Okay, so I wanted to get into a Clinical Psychology PhD program. The personal statement? A huge deal. I mean, it’s basically your chance to show who you are beyond grades and test scores. So, I started by, you know, just staring at a blank screen for a while. Classic.
Brainstorming (aka Controlled Chaos)
First, I grabbed a notebook – I’m old school like that – and started jotting down anything that came to mind. Why clinical psych? What experiences shaped me? What are my research interests? It was a mess. Like, a total brain dump. I wrote about:
- My volunteer work at a crisis hotline.
- That time I helped a friend through a really tough period.
- My fascination with the human mind (duh!).
- The research I did in undergrad on anxiety.
- A book that really got me thinking.
>
I just kept writing until I felt like I had squeezed out every last * order just my ideas.
Finding a Theme (or Trying To)
Next, I looked at all that mess and tried to find a common thread. Something that connected all these random * wasn’t easy. But eventually, I realized that a lot of what I wrote about came back to my desire to understand and help people struggling with mental health challenges. I wanted to put my mind to help people as much as i can!
Drafting (and Redrafting, and Redrafting…)
Then came the actual writing. Oh boy. I started with a rough draft, just trying to get my thoughts on paper (or, well, on the screen). It was clunky. It was awkward. It was probably way too long. But it was a start.
I read it * * parts. Hated it a little less. Showed it to a friend. They gave me some feedback(bless them). I revised again.
I focused on showing, not just telling. Like, instead of saying “I’m empathetic,” I described a specific situation where I showed empathy. Instead of saying “I’m passionate about research,” I talked about the details of my undergrad project and what I learned.
Polishing (aka Making It Sound Less Awful)
After many, many rounds of revisions, I finally had something that I didn’t completely despise. I read it out loud to myself (cringe, but helpful). I checked for grammar and spelling errors (thank you, Grammarly!). I made sure it flowed logically from one paragraph to the next.
The Final Product (Fingers Crossed)
Finally, I had a personal statement that I felt good about. It wasn’t perfect, but it was me. It told my story, highlighted my experiences, and explained my *, fingers crossed, it hopefully helped me stand out just a little bit in the sea of applicants.
The whole process was tough, ngl. But it was also a really good way to reflect on my journey and solidify why I wanted to pursue this path. Would recommend, even if it’s just for yourself!
