Personal Statements

Design Student in Studio

Tips for Writing a Strong Personal Statement

  • Follow the prompts carefully. They may be different from one program to the next
  • Write an interesting and engaging statement, including the first sentence (versus “I’ve wanted to be a fill-in-the-blank since I was a sophomore”)
  • Include 2 or 3 specific stories that illustrate your skills and experiences
  • Touch on your intellectual learning from these experiences and highlight what else you want to learn during grad school
  • Do online or personal research so you can clearly articulate your interest in each program
  • Nearly every sentence should be personal, clearly about you. Facts about your academic topic of interest should be cited only in reference to how they inspired you, sparked your curiosity, or motivated you to action. It’s about you
  • Use strong grammar and writing skills throughout
  • Write in a clear and organized manner
  • Get feedback from your faculty or make an appointment with your career consultant

Writing a Personal Statement for a Health Program

The Pre-Health Student Resource Center (PHSRC) offers a Personal Statement Online Guide walking you through different stages of the process, including reflection, outlining, drafting, and finalizing their personal statement.  

Current UMN students and alumni are able to make an appointment with a PHSRC Career Counselor to get feedback on their personal statement for a health program. Current students can also enroll in AHS 3401: Writing a Personal Statement, a one-credit class, offered in Fall and Spring semesters.

Grad School Planning