Lots of contradicting stuff love to wreak havoc in students’ heads. Some says you got to put those nice, big words in place; some counters that students need to use their own (and by ‘own’ infers simple vocabularies) for the article to remain ‘personal.’
Lots of contradicting stuff love to wreak havoc in students’ heads. Some says you got to put those nice, big words in place; some counters that students need to use their own (and by ‘own’ infers simple vocabularies) for the article to remain ‘personal.’
If this is the sort of advice that students get, it may be better to shut everyone out, write like a recluse, and consider the draft made. Perhaps, not every admissions tutor read this. Or if they do, there are probably much worse articles than this.
Apparently, an applicant can’t ignore the other possibility – that the article is going to get read, and become the ticket to an institution’s yes or no. For one, writing a personal statement needs to bore a crucial amount of critical thinking.
Now, how do students make such skill evident in their articles? Do they have to specify the difficult programs and advanced projects they had come across? Or, do they need to detail every credential and paint it with every flying colour possible?
Perhaps, students need to slow down a bit. One can’t immediately put it in their hands, and compose a piece; rather, they must settle first with a personal statement sample to teach them (how).
A model article may be the last thing in your list; perhaps, you want to just go, immerse in the writing and discover what in it flags ‘critical thinking’ and whatnots. But that may cause for the whole process to become too messy. To arrive at clear definitions of critical thinking in the context of the article, students are advised to take a look at the following indicators:
- Critical thinking is there when the claims (on qualifications) are well-established. This is made feasible by accompanying every claim with proofs.
- Critical thinking is present when the reader is led to see the applicant’s potentials. Such potentials are basically marked out via things students had tried or performed, and with an expression of carrying further (in a higher education level).
- Critical thinking predominates when contents of the personal statement sample is well chosen. That is to reinforce the fact that selection (of contents) is made under relevant metrics set by students, which could either be devised, or derived out of an institution’ standards.
Directly piecing out the article, without prior knowledge (as to how), would students be able to put those indicators to place? Evidently, not; or if they do, not all indicators could be shown.
In retrospect, a personal statement sample is a students’ friend. It shows a lot without explaining – leaving the rest of the puzzle for the students to finish. This is a lot less confusing than contradicting suggestions.
