Personal statement examples can serve as a useful and excellent guide for applicants who want to write a winning admissions essay. As much as these samples are highly useful, not all of them can actually help you create a lively and compelling essay. It is important for you to be able to determine which personal statement samples are actually not worth your time. Here are some of the common features of a bad example personal statement:

Incorrect grammar

One of the common features of poor personal statement examples is incorrect grammar. In writing a personal statement, good grammar is very important. It will be impossible for you to highlight your skills and experiences through lousy writing. Therefore, a good sample should have clear and concise writing and correct grammar. If you are reading a sample personal statement with poor grammar, it's better for you to start looking for other samples online. There is simply no point in using a sample as a guide when it contains some grammar loopholes or if it has some coherence problems.

Poor outline

One of the most distinguishing aspects of well-written personal statement samples is a precise outline. Since a sample will serve as your guide, it should contain an outline as well, not just content. You can use the outline as a pattern when writing your own admissions essay so you will know which information to include and which ones to leave out. Personal statement samples, which do not contain outlines, may not be the best guides and may be of little use to applicants. Along with its personal statement content, a sample should also contain an outline so you will know how to organize your thoughts and experiences into a more solid composition.

Lousy samples and excerpts

Some sites, which provide personal statement samples, also provide excerpts based on personal or biographic information submitted. These statements are often delivered after you have provided them with personal information such as achievements, experiences, academic background, and your motivations for taking up the course. However, if the samples provided to you do not reflect your achievements and goals as an incoming student, you might want to look somewhere else. A good sample, outline, or excerpt should be comprehensive, interesting, and highly useful.

Use of inappropriate topics

There are certain topics that should not be discussed in your personal statement and, therefore, should not be included in personal statement samples. A personal statement should not mention poor grades, political leanings, and pointless gimmicks. If an example personal statement includes topics about political opinions or is too lengthy to the extent that it no longer makes any sense, you need to search for a better sample online.

Using a sample as a guide when writing a personal statement is highly useful; however, not all samples are actually reliable. By learning to pinpoint the telltale signs of a bad personal statement example, you can find a better sample to help you write a winning admissions essay for your college, graduate school, or law school applications.