There’re different reasons why your personal statement will be rejected. It’s a good thing this article is here to tell you some of those reasons.
It can be heartbreaking to have your personal statement rejected. Considering the time and effort you put into it, it’s a sad experience. The fact is, your personal statement was rejected because of certain mistakes that you made.
You should give your personal statement your maximum attention. Besides, if you’re interested in being admitted, you would take every step seriously.
Being that at Fasthire, we care about your success, we have written below some top reasons why your personal statement will be rejected and for you to avoid them.
Read Also: How To Write Masters Personal Statement for UK Universities
Top Reasons Why Your Personal Statement Will Be Rejected
- A personal statement not relating to the course of interest
- A personal statement not specific to the course of interest
- Basing your work experience on others work experience
- Not clearly understanding the course
- Bad grammar and spelling errors
- Using Clichés
- Not stating your drive for choosing a particular course
1. A personal statement not relating to the course of interest
The main purpose of your SOP is to clearly state your course of interest, reasons why you chose the course and university and motivation. A personal statement that doesn’t achieve this primary aim is as good as not writing it at all.
Writing a personal statement that doesn’t relate to your course of interest is you automatically declaring to the admission board that you are not serious nor interested in them. This is one of the reasons why your personal statement will be moved straight to the bin.
2. A personal statement not specific to the course of interest
There’re times when a student has not decided on the particular course they want to study. This state of uncertainty can end up making the personal statement have no specific direction. This lack of direction comes off to the admission officer as unseriousness. It tells the person that you’re not as interested as you claim to be.
Some students, in some cases, state at the beginning of their personal statement that they’re applying for probably health science but at the end, write engineering. This clearly shows no direction and will get your personal statement rejected.
3. Basing Your Work Experience on Others’ Work Experience
Many students make the mistake of basing their work experience on the occupation or work experience of their parents or family member or even a friend. The admission officer is more interested in the experience you gathered. Even if your parents own the work place, they want to know of your own experience or achievement in that work place.
4. Not Clearly Understanding The Course
Before you start writing your personal statement, you have to first decide on the course you want to study. That is the first step. After that, you start your research about the course. Research the schools offering the course and how they teach it.
Personal statements are rejected based of not understanding the course. When you choose a school, ensure you choose a school that their mode of teaching and the course curriculum sum up with what you’re after. This course understanding shows in the writing of your personal statement.
What you clearly don’t understand, you can’t write about it effectively.
5. Bad Grammar and Spelling Errors
Spelling errors happen when writing. That’s why, it’s advisable to use a correction tool like; Grammarly, or get someone to proofread your article. Bad grammar could also be a reason for rejection. Especially, with students who aren’t fluent in English language because of their home country.
If you’re a student from a non-English speaking country, you can get the assistance of a good personal statement writer.
But if you can write in English fluently, then have a friend of family member proofread for you. This will help you identify any grammatical and spelling errors in your application. Also, learn to give it time.
After writing your application, give it time and then come back to it. It’s guaranteed that you can get a better view of your written personal statement when you allow it sit for a while and then you go back and read it up again. Then, you can decide whether to add or remove some details.
Read Also: How To Fix Your Rejected Personal Statement for Abroad Studies
6. Using Clichés
The use of certain clichés like, “when I was young” or “right from when I was a child”, can get your personal statement rejected. Remember that you’re not the only one sending in your application. Making use of clichés automatically gets you rejected as the admission officer reviewing your application has tons of applications to read.
7. Not Stating your drive for choosing a particular course
Much more than academic qualifications, the school board wants to meet you and also know why you chose a course. You are not the only smart one applying. Thousands of students sending in their application are smart with very good grades.
What sets you apart from the other best student is your motivation. You need to tell the board what motivates you to keep going in your chosen direction, especially in the midst of challenges. Clearly stating this will give you an edge over others.
Conclusion
Your personal statement is your fighting chance at gaining admission or being rejected. This gets tougher with schools that do not conduct physical interviews. So, it’s your first impression and your major impression, ensure to give it your all.
Do not take it lightly. I think looking at it from the standpoint of going to war will be the best. You have to give nothing but the best. How much you want the admission will be shown on how well you have written your personal statement.
I believe that this information will guide you in writing a great personal statement for your admission.
