Personal Statement FAQ

If you have a question that you think might be relevant to other students, send it to us at career@yorku.ca with the subject line “Personal Statement – FAQ” and you will get a response. If it’s common enough, we’ll post it here too!

There isn’t a difference, they are just different ways of referring to the document that helps the selection committee understand why you want to pursue further study in that area, and in that program.

Most programs will post length in terms of pages, words or more common in online applications, character count. Do not exceed these limits. If no limitations are posted, the default is about 500 words.

The short answer is “no”. Read the instructions for each application carefully to see if there are specific questions or content, they want you to address. Other than that, it is a little like writing an essay – the structure depends on your content and your rhetorical approach.

Absolutely not – for a couple of reasons. First, this constitutes academic dishonesty, and if it were ever discovered that you plagiarized your statement, now or in the future, you could be expelled and/or stripped of your degree(s). The personal statement is also a showcase for your writing/argumentation skills to ensure you are a strong enough writer to be successful in the program. It will become painfully apparent fairly soon if you are not. A writing coach, and lots of proofreaders can be enormously helpful in preparing a competitive statement, regardless of your writing abilities.

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