Personal Statement
Examples from the IES archive of sample student essays
Example personal statement A: I have known in my heart since I was a little girl what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was not a stereotypical child’s dream such as a doctor or an astronaut; my vision was instead something that has shaped my actions and decisions throughout my life. In the last few years I have realized that my passion for conserving the environment is a natural calling that I am destined to follow. This intuitive notion solidified while visiting my mother in Maryland a few summers ago. In my old bedroom my mother has kept framed memorabilia from my childhood. One night before I went to sleep I looked on the bed-stand to find an old article that dated back to my third year of elementary school. After rereading this article thirteen years later, with a smile, I recognized my destiny is and has always been devoting my career to the conservation and preservation of our ecosystems. In my third grade class we attempted to introduce higher biodiversity along a creek through adding plants, which in turn attracts other organisms. Some of the older teenagers had rampaged through and stole our plants while trampling the beautiful ecosystem. I wanted to send a message to stop such destruction and the following article ended up in our town newspaper. Although I was only in third grade, the destruction of the environment affected me more deeply than most of my fellow classmates and continues to do so today. I wish to embark on an educational journey to beautiful Montverde, Costa Rica for the Tropical Ecology and Conservation program in the Spring of 2009. In order to take this step in my educational career, I am applying for financial aid through the John E. Bowman Travel Grants, CIEE International Study Programs Scholarships, and the Jennifer Ritzmann Scholarship for studies in Tropical Biology. Throughout my life I have always been passionate about contributing to the conservation our earth. It became
Example personal statement A: I have known in my heart since I was a little girl what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was not a stereotypical child’s dream such as a doctor or an astronaut; my vision was instead something that has shaped my actions and decisions throughout my life. In the last few years I have realized that my passion for conserving the environment is a natural calling that I am destined to follow. This intuitive notion solidified while visiting my mother in Maryland a few summers ago. In my old bedroom my mother has kept framed memorabilia from my childhood. One night before I went to sleep I looked on the bed-stand to find an old article that dated back to my third year of elementary school. After rereading this article thirteen years later, with a smile, I recognized my destiny is and has always been devoting my career to the conservation and preservation of our ecosystems. In my third grade class we attempted to introduce higher biodiversity along a creek through adding plants, which in turn attracts other organisms. Some of the older teenagers had rampaged through and stole our plants while trampling the beautiful ecosystem. I wanted to send a message to stop such destruction and the following article ended up in our town newspaper. Although I was only in third grade, the destruction of the environment affected me more deeply than most of my fellow classmates and continues to do so today. I wish to embark on an educational journey to beautiful Montverde, Costa Rica for the Tropical Ecology and Conservation program in the Spring of 2009. In order to take this step in my educational career, I am applying for financial aid through the John E. Bowman Travel Grants, CIEE International Study Programs Scholarships, and the Jennifer Ritzmann Scholarship for studies in Tropical Biology. Throughout my life I have always been passionate about contributing to the conservation our earth. It became