A personal statement is an integral part of any university application. Some programs have strict word limits in place, while others do not have any word limits. Here is an example of a 1000-word limit personal statement that was admitted to top programs in the US and Canada.
1000 Word Personal Statement Example
In August, the Prime Minister of Greece chaired a meeting with me regarding the development of poor areas of South Greece. Among other things, the Minister of Finance persuaded me that the upcoming budget would alleviate the plight of deprived regions of Southern Greece due to population-based allocations.
Suddenly, I realized where I had started, what I had achieved, and where I wanted to go. A point at which I could make informed opinions and be confident about them. A point at which I could present my assertions. A point at which my views would be weighed against others, at the least, even if not accepted. A point where I could be of some benefit to the masses.
Though at a far ahead position than I was eight years ago, I was still far away from the point where I wanted to reach. At that moment, I realized that I needed to become a part of the Federal Service of Greece, the elitist of the elite public officials. I wanted to become self-reliant and make my opinions matter. The realization was not sudden but a result of a brutal childhood and the complexities of professional life.
Losing both parents in infancy left a massive vacuum in my life. The void, though heart-wrenching, left a strong, albeit positive, imprint on my personality. I was never comfortable with badgering my siblings with demands. Therefore, I lived with what I had – with patience and with contentment. At the same time, I developed a sense of compassion that would play an important part later in my life. Gradually I became self-reliant when I started private tutoring to lessen the financial onus over my siblings. This was the first time I converted an adverse scenario into a source of positive energy.
My prior experiences have taught me that a graduate degree from the US is valuable because local education is not given the same weight in academia or the public sector. However, I needed to be academically and professionally strong to do it on a scholarship. In pursuit of this goal, I got admitted to the top undergrad program in Italy. After my undergrad, I started working for the government. After five years of work experience, I enrolled in the country’s premier graduate school for a part-time master’s degree. However, due to a hectic office routine and meetings, I couldn’t maintain the minimum attendance requirement. Therefore, I was not allowed to appear in the first-year term exams. Due to similar issues, I couldn’t appear again in the second year. I contemplated that I consistently had scored more than 90% throughout my academic career and secured the first position in my undergrad. Therefore, I resolved to achieve the target in the third year. I maintained attendance throughout that year, finally reached my mark and completed my master’s.
The hurdles and complexities of professional life pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to move forward. As Research Analyst in Directorate General (M&E), my first job in the public sector, I conducted a post-completion evaluation of numerous development projects. I candidly pointed out every issue plaguing projects. However, one critical make-or-break moment was when I unearthed massive corruption while working on a project titled “Establishment of Environmental Labs in 7 Districts of Southern Greece”. Based on my report, an inquiry committee comprising me and two others was constituted. Unfortunately, the other two members colluded with the guilty personnel and asked me to sign a report that concluded that no harm had been done. However, I disagreed and instead worked on a ‘note of dissent,’ which I submitted to the Chief Secretary of Greece. In addition, I presented concrete evidence that I had collected by approaching original international manufacturers such as LabCold UK. Ultimately, eight officers were terminated from service for corruption.
Of all vagaries of professional life, I considered the notion that ‘some animals are more equal’ in public service offices. But unfortunately, the job that I held back then was considered inferior. I witnessed the status hierarchy of officers on the fundamental mode of induction, let alone the nature of the job. For instance, permanent employees were better than contractual ones. Provincial service employees were superior to departmental employees, and federal service employees were the most esteemed. Indeed, one could live with a lower rank as a federal service employee than as a top-ranked provincial service or departmental employee. Ironically, opinions were ranked in the same way.
Consequently, as a contractual employee, I observed that no matter what opinion I gave, my views were sidelined more often than naught. Therefore, I passed the provincial services exam and moved to a provincial Evaluation Specialist (permanent but still not the best). Then I gave another exam to move further up as Assistant Chief (senior, regular but still a provincial). Finally, I passed the Federal Services exam and joined Federal Services. The place where I wanted to be.
Being an orphan, I shoulder the financial onus of 5 orphans in my village. Therefore, social service and inclusion have always been close to my heart. Consequently, I thoroughly ascertained whether the benefits trickled down to the poor during evaluating social sector projects. Unfortunately, due to wrong conceptions and vague objectives, intended uses seldom reach the target beneficiaries. For example, I pointed out a grim reality in Third Party Validation of a project titled ‘Socio-economic Development of Destitute & Neglected Children Families’.
Based on my experiences and career aspirations, I want to pursue a graduate degree in Development Economics. I would like to develop a system for governments to distribute funds to different regions based on their level of development. Moreover, I would like to bridge the gap between academia and bureaucrats so that instead of working in silos, they sync their efforts to use the latest advancements in the field. In this way, I want to create an impact within my capacity, and I see a graduate degree as an ideal segue for my career aspirations.