Personal Statement Title

[queennight]

Re: Applications, should the personal statement have a unique title (like what we normally would give to an essay)? I've gotten varying feedback on this - some people have put simply 'personal statement' at the top, while others have advocated for a creative approach. Is there a right way to do this?

 

This may seem like a dumb question, but I genuinely have no idea if there's a proper way to do this or not.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Completely for what it's worth, I did not give mine a title. I did give my SOP an MLA-esque header with my name and "Personal Statement" clearly labeled, but didn't provide an actual title. Frankly, I just can't imagine what a SOP title would be.

 

I'd be curious to hear from anyone who has given their SOP a title though.

[queennight]

A girl in my program said that she gave basically the title she would want her potential dissertation to eventually have. I think I'm going to opt for the more conservative approach, though? I'm assuming maybe it was a bit of an outlier answer.

[Dr. Old Bill]

That's odd... I can understand a Writing Sample having a title (mine does), but giving a SOP a title just seems strange to me.

[unræd]

Yeah, I just went with "Personal Statement." That seems a more fitting title for the actual content than any potential future diss title--aside from the fact that my SOP is just carving out an area/approach of interest rather than defining a set dissertation topic, I should hope my dissertation wouldn't talk nearly as much about me as my personal statement does!

[unræd]

Or was she talking about UK programs, where you're applying with a clear, specific research program already drawn out?

 

shrugs I dunno. Does seem odd to me, but what do I know?

[queennight]

Ok phew! One less thing to worry about !

[ProfLorax]

Here are some titles I think you all should use:

• From Squalor to Baller: The Meteoric Rise of the Best Student You've Never Met
• Say Yes to the Best: Why I'm the Smartest Decision You'll Make Today
• #FuckYes

[unræd]

 

Here are some titles I think you all should use:

• From Squalor to Baller: The Meteoric Rise of the Best Student You've Never Met
• Say Yes to the Best: Why I'm the Smartest Decision You'll Make Today
• #FuckYes

 

 

Dibs on #1.

[Dr. Old Bill]

[zanmato4794]

I might have this impression because my last department had an unusual concentration of upper-middle-class, sitcom-obsessing, over-dressing-for-everything hyper-extroverts, but I get the feeling that there's a bit of a professionalism wave going on, as if the cutesy-creative approach--at least for non-creative writing applicants--was seen now as more unprofessional.

 

I would be austere: title it "Personal Statement," or structure it as a letter.

[danieleWrites]

I didn't think I titled mine. And then I looked. I did. The first thing to go is the memory.

[bhr]

All seriousness, my PS was titled (for all but one program which specified Last Name Personal Statement) "I Was Evil For a While, But I'm Much Better Now"

 

I did have one person at a different program mention how much they enjoyed the title.

[mikers86]

I didn't title mine. Several of the applications instead asked you just put Personal Statement Last Name in the headers which I appreciated. When you have a page restriction, every line counts.

[1Q84]

All seriousness, my PS was titled (for all but one program which specified Last Name Personal Statement) "I Was Evil For a While, But I'm Much Better Now"

 

I did have one person at a different program mention how much they enjoyed the title.

 

May have to steal this but change it to: "I was turned into a newt but I got better."

[queennight]

At this point, I'm debating between "Started From The Middle, Now In Debt" or maybe "Please Keep Me At The Poverty Line for Another Half Decade"