Spotlight Online for Career Services Professionals, February 21, 2008  

What is your career center's policy regarding helping students with their graduate or professional school personal statements? That is the question Sam Beck—director of career development at High Point University—posed to colleagues on NACE's JobPlace listserv.

At the heart of Beck's request was an attempt to better define the fine line career services practitioners often walk between providing an appropriate level of assistance to help students succeed on their own and doing the work for the student. Beck indicated that she has fielded more requests from students asking for help developing and perfecting their graduate school personal statements and essays in recent years.

She asked the JobPlace community members:

"I wanted to see to what extent other career services offices are assisting with this process. My past position was that this is an academic issue and best handled by academic and pre-professional advisers or faculty. It seems that many students, however, are not using those resources even when I refer them there. I am not sure that I feel confident being their primary resource, however."

Thirty-five people responded to Beck's request, and many of them shared her concern. For instance, Kent McAnally, director of career services at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, believes that the distinction between helping and doing should be upheld.

"Most of what I offer is mechanical assistance with the structure and writing of the statement, reading and proofing, that sort of thing," he says. "I generally do not advise much on content. There is a fine line, I believe, between assisting and imposing one's 'signature' on the document, and I do not wish to cross that line."

Meanwhile, at Manchester College in Indiana, most students seek help from two areas—career services and the faculty.

"Our medical school and psychology school applicants have strong support, direction, and advice from their academic departments, while other departments may be less aggressive and involved unless students seek advice," says Janet McElwee, assistant director of career services. "But regardless of their major, most of our students use both faculty and career services resources."

While Manchester doesn't have any formal policies or requirements regarding how personal statements and graduate applications should be handled, McElwee says that students seeking assistance with these tasks tend to go to career services first. The office provides resource materials and critiques rough drafts of the students' statements.

"Once [the draft] has been refined once or twice, we always strongly suggest that they show the personal statement to a favorite or trusted faculty member," McElwee says. "[The faculty member] knows more about their academic work and the specialty area of study than we do in career services and thus can offer even more specific feedback and advice. The director of our writing center is also eager to assist in the graduate school application process and reads drafts and makes suggestions. So our students usually have at least two separate critiques, but could have three if they choose."

At North Carolina State University, the six-member counseling staff recently discussed the issue of how much assistance they would provide with personal statements and graduate school applications. The group also called in a member of the university's writing and speaking tutorial services to provide input.

In the end, says Carol Schroeder, director of the North Carolina State University's career center, the group concluded that it would "hold the line, and maybe even back it up a bit."

"We'll continue to provide general advice on how the statement comes across to us, give general help on organization, and make referrals to the writing office," Schroeder explains. "But, we won't go so far as to put pen to paper and actually formulate sentences for students. Incidentally, the writing services folks have the same issue: Students want them to do the writing."

Schroeder feels that the grad school personal statement issue is part of the larger issue of providing resume and cover letter writing assistance.

"Our issue is compounded by the large number of international graduate students whose English is not always great, even though their technical skills are outstanding," she adds. "So, the old question of where do we draw the line in helping still remains."

The career services office at Northern Arizona University provides content editing on personal statements in the initial drafts of the document. Senior career and academic adviser Sriyanthie McCabe encourages students to seek assistance from someone on campus who can accurately edit for grammar and spelling.

"After I've done the best that I can in terms of content, based on the admissions application guidelines for the specific school, I have the student go to a faculty adviser for field-specific feedback," McCabe notes. "Sometimes students just need me to help them get a start. They then feel more comfortable showing a faculty member a draft that's been reviewed once."

To further assist students in this pursuit, the career services office provides resource materials on its web site (see http://www4.nau.edu/gateway/CareerPlanning/GraduateSchoolPrep.htm). Because Northern Arizona University has many first-generation college students, McCabe feels that the level of service her office provides is critical.

McCabe points out that "the application process can be quite overwhelming in terms of how to get started and what generally should be included" and the help her office provides may eliminate a barrier for students hoping to make it to graduate school.

Another respondent to Beck's question—Marianne Green, assistant director of experiential programs at the University of Delaware—referred Beck to an article she wrote on this topic that appeared in the NACE Journal. Among the information in Green's article, titled "Policies and Procedures: Reviewing Graduate School Essays," are the following personal statement and essay writing strategies for students:

Do

• Assess what may set you apart from other applicants.
• Grab the reader's attention with an interesting first paragraph.
• See to it that your statement/essay answers the question asked.
• Organize in thematic and/or chronological order.
• Provide specific examples for each point you make.
• Tailor your statement/essay to each school.
• Use everyday language.
• Submit an accurate, edited, proofread piece of work.
• Follow directions with regard to word limits.
• Project a positive attitude—confident and enthusiastic.

Don't

• Just list activities—this isn't a resume.
• Just write what you think the committee wants to hear.
• Lecture the reader.
• Make excuses for poor grades and so on.
• Focus only on childhood experiences.
• Use gimmicks.
• Discuss issues or topics that are controversial.
• Criticize members of the profession.
• Use too many "I's."

Carroll College in Helena, Montana, discusses strategies with students during a required graduate school application workshop.

"I must admit that part of why I do it is that I enjoy it, and the feedback I receive from students indicates that they are extremely appreciative," notes Rosalie Walsh, director of career and testing services. "For me, it's one of the fun parts of my job."

Like Walsh, Michael Cronk, assistant director of career development at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, also is fond of this part of his job. He feels it helps him better connect with individual students. To start the process, Cronk tells students that he will help them articulate a theme or core message.

"My role is to help students 'pull out' from within themselves the message they are trying to convey," he says. "I am clear with students that I cannot create the message for them, but rather I can help them discover it. Often, students know they want to go to medical or law school, but have a very difficult time in explaining why, beyond the cliché of 'wanting to help someone.' It is very important that students spend time reflecting on this question, because it will be very apparent in their personal statement, and future interview, if they have not."

Cronk also encourages students to have their statement reviewed by a professor, a writing center tutor, and a best friend. The professor, he explains, will offer expert advice on matters that should and should not be addressed. Meanwhile, the tutor will provide writing assistance, and the best friend will keep the student honest.

"It is very important that the statement be authentic and best friends can see a statement and realize it is not their friend's voice," Cronk says.

When working on the statements, Cronk finds a great return on his investment of time and expertise.

"Reviewing personal statements is often some of the most rewarding work that I do," he says. "It is a great way to get to know a student. Students often share memories, hopes, and dreams in a statement that may not come out during a [regular] appointment."