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[wee_devil]

Personal statements.

I've written a statement of purpose that I'm very happy with, but now I'm faced with a prompt asking me to write my life history.

"This should be a concise, well-written statement about how your personal background and life experiences, including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges,

Comments

[notquitezeus]

that sounds so much like "when did you first realize you were... different"

for what it's worth, i knew i wanted a ph.d in high school --- it was the only obvious way to reconcile my desire to play with fun toys with an equally strong desire to make a positive contribution to society.

[catherinian2]

I found this comment (from Saralinds) to be very helpful:
http://community.livejournal.com/applyingtograd/3397238.html?thread=35094390#t35094390

*

I read it as "what is it about you that lead you to your field?" or even "how does your background give you a unique perspective on your field?"

I did have a "diversity" essay...or perhaps an anti-diversity essay. My background had no bearings on my academic choices, and I really couldn't make a claim otherwise. Instead, I tried to show how my background gave me a unique angle, even if it didn't directly influence my research.

[roseofjuly]

Your background has no bearing on your academic choices whatsoever? Really?

[catherinian2]

You need not sound so incredulous. While it's rather hard to "prove" this without being too self-revealing...my background might suggest one particular line of interest that I did not choose to pursue.

It may be worth mentioning (and I've inferred this elsewhere) that I'm a minority and an immigrant, and it assumed that every minority would discuss their minority status in the P.S. I've had *several* well-meaning individual tell me that I should elucidate how my background influenced my academic choices, even to the point of drawing out those connections for me.

[silverthief2]

I am writing for this exact prompt, and used the conditions in which I grew up (childhood home in a neighborhood between railroad tracks and interstate highway) as a starting point. I'm applying for Master of Urban Planning programs, so I was able to tie this condition to the research agenda I propose for grad school (people and transportation infrastructure coexisting better than they do now). If you can find a starting point that can be related to what you want to study that should get you going.

[empty_branch]

I have to write for that prompt, for the MUP program too ;) I honestly haven't really started it yet, but I'm going for the same angle - how where I grew up influenced what I want to study (I'm interested in floodplain, watershed, and disaster management though).

I think these essays aren't so much about how you're so diverse, but how your background influences what you want to study and why you picked U of __ for that study. It's a less academic version of "Why this school is a perfect fit for me." At least that's how I'm looking at it.

[roseofjuly]

Exactly. They're not diversity statements in PC language; they want to know the personal characteristics you think led you to where you are now -- involved in some sort of research and wanting to go to graduate school. Something in your history and/or background, somehow, made you interested in going to college, getting involved in research, falling in love with it, and deciding to get an advanced degree, and they want to hear about it.