How to Write a Persuasive Personal Statement

Writing a personal statement is a mission you will generally need to undertake when you are applying to a college and at such time you can often get stuck about what to say and write about yourself that would convince the other person to give you a chance.

What is a personal statement? Written by applicants to undergraduate and postgraduate courses to get admission into the college, a personal statement allows the admission board to understand the aspirations and inspiration of a student.

It allows them to get another perspective to a student (a more personal one) that can allow them to get a more three dimensional understanding of a student. A persuasive personal statement allows the board to understand how and why you have decided to enter the field that you want to and what your accomplishments and interests are.

A personal statement is also known as a statement of purpose. Writing about someone else is definitely a lot easier than actually writing about yourself. This is probably why writing a personal statement that can persuade someone to give you the position you are seeking can be quite the task.

While writing a personal statement you can often be at a loss for what exactly needs to be written and said. For a student applying to a college, there are many things that you will need to keep in mind while drafting a personal statement.

Given below are the things that you need to do as you sit down to write a personal statement that is sure to get you in to the college you want

• Before drafting the statement, remember that you need to know what the school wants you to tell them. Most schools do not want another brief recounting of your mark sheet. They want to know more about your goals, your long terms plans, your background, your interests, etc. 

There may be a specific word limit that has been mentioned. Follow it sincerely and ensure that you answer every question that the college has asked.

• A great way of writing an extremely persuasive personal statement is by trying to persuade themselves. Most people tend to be the hardest on themselves. If you are a tough critic, then start by interviewing yourself. 

Write down answers to questions regarding your educational background, your personal achievements, and your work experience. Be honest and sincere in your answers. Write down all your answers properly. Remember if you are impressed, then it may be easy to impress another person.

• Use the answers that you have after your self interview and use them create pointers that can be included in your personal statement essay. It is at this point that you need to determine which are the most important answers to your questions.

• Look at a third person's perspective. It is important to know how another person views you. Ask your parent or a close friend to go over your questions and responses and ask them to check if you have been truly honest.

• Before you actually sit down to write a persuasive personal statement, talk to people who have experience with these things. Talk to your student counselor or academic guide and ask them for help to draft the personal statement. 

They will be able to tell you how to draft it. They will also be able to give you sample personal statements that will help you in drafting your essay.

• Once you have all the information that you need, you need to divide and categorize it so that you can start drafting your personal statement. Start by drafting an outline for the statement. This outline should have divided into paragraphs everything that you would like to mention in the statement.

• Write the personal statement at least twice. Draft the first copy, read it, correct it, edit it properly and only keep the information that you think is relevant. Once you have edited the first draft, create final draft. Avoid using ornamental language as a means to impress. Instead stick to precise and to the point information.

• While drafting a personal statement, it is important to mention the influences who have inspired you to take up the path that you have decided upon. This can be a huge guiding factor in writing your essay and also impress upon the readers where you come from.

• Once you have written the personal statement, it would also be a good idea to get family and friends, or a guidance counselor to read it so that you can get feedback on the same. Always check the final printed draft for any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. 

You would not want silly mistakes to affect your chances at getting into the college of your dreams.

These are the most important things to keep in mind while writing a personal statement. These tips should come in handy while drafting such a document.