Would any current planning/development grad students be willing to share the personal statements they used in their applications?
I'd appreciate it.
Thanks.
Would any current planning/development grad students be willing to share the personal statements they used in their applications?
I'd appreciate it.
Thanks.
Hey,
I won't give you my personal statement, but as a fellow St. Louisian I will tell you this...
I incorporated my experience living in this city very heavily into my personal statement. I began with my opinion of the city and its redevelopment efforts, used that as a springboard into a few sentences on my relationship with the city and the reason I decided to enter planning. Then I detailed my education and professional experience as it applied.
I know that doesn't directly satisfy your request, but I would suggest tying your personal urban experience with your academic/professional exp. as much as possible. Out of all my drafts, I found that essay both the most fulfilling and the most dynamic personal statement.
I found writing my personal statement extremely difficult, but I think that if you reflect on your relationship with the built environment it'll turn out to be a good piece of writing. Of course, I don't want to sound all preachy or anything...as I just got accepted like a month ago...but I hope this helps in some way.
I agree with that. I applied to 6 different schools last year and changed my personal statement for each. I think the most important thing is to relate your interest in planning to your personal experiences.
Originally posted by kyleobie
Hey, this is useful. I'm about to write my personal statement as well.
Universe is not wide enough to be planned.
I honestly believe that writing personal statements is really an opportunity for you to honestly write what are your philosophy or philosophies about the program. Talk about what the program has to offer to you, what you hope to gain from it, how do you think you will use the acquired knowledge after you finish your master's/PhD program, and how your acquired knowledge will affects yourself and others.
Brainstorm first. Pool up your ideas. Blend them into cohesive and thoughtful sentences.
Write them into sentences persuasively.
Put the personal statement to the side and do something else to get your mind off from the personal statement for at least few days.
Look over it, modify it, stregthen it, edit it.
Repeat the putting-it-aside-and-return-to-it-later method a few times if possible.
If you come up with a good idea to add to your personal statement during your break from your personal statement, then just write it down and refer to it when you go back to editing your personal statement.
This is what I did for the applications that I've done in the last two years and it seems to have worked. I got into teacher's college last year and am now finishing it up. Plus, I recently applied for a post-grad program and got in.
Here is a book that I found helpful when I was writing personal statements 1.5 years ago. It's "The Grad School Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Getting in and Succeeding" by Richard Jerrard and Margot Jerrard.
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