The Nature of the Personal Statement Genre

You have studied literary genres at school. You know that every literary form has a history, evolves, often has formal characteristics
which distinguish it from other works, and has taken shape to inform and elicit certain reactions from readers. Though the US Personal
Statement isn’t a genre you studied for your GCSEs, it is a particular form that has both formal components, content requirements, and
an intended audience who you must always keep in mind.

Like other literary genres—poems, plays, novels—there can be a great deal of variation among the works of art. Poetic forms evolve
over time and free verse can be as elegant as a Shakespearean sonnet. Even with these variations, one can still often recognize the
loose generic components of a given literary work. This is also true for the US personal statement. There is no singular style for the US
personal statement—they can vary and many different versions and styles can be persuasive and effective. Yet, every successfully
personal statement will have certain features which are recognizable as such and work to serve the reader’s needs.

Personal Statement: Necessary Features

Regardless of the personal statement’s topic and structure, every successful personal statement will have:

• Personal reflection: Though your essay may address a topic you are passionate about (the environment for example) or may tell the
  reader about how a music teacher shaped your love for the piano, the essay must also incorporate thoughtful personal
  reflection about your values and who you are, not just what you do.
• Vivid details: Even if you are writing a conceptually rich personal statement, a successful essay will contain vivid details so the reader
  can imagine you and what you are doing and thinking. Your writing should be filled with visual rich details which will metaphorically
  transport the reader from the scene of reading to the where, when, and what you are describing.
• Clear examples: Though this essay works to present your values and qualities that will appeal to admissions committees, these
  intangible personal traits must be tied to real life examples! Saying you are dedicated to others isn’t as compelling as describing in
  detail a time you were self-sacrificing in order to meet another person’s needs. As with an academic paper that requires evidence
  for your claims, your personal statement requires the evidence of concrete examples for claims about your character.
• Clear takeaways: Though the structure and content of your essay may look very different than other personal statements, every
  successful personal statement as clearly identifiable takeaway points for the reader. This essay serves to prove why you would be a
  wonderful addition to the larger university community and the reader will not work to interpret or decipher why that is— rather—it
  should be made obvious. This isn’t a mystery genre!