Motivation Motivation LLetteretter (ML) (ML)StStatement of atement of PPurpose urpose (SoP)(SoP)

Personal Statement (PS)Personal Statement (PS)

Yohanes “Masboi” WidodoWageningen University

Aims

• To show the admissions tutor why you should be accepted on your chosen course at your chosen university.

• Colleges receive thousands of applications. To distinguish among all of these bright students who have nearly identical grades, scores, extra-curricular activities, and teacher recommendations, they use ML/SoP/PS/essay.

• The people who read your essay want to be convinced that you have thought long and hard about who you are, what the things you appreciate, what inspires you, what you want out of life, and where you are going from here.

What they're looking for

• To know whether you are someone who thinks about what happens in your life and can grow, even from the bad experiences.

• To see you formulate an idea or draw a meaningful lesson by connecting different events.

• Look for intellectual vitality, creativity, genuineness and sincerity, and in a serious essay, a feeling of passion or deep ring about your topic.

Selection: based on document• ML/SoP/PS is an important element to know the

quality, ability, competence, and experience of the applicant

• How far research which has been done by applicant • Is the aim of the applicant to take the program/course

inline with the aim of the program/course• A good ML/SoP/PS will improve your chances of

getting admission to the school, and even compensate for weaker portions of your application such as less-than-perfect grades.

• A bad ML/SoP/PS has the potential to drag down an otherwise strong application.

A 'personal' statement is about YOU!

• The personal statement is the only part you really have full control over.

• This is your chance to present a good image to the admissions tutor, even if your grades don't really seem to reflect this.

• You need to write in a way that is informative, interesting and useful.

Joe Schall A personal statement is:• A picture. • An invitation. • An indication of your priorities and judgment. • A story, or more precisely, your story. A personal statement is not:• An academic paper with you as the subject.• A resume in narrative form. • A journal entry. • A plea or justification.

Content

• who you are recruiter quickly identify, where you are coming from, experience, skills.

• what has influenced your career path so far • your professional interests • where you plan to go from here – You need to make a connection between

educational background and work experience to the choosen program.

Put yourself in an admission officer's shoes

• Why I have to choose “Si A”, not “Si B”. What is the qualification of “Si A” which is different/outstanding than others.

• Bring out your uniqueness: What is your uniqueness which can differ you than others?

• What have you done, relevant to your subject, that is unique and no one else is likely to put down?

• You need something to separate you from the crowd, and while it's a gamble to make an individual personal statement, anything individual you do related to your chosen field can only look good.

• Have a think - what makes you so special? If you can't think of anything then you can't complain if you get rejected! It's your personal statement, and you can write whatever you want in it.

Supposed to be personal

• Write things that have made you who you are now. • Why do you want to continue your education/training to a

Master level degree. • What motivate you to do such thing, to do another hard

work. • What motivate you to choose the course, why ‘that’ course. • What motivate you to study in Europe/Holland, with that

‘mobility’. • That’s why it’s called motivation letter. • Write less bullshit, more some things reached by your own

hands.

Questions you need to answer• Is the student suited to the course that they are applying for?• Does the student have the necessary qualifications and qualities for the

course?• Is the student conscientious, hardworking and unlikely to drop out?• Will the student do their best and cope with the demands of the course?• Can the student work under pressure?• Will the student be able to adjust to their new environment at university?• What are their communication skills like?• Are they dedicated to this course and have they researched it well?• Do they have a genuine interest in the subject and a desire to learn more

about it?– You cannot answer them directly with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. You need to provide

evidence and make it sound believable.

What you want to study and why?• Specific aspects of the courses that interest you • Examples of coursework you have completed• Practical work you have enjoyed• Books, articles, etc. you have read related to the subject area• Work experience or voluntary work in this area• Conferences you have attended• Personal experiences that lead to the decision to take this subject• Where you hope a degree in this subject will take you in the future• Experiences that show you are a reliable and responsible person• Part-time job• Business enterprise• Community and charity work• Helping out at school events and open days What you have gained from these experiences.

You and your subject

• Why you want to take your course? the most important thing that you have a good reason for why you want to study the course. It doesn't matter if the reason sounds silly at the moment - you can work on the language later.

• Even if you are 100% sure that this is the course for you, you still need to get this across to the admissions tutors.

General rule: three sections!• Beginning: Orient the reader to your topic and gives an idea of

where you're heading with it. A good first sentence will get the reader interested and ensure they actually read your statement rather than skim it. The first line is probably the thing to work on - most people put their reasons for studying the subject at the top, and this is generally regarded to be the most important bit of the statement.

• Middle: Give the details of the story, develop your ideas, or prove your point, taking the reader to the destination you prepared for earlier. A good middle section will help.

• Ending: Remind the reader where you started from and then offer something better than a predictable conclusion. A good ending will ensure the reader remembers your personal statement.

• Make sure all three sections are consistent; don't get sidetracked and end up with a conclusion that doesn't match the introduction.

Structure• Paragraph 1: Introduction to the subject, the aspects you’re interested in

and why• Paragraph 2: What you have done related to the subject that isn’t already

on your application form• Paragraphs 3-4: Work experience placements and relevant activities at

school• Paragraph 5: Your interests outside of school, particularly those that show

you are a responsible and reliable person• Paragraph 6: Your goal of attending university and a memorable closing

comment • 50%: talking about your course and how you're suited to it • 50%: your work experience and other activities.

This is only a guideline!

How long?

• There is no actual word limit maximum 4000 characters. • If you have enough space, use 1.5 line spacing to make you

statement easier to read.

Where do I start?• It's a good idea to jot down a few notes first. • Use a set of headings and write bullet points about how you

relate to these headings. • The main things: why do you want to study your chosen

course, how do my skills, experiences and interests prove I am passionate about and committed to taking this course?

Who are you?

• Choose a topic that reveals something important about you, something that mattered to you, and tell why it mattered. – Evaluate a significant experience or achievement that

has special meaning to you.– Indicate a person who has had a significant influence

on you and describe that influence.– Describe the qualities and accomplishments you

would bring to the undergraduate student body.– Accomplishments

Do and don’t• Don’t sound arrogant and pretentious • Try to have an interesting phrase or paragraph to start and finish on• Try not to quote books, magazines or publications in a way that makes it sound like you’ve

only read them to put them on your statement.• Do not lie outright and stay as close to the truth as possible• Don't try to be funny or make jokes in your statement• Don't start every sentence with I• Don't include your hobbies and interests unless they are relevant• Don't use vocabulary you don't normally use and just looked up in a dictionary• Don't use famous quotes in your statement unless you back them up with information on

how and why this person’s quote influenced you. Dropping them in just for the sake of it makes you look silly and that you haven’t given serious thought to your personal statement.

• Don't repeat things already on your application form• With the exception of a gap year, don't make claims you are going to do something before

you come to university • Don't include clichés • Don't take any political or religious viewpoints

Do and don’t• Be sure to read the question on the application carefully and stick to answering that

question. • Comply with the word and space limitations given in the application; the school uses

them to tell you how deep they want you to go in your analysis and description.• If you have a choice, shorter is better.• Feel free to express your emotions within appropriate limits, even to reveal

contradictory emotions.• Tell what you realized from this event, how it changed you, what it meant to you,

why you find it worth telling.• Let your values, priorities, and character come through, so that the reader hears

your authentic voice from the heart and knows the real you a little better.• Choose one incident, not the entire trip• Find the unusual in the ordinary• Get personal; tell something with deep meaning for you• Indicate how the trip changed you, made you grow

Do and don’t• Don't list activities and their dates. • Don't take on a large subject; keep it small and

manageable. • Don't use gimmicks or try to be cute. • Don't do a humorous essay unless you are very, very

sure an adult would find it funny. • Don't try to make the essay for one college fit the

question from another college unless they are truly the same.

• Don't use cliches. Try to rework them for more depth and interest.

Tips• Don't copy the sentences you find outright, even a single sentence!

plagiarism. Change them or write your own sentence in a similar style. If you can't find any sentences you like, try and write your own!

• Open it with a simple heading such as “Personal Statement for Yohanes Widodo.”

• If there are any pages to your essay beyond one, number them, and perhaps include your name on those pages as well.

• Font: Times or Bookman readable. Size: 10 to 12-point size • Margins: at least one inch. • Single space your text, skipping a line between paragraphs. You can

indent paragraph beginnings or not, as long as you’re consistent.• Personal motivations, academic interests, relevant research or

experience, long-term objectives, and your specific interest in attending the chosen university.

• Academic Background or Research as a Set of Learned Skills• Long-Term Objectives: Target Program or Scholarship

Tips• Creative Beginnings: Make readers feel they are there with you, and

remember that the setting itself can be a character in your “short story”.• Active Verbs: efficiently summarize your achievements, and describe relevant

phenomena, which may be in the form of research that you’ve completed. • Revisions: Your first draft of the material might require multiple re-readings

and revisions to be ready for submission. Providing more concrete detail based on audience needs, keeping in mind that the content you choose reveals you as a person, as a thinker, and as a student. The more these three parts can be blended together through your content revisions, the better.

• Read aloud.• Revising for Tone: Arrogance? Inconfidence? Too many writers focus on the

negative, stressing their uncertainties, their doubts, and even their failures. There’s always a positive way to spin a point and in a personal statement a positive

Tips• Your job is to affirm—what is true, what you’ve accomplished, what you

value, how you think, how you see the world, what your plans are, what your research means, what program you’d like to attend, and so on.

• Be specific and concrete -- not general and abstract.• Use details to conjure up a vivid picture of what you experienced.• KEEP IT SIMPLE.• Don't try to impress the reader with big words • Avoid slang - make sure the reader understands what you mean.• Don't use quotations that have become clichés.• Don't use the same word over and over; try consulting a thesaurus • Don't repeat an idea, even if you think saying it in a few different ways

refines your meaning. Instead, combine all the best elements of the repetitions into one convincing, clear statement.

Example: My ML• There was a time, 12 years ago, I remember, that was my first time to fall in

love with media in general. Today, with the vast development on multi media technology, I intend to study it thoroughly. In the last six years, I have worked as a station manager on Sonora FM, a local radio in Palembang, a city in Southern Sumatra, Indonesia. Sonora FM is a part of Sonora Company, which has networking across Indonesia. This experience brings me to another stage of media conscience. I have multi-faced audience and various expectation for media’s agenda.

• In Sonora, I developed radio journalism and interactive discussions. In printing media, I join in Tabloid Komunio, a monthly publication of Archdiocese Palembang. I also wrote articles in Sumatera Ekspres, a local newspaper. In online media, in 1999, I was involved in developing Berita Pemilu, an online election news portal. Now, I am participating in developing a citizen journalism project, called Halaman Satu (www.halamansatu.net).

Example: My ML• I am keenly interested in acquiring theoretical knowledge and practical skills

in media and journalism. I love to learn about the interrelations between cultural transformations in the media and technological developments, especially the usage of Internet. The Internet has had a major impact on all levels societies throughout the world. Specifically for journalism as it is practiced online, we can identify the effect that this has had on the profession and its culture. The journalistic reform movement (based on internet) known as ‘participatory’, or ‘citizen based’ journalism has also inspired me in recent years.

• With the spirit of participatory journalism, I believe that a kind of alternative media needed to respond to the crisis about the voice of powerless and the victims that are ignored by mainstream media is citizen journalism. Furthermore, I choose to focus on ‘The role of citizen journalism to strengthen the democracy’ as the topic of my postgraduate research. The second topic is ‘What happens when a public journalism such as citizen journalism is appropriated by news organizations situated in Indonesia’.

Example: My ML• I am highly motivated to pursue my studies in MSc Programme Applied

Communication Science of Wageningen University. To study about Applied Communication Science will help me to strengthen my ability to analyze the problems about media, technology, and democracy. It will help me to construct the ideas and to focus my thought in developing the media in Indonesia. One of my main goals is to develop a powerful media to make a better civilization and to strengthen the democracy in Indonesia.

• I know Wageningen University is one of the leading universities in the Netherlands. Wageningen University has highly recognized master programs, with high standard of education and the fact that it is respected so much for its way of interdisciplinary. Wageningen University also seems to be one of the most appreciated by international student academic cities in the Netherlands.

Example: My ML• With a solid foundation in academic and work experience in media, I am

confident that I will have skills, knowledge, experience, and contacts that will open visible perspectives for me to achieve desirable career in media and journalism, and hopefully, give contributions to increase the general level of media in Indonesia.

• Yohanes Widodo

Reference• http://www.studential.com/personalstatements• http://www.statementofpurpose.com/success.html• http://emundus.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/motivation-letter-

statement-of-purpose/• http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/personal.html• https://www.e-education.psu.edu/writingpersonalstatementsonline/

Contact

Yohanes “masboi” WidodoFISIP Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta

Phone: 08163284769 Email: masboi@yahoo.com

Blog: masboi.comFB: masboi@masboi