Many prospective graduate students struggle with writing the statement of purpose or the personal statement. A well written personal statement does a number of things. It allows the admissions committee to get a sense of who you are; it also tells them about your career goals and aspirations. Another important thing that it does is that it shows that you can write well in the English langauge which is very important at the graduate level.

I recently had to write a personal statement for admission into a graduate program, one that I’ve decided to share with you. This is by no means a guide on how to write your personal statement, everyone’s situation is different and your personal statement might be completely different. The personal statement that I wrote worked for me, so reading this might give you an idea of what works.

Personal Statement

I graduated from ABC University in December 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems (MIS). For the first year of my college life, I was very indecisive as to what I wanted to major. I knew it had to be in a technology related field, as I have always been very interested in the field, but I also had a keen interest in business and management. Therefore, the MIS major at ABC University was a natural choice for me; it was a perfect blend of IT and business classes.

It has been eight months since I graduated from college and I am anxious to dive back into academia. I’ve begun to look for suitable programs in which to pursue my Masters degree, and I think the MS in Information Technology Management (ITM) at XYZ University would be complementary to my future career goals; much like the MIS program was for me at ABC University.

I am keen on technology and business processes. My career goal is to move into a management position within the IT department of a large organization. To do that I will not only need to speak the language of technology, but also be well versed in management and business techniques. I will need to know how to communicate to business users from within the IT environment. In order to move into a management position, I will need to display leadership qualities, good ethics, cultural understanding and deep knowledge. I feel that the ITM program at XYZ University will help me develop these qualities.

I have a very sharp mind and I am able to pick up on new concepts quite easily. I am a good listener and I communicate well with other people. The ability to be motivated and “stay the course” is another one of my strengths. For example, I was smoker for ten years until I decided to quit last October. I haven’t smoked since and don’t intend to. A shortcoming that I suffer from is my habit of procrastination. I do get things done, but I am usually scrambling at the last moment.

I am really excited about the ITM program and hope that it will help me grow both as a person and in my career. I am well aware of the reputation of your university and it would be a great opportunity for me to study at your institution.

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