Annotated Bibliography

Your personal statement, a critical part of your application for admission and for scholarships, is a required part of your admission file.

When you write your Personal Statement, tell us about those aspects of your life that are not apparent from information provided on your application or high school transcript. Tell us about the experiences that don't show up on your transcript: a character-defining moment, a personal challenge faced, a hardship overcome-or the cultural awareness you've developed. Your Personal Statement is the best means we have of getting to know you.

FORMAT

The format guidelines presented here apply only to online applications.

You may cut and paste text from a word processing program (such as Microsoft Word), but some formatting may be lost. All line breaks will remain, but boldface, italics, and underlining will not be seen.

The length of your essay should be -- before you paste it into the application window -- about two pages, typed and double-spaced. Responses to topics #2 or #3 may use an additional page or two.

TOPICS

All applicants must write on topic #1. In addition, applicants who find topics #2 and/or #3 to be relevant to their life experience are encouraged to write an additional page or two:

Required Topic

Describe an experience in your life that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

Optional Supplemental Topics

Describe any personal hardships or barriers you've had to overcome and explain how they have affected your education.

In the context of your life experience, describe your understanding of cultural differences, how this awareness was acquired, and how it has affected you.