Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING
Personal Statement Checklist
A statement of purpose or personal statement is generally considered a significant part of the
application process for admission to undergraduate and/or graduate school and for a scholarship,
fellowship, or research grant. As you go through the process of writing a statement of purpose or
personal statement, carefully consider the following points:
• If you are applying to undergraduate and/or graduate school, you have researched the
academic program as a means to have a better understanding of the requirements:
§ What kind of program is it?
§ Does it emphasize research?
§ Does it require fieldwork?
§ Is the curriculum focused on theory?
• Your statement has an unstated, implicit thesis: “I am an excellent applicant to this
particular graduate program or for this specific scholarship/fellowship.”
All examples and evidence you use should support your thesis.
• Direct the reader’s attention to specific examples of the necessary skills and abilities
required by the program for which you are applying: e.g., a major research project you
did, an internship in the field you completed, a theory you successfully applied to an
academic problem.
• Analyze your academic transcript.
What features of it speak for themselves and do not need to be repeated in your
statement?
Are there aspects of your recorded academic experience that might need explanation?
§ a break in continuity (transfer, change of major, etc.)
§ certain assessments (a contrast between your overall GPA and your GPA
in your major, etc.)
§ curricular patterns (a large number of lower-level courses, an internship
course taken twice, etc.)
