Personal History Statement / Personal Statement

[saltlakecity2012]

RWBG's profile/SOP thread got me thinking about the essays that not every school required. Berkeley, for example, wanted a Personal History Statement in addition to the SOP. U Michigan wanted a Personal Statement in addition to the SOP. UCLA wanted the SOP only, but wanted some personal statement-like stuff in there according to the prompt.

When I was applying this time around I found little information available about these types of essays, so I wanted to start a thread on the topic. Feel free to contribute any tips you've been given, your actual statement (I'll put mine up when Berkeley gets around to rejecting me ), or whatever else might be helpful.

Hope this gives the next cycle a hand!

[saltlakecity2012]

Here's Berkeley's prompt for the PHS for the application for fall 2012 term:

"Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include information on how you have overcome barriers to access higher education, evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others, evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality, or evidence of your leadership among such groups.

The Personal History Statement is required for all applicants. Please note that the Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Statement of Purpose.

The University of California is committed to excellence and equity in every facet of its mission. Teaching, research, professional and public service contributions that promote diversity and equal opportunity are encouraged and given recognition in the evaluation of the applicant's qualifications. These contributions to diversity and equal opportunity can take a variety of forms including efforts to advance equitable access to education, public service that addresses the needs of California's diverse population, or research in a scholar's area of expertise that explores inequalities. Please describe any aspects of your personal background, accomplishments, or achievements that will allow the department to evaluate your contributions to the University's diversity mission. For example, please discuss any academic research interests focusing on cultural, societal, or educational problems as they affect underserved segments of society; educational experiences that provide an understanding how to address the academic needs of underrepresented students, or evidence of an intention to use the graduate degree toward serving disadvantaged individuals or populations. In addition, please describe any aspects of your personal background that might add to the diversity of the graduate group, such as experience living in bicultural communities, experience with barriers in access to higher education, multicultural competency, economic challenges, fluency in other languages, physical or mental disability, or other life experiences that will enable you to address the needs of our diverse society in your scholarly career."

And U Mich's prompt for the PS:

"How have your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan?

For example, if you grew up in a community where educational, cultural, or other opportunities were either especially plentiful or especially lacking, you might discuss the impact this had on your development and interests. This should be a discussion of the journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree.

Please do not repeat your Academic Statement of Purpose."

[Otherworlder]

I remember Stanford requiring some sort of diversity statement. I just threw something together really; it didn't seem overwhelmingly important to me. Somehow I can't remember Michigan asking for one at all >.<.......

[shavasana]

This is my diversity statement for Yale. I was admitted there, so it couldn't be THAT bad, but I certainly don't think that it was that important in relation to the rest of my application.

As both a minority in a dominantly white community and an adopted child, I grew up an anomaly in my community. These differences helped to spur my curiosity in the wider world and my academic and travel pursuits to this day.

My interest in my own culture, different from my parents, pushed me to learn about other languages. My interest came not only in the grammatical and syntactical elements of the language, but how people used language in everyday life. After serious study of Arabic and Persian in college, I pushed myself to be immersed in complete language environments in both Amman, Jordan and Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

As an adult, an increased interest in my own heritage has led me to begin to study Spanish, which I hope will one day help me with field work and to be a more complete scholar of the world.

[RWBG]

I wrote a personal statement for Michigan, but it's silly enough that I don't really want to post it. Moreover, Otherworlder's post seems to suggest that it wasn't heavily weighted in the process (he can't remember writing it); I think it's a requirement of Rackham, but not a serious part of the admissions process.

[TheGnome]

Okay, I know I am engaging in some serious thread necromancy here but I am curious - plus other users can see what was said before about the topic.

 

RWBG, since you are now a student at Michigan, I was wondering if you have any additional insights about the personal statement essay. I have been trying to do my best so far to come up with a good SOP, but this 2 statement policy is throwing me a bit off balance

 

Thanks!

[jeudepaume]

I join the necromancy session, as I am in the middle of writing my diversity statement. ('In the middle' in this case implies struggling over the first three sentences). I have no idea what people put in these (or even more generally, what tone should those be written in)

[catchermiscount]

All this time, I thought I didn't get into Michigan because I was just another old white guy.  NOW I LEARN IT WAS THAT I WAS A CRAPPY APPLICANT.  The horror, the horror.

[TheGnome]

that made me giggle

[RWBG]

Okay, I know I am engaging in some serious thread necromancy here but I am curious - plus other users can see what was said before about the topic.

 

RWBG, since you are now a student at Michigan, I was wondering if you have any additional insights about the personal statement essay. I have been trying to do my best so far to come up with a good SOP, but this 2 statement policy is throwing me a bit off balance

 

Thanks!

The only insight I have, besides the fact that it almost certainly won't matter that much, is that if it does matter it will probably matter because you've made a very compelling argument that your personal history/diversity is a positive attribute of your profile. I can't imagine an uninspiring statement will count against you, per se, but maybe you can get extra points with your story. But as with all things in this process, it's idiosyncratic, and who knows, you might get a committee member who care a lot about the personal statement. However, I doubt it.

Oh, and all your important academic-y stuff should be in the main statement!

[TheGnome]

Oh, and all your important academic-y stuff should be in the main statement!

I guess this is what I wanted to hear. Thanks a bunch RWBG

 

Did anyone ask about your pseudonym before? What is RWBG, if you don't mind me asking?

[zudei]

 

Did anyone ask about your pseudonym before? What is RWBG, if you don't mind me asking?

 

I always thought it was red white blue green for some reason... Is it?

[jeudepaume]

I also got the idea that personal/diversity statement should not matter all that much. However, this time (as opposed to the last round of applications) I've been strongly advised to introduce some perspective on my background. The general advice, as far as I understand it, is to make your disadvantages work for your advantage. Last time I preferred to ignore this aspect (as I think it shouldn't matter); this time I am trying to do the opposite, and actually stress it.

 

Talking to a number of professors in some schools led me believe, that if there are two candidates with a similar profile and characteristics (e.g. test scores), but one of them is from Ivy and another is from an unknown Belorussian university, it won't hurt the second to introduce a little story. Without a story, Ivy can be just another automatic plus to the first applicant's profile, whereas the story can actually change the balance in some cases.

 

I thought I'd share this perspective with other (especially international) applicants.

Edited December 2, 2013 by jeudepaume

[TakeMyCoffeeBlack]

I also got the idea that personal/diversity statement should not matter all that much. However, this time (as opposed to the last round of applications) I've been strongly advised to introduce some perspective on my background. The general advice, as far as I understand it, is to make your disadvantages work for your advantage. Last time I preferred to ignore this aspect (as I think it shouldn't matter); this time I am trying to do the opposite, and actually stress it.

 

Talking to a number of professors in some schools led me believe, that if there are two candidates with a similar profile and characteristics (e.g. test scores), but one of them is from Ivy and another is from an unknown Belorussian university, it won't hurt the second to introduce a little story. Without a story, Ivy can be just another automatic plus to the first applicant's profile, whereas the story can actually change the balance in some cases.

 

I thought I'd share this perspective with other (especially international) applicants.

 

That's probably true for students coming from regional LACs too. Thanks for sharing.

[jazzrap]

That's probably true for students coming from regional LACs too. Thanks for sharing.

I doubt professors would read it. Berkeley and Michigan usually receive millions of documents to review. 

[TakeMyCoffeeBlack]

I doubt professors would read it. Berkeley and Michigan usually receive millions of documents to review. 

 

Which isn't exactly encouraging.

[ajaxp91]

I also got the idea that personal/diversity statement should not matter all that much. However, this time (as opposed to the last round of applications) I've been strongly advised to introduce some perspective on my background. The general advice, as far as I understand it, is to make your disadvantages work for your advantage. Last time I preferred to ignore this aspect (as I think it shouldn't matter); this time I am trying to do the opposite, and actually stress it.

 

Talking to a number of professors in some schools led me believe, that if there are two candidates with a similar profile and characteristics (e.g. test scores), but one of them is from Ivy and another is from an unknown Belorussian university, it won't hurt the second to introduce a little story. Without a story, Ivy can be just another automatic plus to the first applicant's profile, whereas the story can actually change the balance in some cases.

 

I thought I'd share this perspective with other (especially international) applicants.

 

 

I doubt professors would read it. Berkeley and Michigan usually receive millions of documents to review. 

 

While I'm inclined to agree with jazzrap, maybe these sorts of supplemental essays play a role in finding funding from University sources. I recall one U.C. app stating this, more or less. So maybe it's not a big deal in initial admissions rounds, but counts later?

[Zahar Berkut]

I suspect that these sorts of statements could play a role in the final cut, when the department needs to almost arbitrarily throw out applications to make a limited number of offers. The sort of thing that can't hurt, but might help.

 

I'm dealing with mine right now, for my only program that requires it, and I'm really scratching my head on how much detail to go into in how I "really" decided to apply to a doctoral program and how my life experiences shaped that decision. They also did not specify a length limit-- I plan to keep it below 1000 words.

[upam]

Many/most universities strive for diversity in their cohorts. If you are legitimately a diverse applicant, these can help you. If you are not, I doubt these statements really help or hurt you unless you can frame yourself as a diverse applicant in some unique way (some small amount of help) or come across as a horrible person...