Tips for Preparing the Personal Statement

(compiled with the input and advice of Elliot Gerson, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust, and Scott Merriner, former Rhodes State Secretary for Alaska)

	Identify yourself Give the selector a clear picture of what makes you unique and sets you apart from the rest of the applicants. This should be largely a matter of capabilities, rather than circumstances.
	Demonstrate a very basic familiarity with Oxford and its academics Briefly outline what you intend to do there and who that fits into your life plans.
	That said, don’t dwell on Oxford Don’t delve into the minutiae of your program; the 1,000 words are precious, and programmatic details are not going to make you memorable. You don’t need to prove an encyclopedic knowledge of programs and departments at Oxford.

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