How to Write a Great Personal Statement

By: Joellyn Powers

Personal statements can be overwhelming: in one or two pages, you have to, essentially, summarize yourself. Be it for a potential job, for graduate school, or for a scholarship, a personal statement requires you to explain to a complete stranger why you are the right choice for a particular position. Here are some Do’s and Dont’s to follow as you begin writing a personal statement:

DO highlight your unique life experiences. Studied abroad? Had a cool internship? Been in a leadership position? Make sure to let the reader of your personal statement know! Keep in mind that the people reading your statement will likely be reading dozens of other statements, so what can you say that sets you apart from the pack? But —

DON’T tell your full life story. Most personal statements should not be more than two pages in length. Again: the committees reading these statements are reading LOTS of them; keep it brief and to the point — be specific! Make sure to highlight all of your relevant life experiences, education, and work experience, but don’t go into intricate detail for each and every thing.

DO answer the specific questions that are being asked. Make sure to read the guidelines carefully: most places that require a personal statement will pose certain questions, such as: What are your future goals? Why do you see yourself as a good fit for this position? How will you use this graduate degree to accomplish your future goals? Make sure you’re addressing these questions; not following specific rules will only make the process of reading your personal statement more challenging for a particular committee. Which brings me to —

DON’T write the same personal statement for multiple jobs/graduate school applications/scholarships. While you can definitely utilize the same information (and even some of the same paragraphs), make sure there is something unique about each personal statement that applies to each job or school you are applying to. You want to highlight the fact that you have done your research, and that you are excited about these places you’re applying to. Is there a particular class at one school that sounds interesting to you? Is there something about a particular company’s past successes that you want to comment on? By making each personal statement an individual one, you show that you care enough to take the time to do so, which will only count in your favor as the committee reads through your statement.

And, finally —

DO be yourself. Don’t worry about coming across as the “ideal” applicant; be specific about what you see as your strengths and disregard any concerns that they may not be “good” enough. Again: committees want to see what sets YOU apart from the rest of the applicants, not how you fit into a cliched pack.

For more info on writing personal statements, visit the Purdue OWL website!

Tips for Conducting Interviews for a Research Project

by Melissa Wyse

Last week, we talked about the benefits of using an interview as a research source.  We also talked about how to select an interview subject.  (You can check out that blog post here.)  Now we’re back with some tips to help you though the interview process.

Before the interview:

1. Start early.  Your interview subject probably has a busy schedule.  So contact him or her well in advance of your paper’s due date.

2. Do some preliminary research before the interview.  Learn about your topic, and if you’re interviewing someone well-known, learn about him or her, too.  If your interview subject has been interviewed before, read or watch his or her previous interviews.

3. Prepare a list of questions before the interview.

During the interview:

1. You'll probably find that you move among your interview questions, sometimes asking them in order, sometimes adding in a follow-up question, and sometimes skipping a question altogether because your interview subject already addressed that topic.

2. Remember, after the interview is over, you’re going to want to be able to quote or paraphrase accurately.  If possible, tape record your interview.  You also may want to take some notes during the interview itself—just make sure you look up from your notebook now and then so you can make eye contact.  

3. Be polite. You can ask your interview subject intelligent and thought-provoking questions, but do so politely, and with an aim of understanding their perspective.  Your genuine desire to understand will help your interview subjects trust and open up to you.

After the interview:

1. Immediately after the interview is over, make very detailed notes.  Do this in the car or on the Metro ride home, or even at the nearest coffee shop.  But do it immediately, while the conversation is still fresh in your mind.  Even if you’ve tape recorded and taken some rough notes during the interview, it’s always a good idea to take detailed notes after it’s over.

2. Remember to send your interview subject a thank you note.

Using Interviews as a Research Source

by Melissa Wyse

Have you ever hit a point in a research project where you simply couldn’t find the kind of source you needed?  You’d sifted through the online databases, spent more than your fair share of hours combing through the stacks in the library, and yet somehow there didn’t seem to be any sources with the particular information or perspective you wanted to include in your paper.

Consider using an interview as a source.  It can be one of the most fruitful and rewarding sources around, and yet many student scholars forget that interviewing is even an option.

Not only are interviews a valid source in academic writing, but there are a lot of benefits to using them in your research projects.  Conducting an interview allows you to tailor your questions to your working thesis.  Unlike reading books and articles, you’ll also have the opportunity to ask your interview subject follow-up questions to clarify or learn more about particular aspects of your topic.  And you’ll have brand new source material to work from—information, ideas, and perspectives that other scholars haven’t already written about.  This original source material may help you to make a unique contribution to the academic conversation.

You might consider interviewing a scholar or another expert on your topic.  Writing about US-China relations?  Interview a scholar in the field, or the head of a foreign relations think tank, or even someone from the ambassador’s office for either country.

You also might consider interviewing someone with first-hand experience in the area you’re writing about.  For example, if you’re writing a paper about the ethical and economic imperatives that driving the bidding process in the construction industry, by all means interview a contractor to get some first-hand insights into the process and his or her perspective on it.  Writing a paper about charter schools?  Interview a charter school teacher or student, parent or principal.  Get their perspective on your research question.

In selecting an interview source, there are a few considerations you should bear in mind.  Choosing to interview a friend or family member may be appropriate in some instances, but there are some serious drawbacks: you may not be able to write as objectively about someone you know, and even if you are able to do so, your readers may worry that your writing is biased, which undermines your argument. 

Consider, instead, interviewing someone you don’t know personally.  And aim high.  You’d be surprised by the people who are willing to meet with you.  Many important people, including politicians, scholars, and CEOs, have a soft spot for students working on research projects.  Send these important people an e-mail—and mention that you’re a college student.  You never know who will say “yes” to an interview.

Next week, we’ll be back with some helpful tips on how to conduct an interview.  Stay tuned!