A personal statement or autobiographical essay represents a graduate or professional school's first introduction or exposure to you, to the way you think, and to the way you express yourself. There might be interviews later on, but for now, in the beginning of the application process, the personal statement must serve as a reflection of your personality and intellect.

You must sell yourself through this statement, just as you would attempt to do in a job interview, and preparation and thought are essential. As hard as it is to write in general, it is even more difficult to write about oneself. So don't be discouraged; everyone has problems composing these statements.

If you have a friend who cranks one out in 2 hours flat with no agonizing over what he or she is writing, chances are it's not a statement that will do much to enhance the prospects for admission. The ones that are good take time. The ones that are bad can sabotage your chances for success.

2 types of personal statements (essays)

• The personal statements or essays required of graduate and professional school applicants fall into two major categories. There is the general, comprehensive personal statement, which allows the applicant maximum latitude in terms of what he or she writes. This is the type of statement often prepared for the Personal Comments section of the standard application form.

• The second category encompasses essays that are expected to be responses to very specific questions, such as those found on business school and other graduate application forms. Here you might have less latitude in terms of the content of your essay(s), but it is still possible and prudent to compose a thoughtful and persuasive response that holds the reader's interest.

No matter what type of application form you are dealing with, it is extremely important that you read each question carefully and make every effort to understand it and respond to it.

What ever else you choose to discuss in your essay, you must be certain to address the specific question that the application poses. Some applications are more vague or general in their instructions than others; for these it is often possible to compose almost any sort of essay you wish.

In these instances, it is almost as if you are participating in the dream interview in which you both ask and answer the questions. You have virtually total control and you also have a remarkable opportunity that you can either maximize or squander. The choice is yours. It is crucial to understand that even graduate schools offering the same degree often have very different requirements with respect to the personal statement(s).

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