How to write a great Personal Essay

A Personal Essay, sometimes called a Letter of Intent, Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement or Autobiographical Statement, are typically around 300-600 words, depending upon the level of education you are applying for. Pay close attention to school requirements! These essays are highly necessary as they provide a glimpse into your life. Oftentimes a Cover Letter is needed, too, describing the essay you are sending and provide any other information that indicates why you are qualified for the school/program you are applying for. Be sure to include your e-mail address and a day and evening phone number.

Formatting specifications

These are essential!

- 1" margin on all sides
- Put your name, address, phone number, e-mail and other particulars, single-spaced in the upper-left-hand corner
- The rest of your cover letter and statement need to be double-spaced
- Do not indent paragraphs! This is basically a business letter!
- On the 2nd page, use a "slug", which is usually your last name in the top-left-hand corner; no need to number your pages, though
- If you mention people's names in the letter, verify they still work at the places you are referencing!
- Just because your statement is personal, doesn't mean it shouldn't be accurate! Be careful! You just might get interviewed/caught!
- Don't fax or e-mail your statement unless you have permission from the school or if the guidelines say that it is acceptable

Best Books: Writing Statements of Purpose, resumes, cvs, & letters

1. Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way into the Graduate School of Your Choice by Donald Asher A great reference. Develop your own formula for writing success, but don't be formulaic! Create a list of points you want to hit, and then create your 10-15 Statements of Purpose, customizing each one for a particular school or program. Or you can look me up at mystatementofpurpose.com 2. Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer by Susan Britton Whitcomb A good reference. Nowadays you need a great resume visually ‘and’ informatively. Employers do not have ADHD, they simply need to be able to scan your resume quickly to get the intel they are looking for. Look at DK (Doring Kindersely) books to see cool layouts, and then stick your resume into one. Visual impact is incredibly important. Make your own or look me up at mystatementofpurpose.com 3. Essential CVS (Essentials) by Jennifer Vesperman A good reference. Nowadays you need a great cv visually ‘and’ informatively. Employers do not have ADHD, they simply need to be able to scan your cv quickly to get the intel they are looking for. Look at DK (Doring Kindersely) books to see cool layouts, and then stick your cv into one. Visual impact is incredibly important. Make your own or look me up at 4. Instant Recommendation Letter Kit - How To Write Winning Letters of Recommendation (Third Edition) by Shaun Fawcett Don't get trapped in the cookie cutter! If your letter looks like a copy/paste from a list of nice things to say about anyone and no one, you need to rethink your process! Be thoughtful and specific. You owe it to the person you are writing about or yourself. Employers & schools don't want to read dry impersonal letters. Write your own, or look me up at mystatementofpurpose.com 5. 1001 Letters For All Occasions: The Best Models for Every Business and Personal Need by Corey Sandler 6. Cover Letter Magic: Trade Secrets of Professional Resume Writers by Louise Kursmark 7. How to Write a Great Query Letter by Noah Lukeman The list author says: 8. How to Write the Perfect Personal Statement: Write powerful essays for law, business, medical, or graduate school application (Peterson's Perfect Personal Statements) by Mark Alan Stewart Peterson's has some of the best advice on creating a winning Statement of Purpose, giving loads of examples and advice. It's a daunting task, and it's never easy to write about yourself. Tackle the task with this book or you can look me up at 9. Perfect Personal Statements, 2nd ed (Peterson's Perfect Personal Statements: Law, Business, Medical, Graduate School) by Mark A. Stewart Another of Peterson's amazing guides! Best advice on creating a winning Statement of Purpose, giving loads of examples and advice. It's a daunting task, and it's never easy to write about yourself. Tackle the task with this book or you can look me up at 10. Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning an M.A. or a Ph.D. by Robert L. Peters Some of the best advice on creating a winning Statement of Purpose, giving loads of examples and advice. It's a daunting task, and it's never easy to write about yourself. Tackle the task with this book or you can look me up at 11. Get Into Graduate School: A Strategic Approach for Master's and Doctoral Candidates by Kaplan Another of Kaplan's amazing guides! Best advice on how to get into grad school including how to create a winning Statement of Purpose, giving loads of examples and advice. It's a daunting task, and it's never easy to write about yourself. Tackle the task with this book or you can look me up at

Writing a good Letter of Recommendation

Professors, bosses, etc are all notoriously busy people. When you approach them for a Letter of Recommendation, they may ask you to write your own and then they will sign it. This doesn't necessarily mean they cannot remember you, or think of anything nice to say about you, it's one more chance for you to sell yourself to your prospective school, clients or potential workplace.

Warning: the professor/boss is going to read what you want them to sign. If you lie or exaggerate, you're going to be writing it again. They will allow some "poetic license", but it is their reputation on the line if they allow you to lie/exaggerate. If all you did was fax some press releases for them, saying that you were "the cornerstone of the department's communications and PR" is a big fat lie. What you can say is that you "provided administrative support in a consistently reliable and professional manner". See? Easy, right? Read on.

Secondly, this is where you get to do some role-playing. You have to put yourself in the professor's or boss' position, and write about you. Yes, it's you again, but you can do it.

Here's what needs to be covered:
(for the purposes of this blog, we're going to pretend it's your professor who's "writing" the letter of recommendation)

To start with, the reader is going to want to know how enthusiastic your professor is about recommending you for PhD Thermonuclear Research. You want to use words like:

strongly recommend, recommend, recommend with reservations, I do not recommend for admission (If you choose the last option, you can go back to your daily life and not worry about sending the letter in the first place).

Second: describe how long the professor has known you and under what circumstances he/she has known you. If you've only known the professor about two hours, choose a different professor. Talk in terms of months/years, or say, "It was a pleasure having Peggy Sue in three of my advanced brain surgery courses, from 2006-2009." You do not necessarily have to pick a professor you took courses with. If you work for a university as a work/study student, professors may know you from work you've done for them or others in their department. If all they can say is, "you should see John collate and staple!", then choose another professor.

Third: evaluate yourself for the reader in comparison with others in your class in terms of those your professor has known or may have known during his/her professional career. Describe the comparison group you are using. This means, you would say something to the effect of, "John was a pleasure to have in class. In my 30 years of professorship, I never knew a more energetic or engaged student." You have then identified yourself in their class and out of 30 years worth of students in a professor's career.

Lastly: (here's the "body" of the Letter) Addressing your abilities to pursue graduate studies and research, if applicable. Address your ability to work with peers, supervisors and subordinates; teaching potential; any outstanding abilities, talents, liabilities and weaknesses; and oral and written communication skills.

This is where you "blow your own trumpet" where you show off all that you are and more importantly what you are capable of. If you say you can "handle the pressures of graduate study” and your professor remembers you crying during pop quizzes, you may want to highlight your other skills. If you gravitate towards group leadership positions, then mention it. Do not be afraid of using your accomplishments.

Above all! This is your chance to talk about you in the best light possible, and as someone in authority. Use your boss'/professor's position, seniority and experience to work for you. You've worked hard to get where you are, so do yourself justice! All those times your boss made you feel like an idiot, well, it's payback time, baby! Show them that you know that they know how awesome you are!

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