Personal Statement Vs College Essay

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Students in the US often don’t pick a major until the second year of college and usually need to take core requirements outside their discipline.

As a result, US schools don’t expect you to write about your intended major within the Common Application essay.

Returning students can be especially apprehensive about the essay portion of the application package. Now you’re being asked not only to write but to write in the particular style that is effective in the college selection process.

However, you can manage this situation like a pro, and impress admissions officers, by following our expert tips for returning students.

Is it okay if I use that personal statement for my main Common Application essay?

My best guess is you’ll more than likely have to write another essay.However, this can also be more challenging in that you need to show your readiness for a graduate program both in terms of skills and character.The majority of the essay needs to be about your passion for your chosen field and why you have chosen to apply to a particular program.There are significant enough differences between the Common App and UCAS applications that make cross essay submissions problematic.The purpose of the UCAS application is to convince a UK university you’re prepared to tackle a particular course of study, which will end up being your chief academic focus.And so the UCAS personal statement serves to convince a university that your academic and intellectual bent, history, and goals are aligned with your prospective course—it’s more akin to a US graduate school’s statement of purpose than a US undergraduate personal statement.And because UCAS doesn’t have an additional activities list that accompanies its personal statement, you can take a little more liberty describing your extracurricular activities, as they relate to your prospective course of study, into your UCAS essay.Information about particular classes, professors whose work you admire or whose work aligns with your own research goals, and other factors like location of the school or internship opportunities should be included.Avoid writing about anything not directly related to the program.In your statement of purpose, place the emphasis on all of the reasons that you are applying to graduate school.You may want to write about experiences directly related to the graduate program and go into detail about why you are choosing a specific program.