master of health administration personal statement sample

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Master of Health Administration (MHA)

• Admission Requirements
• Career Outlook

How to Write an MHA Personal Statement

If you’re applying to a Master’s in Health Administration program, you must be passionate about helping medical facilities run smoothly and supporting life-saving care. You’ve also done a lot to prepare for this point in your career, having earned an undergraduate degree and likely held at least one position in this rapidly growing field. Now, you’re ready to advance your career with the right master’s degree. One thing stands in your way: crafting the perfect personal statement to include with your application.

Also called a statement of purpose, the MHA personal statement is your chance to make your application more than just a collection of data and facts. An effective statement of purpose will give the admissions office an idea of who you are, complete with a glimpse into your personal and professional goals and accomplishments. It should communicate why you’re a good fit for the university’s MHA program.

If you feel intimidated by writing your personal statement, you’re not alone. Many people find writing about themselves to be a difficult task. However, to gain admission to a top MHA program , you’ll need a compelling statement of purpose – and this guide will teach you how to achieve just that.

Step 1: Brainstorm

Your first step in crafting an effective MHA personal statement or statement of purpose is to brainstorm. Many people find brainstorming methods like freewriting, clustering, or listing useful. However, there’s only one hard-and-fast rule for this step in the process: Write down your thoughts. Brainstorming is most effective when you make notes or a visual representation of how you might answer the personal statement prompt. The questions below are a few examples that may be helpful to ask yourself during this step:

• Why did I decide to pursue a career in health administration?
• What do I want to accomplish in my career?
• What are my goals in earning my MHA?
• Why am I applying to this MHA program?
• Why do I want to attend this university?
• How do my accomplishments make me a good fit for this MHA program?

Step 2: Outline

Writing out an outline for your essay will save time later. Return to what you wrote during the brainstorming phase. Which parts of your notes are the most compelling? Which ones make you feel genuinely passionate about the MHA program you’re applying to? These are the pieces of information you should be sure to include in your statement of purpose.

If the application provides a prompt, use it when building your outline. For example, the MHA personal statement prompt at Methodist University is: “Complete a typed personal statement including your background, interest in attending Methodist University, interest in the program, and your career goals.”

Here is an example outline for an essay responding to this prompt:

• Explain why you chose to pursue a career in health administration.
• Describe your educational background.
• Identify details about MU that made you interested in attending this school.
• Point to specifics about this program that make it the right fit for you.
• Explain what you want to accomplish in the next few years.
• Describe how this MHA program will help you achieve your goals.
• Summarize your main points.

Step 3: Draft

After taking the time to brainstorm and outline your statement of purpose, the process of writing your first draft should go smoothly. Return to your outline, and use your brainstorming notes to fill out each section. Think of this as the part of the process where you tell a story. Add relevant details to make your personal statement more compelling to the reader, and include examples from your lived experiences to demonstrate the message you’re trying to communicate.

Step 4: Revise

Revision is just as important as the drafting stage. Read through your statement of purpose and revise it to make the essay more clear and compelling to the reader. Here are a few examples of questions to ask yourself during the revision process:

• Is anything I wrote unclear?
• Can I be more specific about any of these details?
• Does my personal statement directly respond to the prompt?
• If I worked for the admissions office, what questions would I have?

Step 5: Proofread

Finally, proofread your personal statement for grammar, punctuation, or spelling mistakes. It’s essential for your final statement to be professional and free of errors, as mistakes could cloud your overall message. Once you’re happy with your statement of purpose, you’re ready to apply for your MHA program.

MHA Personal Statement Example

MHA personal statement examples are useful tools in planning your essay. Read the example below, and use it as a guide or inspiration for your statement.

“I’ve aspired to work in the health care field since I was a teenager. For much of my adolescence, my mother, who lives with rheumatoid arthritis, was also a caregiver to my maternal grandmother, who was battling Alzheimer’s. Due to the medical needs of the entire family, we all spent a great deal of time in medical facilities. I soon learned just how lucky my family was to have access to top-notch care and treatment. The more I learned about the medical system, though, the more I realized that not all families are so fortunate. Since then, my desire has been to help improve the level of care offered to all families and individuals.

I have always valued the hard work of nurses and doctors who take hands-on responsibility for care. However, the more I interacted with the health care industry, the more I developed a growing appreciation for those who often work behind the scenes – the health service managers, clinic supervisors, and consultants who keep day-to-day health care operations running smoothly. When I entered college, I felt that my place in the field was among their ranks, working to expand access to quality care throughout my community. That’s why I completed the Bachelor of Science in Community Health, and it’s why I’m now applying for admission to Methodist University’s Master in Health Administration program.

Through my research of MHA programs, Methodist University quickly became an obvious choice. As a health administration professional currently working in the field, entering an online program that will allow me to study at my own pace without sacrificing the quality of my education is a top priority. That’s why the excellent reputation of Methodist’s online program and outstanding faculty stood out to me. I’m excited to apply to a program with a low student-to-faculty ratio and built-in support services to support me along the way.

Specifically, the MHA program at MU is unmatched. Its focus on preparing students with the strategies, tools, and techniques to lead teams, make important decisions, understand organizational effectiveness, and change processes to improve performance tells me that this program will truly prepare me to advance as a leader in my field. After reviewing the course list, I’m most interested in expanding my learning with two courses: HCA 5680: Global Health and HCA 5600: Health Care Policy Issues. Both will prepare me to support efforts to increase access to quality health care in all communities.

After several years working as an administrator in medical facilities, I’ve learned a great deal about how my work can support health services for patients. Completing MU’s MHA program will help me pursue my future career goals, including management positions. My hope is to graduate from MU with a solid understanding of health care administration and the skills I need to advance. Additionally, I look forward to completing the required capstone experience to solidify and showcase my skills for future employers.

Health care in our society relies on talented health administration professionals who can ensure access to care for each and every patient. I want to dedicate myself to becoming one of those professionals, and I believe my next step is to complete Methodist University’s Master in Health Administration program.”

Final Tips for Writing an MHA Personal Statement

You may find these tips helpful in writing your MHA personal statement:

• Ask a friend or family member to review your statement and provide feedback.
• Read your personal statement out loud to look for errors.
• Ask a colleague or close friend to list your top strengths and qualities from their perspective. Then, make sure your essay demonstrates these qualities.
• Avoid repetition. If you find yourself using the same words or phrases repeatedly, search for synonyms and other ways to express your thoughts.

Taking the time to learn how to craft your MHA personal statement or statement of purpose shows that you’re serious about preparing for advancement in health administration. Graduating from a top online program can make all the difference when it’s time to apply for leadership positions. Learn more about Methodist University’s online MHA program , which offers working professionals the opportunity to study at their pace with flexible online coursework taught by field experts. Request more information about this program or apply today .”Interested in other health care degrees? Explore all the online health care programs we offer at Methodist University.

• Ellis, M. (2022, June 2). How to Write a Powerful Personal Statement . Grammarly. Retrieved on October 21, 2022, from “ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/personal-statement/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw48OaBhDWARIsAMd966BK6sa3AFL2z6fBzcz2bOBtut8HUbTQD5_NRj1UJq6bAReWC057wBwaAtdlEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds .”
• McCombes, S. (2019, Feb. 12). How to Write Your Personal Statement | Strategies & Examples . Scribbr. Retrieved on October 21, 2022, from “ https://www.scribbr.com/graduate-school/personal-statement/ .”

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How To Write A Personal Statement For Masters (17 PDF Sample Examples)

Published: 14 Mar 2022 Study Abroad 105,531 views

A personal statement for masters program is one of the most important parts of your college application and writing a good one is what’s the exception between receiving an offer and being rejected.

If you’ve been tasked with presenting a personal statement, you should keep in mind that whatever you submit must put you forward as the right candidate for the course. Additionally, it should convince the admissions officers that you deserve a place on your program of study.

Achieving the above, is a skill most postgraduate students are yet to acquire but thankfully this article on How To Write A Personal Statement For Masters covers everything you need to know on doing this.

In this article you’ll learn:

• What is a personal statement?
• Tips for making your personal statement for masters stand out
• How to write a personal statement for masters
• Personal statement for masters sample
• Examples of personal statement for masters
• Conclusion – things to avoid when writing a personal statement for masters

Read:  Admission Interview Tips .

What Is a Personal Statement?

A personal statement AKA admissions or application essay or statement of purpose is a type of essay or written statement a candidate presents to a college, university, or graduate school they are applying to, explaining why they want to attend that school, study a particular course, and why they would be a perfect fit for these things.

A personal statement for masters is an essay you submit specifically for your postgraduate application. Writing one presents the opportunity for you to promote yourself to a school and show the admissions teachers that you are the perfect candidate for a course.

Tips For Making Your Personal Statement For Masters Stand Out

Before we get into how you should write a statement of purpose for masters, we would first like to share with you certain tips to include in your essay to make it stand out from that of other applicants and be convincing enough to any admissions officer that reads it. The tips we have mentioned here, cover general things like starting and ending your personal statement, timing, length, and what to include and what not to include in the essay, etc.

1. Starting And Ending A Personal Statement

When starting a personal statement, you would want to right off the bat grab the reader’s attention. To do this, start the statement by writing about your degree of choice, next why you want to study it and then how you got interested in it.

The next 2 sentences after that should cover a summary of your background in the chosen field, and you conclude by saying what you plan to do once you acquire your graduate degree.

Also start with that the evaluators reading want to hear first, then every other information should come second. You will notice we’ve used in the sop examples for masters we will share with you later in this article.

2. Plan Ahead

A personal statement is not something you rush while writing, which means if you want to get something good before you application then you must start to decide things like the length and how long it should take to complete.

Let us throw more light on this…

For length, a personal statement should be brief ranging somewhere between 500 -700 words, although schools often detect how long it should be. So, this is dependent on the institution you are applying to.

In terms of what to say in a statement, you could include personal experiences like why you were driven to apply for the program, an experience you had with a scholar in your chosen discipline, a course you took that inspired you to pursue masters, or a key moment during your studies which further motivated you.

No matter what you decide to write, just keep in mind that you need to take your time to craft something good even if it means creating several drafts before the real thing and do not forget to proofread the statement for errors.

3. Research Your Program Of Study

Researching your program of study is one way to establish that you truly understand the discipline you’re getting into and prove to the admissions officer that you thoroughly thought about it before applying.

And because you want to put yourself forward as a serious candidate, one way to make you research easier is for you to visit the website of the department you are applying to. This page will contain information about faculty members, their specialisation, and publications.

From the intel, you gathered there you can now identify which professors match your interests and which ones you will benefit the most from learning under. After you’ve found this out, relate the same in a sentence or two in your statement of purpose for masters.

Example: “I would be honoured to study under the tutelage of Professor Nadia whose work I found resonated strongly with my beliefs and intended projects in this course”.

4. Avoid Clichés, Junks, And Many Details

When writing a statement of purpose for master degree try to avoid clichés, junks, and unnecessary details so that you don’t lose or bore your readers in between. Be as concise as possible, even if it’s your chance to express yourself.

A personal statement is an opportunity for the admissions committee to get information that tells the that you are suitable for the course. So, when you overpower your statement with too many words, stories, and useless details, you come off as someone who is just trying to meet the word count.

5. Include Your Personal History Only If It Adds To The Statement

Do not include your personal history in your statement of intent for masters if it is not relevant to your purpose of study. This means no need for you to tell that story about that time you helped someone treat a cut and immediately realised that you wanted to be a doctor or nurse or how you developed a taste for reading at a very young age.

We can guarantee you that the hundreds of other applications competing for the same spot you are felt the same way, so saying those things really doesn’t make you unique.

On the other hand, if you are going to add personal history to your statement, you can put in things like an internship you did and the experience you got from the job, a major research project you ran by yourself, publications you’ve read or published, conferences you’ve attended or presentations you’ve done. These experiences are more concrete and are directly related to your program of study. They also set you apart from other applicants.

6. Don't Use The Same Personal Statement For All Your Applications

One common mistake applicant make that you shouldn’t is using the same statement of purpose for master degree for all your applications. Using the same information repeatedly even if you are going to change the university names is risky and could land you in a big mistake on a day you forget to be thorough.

All programmes have their own unique set of questions they want to see answered and information they need in your personal statement.

And even if some of them like extracurricular activities, proposal for project, why you are applying to the school, your unique qualities, and research works you’re doing might appear the same, do not use one statement to respond to all of them.

Write a new unique personal statement every time you want to apply.

Check out:  How to Write a Good CV for Students - Resume Examples for Students (PDF).

How To Write A Personal Statement for Masters

When writing a personal statement for masters there are several steps and ground rules you need to follow to ensure that it comes out good enough to impress the admissions team of a school, and ultimately convince them to give you a spot on your program of study.

If writing one is something you are currently struggling with and can’t seem to get down the process of it right no matter what, this section on how to write a personal statement for masters, discusses in detail everything you need to get help with yours.

There are 4 parts to consider when writing your personal statement and we have listed them below:

1. Planning A Personal Statement

A personal statement is a piece of writing showing your academic interests and is only for application purposes which means there is no room for any autobiographical information in it about your personal life. Be as to-the-point as possible when writing it and stick to telling the school why you are the right person for the course, plus any other extra information detailing your achievements.

Before You Start:

Allot plenty of time to write your msc personal statement so that you don’t rush it. Remember, this simple piece of writing is your one shot at convincing a school that you are the best applicant they’ve seen and as such can either make or break your application.

Read the information expected of you from the university, rules and guidelines given, selection criteria and understand what they mean. Also research the institution.

Do a thorough research on the course you are applying for; this will help you explain better why you want to study it. The tutors interviewing you can tell when you are lying and presenting yourself as uninformed can cost you the admission.

Ensure that you don’t use the same personal statement for all your applications.

When Writing:

When writing the statement there are some questions to ask yourself that can help you plan it better. Those questions are:

• Why you want to study a master’s and how does it benefit you in future?
• How does the course you have chosen fit into your pre-existing skill set?
• How do you stand out from the crowd as an applicant - e.g., work experiences you’ve had in the same field you are applying for?
• What do you aspire to do or be as a future career and how will the course help you achieve that?
• How can your work or skillsets contribute positively to the department/ university you are applying to, or society at large?

On the other hand, if you are applying for the masters to change from the field you studied in your undergraduate to another field, you should tell the school why you decided to take a different path in your studies.

Questions to ask yourself for this include:

• Your reason for deciding to change your discipline.
• How your undergraduate degree will be material for bringing fresh insights into your masters course.
• How changing your study path will help you attain your future career.

2. Structuring A Personal Statement

Having good structure for your personal statement for master degree is important because it ensures that everything from the beginning, middle, and ending of the statement is written and equally falls in place perfectly.

We’ve left some tips for you below to help you:

Start your personal statement with an attention-grabbing introduction that is not dramatic or cliché. That means you should not begin with any of these over-used phrases we’ve listed out below:

For as long as I remember…

Since my childhood…

I want to apply to this course because I’ve always felt a strong connection to it…

All my life, I have always loved…

My interest in (course) always ran deeper than…

I’ve always been zealous about…

Ever since I was a child, I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in…

My past educational experiences have always…

You would want to be as snappy as possible with your opening because the admission officer has over a hundred applications to read and can’t waste all their time on yours. This means you should avoid overpowering it with unnecessary facts, quotes, and stories from your life.

The middle part of your ma personal statement is where the main content of the write-up should be. This is where you show your dedication to the course you’ve chosen, what motivated you to choose it, and why you are the right candidate for it.

When writing the middle part of a graduate personal statement, you should:  

• Give concrete reasons why you want to study a course at the University. The reason could be because of how the course is aligned to your future career or the University’s reputation in teaching that program.
• Mention relevant things like projects, dissertations, or essays you’ve done, and any work experience you have.
• Show proof of your core skills like and how they can contribute to the department.
• Prove what makes you a unique candidate.
• Discuss who your main influences for wanting to study the course are and why.
• Add experiences like memberships to clubs that are related to your field, papers you’ve written before, awards, scholarships, or prizes.
• Draw focus to how the course links to your past and future.
• Mention your academic and non-academic skills and how they fit the course.

For Formatting:

• Keep the statement length between 250 -500 words or as directed by the school.
• Sentences should be no more than 25-30 words.
• Use headings to break up the content – Why this university? Why this subject? Etc.
• Make claims and provide evidence to back each of them up. This can be done by discussing your work experience and academic interests.

Language and tone to use:     

• The tone for your masters application personal statement should be positive and enthusiastic, to show you eagerness to learn and so that you convince the evaluators that you have what it takes to succeed.
• Use exciting and refreshing language, and an engaging opening line.
• Ensure you grammar, punctuations, and spellings are accurate.
• Avoid exaggerated claims you cannot backup.
• Don’t use cliché generic terms and keep your focus on the course.

Keep the ending of your essay for master degree application concise and memorable, leaving no doubt in the admission officers mind that you deserve a spot on the program.

To create the best ending summarise all your key points without dragging it our or repeating yourself. The ending should be simple, end on a positive note and make it clear that the school will be lucky to have you on their program.

Personal Statement for Masters Sample

In this section, we have left a masters personal statement example for you, which you can use as material to write yours for any course of study you are applying to a school for.

Personal Statement PDF

You can also download this statement of purpose sample for masters degree pdf here and take your time to read it later – Personal Statement For Masters Sample .

See Also:  Student CV Template .

Examples of Personal Statement for Masters

We have taken the time to source for some of the best postgraduate personal statement examples, which you can use in addition to the personal statement for masters program example as a template to write yours.

While you scroll through our list, you will find the perfect masters essay example for any field you wish to apply for, from business administration, to Psychology, to information technology, and lots more.

1. msw personal statement

We have found one of the best msw personal statement examples out there for you.

social work masters personal statement .  

2. personal statement for masters in public health

mph personal statement examples

3. personal statement for masters in management

Personal statement for master degree sample for masters in management .  , 4. personal statement for masters in education example.

personal statement for masters in education example

5. psychology masters personal statement

psychology masters personal statement example

6. sample personal statement for masters in data science data science masters personal statement

7. speech and language therapy personal statement statement of purpose for masters sample: speech and language therapy

8. business administration personal statement personal statement for masters in business administration

9. personal statement for masters in cyber security pdf masters degree personal statement examples for cyber security

10. personal statement for masters in finance msc finance personal statement examples

11. statement of purpose for masters in information technology pdf msc personal statement examples for information technology

12. international development personal statement statement of purpose for masters example

13. msc international business management personal statement international business management personal statement examples

14. computer science masters personal statement

statement of purpose for masters in computer science pdf

15. personal statement for masters in economics statement of purpose sample for masters degree in economics

16. mha personal statement statement of purpose format for masters in health administration    

Conclusion – Things to Avoid When Writing A Personal Statement For Masters When writing a personal statement for university masters, there are some things you should avoid, so that you don’t ruin your essay. We have listed out those things below: •    Avoid negativity. •    Following an online template blindly. •    Do not include unnecessary course modules, personal facts, or extra-curricular activities in your personal statement. •    Do not lie or exaggerate an achievement or event. •    Do not include inspirational quotes to your statement. •    Avoid using clichés, gimmicks, humour, over-used word such as 'passion' or ‘driven’. •    Do not make pleading statements. •    Avoid mentioning key authors or professors in your field without any explanation. •    Avoid using sentences that are too long. •    Avoid flattering the organisation or using patronising terms. •    Do not repeat information in your statement that you have already listed in your application. •    Avoid waffling i.e., writing at length. •    Don’t start writing your personal statement at the last minute.  

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Free PDF: The 4 questions every SOP must answer → Master’s or PhD

How to Write Your MHA Statement of Purpose: Success Stories

• By Jordan Dotson
• Updated: March 2, 2023

MHA applications are booming on SOPHAS. No surprise, yeah? ALL healthcare fields are booming these days! That’s good news if you want to manage a hospital’s nitty gritty finances or work in Insurance Consulting. Grad schools now offer better programs and residencies than ever. Yet, this also means applications are more competitive than ever…and that’s why you need an MHA statement of purpose that makes you absolutely shine .

Fear not, future health administrator. In this article, we’ll examine the SOPs of two students who achieved insane success in recent admissions cycles. One, Cole, was a domestic US student. The other, Rishi, a self-described “average” international from India. Now, they’re both on their way to rock star careers.

Let’s learn from their amazing examples. First, we’ll review the magical WriteIvy template both students used to write their MHA statement of purpose. Then, we’ll read their essays. Then, you’ll know how to achieve the exact same success in public health.

The Students

Cole was a golden boy. With a 3.9 GPA from a top-50 public university, an excellent hospital internship, and a deadly certain goals, he was exactly the kind of students MHA programs look for. Yet, he didn’t consider himself a polished writer, and worried that his first-draft SOP was unfocused.

Rishi was a little different. A recent dental-school graduate from India, he described himself as “the most average student that has probably ever applied.” He did have a graduate certificate in Public Policy, but with his 3.3 GPA, he felt he needed a truly spectacular SOP to give him a chance.

The Results

Cole must have set an admissions speed record! Within 9 days of submitting his applications on SOPHAS , he interviewed with 3 of the top-10 MHA programs. Mind-blowingly, his #1 choice offered him admission on the spot, right there on Zoom…with a 75% tuition scholarship!

Rishi too had unbelievable success, but let him tell you the story in his own words:

“Jordan, you’re the man! I got into 2 of the top #5 programs that I applied to. Just got an acceptance from [Top-5 University] yesterday. This is a huge deal for me because I am THE most average student that has probably ever applied. My GPA is a feeble 3.33, I have no awards, no publications, no achievements . I relied on nothing but my statement of purpose and it got me to places I could not have imagined. Big thanks to you once again!”

Both and Cole and Rishi followed the Structure is Magic template, and they did so beautifully. Let’s recap:

• Frame Narrative Intro: Both began with a personal, story-based introduction. For Cole, this was two paragraphs at 20% of his total word count. For Rishi, two long-ish paragraphs, and 33% of his word count. (In my opinion, Rishi should have edited this down to 25% or less.)
• Academic Goals: Super important! Both applicants used their frame narratives to introduce the intellectual questions and humanistic issues that drive their goals. For example:

“ How can we prevent entire families from declaring bankruptcy due to healthcare costs? How can hospitals continuously improve the overall health of a community?”

• Why This Program: Both wrote a highly detailed section explaining exactly which courses they want to take, which resources they’ll use, and why the schools are uniquely relevant for them . For Cole, this was two paragraphs and 24% of his word count. For Rishi, two paragraphs at 21%.
• Why I’m Qualified: AFTER they’d fully explained their reasons for applying, ONLY THEN did Cole and Rishi describe their own credentials. For Cole, this section was 2 paragraphs and 25% of word count. For Rishi, it was exactly the same.

HOT TIP: Be like Cole and Rishi. Never put your “autobiography” of credentials at the start of the essay. Smart, super-competitive applicants never do this because it defies all logic of argumentation and annoys the crap out of your reader. It’s like clicking a YouTube video titled “How to get rich in crypto today!”, then having to wait 5 minutes as the speaker reads their CV.

“Shut up already,” you’d say. “Just tell me which dog coins to buy.”

• Career Goals: Both applicants transitioned into their Conclusion with a paragraph explaining their hopeful careers. Rishi kept his short. Cole, however, took the chance to further expound on his larger, overarching, humanistic concerns.
• Frame Narrative Conclusion: In their final paragraphs, both students circled back to the personal topics from their intros. For Cole, this was the story of how he transitioned from Pre-Med to Health Administration. Rishi reminded the reader of the larger healthcare problems in India, and why he wants to help solve them.

Thematic Similarity: Healthcare Disparities

I have to point out how, despite coming from opposite sides of the world, Cole and Rishi both want to solve the same problems.

“My career goal is simple: to attain a leadership position in the administrative side of a hospital or healthcare system where I can be of service to communities who, for whatever reason, are not receiving the exceptional care they need.”

Rishi says:

“World Bank data suggests that about 62% of health expenditure in India is out of pocket by patients, the economic consequences of which could be dire for families from lower income brackets…How can we prevent entire families from declaring bankruptcy due to healthcare costs? ”

In essence, both want to address an issue that’s ubiquitous today: healthcare disparities. They want to help everyone gain access to high-quality medical care, no matter their income, caste, race, or geographical location. The only difference between Cole and Rishi? One wants to make an impact in decaying US cities. One wants to help rising cities in India.

Same goals, different locations.

Same noble hearts.

Same fantastic results.

Now, what do you say we read these spectacular essays?

Cole’s MHA Statement of Purpose

My father is an internal medicine physician, and throughout my youth, I had always planned on following in his footsteps. I hoped to become a cardiologist; it seemed both challenging and fascinating. However, after I began my pre-med requirements at Metropolis University, curiously, a single class changed the trajectory of my life. The course was titled “The Science and Business of Cancer Therapies,” and it challenged my beliefs and sense of self in a way no biology or chemistry class ever had. As I delved deep into the study of cancer treatments, pharmaceutical companies, and medical patents, I faced a startling reality: the United States does not offer a singular healthcare system, but rather an array of systems in which certain populations suffer inferior outcomes for reasons as simple as their ZIP Code. Most troubling was the realization that in low-income counties not far from my home, residents face cancer recovery rates 10-20% lower than my own neighbors might.

Issues like these trouble me. Yet, they explain why I changed my major to Community Health with a concentration in Health Planning and Administration, and why I pursued an administrative internship at Kent Hospital in Smallville, KS. They also explain why I am applying to the Master of Health Administration program at Gotham University today. By becoming an administrative leader, I can play a role in improving healthcare access for far more people than I ever could as a doctor.

The MHA program at the Gotham Luther School of Public Health is my top choice for several reasons, with the yearlong residency chief among them. Far more intense than the simulations or short-terms residencies at other programs, this experience of working full-time in a healthcare setting will prove impactful as I begin my career. It is encouraging to see students from the class of 2022 being placed in residencies in locations as widespread as California, New York, and Florida. Yet, as a Midwesterner, it is also empowering to know that I could work in Kansas if this gave me a greater chance to learn and grow. At the same time, the program’s numerous finance courses interest me deeply. Though I have taken multiple undergraduate courses in healthcare finance and data analysis, I recognize the importance of preparing thoroughly for the complex quantitative aspects of a career in service to large, diverse communities. Encapsulating all of these efforts in an accelerated program will surely be challenging, but this gives me confidence that my Gotham education will make me immediately ready to contribute as a healthcare leader upon graduating.

I also look forward to numerous co-curricular opportunities at Gotham, especially those that will allow me to promote accessibility while learning about large-scale health policy applications. The American Mock World Health Organization seems particularly intriguing. Participating in simulations of the World Health Assembly stands out as an opportunity to consider policy from a macroscopic perspective, and I am excited that Gotham is one of the very few schools who participate. For all these reasons, I feel certain that the Luther MHA program is uniquely poised to offer opportunities I could not find anywhere else.

While I believe my academic record, highlighted by my 3.9 major GPA, demonstrates that I will be a strong addition to the MHA program, I think my experience in a hospital setting gives me a unique perspective that other candidates may not have. While interning at Kent Hospital in the summer of 2021, I worked with a wide range of healthcare professionals, including physical therapists, physicians, and hospital administrators. On one particularly impactful project, I was tasked with helping a team interpret three months of patient-survey data and identifying correlations. Which floor the patient stayed on, the problems that occurred most frequently (lack of communication, long discharge process, unprofessional behavior, cleanliness), and the patient’s likelihood of recommending the hospital to family – these all provided clues to improving patient outcomes and hospital efficiency. I am proud that our findings convinced leadership to address numerous concerns, including revamping their discharge process (the most frequent complaint) and creating a policy requiring physicians and nurses to walk into treatment rooms together to address a perceived lack of communication (another recurring grievance).

At Kent, I also helped launch a new policy-and-contract software that the hospital is implementing today. Their goal was to make all documents available digitally and I helped by uploading thousands of policies, vendor and physician contracts, and affiliation, sales, and licensing agreements into a new database. Yet, in the end, I feel strongly that my most important experience was shadowing both administrative and operational leaders. I spent hours, and sometimes weeks, with people in nearly every department, from the CEO’s office to patient safety, physician relations, and sterile processing. Observing their interactions made me realize how much collaboration and teamwork goes into making sure a hospital operates smoothly, and I eagerly await the chance to contribute to such teams on a larger scale.

My career goal is simple: to attain a leadership position in the administrative side of a hospital or healthcare system where I can be of service to communities who, for whatever reason, are not receiving the exceptional care they need. Metropolis, Gotham City, Cincinnati, and Detroit all interest me because 25% or more of their populations live in poverty, almost certainly reflecting unique healthcare needs. I am particularly interested in organizations whose grassroots efforts include opening more free health clinics, hiring more bilingual healthcare workers, hosting educational seminars, and incentivizing physicians and nurses to spend time helping these communities. Thus, organizations such as Stark Health in New Jersey and Shield Health in Illinois are of particular interest to me; the former because of their disease prevention initiatives, and chronic disease-care programs for the uninsured, and the latter for the way they reinvest in community benefit programs for those without the ability to pay. Of course, I realize that I am one person and that the health disparities many communities face are complex beyond reason. Yet, through steady efforts and continued devotion to educating, screening, and treating those who currently face gaps in healthcare access, I am confident that I can build the kind of career that I consider a success.

The first step to accomplishing this goal is to maximize all the resources available in the Gotham MHA program. During my internship at Kent, every leadership-team member held advanced degrees, typically an MHA, with approximately half also holding an MBA. Through my work with these professionals, I saw firsthand (and learned from anecdotes) how invaluable an advanced Healthcare Administration program can be. The majority of these administrators completed their degrees later in their career, indicating that I will face unique challenges as a recent graduate. Yet, I look forward to surmounting these challenges, knowing it will put me at an advantage professionally and provide me with all the more opportunities to make a difference in my career. Even though the Gotham University MHA program will undoubtedly present a great challenge, I know it will prepare me for a lifelong career in healthcare, and in service to my community.

Rishi’s MHA Statement of Purpose

A hallmark moment for any dental student is their first successful treatment — a denture restoring a smile, a restoration alleviating pain, or any procedure returning physiological function of the oral cavity. This is a pious and cathartic experience after three years of trials and tribulations studying dentistry in India. However, this feeling did not last long for me, as I experienced a gradual shift in perspective, a result of my close interactions with patients. My eyes opened to problems outside patient’s oral cavities, a dentist’s most common area of interest. As India and particularly richer cities like Bangalore marched ahead in their growth stories, multiple antithetical experiences in basic healthcare started to deeply plague me. Some of the recurring themes among patients, as evidenced in literature as well, were — affordability of appropriate care, impaired access to healthcare facilities, and distrust in the quality of health systems in place. This has been consistent in the feedback I receive from patients too. More perniciously, an overall unsatisfactory experience with the dental hospital system eventually drove them away, never to return or follow up. However, the holistic picture across the country is much more stark.

World Bank data suggests that about 62% of health expenditure in India is out of pocket by patients, the economic consequences of which could be dire for families from lower income brackets. In addition, existing solutions are only stopgap solutions. For example, private intervention in healthcare is good; but potential market failures and information asymmetry between patients and providers is largely disadvantageous to poorer patients, leading to disastrous consequences. While I noticed these issues long before the pandemic, the second wave of Covid-19, which devastated India, brought them to the forefront. I recall making frantic calls to secure hospital beds not just for my family, but strangers as well. This left a lasting feeling of helplessness that I needed to address. Issues of oxygen supply chain, inefficient resource management in delivering timely healthcare, and feeble policymaking further deteriorated the previously problematic healthcare system. This makes a basic premise for my deep interest in studying healthcare policy and administration.

At Gotham University, I plan to study the complex nature of healthcare administration. Studying at the Health Policy & Management Department will enable me to address the following issues based on aforementioned themes: How can we prevent entire families from declaring bankruptcy due to healthcare costs? How can hospitals continuously improve the overall health of a community? These questions spring to mind as I contemplate the future, and warrant a unique set of skills including but not limited to financial management of health services, developing evolved payment methods, and analytics in healthcare.

I look forward to courses like Database Systems which will allow me to work with relational database systems, build on my elementary understanding of SQL, and help me work with data to make informed decisions. As an international student in a region with very little context of demographic and health trends, I believe Population Health Informatics will also provide an indispensable skill. Factoring appropriate epidemiological data into managerial decision-making – this is something I can take with me back home, given the apparent spatial health disparities. Furthermore, I believe it is of utmost importance for health systems to be cognizant of health trends in the communities they serve.

Thus, beyond the core curriculum, the Value-Driven Insurance Design Institute will allow me to explore pertinent concepts like alternative, value-based payment, which would be pivotal in reducing bankruptcies secondary to healthcare costs. The clinical nuances driving value-based insurance design play to my strengths as a clinician. Furthermore, I believe the Stark Leadership Center will provide valuable insight from industry practitioners, allowing me to build vital relationships, and helping me leverage cutting-edge research into the kind of decision-making that is crucial for fostering innovation. Lastly, I feel enthusiastic about participating in case competitions where I can hone high-level analytical skills while networking with peers from other schools.

I fully realize the extent of the transition I intend to make, from a clinical field of study to that of management and administration. In my mandatory internship year as a dental student, I went beyond my confined role to assist in floor-level administration duties like stock/inventory management, maintaining outpatient registries, and addressing patient complaints. Part of my daily life as a dental student involved devising and revising treatment plans to fit patients’ affordability, helping patients get through their anxiety, and managing their pain effectively.

To cement my understanding, I attempted to write on how the patient inflow at my hospital was affected due to the pandemic and the government policies put in place, taking into account stringency measures such as travel bans, school closures, etc. While the paper still needs work, I used the opportunity to teach myself basic Excel, data visualization, and entry-level data analysis. I then understood the value that regression analysis brings to the table.

With a newfound hunger for knowledge in the healthcare domain, I enrolled in a Graduate Certificate course at The Public Policy Institute of Bangalore, for which I received a scholarship for my keen interest in the field as a dental student. I gained a clearer understanding of the multifaceted nature of healthcare. The highlight of my time at PPIB was learning Bardach’s Eightfold Path to policy analysis during a rigorous workshop, where I worked with a diverse team involving IT professionals and a nuclear medicine physicist. This provided me with a strong framework to approach problem-solving.

I aim to retain a strong focus on the health system in the future, working as a healthcare management consultant to bridge gaps between providers and payers. Gotham University will be instrumental in making me a well-rounded healthcare manager, through its courses designed to cover a range of competencies like financing and strategic operations.

In an extremely heterogeneous society such as India with multidimensional divisions based on — caste, ethnicity, color, and region, a hierarchical structure backboned by the above is a lived experience to me. However, I am deeply privileged compared to most of my country in having the ability to apply to Gotham University. Beyond acknowledging this, it is my single-minded focus to work on healthcare systems to break these hierarchies.

I’m grateful to both Cole and Rishi for allowing me to republish their SOPs. Both worked incredibly hard to craft poignant, profound essays. And both hope you’ll find inspiration in their writing. These guys are true rock stars.

Cole’s essay gives us one of the best “Why This Program” sections I’ve ever seen. It’s so incredibly thorough, and so connected to his goals, that it’s no surprise he was offered a giant scholarship in his Zoom interview. He knows everything about the program, and tells them exactly how it’s going to launch his career.

Rishi shows us that it doesn’t matter if your GPA isn’t perfect. It doesn’t matter if you have no awards, publications, or achievements. Intelligent writing proves, more than anything else, that you’re an intelligent student . If you take the time to write something poignant, you can win.

As you craft your MHA statement of purpose, remember to structure your essay correctly. Use the SOP Starter Kit to shape your outline, then use the timeless lessons of Structure is Magic to polish your story till it shines.

It worked for Cole and Rishi. Both are now students at top-5 MHA programs. Why don’t you join them?

Not sure you can write an SOP that’s perfect for top-schools? I can help !

How will you write your MHA statement of purpose?

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How to Write a Personal Statement for Graduate School

November 18, 2023

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Of all the application requirements writing a personal statement for graduate school is where you're able to express your intentions.

So make it count. It’s nothing to fear. Let's review important things to do and not do in writing your personal essay.

Applying to graduate school,  master's in healthcare  programs included, are fairly typical. A resume, letter(s) of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and official transcripts are the four documents students will need to apply.

After you write your resume, request your transcripts, and  request letters of recommendation , the essential ingredients, you're ready to put the icing on the cake.

How to Write a Statement of Intent

The goal of your statement is to inform the admissions committee why you’re the ideal person for their program.

How do I know if i'm the right person?

Every master's program has  specific requirements  such as grade point average, or years of professional experience, that schools use to qualify student's.

Whether the essay prompt is detailed or concise, we need to know what the program is looking for to demonstrate our aptitude and drive.  Before you apply , let's discuss a few common prompts and how to approach them strategically.

Why do you want to enroll?

Every master's program has specific outcomes. You've decided to  apply to graduate school  because the outcomes align with your professional goals.

In this section it is important to highlight the areas of greatest interest to you, what kinds of skills you’re looking to build, and how those skills will enable you to achieve strategic goals for your organization and career.

• What you plan to do with the degree after earning it?
• Why does this degree appeal to you?
• Why does this program specifically, or this university appeal to you?

If you're applying to multiple programs, each statement should be presented in a tailored, non-generic manner personalized to the specific institution.

Share your experience

When you're communicating  why  you wish to complete an advanced degree, its important to use both experience and passion to convey your message.

Professional experience should be used to accent your plans after graduation, your decision to apply, and how it uniquely qualifies you for the program.

Professional experience includes but is not limited to: personal achievements, challenging situations, strategic decisions, and leadership roles you held or hold.

Writing Your Personal Essay

Aside from your goals and experience, a statement of purpose also demonstrates your writing skills, an indicator of ability to complete assignments.

1. Brainstorm

With the degree outcomes and application requirements in mind, start a brainstorming session. Think about how a master's will advance your career.

Then, collect highlights from your education, professional training and work experience to validate how the program will accelerate your career.

If you're applying to an  executive-level master's program , limit your experiences to your professional roles. Professional context is more relevant to executive degrees.

Note, projects you've lead, honors you received, current events or trends that you want to discuss, and faculty you're interested in working with.

When discussing weaknesses, frame them positively. Here's an example: a physician looking to start a group medical practice might say, "healthcare accounting will allow me to take an active leadership role in risk management."

2. Organize your Content

You don't need to be a natural storyteller to demonstrate your ability to write a logical and compelling statement of intent.

Take your ideas and prepare an outline. If the program has a detailed statement of intent, proceed according to their directions. If the  personal statement  is open-ended, lead with your reason(s) for applying to this specific program.

Use the remaining one or two pages to support your statement with professional experience that align with the application requirements.

3. Write your First Draft

This version does not need to be perfect.

Its important that you get the main sections of your essay down. Then connect the ideas as you've outlined them. Lastly, ensure the structure follows logically.

Once you have a first draft that states and supports your reason for applying, you can begin the editing process (adding, deleting and refining).

4. Get Feedback

When you're happy with your first draft, show it to people you trust and whose opinion you respect: colleagues, friends, family, or mentors. Getting feedback from professionals inside your industry is preferable.

5. Polish and Submit

Once you've incorporated the feedback of professionals its time to make the adjustments and  prepare your application .

• Does your statement deliver the message you want?
• Does your paper read smoothly?
• Does your essay conform to the school's guidelines?
• Is your article free of grammatical errors?

If there isn’t a word or character limit,  err on the side of concision . Use as many words (500-1000) as you need to convey your message and demonstrate character.

Written by Frank Farrar

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How to Write a Personal Statement for a Masters in Healthcare Administration

Ways to Practice for Graduate School Interviews

If you're interested in attaining a master's degree in healthcare administration, you've probably set your sights on an exciting career as a manager in a healthcare environment such as a hospital, surgical center, nursing home or outpatient care center. But first things first. The program you've identified has likely required that, along with your undergraduate grades, you submit a personal statement. This is your opportunity to sell yourself to the graduate admissions committee, both in terms of your past accomplishments and your future.

Read your graduate admissions packet carefully with regard to the personal statement. Some schools set specific length requirements, which you should follow, or pose certain questions that you must answer.

Develop a structure for your personal statement, starting with a basic introduction, body and conclusion. As you prepare this draft, remember that you are telling a story -- the story of a life you've already lived as well as a story of your future that you can only envision for now. Remember that there is no one “right way” to craft a personal statement, but it should sound like you, and it should be professional and sincere. Every sentence should be relevant to your quest to gain admission.

Set yourself apart from other applicants right from the start by opening your statement with an anecdote that underscores your commitment to healthcare. This short story might come straight from an undergraduate classroom experience or even a paid, part-time job in a healthcare environment. Ideally, it should reveal, in poignant terms, why you chose healthcare administration as your profession. Close this compelling opening paragraph with your purpose for writing -- that you are seeking admission to the graduate healthcare administration program and believe you would make a valuable addition to the campus community in myriad ways.

Segue gracefully to your background, including your academic work, special projects, articles that have appeared in publications, presentations at healthcare conferences or anything of which you are particularly proud. This is the portion of your personal statement in which you should frame your past in a memorable perspective. Remember that the graduate committee already has your college transcript; now it wants to learn what healthcare has meant to you personally.

Reach into the future and share your personal goals, tying them to how a master's degree in healthcare administration will help you attain them. This is where you must be specific and offer examples. Some graduate programs emphasize individual research, whereas others focus on internships and clinical experiences. Prove that you've done your homework and demonstrate that the graduate school is an ideal fit for you, both personally and professionally.

Conclude on a strong note, but avoid cliches and hollow phrases. In other words, don't present yourself as a “hard worker” and “good student” who “embraces challenge” and wants to “help people.” Better to present such notions by way of examples, or point to other traits and characteristics that you believe make you a distinguished candidate for admission.

Ask several people who know you well to read your personal statement and provide a critique. You may integrate some ideas and disregard others, but the idea is to return to your personal statement after a few days and then revise and strengthen it accordingly.

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• MySciNet: Sell Yourself: Guidance for Developing Your Personal Statement for Graduate School Applications
• Purdue University: Online Writing Lab: Examples of Successful Statements

With education, health care and small business marketing as her core interests, M.T. Wroblewski has penned pieces for Woman's Day, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal and many newspapers and magazines. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University.

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• Public Health Masters Personal Statement Sample

Written by Ben Taylor

This is an example personal statement for a Masters degree application in Public Health. See our guide for advice on writing your own postgraduate personal statement .

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The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into sharp relief the disparities between health outcomes on both local and global scales. Far from it being ‘the great leveller’, as some in the government and media were fond of describing the novel coronavirus in the first half of 2020, COVID-19 has disproportionally affected those from marginalised communities.

Seeing the effect of the pandemic on my family and friends has inspired me to apply for a Masters in Public Health (MPH) at your university. I feel deeply passionate about making sure that the next time a pandemic happens, we’ll have a better system in place to deal with the repercussions, learning from the success stories that have emerged over the past few years.

I graduated last year with a first class degree in Biomedical Sciences and have since worked in an editorial role for a major medical science communications publisher, contributing blogs and editing submitted papers before publication. This has given me a fantastic insight into the cutting-edge work that is being done around the world in medicine.

Watching and reading the commendable work of prominent public health practitioners like Devi Sridhar and Jonathan Van-Tam has convinced me of the vital role that clear, honest and expert communicators can play during a pandemic – often stepping up to fill the void left by elected officials.

I believe that your MPH programme will provide me with the skills needed to contribute to society from a public health perspective in the years to come. I’m particularly enthused by the range of modules you offer in epidemiology and infectious disease modelling, as well as the options to specialise in global health.

Outside of my studies and work, I’ve spent the past couple of years volunteering with a local mutual aid group, delivering medicine and essentials for people who are shielding or isolating.

As I’ve already touched upon, there is a clear role that public health professionals can play in influencing the policy of local, national and international organisations. I think that the Masters in Public Health at your institution offers the perfect platform from which to begin impacting policy in a positive sense, providing numerous opportunities to connect with thought leaders.

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Cornell Brooks School MPA Application Tips: The Personal Statement

Tom O’Toole, Executive Director of the MPA Program, offers his perspective on making the personal statement section of your graduate school application truly stand out.

When it comes to graduate school admission, the personal statement/essay represents your chance to truly shine.  In addition to providing a tremendous opportunity to convey the quality of your writing to admissions committees, the personal statement allows you to highlight your purpose for pursuing graduate studies.  Here are a few tips for making sure your essay reaches its full potential:

1)  The Personal Statement is a Writing Sample : Some graduate schools require writing samples as part of their applications, and some do not.  For those that do not, the personal statement is the only sample of your writing that the admissions committee will see.   For this reason, it is important (particularly for a professional program where writing skills are essential), to tell your story in a clear, coherent manner, and to  proofread carefully .  Grammatical errors, typos, and colloquial language will severely diminish the professionalism and credibility of your statement.  These errors will also indicate that you do not invest much effort into representing yourself well.

3)  Graduate Admissions Committees are Immune to Guilt : Although admissions committees do look for evidence of resilience and perseverance in applicants, many applicants spend their entire statement conveying difficult personal circumstances they have had to overcome, and explaining why, because of these circumstances, they are deserving of admission.  This tells the committee very little about whether an applicant has the drive to succeed in graduate school, and many reviewers find being “guilted” into approving an application off-putting.  Focus instead on experiences that are directly relevant to your motivation for pursuing a specific graduate degree.

4)  Are you Ready for This?  Another common error in personal statements is conveying that graduate school is the “logical next step” in an applicant’s career.  Graduate schools want to admit bright, capable individuals who have a genuine interest in making intellectual contributions to their field.  They are not keen on admitting applicants who are pursuing graduate studies because they cannot figure out what to do with their lives, or are avoiding a difficult job market.  Graduate school is a rigorous, challenging commitment, and conveying that it is the “logical next step” in an applicant’s career doesn’t convey a strong clarity of purpose behind the application.

5)  Tailor:  One of the many problems associated with the “revolution” in electronic applications is that electronic submission encourages applicants to be generic.  The “point, click, apply” mentality that yields poor results on the internship/job market also yields poor results for many graduate school applicants.  Each statement should be tailored for the strengths of the individual program in question, (convincingly) citing faculty, courses, and specific initiatives that the applicant intends to leverage as a student.  Part of what admissions committees are looking for in applicants is intellectual capability, but they are also looking for “fit.”  As an exercise, if the applicant can replace the name of our program with any other MPA/MPP program in their statement, and the statement still makes sense, the statement isn’t well-tailored to a specific program.

6)  Tell us a New “Story”:  After reviewing several hundred applications, admissions officers find that each statement tends to run together because applicants rely on many of the same strategies to tell their story.  The trick is to balance professionalism and maturity with creativity.  Give us an example of how you resolved a problem using an interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial approach.  Discuss a public policy space that you feel would benefit from a new infusion of energy or ideas.  However you decide to tell your story, make it innovative.

If you have questions about attending the MPA Program at Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, we encourage you to request more information  today!

Subscribe to our graduate education blog —  Public Policy in Action  —  for tips and tools related to pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree!

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Personal Statement Writing Tips

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Why a Personal Statement is Important

Personal statements are used as part of the application process for many Ph.D. programs, medical schools, fellowship programs, and even, in some cases, jobs.  Personal statements help assess an individual’s commitment to their chosen area of study or work. In addition to strong writing skills, the admissions committee is also looking for something standardized tests and GPAs cannot quantify — your personal story or sense of purpose as it relates to the program or position you are seeking.  While the importance of the statement in terms of the overall application varies from place to place, it is a key factor in the decision-making process.

Consider two goals when writing your essay: persuading the admissions or hiring committee to admit/hire you and demonstrating that you are far more than a GPA or test score. You are an authentic person who would be an asset to the school or to the organization.

The Three-Step Process to Writing a Personal Statement:

1. brainstorming.

In this step you engage in self-reflection, research and the development of ideas for your personal statement.  Allow yourself time to perform this step, and consider the following questions:

• What events, personal experiences, or difficult situations shaped my character?
• What experiences were most influential in choosing my career path?
• What skills, knowledge, and experiences distinguish me from other candidates?
• What do I find meaningful or purposeful? What is my passion?
• What are my goals or hopes for my future career?

2. Selecting Your Statement Topic

As you begin Step Two, ask yourself:  “What impression do I hope to create through my statement?” Select a topic that will allow you to synthesize the information from Step One into a well-written document, giving a positive and memorable impression.  Consider some of the following tips as you make your selection:

• Avoid using gimmicks, but select a topic that grabs the reader’s attention in the first paragraph
• Provide vivid supporting experiences to your topic
• Avoid repeating information that can be found elsewhere in your application (such as GPA)
• Seek feedback from your professors, advisors, and career counselor(s) about the topic

3. Tips for Writing Your Personal Statement

As you write your statement, keep in mind that your goal is to convince admissions or the hiring committee that you are the candidate they want.

• Start by creating an outline and journaling your first draft of your statement
• Be yourself – your readers want to learn about who you are as a person
• Use imagery and clear, vivid prose – describe your life experiences using graphic images
• Determine if there is a theme to your statement – a common thread.
• Don’t summarize in your introduction
• Create curiosity or intrigue in the reader’s mind by raising questions. If there is a theme to your statement, introduce your theme at the beginning.
• Relate all paragraphs in the body of essay to the introduction; or to your theme
• Make smooth transitions  to preserve the flow of your essay
• Link your conclusion to you introduction; focus on your career goals – where do you see yourself in 5/10 years? How will this position help you get there?
• Discuss the broader implications of your discussion.
• Redefine a term previously used in the body of your essay, end with a famous quote that is relevant to your argument.
• Take a break  from a draft of your statement – then come back to it with a fresh pair of eyes
• Ask someone else to read a draft of your statement and request feedback.  In addition to reading for content and flow, others may spot grammatical errors or typos that you overlooked.

Additional Resources:

• Sample Personal Statement  (PDF)
• Prospective Students

Contact 420 Delaware St. S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455

612-626-3500 [email protected]

Writing the Personal Statement

The personal statement, your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process, generally falls into one of two categories: 

The general, comprehensive personal statement:  This allows you maximum freedom in terms of what you write and is the type of statement often prepared for standard medical or law school application forms. 

• The response to very specific questions: Often, business and graduate school applications ask specific questions, and your statement should respond specifically to the question being asked. Some business school applications favor multiple essays, typically asking for responses to three or more questions. 

What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story? 

What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or help set you apart from other applicants? 

When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained? 

How have you learned about this field—through classes, readings, seminars, work or other experiences, or conversations with people already in the field? 

If you have worked a lot during your college years, what have you learned (leadership or managerial skills, for example), and how has that work contributed to your growth? 

What are your career goals? 

Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre LSAT or GRE scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)? 

Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life? 

What personal characteristics (for example, integrity, compassion, and/or persistence) do you possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? Is there a way to demonstrate or document that you have these characteristics? 

What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess? 

Why might you be a stronger candidate for graduate school—and more successful and effective in the profession or field than other applicants? 

What are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you? 

If you are applying to several schools, you may find questions in each application that are somewhat similar. 

Don't be tempted to use the same statement for all applications. It is important to answer each question being asked, and if slightly different answers are needed, you should write separate statements. In every case, be sure your answer fits the question being asked. 

• Think in terms of showing or demonstrating through concrete experience. One of the worst things you can do is to bore the admissions committee. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you'll be putting yourself ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story, you will make yourself memorable.
• Don't, for example, state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific reasons. Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of a specific experience that is described in your statement. Your application should emerge as the logical conclusion to your story.
• If you're like most people, your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. Finding an angle or a "hook" is vital.
• The lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. It is here that you grab the reader's attention or lose it. This paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement.
• The middle section of your essay might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as some of your knowledge of the field. Too many people graduate with little or no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the profession or field they hope to enter. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information. Refer to experiences (work, research, etc.), classes, conversations with people in the field, books you've read, seminars you've attended, or any other source of specific information about the career you want and why you're suited to it. Since you'll have to select what you include in your statement, the choices you make are often an indication of your judgement.
• There are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences or accomplishments in high school or earlier are generally not a good idea. Don't mention potentially controversial subjects (for example, controversial religious or political issues).
• If a school wants to know why you're applying to it rather than another school, do some research to find out what sets your choice apart from other universities or programs. If the school setting would provide an important geographical or cultural change for you, this might be a factor to mention.
• Be meticulous. Type and proofread your essay very carefully. Many admissions officers say that good written skills are command of correct use of language are important to them as they read these statements. Express yourself clearly and concisely. Adhere to stated word limits.
• A medical school applicant who writes that they are good at science and want to help other people is not exactly expressing an original thought. Stay away from often-repeated or tired statements.

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Master of Health Administration Personal Statement Examples

Master of Health Administration Personal Statement Example 1

I was naturally drawn to the health industry due to my extended family’s exposure to health issues. While caring for my Grandma, who suffered from post-polio syndrome and normal pressure hydrocephalus, I developed a deep interest in establishing and maintaining exceptional health care services.

My family and I have always been fortunate to have access to high-quality, reasonably priced health care, and I believe this is a privilege everyone should have. My professional mission is to improve the health of my local population through efficient healthcare administration, clinical operations, and service provision.

My plans to become a doctor changed when I realised that human biology was not a subject I particularly enjoyed. My experience in biology was extensive, and I attained an A in my Biology GCSE exams. Still, I realised I did not love biology, and I focused on my dream of making high-quality medical care accessible at low cost to all citizens.

I believe in the power of science, but I have realised that I find the most inspiration in the political and public policy challenges surrounding our healthcare system. My background in health administration and public policy, as well as my experience working with underserved populations, makes me well-suited to oversee the implementation of recent reforms in health care, including the introduction of novel delivery methods, the use of cutting-edge technology, the reallocation of resources, and a heightened emphasis on preventative measures.

My goal is to pursue a Master’s in Health Administration degree since it will provide me with the knowledge and experience to improve and expand a healthcare organisation’s initiatives in medical and rehabilitative research, public health, and community service. I am used to a comprehensive system that provides all users equitable access to health care and health-related services.

I look forward to joining a team that shares my belief that everyone has a right to the best possible physical and mental health attention. I also want to be in a group that supports my efforts to develop and maintain world-class healthcare services in an ever-evolving field. I intend to dedicate my career as a healthcare administrator to enhancing the effectiveness of medical centres and the standard of care my institution gives.

The topics that pique my interest in health policy and social welfare policy include but are not limited to technological advancements, new health care delivery systems, and community involvement. I hope to be part of the discussion on how our nation can ensure everyone has access to the highest standards of medical care.

I have realised that if you want to succeed, you must understand that setbacks are necessary to achieve more incredible things.

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100+ Grad School Personal Statement Examples

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In personal statement samples by field | personal statements samples by university.

In this Article

Importance of a Strong Personal Statement

Purpose of this blog post, length and format, tone and style, general tips for success, computer science and engineering, economics and finance, management and business, healthcare and medicine, environment and sustainability, public affairs, international relations and politics, architecture, arts and film, mathematics and statistics, religion and philosophy, phd personal statement examples, scholarship & fellowship personal statements, word count-specific personal statements, prompt-specific grad school personal statements examples, academic achievements and experiences, research experiences, work and internship experiences, volunteer and community service, personal growth and overcoming challenges, future goals and career aspirations, research the program and faculty, emphasize alignment with program objectives, highlight unique program offerings, overused phrases and clichés , excessive self-praise, lack of focus or organization, consulting mentors, and advisors, incorporating feedback and refine, introduction.

A personal statement is essential in the graduate school application process, as it plays a significant role in shaping the admissions committee’s perception of you. In fact, a survey conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools revealed that 64% of graduate admissions officers consider the personal statement to be the most crucial factor in the admissions process. Furthermore, according to a study by Kaplan Test Prep, a well-crafted personal statement can boost an applicant’s chances of acceptance by up to 50%.

The personal statement’s importance stems from its ability to create a lasting impression on the admissions committee. 

Consider this: the admissions committee (adcom) does not know you personally. They have never met or spoken to you, nor have they ever interviewed you. They only know you through quantifiable aspects such as your GPA, test scores, and work experience. However, they lack insight into your thought processes, aspirations, background, and personal experiences. In essence, they need to connect with you on a personal level. The personal statement serves as a bridge, enabling the adcom, who are human beings themselves, to gain insight into your personality, motivations, and aspirations beyond your grades and test scores.

Time and again, adcoms at top universities emphasize the critical role of personal statements in their decision-making process. Drafting a personal statement is your opportunity to market yourself, showcasing your unique qualities and demonstrating your genuine interest in their program. By investing time and effort into creating a powerful personal statement, you can significantly enhance your chances of securing a place in your desired graduate program.

In this blog post, I will be sharing over 100 authentic graduate school personal statement examples from successful applicants across the globe who have secured admission to prestigious programs in the United States and across the world.

These samples encompass a wide range of fields, including MBA, Law, Medicine, Engineering, and Social Work, and originate from esteemed institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. You will find examples of personal statements for various degrees, including MSc, MA, LLM, Residency, MBA, and PhD programs. You will also find examples of statements written by applicants who obtained fellowships, and scholarships. By sharing these diverse examples, I aim to achieve the following goals:

• Inspiration and guidance: I want to provide you guys with a wide range of personal statement examples to serve as inspiration and offer guidance for making your own statements.
• Addressing common topics: These samples will cover all the common personal statement elements, helping you understand how to effectively discuss your academic achievements, research experiences, work history, volunteer work, personal growth, and future goals.
• Tips for success: The post will also provide helpful tips on tailoring personal statements to specific graduate programs, avoiding common pitfalls, and seeking feedback to improve the final draft.
• Empowerment: Ultimately, the goal of sharing these for free is to empower you guys to create compelling and unique personal statements that will increase your chances of being accepted into your dream graduate program.

By providing this comprehensive resource, I hope to demystify the personal statement writing process and equip you with the tools and inspiration necessary to craft a captivating narrative that reflects your unique journey and aspirations. 

Personal Statement Basics

When writing your personal statement, it’s crucial to pay attention to three key areas: length and format, tone and style, and general tips for success.

It’s important to create a well-structured personal statement that adheres to the specified word count and follows proper formatting guidelines. Some programs, particularly MBA programs, might not request a single personal statement. Instead, they may pose several questions and require you to write a brief essay for each one. Such programs typically break down a personal statement into multiple short questions, expecting essay responses tailored to each query. 

As a result, it’s crucial to carefully read the guidelines before you start writing, as students often mistakenly create a single personal statement and try to tweak it for various programs without realizing that different requirements exist. By doing so, they lose time and waste considerable effort and energy. 

Adhering to instructions and responding appropriately will leave a positive impression on the admissions committee. To accomplish this, consider these key aspects:

• Word count: Most graduate programs provide guidelines on the desired length of personal statements, typically ranging from 500 to 2,000 words.Adhere to these limits to show that you can follow instructions and communicate concisely.
• Formatting: Use a clear and easy-to-read font (e.g., Times New Roman or Arial) at a standard size (e.g., 11 or 12 points) with 1-inch margins. Ensure your document is well-organized with paragraphs and headings where appropriate.
• Structure: Start with a strong opening paragraph that hooks the reader, followed by body paragraphs addressing the key topics, and conclude with a memorable closing paragraph that reinforces your main points. This structure will ensure a cohesive and engaging narrative that effectively communicates your experiences and aspirations to the admissions committee.

In terms of tone and style, your personal statement should strike a balance between professionalism and authenticity to effectively convey your unique experiences and perspective. To accomplish this, consider the following aspects:

• Professional and confident: Adopt a professional tone in your writing, using clear, concise language. Be confident in presenting your accomplishments without being overly boastful.
• Authentic and personal: Avoid overly formal or academic language that may make your writing feel impersonal. Showcasing your authentic self will help the admissions committee connect with you on a personal level.
• Engaging storytelling: Use storytelling techniques to make your personal statement more engaging and memorable. This can include anecdotes, vivid descriptions, and a strong narrative structure. Starting with a quote that is relevant to your story is also a good way to begin your personal statement.

Lastly, adhering to tried and tested tips can greatly improve your personal statement, ensuring you present a polished and compelling narrative that effectively showcases your strengths and aspirations to the admissions committee. Some general advice is as follows::

• Start early: Give yourself ample time to brainstorm, write, revise, and seek feedback on your personal statement. On average. Grad school applicants spend 20+ hours in perfecting a personal statement of 1000 words. Moreover, they have their personal statement reviewed and redrafted 5 times on average.  
• Be focused and organized: Clearly structure your personal statement, addressing the main topics and ensuring your narrative flows logically from one point to the next. A well-organized statement will demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and coherently.
• Proofread and edit: Carefully review your personal statement for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Use free tools like grammarly to remove any unwanted errors in your writing.
• Seek feedback: Share your personal statement with your mentors, or peers, to gather valuable feedback. I especially recommend that you show your essay to someone who has already gone through the process successfully as they know the ins and outs well. Then, incorporate this feedback to refine and strengthen your final draft.

To help you get started and see everything that I just discussed in action, here is a list of 100+ personal statement examples from successful graduate school applicants.

Grad School Personal Statement Examples by Field of Study

• Example Personal Statement Computer Science (Admitted to Oxford with Low GPA )
• Example Personal Statement Computer Science (Admitted to Stanford )
• Example Personal Statement Computer Science (Admitted to Cambridge PhD )
• Example Personal Statement Artificial Intelligence (Admitted to UCLA)
• Example Personal Statement Machine Learning (Admitted to Duke )
• Example Personal Statement Data Science and Analytics (Admitted to CMU )
• Example Personal Statement Data Analytics (Admitted to Georgia Tech )
• Example Personal Statement Advanced Analytics (Admitted to NCSU )
• Example Personal Statement Mechanical Engineering (Admitted to USC , Imperial )
• Example Personal Statement Economics (Admitted to LSE )
• Example Personal Statement Economics (Admitted to Oxbridge )
• Example Personal Statement Finance (Admitted to MIT Sloan )
• Example Personal Statement Financial Engineering (Admitted to UC Berkeley )
• Example Personal Statement Financial Engineering (Admitted to UCLA )
• Example Personal Statement Accounting & Finance (Admitted to Michigan University)
• Example Personal Statement Investment Banking (Admitted to UPenn )
• Example Personal Statement (Admitted to Georgetown )
• Example Personal Statement (Admitted to Harvard LLM )
• Example Personal Statement (Admitted to Northwestern )
• Example Personal Statement (Admitted to NYU , Duke )
• 8 MBA Personal Statements (All IVY LEAGUES )
• Example BA Essays ( INSEAD )
• Example MBA Essays ( Kellogg Northwestern )
• Example Personal Statement Operations Management (Admitted to MIT PHD)
• Example Personal Statement Management (Admitted to Duke )
• Example Personal Statement Marketing (Admitted to NYU , Cornell )
• Example Personal Statement Business Analytics (Admitted to MIT , CMU )
• Example Personal Statement Management & Analytics (Admitted to LBS )
• Example Personal Statement Project Management (Admitted to UT Austin )
• Example Personal Statement Logistics & Supply Chain (Admitted to Boston . Penn State )
• Example Personal Statement Supply Chain Management (Admitted to MIT )
• Example Personal Statement Teaching ( Scholarship US State Department)
• Example Education Personal Statement (Admitted to UPenn , NYU , UCLA )
• Example Personal Statement Education Policy (Admitted to USC )
• Example Personal Statement Special Education Teacher (Admitted to TUFTS )
• Example Personal Statement of an Aspiring Teacher (Admitted to American University )
• Example Personal Statement Residency in Internal Medicine (Admitted to ASU )
• Example Personal Statement Counseling (Admitted to Harvard , Yale )
• Example Personal Statement Psychology (Admitted to NYU Steinhardt)
• Example Personal Statement Nursing (Admitted to Duke , Ohio)
• Example Personal Statement Public Health (MPH) (Admitted to Columbia , Emory)
• Example Personal Statement Social Work (MSW) (Admitted to Columbia )
• Example Personal Statement Veterinary (Admitted to UC Davis , CSU , Edinburgh)
• Example Personal Statement Biochemistry (Admitted to Johns Hopkins )
• Example Personal Statement Biology (Admitted to JHU )
• Example Personal Statement Anthropology (Admitted to Stanford )
• Example Personal Statement Environment and Sustainability (admitted to Stanford , CALTECH )
• Example Personal Statement Environmental Sustainability and Energy Management (Admitted to Yale , Duke )
• Example Personal Statement International Relations (Admitted to Columbia , Cornell )
• Example Personal Statement Political Science (Admitted to Duke , UCLA , NYU )
• Example Personal Statement Public Administration MPA (Admitted to Columbia , Harvard )
• Example Personal Statement Public Policy MPP (Admitted to Harvard , Brown , Erasmus Mundus Scholarship )
• Example Personal Statement Architecture (Admitted to Cambridge , Cornell , Yale )
• Example Personal Statement MFA (Admitted to New School and Rhode Island )
• Example Personal Statement in Filmmaking (Admitted to New York Film Academy )
• Example Personal Statement Fashion and Textile (Admitted to Parsons , Royal College of Arts )
• Example Personal Statement Math (Admitted to Oxbridge )
• Example Personal Statement Statistics (Admitted to NCSU , Cornell )
• Example Personal Statement Religious Studies (Admitted to Columbia , Harvard )
• Example Personal Statement 1 (Admitted to MIT )
• Example Personal Statement 2 (Admitted to Cambridge )
• Example Research Statement (Admitted to JHU )
• Example Statement of Research Interests (Admitted to Scripps )
• Example Statement of Objectives (Admitted to MIT )
• Example Personal StatemenT MS leading to Ph.D. (Admitted to Notre Dame )

These essays are written by applicants who are seeking financial aid or funding to support their graduate studies. In most cases, the program does not require a separate essay or application for the scholarship or fellowship, but in a few cases they do.

Most external donors do require a separate application such as the Fulbright program.

The purpose of these essays is to convince the selection committee that the applicant is the best candidate for the scholarship or fellowship.

• Scholarship Personal Statement Example (Won $250,000 Scholarship )
• Scholarship Personal Statement Example (Won Erasmus Mundus Scholarship )
• Fellowship Personal Statement Example (Won MIT Sloan Fellowship )
• Scholarship Personal Statement Example 1 (Won Fulbright Scholarship )
• Scholarship Personal Statement Example 2 (Won Fulbright Scholarship )

Word Count-Specific Personal Statements have a specific word count limit, which must be adhered to by the applicant. These are often required as part of graduate school applications, where the admissions committee wants to ensure that all applicants are providing the same amount of information and not exceeding or falling short of the specified word count.

Writing a word count-specific personal statement can be challenging, as applicants must balance providing enough detail to adequately convey their story and goals, while also being concise and staying within the specified limit. However, meeting the word count requirement is essential for demonstrating an applicant’s ability to communicate effectively, follow instructions, and prioritize information.

Here are a few examples of word-count specific personal statements.

• 100 Word Personal Statement Example
• 150 Word Personal Statement Example
• 200 Word Personal Statement Example
• 250 Word Personal Statement Example
• 300 Word Personal Statement Example
• 400 Word Personal Statement Example
• 500 Word Personal Statement Example
• 600 Word Personal Statement Example
• 700 Word Personal Statement Example
• 750 Word Personal Statement Example
• 800 Word Personal Statement Example
• 1000 Word Personal Statement Example

Prompt specific personal statements are statements that are tailored to answer a specific question or prompt in a personal statement. These statements are typically used in graduate school applications, especially MBA apps. These essays usually have a word-limit as well.

The purpose of a question specific personal statement is to demonstrate to the admissions committee that the applicant has the skills, knowledge, and experience required to succeed in the program. By directly addressing the prompt or question, the applicant can provide a focused and coherent response that highlights their relevant qualities and accomplishments.

For example, if a prompt asks an applicant to discuss their leadership experience, a question specific personal statement would focus on describing specific instances where the applicant demonstrated leadership skills and qualities, such as problem-solving, decision-making, and effective communication.

Here are some samples on Question or Prompt Specific Personal Statements.

• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Career Goals
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Values that have Influenced You
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Leadership
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Describe a Challenge you Faced and How you Overcame it?
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on My Passion in Life
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement on Why do you want to become a doctor?
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 1 ( Responses to 6 Prompts for Fellowship)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 2 ( Responses to 5 Prompts for Duke)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 3 ( Responses to 3 Prompts for MIT)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 4 ( Responses to 4 Prompts for LBS)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 5 ( Responses to 4 Prompts for UC Berkeley)
• Prompt-specific Personal Statement Example 6 ( Responses to 4 Prompts for MIT)

Addressing Common Personal Statement Components

In this section, I will explore the various components that commonly make up a well-rounded personal statement.I have also discussed these in a lot more detail in a blog post here . In that post, I have also shared various examples of personal statements that show how you can put these components in an essay form. Furthermore, that blog post also introduces an 8-point framework designed to assist you in evaluating and rating your personal statement draft.

When applying for graduate programs that are academic in nature, such as PhD, Master of Science, or Master of Arts, it’s essential to emphasize your academic achievements and experiences in your personal statement. To effectively showcase your educational background, you can do the following:

• Highlight relevant coursework: Discuss courses that have prepared you for graduate study and demonstrate your passion for the subject.
• Showcase your academic accomplishments: Mention awards, honors, high GPA, or scholarships you’ve received, and explain their significance.
• Share influential academic experiences: Describe any conferences, workshops, or seminars you’ve attended, and explain how they’ve shaped your understanding of your field.

When applying for research-oriented programs such as PhD, post-doc, or research-based masters, it’s crucial to emphasize your research background, experiences, and achievements in your personal statement. To effectively highlight your research accomplishments, consider including the following in your personal statement:

• Describe your research projects: Outline the relevant research you’ve conducted, including the objectives, methodology, and results.
• Emphasize your role: Detail your specific contributions (co-contributor, co-author, lead researcher) to the research project, highlighting your skills and expertise.
• Discuss the impact: Explain how your research has contributed to the field (maybe you got published in a journal, got a patent or published a white paper). You can also discuss how it influenced your career goals.

When composing your personal statement, it’s a good idea to show your work and internship experiences, as they highlight your practical skills and dedication to your chosen field. These experiences are especially significant for those applying to professional programs such as MBA, Project Management, and Masters in Engineering. 

However, they can also add considerable value to applications for academic or research-based programs. To effectively emphasize your work experiences and their relevance to your graduate studies, take into account the following aspects:

• Detail relevant experiences: Discuss any internships, part-time jobs, or full-time positions related to your field, highlighting the skills you’ve gained.
• Demonstrate transferable skills: Show how your work experience has equipped you with valuable skills (e.g., teamwork, leadership, problem-solving) that can be applied to your graduate studies.
• Share meaningful moments: Describe any significant projects, accomplishments, or challenges you’ve encountered during your work experience that have shaped your perspective or goals.

In your personal statement, highlighting your volunteer and community service experiences can be a valuable addition, particularly for programs that emphasize social impact or community engagement, such as social work, public health, or education.

These experiences demonstrate your commitment to making a difference, and they showcase your ability to apply the skills and knowledge gained in real-world situations. Additionally, they reflect your extroverted nature, openness to new ideas, and willingness to engage with people from diverse backgrounds. 

Emphasizing your involvement in volunteer work and community service not only reveals your personal growth and alignment with your field of study but also highlights your ability to work collaboratively, appreciate different perspectives, and contribute positively to society. To give you some idea, you can demonstrate your service to the community by doing the following in your personal statement:

• Showcase your involvement: Discuss volunteer work, community service, or extracurricular activities you’ve participated in that are relevant to your field of study or personal growth.
• Emphasize personal growth: Describe the impact of these experiences on your personal development, such as gaining empathy, cultural competence, or leadership skills.
• Connect to your field: Explain how your volunteer or community service experiences relate to your graduate studies and future career aspirations.

By sharing the obstacles you’ve faced and the lessons you’ve learned from them, you demonstrate your resilience, adaptability, and motivation. Connecting these experiences to your academic and career goals will further emphasize your determination to succeed in your chosen field and your readiness for the rigors of graduate study. Here are some ideas to get you started with this:

• Share your story: Discuss any personal challenges or obstacles you’ve faced and how they’ve shaped your character, values, or motivations.
• Demonstrate resilience: Explain how you’ve overcome these challenges and what you’ve learned from the experience.
• Relate to your academic and career goals: Show how your personal growth and experiences have influenced your decision to pursue graduate studies and your future career aspirations.

Your personal statement should also address your future goals and career aspirations. You should discuss both your short-term (3-5 year) and long-term (10-15 year) goals in your grad school personal statement. 

Explain the motivation behind them, and connect these goals to the graduate program you’re applying to. This will show that you have a clear plan for your academic and professional journey, and that the program is an essential stepping stone toward achieving your goals. Here is a helping hand that will assist you include this element in your essay.

• Outline your short-term and long-term goals: Discuss your objectives for both your graduate studies and your future career, demonstrating a clear vision of your path.
• Explain your passion and motivation: Share the driving forces behind your goals, showcasing your enthusiasm and dedication to your field of study.
• Connect your goals to the graduate program: Illustrate how the specific graduate program you’re applying to will help you achieve your academic and career objectives.

Tailoring your Personal Statement for Specific Schools

One common mistake that applicants make is submitting a generic personal statement to multiple programs. This can significantly reduce their chances of admission. 

Universities appreciate when applicants have taken the time to research the specific program, courses, faculty, and research facilities, demonstrating genuine interest and effort. 

While it’s acceptable to have a core personal statement that outlines your personal story, achievements, and interests, it’s crucial to tailor part of the essay to the particular program you are applying to. By customizing your personal statement, you show the admissions committee that you’ve done your homework.

Here I have some suggestions for you that you can use to tailor your personal statement for the specific program.

To tailor your personal statement for specific schools, it’s essential to thoroughly research the program and faculty at each institution. This involves exploring the program’s curriculum, core and optional course offerings, summer internship placement opportunities, industry-affiliated projects that are available, faculty research interests, and the school’s overall reputation in your field. By understanding these aspects, you can demonstrate your genuine interest in the program and highlight how your background and goals align with the faculty and coursework offered.

Once you have a solid understanding of the program and faculty, emphasize the alignment between your own values, objectives, and the program’s values and objectives in your personal statement. This can include showcasing your commitment to the program’s core principles, highlighting your passion for the program’s focus areas, and demonstrating your enthusiasm for working with particular faculty members on research or projects that align with your interests.

Each graduate program may have unique offerings that set it apart from others, such as specialized courses, research centers, or industry partnerships. In your personal statement, highlight these distinctive features and explain how they will benefit you. By doing this, you show the admissions committee that you have carefully considered the program’s offerings and have a clear understanding of how they will contribute to your academic and professional growth.

Personal Statement Pitfalls to Avoid

When writing your personal statement, you should be watchful of common traps that can diminish the impact of your narrative. Avoiding these mistakes will help you create a nice, well-rounded and unique story that will stand out to the adcom.

I have also discussed these in a lot more detail in a blog post here . In that post, I have also shared various examples of personal statements that avoid these traps and some that fall for them.

Here are some critical pitfalls to avoid:

Avoid relying on common phrases or clichés in your personal statement. Nearly all the personal statement templates use clichés like, such as “I’ve always known that I wanted to…”, “I have a thirst for knowledge.”, “I want to give back to society.”, “Ever since I can remember…”. These can make your writing appear as copy paste, dull and boring. Instead, you should try to be creative and unique and use expressions that genuinely reflect your own individual experiences and motivations.

While it’s essential to showcase your achievements and strengths, be cautious not to overdo self-promotion. Overly boastful or self-aggrandizing language can be off-putting to the reader and you could come across as arrogant and self-conceited. Focus on presenting your accomplishments and experiences in a balanced and authentic manner, highlighting the impact and the lessons learned from them. In short, stay humble.

A disorganized or unfocused personal statement can make it difficult for the admissions committee to grasp your main points or understand your narrative. Ensure your personal statement is well-structured, with clear coherence between paragraphs and a logical progression of ideas. Stay focused on only talking about experiences that are relevant to your field of study. However, if you want to talk about something that you feel is important for the application but is not relevant to the chosen program, just touch upon it in your essay.

Again, I would recommend you to go through this post where I have delved deeper into the things you should avoid. Additionally, in that post I have also provided you with a 7-point framework that you can use to circumvent the common pitfalls often encountered in personal statements.

Seeking Feedback and Revising Your Personal Statement

Before submitting your personal statement, it’s essential to seek and incorporate feedback. Applicants who create successful personal statements spend 20 hours on average on creating the perfect essay. You should consult mentors, advisors, and peers, to refine your narrative. This section will guide you through the process of seeking feedback and making revisions to optimize your personal statement.

Seek input from individuals who know you well and have experience with the application process. I would also recommend that you should ask feedback from people who have successfully gone through the process in the past. Their feedback can help you identify areas for improvement, and ensure your narrative aligns properly.

After receiving feedback from various sources, take the time to thoughtfully consider their suggestions and incorporate them into your personal statement. Remember that not all feedback may be applicable or useful, so use your judgment to determine which revisions will enhance your narrative. Continue refining your personal statement through multiple drafts, ensuring your final version presents a polished and compelling story that showcases your strengths and aspirations.

I hope that these 100+ personal statement examples for graduate school and all the associated tips will provide you with the inspiration, guidance, and ideas you need to create a captivating narrative of your own. As you embark on this journey, remember that dedication, self-reflection, and resilience are key to putting up a persuasive narrative. Remember, there is no short-cut to success. Good luck, and we can’t wait to see where your academic journey takes you!

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GET AN IMPRESSIVE MHA PERSONAL STATEMENT TO STAND YOU OUT

Mha personal statement: general aspects, ins & outs.

While most of the US population is located in the South, most Southerners tend not to have insurance, which is directly translated into a need for free healthcare. It demands more and more professionals in healthcare administration, so more people can enjoy an efficient public health service. Yet, someone who wants to graduate from an MHA program needs to have a previous undergraduate program, enough professional achievements and experience, and finally be able to pass the MHA personal statement. The personal statement for masters in healthcare administration is a personal statement like any other, where the applicant needs to portray their enrollment aims and what makes them stand out from other MHA program candidates. And as said before, studying in such a program helps the student achieve a higher level of education that can eventually help both take care of and save millions of people’s lives who don’t have insurance.

Some of the MHA Programs in the US Where Students Can Apply

Having a well-composed personal statement for healthcare administration gives everyone a great chance to strengthen their application and be accepted successfully. Among numerous educational options, there are some top ones that consider candidates based on this application document.

• University of Minnesota MHA: Focusing on the development of each health professional, the program offers a more practical curriculum to graduate more efficient and productive professionals.
• George Washington University MHA: Located in the Milken Institute of Public Health, the program which can be taken both physically or online, requires students to have a minimum of 3 years of experience.
• John Hopkins MHA: Bloomberg School of Public Health offers a professional, rigorous, and top-notch program that also allows students to receive accreditations and memberships to CAHME and AUPHA.
• Harvard T.H Chan HPM: Harvard’s Healthcare Policy and Management program is an incredibly efficient and professional experience students are able to obtain in theory, practice, and applied skills.
• Georgetown University MHSA: A full-time learning program that focuses on practice and competency as well as offering accreditation to the CAHME.
• University of Michigan MHSA: Focuses on the financing, management, marketing, and organization of healthcare services and providers – a top-notch program to gain more professional qualifications.

Get Started With Good Healthcare Personal Statement Examples

Before starting with your personal statement MHA, we highly recommend stocking up on a couple of good examples. This will not only illustrate writing guidelines well, but it will also give you an idea of what the winning document should look like.

Each of the healthcare personal statement examples presented here is a genuine MHA document that we have been kindly allowed to use by past clients. They have achieved their goals with these samples, so feel free to use them to get inspired and know more about proper structure & context.

However, we do not recommend directly using the text from the sample statement of purpose for healthcare administration. Your own must be a unique piece of writing, well-personalized and adapted to the specifics of a particular MHA program.

How to Write a Personal Statement MHA

Due to the high responsibility related to the importance of this document, creating an MHA personal statement may be challenging. If you don’t take care while writing one of these, you may as well fail and make yourself a less-than-average applicant for the admission committee. That’s why we recommend you follow these steps:

• Read the personal statement instructions carefully: Every university has a set of instructions for each personal statement MHA. Take a good look at your desired career and ensure it goes according to what’s needed.
• Create a good structure: A good personal statement structure should be based on an introduction, a body & a conclusion. Tell your life as a doctor and your previous experience in the introduction and body, then talk about your future goals, expectations from the MHA program & hopes in conclusion.
• Start and conclude strongly: An efficient way to create an MHA personal statement is by starting and concluding strongly. Make good remarks and statements about your passion and personal motivations while starting, and then conclude with your goals and the belief that you are the best fit.
• Ask help from other people: People with previous knowledge of MHA personal statements can help you create a better one. They will allow you to know where you are less efficient and where you are good enough. Improve accordingly.
• Avoid silly remarks and generalizations: Silly comments like putting yourself like a good doctor, a strong worker, someone with grit, and such can make you look less engaging. Avoid this in an MHA personal statement and focus better on your experience, practical cases, motivations & goals.

Alan Bullock, a Career Advisor from Which? University also recommends showcasing your skills as a professional, “But don’t simply list off the skills you think you have – think about which ones relate most readily to the course you’re applying to. Then demonstrate how you’ve developed, used and continued to strengthen these.”

Mistakes in Sample Statement of Purpose for Healthcare Administration

Writing your MHA application document may seem like an easy job, but it can be extremely difficult and sometimes make the applicant nervous and anxious. But if you take a look at the following common mistakes in the sample statement of purpose for healthcare administration, you may avoid this anxiety and nervousness:

NOT KNOWING WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT

Sometimes applicants forget what a personal statement MHA is and how it can help them be admitted into a nursing program like this. Simply, a personal statement for masters in public administration consists of explaining the reasons and motivations to apply. Additionally, you can explain briefly your interest in the field, your love for the career, and something you must do no matter what – talk about personal experience and how it may help you advance professionally. As simple as this, but it usually makes students feel confused, like in this MHA personal statement example:

As you see in the example, the applicant forgot about the purpose of his MHA personal statement and started to write about his experience in a specific way – something that is not recommended, especially when you talk about getting sick…

BEING UNORGANIZED

Even though the previous example could also be used here, we have an even better example of how an unorganized personal statement MHA with a wrong format and null writing skills can harm your admission. Take a look:

“I started working as a doctor in 2010 and from then I’ve taken care of more than 1000 patients in the course of 6 years. I graduate in 2009 but my studies weren’t enough so I took a course on nursing for 1 year. My experience has been vastly helpful but I still think I need more studies to become better. Not a single life has been lost thanks to my skills and patients are always satisfied with my treatments.

From here I want to keep going in my career and professional knowledge. My family has been greatly honored and supportive from and for me. As a doctor, I’m accomplished and happy but keep my studies is a must now. Hope I can get into this program. Thanks!”

By simply skimming through this fragment of a sample statement of purpose for healthcare administration, you can see how the applicant didn’t work on the format, text polishing, and content organization. Thus, his writing has no flow and is a little tricky to read. Avoid this and try to be more engaging for better MHA admission opportunities.

Get Expert Help With Personal Statement for Healthcare Administration

When considering the need for professional help, would you risk your maybe only opportunity to be admitted? If not, hiring a proficient expert who is able to assist with an MHA personal statement creation will be a wise decision. And our specialists can be the best choice to make because of their:

• Qualifications and expertise – due to the harsh screening, there are only top specialists with checked backgrounds, genuine writing talent, deep knowledge of MHA admission process nuances & pitfalls, and hundreds of university essay prompts written.
• Dedication to #1 results – we don’t aim to simply create an MHA personal statement but develop a well-personalized one targeted to your win.
• Ability to create masterpieces – we produce each text from scratch based on your materials and particular program features we gain after meticulous research.
• Reliability and responsibility – which are strengthened by strict deadline adherence, 24/7 support, and an opportunity to revise your personal statement MHA until you’re totally satisfied with it.

Hire a professional to do their best with your Masters in Health Administration application, creating the document that impresses the MHA admission committee and proves your excellence. With our experienced writing service and good MHA personal statement examples, you will leave your competitors no chance and be able to get admission effortlessly.

Contact us today and receive the best help with your personal statement!

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Healthcare Management Personal Statement Samples & Tips

Table of Contents

A one- to two-page personal statement describes what you intend to do in your profession, why, and how. We have provided effective healthcare management personal statement samples to help you write your own.

Be sure to follow the guidelines given in the guide to help you craft an insightful and engaging personal statement for the application process.

What Is a Healthcare Personal Statement?

A Healthcare Management Personal Statement is an individualized, written summary that outlines the qualifications, experiences, and goals of a professional in the healthcare field.

This statement provides insight into how the writer approaches their work, communicates with patients and colleagues, and manages health systems efficiently and ethically. It should include facts about the writer’s accomplishments and demonstrate an understanding of the critical issues within healthcare management.

Additionally, it should convey a passion for serving others and show how they utilize technological advances to create better patient solutions.

A successful personal statement will reflect the author’s unique personality while employing creative language and thought-provoking examples to stand out from similar applicants.

How to Write a Compelling Healthcare Management Personal Statement

The personal statement can tell medical schools why you want to study there and how your background and experiences will benefit their faculty.

Remember that you want your statement to sound like you rather than like a list of clichés. Since the personal statement is generic and will be used for other school and course applications, don’t mention schools or departments.

Include the following in your statement of purpose:

• Explain your interest in the position and your qualifications to the reader. Mention why you want to become a healthcare manager and what aspects of healthcare particularly intrigue you.
• Include any relevant experience, talents, or accomplishments you’ve picked up in your time at school, on the job, or elsewhere. Use it to explain how you make a good candidate for a future in healthcare.
• Think back on your time in the workforce and the lessons you learned about yourself or the field.
• Discuss any recent events you have heard about in the medical or healthcare fields, and elaborate on why you found them so fascinating.
• Provide details about any further higher education outreach events you may have attended and why you found them engaging.
• Remember to mention your hobbies and how they’ve helped you grow professionally.

Include in your statement any extenuating circumstances that have influenced your academic performance or your choice of specialization. Things like caring for a sick family member, experiencing a medical emergency, etc.

Great Healthcare Management Personal Statement Samples

These INK samples show the different perspectives of a personal statement. Use these samples to inspire your writing to prepare a hugely successful personal statement!

I’ve driven good change in healthcare administration for over two decades thanks to my extensive knowledge and insight.

I provide compassionate, efficient, and cost-effective patient care solutions by combining empathy, innovation, and thoughtfulness.

I can manage persons, resources, and processes to implement successful plans with tangible outcomes by identifying and assessing possibilities and foreseeing potential hazards.

I’ve utilized my skill set to create and maintain effective relationships with patients, families, and medical staff. Additionally, by leveraging technology and data analytics, I can ensure that sound decisions are made in accordance with established protocols and standards.

I can manage competing priorities within tight deadlines and deliver high-quality results due to my experience managing complex projects. With each accomplishment, I endeavor to push myself further to see what else I can achieve.

I look forward to applying my talents and understanding towards new challenges within healthcare management.

I’ve worked in healthcare management for over 20 years and am driven to make a difference.

I can quickly learn, analyze complex systems, and create unique ideas that work, thanks to my experience.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked on numerous projects that have helped streamline processes and reduce costs significantly. I also have excellent interpersonal skills, which helps me cooperate with stakeholders to design health equity and accessibility strategies.

This holistic approach to healthcare management drives me to push beyond limits and drive good change through resilient, forward-thinking strategies.

I’ve always loved healthcare management because I want to help people. I’m a highly experienced professional with a background that includes managing complex systems in hospitals and clinics throughout my career. With an innate sense of empathy and enthusiasm for practical problem-solving, I believe I can bring both knowledge and innovation to any healthcare organization.

I used inventive methods in a critical care unit to cut wait times and enhance efficiency without compromising patient outcomes. This experience inspired me to pursue additional health service administration certifications, allowing me to gain further insight into how this dynamic sector operates.

Familiarizing myself with cutting-edge trends such as data analytics has enabled me to develop farsighted approaches to improving service delivery. My ability to build trust, understanding, and support among varied coworkers has also improved. My dedication to bettering our healthcare system is evidenced by my record of initiating quality control initiatives that prioritize ethical integrity above all else.

As someone always looking for ways to make a difference, I plan to use my skills and interest in healthcare management. In addition to bringing fresh perspectives to projects, I am confident that I can leverage my insights and enthusiasm to generate tangible results.

Final Words

Healthcare management personal statement samples allow you to get a sense of how personal statements look and function in myriad fields. Start with the offered samples and compose your statement to ensure that your topic is conveyed as desired .

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Although most applicants focus on GPA and test-scores, the personal statement is a very important component of your application and should be carefully composed. This is your opportunity to highlight things about yourself that may not be mentioned in other sections of your application and to distinguish yourself from other applicants.

You should have several different people objectively read your personal statement and provide constructive feedback. In addition to the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) , your letter writers are often a great option. There are also resources on campus that can assist you, such as the UH Writing Center , University Career Services , and your major advisor. Consider the feedback you receive carefully, but be sure that the personal statement is still written in your voice!

Below we have outlined some advice and general guidelines to consider while writing your personal statement. Keep in mind that these recommendations are not restricted to medical/dental applications, but can be applied while writing essays for any healthcare professional program.

• See also UH University Career Services Personal Statement Tips
• Sign up for the UH Writing Center Personal Statement Workshops

Types of Prompts

Before beginning your personal statement, it is important you carefully review the specific question (or prompt) that is being asked and the character-limit, as there can be distinct differences between the application services.

TMDSAS ( 5000 characters ):

• Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. You are asked to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.
• Explain your motivation to seek a career in dentistry. You are asked to discuss your philosophy of the dental profession and indicate your goals relevant to the profession.
• Personal Characteristics Essay - Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others. The personal characteristics essay is required to all applicants and limited to 2500 characters, including spaces.
• Optional Essay – The optional essay is an opportunity to provide the admissions committee(s) with a broader picture of who you are as an applicant. The essay is optional, however, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Consider briefly discussing any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented. Optional Essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces.

AMCAS ( 5300 characters ):

• Why have you selected the field of medicine?
• What motivates you to learn more about medicine?
• What do you want medical schools to know about you that has not been disclosed in other sections of the application?

AACOMAS ( 5300 characters ):

• What motivates you to learn more about osteopathic medicine?

AADSAS ( 4500 characters ):

• Explain a defining moment that helped steer you toward a career in dentistry. Consider using that moment as the focal point of your essay.
• Be colorful, positive, imaginative and personal when discussing why you are a good candidate for dental school. Ask yourself—in a pile of 100 applications, would I enjoy reading my statement? Be sure to convey your passion for dentistry in your statement.
• Be yourself.  Don’t use jargon, clichés or big phrases that you would not use in daily conversation. Remember, dental schools want to know about the real you.
• Be original and thoughtful: Discuss how you would contribute to the profession and patient care, all of which will help you stand out from other applicants.

AACPMAS (4500 characters):

• State below why you are interested in becoming a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. Provide information about your development for a career in Podiatric Medicine

CASPA (5000 characters):

• In the space provided write a brief statement expressing your motivation or desire to become a physician assistant.

OptomCAS (4500 characters) :

Essays can be customized for each individual Optometry program.  Most Optometry schools include this as their main essay question:

• Please describe what inspires your decision for becoming an optometrist, including your preparation for training in this profession, your aptitude and motivation, the basis for your interest in optometry, and your future career.

OTCAS (no character limit):

• Your Personal Statement should address why you selected OT as a career and how an Occupational Therapy degree relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals. Describe how your personal, educational, and professional background will help you achieve your goals.

PTCAS (4500 characters):

• Prompt: Every person has a story that has led them to a career. Since there are a variety of health professions that "help" others, please go beyond your initial interaction or experiences with physical therapy and share the deeper story that has confirmed your decision to specifically pursue physical therapy as your career.

PharmCAS (4500 characters):

• Your Personal Essay should address why you selected pharmacy as a career. How the Doctor of Pharmacy degree relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals. You should describe how your personal, educational, and professional background will help you achieve your goals.

VMCAS (1000 characters):

• There are many career choices within the veterinary What are your future career goals and why?
• In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
• Consider the breadth of society which veterinarians What attributes do you believe are essential to be successful within the veterinary profession? Of these attributes, which do you possess and how have you demonstrated these in the past?

When should I start writing?

You should begin working on your personal statement early in the spring semester prior to your intended application year and submitting your application materials to HPAC (if applicable).  Remember that the people who are helping you with your statement will need time to review it and you will need time to work through multiple drafts before submission.  In addition, some of your letter writers may want to see a copy of your personal statement before they write your letter, so you should strive to have a competent draft by mid-March.

What should be included?

It is important to treat the personal statement as an answer to a question (i.e., the prompt), rather than the opportunity to flex your creative writing muscles. Indeed, most applicants are STEM majors without much experience in creative writing; therefore, it is recommended that you avoid using the essay to practice your creative writing skills and stick to simply addressing the prompt in a direct, concise way. Some questions you may want to consider while planning your essay are:

• Why have you selected the field of medicine, dentistry, or other health profession?
• What motivates you to learn more about medicine, dentistry, or other health profession?
• How have you demonstrated your interest and commitment to your decision?
• What experiences have allowed you to develop the skills necessary to be successful in this program and to become an effective physician, dentist, PA, etc.?
• Did you have any exposure to role models who influenced your decision? Which of their attributes inspired you?
• Are your perceptions of this profession realistic?
• What are your professional goals?
• Is there anything you wish for your chosen health professional schools to know about you that has not been disclosed in other sections of the application?

Depending on the nature of the prompt, you may also wish to include information such as:

• Unique hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits.
• Commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record that are not explained elsewhere in your application.

What should NOT be included?

• Avoid clichés and over-using/mis-using terms : How many times do you think admissions committees have read the phrase, “I want to become a physician because I like science and I want to help people”? Similarly, words like empathy and passion are, while applicable, can become empty in meaning when overused or misused. Consider exemplifying these terms, rather than simply stating them.
• Avoid unnecessary drama: While you may feel compelled to "hook" the reader with a dramatic opening to your statement, doing so may detract from the overall purpose (i.e., describing your decision to pursue medicine/dentistry) and may induce many an eye-roll by committee members.
• Avoid being vague : "[Insert experience] was challenging and rewarding." What does that mean? Be specific about what was impactful and how it affected you.
• Avoid brash decision-making :  Your decision to become a doctor/dentist should be the result of a series of thoughtful, conscious, and reflective decisions. NOT an instantaneous realization or epiphany. Similarly, you have not “always known” that you want to be a physician/dentist. No one is "born to be a doctor." Nothing is innate, you have to work for it.
• Avoid excuses :  In general, there are better uses for your personal statement than explaining away and justifying poor grades, incidents of misconduct, etc. Indeed, TMDSAS offers additional essays and opportunities to discuss these issues. However, if you choose to address these subjects, be sure to focus on what you have learned from those incidents and how your experiences have made you a stronger person.  Always accept responsibility and avoid blaming anyone else for your decisions or mistakes.
• Avoid restating your resume or activities section :  Choose ONE or TWO significant and distinguishing experiences to elaborate upon when outline the reasons behind your decision to pursue a career in healthcare. There is no need to narrate completely your 4+ years of college or carefully detail your activities from year to year; indeed, there are other sections in the application where you can detail your experiences and what you learned from each.
• Avoid grandiosity :  Claiming that you plan to cure cancer (or HIV, or healthcare disparities, or anything else) shows a grave lack of understanding of whatever problem you are planning to solve. Similarly, avoid “I know what it is like to be a physician/dentist from [shadowing/clinical volunteer experience].”  No, you do not.  That is precisely why you are hoping to go to medical/dental school.
• Avoid inflammatory or controversial topics :  You do not know the values, beliefs, and background of the committee member reading your essay.  For these reasons, you are advised to avoid making any strong statements regarding politics, religion, and other polarizing topics.  Be extremely cautious to avoid expressing any views that could be construed as derogatory to any group.  Additionally, your beliefs are not the only “correct” beliefs. 
• Do not lie :  Honesty and ethical behavior are the hallmarks of being a healthcare professional. Do not include details anywhere in your application or essay that you are not prepared to talk about or that are simply untrue.

Additional Recommendations

• Use simple formatting : Avoid the use of bullet-points, italics, and symbols.
• Read your statement aloud : As you draft your statement, reading what you have written aloud can help you determine whether your writing "flows" well and is an easy read for a reviewer.

Preparing Your Online MHA Application: Essay Tips & Tricks

As you think about applying or starting your application to NYU Wagner’s Online Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree program , you will notice the application requires two essays. 

The essays are an opportunity to showcase your commitment to advancing healthcare in the United States and how you will bring your experiences to bear to make an impact on the communities and organizations you aspire to serve. Your responses also give the reader insight into your academic and professional experience, future goals, and why pursuing healthcare management is an important step forward in your career. 

Read the essay questions and review our recommendations for this critical component of your Online MHA application.  

Online MHA Essay Questions

Essay 1: .

Tell us about your short-term and long-term professional goals. How are your professional strengths, past experiences, and personal attributes aligned with these goals? Why is now the right time for you to pursue graduate school at NYU Wagner?

For MHA program applicants not currently working in a US healthcare-related position, be sure to articulate your interest in pursuing a career in healthcare management in the US.

Essay 2: 

At NYU Wagner, we believe that the practice of healthcare management is complicated and messy, and issues are often interconnected. Write an essay that begins to explore the complexities of a healthcare issue of your choice. How do you think the MHA program at NYU Wagner will aid you in addressing this issue?

How to Write an Online MHA Application Essay that’s Ready to Submit

Answer the essay questions.

A good MHA application essay is well-organized and directly addresses the question. Focus your responses on your academic and professional goals and how NYU Wagner’s Online MHA program will help you achieve them. Tell us about your commitment to making an impact on the US healthcare system.  

Use specific examples

Set yourself apart from other applicants: tell your unique story and use specific examples. Was there a clear moment you knew you wanted to pursue a career in healthcare adminstration? Did volunteering, work, or a particular project spark your interest? You don’t need to write about a life-changing experience. Sometimes the smallest moments lead us to the biggest breakthroughs. 

Be honest 

Your application essay is also an opportunity to expand on the academic and professional history in your resume or CV. For example, if you worked full-time to help fund your undergraduate education, that shows us important context to your experience and achievements. We want to see your experience as a whole, and the more detailed and honest you are, the more the MHA admissions committee and faculty will see you as an individual ready for the next step in your healthcare career.

Make the most of the Additional Information section

The Additional Information section of the application is an optional opportunity to expand on particular circumstances related to your application of which we should be aware. For example, you might want to provide more information about unexplained gaps in your employment history, weak academic performance, the relevance of your choice of recommenders, or other significant factors that may impact your application. The additional information section is a great tool for us to get to know you and your specific circumstances better. 

Set aside time to prepare

Before you start your essay, formulate your plan and brainstorm what you want to say. We recommend setting aside 30 minutes each day to work on your essay. Before you know it you will have a complete, 400-500 word essay. 

Proofread, revise, and proofread again

Make sure your essay is well-organized and comprehensive. Double-check your grammar and spelling. A poorly written essay suggests a lack of care and subpar communication skills. Ask your colleagues, professors, managers, or friends for their feedback and edits. Having a second set of eyes will improve your essay. 

Remember, these essays are your only opportunity to express who you are, and why NYU Wagner’s Online MHA program is the right choice for you. If you have any other questions regarding admissions, please reach out to us! Our Enrollment Advisors are here to provide one-on-one application assistance about the program, online student experience, financial aid , and more.

Interested in learning more?

Request more info, ready to take the next step.

At home, abroad, working, interning?  Wherever you are this summer, contact OCS or make an appointment for a virtual advising session. We are available all summer! 

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Writing the Personal Statement for Health Professions Applications

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The personal statement gives you the opportunity to present a compelling snapshot of who you are and perhaps why you want to be a doctor. Use your personal statement to say what others can’t. The personal statement can be a tricky genre to master. On the one hand, you want to give the admissions committee a sense of your personality and who you are. On the other hand, you must sound focused and professional, which sounds like it might impede your ability to capture your personality.

But this does not have to be the case. What you need to do is figure out how to say what drives you to want to become a healthcare professional in as specific a way as possible. The more specific you can be, the more the admissions committee will feel as if they have a sense of who you are.

You don’t need gimmicks, jokes, artificial drama, or hyperbole to express who you are or why you would make a good medical student or doctor. All you need are carefully selected details that you can craft into a unique and compelling story that conveys a sense of purpose and motivation.

What Makes a Good Personal Statement?

• There is no exact template for an effective personal statement. Often, however, strong personal statements combine a concise description of a personal experience with reflection on how this experience either led the writer to pursue medicine or indicates the writer’s character or commitment.
• Good personal statements often have a strong sense of narrative. This does not mean that they read like short stories, though they can relate a few scenes or anecdotes from your life. They have a strong sense of narrative, rather, in how they convey the writer’s sense of dedication to medicine. Strong personal statements often give readers an idea of how applicants see their experiences as leading to the decision to pursue medicine.

How to Get Started

The personal statement is an exercise in self-reflection. Questions to consider:

• Who are you?  I am driven to… I have learned to… I believe…
• What are your most passionate interests or concerns?  What problem(s) most occupy your thinking and your efforts?
• How did you develop those interests?  (Not just the story, but what drives you.)
• What errors or regrets have taught you something important about yourself?
• When does time disappear for you?  What does this tell you about your passions, your values?
• What ideas, books, courses, events have had a profound impact on you?  How so?
• To what extent do your current commitments reflect your most strongly held values?
• When have you changed?  Consider yourself before and after; what does this change mean?
• How do your interests and who you are relate to your goals in medical school and as a doctor?

Start a “shoebox”; a place to keep random notes for your personal statement; be ready to write at any time. Review these items occasionally; let them tell you more about what you want your personal statement to say. Start writing drafts, experiments; you will know when a paragraph begins to gel.

A Suggested Writing Process

Everyone writes differently, so these are potential strategies rather than rules.

• Make a list of some of your most defining experiences – extracurricular activities, specific classes, volunteer work, research, hobbies, etc. Try not to include overly personal experiences (breakups, trouble with parents, illnesses in the family, and so on). It’s difficult to write about such things without being sentimental or cliché. You want experiences in which you did something and had to make a choice.
• From this list, try to select an experience that particularly demonstrates your intellectual curiosity, your dedication to service, your composure under pressure, your leadership ability, or any other personal trait that you think is particularly relevant to your case that you would make a good doctor or medical student.
• Start writing a draft based on this experience. You want to be specific, but don’t get bogged down with an abundance of anecdotes or minutiae. Try to use your draft to craft a succinct story that demonstrates your character and your motivations.
• Set the draft aside for some time (a number of days or weeks), and then revisit it with fresh eyes. Be as honest with yourself as you can be: What works in this draft? What doesn’t work? What sounds cliché or unspecific? Would a reader who doesn’t know me at all get a sense of my personal character and dedication?
• Revise, revise, revise: tighten the structure, add new things to make your point clearer, take away sentences or sections that now seem unnecessary, use the active voice as much as possible, and anything else that needs to be done. If what you have just doesn’t seem to be coming together, do not be afraid to start over.
• Solicit feedback from a couple of trusted readers and revise again based on the suggestions that you find most useful. Don’t solicit feedback from too many people though – too many responses can be overwhelming.
• Edit your work for grammatical mistakes, typos, clumsy repetitions, and so on. Make your prose impeccable before you submit your statement. Asking help from other readers can be especially helpful with editing, as sometimes it gets difficult to read your work with fresh eyes.

Things to Do

• Use the experience that you describe to tell a story of personal progress, particularly progress towards your commitment to medicine.
• Write with active verbs as much as possible.
• Strive for concision.
• Sound humble but also confident.

Things Not to Do – Common Pitfalls

• Don’t talk in hyperbolic terms about how passionate you are. Everyone applying to medical school can say they are passionate. Instead, show your readers something you have done that indicates your passion.
• Don’t adopt an overly confessional or sentimental tone. You need to sound professional.
• Don’t treat the personal statement like a piece of creative writing.
• Don’t put your resume in narrative form.
• Don’t use jargon, abbreviations, slang, etc.
• Don’t use too many qualifiers: very, quite, rather, really, interesting…
• Don’t write in overly flowery language that you would normally never use.
• Don’t include famous quotations. If you must quote, use something that shows significant knowledge.
• Don’t write about yourself in an overly glorifying or overly self-effacing manner.

What to Remember

• They are read by non-specialists, so write for an intelligent non-medical audience.
• Actions sometimes speaks louder than words so give examples of experiences rather than describing them.
• All information must be accurate – don’t pad, but don’t be falsely modest either.
• The personal statement, in part, serves as a test of your communication skills.  How well you write it is as important as the content.

Writing Resources

• AAMC: 7 Tips for Writing your AMCAS Personal Statement
• Graduate Admission Essays: What Works, What Doesn’t and Why , Donald Asher, Ten Speed Press
• On Writing Well , William Zinsser
• Elements of Style , Strunk and White, Macmillan
• Article :  2 Med School Essays that Admissions Officers Loved
• Guidance for Writing Personal Statements, Work & Activities Section, Secondary Applications

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Executive Master of Health Administration personal statement

• Reading time: 3 minutes
• Price: Free download
• Published: 4th November 2021
• Word count: 740 words
• File format: Text

At age thirteen my mother decided she wanted to attend school and become a medical assistant. I remember her struggling to manage work, school, and also completing family obligations. At times I helped her with her school work especially writing papers because english was not her first language. This was when I was first introduced to the world of healthcare . I was naturally drawn to healthcare because I spent so much time helping my mom with her courses and I was able to understand and carry conversations about it with her. As I got older I realized that I had a very strong passion for helping others and I felt that healthcare was the way for me to fulfill that dream. My junior and senior year of high school I participated in the Patient Care Technician dual enrollment program and decided that when I went to college I wanted to become a nurse .

While attending my undergraduate years at the University of South Florida I did not apply myself as much as I should have in my studies. I still wanted to be a nurse but unfortunately my academic advisor told me that my GPA was not competitive enough so I should change my major. At that point I was so discouraged and made the decision to change my major to Gerontology so that I would not have to start all over. Surprisingly I really enjoyed gerontology and graduated with my bachelors degree. Afterwards I worked as a medical receptionist taking some time off school. During this time I felt lost and did not know what I wanted to pursue as far as a career, so I went back to what I originally wanted which was nursing .

I quickly signed myself up to re-take some courses at Valencia to boost my GPA and take a course I was missing for the Valencia College Nursing program. I knew that it would be a challenge because I was working full time and taking classes online but I was determined and focused to do well academically and I succeeded. Following that semester I came to the realization that nursing and being a clinical provider was not the way I was meant to help others. I’ve experienced different challenges in many aspects of life. Now more than ever I am certain that I’m prepared and even more passionate about my future in healthcare and how I can contribute to making a difference through leadership.

Throughout my years working in healthcare as a medical receptionist, patient coordinator, and assisted living administrator I have been able to develop a better understanding for the industry. Healthcare is a rapidly changing industry in terms of how and where care is given, how the care is financed, and who is providing the services. The significant growth of managed care in the recent years has been the primary reason as to why these changes have occurred. There are many other trends that are contributing to these rapid changes but I’m particularly interested in the efforts on how to implement continuous quality improvement initiatives similar to those found in other fields.

I recently read a book titled Delivering Happiness A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh. In his book he shares the many different lessons he learned in business and life. Tony speaks about making customer service the responsibility of the entire company not just a department. He focused on Zappos’ company culture as the number one priority and in turn the company made higher profits. He applied research from studies of happiness to running a business and helping employees grow personally and professionally. This book taught me how a very different approach in corporate culture is a strong model for achieving success and how by focusing on the happiness of those around you, you can dramatically increase your own. A happier culture for a more profitable business. As the number of well-informed patients increase, the demand for high-quality care also increases. I believe following the model of Delivering Happiness is a perfect example of a quality improvement initiative in which it can be effectively applied to the field of healthcare.

Getting accepted to the Executive Master of Health Administration and successful completion of the program will open the opportunities to improve the well-being of local communities and the organization serving the members within those communities through effective and innovative healthcare leadership.

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How to Write a Personal Statement For a Master of Public Health Program

In the competitive landscape of graduate admissions, a well-crafted statement of purpose can be the differentiating factor that sets you apart from other applicants. Particularly for Master of Public Health (MPH) programs , where candidates often possess similar academic backgrounds and experiences, your personal statement serves as a crucial opportunity to showcase your unique qualities, motivations, and aspirations. 

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the essential steps and invaluable tips for crafting a standout personal statement that captivates admissions committees and maximizes your chances of acceptance into your desired MPH program.

The Purpose of a Public Health Personal Statement

Before diving into the intricacies of crafting a personal statement, it’s essential to understand its fundamental purpose. A personal statement is not merely a summary of academic achievements and professional experiences, but rather, a narrative that provides insights into a student’s motivations, goals, values, and suitability for the MPH program. 

Admissions committees seek candidates who demonstrate a genuine passion for public health, critical thinking skills, leadership potential, and a clear vision for how they intend to leverage their MPH degree to make a meaningful impact in the field.

How to Write an MPH Statement of Purpose

Step 1: reflect on your motivations and goals.

The first step in writing a strong personal statement is introspection. Take the time to reflect on your journey thus far, the experiences that have shaped your interest in public health, and the specific goals you hope to achieve through pursuing an MPH degree. Consider questions such as:

• How do you envision your career evolving after completing the MPH program?
• What personal or professional experiences have influenced your decision to pursue this field?
• What sparked your interest in public health?
• What specific issues or challenges within public health are you passionate about addressing?

Step 2: Research Your Target Program

Each specific MPH program is unique, with its own mission, values, curriculum, and areas of specialization. Conduct thorough research on the MPH programs to which you intend to apply. Familiarize yourself with the program’s faculty and public health professionals, research initiatives, community partnerships, and any other distinguishing features. 

Tailor your personal statement to demonstrate alignment between your interests, goals, and the offerings of the program. Highlight specific aspects of the program that resonate with you and explain why you believe it is the ideal fit for your academic and professional aspirations. Whether you’re most interested in public health research, promoting health awareness in the community, or another aspect of public health, share this in your personal statement.

Step 3: Structure Your Personal Statement

A well-organized personal statement should have a clear structure that guides the reader through your narrative. Consider the following outline:

• Introduction: Start with a compelling opening that grabs the reader’s attention and introduces the central theme of your personal statement.
• Background and Motivation: Provide context for your interest in public health and health promotion and share relevant experiences that have shaped your journey.
• Academic and Professional Experiences: Highlight your academic achievements, relevant coursework, internships, research projects, and professional experiences that demonstrate your preparedness for graduate study in public health.
• Why This Program?: Discuss why you are specifically interested in the MPH program to which you are applying, emphasizing its strengths and how they align with your goals.
• Career Goals and Aspirations: Articulate your long-term career goals and how obtaining an MPH degree will help you achieve them.
• Conclusion: Summarize your key points, reiterate your enthusiasm for the program, and leave a lasting impression on the public health leaders reading your personal statement.

Step 4: Showcase Your Unique Qualities

An effective personal statement showcases your unique qualities, perspectives, and experiences. Avoid clichés and generic statements, and instead, focus on conveying your authentic voice and personality. 

Share personal anecdotes, knowledge gained, challenges you’ve overcome, and lessons you’ve learned that illustrate your resilience, adaptability, and commitment to public health. Emphasize your strengths, such as critical thinking skills, teamwork, communication abilities, and cultural competence, and provide concrete examples to support your claims.

Step 5: Edit and Revise

Once you’ve drafted your personal statement, take the time to edit and revise it meticulously. Pay attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling errors, and overall clarity. Ensure the writing is concise, coherent, and flows smoothly from one paragraph to the next. Consider seeking feedback from trusted mentors, professors, or peers who can provide constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement. Revise your personal statement multiple times until you are confident it effectively conveys your message and shares a compelling narrative.

Writing a compelling personal statement for an MPH program requires introspection, research, careful planning, and effective communication skills. By following the steps outlined in this guide and utilizing the provided template, you can create a personal statement that resonates with admissions committees and enhances your chances of securing admission to your desired program. 

Remember to convey your passion for public health, highlight your unique qualities and experiences, and demonstrate how obtaining an MPH degree will enable you to make a meaningful impact in the field.

Valparaiso University’s Master of Public Health Program

Valpo offers a master of public health to empower you with the essential skills to tackle the most pressing health issues across the globe. Whether delving into scientific investigations, working in the community, or advocating for legislative change, working in public health drives a positive impact. 

Our program provides students with a small and personalized learning experience with a 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Additionally, graduates of our MPH program have a 100% job placement rate. The expert faculty takes an interdisciplinary approach in the MPH program and emphasizes hands-on experience through internships, research, and community engagement. With an MPH, you open the doors to a plethora of rewarding career opportunities .

Don’t wait to advance your career and knowledge in public health. Apply today or speak with an admissions specialist .

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• Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement, and Writing Sample

Details about submitting a statement of purpose, personal statement, and a writing sample as part of your degree program application

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Statement of Purpose 

The statement of purpose is very important to programs when deciding whether to admit a candidate. Your statement should be focused, informative, and convey your research interests and qualifications. You should describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen degree program, noting the experiences that shaped your research ambitions, indicating briefly your career objectives, and concisely stating your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Your degree program of interest may have specific guidance or requirements for the statement of purpose, so be sure to review the degree program page for more information. Unless otherwise noted, your statement should not exceed 1,000 words. 

Personal Statement

Please describe the personal experiences that led you to pursue graduate education and how these experiences will contribute to the academic environment and/or community in your program or Harvard Griffin GSAS. These may include social and cultural experiences, leadership positions, community engagement, equity and inclusion efforts, other opportunities, or challenges. Your statement should be no longer than 500 words.

Please note that there is no expectation to share detailed sensitive information and you should refrain from including anything that you would not feel at ease sharing. Please also note that the Personal Statement should complement rather than duplicate the content provided in the Statement of Purpose. 

Visit Degree Programs and navigate to your degree program of interest to determine if a Personal Statement is required. The degree program pages will be updated by early September indicating if the Personal Statement is required for your program.

Writing Sample 

Please visit Degree Programs and navigate to your degree program of interest to determine if a writing sample is required. When preparing your writing sample, be sure to follow program requirements, which may include format, topic, or length. 

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Health Administration Personal Statements and Statements of Purpose for Graduate School, Writing and Editing Service, Samples, Help

MHA Personal Purpose Statement in Health Administration

Sample 1st Paragraphs for the MHA Personal Purpose Statement

I write this letter in support of my application to your distinguished Masters Program in Health Administration at XXXX University with great conviction that your program is the best place for me to prepare myself for a new future as a healthcare professional. A young woman from Nigeria who is a very hard-working student, I have 7 years of professional experience in the banking sector that has enabled me to excel in public relations and communications, as I have practiced skills in these areas. I also have an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry which provides me with a solid academic foundation to undertake further study in the area of health care since I adore research in this area and I feel strongly that I have the drive and discipline to excel as a graduate student.

My first love has always been high technology, especially anything having to do with the computer and IT.  I work in a community hospital where I help to manage our day-to-day IT operations, everything ranging from desktop support to Healthcare Security Implementation (HIPPA). I ask for admission to your distinguished Master’s Program at XXXX University to that I might increasingly contribute more to my hospital and my community. I am especially excited to work in this area because of the vast opportunity for improvement and innovation in our field and I hope very much to spend the next several decades engaged in cutting-edge research concerning how we can continue to constantly improve our information systems in hospital settings

My two greatest inspirations that have me convinced that I can excel in your distinguished and competitive MHA Program at XXXX University, my volunteer work, on the one hand, and my professional work on the other. I have volunteered at the XXXX Children’s Hospital where I not only interact with children, mostly doing crafts, but I have also increasingly come to be quite useful to this hospital with respect to business operations and clerical work—all of which I love. Most of all perhaps, what drives me forward and excites me the most is the sheer joy of serving as part of a healthcare team. Nowhere is this need for excellence in teamwork more evident to me than in my day-to-day work for a neuroscience institute where I serve as a surgical technologist. The teamwork itself is what I most cherish; thus, I think I would be a natural as an MHA professional since health care organizations cannot succeed without a great deal of teamwork.