4 Tips for Writing a Nursing School Statement of Purpose
Higher Education Articles November 24, 2013When it comes time to apply for nursing school, you have a lot of tasks on your plate. One of the most difficult is writing your statement of purpose, letter of intent, admission essay or whatever that particular school chooses to call it. No matter the name, it all adds up to the same thing—it is a document that tells the school why you want to become a nurse and why you should get your education there to achieve your goal.
Even though there is currently a nursing shortage, the real shortage is in the amount of space available in nursing schools. There are usually waiting lists to get in the schools. Because of this, it is important to do the best job possible when it comes time to write your nursing school statement of purpose. Following these four tips will make the task much more manageable.
Make it Personal
Accentuating your personality and experience in your admission essay is vitally important for nursing school candidates. Once you become a nurse, you will be working as an advocate for the patients, so show the school why your experiences will enable you to do this well. You may also want to mention what encouraged your interest in nursing—be it an experience in the hospital or someone you admire who is involved in the field.
Do not Re-invent the Wheel
Remember that your statement is to show the school why you will succeed in their program and represent them well in your career. If you go overboard with creativity, you may fail to get this point across. Also, keep your statement positive; this is not a good place to debate political or educational issues. You are not sharing your views on anything except success in the nursing program.
Do not be Afraid to Explain
More than likely there is something in your past that is less than perfect. Perhaps you had a low GPA during your freshman year of college, or you are only able to attend school part-time because you are a single parent. Whatever the issue, explain it succinctly and then work on putting your best foot forward. If you show you achieved the level of success you have despite your issues, you will appear to be an even better candidate for the program.
Proofread
Proofread your statement yourself, have someone else proofread it and then give it a once over again. You do not want to have a glaring error making you appear as if you do not put care into your work. Another consideration is to make sure you format your document in a way that is easy to read and easy to scan through. This will make it more likely that your statement is given that first read that it deserves.
