INESSENTIALSWRITING #TakeOnYourFuture #itsALLINtheprep WITH EXAMPLES!
#TakeOnYourFuture #itsALLINtheprep ExerciseFutureSkillsPursuitMajorIntroPlanSheet13107421
A personal statement is one of the most important requirements when it comes to applying for universities or scholarships abroad. It is a sample of writing (often around 2 pages) describing your current state, reasons for choosing the major and university of your choice, your objectives, the ways you can contribute to the program to which you are applying, and also your future plan after graduating from the program. That said, an ideal personal statement is constructed by four components: major, pursuit, skills, and future plans. This sheet will give you a brief explanation of these four components along with the examples for you to see!
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If youʼre reading this, it means that the university application and scholarship season is coming up! Have you prepared for the long list of requirements needed, including a personal statement?
First and foremost, you need to tell what you want to learn by telling your intended major and reasons behind choosing it. What is your intended major? Why this major? What makes you a good candidate? After that, pour it down to writing! MAJOR #TakeOnYourFuture #itsALLINtheprep Before writing your personal statement, ask yourself these 3 questions: 2
1. Clearly states the applicantʼs prospective major 2. Clearly explains the applicantʼs personal and academic interest in the major 3. Enjoyable to read From this essay piece, this person already explained about how she fell in love with the major, developed love for the major, her un derstanding of the major, her personal and Let’s take a look at the example: In Grade 8, I was transfixed by my acid solution, which climbed up the walls of my burette, triumphant over gravity. Hooked, I went on to look up concepts like surface tension and meniscus, which were foreign to me. Gradually, my initial obsession with the application of scientific concepts to explain natural phenomena morphed into a deep interest in assembling and analyz ing various processes to manufacture innovative materials. The desire to ad vance our quality of life by raising the effi ciency, safety and sustainability of large-scale production eventually propels me towards studying Chemical Engineer ing.
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Now that you have explained your intended major, next you have to tell your pursuit or what you have done to pursue knowledge and understanding in this major. It could come from everywhere, such as from literature, internships, research, summer programs, or even competitions. This shows if your interests or passion, efforts, and major are aligned. #TakeOnYourFuture #itsALLINtheprep 4PURSUIT Let’s take a look at two examples where you can explain how you pursue your interests regarding your intended major.
Example 1: Pursuit through literature
My research into the area led me to read more about solar cells and quantum dot theory in the book Quantum Dot Solar Cells by Jiang Wu and Zhiming M. Wang. This reading introduced me to the fascinating properties of graphene, especially its ability to perform multiple exciton generation (MEG), boosting the efficiency and significantly lowering the price of solar cells. It is a phenomenon that deviates from the workings of a conventional solar cell, where absorption of one photon leads to excitation of multiple electrons instead of just one. I find it truly mind-boggling how unpredictably tiny particles can behave, but with each new observation, it opens new doors to thrilling possibilities of applications. From this piece, she explained that her pursuit led her to a book/academic journal, what she learned from the literature, and why sheʼs excited about it. You can continue the paragraph by showing another pursuit you have done. In this case, for example, it is through research.
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2. Provides evidence of academic initiative
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1. Demonstrates academic competence
Example 2: Pursuit through research
The growth of my interest in engineering eventually leads me to conduct an independent physics research project investigating the relationship between viscosity and the linear velocity of the fluid in Taylor Couetteʼs ultra-laminar flow. However, because I did not have access to the proper equipment, I had to build a rotating inner cylinder and the motor control circuit myself. After a few days of tinkering, my rotating cylinder was finally ready. My experiment revealed that the slower the fluid moves, the more viscous the fluid is. Knowing this can help us perform desalination more efficiently, which can be useful to provide fresh water to communities experiencing water shortages. After telling that she has done her pursuit through literature, she explained that her pursuit led her to researching a topic as well, then proceed to tell what is the topic and briefly explained her topic, how she showed extraordinary creativity in my approach/methodology, what did she discover from her research, and why sheʼs excited about it.
3. Highlights the applicantʼs research skills Why it works
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Itʼs important to showcase your skills beyond your academic achievements to really show what kind of person you are. Show your out-of-school activities that help you gain these skills and qualities that could help you in your study. What other skills do you have? Now, ask yourself these questions to help you write the part: SKILLS #TakeOnYourFuture #itsALLINtheprep 7 How would they help you be better at your major?
Example 1: Skills gained through competition As a part of my preparation to represent my school in National Science Olympiads in Biology, Math, and Social Science, I enrolled in a Harvard online course, Probability from the Ground Up, where I learned statistical concepts through game theory. This helped me earn two silvers and one bronze, as I learned the importance of applying my mathematical knowledge to process big data into meaningful decisions through understanding complex systems, which many of the Olympiad questions required. My strong foundation in statistics, calculus, and data processing will help me in my future study in data science. She explained about the competition, how she prepared for it, what she learned from her preparation, her achievement, and how she can apply this achievement to her major. Then she continued to explain other skills in leadership and communication.
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Example 2: Skills in leadership & communication
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In my final year, I enrolled myself as a committee member of the biggest yearly event organized by my school. I had the opportunity to engage with both the internal committee members by preparing logistics-wise for the football competition as well as external stakeholders as I reached out for sponsorship funding for our event. In the end, my division managed to get a sponsor from Mayapada Bank, receiving a total of 19 million rupiah. Through this, I learned to develop my leadership qualities by effectively communicating with fellow members and head committee, even when at times I had to sacrifice my personal want for the success of the event. In this paragraph, she explained her experience, the problems she faced and what she did to solve the problems, the results, and what she learned through this experience. Highlights the applicantʼs transferable skills Shows the applicantʼs experience beyond the classroom setting
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3. Highlights a wide range of interests Why it works
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#TakeOnYourFuture #itsALLINtheprep Don’t forget to end your personal statement by explaining your future goals. It could be short term goals which can be achieved in the next 3 to 5 years or long term goals that extend beyond 10 years or more. Itʼs good to talk about your future plans because it shows a positive outlook, your quality as a goal-oriented person, and that youʼve carefully thought about how this university course fits into your plans. How would your education help you in your future career? To help you write this paragraph, ask yourself: 10FUTUREPLAN What would you like to do after university?
Additionally, E-payment Systems and Cryptocurrency Technologies will add to my repertoire to improve current ways of transacting into more efficient ones that are poised to impact millions of lives. In this paragraph, she started with explaining what she wants to do in the future, then telling what classes sheʼs interested in and how these classes will help her realize my future plans. Then she continued to tell what she wanted in the future in depth. After that, pour it down to writing!
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Example 1: Why this university My mission is to be a part of the constant innovation in the demanding field of FinTech by implementing technological resources for financial advancement, starting with my desire to dig deeper into courses offered in Financial Technology. Introduction to Cybersecurity, for instance, will help me to ensure future financial services to be the safest platform for transactions regardless of the growing network connectivity in the digital world.
I am aware of the necessity for next generation of engineers to focus on solving global issues, including the climate crisis and clean energy. Although these industries are underdeveloped in my home country of Indonesia, by 2050, we aim to have 31% of our energy supply coming from renewable energy. Chinaʼs rapid development in renewable energy has generated to more than 1 trillion kilowatt hours in the first half of 2020 alone. Its growing green-energy industry would afford me many opportunities to gain relevant experience which I would be able to bring to Indonesia in the future, where I aim to be at the forefront of the revolution of the wind and solar industry. In this paragraph, she continued to tell what she wants to do in the future and what global issue sheʼd like to solve in the future and put some research sheʼs done on the subject. After telling her feasible plan, she could continue telling how X University / Y Country can help her achieve this plan of hers. the applicantʼs transferable the applicantʼs experience beyond the a wide range it
of interests Why
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Example 2
skills 2. Shows
classroom setting 3. Highlights
1. Highlights
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