Monday, April 11, 2011

Personal statements

I fucking hate personal statements on school applications. I hated them 11 years ago when I was applying to undergrad. I hated them 3 years ago when I was applying to grad school. I hate them even more now that I'm applying to grad school again.

Look, I get why people ask for them. I've read admissions forms. I know how indistinguishable candidates can be from one another when the grades and coursework are pretty much the same.

It still sucks though.  How can you be "authentic" (and still tell 10 different schools that they're your number 1 choice!)? How can you be original (and yet stay within these strictly confining guidelines)? How can you give an exhaustive accounting about yourself and why you're passionate about this particular degree (in only 500-700 words!)

These things SUCK. SUCK. SUCK. SUCK.  And I have 4 different ones to write and the questions/programs are all just different enough that I can't really recycle the answers.

And I'm totally procrastinating about it. And I should have finished a week ago.

GRR.


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