All applicants must provide a Personal Statement of interest using the guidelines below.
Personal Statement
In no more than two, single-spaced pages (10-12 pt font), clearly and concisely distinguish yourself from other graduate school applicants with honesty, sincerity, and conscientiousness by avoiding cliches and ambiguous explanations.
Opening paragraph
Introduce yourself and why you are pursuing graduate study.
Demonstrate your unique qualifications by using concrete examples from your life experience and personal qualities that distinguish you from other applicants.
Describe and provide brief examples of your determination, fortitude, initiative, and ability to develop ideas, and your capacity to work through problems independently.
Qualifications
In one to three paragraphs, build a foundation for your forthcoming work. Discuss your experiences with the following:
Explain why you chose this field of study and how your academic, professional, or volunteer background may have led to your interest in obtaining graduate education.
List your expertise and accomplishments in your major field and include any research or related professional work you have performed, and be sure to include the name of any professors that provided guidance or direction.
Describe your undergraduate studies, current career track, or volunteer activities and how they relate to what you intend to do in graduate school.
Include specific experiences that demonstrate your motivation and inspiration for continued study.
List other relevant experiences, activities, organizational leadership, awards, honors, etc. that includes organizational information and other important details.
Mention specific faculty with whom you are interested in working with at St. Cloud State.
Closing Paragraph
Leave the reader with a clear understanding of your qualifications and your vision for the successful completion of your chosen graduate program. Boldly articulate the value that you hope to gain while you are a graduate student at St. Cloud State. Describe your goals and career ambitions, and explain how your graduate program will help you achieve those goals. Finally, describe the value you will contribute to the classroom and your student colleagues.
Keep in mind that your audience is made up of professionals in your chosen field, so there is no need to explain your understanding of the field, but rather to show your sincerity and ability to successfully complete your graduate education.
