Your Personal Statement Starter Kit is ready.
Download it now — then open a blank document and start with prompt one. The kit works best when you use it the same day you get it, before the blank page has a chance to intimidate you.
↓ Download the Starter Kit (PDF)
A copy is on its way to your inbox too, so you’ll always have the link. If it hasn’t arrived in a few minutes, check Promotions or spam and drag it into your main inbox.
How to actually use it
Outline, write, revise — in that order. Most people fail by trying to do all three at once.
- 1Outline first
Work the prompts before you write a single polished sentence. You are hunting for the one true story only you can tell — not a summary of your résumé.
- 2Write badly, on purpose
Draft the whole thing without editing. A finished bad draft is worth infinitely more than a perfect first paragraph you have rewritten nine times.
- 3Then revise, ruthlessly
Cut every sentence that would appear in anyone else’s essay. What survives is your actual personal statement.
Read these while you draft
The four posts that do the most work for people writing this essay.
- How to write the perfect PA school application essayThe full walkthrough, start to finish.
- 7 common mistakes in your personal statementRead this before your second draft, not after your last.
- 31 real personal statement examplesReal essays from real applicants, with commentary.
- AI and your personal statementWhere it helps, and where it will quietly sink you.
When you want another set of eyes on it
The kit and everything above are free. These are the paid options — and they only pay off once you have a real draft in hand.
- Personal Statement BuilderGuided prompts that take you from blank page to finished draft, step by step.
- Essay & statement editingLine-by-line edits from people who have read thousands of these essays.
- The Personal Statement WorkshopWork through the whole essay with structure and deadlines.
One honest word about this essay. It matters more than almost anything else in your application, and it is the only part you have complete control over today. Your GPA is what it is. Your hours are what they are. This is the piece you can still make excellent.
Get a draft down, then send it to someone who will tell you the truth about it. If that’s me, just reply to any of my emails.
— Stephen Pasquini, PA-C
