Assignment 4 · Personal Statement or Cover Letter

Due: November 20 by 11:59 PM ET · 15% of course grade

1 Purpose

For this assignment, you will prepare a polished application document aligned with one of two possible professional pathways:

  1. A personal statement for graduate-school or research-oriented applications, or
  2. A job cover letter for an industry, government, nonprofit, laboratory, or other professional position.

A document of either type satisfies this assignment. Choose the format most relevant to your current goals.

Important

This assignment must be shaped toward a real opportunity, preferably one you are actually interested in applying for. Generic statements or generic cover letters will not earn a high grade.

2 Personal Statement vs. Cover Letter

Document Primary Purpose Typical Audience
Personal Statement Explains your preparation, interests, motivations, and fit for a graduate program, research group, professor, or advanced academic opportunity. Graduate admissions committees, faculty mentors, or research groups.
Cover Letter Explains why your skills, background, and interests make you a strong candidate for a specific job posting. Hiring managers, recruiters, technical team leads, laboratories, companies, or other employers.

Both documents are persuasive professional writing, but they are shaped differently. A personal statement typically emphasizes your academic development, research interests, intellectual goals, and fit with a program or group. A cover letter typically emphasizes your qualifications for a particular role, your relevant experiences, and your ability to contribute to an employer’s needs.

3 Choose One Assignment Track

3.1 Option A: Personal Statement

Write a personal statement directed toward a real graduate-school or research opportunity. Your statement must be shaped toward at least one of the following:

  • A specific graduate institution or department;
  • A specific professor, laboratory, or research group;
  • A specific Ph.D. or M.S. research advertisement or posting.

Your statement should make clear why the opportunity is a good fit for your goals. It should not read as a generic statement that could be sent unchanged to many unrelated programs. A strong personal statement will generally:

  • Explain your academic or research interests.
  • Describe relevant preparation, experiences, and skills.
  • Connect your background to the specific program, faculty member, laboratory, or research opportunity.
  • Show that you have investigated the program thoroughly rather than writing generically.
  • Communicate your next-step goals clearly and professionally.

3.2 Option B: Job Cover Letter

Write a cover letter directed toward a real job posting. This may be a posting for employment, an internship, a research technician role, a national laboratory role, an engineering or data position, or another relevant employer. Your letter should be shaped toward the specific job advertisement. A strong cover letter will generally:

  • Identify the specific position or opportunity.
  • Explain why you are interested in that role and organization.
  • Highlight experiences and skills directly relevant to the posting.
  • Demonstrate that you understand what the employer is seeking.
  • Communicate professionally and concisely.

4 Required Additional Documentation

In addition to your personal statement or cover letter, you must include a copy of or link to the real opportunity that shaped your document. Include one of the following, as appropriate:

  • A URL link to the relevant graduate department or program;
  • A URL link to a faculty member’s laboratory or research group;
  • A URL link to a specific Ph.D. or M.S. posting or research opportunity;
  • A URL link to a specific job posting;
  • A PDF or screenshot copy of the posting or webpage, especially if the listing may expire.
TipRecommendation

For job postings and time-sensitive advertisements, include a saved PDF or screenshot whenever practical. Online postings may disappear before the assignment is graded.

5 What to Submit

Upload to Canvas the following:

  1. Your completed PDF personal statement or job cover letter.
  2. A URL link and/or copy of the relevant advertisement, webpage, department page, or laboratory group page.
  3. An AI Usage Statement, if generative AI was used during your writing or revision process.
Note

The assignment should reflect your own work and professional history. Peer review, instructor feedback, and reasonable collaboration are welcome, but the final submitted document must be your own.

6 Submission Checklist

  • My document is shaped toward a real career position.
  • I proofread for clarity, organization, tone, spelling, and grammar.
  • I submitted the assignment as a single PDF through Canvas.
  • I included a URL link and/or copy of the relevant job/position information.
  • I included an AI Usage Statement, if needed.