Personal Statement Guidelines

Guidelines

Your Personal Statement allows you to share more than simply your transcript with us. Prepare your Personal Statement with care; this is your opportunity to tell us why you wish to attend university and why you believe you should be accepted to the program. It is important to answer all the questions posed.

Any information you provide will be treated as confidential

Your Personal Statement should be between 750-1000 words (please type double-spaced) and should have three parts (Parts A, B and C). Please use a formal essay format with an introduction, body and conclusion.

Personal Statement

Part A: Academic History

• Please comment on your academic record (high school and, if applicable, college/university studies) and address any reasons you think your previous academic record may not reflect your potential.
• What, if any, challenges did you face in high school (and/or college/university, if applicable), for example: academic, personal, disability, etc.? How did you address them?
• How do you plan to ensure you successfully address challenges encountered while at university?

Part B: Academic Goals

• Why do you wish to attend university, what do you want to study and why?
• What are your alternate plans if not accepted to ESP?

Part C: Why ESP is right for me

Be sure to read up on our program in order to help you address this section

• How can the program help you to achieve your goals? Please be specific about what aspects of the program you feel will be helpful to you and why.
• The Seminars and Workshops both call for working with other students, often in groups. Have you experienced challenges with group work in the past? How will you address these issues, if they arise, if the future?

Academic Integrity

Please be aware that when you apply to Carleton University, it is our expectation that you will adhere to the principles of academic integrity in your application

What do we mean by academic integrity?

Guidance for applicants:

At university, it is essential to respect and acknowledge the work of others as well as to undertake your one work with integrity. This means we expect that:

• You will write the application yourself
  • You are welcome to ask your parents, teachers, or friends for feedback on your personal statement, but they cannot write any part of the application for you.
  • You will not submit someone else’s work (in full or in part) as your own.
  • You will not use Artificial Intelligence programs such as ChatGPT to write your personal statement. This is something that we check. Presenting work that was generated by AI as your own is considered an academic integrity violation.
• You will approach the application with integrity and honesty. This means we expect that:
  • You will not misrepresent your academic history.
  • You will not falsify references.
  • You answer the questions fully and honestly.

Our commitment:

We appreciate the honesty and effort that our applicants bring to the process, and we make the commitment on our part to treat your application with integrity. This means that we commit to:

• Keep the information you provide confidential. Only those processing or working with the program will view your application.
• Will read your application thoroughly and give it thoughtful and careful consideration.
• Will contact you if we have any questions.
• Provide feedback at your request if we are unable to offer you a place in the program.