How Ryan approaches a personal statement for his grad school application: Step 1 - Look up any formal instructions, as well as research the internet for indications as to what norms exist for personal statements Step 2 - Think about what bits of information I want to include that also characterize me appropriately, but also answer the questions listed in the formal instructions. Step 3 - Pick out whatever topic is floating at the top/most urgent and write as much about that as possible. Repeat until all topics are addressed. Step 4 - Write a conclusion paragraph. Theyre easier to write than introductions. Step 5 - Create an outline. Yes this happens in the middle. Dont ask questions. Step 6 - Use outline as a hypothesis statement. I dont care if this isnt a research paper. Its going to have a hypothesis statement. Use hypothesis statement as last sentence to introduction and work backwards. Step 7 - Finish sorting paragraphs to fit the outline and any finishing touches required on each paragraph. Then create a transition sentence at the end of each paragraph. Step 8 - Have wife read it. Have her identify what doesnt work (in this case, flow and alternating between sounding like myself and sounding like a medical journal) and what specific sentences that are worth keeping (two. two sentences are worth keeping). Step 9 - Copy and paste each paragraph in a new text document, only in reverse order (conclusion first, then so on). Delete each transition sentence and the hypothesis statement. Delete one of the two sentences worth keeping. Shockingly, the darn thing flows better and makes better sense now. If I didnt know better, Id say my brain was a Rubiks Cube.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 02:39:31 +0000
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