Personal Statement based in research question?

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Hi all,

I have an application that asks for both an academic SOP and a Personal Statement that goes into your reasons for applying to graduate school. Does the Personal Statement also need to be connected to my research question, or since it's a separate document, can it just be a more generic document about my personal journey for going to grad school?

 

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

57 minutes ago, kgras13 said:

Does the Personal Statement also need to be connected to my research question, or since it's a separate document, can it just be a more generic document about my personal journey for going to grad school? 

Since I don't know the specifics of what the school wants for your Personal Statement, I am only assuming things since I would think Personal Statement prompts should be theoretically similar across schools. I applied to the University of Michigan and I had to do an SOP and a Personal Statement. For my Personal Statement, I talked about my personal journey that influenced my decision to pursue graduate school. I did not connect it to my research interests at all. Rather, I talked about how education was a huge part of my life ever since I was little. My grandparents immigrated to the US to go to grad school and get their PhDs. I saw my mom get her masters when I was little. All three of them are university professors, so I grew up on multiple college campuses. So, I just discussed how I realized that education can be very transformative and how I want to be a part of that and how a PhD will allow me to do that. However, your personal story can include your research interest/question. It's based on what you think influenced your decision to want to go to graduate school most on a personal level (see what I did there? ?). Here are some other forums that might help you figure out what to write for your Personal Statement. I hope this helps! Good luck!

 

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@Moods Thank you so much, that's exactly what I needed to hear. I think I'll avoid connecting it to my research topic and just explain my reasons for pursuing grad school. Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it!!