500 Word Personal Statement: Basic Length Requirements

How Long Should Your Personal Statement Be?

Seems like a silly question but you would be surprised at how many students will ask if it is Ok to write 600 or even 1000 words in response to the requested 500 word personal statement. If they ask for a 300 word personal statement or a personal statement 500 words that is how many words they want as a maximum and you should never exceed their stated requirement.

Exceeding their requirement shows them that either you willfully ignored their instructions or that you are incapable of following their requirements; either way it will be a fairly significant black mark against your application. But your 250 word personal statement or whatever limit they request needs to be written perfectly and get across all of the information that they are looking for if you want to have any chance of being selected.

What Are the Expectations of Your 500 Word Personal Statement?

If you look at a good sample 500 word personal statement you will see that it manages to impart a huge amount of information about the writer. A personal statement should be written about you and in a way that gets the full attention of the reader. This is usually done by writing a form of story about yourself, usually around a personal anecdote that will either explain your reasons for following your chosen field or why you are so well suited to work in that area.

Your personal statement should of course be totally unique to you, after all you are not a copy of anyone else. It must also be written within the word count that has been allocated to you. Writing more will demonstrate an inability to follow instructions and could lead to your application simply being rejected.

What Should Your Personal Statement Cover?

The first step in learning how to write a 500 word personal statement is to know what you should be writing about. At times you will be provided with a specific prompt or question that you will be asked to answer within your statement. This should be answered fully. However, if you do not want to have a funny SoP, you also need to keep in mind that most committee members will be looking for answers to the following:

• Why are you interested in your chosen field? Your answer should show the reader when and how you became interested in the subject area and what you have already done to pursue this interest.
• What makes you a good choice for working in their program? Explain the skills and other qualities that you possess that are relevant to their needs and expectations. Make sure that you provide examples that demonstrate your skills rather than simply making an empty statement.
• Where is your career heading? Provide the reader with a good idea of where you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years. They want to understand your ambitions and what is driving you.
• Explain why you have applied to them? Do your homework and be able to give a good reason why their program is the right one for you. The more specific the better.

What Should Not Be Written about in Your Personal Statement?

Knowing what not to write in a 500 word personal statement is just as important as covering the right things. All of the following should be avoided:

• Don’t make complaints: they do not want to hear how bad your last tutor was.
• Don’t make excuses: all you are doing is highlighting why they may not want to accept you.
• Don’t write about anything that is included elsewhere in your application.
• Don’t write about anything that is simply not relevant to the application.

How to Keep within the Limits for Your 500 Word Personal Statement

Being able to write within the requested limit and not go even a single word over is important if you want to ensure that your personal statement is accepted. But managing what seems like an impossible task for some is not easy. The following are some simple tips that you can follow to ensure that you stay within your 500 word personal statement word count:

• Never make any statements that are obvious as they will just use up your word count and add no value to your personal statement. Things such as “I hope to learn a lot through your program” are not required and actually will detract from your chances of success.
• It is also highly recommended not repeat any important information or other valuable details that are already available elsewhere in your application or personal statement such as listing grades or qualifications. Be brief and laconic.
• Stay relevant to your topic: check every sentence that you write and ask yourself does this actually provide the reader with the information that they require to know and need to get. If it does not or you are not sure, then better cut it out.
• Write in a concise manner, often we can simplify a sentence by removing words that do absolutely nothing – note the “absolutely” before as it adds nothing to the meaning of the sentence and could be removed without affecting the meaning of the sentence.
• Avoid clichés, often these will eat up your word count without adding any real value to your personal statement and application. The reader also wants to hear things in your own words so use them. Simple language is always better than hoary clichés.
• Never tell the reader anything negative such as you are applying for XYZ because you just could not get on with ABC. Again you are just wasting your words as well as giving an impression that is not going to help your case for acceptance.

How Can You Work with Our Personal Statement Writing Services?

Our professional statement of purpose services use highly experienced and very well qualified writers for writing a sop that know precisely how to write concise and original personal statements that will get you noticed. Our writing is error and plagiarism free and always delivered within your deadlines.

Our experts know precisely what the programs are looking for so can quickly and effectively show you how to write the best statement or help with your SoP writing. Getting to work with our highly skilled specialists is very easy:

• Complete the order form: our website can be discovered online from anywhere in the world 24/7. It takes just a couple of minutes to make your order.
• Make payment: we provide our services at a highly competitive price that you are not going to better for the same quality that we provide.
• Talk with your expert: our writers work directly with you so that they can draw out the required information that will be expected by the committee.
• Request changes: you have unlimited revisions to your draft so that you can be sure that your statement will be to your total satisfaction.
• Your finished personal statement is delivered to you in the correct format and on time. It will also have been proofread and supplied to you with a plagiarism report.

Submit a 500 word personal statement that will get your application noticed with the help and support of the best writers and editors you will find in this field!