The last couple months have kept me busy with preparing applications, reviewing my resume and editing my cover letter. Given that I only created my cover letter a few weeks ago, I was curious if there was more to applications or any advice that I was missing. I had approached the process on my own, and thought receiving advice from two veterans would be the best way to find out.

Both Magdala and Dr. Hill have gone through the application process many times with great success and had tips and tricks as well as interesting personal stories to share. Admittedly, I assumed a personal statement was the equivalent of a cover letter before listening to what Magdala and Dr. Hill had to say. In their words, a cover letter was more of a response to an advertised position while a personal statement consisted of a discussion of experiences that prove your ability to contribute to the community you apply. But there’s also more. Dr. Hill informed us that the statement is different for where you apply, and the expectations from different organizations are not always advertised. For those interested in joining a European academic community, the statement must be more similar to an abstract with a certain outline of your academic mission and plan to accomplish this goal. Another strange and also funny application quirk for European countries is the information they require, like religion and, in some countries, a picture.

The discussion with Magdala and Dr. Hill illuminated just how particular and pedantic some application readers can  be, especially when the only thing that may differentiate two applicants is the written portion of an application like a personal statement or cover letter. Not many people are privy to all the peculiarities of different applications and I am grateful to have gleaned a clearer of image of how to present myself in application going forward.