As I trudge through draft #34,509,856 of my personal statement here, I can't help but add to this thread somewhat tangentially.
While my initial drafts were "warm" and had a personal thread through them (not "I love literature!" but explaining specific gateway or lightbulb moments that led me to my subject area/wanting to teach), I'm staring at my latest draft and realizing it's concise, content-based, sharp, and... cold. Somewhere along the way, I took out all that "personal" stuff, and touched on only specific MA coursework in my subject area and teaching achievements. And I kinda like it. It says everything I wanted it to say and emphasizes my area of interest and professional work over all else.
I realize there is no real "right" and "wrong" way to approach a personal statement, but... is the "cold" SOP really the kiss of death? Aren't we selling ourselves to the ad comms on a professional level (i.e. cover letter to a potential employer sort of thing)?