Helping Your Students Write Personal Statements

“This must-read book for fellowship advisors should be shared with their students. Lassonde’s success with first-generation college students has produced a “developmental” guide to writing the personal statement emphasizing applicant growth, rather than a singular focus on winning. No matter their starting line, no matter the outcome, your students will gain a sense of who they are, what they care about, articulate their goals, and hone their life’s purpose.”

Jonathan F. Fanton, President Emeritus, American Academy of Arts and Sciences

"I wish I’d had this book by my side throughout my three decades of advising students. Using clear language and illuminating examples, Lassonde draws a map for advisors to guide their students through what is often an opaque process, showing how the well-executed personal statement enables applicants to learn about themselves, and in so doing, become better versions of the people they hoped to be in the first place."

Jonathan Holloway, President, Rutgers University

"On my campus I advise many students who begin to think about applying for fellowships sometime during their college years. Stephen Lassonde’s book is chock full of “real world,” super low-cost methods for helping fellowship applicants from modest backgrounds. Faculty and staff at every university should use this book: “a friendly read” and broadly applicable with so many concrete suggestions."

Richard J. Light, Pforzheimer Professor of Teaching and Learning, Harvard University

“Stephen Lassonde…has just published an exceedingly valuable handbook for helping undergraduates frame the well-executed personal narratives that are central to any successful scholarship application.”

Steven Mintz, Inside Higher Education