How to write a personal statement? Dos & Don'ts

楼主在SUNY-Binghamton的admission页面看到的一个非常棒的Guideline，通过问问题的方式启发你挖掘素材，从内容取舍，到格式规范，多方面地给写PS的盆友提出建议，下面摘取几段。

Questions about your individuality:
 Does any attribute, quality, or skill distinguish me from everyone else? How did I develop this attribute?
 What is my strongest, most unwavering personality trait?
 What are my favorite books, movies, and artwork? Have these influenced my life in a meaningful way?
.  What was the most difficult time in my life, and why? How did my perspective on life change as a result?
 Have I ever struggled for something and succeeded? What made me successful?
 Have I ever struggled for something and failed? How did I respond?

Questions about your field of study:
 When did I become interested in my field of study? Why am I interested in my field of study?
 What experiences confirmed that this is what I really want to study?
 What have I learned about my subject of interest?

Do’s
 Address the questions/assignment given.
 Develop paragraphs purposefully, be specific and make every word count.
 Use action verbs and numbers to indicate the scope of your responsibility.
 Back up claims with facts/evidence.
 If discussing a problem or deficit, do not apologize or sound defensive. State the facts but do not whine then move on to positive statements about what you learned and how you grew from that experience.
 Use simple sentences; do not try to sound “fancy.”

Don’ts
 Try to impress the readers by using words that are not a part of your normal vocabulary or writing.
 Overstate accomplishments.
 Be cute, flippant, profane, or glib.
 Use jargon, slang, unusual abbreviations, flowery language, or cluttered imagery.
 Include information that does not support your thesis.
 Start your essay with, “I was born in...,” or, “My parents came from...”
 Write an autobiography, itinerary, or résumé in prose.
 Be afraid to start over if the essay just isn’t working or doesn’t answer the question.
 Rely exclusively on your computer to check your spelling.
 Give excuses for your low GPA or test scores.

个人感觉这里面的很多问题不止对PS，对于需要express oneself的很多场合都能理清思路，希望对大家有所帮助，谢谢。

没有米的童鞋可以去官网下载，很好找的~

www点binghamton点edu/ccpd/quick-reference-guides/Writing-personal-statement.pdf
不用谢

非常希望能看到这个帖子里的内容