Writing the personal statement II

If a student asks us:

In my personal statement in English to apply for further studies, a fellowship, employment, or an internship, is it okay to add humor?

We may reply:

While it is important to give a specific image of your own experience and personality in the statement, to make you appear different from other applicants, be very careful about putting in any jokes or quoting any other writers. The people reading the personal statement may not share a similar sense of humour, or may not like whatever is quoted. Some people may think that jokes are disrespectful. For this reason, it is better to remain serious in the personal statement.

The student may wonder:

Can I write more or fewer words that are asked for in the personal statement?

We might say:

It is best to check and be sure of the word limits and stick to them. Writing more than is asked for will not impress those who read a personal statement, or give the impression that the applicant is hard-working and not afraid to do more than is asked. It may instead give the unfortunate impression that the applicant is unable to follow instructions. Or even worse, that the applicant believes that the personal story being explained in the statement is so fascinating and essential that it is worth going beyond the indicated space limits.

It always helps when writing to remember that one day someone will read what is being written, as unlikely as that may seem. If we further think that the person reading the personal statement must read many other personal statements as well, we can imagine that a personal statement that is much longer than the stated word limit only means that it will take longer to read. Since we want to show that we respect the busy reader’s time, which must also be spent doing other professional duties, we do not want to insist that the reader spend extra unnecessary time with our application. So to make a modest and polite impression, it is better to express ourselves within the stated word limits.

If the student inquires:

What about if I write fewer words than are asked for?

Our answer:

Writing fewer words in a personal statement than are asked for, while better than writing too many, may not leave enough room for the applicant to fully describe why the institution or higher learning or potential employer would be a productive place to join.

If the statement has very few words, it may mean that the applicant has not done enough research to find out specific features about the university or employer that appeal the most. If we find ourselves with nothing to say, then look again at the website of the university or corporation and examine why we think we would be happy if we were associated with it. Something should give us a subject for enthusiasm. If there is really nothing about a university or employer that we are truly interested in, it may be that they are not the best choice for us.

If the student needs to know:

Is it acceptable to use technical vocabulary in my personal statement?

We can tell them:

Since we do not know the people who will be reading our personal statements, it is best to write in a style for the general reader, without specialized terminology that they might not know.

Similarly, if we can include a brief story or narrative about our personal or professional experiences that might capture the reader’s interest, that might also help make our personal statement stand out and be memorable.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)