Personal statement question (Yale GEPN)

[secondtimer14]

I know the upcoming class is still in the midst of hearing about their admissions decisions/fin aid (CONGRATS!!!), so I'm jumping the gun a bit here. I'm applying this coming fall (direct-entry MSN programs) and just thinking ahead/have a question.

Should the personal statement be clearly responsive to the questions asked, or more narrative style? I'm thinking of Yale's essay in particular. By "clearly responsive," I mean each paragraph starts with a topic sentence (i.e., my previous professional and personal experiences inform my choice to pursue APN; I'm pursuing this specialty because XYZ; Yale is my top choice because XZY, etc). I could most clearly address all the prompts asked this way, but the statement would be very dry and read more like a job application cover letter. Versus telling my story, which hits on the same points but less directly. A narrative statement would be much more about telling the story of my life over the last 10-ish years ending with how I arrived at this point of applying to this program.

Anywho, it'd be super helpful to hear from those who have gone through the application process. Either way 600 words is so short to address so much ?

[kc_FNPtobe]

Hello, @secondtimer14. Entering GEPN here. I’m just seeing this question. DEFINITELY tell your story. They LOVE to hear YOUR story. Do not be dry - follow the prompts within your narrative without stating X,Y,Z. There’s a video of Linda Honan speaking to GEPNS on Youtube that was so inspiring and helped me with my SOP. I literally fangirled when I met her because of the video. Here it is...

Hope this helps!

[kc_FNPtobe]

PS pay close attention to “telling the story” part. That’s what they’re looking for in your SOP. It engages them. Otherwise, they’ll get bored. You want to grab them in the first couple sentences by painting a picture with a story. Then trickle into selling yourself.