1. Developing a Personal Statement and a Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) Sponsored by office of Career Services Presented by Emily Salazar, Career Counselor For an appointment in Career Services: Moody Hall 134 – Phone: 512-448-8530 http://think.stedwards.edu/careerservices

2. Applying to graduate school (Ph.D., Master’s) Applying to professional schools (medical, law, etc.) Applying for prestigious scholarship Required for research or field study Requested by professor for recommendation

3. The“big picture, i.e. the application: o School’s application form o GPA and Admission test o Essay o Sometimes, additional writing sample or essay on assigned topic o C.V. or Resume o Letters of Recommendation o Sometimes an interview

4. The Curriculum Vitae, (C.V.)

5. Resume o For job or internship search o Emphasis on work experience and skills o Tailored to job/internship objective o For most college students, one page maximum Curriculum Vitae o For academic purposes o Emphasis on scholastic achievements, research, field specific experience o Objective already understood o No maximum length, generally 2-3 pages for students

6. Always: Name, contact information, education and degrees Other possible categories: varies according to field of study o Research, publications, presentations o Professional conferences o Academic achievements o Relevant internships, experience o Leadership achievements o Community service o Artistic talents, performances o Certifications, licensures o Professional affiliations …and much more…

7. Provides the review committee with a “quick read” It’s a snapshot outlining the entire application Some C.V. items can be elaborated on in the Personal Statement Essay Some C. V. items are duplicated on application form

8. There is not one standard format (i.e. “look”, “style”) There are no standard category headings Tip: create a list of similar items; THEN name the category to describe the content Internationally: Most countries outside the U.S. do not distinguish between Resume and C.V.; the term C.V. is commonly use for job search AND applying to higher education

9. Environmental Science student (click here)click here SEU professor (click here)click here Samples on “Quintessential Careers” website: http://www.quintcareers.com/vita_samples.html

10. Personal Statements

11. Personal Statement Statement of Purpose Admissions Essay Essay Letter of Intent Mission Statement

12. 3 rd most important item, after GPA and test scores Additional evidence of intellectual and creative achievements Insight about you as a person Tells why you’re interested in graduate school, your field, and your research interests Helps reader determine if your goals and interests match their program It’s a way for them to assess your writing skills!!!

13. Length requirement varies from school to school Some have a required length; others leave it up to you It could be anywhere from 250 words to five pages Read the application and follow instructions

14. Start with questions asked on application Take a deep breath and RELAX When you’re ready to write, take out paper and pen or start your computer Brainstorming ideas with someone else may help Start writing……

15. Personal Statements What the Readers are Looking For

16. Put yourself in their shoes. A common complaint is: “So many essays seem the same.” After 100’s of essays what a relief to read a 1 st line like this: “I was taking out the garbage one morning at Big Bend National Park when I realized what had been bothering me…” 1 - An Essay That Stands Out from All the Rest

17. Ask yourself: what makes you unique? Sometimes the thing that makes a person really different is a personal or family matter: “I received a bachelor of arts degree twenty years later than my high school peers…” Set yourself apart from the rest Consider your whole life and maybe even your ancestors’ lives. Activity: write down the 3 most unique things about you as an individual. 2 - A Unique Individual

18.  Take the time to remember who and what your intellectual influences have been  Answer each of the following: What writers and which particular articles in your field of study have had the greatest influence on you? Who were your favorite professors in college and why? How has each influenced you? What is the best paper or exam you ever wrote in your major and what makes it good? What do you consider the most important book, play, article, or film you have ever read/seen and how has it influenced you? What is the single most important concept you have learned in college? What encouraging words have others said to you that influenced you? Where were you and what were you doing when you decided on your career path? 3. Choices Based on Life Influences

19.  Build a historic overview: How has your interest evolved, and what specific turning points can you identify? What work experiences have led you to believe you would like to pursue graduate education? What experiences as a volunteer or traveler have influenced your career directions? What experiences from your family life have contributed to this choice?

20.  Define your career goal: What do you want to study? What do you want to research? What career will you pursue post-graduation? What attracts you to this career? Why have you chosen the particular path you’re pursuing? How will do you hope to gain from pursuing this career?

21.  Consider your academic background: How did you prepare yourself academically to succeed in graduate school? What knowledge did you gain from academic studies? What research skills have you developed to date? How did you excel scholastically OUTSIDE the classroom? What initiative did you demonstrate to further your knowledge in your particular field?

22.  What is your biggest accomplishment to date?  Take some time with this one; it might not be obvious.  While you’re thinking about it, make a list of “many things I am proud of”.

23.  What research have you completed to date?  Make a list of major research projects and your role in them.  If the research is published, look up the exact citation.  Describe your level of participation in the research, such as: “designed experimental methodologies…” or “assisted Dr. Burke on a study of…”  DON’T FORGET CAPSTONE!!

24.  Name Dropping: “In my frequent correspondence with Dr. Lee I have come to discover…”  Name major advisors, professors, major theorists  Make a list of names you might want to work into your essay  Here’s a great opening line: “My uncle, for whom your library is named…”

25.  Don’t hide information that members of the admissions committee would certainly consider pertinent.  For example: if your higher education goal stems from your cultural heritage, it’s appropriate to include it.

26.  Answer the question: what do you know about the city, geographic region, or state where you will be applying?  How will this environment impact your graduate studies, if at all?

27.  Consider the future as well as the past!  Short-term: what classes and research projects will you take between now and graduate school? Example: special summer school classes, or internships related to your field?  Long-term: Be able to address specific post-graduate career plans - how graduate school will facilitate these plans, your 5- year goal, 10-year goals post-graduation, and additional education beyond the program you’re applying to now?

28.  Are you involved in sports?  What do you do with your leisure time?  What are your hobbies, past times?  What can you tell someone that would lead them to believe they’d enjoy your company?

29.  If you have grades or test scores that do not represent your true potential, you can explain them in your essay.  Don’t make long, involved excuses; keep it simple and avoid drama; don’t whine or feel sorry for yourself

30.  If they are going to invest time and money into bringing you to the school, they want to know that you will complete the program and that you will excel. They don’t want a dropout! They don’t want someone who fails.  Graduate school is tough! Ask yourself what you can say in your essay that demonstrates that you can be successful.  When else in your life have you been successful with a major challenge? When else have you overcome difficult odds? How did you make it through your undergraduate program?

31.  Don’t forget the basics of what they want to know.  Where are you coming from, why are you coming here, where are you going after this?

33.  Write the essay for your first-choice school first, then modify it as needed for your other targeted schools.  The topic is usually specified by the school to which you are applying.  RTGDQ (Read the Gosh Darn Question)

34.  Be brutally honest! Do not try to second guess your reader.  Make every sentence come straight from your heart  Write like you talk and use straightforward language.  Tape record your first draft and pretend you are reading to a friend  Write when you write; Edit when you edit

35.  Do not let anybody tell you what to write  In a first draft, you are brainstorming; fill the page with ideas before evaluating them  You’re not ready to critique yet  Just keep writing and move forward

36.  Demonstrate that you have read the catalog carefully, researched the school and the program, and considered your reasons for applying to this particular school: “I was especially impressed by Dean Jade’s statement in your brochure that the school “strives to ……..”

37.  Write like a scholar, not like a first year freshman.  Avoid using vague words; say what you mean.  Avoid: beautiful, wonderful, meaningful, etc.  Replace vague words with a personal statement from your unique point of view

38.  After you have addressed the specific questions asked by the admissions committee, you are free to weave in any specific additional points you wish to make.

39. Openings and Closings - Writing 101 -

40.  The Opening Line is VERY important: “I am the 6 th of 7 children from a large blue-collar Irish Catholic family in the Midwest.” “I am a Puerto Rican woman.” “If this information were to fall into the wrong hands, my father could go to jail.” “I made an “A” in labor relations, but I learned more about labor- management issues in one summer working on a union construction crew than I learned in class.” “It happened two years ago as I lay sprawled out on the floor of the library lounge at the Universite de Grenoble in Grenoble, France.”

41.  The Closing Line is also VERY important: “I have developed maturity and tenacity that surpasses many others my age, and I believe that such qualities are ultimately the most indicative of my ability to succeed at a graduate level.” “Anne Frank once said, “How wonderful it is that no one need stop trying to change the world.” I remember that, and I am hopeful.” “I have selected Berkeley as my program of choice because of its reputation for commitment to handicapped access, universal design, and related areas of modern architecture and design. I am applying to no other program.” (risky) “I will know the reward of the pursuit of my goal when I see a young person sitting tall, head raised, and voice loud and confident as I ask her to read to the rest of the class about her ancestors and the mighty West African kingdom of Cayor.”

42. Subsequent Drafts and Changes

43.  Check for misspellings  Check grammar  Avoid overuse of “I”; especially don’t let it be the first word in your opening line  Write your 2 nd draft as if you were sitting in the reader’s brain. How will they react?  Check to see if you were positive throughout your essay

44. Shorten it to the required length. If they say 700 words, they mean it. Edit carefully, but keep the essentials.

45.  Show it to your professors, advisors, writing centers, career planning staff  Read each draft out loud  Consider paying for essay review; there are several services on the internet (EssayEdge.com). This may be one of the most important documents of your life.

46.  Fewer than 3 drafts is not enough.

47. “Graduate Admissions Essays” by Donald Asher, (Ten Speed Press) “Perfect Personal Statements” by Mark Allen Stewart (Thomson/Peterson’s) (for Graduate School, Law/Medical/Business School) “How to Write a Winning Personal Statement” by Richard J. Stelzer (Peterson’s Education Center) (for Graduate and Professional Schools) Internet: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_perstate.html (Owl)http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_perstate.html http://students.berkeley.edu/apa/personalstatement/ (Berkeley) http://www.accepted.com/grad/personalstatement.aspx (accepted.com) http://www.studential.com/guide/write_personal_statement.htm (studential.com) “Essays That Worked for Medical Schools” by Stephanie Jones and Emily Baer, (Ballantine Books) “Essays That Worked for Law Schools” by Boykin Curry and Emily Baer (Ballantine Books)