Step by Step Personal Statement Writing Guide

Filed under statement writing tips, April 4th, 2010 by admin

Personal statement writing, just like all types of writing, is a step by step process. Hi Baidu gives a step-by-step guide in creating a personal statement, from brainstorming to drafting to editing.

Brainstorm for ideas

If you’re struggling to decide, talk with your family and friends, as well as your teachers and tutor to confirm for you whether or not a certain degree is the right option of study.

Decision making is one of the first steps in the statement writing process. You have to decide what is it that you want to study.

Go back to the degree you’re considering studying. What is it that drew you to choosing this particular degree? Have you had any work experience related to this future study? Have you previous studied the subject at a lower level? It’s these key aspects that will make your personal statement stand out, as everyone will have their own reasons for choosing a particular degree. These bits are still personal and you’ll start to see how your personal statement breaks away from the mundane standard statement.

After you make a decision, you have to gather ideas. You can start with questions. For instance, ask yourself why you are interested in a specific degree.

Decide on the structure you will use for statement writing

You have to decide on the structure. would it be a three-paragrah structure? After you have made your decision, it is time you draft a personal statement.

Use all the ideas you have gathered and categorised to try to explain concisely each of the different aspects, highlighting if they relate to your degree choice, and the personal qualities you have gained from them, whether this be team building, or an improvement in your oral communication, think carefully about these qualities as they will sell your personal statement.

You have to organize the flow of the sentences from the intro, body, to the conclusion. After these, you should condense your essay so it follows the requirements.

Edit and proofread your essay

Editing and proofreading are a must. This site gives tips on how to do the editing and proofreading.

READ THE PAPER ALOUD.
If we read the paper aloud slowly, we have two senses–the eyes AND the ears–working for us. Thus, what one sense misses, the other may pick up.

And also:

CHECK FOR GRAMMATICAL AND MECHANICAL ERRORS.
Are marks of punctuation where they should be? Are all words spelled correctly? (Try double-checking your spelling by spelling the word backward.) Are pronoun reference and subject-verb agreement consistent? Be sure to check any time you have doubts.

Like drafting, editing can be quite tedious. However, the result will be worth your effort.

When you write an essay, you have to follow the step-by-step process to make everything easier for you. Again, you have to brainstorm first, jot down the ideas, make a draft, revise, edit, and proofread.

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