The graduate school personal statement is your chance to demonstrate your unique qualifications for and commitment to graduate study by discussing those experiences, people, and events that influenced your decision to pursue your field of interest.

That's a lot to accomplish--especially in the typical two pages allowed for your personal statement. You can find the key to success by focusing on a few illustrative incidents as opposed to giving a superficial overview. Remember: Detail, specificity, and concrete examples will make your essay distinctive and interesting. Generalities and platitudes that could apply to every other graduate school applicant will bore. If you use them, you'll just blur into one of the crowd.

Following "Ten Do's and Don'ts for Your Personal Statement" will help you write a compelling, focused essay, one that will transform you from a collection of numbers and classes into an interesting human being.

The Do's

 1.Unite your essay and give it direction with a theme or thesis. The thesis is the main point you want to communicate.

 2.Before you begin writing, choose what you want to discuss and the order in which you want to discuss it.

 3.Use concrete examples from your life experience to support your thesis and distinguish yourself from other applicants.

 4.Write about what interests you, excites you. That's what the admissions staff wants to read.

 5.Start your essay with an attention-grabbing lead--an anecdote, quote, question, or engaging description of a scene.

 6.End your essay with a conclusion that refers back to the lead and restates your thesis.

 7.Revise your essay at least three times.

 8.In addition to your editing, ask someone else to critique your personal statement for you.

 9.Proofread your personal statement by reading it out loud or reading it into a tape recorder and playing back the tape.

10.Write clearly, succinctly.

The Don'ts

 1.Don't include information that doesn't support your thesis.

 2.Don't start your essay with "I was born in...," or "My parents came from..."

 3.Don't write an autobiography, itinerary, or résumé in prose.

 4.Don't try to be a clown (but gentle humor is OK).

 5.Don't be afraid to start over if the essay just isn't working or doesn't answer the essay question.

 6.Don't try to impress your reader with your vocabulary.

 7.Don't rely exclusively on your computer to check your spelling.

 8.Don't provide a collection of generic statements and platitudes.

 9.Don't give mealy-mouthed, weak excuses for your GPA or test scores.

10.Don't make things up.