Development of a Guided Personal Statement for Use in Graduate Admissions

Author(s):

Bridgeman, Brent; Bochenek, Jennifer

Publication Year:

2019

Report Number:

RM-19-11

Source:

ETS Research Memorandum

Document Type:

Report

Page Count:

35

Subject/Key Words:

Graduate Admissions, Graduate School Faculty, Interviews, Guided Personal Statement, Accomplishments, Holistic Evaluation, Focus Groups

Abstract

Through 9 group interviews with graduate faculty, we identified types of accomplishments and experiences that could be included in a guided personal statement for use in graduate admissions decisions. We interviewed 27 faculty members from 3 universities in small groups in 3 academic areas: STEM, social sciences, and humanities. Results of these interviews were then used to create a draft guided personal statement.

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