The following personal statement is written by an applicant who got accepted to several top graduate schools in political science. Variations of this PS got accepted at Duke, UCLA, and NYU. Read this essay to understand what a top personal statement in political science should look like.
Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School in PoliSci
It was not until I studied the introductory “Political Thought” course during my undergrad that I discovered my passion for political philosophy. Studying ancient and modern political thought allowed me to get introduced to the thought experiments of political thinkers to construct novel political concepts. This enabled me to relate the theory to other branches of political science. However, the courses I studied at the undergrad level were introductory, hence, not enough to quench my thirst for philosophical thinking.
The best thing that happened to me because of studying these courses was that I started thinking along the lines of philosophy. After my undergrad, I engaged in various endeavors, which also included working as an HR Manager. However, the intrigue that originated after studying the Political Thought courses kept pushing me towards further academic pursuits. I applied to the program of MA Political Science at Central European University and got in. It was here that I discovered that I needed to cover immense ground in Political Theory. The fortunate thing was that I was not confused about the line I was supposed to tread, which was political theory.
Therefore, I opted for the same line and selected electives accordingly. In the mandatory course of Political Theory, I got introduced to more profound philosophies, particularly related to liberal egalitarianism. I hadn’t read those theories before, and the start of the course was not as rosy as it was in the courses of Political Thoughts back in my bachelor’s. However, my professor, Dr. Moles, encouraged all students to participate in the rigorous debates surrounding those philosophies.
The whole process happened to be very enriching. My brain started working in that direction, and I kept philosophizing about different political ideas even during my leisure time. The unfortunate thing that happened during this course was the aggravated anxiety I was going through. The condition took a toll on my studies, and I had to seek help from the medical center at my university. There was a time when I thought I would not be able to complete my master’s. However, thanks to the encouragement of my professors and peers, I was soon back on track amid psychological challenges. After studying political theory courses from Moles, Miklosi, and Kis, I concluded that I wanted to conceptualize responsibility in egalitarian distributive justice. It was mainly due to my reading of luck egalitarianism. Under the guidance of Professor Moles, I completed my thesis on the topic of “Individual Choice and Responsibility in the Backdrop of Just Institutions.”
After my master’s, teaching was the first option that occurred to me. Therefore, I sought employment in higher-education-teaching and got employed as a lecturer. It has been a challenging yet enriching experience. I am still teaching in the same organization. I teach courses ranging from qualitative research methods to International Relations (IR). I enjoy teaching IR courses, and the most exciting thing about them is that my knowledge of political theory helps me have a profound understanding of global political issues.
In addition to the intrigue of engaging in different philosophical debates, teaching various courses and applying my theoretical knowledge galvanize me to further advance my understanding. The important thing is that I want to produce coherent research along the lines of political and social theory. For this to happen, it is imperative to pursue a doctorate. If I get the chance to enter a doctorate, I shall research along the lines of the Theory of Justice, Liberal Rights, Marxist critique on liberal rights, etc. I am also writing a research paper on “The Moral Status of Potential Immigrants from the Rawlsian Original Position.” The topic has the potential to be converted into comprehensive doctorate research.
Numerous universities in the USA have excellent political theory faculty, and many are working in my area of interest. If I get the opportunity, I shall be able to pursue my interest in becoming a teacher and researcher. I have survived the events which could have instilled hopelessness in me. However, on the contrary, my determination shows that I have cultivated enough resilience to tread the trajectory toward my passion.