The purpose of the Personal Statement is for you to share more about your past experiences and to discuss how these experiences have contributed to your personal and professional growth. It allows the applicant the opportunity to explain to the admission committee the distinct qualities and commitment they can bring to the Columbia Engineering community.
A few topics that you may want to address in your Personal Statement include:
· Describe the reasons you are interested in this program and discuss any relevant past experience.
· If you have relevant work or research experience, please indicate how it helped you decide on your career path.
· What are your post-graduation plans or career goals?
· What do you hope to gain from this program?
· What about this program excites you?
· If there are any special circumstances that need to be brought to the attention of the Admission Committee, please include that information.
Instructions
We recommend that your Personal Statement be 250 – 500 words. If possible, the following format is preferred:
· All margins should be at least one inch, and the left and right margins should be equal.
· Text should be double spaced.
· The preferred fonts are 10-point Arial or 12-point Times New Roman; however, any legible serif or sans-serif standard font may be used. Do not use script or ornamental fonts.
· Your name should appear in the Header or Footer of every page.
It is integral to the admissions process that you write and submit this Personal Statement on your own.
Inputs are attached below