One of the greatest challenges facing someone writing a personal statement is finding a way to get every bit of information and personality into the miniscule word count as they possibly can. Even though it may seem like a lot of writing to do when you are staring at a blank page, as soon as you try to fit in all of your interests, accomplishments, and knowledge of the course, you will quickly come to see that there is not much room to move in the character limit. It is important that you recognise some of the key methods for ensuring that you are making every single character in your personal statement count.

First and foremost, when beginning to work on a personal statement, it is important that you start with a clear plan of where you want to get to by the time you are done writing. When you are limited in time, it is necessary to be sure that you are very clear in what you are trying to accomplish and consider how you mean to get there. Consider creating a very general framework before you even begin—you may want to make sure that your personal statement opens with a personal anecdote, cover your personal interests, touch on your academic experiences, indicate what you know about the course, and end by letting the admission board know that you are very interested in this particular course.

When you lay out the major categories you want to cover, it quickly becomes clear that you are going to have to be judicious with how much time you give over to each one. Consider which area you consider to be most important and allow more characters for that section. Alternately, if you think they are all equally important, divide them up equally and then be very strict with yourself about not going over the character limit for any individual section when you begin writing.

One of the best ways to use your character limit for most effect is to focus on showing some of the things that you might want to write about, so that you can save those characters for writing about something else. If you were hoping to write about how you are funny, intelligent, and well-spoken, you can save those characters by ensuring that the way you write makes it clear that you have a good sense of humour, a lot of sense, and strong communication skills. By using these elements when you are writing about other areas, you can ensure that every single character packs a punch and shows the admissions panel that you are more than someone who says they are good; you will show them that you are good.
When your pool of characters starts to get a bit low, consider how you are wording things. If a single word will take the place of a phrase, use it. If a shorter word is pithier and just as evocative as a longer word, take the shorter word. Although it can be tempting to show off your extensive vocabulary, remember that every character counts, rather than every word, so you need to show the reader that you are able to focus on what is most important rather than being caught up in flashiness.

Once you have made a general plan and begun to write in the different paragraphs, make sure that you are reading back through your work to ensure that it is on point and using the best method for expressing yourself. There is no substitute for a really good editing job when it comes to making sure that your personal statement makes the best use of your character limit.


Professional personal statement writers http://www.personal-statement.com/ have extensive experience with working to a character limit, meaning they can effortlessly condense your information into a punchy and professional application http://www.personal-statement.com/our-services.php that universities will not ignore.