<p>Anyone know if admissions officers look at the personal statements last in an application?</p>
<p>Hi, Vihzel, It is hard to say what each Admissions Counselor will do with each file.</p>
<p>As someone who has read many applications for BSW and MSW programs, I can only share what I and my colleagues did in our program to give you an idea.</p>
<p>Normally, we look at the demographic info sheet, with honors, awards, internships, work experience, etc. We also look specifically at the section asking if the person has withdrawn or asked to be withdrawn from a program previously, along with any criminal record (for admission into the professional program). Probably equivalent to seeing if a person has any problematic records in High School. Also, we make sure the person has fulfilled all requirements in the liberal arts courses that are required (for BSW).</p>
<p>Then we look at the GPA, scores, school the person comes from (yes, we will look at the caliber of the educational institution the applicant is enrolled in or was enrolled in, particularly for the MSW program). We cross reference this with transcripts and school records sent.</p>
<p>Next, we generally read the Personal Statement, followed by the recommendation letters. These latter two categories tend to take the most time.</p>
<p>This is my experience from a different university. Not sure if NYU personnel follow a similar procedure.</p>
<p>Why do you want to know the order for reading Personal Statements?</p>
<p>I feel like my personal statement is the strongest part of my application. I just hope that the admissions officer will have a lasting impression by the personal statement. I do know that they read it before the resume because I mention things from my resume in my personal statement. I guess it would seem logical to follow the format that they had on the online application. The personal statement and letters of recommendations were last (and I know also that my recommendation letters are strong). The GPA on my transcript is .25 above what they’re looking for but worried about my Ws (although I did explain why I had Ws… NONE of them were to simply drop a low grade). My resume is… decent? lol It was the first resume that I’ve ever made so probably to them it’ll be crappy but a friend of mine said it was good.</p>
<p>SCPS McGhee division follows strictly an holistic approach to applications so hoping for the best!</p>
<p>Usually, it is the personal statement and recommendations that get the most time. Even with a resume, we had to glance through that fast because of the large amount of materials. So, no harm in emphasizing things from the resume in the essay. That probably serves to call attention to the details in the resume.</p>
<p>Ahh ok well that makes me feel better then. I did 5 drafts of my personal statement with the help of graduate English students to help me. They didn’t write anything for me but simply helped with grammar and organization. I sent it to two professors (who did my recommendation letters because they used my personal statement to gain more insight to assist them with their letters) and they said it was very well done and strong. I’m really relying on my personal statement and letters of recommendations to play significant factors in case they’re hesitant to let me in if the other things don’t impress too much. </p>
<p>What exactly is BSW?</p>
<p>BSW=Bachelors in Social Work</p>
<p>MSW=Masters in Social Work</p>
<p>Sounds like you paid attention to the parts that are most important in getting the attention of the readers (aside from the academic record which you cannot change anyway). Explanations of special circumstances are read carefully, so it was good you included explanations for your Ws).</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your responses, evolving! I greatly appreciate them and it helps to relieve some stress on me (which is a LOT). I’m glad that I devoted 2 weeks simply to my personal statement because I guess I didn’t truly realize how important it was. I know that you’re probably quite different from NYU admissions officers, but to you and your colleagues, how significant are the personal statement and letters of recommendations?</p>
<p>Deleted post.</p>
<p>I think those make you stand out if they are written well, all other factors about equal between comparable candidates or even when there may be candidates who are stronger with the objective measures (scores, grades, etc.).</p>
<p>A well written essay by a person who fit in with our mission (in our case social justice) and strong recommendations to back that up really got “extra points.”</p>
<p>By the way, my son had very good HS ECs, grades, ACT, SAT II scores. However, I believe it was his essay (worked on and then re-worked throughout summer before his senior year), short answers and recommendation letters which resulted in his getting a NYU scholarship (MLK Jr. Scholarship matching his essay topic and short answers). </p>
<p>Really sounds like you did the right thing by focusing on your essay and getting strong recommenders who know you well. GL!</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son! 
That’s why you’re on the NYU subforum. lol I was wondering why you would be here. Son of an admissions officer? Well isn’t that advantageous. lol</p>
<p>Hehe,</p>
<p>That was just one of the job responsibilities. My main job was teaching classes (as a professor), but all faculty were involved in reading applications.</p>