The following personal statement is written by an applicant who got accepted to Masters’s program in Statistics. Variations of this personal statement got accepted at NCSU, UC Davis, and Cornell University. Read this essay to understand what a top PS in Statistics should look like.

Sample Personal Statement in Statistics

It was a bright sunny afternoon. I was reclining in my office chair while surfing randomly on the internet. In another few minutes, I was to deliver the last lecture of the day when I came across a fascinating quote by Henry Wadsworth: “Something attempted, something done”. Reading this transported me back to my college days. Back then, I was clueless about what to do or what subjects to choose. Even worse, I had to forgo subjects that intrigued me, just because they did not have a dazzling prospect.

With the same cluttered mind, I unhappily enrolled in pure sciences at high school, a complete contrast to my academic interests in pure math. I was compelled to bury myself and wake up every morning to plod on subjects I was not interested in. This continued for a couple of months until one day, while leaving for home, I noticed a flex hanging near the college gate, saying, “Lecture on the Practical Applications of Statistics”. Honestly, at that time, I hardly knew anything about statistics except that it had a close bond with Math. The following day I attended the hour-long lecture, which can safely be accredited for what I am today – a graduate in Statistics!

Unlike Math, which I always find abstract although quite interesting at the same time, Statistics has enormous practical applications. The guest speaker in her lecture shed light on the practical dimensions of the field, which gave depth to my knowledge of the subject. I left the auditorium with mixed feelings – excitement and fear. Excitement of having discovered the career I would love to pursue and fear of facing harsh condemnation on switching my major suddenly. Yet, despite the impediments, I remained adamant and decided to follow my heart.

Indeed, it was a challenging period. But studying subjects in line with your taste is also a source of constant pleasure. Upon completing high school, I enrolled in undergraduate college and majored in Statistics. In college, I learned advanced theories and methodologies for data handling and interpretation. I worked desperately hard to develop a sound knowledge base of the subject by consulting different books, interacting with experts and attending numerous lectures. Within the first two years of my undergrad, I successfully proved myself a diligent learner with remarkable grades. I even conducted original research that acquainted me with the practical application of statistics in daily life.

In my society, evils like eve-teasing and gender discrimination abound. This makes collecting field data no less than an ordeal. However, my teachers and parents have taught me never to give in to challenges. I’d rather confront difficulties and never let my gender handicap my efforts to reach the apotheosis. Four years of my undergrad passed in the blink of an eye. I entered the college with an inadequate comprehension of Statistics but left it holding a magnificent BS (Hons) Statistics degree. This achievement connotes my deeper understanding of the subject and clarity of vision. Looking back always sparks feelings of contentment and pride, and now I tell myself with a grin on my face that something was attempted and something has already been done brilliantly.

Following my commencement ceremony, I woke up to an unexpected phone call from my university’s department of Statistics. It was a moment of sheer excitement to receive the job offer for a lectureship. I realized that my life had been offered a new direction. I had been planning quite seriously to pursue higher education, but things changed after I got appointed. A year of teaching experience in a prestigious institution has taught me many things and helped me rediscover myself. It has refined my communication skills thoroughly and broadened my horizon manifold. To have adopted such a noble profession fills me with extreme pleasure; however, I often feel this is not enough. I can do better, and I want more out of myself. Moreover, to make a mark in my career, I ought to improve my academics because having an undergrad degree is not enough.

I know that to polish myself, I need to master more advanced theories of Statistics, learn newer data-handling methodologies, and focus on statistical applications in other fields. Pursuing a master’s program can make me an influential teacher and a competent statistician. In all my struggles, my resolve has always been to become a source of ultimate inspiration, especially for those who are beginning college just the way I did and are scared to follow their dreams.