into consideration the following:

The cost of the service compared to other personal statement writers.

The speed at which the personal statement is completed.

Overall experience, awards, and certifications of the writers.

The design, style, and overall look of the personal statement.

Guarantees, number of edits, and reviews.

This list was hand-curated to serve all industries, professions, and career levels. Whether you are in finance, sales, HR, engineering, or any other role, these companies will provide excellent personal statement writing services.

Average Personal Statement Cost

Top personal statement writing services.

Find My Profession

Find My Profession is much more than a personal statement writing service. They are a global career services company whose work has been featured on sites like Forbes, Inc., Zety, Fast Company, and more.

With their team of elite resume writers who have experience in over 85 industries and professions, they can match you with a writer who understands your unique background and experience. Additionally, every resume comes with a one-on-one phone consultation with your writer.

Find My Profession has an impressive track record of successfully landing clients jobs at top companies such as Apple, Amazon, EA, Oracle, GM, Facebook, DoJ, Morgan Stanley, and Tesla. 

Their 900+ 5-star reviews speak to their commitment to delivering high-quality service. They also offer a 60-day interview guarantee and ensure that every resume created is Applicant Tracking System (ATS) compatible and highly customized to meet your specific needs.

You will work one-on-one with an elite and certified resume writer based in the U.S. Find My Profession is committed to ensuring that every client is 100% satisfied with their resume, which is why they do not limit the number of edits or time spent working with your writer.

Find My Profession is a virtual company allowing them to provide services worldwide. While they do not have a physical office for in-person visits, they ensure direct communication with your writer through email and phone calls.

4.9/5 based on 521 Trustpilot reviews 4.9/5 based on 319 Sitejabber reviews 4.9/5 based on 151 Google reviews 5/5 based on 52 Facebook reviews

3 – 5 business days with resume (can expedite to 2 business days)

$199 – $299 (as an add-on to a resume package)

(831) 888-0967 or [email protected]

Check out some of our 5-star reviews:

Resume & linkedin profile, terrific experience, exceptional resume, findmyprofession helped me, excellent job, 10/10 service & experience, highly recommend, incredible work.

Channel Resume

Channel Resume is a Vancouver-based executive resume writing service founded by Milton Kiang. Milton is a writing expert with 15+ years of experience. He single-handedly manages the company. To fulfill orders, he helps identify your strengths and uses them to craft you an effective personal statement.

Milton is a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches, National Resume Writers’ Association, and Professional Writers Association of Canada. He has amassed enough training and experience to help meet his clients’ unique writing needs.

This company appears to be run by just one person. This could be a problem, as it may hinder the possibility for diverse input and even lead to a slow turnaround time.

5/5 based on 29 Google reviews

(604) 251-3203 or [email protected]

Need Help With Your Job Search?

Did you know there are companies you can hire to help with your job search? Whether you need resume help or want someone to apply to jobs for you, we’ve reviewed the 20 best companies to help you find a job.

The Resume Center

The Resume Center is a virtual personal statement writing service with 24+ years of service delivery. The company was founded by James Innes and has been rendering writing services worldwide since 1998. It is made up of over 100 writers, who have written a combined 36,300+ papers since its inception.

The company sports over 100 qualified writers. So, there’d definitely be one who can attend to your unique needs. In addition, details of their personal statement writers can be found on their website.

The company’s website doesn’t explain what the differences in their personal statement packages are. You’ll need to contact the service for more information.

4.7/5 based on 43 Google reviews 2.5/5 based on 3 Yelp reviews

$120 – $275

(551) 356-8010 or [email protected]

Personal Statement Service

Personal Statement Service is based in the United Kingdom, but renders services globally. In fact, they have a physical office in the United States. The company is made up of graduates from the UK’s top universities, and their services support undergraduates, post-graduates, Master’s and PhD applicants.

Depending on your package,  you get one-on-one video consultations with your personal statement writer. These video consultations allow you to discuss the requirements of your personal statement.

If you purchase their standard Gold package, you only have a one-time review option. Also, the details of their personal statement writers are nowhere to be found on their site.

4.7/5 based on 12 Facebook reviews

1 – 5 business days (can expedite to 12 hours)

(646) 568-9741 or [email protected]

Residency Statement

Residency Statement is a personal statement service created by Dr. Musa in 2008. The company specializes in helping medical students craft personal statements for their medical residency application. Since its inception, they have crafted personal statements for over 20,000 medical residency applicants.

You can contact your writer personally through an established communication platform. They do not only craft compelling personal statements, but they also brush up your existing ones.

They only write personal statements for medical statements who are applying for medical residency. Also, details of their personal statement writers are not available on their website.

4/5 based on 9 TrustPilot reviews

7 – 10 business days (can expedite to 3 – 5 days)

(858) 221-8590 or [email protected]

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Unique Personal Statement

Strong residency application.

The Medical Residency Personal Statement is one of the most important pieces of the ERAS Residency Application puzzle. No other component of the application gives you as much control in shaping the impression you make on Program Directors and others reviewing your application as the Residency Personal Statement.

Personal Statement Writing Service

Complete your Questionnaire and stand-by as a professional Writer crafts a unique, top-quality Personal Statement from scratch based on your responses. No templates are used, and you will communicate directly with your Writer throughout the process.

Are you interested in S-WS?

Personal Statement Editing Service

Our Editing Service will transform your existing Personal Statement into a polished, professional, and persuasive piece of writing. We will refine, reorganize, and develop your ideas into a comprehensive Personal Statement that is sure to impress.

Are you interested in S-ES?

How It Works

The process for both Writing and Editing Services includes:

• 1 Submit your first draft (Editing) or your completed Questionnaire (Writing)
• 2 Your Writer will deliver your first draft or reach out with any clarifications they need to get started (all communication takes place via our In-House Messaging Platform)
• 3 After reviewing your first draft, you can work with your Editor/Writer on any necessary revisions until you are completely satisfied
• 4 Once we get your approval, the statement is finalized and available for export in PDF and Word format

#1 Choice for USMG & IMG Residency Applicants

Who Are Our Writers?

Residency Statement’s dedicated team is comprised of all US-based, professional medical Writers and Editors with extensive academic backgrounds and additional training in Medical Residency Personal Statements as well as the nuances of the residency application process.

Everyone on our team is well-qualified to work on statements for each residency specialty, sub-specialty, and even fellowship training.

Founded by Dr. Musa in 2008, our team has worked with over 20,000 applicants to perfect their Personal Statements. Read our Member Testimonials , and join thousands of satisfied clients today.

Genuine Investment in Your Match Success

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I used both editing and writing services, and both were amazing experiences with their professionalism and attitude with anything that I needed to change or delete. Everything was a 5 stars experience, and regarding my PS, I showed it to my mentor back home, he said it was one of the best he had ever seen.

I just wanted to say I really appreciate all the work you've done to help me make this personal statement and I'm very happy with the results! You've done an excellent job of being accommodating, understanding, and just generally helpful and it really meant a lot to me; so again, thank you for all of your help.

You have no idea how much this personal statement means to me. It literally brought me to tears reading it. I was red-lining stress last week. But, thanks to you, reading the statement was the turning point in my week, after which things started falling into place. I want to sincerely thank you for the service you provided me. With the personal statement we crafted, I have confidently submitted my application.

This is exactly what I'm looking for! Thank you so much! The residency team will be reading hundreds of these. The application is so short that the only real opportunity I have to connect with the team is through this essay. I'm sure you know that where I go for the next 3 years of my life may weigh heavily on this statement. You described exactly what I'm looking for, thanks so much!

The Value of Personal Statements

The Personal Statement is rated as one of the most important documents included in the ERAS Application by Program Directors when making interview and ranking decisions.

The Medical Residency Personal Statement can boost a weak application, help secure an interview, provide content for residency interview questions, and even assist Program Directors in making final selections for their Rank Order Lists. A well-crafted Personal Statement helps you stand out and leave a lasting impression when contending for limited residency program positions.

Residency Statement will provide you with the Personal Statement you need to apply with confidence.

Tailored Solutions

Every residency candidate has a story to tell. Whether you are an International Medical Graduate (IMG) or US Medical Graduate (USMG), your personality should be the foundation of your Personal Statement. Residency Statement’s Editing and Writing Services are tailored to include your individual strengths and experiences while capturing your unique voice. If you have written a Personal Statement you would like polished and refined, the Editing Service is right for you. If you are struggling to begin writing your Personal Statement or don’t have the time to draft a full statement, you’ll find everything you are looking for in the Writing Service.

Unlimited Resources

Residency Statement does not believe in limitations or restrictions. When it comes to your Personal Statement, the sky is the limit, and we are dedicated to providing the resources you need to succeed. Not only does our professional team have your back through every step of the Writing or Editing process, but you also have the opportunity to receive expert guidance and access numerous free online resources as well.

Member Success

A strong Personal Statement greatly increases your chances for a Match, while a poorly written, weak, or generic statement can be a red flag to residency programs. Ensuring you submit an optimized Personal Statement is critical for residency Match success. We understand how much is riding on your residency application and are committed to supporting your efforts.

What is Residency Statement?

Will programs know i used a writing/editing service, how do i know i will like my statement, why residency statement.

There are so many reasons why you should choose Residency Statement, it’s hard to pick just one!

• We have 14+ years of Medical Residency Personal Statement experience.
• Each Personal Statement showcases the applicant’s personality and specialized knowledge.
• Your content is safe within our secure, encrypted interface.
• Our qualified Editing and Writing team is comprised of adept and highly trained professionals who have read, edited, and written thousands of Medical Residency Personal Statements.
• We have experience helping applicants of all backgrounds: IMGs, USMGs, DOs, and applicants with red flags of every kind (low scores, attempts, gaps, long time since graduation, serious academic divergences, and beyond).

Is Your Personal Statement Ready to Impress?

Many residency applicants believe their Personal Statement is ready to submit. Yet, based on our assessments, very few Personal Statements would meet the standards and expectations set forth by Residency Interview Selection Committees.

• 59% Do not pass Residency Program Standards and need more work
• 38% Do not pass Residency Program Standards and need to be re-written
• 3% Pass Residency Program Standards

Personal statements are an important part of your application to residency programs in the United States. A personal statement is intended to complement your other qualifications by allowing you to express who you are and why you are applying to residency. This is your opportunity to discuss your passion for medicine and/or your chosen specialty, why you want to practice medicine in the United States, important milestones that have happened to you thus far, and your goals for the future. The personal statement should show what kind of person and physician you are and wish to become.

Personal Statements are among the top 5 reasons candidates are invited for interviews.

Your personal statement is an integral part of a successful application. Unless a program’s faculty or residents know you personally through a rotation, your application — including personal statement — presents your entire professional persona to those who extend interview invitations. Competitive programs have hundreds of qualified applicants, so your personal statement must help you stand out.

A well written personal statement can strengthen your application and open opportunities for you. Some application reviewers only skim through the personal statement, while others read it carefully. Since you have no way of knowing how your personal statement will be read or the weight it carries at each program, it is in your best interest to write a high quality personal statement.

Get Started and Join Over 20,000 Applicants

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Residency Personal Statement Writing & Editing Services

We know exactly what the admission committee is looking for in applicants. So we can craft a brilliant residency personal statement that stands you out from the crowd.

OUR WAYS TO LEAD YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT RESIDENCY TO WIN

We craft each statement based on the filled Questionnaire exclusively from scratch. There’re no templates or cliche phrases to make your document only about you.

Your residency application document will be 100% customized to a particular residency program, emphasizing your traits & program's specifics, proving you're the best fit.

Every application document we produce is crafted by our medical experts with strict conformity to the ERAS® application system requirements & standards.

Request as many document revisions as needed until you're totally satisfied with it – we’ll be glad to rework and polish your residency personal statement to perfection.

All of our writing service experts are verified degree holders with years of field expertise, knowledge of admission processes & experience in application docs creation.

Your money will be returned if there're any issues with the text we cannot fix. Just drop a line to our support managers, and get a refund effortlessly without any questions.

WE CAN DO PERSONAL STATEMENT FOR RESIDENCY & ANY OTHER APPLICATION DOCS

Get the most from our writing service & editing support for all types of residency admission documents!

WE HELP WRITING A PERSONAL STATEMENT FOR RESIDENCY & OTHER PROGRAMS

Highest quality writing & editing assistance, no matter where you're going to apply!

WE KNOW HOW TO WRITE A PERSONAL STATEMENT FOR RESIDENCY PROGRAM YOU CHOOSE

Meet our personal statement writers.

“I am always in touch with the support team to get feedback from my clients. And knowing that they were satisfied with my assistance and were successfully accepted warms my heart.”

Not a single imperfection will be left in your document if Lyndsey take it over. Professional writing & editing are her specializations, and perfectionism is her main service trait. Be sure of the best results – she'll not agree to anything less.

“I feel true satisfaction and big joy assisting everyone in finding the right words to tell their unique story that sounds in their voice”

Patrick’s prominent trait is the ability to create masterpieces from a vast range of random facts. He likes to communicate with customers and delve into their unique stories. Many clients often feel like Patrick has known them for years.

"My experience in crafting residency admission documents can serve you well."

You’ll be surprised by the variety of programs Carlos has dealt with. He’s a passionate expert whose smooth transitions and ability to structure large amounts of information give him the highest praise.

“I can assist with all types of admission documents you may require when applying for residency. And your positive feedback about my work is what I love specifically.”

His expertise and talent are remarkable. Having Joe’s writing or editing service is always a winning option.

“Feeling your voice in application documents is what makes them unique and remembered by the committee. And I’m good in such transmissions!”

Angela is not only our leading writing service expert but a respectable member of the admission committee. So she knows how to write a personal statement for residency that wins – the results of her work are always incredible.

“It doesn’t matter to me what residency program you’ve chosen. With my assistance, you’ll be accepted everywhere!”

Jessica is the top pro when it comes to complicated admission cases. She successfully copes with in-demanded program enrollment and helps her clients beat even the highest competition. Having such an expert means victory only, so entrust your document to her, without a doubt!

“I love to pay attention to details and particular facts, covering which allow me to create non-trivial & eye-catching documents.”

Remarkably, it was Conrad who assisted us in compiling the Questionnaires provided for your document personalization. He knows about the perfect structure and the information the committee wants.

CUSTOMERS ABOUT OUR RESIDENCY PERSONAL STATEMENT HELP

How we work.

Place an order using our simple order form, 24/7 online chat, or a callback. Choose the service you need, deadline & volume. Don't forget to attach the filled Questionnaire and other materials, if any (like a CV, previous statements, resume, etc). You can upload them while ordering or add later via your Customer Area. We’ll assign your residency personal statement to your writer only after receiving materials for personalization.

As our service providers are full-time experts, they work only on prepayment. So pay for the writing or editing services securely online. After, you'll get a payment confirmation by email and data for the Customer Area login.

As payment is made, you'll get login data to get into your Customer Area. Your writer will start with the personal statement residency after receiving your materials. In your Customer Area, you can: communicate with the writer (to ask any questions, add more details, brainstorm fresh ideas, and more), request edits, or turn to our support team with any questions.

We work in such a way that when the writing expert finishes with the first draft, you'll get a notification of its readiness and be able to download it to review. After that, feel free to request a residency application doc revisions & add comments. Unlike other services, you can request edits as many times as you need. Whether it's 2 editing circles or 20 – you have 14 days to get them made free of charge.

Get updates on residency application document preparation in the best way for you.

Contact a writing expert directly, upload the text, request revisions & place new orders.

Turn to support managers 24/7 if any questions about your order or our writing services.

Residency personal statement help

Professionals from our residency personal statement writing service believe a personal statement is a decision-maker when it comes to selecting people for a medical residency program or fellowship. Creating this kind of document can be a stern challenge. If you would like to be a radiologist, pathologist, cardiologist, or family doctor, a decent personal statement is a pivotal part of your application. No matter if you are looking for an advantage over other applicants or some idea of how to start composing your document, writing a personal statement is uneasy. You have only one opportunity to impress the committee as favorably as possible! Our expert writers are able to craft a fabulous residency personal statement that will make you appear different from the rest of the candidates. Bear in mind ordering a residency application personal statement from our devoted team of specialists so as not to miss a chance to invest in your future career!

How important your residency statements are

A residency statement is just one piece of your application. However, they are often the most important. Many of the other applicants will have the same qualifications and experience as yours. Thus, your personal statement is the only method that you can use to make your application stand out from the crowd. Nevertheless, composing a personal statement for the residency that is going to be effective is not simple at all.

Many applicants can struggle for a long while with their writing and still submit a statement that they are unhappy with. People are merely not sure about what they should include in their statements and how to craft something that will truly get them noticed. That’s why so many applicants turn to professional residency personal statement help.

What should your ERAS personal statement include?

Every personal statement must be as unique as possible. There are also some things that you must always ensure that you cover to show the committee that you are the right person for the program. These will usually include all of the following:

• Why do you have a strong interest in the field in which you are applying? What has made you interested, and how have you developed that interest?
• What skills and other attributes do you have that will ensure that you will be a success in this field?
• What are your future goals for your career in this field? Why have you chosen this specific residency program and not another?

Residency personal statements by expert writers and proofreaders

Getting selected for a post-graduate residency program is a hard task. The number of residency programs that are federally funded is capped. It is not likely to change so far, though the number of first-year medical students and, therefore, that of residency application personal statements is increasing, and medical organizations require the government to solve this. The situation can become different, but not soon. Talking of US medical graduates, they typically finish their studies with $200K in student loan debt on average.

It may be considerably hard for a medical student to compose a professional medical residency personal statement not only due to the formatting but the time and effort that are needed. Students also lack time to create a powerful statement because their schedules are busy.

Moreover, students are not taught how to recommend themselves. Similar to a professional resume, a personal statement needs a mix of creativity, writing skills, and knowledge of what the reader anticipates. That’s why an ideal surgical residency personal statement must also contain other things. That’s where we can help you succeed. We realize the significance of a high-quality residency personal statement and truly have the desire to assist you!

What ERAS application documents can we help with?

Our experts have vast experience in creating residency application documents, so they will surely do what you need. It can include all of the following:

• PERSONAL STATEMENT. Writing a personal statement for the residency is complicated, but our specialists will make it easy for you. They work directly with you to make sure that your writing will fully reflect just what the committee wants to see. Writing is unique and corresponds with the standards to get you noticed.
• CV OR RESUME. Just as with a job, you will need to ensure that your resume perfectly reflects just what they are seeking. Our specialists know how to present info in a way that will be obvious to the reader.
• LETTER OF INTENT. Our specialists can make sure that your reasons for application are clear and compelling and make your letter different from many others that will be read. We work with you to ensure that you will get the best results, and you will always receive a letter that is written perfectly.
• LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION. A good reference can go a long way to helping the applicant win a place. However, it is far from easy to write. It is not just a matter of what you say. It is also a matter of what you fail to say. Our specialists will work with you to ensure that you will submit an LoR that will be highly effective.

Our residency personal statements are all about quality

Our expert writers are able to deliver a fabulous personal statement. They all undergo rigorous writing and editing training. Consequently, they know how to describe your practical experience, unprecedented insight, creativity, and research skills, which admission review committees are searching for. Our expert personal statement editors constantly improve a multitude of personal statements, and these belong to various fields of study.

Every personal statement is out of the ordinary. Each is composed to reflect the client’s personality and skills. Our personal statement writing service can make you closer to achieving your objectives! Professional emergency, cardiology, and psychiatry residency personal statements written by us have already benefited a great many applicants for different programs.

Entrust our personal statement writers

The writers strive to get you selected for the program you have chosen! We know what to include and how to include it in a document for sure! If you turn to us, you will receive a personal statement of the highest quality possible! The percentage of those who, thanks to us, got into the programs they were applying for is close to 100%!

Our expert personal statement writers are knowledgeable about how to use the info you provide and emphasize your best attributes! We can compose a residency personal statement for almost any specialty! Thanks to us, you have the opportunity to save your energy, time, and money. Thanks to us, you have the opportunity to do things connected with self-development rather than struggle with a personal statement.

Our residency personal statement services

We can help you leave an exceptional impression on the admission committee with a brilliant residency personal statement! Here is what we can offer:

• We compose impeccable, concise, and powerful personal statements for the residency!
• We concentrate on your best features and describe them as masterfully as possible!
• We have awesome customer support that can help you at all stages of creating your document!
• We ensure that your residency personal statement emphasizes you as an individual!
• We can proofread and edit a residency personal statement that you already have!

When working on your residency personal statement, our writers make it top-notch! We aim at meeting your expectations and even more. If you already have a residency personal statement but are not sure about its quality, turn to our expert personal statement editing service, and our editors will perfect it! We are very proud of the fact that clients of ours got residency positions, thanks to our effort.

Choose our residency personal statement services

• We hire only the best writers: they are specialists in composing personal statements for every medical specialty.
• Our rates are very affordable in comparison with those of other writing services.
• We are knowledgeable about how the admission committee selects candidates.
• We understand what admission committees want applicants to possess.
• You can communicate with your writer directly during the process of creating your document.
• We make revisions of your residency personal statement until you are fully content with our work.
• We never duplicate documents: residency personal statements are all personalized and written from scratch.
• We offer a full money-back guarantee.

Our personal statement writing service is committed to providing you with a superb residency personal statement that will make you get selected for the program you have opted for.

How can you get help from our residency personal statement editing services?

If you need assistance with writing or editing your personal statement for the residency, we will simplify the process. We offer you an easy way to complete your application up to standard.

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• Knowledge Base
• Applying to graduate school
• How to Write Your Personal Statement | Strategies & Examples

How to Write Your Personal Statement | Strategies & Examples

Published on February 12, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 3, 2023.

A personal statement is a short essay of around 500–1,000 words, in which you tell a compelling story about who you are, what drives you, and why you’re applying.

To write a successful personal statement for a graduate school application , don’t just summarize your experience; instead, craft a focused narrative in your own voice. Aim to demonstrate three things:

• Your personality: what are your interests, values, and motivations?
• Your talents: what can you bring to the program?
• Your goals: what do you hope the program will do for you?

This article guides you through some winning strategies to build a strong, well-structured personal statement for a master’s or PhD application. You can download the full examples below.

Urban Planning Psychology History

Table of contents

Getting started with your personal statement, the introduction: start with an attention-grabbing opening, the main body: craft your narrative, the conclusion: look ahead, revising, editing, and proofreading your personal statement, frequently asked questions, other interesting articles.

Before you start writing, the first step is to understand exactly what’s expected of you. If the application gives you a question or prompt for your personal statement, the most important thing is to respond to it directly.

For example, you might be asked to focus on the development of your personal identity; challenges you have faced in your life; or your career motivations. This will shape your focus and emphasis—but you still need to find your own unique approach to answering it.

There’s no universal template for a personal statement; it’s your chance to be creative and let your own voice shine through. But there are strategies you can use to build a compelling, well-structured story.

The first paragraph of your personal statement should set the tone and lead smoothly into the story you want to tell.

Strategy 1: Open with a concrete scene

An effective way to catch the reader’s attention is to set up a scene that illustrates something about your character and interests. If you’re stuck, try thinking about:

• A personal experience that changed your perspective
• A story from your family’s history
• A memorable teacher or learning experience
• An unusual or unexpected encounter

To write an effective scene, try to go beyond straightforward description; start with an intriguing sentence that pulls the reader in, and give concrete details to create a convincing atmosphere.

Strategy 2: Open with your motivations

To emphasize your enthusiasm and commitment, you can start by explaining your interest in the subject you want to study or the career path you want to follow.

Just stating that it interests you isn’t enough: first, you need to figure out why you’re interested in this field:

• Is it a longstanding passion or a recent discovery?
• Does it come naturally or have you had to work hard at it?
• How does it fit into the rest of your life?
• What do you think it contributes to society?

Tips for the introduction

• Don’t start on a cliche: avoid phrases like “Ever since I was a child…” or “For as long as I can remember…”
• Do save the introduction for last. If you’re struggling to come up with a strong opening, leave it aside, and note down any interesting ideas that occur to you as you write the rest of the personal statement.

Once you’ve set up the main themes of your personal statement, you’ll delve into more detail about your experiences and motivations.

To structure the body of your personal statement, there are various strategies you can use.

Strategy 1: Describe your development over time

One of the simplest strategies is to give a chronological overview of key experiences that have led you to apply for graduate school.

• What first sparked your interest in the field?
• Which classes, assignments, classmates, internships, or other activities helped you develop your knowledge and skills?
• Where do you want to go next? How does this program fit into your future plans?

Don’t try to include absolutely everything you’ve done—pick out highlights that are relevant to your application. Aim to craft a compelling narrative that shows how you’ve changed and actively developed yourself.

My interest in psychology was first sparked early in my high school career. Though somewhat scientifically inclined, I found that what interested me most was not the equations we learned about in physics and chemistry, but the motivations and perceptions of my fellow students, and the subtle social dynamics that I observed inside and outside the classroom. I wanted to learn how our identities, beliefs, and behaviours are shaped through our interactions with others, so I decided to major in Social Psychology. My undergraduate studies deepened my understanding of, and fascination with, the interplay between an individual mind and its social context.During my studies, I acquired a solid foundation of knowledge about concepts like social influence and group dynamics, but I also took classes on various topics not strictly related to my major. I was particularly interested in how other fields intersect with psychology—the classes I took on media studies, biology, and literature all enhanced my understanding of psychological concepts by providing different lenses through which to look at the issues involved.

Strategy 2: Own your challenges and obstacles

If your path to graduate school hasn’t been easy or straightforward, you can turn this into a strength, and structure your personal statement as a story of overcoming obstacles.

• Is your social, cultural or economic background underrepresented in the field? Show how your experiences will contribute a unique perspective.
• Do you have gaps in your resume or lower-than-ideal grades? Explain the challenges you faced and how you dealt with them.

Don’t focus too heavily on negatives, but use them to highlight your positive qualities. Resilience, resourcefulness and perseverance make you a promising graduate school candidate.

Growing up working class, urban decay becomes depressingly familiar. The sight of a row of abandoned houses does not surprise me, but it continues to bother me. Since high school, I have been determined to pursue a career in urban planning. While people of my background experience the consequences of urban planning decisions first-hand, we are underrepresented in the field itself. Ironically, given my motivation, my economic background has made my studies challenging. I was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship for my undergraduate studies, but after graduation I took jobs in unrelated fields to help support my parents. In the three years since, I have not lost my ambition. Now I am keen to resume my studies, and I believe I can bring an invaluable perspective to the table: that of the people most impacted by the decisions of urban planners.

Strategy 3: Demonstrate your knowledge of the field

Especially if you’re applying for a PhD or another research-focused program, it’s a good idea to show your familiarity with the subject and the department. Your personal statement can focus on the area you want to specialize in and reflect on why it matters to you.

• Reflect on the topics or themes that you’ve focused on in your studies. What draws you to them?
• Discuss any academic achievements, influential teachers, or other highlights of your education.
• Talk about the questions you’d like to explore in your research and why you think they’re important.

The personal statement isn’t a research proposal , so don’t go overboard on detail—but it’s a great opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the field and your capacity for original thinking.

In applying for this research program, my intention is to build on the multidisciplinary approach I have taken in my studies so far, combining knowledge from disparate fields of study to better understand psychological concepts and issues. The Media Psychology program stands out to me as the perfect environment for this kind of research, given its researchers’ openness to collaboration across diverse fields. I am impressed by the department’s innovative interdisciplinary projects that focus on the shifting landscape of media and technology, and I hope that my own work can follow a similarly trailblazing approach. More specifically, I want to develop my understanding of the intersection of psychology and media studies, and explore how media psychology theories and methods might be applied to neurodivergent minds. I am interested not only in media psychology but also in psychological disorders, and how the two interact. This is something I touched on during my undergraduate studies and that I’m excited to delve into further.

Strategy 4: Discuss your professional ambitions

Especially if you’re applying for a more professionally-oriented program (such as an MBA), it’s a good idea to focus on concrete goals and how the program will help you achieve them.

• If your career is just getting started, show how your character is suited to the field, and explain how graduate school will help you develop your talents.
• If you have already worked in the profession, show what you’ve achieved so far, and explain how the program will allow you to take the next step.
• If you are planning a career change, explain what has driven this decision and how your existing experience will help you succeed.

Don’t just state the position you want to achieve. You should demonstrate that you’ve put plenty of thought into your career plans and show why you’re well-suited to this profession.

One thing that fascinated me about the field during my undergraduate studies was the sheer number of different elements whose interactions constitute a person’s experience of an urban environment. Any number of factors could transform the scene I described at the beginning: What if there were no bus route? Better community outreach in the neighborhood? Worse law enforcement? More or fewer jobs available in the area? Some of these factors are out of the hands of an urban planner, but without taking them all into consideration, the planner has an incomplete picture of their task. Through further study I hope to develop my understanding of how these disparate elements combine and interact to create the urban environment. I am interested in the social, psychological and political effects our surroundings have on our lives. My studies will allow me to work on projects directly affecting the kinds of working-class urban communities I know well. I believe I can bring my own experiences, as well as my education, to bear upon the problem of improving infrastructure and quality of life in these communities.

Tips for the main body

• Don’t rehash your resume by trying to summarize everything you’ve done so far; the personal statement isn’t about listing your academic or professional experience, but about reflecting, evaluating, and relating it to broader themes.
• Do make your statements into stories: Instead of saying you’re hard-working and self-motivated, write about your internship where you took the initiative to start a new project. Instead of saying you’ve always loved reading, reflect on a novel or poem that changed your perspective.

Your conclusion should bring the focus back to the program and what you hope to get out of it, whether that’s developing practical skills, exploring intellectual questions, or both.

Emphasize the fit with your specific interests, showing why this program would be the best way to achieve your aims.

Strategy 1: What do you want to know?

If you’re applying for a more academic or research-focused program, end on a note of curiosity: what do you hope to learn, and why do you think this is the best place to learn it?

If there are specific classes or faculty members that you’re excited to learn from, this is the place to express your enthusiasm.

Strategy 2: What do you want to do?

If you’re applying for a program that focuses more on professional training, your conclusion can look to your career aspirations: what role do you want to play in society, and why is this program the best choice to help you get there?

Tips for the conclusion

• Don’t summarize what you’ve already said. You have limited space in a personal statement, so use it wisely!
• Do think bigger than yourself: try to express how your individual aspirations relate to your local community, your academic field, or society more broadly. It’s not just about what you’ll get out of graduate school, but about what you’ll be able to give back.

You’ll be expected to do a lot of writing in graduate school, so make a good first impression: leave yourself plenty of time to revise and polish the text.

Your style doesn’t have to be as formal as other kinds of academic writing, but it should be clear, direct and coherent. Make sure that each paragraph flows smoothly from the last, using topic sentences and transitions to create clear connections between each part.

Don’t be afraid to rewrite and restructure as much as necessary. Since you have a lot of freedom in the structure of a personal statement, you can experiment and move information around to see what works best.

Finally, it’s essential to carefully proofread your personal statement and fix any language errors. Before you submit your application, consider investing in professional personal statement editing . For $150, you have the peace of mind that your personal statement is grammatically correct, strong in term of your arguments, and free of awkward mistakes.

A statement of purpose is usually more formal, focusing on your academic or professional goals. It shouldn’t include anything that isn’t directly relevant to the application.

A personal statement can often be more creative. It might tell a story that isn’t directly related to the application, but that shows something about your personality, values, and motivations.

However, both types of document have the same overall goal: to demonstrate your potential as a graduate student and s how why you’re a great match for the program.

The typical length of a personal statement for graduate school applications is between 500 and 1,000 words.

Different programs have different requirements, so always check if there’s a minimum or maximum length and stick to the guidelines. If there is no recommended word count, aim for no more than 1-2 pages.

If you’re applying to multiple graduate school programs, you should tailor your personal statement to each application.

Some applications provide a prompt or question. In this case, you might have to write a new personal statement from scratch: the most important task is to respond to what you have been asked.

If there’s no prompt or guidelines, you can re-use the same idea for your personal statement – but change the details wherever relevant, making sure to emphasize why you’re applying to this specific program.

If the application also includes other essays, such as a statement of purpose , you might have to revise your personal statement to avoid repeating the same information.

If you want to know more about college essays , academic writing , and AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

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EssayPro is here to help you handle your most urgent tasks. Once you ask for our assistance, our top-notch experts will start working on it immediately. All our experts are skilled professionals with extensive experience in various fields of study. They can handle any academic task you entrust them with and often deliver it before the deadline. This is one of many factors contributing to EssayPro's 98% satisfaction rate.

One reason students choose us is our budget-friendly prices. At EssayPro, you can get your paper done for as low as $10.80 per page. The exact pricing of your order depends on factors like deadline, length, and the paper's topic. Nonetheless, our skilled writers deliver top-notch results without breaking the bank. Contact our friendly customer support representatives, and they'll help you figure out the exact price for your paper.

Another major perk of EssayPro is the high originality of papers. Every personal statement writer complies with a strict plagiarism policy, crafting essays from scratch. We also understand the pressure to deliver a high-quality paper within a tight deadline. Even if you have to submit a personal statement for med school in 3 hours, our medical school personal statement writing service can help you!

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How To Write A Personal Statement & Examples

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Whether you’re using the Common Application, the Coalition Application, or a school-specific application portal, it can be scary to come up with an essay topic that encompasses the complexity and vastness of who you are as a person. So to help you move past the intimidating aspects and focus more on the fun and meaning, in this post, we’ll describe what differentiates the personal statement from other college essays and what function it serves in your college application.

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Need editing and proofreading services, personal statement editing services: craft a winning essay.

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Do you know that you can distinguish yourself from your competitors with a well-crafted personal statement? Educational institutes, admission committees, and employers typically require applicants to submit a personal statement. 

But does the thought of writing an inspirational personal statement bother you? If yes, all you need to do is avail yourself of personal statement editing services to get that perfectly written statement. 

Read on as we explore what the best personal statement editing services can do for you. This article will also throw light on the importance of using professional editing services for personal statements.

Worried about editing your personal statement? Explore our services. Learn more

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is a summary of your skills, qualifications, and experiences compiled in the form of a persuasive essay for a specific purpose and audience. It enables you to introduce yourself to decision-makers at various institutions before you meet them in person. 

When opportunities are limited and the competition is tough, this is a critical document that allows you to showcase your unique talents. 

A well-written personal statement has the power to communicate your aspirations, values, and beliefs to admissions committees at colleges. This is among the most important documents that determine whether you can secure a seat at an educational institution of your choice. 

Ten popular personal statement editing services 

1. papertrue.

The stress of writing and editing your essay or personal statement can get to you. And who wants that? With PaperTrue, you can keep your eye on the ball.

We offer a range of editing services, including personal statement editing. Known for our superior editing and quick turnaround times, we have professional editors specializing in various academic and professional fields.

Key features:

• Secure and confidential service with 24/7 customer support
• Free sample edits
• Affordable pricing with multiple service tiers

Scribbr specializes in academic editing and proofreading services, including personal statements. They have a rigorous selection process for their editors, ensuring high-quality edits. 

Their rates depend on the turnaround time you need, in addition to the specific requirements you specify while placing the order. For instance, the word count, number of revisions, etc., matter. 

• Detailed feedback on structure, clarity, and style
• Personalized and in-depth editing
• Extensive knowledge of different citation styles

3. ServiceScape

ServiceScape connects its customers with freelance editors and proofreaders. They offer a wide range of editing services, including personal statement editing. You can choose an editor based on their profile, reviews, and expertise.

Each editor working with ServiceScape has a profile page that you can visit to get in-depth information about their experience, editing style, qualifications, and rates.

• Personalized selection of editors
• Customizable services
• Multiple expertise areas

4. Wordvice

Wordvice provides editing and proofreading services for various documents, including personal statements. They focus on enhancing the writing quality while maintaining the original voice and intent.

The price depends on the word count, the service you select, and the specified delivery time.

• Quick turnaround times
• Professional editors with subject matter expertise
• Comprehensive language and content review

5. EssayEdge

EssayEdge is a well-known service specializing in college admission essay editing, including personal statements. They offer various levels of service from proofreading to full editing and critique.

They offer 4 different types of service packages, and the price depends on the type of work, academic program level, and delivery requirements.

• Editors with experience in admissions processes
• Detailed feedback on content, structure, and style
• Options for different levels of editing

6. TheMatchGuy

TheMatchGuy offers comprehensive personal statement editing services specifically for applicants vying for medical residency positions. Experienced physician advisors on their team provide in-depth editing that goes beyond grammar and style. 

Their basic service starts at $299. 

• Experienced physicians edit medical residency applications
• Content, structure, and language corrections 
• Revisions for consistency and high-quality feedback.

Proofed is a professional proofreading and editing service offering a range of services to help you improve the clarity, accuracy, and overall quality of your written content. 

With more than 750 editors on their team, you have access to subject matter expertise when you place an order with Proofed. Their pay-as-you-go service package starts at $30 for 1000 words. 

• Language, grammar, and syntax corrections
• Clean copy and track changes versions are made available 
• 15 document formats can be handled

8. Harvard Square Essays

This is an admissions consulting firm that specializes in essay editing. As the name suggests, the firm only hires Harvard-educated editors. 

They offer a range of essay and personal statement editing services, including admission essay editing for medical, law, management programs, etc. 

Their standard service called “Elite Editing Service” starts at $149. 

• 24 to 48 hours turnaround time
• 10000+ essays handled to date
• Focus on crafting impactful personal stories

9. Words R U

WordsRU takes care of typographical, grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors, in addition to dealing with word choice and sentence construction issues.

Their team of editors is familiar with various citation styles, including APA, Chicago, MLA, Turabian, IEEE, BlueBook, and Harvard, among others.

Basic and Plus services are available; the price depends on the word count and deadline. 

• A detailed feedback mechanism in certain service packages
• An extensive suite of editing services for nearly all content forms
• 24/7 customer service

10. Scribendi

Scribendi has a team of highly experienced editors who specialize in editing personal statements. Going beyond grammar and punctuation, they offer structural editing and constructive feedback to help candidates improve their content.

Their pricing structure is based on the word count and the turnaround time. For a personal statement of 1,000 words made available to you within 8 hours, Scribendi will charge around $69.

• Admissions-focused editing and feedback
• Personalized guidance to help students communicate better
• Tracked revisions and personal commentary on essays

Why should I get my personal statement edited by professionals?

When a document as important as a personal statement needs to be submitted for decision-making during a college application process, its quality matters. 

Personal statement editing services are professional editing services that gather the relevant information to optimize your profile for presentation to decision-makers. Experienced editors with extensive expertise in various academic and professional fields usually offer these services. They work closely with applicants to refine the candidates’ personal statements. 

Personal statement editing service providers focus on ensuring content clarity. They align the content not only with an applicant’s goals but also with their inherent strengths. Keeping the eligibility requirements of educational institutions or colleges in view, these professionals craft compelling personal statements that highlight an applicant’s accomplishments and noteworthy attributes. 

Here are some quick benefits of seeking professional personal statement editing services: 

• A higher chance of acceptance 
• A confidence boost
• Time-saving
• Reduced stress

What does a personal statement editing service offer?

A personal statement editing service typically offers a range of services. Let us briefly study them. 

• Expertise: Trained editors are well-versed in the dos and don’ts of personal statement writing and can provide valuable insights to help you write a statement that stands out.
• Custom editing support: Personal statement editing services tailor the statement to your needs, taking your background and goals into account before finalizing their editing approach .
• Objective feedback: Personal statement editors take an unbiased approach and share constructive feedback to improve the overall quality of your statement.
• Content clarity and cohesion: Editors can improve the content and enhance the flow of ideas to ensure that the statement is well-structured and engaging. 
• Grammar and style: Editors can help correct grammar, punctuation, and style issues, ensuring the best parts of your profile are outlined well.
• Plagiarism checks: Like other industries, plagiarism is considered highly unprofessional and unethical in the world of education and academics as well. Hence, plagiarism checks are a crucial service a professional can offer. 
• Formatting: Personal statement editing services can give your document a well-thought-out format , making it look professional.

How to select a personal statement editing service provider?

When selecting a personal statement editing service, consider the following factors:

• Reputation: Professional editing services with a proven track record of success indicate experience, knowledge, and effectiveness. Read reviews and testimonials and ask for work samples before you commit to availing a service.
• Specialization: Personal statement editing services may have competence in specific fields. That’s why you should select a service based on your precise needs. For example, if your objective is to get into a specific med school, look for medical school personal statement editing services. 
• Pricing and services: The price is an important consideration. Also, find out what is included in the package. Will you have everything you need for essay editing and proofreading after buying the service? How many rounds of revision do you need? Determine these details and select a service provider accordingly. 

Personal statement editing services can prove invaluable in helping applicants create powerful personal statements and essays. If you are a high school student applying to college or a professional seeking a career change, investing in a personal statement editing service is a good idea.

If you have already written your essay and need essay editing and proofreading services , contact PaperTrue, a top personal statement editing service online. Talk to us to learn more about what our editing and proofreading package for essays and personal statements offers.

Here are a few other articles that might help you on your academic journey:

• The 10 Best Essential Resources for Academic Research
• How to Write a Dissertation | 5 Tips from Academic Editors
• How to Write a Lab Report: Examples from Academic Editors
• The Ethics of Academic Research
• 5 Reasons to Cite Your Sources Properly | Avoid Plagiarism!

Frequently Asked Questions

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Writing the Personal Statement

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The personal statement, your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process, generally falls into one of two categories:

1. The general, comprehensive personal statement:

This allows you maximum freedom in terms of what you write and is the type of statement often prepared for standard medical or law school application forms.

2. The response to very specific questions:

Often, business and graduate school applications ask specific questions, and your statement should respond specifically to the question being asked. Some business school applications favor multiple essays, typically asking for responses to three or more questions.

Questions to ask yourself before you write:

• What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story?
• What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or help set you apart from other applicants?
• When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained?
• How have you learned about this field—through classes, readings, seminars, work or other experiences, or conversations with people already in the field?
• If you have worked a lot during your college years, what have you learned (leadership or managerial skills, for example), and how has that work contributed to your growth?
• What are your career goals?
• Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre LSAT or GRE scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)?
• Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life?
• What personal characteristics (for example, integrity, compassion, and/or persistence) do you possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? Is there a way to demonstrate or document that you have these characteristics?
• What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess?
• Why might you be a stronger candidate for graduate school—and more successful and effective in the profession or field than other applicants?
• What are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you?

General advice

Answer the questions that are asked

• If you are applying to several schools, you may find questions in each application that are somewhat similar.
• Don't be tempted to use the same statement for all applications. It is important to answer each question being asked, and if slightly different answers are needed, you should write separate statements. In every case, be sure your answer fits the question being asked.

Tell a story

• Think in terms of showing or demonstrating through concrete experience. One of the worst things you can do is to bore the admissions committee. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you'll be putting yourself ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story, you will make yourself memorable.

Be specific

• Don't, for example, state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific reasons. Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of specific experience that is described in your statement. Your application should emerge as the logical conclusion to your story.

Find an angle

• If you're like most people, your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. Finding an angle or a "hook" is vital.

Concentrate on your opening paragraph

• The lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. It is here that you grab the reader's attention or lose it. This paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement.

Tell what you know

• The middle section of your essay might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as some of your knowledge of the field. Too many people graduate with little or no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the profession or field they hope to enter. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information. Refer to experiences (work, research, etc.), classes, conversations with people in the field, books you've read, seminars you've attended, or any other source of specific information about the career you want and why you're suited to it. Since you will have to select what you include in your statement, the choices you make are often an indication of your judgment.

Don't include some subjects

• There are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences or accomplishments in high school or earlier are generally not a good idea. Don't mention potentially controversial subjects (for example, controversial religious or political issues).

Do some research, if needed

• If a school wants to know why you're applying to it rather than another school, do some research to find out what sets your choice apart from other universities or programs. If the school setting would provide an important geographical or cultural change for you, this might be a factor to mention.

Write well and correctly

• Be meticulous. Type and proofread your essay very carefully. Many admissions officers say that good written skills and command of correct use of language are important to them as they read these statements. Express yourself clearly and concisely. Adhere to stated word limits.

Avoid clichés

• A medical school applicant who writes that he is good at science and wants to help other people is not exactly expressing an original thought. Stay away from often-repeated or tired statements.

For more information on writing a personal statement, see the personal statement vidcast .

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Speaker 1: Hello, everyone. This is David Taylor, and I'm here to talk to you today about this thing right here. The five-paragraph essay. The five-paragraph essay goes by a lot of different names. Some of them you've probably heard. Let's see. You could call it the basic essay. You could call it the academic essay. You could call it the 131 essay, and that 131 is going to be important for us in just a moment. But no matter what name you call it, no matter what name you've heard about it, there's one name that I want you to remember and to use throughout this lesson, and that name is the easy essay. Because once I show you these three formulas for this five-paragraph essay, you're going to know that it's something that is easy for you to write and easy for you to deploy and use in all your other courses. Not that everything that you write in life is only going to have five paragraphs. That's not the point. The point is you're learning something basic that can be applied in various permutations in a variety of courses. So let's talk about the five-paragraph essay and talk about the three formulas that I'm going to give to you to produce the five-paragraph essay. And that first formula is the magic of three. You know, three has an important place in our culture, kind of a magic place in our culture, whether it's something like the three little pigs or the three wishes that you get from a genie or sayings like three times a charm or three strikes you're out. Three seems to have an important place in human memory. And we're going to use that important place and the role it plays in human memory to help create our five-paragraph essay. And this is how we're going to do it. Let's pretend that you're given, oh, a general topic like this one. What are the essential characteristics of a good parent? Okay, before you do anything else, you apply the magic of three. Boom. One, two, three. In other words, you're going to come up with three things and three things only. Sure, there are more than three characteristics of good parents, let's hope. But the point is, when writing this five-paragraph essay, you're going to limit yourself to three. And they can be the three you consider most important. Something like patience. Something like respect. Something like unconditional love. Again, there can be more, but limit yourself to three. Let's take another kind of topic. Let's take a more controversial topic. Something like, should women in the military be given front-line combat duties? Very controversial. You're going to read about it. You're going to talk about it. You're going to listen to your professor lecture on it. You're going to consult sources on it. And after you do all that, you still do one thing and one thing only. One, two, three. You come up with a position, because you've got to have a position. That's what being in college is all about. You're able to take a position, state an opinion, and then support it in a logical, acceptable way. And we're going to do it with three main points. Our three main points could be something like, well, the first reason would be women can be assigned to combat is equality. The second reason is their great teamwork. Or the third reason is their proven courage. Now, if you notice something repetitious there, and you're asking yourself, wait a minute, is this repetition good? The answer is yes, it is very good. Because although something might seem repetitious when it's close together in these sentences, remember, these are your main points. And they're going to be separated by paragraphs. So by the time your reader looks at them, they're not going to seem repetitious at all. As a matter of fact, they're going to seem clever. They're going to seem like a student who really knows how to organize an essay, and more importantly, use certain kinds of words, first, second, and third, to signal organization to their reader. So in this case, repetition is a manifest good thing. Okay, let's take one more topic, an academic topic. Why do so many students fail to complete their college degree? What are you going to do? Boom. One, two, three. And you're going to use that formula. That's something like, well, first, students often. Second, many students cannot. Third, third students find that, you see what I'm saying? No matter what the topic is, general, controversial, academic, you're going to apply one, two, three, and you're going to apply the repetition of those words to signal your structure. And that's called the academic expository essay structure. Fill it in with whatever you came up with in your reading, in your thinking, in your discussion, in listening to your professor. Fill in with whatever you want to, but use the structure. Okay, that's secret number one. Now let's go to the next secret, and that secret is the essay formula for the thesis. Every essay has to have a thesis, and a thesis can be written with a formula. You know, these thesis statements sound kind of intimidating. They go by names like controlling idea, overall point, the position statement. Okay, fine, position statement, fine. But you know what? They're all the same thing. They're all your opinion on the topic. Your position on the topic. And more importantly, there's a very set formula for producing that position on your topic, that thesis statement. Let's go over that formula. First, you take a topic that we've already looking at, that we've already seen, and then you add to it your position or your opinion. Remember, you've got to have one in college, and you have to be able to defend it. And then you put those two together, and you will get your thesis. Let's take an example. Let's take a topic we've already used. What are the essential characteristics of a good parent? There's our topic. We know our opinion on that topic. It was patience, respect, and love. All you have to do is add those two things together, and you get your thesis. The essential characteristics of a good parent are patience, respect, and love. You see how simple it is? Add together the words of the topic with the words of your opinion equals your thesis statement. Now here, it just so happened our opinion contained our three main points, and that's great. When it happens, don't avoid it. Don't resist it. Go with it. But there are other ways of doing it. Let's take a more broad, general way of doing it with this topic. Let's say in this topic, we're going to have, should women be assigned combat duties in the military? Again, you do your reading. You do your discussion. You do your note-taking. You listen to your professor, and you come up with an opinion. You say, yes, they deserve it. That's a position, and that's a great position to have. And that is your opinion. And now, and you're allowed your opinion, and now all you have to do is support it. But before you do that, let's put together the topic with your position into the thesis statement. Thesis, and that would be women deserve front-line combat duties in the military. See what you did? The topic. Should women be assigned? Yes, they should. They deserve it. And we added those two together, and we got our thesis statement. Now comes those three main points that we came up with earlier. They deserve it because of equality, because of teamwork, and because of their courage. So that's how it works. Now, for the thesis statement, it's a simple matter of adding the topic to your position into a single sentence equaling your thesis. Now, one last formula that I want to show you. And that formula is the 1-3-1 outline. What does the 1-3-1 outline look like? It looks exactly like this. One paragraph for your introduction, three paragraphs for your body. And remember, you can have more than three sometimes, but we're just playing with three. And then one paragraph for your conclusion. 1-3-1. Looks like we're doing the YMCA song at a wedding. Now, the main points and the main sentences that we've been coming up with go in special places in this outline. The first is the thesis statement. Let's remind ourselves of our topic. What are the essential characteristics of a good parent? Remember our thesis. Look where we're going to put that thesis. We're going to put it as the last sentence of that introduction paragraph. Why? Because it is the purpose of the introduction paragraph to introduce the thesis. Not the entire essay. Most people think the introduction paragraph introduces the essay. Not really. The introduction paragraph's purpose is to lead up to, provide context to, and then provide a position for the thesis statement. And it's the thesis statement that acts as the umbrella or the introduction to the entire essay. So that's why you want to put that thesis statement as the last sentence of your introduction or near the last sentence of your introduction. Now, as far as those three main points, you put those three main points as the three topic sentences or three first sentences of your three body paragraphs. And there they are. The first, the second, and the third essential characteristics. Patience, respect, and love. So, your three main points become your three main topic sentences of your three body paragraphs. And then at the end, you're going to have a conclusion. Conclusion, you revisit your thesis in a special way, kind of telling the overall importance of what you've written. So, those are the three formulas. The magic of three, always come up with three somethings. Three reasons. Three causes. Three effects. Three whatevers. The second formula was to produce that thesis statement, combine your topic plus your position on that topic, combine them into one sentence, and it's your thesis sentence. And then the last formula you see, the one, three, one outline. And once you've got that outline, and once you've got the thesis statement stated in the introduction, you've got your three main points in your three body paragraphs, all you've got to do is fill it in with your intelligence, your words, your thoughts, your opinions. Follow those three formulas, and you'll be producing a good, tight, organized essay. Okay, good luck on them, and I'll talk to you later.

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How to Write a Goal Statement (with Examples)

Sudarshan Somanathan

Head of Content

September 1, 2024

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If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.

Knock, knock! Quickly checking in—what was the name of the business book you planned to start this weekend? Or the graduate school application you promised to write this month? Or that personal essay you wanted to publish on Medium?

If you’re struggling to recall, you’re not alone because constant distractions in our personal and professional life, like doomscrolling on social media platforms, can easily derail us from our goals and priorities.

Recent research found that employees who set goals are 14 times more likely to feel inspired at work. That’s not all. Writing goal statements also leads to a 90% boost in performance and persistence​.

This highlights the power of goal-setting, goal-tracking, and self-accountability in reaching your objectives. It also reinforces the age-old wisdom: reading, writing, and consistent reflection on our goals are key to building habits and staying on track. 

So, let’s dive directly into how you can construct effective goal statements and make those goals a reality. 🎯

The relevance of goal statements in personal and professional life

The importance of a career goal statement, the role of goal setting in crafting an effective goal statement, using the smart method to create goal statements, tips for writing a goal statement, implementation, effective business goal statements, effective personal goal statements, periodically tracking and updating your goal statement, learning from successful real-world examples, being flexible and adaptable with your goal statement.

What Is a Goal Statement?

A goal statement is a concise outline of your goal or goals for the future, including your vision, mission, and values.

You can use a goal or mission statement for various purposes—like career objectives, personal development, and even long-term life planning. 

A professional goal statement not only outlines your career direction but also acts as a personal development blueprint. It breaks down the steps needed to achieve your strategic objectives, ensuring steady progress toward your aspirations. 

More importantly, it gives clarity and purpose to your actions, keeping you aligned with your future ambitions and enabling personal growth along the way. A strong goal statement points you in the right direction, but more than that, it gives you a clear path forward, whether you’re aiming for a promotion, switching careers, or picking up new skills. 

It acts as a roadmap, breaking down the steps you need to take while keeping you accountable along the way. A personal statement can consistently remind you of what you’re working toward and fuel your motivation to stay committed until you achieve your desired result.

The influential self-development expert, Brian Tracy, said in an interview :

I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is to decide exactly what you want–set your goals–and then determine how you will achieve them (what skills you will have to learn, what actions will you have to take). And these are totally under your control. These are not dependent upon anyone else.

Thus, goal statements prove to be invaluable in personal and professional life.

In your career, they help you with:

• Clarity and focus: Goal statements help you prioritize key milestones for career growth and avoid irrelevant pursuits
• Measurement and accountability: Goal statements enable you to track progress and maintain accountability
• Company and team alignment: Goal statements ensure your personal goals align with your team’s and company’s vision

When it comes to your personal life, goal statements can help with:

• Motivation: Goals can keep you motivated, especially when things get tough. They give you concrete timelines that make you feel more accountable and often more in control
• Decision-making: Goals guide your decisions, making it easier to choose actions that lead to desired outcomes
• Personal growth: Setting goals encourages you to keep improving and developing yourself. Most personal goal statements involve physical and mental betterment

Setting up an actionable objective is the first step in achieving success. 

According to research, employees in goal-oriented organizations are about 7 times more likely to feel proud of their workplace and just as likely to recommend it as a great place to work. 

Writing down your goals turns them into something tangible, making them easier to focus on and achieve. Here are some solid reasons as to why a goal statement is essential when it comes to your career:

• Responsibility: Writing down your goal makes you accountable and gives you an extra push to stay true to it
• Clarity and direction: A clear goal statement defines your path and the next actionable steps
• Timeline and progress: Professional goals with timelines help you plan your actions and track progress
• Motivation: Outlining your goals keeps you motivated by acting as a long-term to-do list

How to Write a Goal Statement 

Simply thinking about your goals isn’t enough to achieve them. To increase your chances of success, it’s important to write down your goal statements and, if you can, share your progress with people you trust.

Before you begin writing your first goal statement, understand that the key is to outline exactly what you want to accomplish, how you plan to do it, and what the timeline for it is.

Begin by clearly defining your goal, including what you want to achieve, the timeframe for completion, and the steps needed to reach it. 

Make sure your goal answers these essential questions:

What do you want to accomplish?

When do you want to accomplish it?

How will you make it happen?

A well-defined goal should provide clear direction, a realistic timeline, and a practical action plan.

Here’s how you can prioritize your goals and determine where to focus your energy when you’re setting a career objective. Start by asking yourself these key questions:

• Values: What values do you want to uphold in your career? (Ensure your goals align with your core principles and ethics)
• Your definition of success: How do you define success in the workplace? (Tailor your goals to match your personal vision of achievement)
• Your financial goals: What are your financial aspirations? (Set goals that support your desired financial future)
• Ideal work environment: What does an ideal work environment look like to you? (Create goals that foster a setting where you can thrive)
• Educational advancement: What additional degrees or certifications could help you excel in your field? (Identify educational goals to enhance your expertise)
• Work-life balance: How do you envision a healthy work-life balance? (Ensure your goals support a fulfilling life both inside and outside of work)
• Leadership ambitions: Are you interested in pursuing leadership positions? (Guide your career goals toward roles that match your aspirations)
• Strengths: What strengths do you bring to your work, and how can you leverage them? (Set goals that capitalize on your unique abilities)
• Entrepreneurial ambitions: Do you aspire to start your own company in the future? (Align your current goals with your long-term entrepreneurial ambitions)
• Seeking challenges: Are you keen on taking on more challenging roles in your workplace? (Set goals that push you toward growth and new opportunities)

To craft personal goal statements that foster your vision of personal enrichment, here are some guiding questions to consider:

• What kind of lifestyle do you aspire to have? (Set goals that drive you toward fulfilling your dreams and ambitions)
• What are your hobbies and interests, and how can you incorporate them into your life? (Align your personal goals with activities you genuinely love)
• What kind of impact do you want to make on your community? (Direct your goals toward contributing to the greater good of society)
• What steps can you take to improve your physical and mental health? (Ensure your goals keep you in prime condition)
• What can you do to nurture and improve your relationships? (Set goals that deepen your family connections and personal relationships rather than detract from them)

Answering these questions will help you determine the ‘What’ aspect of your personal goal statement. Remember to keep your responses focused, clear, and direct. Here, ClickUp can support you with its array of features. Let’s explore them as we go along.

ClickUp Docs

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all these questions, ClickUp Docs can help you organize your thoughts and draft clear goal statements.

Start by opening a new ClickUp Doc and jot down your goals. With ClickUp Docs, you can create detailed, customizable documents to outline your career path, set timelines, and align tasks with your objectives. 

Once your draft is ready, you can share the document with trusted friends and mentors for feedback, so they can comment directly within the doc. This feature keeps everything organized and ensures your goals are clearly defined and actionable.

Next, let’s address the ‘How’ and ‘When’ by applying the SMART method. This step requires in-depth research into what’s needed to achieve your SMART goals by creating achievable and measurable objectives .

Using the SMART framework helps clarify your goals, track progress, ensure feasibility, and monitor achievement within a set timeframe.

Here’s how SMART goals are set:

• Specific: Define your goal clearly and precisely
• Measurable: Ensure your goal has quantifiable criteria for tracking progress
• Achievable: Set a realistic goal that is attainable given your resources and constraints
• Relevant: Align your goal with your broader objectives and values
• Time-bound: Assign a deadline to create urgency and focus

💡 Example: If you’re aiming for a promotion that requires certifications, research the necessary courses, understand the time commitment, and plan your timeline accordingly. This approach ensures your goals are realistic and grounded in actionable steps.

It can be challenging to juggle all the elements of goal-setting while also creating realistic, relevant goals. That’s where ClickUp’s SMART Goals template comes in. 

ClickUp SMART Goals template

ClickUp’s SMART Goals template simplifies the process by helping you break down large objectives into manageable steps, track your progress, and stay motivated.

Here’s what ClickUp’s SMART Goals template offers:

• Enables progress tracking and success measurement
• Keeps you focused and motivated on long-term goals
• Identifies and addresses potential roadblocks efficiently

In addition to the strategies mentioned, here are some extra tips to help you craft a strong personal or career goal statement:

Tips & tricks

Review it regularly: Regularly review and adjust your goals as needed to reflect progress and changes

Set a timeline: Create a timeline with milestones for both short-term and long-term goals to stay motivated and on track

Request feedback: Share your goals with trusted individuals for honest feedback on your timeline and goal achievement, increasing your accountability

⚡ Template Archive: Need more SMART goal templates that can help you define and achieve your goals efficiently? Check out our library of free SMART goal templates that are easy to use, adaptable, and seamless to track and update.

Writing your goal statements is just the beginning; implementing them is where the real work begins. Break down your career goals into smaller, actionable steps. 

💡 Example: If you aim to land a leadership role, start by taking on smaller team projects to build your management skills. Prioritize these steps and establish a timeline.

Track your progress regularly and adjust as needed. Share your goals with a mentor or colleague for accountability and feedback. Celebrate small victories, like completing a course or receiving positive feedback, to stay motivated.

A flexible system is essential for successful goal implementation, and ClickUp Goals can help you effortlessly track, edit, and adjust your goals.

ClickUp Goals

ClickUp Goals is a powerful tool for creating, tracking, adjusting, and setting project goals or personal goals with ease. It offers flexible goal-setting with customizable targets, deadlines, and tracking methods tailored to fit your needs, making it easier to stay on track and achieve success.

You can break down larger goals into manageable milestones, ensuring steady progress. Visual tools like charts and progress bars help you monitor your progress, keeping you and your team motivated. 

Collaboration is also enhanced by sharing goals with your team, aligning efforts, and exchanging valuable feedback. 

Additionally, ClickUp Goals ensures that individual goals align with broader company objectives by grouping them into folders. It also automatically updates progress based on task completion, keeping everything up to date.

Examples of Personal and Business Goal Statements

Now that we understand the theory behind writing effective career goal statements, let’s explore some practical short and long-goal examples to inspire your personal and business goals.

Business goal statements can be complex, as they require detailed planning to outline your career objectives and the steps to achieve them. Professional goal statements may range from ongoing tasks to a specific one-time project.

A well-defined business or professional goal statement serves as both—a motivation booster and a roadmap for your career. It also enhances your resume by highlighting your career direction, aspirations, and self-awareness to potential employers.

Examples of effective business goal statements

An effective professional goal statement is clear, specific, and measurable. It provides clarity on what you want to achieve, how you’ll achieve it, and by when you expect to attain it. 

Here’s an example: Increase market share in North America by 20% by the end of Q4 2025 through increased ad campaign spending and sales team training

This professional goal statement is precise and quantifiable and includes all key elements: the desired outcome, location, strategy, and timeline.

Other examples include:

• Improve customer retention by 15% by Q2 2024 by enhancing product quality through a comprehensive competitive benchmarking exercise

This goal is focused and measurable, with a clear method for achieving the target.

• Secure a promotion to Senior Vice President by the end of 2026 by exceeding targets and demonstrating strong managerial skills

This goal follows the SMART framework, outlining a clear path for career advancement.

For organizational goals, it’s crucial to have tools like ClickUp Goals or OKR Templates to track and monitor progress across the company, department, and team levels.

By crafting clear and actionable goal statements, you set yourself and your business up for success, ensuring every objective is aligned with a strategic plan and has a defined timeline for achievement. 

ClickUp Company OKRs and Goals template

ClickUp’s Company OKRs and Goals template is a powerful tool for aligning your team with your company’s vision and values. 

It simplifies the process of setting and tracking objectives, standardizes performance measurement, and ensures that individual goals support your organization’s overall objectives. 

By maintaining alignment and cohesion, this template not only streamlines goal management but also boosts team morale and productivity.

Here’s what the ClickUp’s Company OKRs and Goals template offers:

• Create and track objectives to maintain focus and direction
• Identify and prioritize goals for maximum impact and efficient resource allocation
• Ensure all team members are aligned around shared objectives, boosting collaboration and coherence
• Monitor progress and measure performance concisely
• Improve team motivation and morale by clearly defining and tracking success
• Facilitate better communication and understanding across teams

⚡ Template Archive: Looking for more goal-setting templates to ensure you’re on the right track? Check out these free goal-setting and tracking templates that will level up your goal-setting strategy .

While we’ve focused on career goals, achieving them is near impossible without taking care of your personal well-being. 

Personal goals reflect who you are, what you want, and where you’re headed. Not only do they guide your journey, but they also make a strong impression on potential employers or educational institutions.

Balance your goals by focusing on areas such as relationships, physical health, spirituality, and personal growth to prevent burnout and boost overall satisfaction. 

Use goal-tracking apps to organize and prioritize your goals effectively. Set reminders, break down larger goals into smaller tasks, and regularly review your progress to stay on track and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Examples of effective personal goal statements

When crafting personal goal statements, it’s essential to be specific about what you want to achieve, how you’ll achieve it, and the timeframe for completion. 

Here are some examples that follow the What, How, and When structure:

Reconnect with old friends: before the end of the month, schedule a coffee date with a friend you haven’t seen enough of lately

Learn Spanish: Dedicate 30 minutes daily to language lessons for 6 months to be at least semi-fluent by next summer

Complete a 10K run: Follow a 12-week structured training plan to boost fitness and mental resilience

These examples illustrate how clear, actionable personal statements of goals can lead to tangible outcomes, whether they involve personal enrichment, health, or career development.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French writer and pilot said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Best Practices for Implementing Goal Statements

Now that you’ve written down your goals, it’s time to turn them into reality. 

Here’s how to make it happen:

Track and update your goals regularly to keep them aligned with your growth. Goals should be as dynamic and evolving as you are. Don’t let them collect dust—instead, review and adjust them consistently. 

Consider using goal-setting software to set reminders, track progress, and make adjustments so that your goals remain relevant and attainable as you evolve. When you achieve a goal or hit a milestone, take a moment to celebrate your success. Recognizing your progress keeps you motivated and reinforces positive behavior.

And if you miss a deadline or fall short, don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, analyze what went wrong, learn from it, and adjust your approach to avoid repeating the same mistakes. 

By staying engaged with your goals and adapting as needed, you can ensure continuous progress and maintain the momentum needed to achieve them.

Real-world success stories offer valuable lessons and inspiration. For example, Elon Musk’s approach to goal-setting is a powerful model. 

His goal with SpaceX is to colonize Mars, and with Tesla, it’s to drive the world toward sustainable energy. What sets Musk apart is his ability to break these enormous goals into manageable steps, steadily working toward each milestone.

This shows the importance of setting bold goals while maintaining a practical, step-by-step approach. But you don’t have to look only at famous figures. You can also learn from those around you, like mentors or family members. 

Observe their strategies, seek guidance, and apply those habits to your journey. Their experiences can provide valuable insights to help you reach your goals more effectively.

If your original plan no longer feels right, don’t hesitate to adjust your goals, resources, or timeline. Flexibility is key to staying on track. Regularly reassess your goals to ensure they still align with your current situation and aspirations. 

Embrace changes as opportunities for growth. Sometimes, a shift in direction can lead to better outcomes than you initially imagined. Stay open to new possibilities and be ready to pivot when necessary. 

This adaptability will help you navigate challenges and seize opportunities as they arise.

Create Goals and Achieve Them with ClickUp

Personal and career goals are crucial for success—they outline your path, keep you motivated, and showcase your potential to employers. 

But with a busy life, managing these goals can be challenging. That’s where ClickUp steps in.

With multiple goal creation, sharing, review, and execution features and a variety of goal-oriented templates, it does all the heavy lifting for you, so you have more time to achieve your goals and dream big. 

Sign up for free today and start turning your aspirations into reality, one goal at a time!

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Chase Bank says it is aware of viral 'glitch' inviting people to commit check fraud

Chase Bank is urging its customers not to commit check fraud.

The bank’s plea comes after this weekend a viral trend took over TikTok and X, with users being told that there was a systemwide glitch and that, if they deposited false checks in an ATM and withdrew that money soon afterward, they would be able to cheat the system and take out a large sum of cash before the check bounced.

The only problem? This is not a “glitch” — it’s a check fraud scheme and those who participate will be on the hook for all the money they withdrew once the check bounces.

Although some on TikTok called the scheme a “glitch,” Chase reminded its customers that this “glitch” is actually an invitation to commit fraud. 

“We are aware of this incident, and it has been addressed,” a spokesperson for Chase said in a statement to NBC News. “Regardless of what you see online, depositing a fraudulent check and withdrawing the funds from your account is fraud, plain and simple.”

NBC News has not verified if anyone actually committed the crime as part of the viral trend. However, videos online purported to show people successfully withdrawing cash from an ATM after depositing a fraudulent check into their own bank account — before others quickly pointed out that what they were doing was a crime.

While conversation about the “glitch” has taken over TikTok, it appears the first mention of it was on X , when a user shared an excessive balance of more than $80,000 in his account on Thursday, according to meme database Know Your Meme . 

One video appeared to show lines forming outside of a Chase branch in New York suggesting people were flocking to the bank to “get free money.” Just as quickly as the trend took off, however, people were soon posting screenshots of massive negative balances and holds on their Chase accounts as a result of allegedly trying to withdraw the money. 

“I don’t know what these people think writing bad checks is, but I don’t know why they thought this was a glitch,” one TikTok user said . “Definitely don’t do it.” 

Fake check deposits are a common form of check fraud and are not new, although the chaos of this weekend saw many online discover the tactic for the first time — and mistaking it for a money hack.

Large checks deposited digitally are often placed on hold while the bank reviews their authenticity, but some ATMs allow customers to access a portion of the newly deposited funds immediately. This allows users to quickly withdraw the money before their check clears or bounces.

Fraudsters often approach this by opening bank accounts with fake identities, creating and depositing counterfeit checks from seemingly legitimate sources, then abandoning the account and leaving it with a negative balance.

Another common trick involves a scammer pretending that they sent a check for a greater amount than they meant to, hoping that the recipient is willing to deposit the check and transfer the excess money, which would ultimately leave the victim out of their own funds after the check bounces.

But in this case, people online seem to be simply committing check fraud against themselves — making it relatively easy for a bank to catch on and hold them accountable.

In the days after the Chase “glitch” gained traction, other TikTokers began dunking on those who had tried it, with some joking about waking up with enormous negative balances and others warning users that they had no chance of outsmarting the multinational banking institution.

“Chase Bank glitch? No, that’s called fraud,” one TikTok user said in a video that accrued more than 1 million likes in one day. “You went to the bank and took $50,000 that didn’t belong to you. That’s not a life hack, that’s called robbery. You’re going to jail. Prison actually.”

Angela Yang is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News.

Kalhan Rosenblatt is a reporter covering youth and internet culture for NBC News, based in New York.

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We are here to support you in all aspects of the writing process. From brainstorming together to offering feedback on revisions, we work with student-writers to develop strategies and skills that will support them in their writing. We offer one-to-one consultations, presentations on how to approach specific assignments, and other writing-related workshops and events. We strive to acknowledge the range of identities, knowledge, and experience that each student-writer brings and we use this to guide our student-centered work.

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As peer writing consultants, we aim to increase access to meaningful and empowering education. We offer support for navigating assignment prompts and content. We offer resources to enhance our writing and research skills. And we offer space to unpack the many challenges that come with writing and learning in academic spaces.  In our time together, we hope our peers will feel respected, with their dignity acknowledged, their strengths recognized, their vulnerability held, and their creativity encouraged.

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In our work, we are committed to continually engaging in reflection about our own identities, positionalities, and services as writing consultants. We want to continually deconstruct the multiple supremacies in Academia that impact all of us as we learn at the School of Social Work. To this end, we strive to work towards promoting inclusivity and equity in our learning spaces through both our presence and practice.

We join our colleagues at the UW Tacoma Writing Center in promising “to listen and look carefully and compassionately for ways that we may unintentionally perpetuate racism or social injustice, actively engaging in anti-racist practice.”

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This workshop will guide you through writing a compelling personal statement for graduate school applications. We will cover key elements such as effectively telling your story, highlighting your academic achievements, and aligning your goals with the program you’re applying to. By the end of the session, you’ll clearly understand what admissions committees are looking for and how to craft a personal statement that stands out.

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How to Write a Movie Review: Tips for Aspiring Critics

Updated 02 Sep 2024

If you wish to know how to write a movie review, then you are on the right page. A movie review forms part of essays college students writes. While many cinema-loving students find it interesting, others don’t. A film review does not mean writing what happened in a film; instead, it involves doing a critical assessment of the same as an art form that reflects cultural and societal values. Also, you can proof your paper instantly with the Edubirdie plagiarism tool .

What is a movie review? A movie review is a detailed analysis of a film or a documentary. It involves analysis, research, and reporting the writer’s views in a structured way. The writer assumes a position of educating readers whether they have watched the film or not. In fact, many people read movie reviews to decide whether they want to see a film or not.

Film criticism, as a historical and evolving practice, shapes the discourse around cinema. Notable critics and the transition of film reviews from traditional media to various platforms highlight the importance of analysis and personal insights in creating effective movie reviews.

A film review tests students’ critical thinking and reporting skills. It also examines their dexterity in writing in a logical, concise, lucid, and creative manner. This post shall teach you to craft the best film review in your class without being redundant in writing , and you can find many interesting tips on how to write a movie review for college and movie reviews examples. Writing a movie review requires critical analysis and attention to detail, and if you need assistance, a literature review writing service can help you craft a comprehensive and insightful review.

How to Write a Movie Review Like a Professional Critic

Watch the movie:.

Before you can review any film, you must watch it. You cannot review a motion picture you have not watched. Therefore, for success watch the film at least twice. Note: do not watch it like you’re a regular moviegoer or movie enthusiast. Be focused and conscious through the film. Take notes if necessary.

You will need to take notes hence have a notebook and pen handy. Record all events and characters (major and minor). Try to be meticulous do not overlook anything.

Research the movie

Watching the film should give you the overview and feel of the movie. With that, it should be easy and exciting to research the movie. The research augments what you have watched in the movie. In your research, you should find out who the filmmaker is, what prompted the making of the movie, the characterization, historical events the lead to the film, location, plot and so on.

If you are aware of the details behind the movie, the movie will be more understandable and engaging. Note also that if you do not understand the movie you cannot move to the next step which involves analysis. Try not to proceed to the next step unless you vividly understand the movie. If it entails watching it again until you fully get it, do it. The following should form part of your findings regarding the film:

• Title and year
• Names of the lead actors
• Name of the director
• Title of the book (if based on a book)

Draft the review outline

Draft an outline with which you will write the review. The overview will help you organize your review concisely and logically. The outline is more like the skeletal frame on which the whole study will stand. A good draft will yield a perfect report, and the reverse is also true.

An outline enhances the quality of the film review, and it is essential you have your outline before you start writing. A sample outline looks like this:

1. Introduction

• Date released
• Background info

2. Summary of the story

Main characters and their significance in the plot

3. Analysis of the plot elements

4. creative elements, 5. opinions (add examples to back up your claims).

• Camera techniques
• Special effects and so on

6. Conclusion

Analyze the movie.

After fully understanding the movie, you can start its analysis. Critically evaluate the film from the beginning to the end, noting every detail. While analyzing, if you observed any confusing part, re-watch to grasp the idea portrayed there fully. After you fully understand it, then you are set to write the movie review. To write a decent analysis, you need to know how to write a film critique. Observing different camera angles can enhance the viewer's understanding and engagement with the film.

Augment Your Review with Examples

While watching the movie, your observations should be supported with examples, i.e., mention scenes the event took place. If the plot is faulty, mention it but state examples to support that claim. You can also mention poorly developed characters evident in the movie and others. Everything you observed in the film must be noted.

Examples of notables include locations, faulty or beautiful dialogues, quotes that appeal to you, poorly made speeches, bloopers, editing errors and so on. Do take note that it is not enough to make general statements about how awesome or awful the movie is, you must support your claim with evidence in the film. That is why it is called a movie review and not opinion sampling interview about the movie.

Comment on the originality of the movie

Finally mention the uniqueness of the film which you noticed in the one you’ve watched. But even if the movie happens to be a standard feature with conventional approaches, you can still mention this as well. A regular film is still a film.

Write Your Review

With all the fact gathered above, you can now use the outline to write your film review. Make every part easy and enjoyable to read. Importantly, make the introduction engaging and captivating. You should go for a grand opening that will grab the attention of any reader. A good opening keeps the reader on the article.

Let us assume your introduction is watertight and engaging; any sloppy body will lose your reader. Hence, make the body informative and engaging. The review aims to reveal as much information as possible. Therefore, do your best to give all the details in the film to the reader. Engage your analytic mind. Analyzing technical aspects such as cinematography, lighting, and sound quality is crucial for a comprehensive review.

Another essential part of the review is the closing or conclusion. Here you give your view about the movie with evidence revealed in the body. Connect the conclusion with the introduction creatively.

Edit Your Final Draft

After writing your first version of the review, you can re-write the final one after editing. Also, you should check the final draft for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and so on. Ensure sentences connects logically to each other and watch the format used. Make a final comparison of your work with the requirement by your professor or lecturer.

With the help of free word counter check the number of words required and cut them if more than needed but if not, add relevant information to make them up. Do not add irrelevant details for the sake of space. Ensure your final submitted draft is well edited, polished, plagiarism-free and presented in the recommended format or style.

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Tips to Follow While Writing a Movie Review: Personal Opinion

Since a movie review essay requires dedication and time investment, you might want to know the special tips to get you through the assignment seamlessly. Do recall that perfect conclusion of this assignment will add to your grades, hence the need to take it seriously. If you wish to know How to write a movie critique easily, then this section will tell you that.

The useful tips you should consider are as follows:

• Watch the film at least two times
• If you have seen it before, make sure you re-watch it for the assignment.
• Watch the movie not as a moviegoer but with an analytic mindset of a professional reviewer
• Pay attention to details. Remember, your personal opinion is crucial as it provides a subjective interpretation of the film's events.
• Take notes as you watch
• Don’t be in a rush - take your time, but be aware of the deadline
• Do not write out of the contest of your coursework. Tailor your review to the target audience and their expectations.
• Follow the requirements of your professor
• Use an outline to organize your work
• Start working on the body of your film review first and the introduction next
• Write an engaging introduction and a powerful closing.
• Never forget to edit your work.

Read also: How to write an editorial Essay: Useful Tips for Those Who Want To Perfect Their Skill 

Elements of a Professional Movie Review: Plot Summary

One similar thing about these reviews is that they all should contain the same elements regardless of the genre. The elements of a movie review provide the structure on which you will base the analysis. A proper movie review format comprises the following components:

It’s not enough that the movie title appears on the headline, it must appear in the review too. Mention it in the text and feature it in the introductory paragraph; there is no harm in doing that. A movie review evaluates a particular film and helps readers decide whether to watch it.

The Storyline (Plot)

The motion picture review itself refers to the summary of the movie. Present it in a concise way for people who are yet to watch it. When you are beginning to write a movie review, never have the mindset that your professor or any would-be reader has watched the movie. Therefore, never leave important points or events out. Your job is to elucidate the movie clearly to the reader: mention the faults observed, and the filmmaker’s brilliant points or downers. Including a plot summary provides a brief overview of the film's plot, which is essential for a comprehensive review.

What is a movie analysis without the filmmaker? Your review must feature him or her. Therefore, dedicate a paragraph to him, write about the kind of personality he or she is. Reveal the filmmaker’s political stance (if relevant), background, the controversial life of the person (if he is one), etc. You can also use the opportunity to talk about other movies the director has worked on before now, and then connect it with the one under review.

Significance to your class

Relate the content of the film or documentary to your course topic. Check its importance for historical accuracy. If the film is for history class, discuss any over-dramatization noticed in the act. However, if the film was based on a book you have reviewed in one of your classes, mention the connection between the book and the movie: state variances, comparisons and other elements present in the book that are missing in the film.

Creative elements

Creative elements make or mar films, that is why filmmakers go out of their ways to add them to their movies. It is your job to state how these elements work in the plot and the film in general. For instance, comment on the effectiveness of the sound effect in enriching the viewing experience of the movie? Talk about the lighting, costume, makeup, colors, camera, etc.

The cast carry the movie; without them, there is no movie. Your review should reveal if they acted well or poorly. State if their acting was realistic or not. Do not fail to mention if they have the skills and charisma to portray the role they played. You can also state if they were the right actors to play the role they did. Furthermore, you can suggest actors who could have played certain roles better than those in the film.

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Common Movie Review Mistakes You Should Avoid

After your arduous work of submitting your film report, you might be shocked to learn that your hard work received a query. You may wish to know why, well it could be because you commit any of the following common mistakes:

• Focusing on the wrong thing: Do not shift your focus. You might want to connect the film with some historical events, however, do not give unnecessary analysis or details that are not relevant to the movie under review. For instance, avoid giving the history of motion picture unless the film is about the development of the industry. Try and be focused.
• Alienating yourself from the review: You are the one writing the review, therefore, do not insert yourself in it. The review already has your name and signature on it so adding the possessive pronoun “I” should be discarded. The mistake most student make is writing in the first person, e.g., “I like the movie a lot, I admired the lead character,” and so on. Since the review exposes your understanding, opinions, likes, and dislikes, then it is unnecessary to insert yourself in it.
• Not doing your research: As said earlier, watching the movie is one side of the coin, you need to check out other details. Researching the film is highly critical because it would expound to you all the nitty-gritty details, not in the motion picture.
• Lack of evidence: In writing about a motion picture, you must substantiate any opinion or claim. You need to state your reason for liking, disliking, etc. of the film.
• Avoid irrelevant discussion: Do not start explaining issues not related directly with the motion picture you are analyzing.
• Unstructured review: Never write a movie review without structure, it would reveal you as an unorganized student. Hence structure your review properly by first creating the outline and organize your work. A good movie review should include a structured summary, critical analysis, and a persuasive tone to guide readers in their decision to watch the film or not.
• Avoid Generalization and be Precise: Never generalize ideas when you write a movie review. Avoid general statements like “a fantastic movie,” “beautiful set,” “excellent acting,” and such like. Support any comment you make with evidence from the film.
• Review lacking substance and analysis: Avoid writing a motion picture review that does not have substance or analysis. A review is a piece of educational literature, therefore, add intelligent analysis to it.

Movie Review Example from Top Writers

Here are a few examples of movie review topics to steer you in the right direction:

• Avatar Movie Review
• Beautiful Woman Movie Review
• Black Panther and its Global Significance
• In Pursuit of Happiness: Lessons to Learn
• iRobot: The Depiction of AI in the Future
• Matrix Movie Review
• Roots and Its Implication on the Life of the Black Men
• The Good, the Bad, the Ugly Movie Review
• The Last Holiday Movie Review and the Lesson of Living Life Too Cautiously
• Titanic Movie Review

Quick & Reliable Writing Help

As you can see, a movie review essay is an interesting paper to write. Recall that the whole point of a movie review is to inform the reader about the film and the ideas behind it. Also, it reflects your unbiased and objective view about the film. Adopt all our tips, and you shall submit a professional-looking report.

However, if you don't care about movies or still have issues coming to terms with all we have explained above, then contact us for help. At EduBirdie, our movie and book review writing service  are poised to help with your assignment and guarantee a high-quality review at an affordable price. With us, you shall learn how to do a movie review that will wow any professor.

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Written by Elizabeth Miller

Seasoned academic writer, nurturing students' writing skills. Expert in citation and plagiarism. Contributing to EduBirdie since 2019. Aspiring author and dedicated volunteer. You will never have to worry about plagiarism as I write essays 100% from scratch. Vast experience in English, History, Ethics, and more.

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Virtual Gilman Writing Workshop - Getting Started on the Three Essays!

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Online Faculty, Staff, Students

Gilman Program Application Is Now Open ! 

NOW is the time to start on your essays by opening an application account in the IIE Gilman portal.  You will want to work closely with Katie Jones, the Graduate Assistant in the Fellowships Office and Dr. Brenda Tooley, who leads the GVSU Fellowship Office. In this Virtual Workshop, we will go over the three required essays, talking about the prompts for each. 

You’ll want to copy us on your google doc drafts of your essays – just use my gmail address, [email protected] (we work just like the Writing Center). Definitely DO NOT WAIT until the last minute to begin working on your essays! 

What is the IIE Gilman International Scholarship? It is a US State Department fellowship for US students who are Pell recipients to help defray the cost of undergraduate study abroad. Here is the Gilman blurb:

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables students of limited financial means (Pell recipients) to study or intern abroad, providing awards of up to $5,000 for study-abroad programs. The program aims to encourage students to study and intern in a diverse array of countries or areas and world regions. The program also encourages students to study languages, especially critical need languages (those deemed important to national security by adding a supplement of up to $3,000 for intensive language study of designated critical need languages). Are you planning to study abroad? Are you eligible for the IIE Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship? Join us to learn more about the application process!

AM I ELIGIBLE?

-  I am a U.S. citizen.

-  I am a GVSU undergraduate  in good standing  (not on probation; with no conduct violations).  Spring/Summer Applicants can walk at April graduation but their degree cannot be conferred until after they complete their study abroad program.

-  I am eligible for the  Pell Grant .    Not sure?  Ask  GVSU Financial Aid Office .

OR  —  dependent child of an active-duty military member(s) during the time of application . Parent/guardian must serve in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, or Coast Guard. Applicant must currently receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid. Study abroad program must meet all other Gilman eligibility. The  Gilman-McCain Scholarship uses the same application as the Gilman Scholarship .

Thinking about study abroad? Receive up to $5,000 to go abroad as a college student if you’re a U.S. citizen and Federal Pell Grant recipient! If you’re studying a critical need language in a country in which the language is predominantly spoken, you can apply for the supplemental Critical Need Language Award of up to $3,000. If you’re interested in conducting STEM-related research while studying or interning abroad, you could receive an additional $1,000 by applying for the STEM Supplemental Award.

The application closes October 10! Learn more at Gilman Scholarship Program - Study Abroad with a Gilman Scholarship . And see Application Overview - Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship (gilmanscholarship.org) for an overview of the application process!

And this is ONLY ONE of MANY fellowship opportunities that help with the costs of study abroad - others include IIE Freeman-Asia, Phi Kappa Phi, Bridging (for study in Japan), Watanabe (for year-long study in Japan), Boren (for intensive language study of a critical need language) and more.

Click here for additional information

RSVP for this event

Location Information

The information session will take place via Zoom. Once registered you will receive a link to the session. 

Contact Information

For information about this and other fellowships, email [email protected] .

academic careercenter cuse fellowships international studyabroad

This event was added to the calendar by Brenda Tooley ( tooleyb@gvsu.edu ) on Thursday, August 22, 2024 and was last updated on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 8:26 a.m.

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