How to Write a Personal Statement and Letter of Recommendation for applying scholarship

If you are applying to scholarship, then you’ll need to write a personal statement as part of the application. Personal statements can be tricky as you do not want to simply repeat what is stated elsewhere in your application, but you also don’t want to turn it into an autobiography. Things like your GPA, accomplishments, awards and a list of courses you have taken do not fit. Your personal statement should be, well, personal. Why do you want to become a teacher? Why do you want to earn your degree at this school?

Brainstorming

Before you start outlining your statement, ask yourself a few questions to get an idea of what you’ll need to include. Jot down each of the following questions and leave some space to answer them.

1.      Who am I?

2.      Why do I want to be a teacher?

3.      How should I address my academic record?

4.      How can my experiences enhance my application?

5.      Who is my audience?

Now take a few minutes and come up with some answers to these questions. Don’t spend too much time on this step; just write down your general thoughts. Once you do that, you will be ready to dive in and start writing your personal statement.

The Introduction

Your introduction needs to grab the reader’s attention at once. Remember that they are most likely staring at a pile of applications, and yours will be one of many they’ll read in this sitting. You need to be memorable right from the start. Follow this general form for a solid intro.

·         HOOK: Grab the admissions officer’s attention with a broad, but strong statement about the teaching profession.

·         LINE: Write two to three sentences that develop that idea and narrow it down to focus on you.

·         SINKER: Deliver your thesis. This is where you state specifically why you want to study education at their school.

The Body

Begin with a short summary of your educational background. Do not turn this into a resume; just briefly give an overview of your studies in both your major (English, math, etc.) and in your education concentration. If you have any inconsistencies in your academic record, this is where you should address them. Do not give excuses, but if there are reasons why you did poorly in an area, state them here.

The second body paragraph is where you get to tell your story. Why do you want to become a teacher? What inspires you about this profession? What type of teacher do you see yourself becoming? How did your student teaching experience inspire you to continue on this path? Anecdotes are best, but don’t get carried away. Keep it concise and to the point.

Once you have explained who you are and what your professional goals will be, the third body paragraph should explain why you think you are a good fit for that particular school. Hopefully you did some research before applying, and you have some concrete reasons for choosing this college. Tell them your reasons, but don’t go overboard with platitudes. They know what awards they have won and where they rank in the U.S. News college rankings. Be honest and explain what attracted you to their program of study and what you hope to get out of it.

In order to ensure the clarity of your work, each body paragraph should be formatted the same. This way the reader will be able to quickly read without losing track of the point. After the first body paragraph, begin each subsequent paragraph with a transition phrase or sentence, and then provide a clear topic sentence. Support that topic sentence with solid evidence. Finally, provide examples to back up that evidence.

The Conclusion

Conclusions are hard, and they are hard for a reason. Ideally, you have made your case in the body of your personal statement, so you understandably ask yourself, “What else can I say?” Try one of these strategies:

·         Widen the focus a bit and validate your thesis without being redundant.

·         Project where you see yourself in 10 years after completing your degree and becoming a successful teacher.

·         Reaffirm your passion for your subject area.

However you decide to close, do not fall back to your middle school days and simply restate your case in the conclusion. Take some time to craft a closing that will leave them with an overall positive impression.

The Nuts and Bolts of Academic Writing

It is certainly worth noting a few of the technical aspects of writing your personal statement. Many programs will have specific items they want you to cover in your statement. Be sure you have carefully read and then answered their questions. Use a basic font like Times New Roman or Calibri and either a 10- or 12-point font. Always use 1-inch margins and single space your document. The general suggested length is 500 to 1,000 words. Don’t feel like you have to hit the word limit, but don’t only get halfway there either.

How to Write a Letter of Recommendation

Strong and well-developed letters can highlight your potential for top schools. What makes a strong recommendation? The writer should know you well, be able to give specifics about your potential, and have firsthand contact with your professional work. In this regards, your direct supervisor or previous employer is a perfect choice. It's fine to go to the higher level as long as the writer is still someone who knows you well. Letters from peers are generally discouraged. Satisfied clients who you have worked with are often excellent choices to write recommendations.

After you select the right recommenders, try your best to "coach" your writer on what constitutes a strong recommendation. Here are several tips that will help you:

• discuss your project and remind them of your achievements
• provide them with a draft of your application and resume as a guide for consistency
• In most cases, your letters of recommendation will require considerable time and care. They should be requested at least six weeks before your target posting date, and you should take care to gently monitor your writers' progress so that deadlines aren't missed.
• establish clear and reasonable deadlines for completion (six to eight weeks)
• give them a call after three or four weeks to find out how the letters are progressing

Finally, if your recommenders have little experience in recommendation, remind them of the following five Do's and five Don'ts:

Do's

• Review a copy of the applicant's personal statement and resume so that the letter of recommendation comply with the rest of your application.
• Discuss how well he or she know you.
• Choose two to three qualities that best describes you and support his or her statements of your qualities with specific examples.

Don'ts

• Use generalities and platitudes.
• Include only strength, but not weakness.

Eg:_

Dear Sir or Madam:

Miss Furnival Han has left me a very deep impression for her zeal and earnest in English literature studies. I am very glad to write this letter of recommendation for her because as her teacher and also as director of her foreign studies college, I know very well her change from dislike and unfamiliarity to ardent love for English literature. 

I remember she was interested in economics when she first entered university because she was highly gifted in mathematics, ranking first in college entrance examination. She was first repulsive to English literature due to lack of understanding. But after just a semester, she soon became greatly interested in the specialty. Though a first-year student, she soon acquired a penetrating comprehension and stood out as one of my best undergraduates in all my years of teaching experience. 

As a second-year student, guided and encouraged by teachers returning from abroad in our department, she made up her mind to further her studies in the United States and exerted herself for this sake. She attended many professional literature forums and even observed postgraduate curricula. Apart from reading reference books with all earnest, she was well read in relevant Western professional books, immensely substantiating her knowledge. This was clearly visible from her theses and distinctively perceivable from our routine communication. 

Miss Han was also a good announcer and journalist with the college broadcasting station. The program she hosted was much to the liking of student audiences. I am proud of her performance and amazed at her literary quality. I backed her up fully when she opted for the pedagogy specialty according to her specialty advantage and personal features and the future trend of development in China. I cherish great hope that such a good student would receive better education because this would expedite the advancement of China's relevant faculty. 

As a professor I greatly appreciate such an energetic and inquisitive, diligent and clever student. When she told me her desire to study abroad, I expressed full support and encouraged her to work hard for her goal. As college director, I hereby recommend her to you with self-pride and pledge that she will bring your university a new refreshing atmosphere of researches. I hope you will lend her a helping hand with her application.