Admission

I have completed one or more years of college

Personal Statement

All applicants must write a personal statement and submit it with the application for admission.

The personal statement should be a comprehensive essay outlining significant aspects of your academic and personal history, particularly those that provide context for your academic achievements and educational choices. Quality of writing and depth of content both contribute toward a meaningful and relevant personal statement.

Address the following topics:

Academic Elements (required)

Academic History

• Tell us about your college career to date, describing your performance, educational path and choices.
  
  
• Explain any situations that may have had a significant positive or negative impact on your academic progress and or curricular choices. If you transferred multiple times, had a significant break in your education, or changed career paths, explain.
  
  
• What are the specific reasons you wish to leave your most recent college/university and/or program of study?

Your Major and/or Career Goals

• Tell us about your intended major and career aspirations.
  
  
• Are you prepared to enter your intended major at this time? If not, describe your plans for preparing for the major. What led you to choose this major? If you are still undecided, why? What type of career are you most likely to pursue after finishing your education?
  
  
• How will the UW help you attain your academic, career, and/or personal goals?

Personal Elements (required)

Cultural Understanding

Thoughtfully describe the ways in which culture had an impact on your life and what you have learned about yourself and society as a result. How has your own cultural history enriched and/or challenged you?

Note: Culture may be defined broadly. Cultural understanding is often drawn from the ethnic background, customs, values, and ideas of a person’s immediate family, community, and/or social environment in which they live.

Educational Challenges / Personal Hardships (if applicable)

Describe any personal or imposed challenges or hardships you have overcome in pursuing your education.

Examples: a serious illness, a disability, first generation in your family to attend college, significant financial hardship or responsibilities associated with balancing work, family and school.

Experiential Learning (if applicable)

Describe your involvement in research, community service, artistic endeavors, and work (paid or volunteer), and the ways in which it has contributed to your academic, career or personal goals.

Additional Comments (optional)

Do you have a compelling academic or personal need to attend the University of Washington-Seattle at this time? Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Format

Content as well as form, spelling, grammar and punctuation will be considered. Suggested length is 750–1,000 words.

• Online: Write your statement first in a word processing program (such as Word) or a text editor, and then copy and paste it into the text box provided. All line breaks remain. However, some formatting may be lost, such as bold, italics and underlines. This will not affect the evaluation of your application!
  
  
• PDF: Type or write your statement on 8.5 x 11" white paper. Double-space your lines, and use only one side of each sheet. Print your name, the words "Personal Statement," and the date at the top of each page, and attach the pages to your application.

Tips for Writing the Personal Statement

1. Tell us who you are
   
   We encourage you to share those aspects of your life that are not apparent from your transcripts. In providing the "backdrop" for your academic achievements and choices, describe your passions and commitments, your goals, a personal challenge faced, a hardship overcome, or the cultural awareness you’ve gained. Tell us your story. Be concise, but tell the whole story even if you need a little more space. You have our assurance that all of the information you provide in your application and statement will remain confidential.
   
   
2. Be specific
   
   Personal Statements too often include sentences such as "I’ve always wanted to be a Husky" or "My whole family attended the UW." Though this may be important to you personally, such reasons are not particularly valuable to the Admissions staff. Why? Because they don’t tell us anything distinctive about your experiences and ultimate goals.
   
   
3. Write like a college student
   
   Your Personal Statement should reflect the experience and maturity of someone who has already attended college. It should reflect your understanding of the components of an undergraduate education, such as general education and the major. We want to read how your academic and personal experience to date, in concrete, specific ways, fits into your academic, career and personal goals.