Personal Statement Workshop

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Slides by: Luis Santiago and CJ Sarabia

September 16 , 2026

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Outline

• Introductions

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• Graduate School Application
• Application Fees
• Letters of Recommendation
• Application essays
• CV
• Interviews

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• Q&A

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What is SACNAS?

• A national organization of scientists founded in 1973!
• Our name is a testament to our founding during the Chicano and American Indian civil rights movements.
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• At UCSF, our chapter is dedicated to building community for students of diverse backgrounds

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My Academic Journey (Sarina)

UCLA

B.S. Biochemistry

2020 - 2024

UCSF

PhD Developmental and Stem Cell Biology

2025 - Present

Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Summer 2023

UC Berkeley (2018-2022)

Molecular Cell Biology: Neurobiology

2021 Summer Internship

Nora Lab Research Specialist (2022-2025)

Development and Stem Cell Biology PhD Student

(2025-present)

Graduate School Application Overview

• Application Fees – Fee waivers

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• Letters of Recommendation

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• Personal, Research and Diversity Statements

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• Curriculum Vitae (CV)

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• Interview Process

Application Fees

Ask programs about fee waivers!

• Grad school applications are expensive, but most programs offer fee waivers

Finding Fee Waviers

• Search through the program website to find their requirements for a fee waiver
• Fee waivers may have their own application or require a statement to submit. Follow the deadlines!
• Attend conferences and info sessions
• UCSF gives fee waivers out at both SACNAS and ABRCMS and at any of their graduate program info sessions

Great opportunity for fee waivers!

More Fee Waivers

• Visit: propelscholars.org/our-team/fee-waivers-for-grad-school-admissions
• Includes all of the schools that will offer fee waivers to PROPEL scholars
• Request a membership verification letter from Izzy or Jessica to prove you are a member of PROPEL

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More Fee Waivers

• Mayo Clinic graduate applications are free

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• Big 10 Application Alliance (btaa.org/resources-for/students/freeapp/introduction)
• offers fee waivers to several mid-western schools (must apply and the number of waivers are limited and school specific)

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• PROPEL will reimburse up to two application fees this fall (max $400)
• You will need:
• Receipt from the institution, which shows your name, fee amount, and payment information
• To set up Izzy as an affiliate in MyExpense (we’ll send you instructions)
• We will NOT reimburse
• UCSF application fees (or any application fees to schools that already offer fee waiver to PROPEL scholars). You already get this for FREE!

Letters of Recommendation

5 steps to a strong LOR

1. Deciding whom to ask

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• Picking the right time

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• Requesting LOR

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• Providing the right information

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• Following up

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1. Decide whom to ask

Someone who can talk about…

Academic performance

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Career aspirations

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Who you are as a person

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Course professor

Research mentor

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Volunteer work

One-on-one relationships!

2. Pick the right time

• Give yourself time to prepare your application materials!

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• Be ready to share drafts with your letter writers

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• Ask for LOR 1 month before the deadline
• Aim for November 1^st! (or mid-October if �applying to BMS)

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Remember:

They are happy to do it,

but they also need time!

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3. Requesting LOR

Email

• Gives the reference time to think and respond to your request
• Use it to schedule a time to meet
• Ask mentors/friends to check your email draft!

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Request a meeting to discuss

• Share your research interests
• Review the programs you are applying to

4. Provide the right information

Your recommendation is only as good as the information you provide

- What schools you are applying to?

- What degree are you pursuing?

- Your CV

- Why do you want to attend graduate school?

- Do you have any relevant extracurricular interests?

- Awards and Honors

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Tip: You can make an excel sheet with this info

Email outline requesting a LOR

1. Introduce yourself

I had the pleasure of taking your course in Spring 2019.

2. Explain the application(s)

I am applying for Biomedical Sciences PhD Program at UCSF.

3. Research Interest(s)

I am interested in continuing researching the role of regulatory elements in development.

4. Ask if they are willing to write you a strong LOR

Would you be comfortable writing a strong letter of recommendation for me?

5. Offer to send a spreadsheet with due dates and contact information

May I send you a spreadsheet with due dates? What materials would you like from …..me?

TIP: Ask somebody to read the email before you send it!

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How to provide detailed information to LOR writers?

How to close the email?

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Close by proposing next contact and/or preferred method of communication.

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If you are willing to write a letter for me, I would happy to come to your office this week or set up a Zoom meeting. Alternatively, I can email you my application materials.

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5. Reminders and post LOR contact

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Didn’t hear back after asking for a LOR? Resend the email

Hello Professor X,

I know you are busy so I just wanted to bring my message back to the top of your email.

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They haven’t submitted your letter? Send them a polite reminder

Thank you again for writing my LOR, and I want to remind you of the deadline this Friday…

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After they have submitted the letter or once you’ve heard back from schools

Handwritten thank you note! or at least an email

Let them know what happened!

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Summary

1. Deciding whom to ask

Most schools request 3 LOR

Make a list of 4-5 potential LOR writers

• Picking the right time

Request at least 1 month in advance (November 1^st)

• Requesting LOR

Send email and request a time to meet

• Providing the right information

Meet in person / over Zoom

Make a spreadsheet with all information needed

• Following up

Don’t be afraid to send follow-up and reminder emails!

Thank your LOR writer with a handwritten note or email

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Application essays

Personal Statement

• This is your “personal story”
• Your statement might include:
• Your background (race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status) and how it has shaped who you are
• Outreach or extracurricular activities: why you participated in them and how they have impacted you
• Restate career goals: you can go more in-depth about why you want to go into a certain profession

Statement of Purpose

• This is your “professional story”, and add personality to it!

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• Your statement should include:
• How you got interested in a career in science
• Brief research experience(s) - a story not a list!
• Tie in fellowships, conferences, big presentations
• Why you are interested in a specific program (tailored statement - feel free to name drop labs you’re interested in here)
• Broad career goals - why you need a PhD for this

Research Statement

• Write about 1-2 significant projects you worked on, and specify how you contributed!
• Include a brief background, your hypothesis, methods, and summarize the results.

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• When writing about the methods, do not provide too much technical detail. Describe the purpose of the technique you used and the bigger picture.

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• Tie in the program/faculty who you are interested in

DO NOT DO THIS ALONE!

Get as many qualified people to look over and edit your essays as you can!

While you are working on grad apps...

• Reach out to the graduate programs you are interested in!
• Email professors about the programs they’re affiliated with, ask about their current research direction
• Reach out to students in their labs, even if they’re in other programs
• Use your connections!
• Reach out to students from similar backgrounds as yourself and ask them how they like it there. Browse your Linkedin for connections or ask your mentors
• Couldn’t find some info on the program website? Email and ask their program administrators!
• Programs usually don’t list all their classes, good reason to email and ask - most importantly introduce yourself!

These efforts stand out when programs are discussing your application!

CV

Difference between CV and Resume

CV Resources

Lots of resources online!

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Recommend the Harvard CV and Cover Letters Resource:

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https://careerservices.fas.harvard.edu/resources/gsas-cv-cover-letter-guide-2/

CV Resources

Ask for examples from mentors!

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Look at examples to learn the formatting and learn to emphasize your strengths

PROPEL CV Panel:

https://ucsf.box.com/s/75zlpsggw1oqh1lxwu1jxg7aaa1ztb8i

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Reminder to submit CV drafts by Wed 9/23 for feedback/comments!

Grad School Interviews

General Timeline

• Late December - Mid January
• Notification
• January - March
• Interview takes place over 1-2 days
• 1-2 days before interview itself
• Interview schedule provided
• Few Weeks After Interview
• Post-interview results released
• April 15
• Universal deadline to accept or decline

Structure of Interviews (30 mins - 1hr)

• 4-8 interviewers depending on the school
• Interviews could be with main PI of interest, graduate students in the graduate program, and other PIs in the department
• Interviewer begins by asking you to tell them about yourself/ tell them about your research. Briefly discuss each research experience (around 3 mins total)
• Additional questions: what your interests consist of, what motivates you to do research, and your goals.
• Have questions ready! They expect you to have questions because it demonstrates your interest in the program/research.

How to Prepare for Interviews

• Main purpose of interview: Learn your interests, what drives you to do research (outside of learning), and your commitment to completing a PhD.
• Streamline your research experience! Practice a 2-3 minute review of your research.
• significance of your work, methods employed, results achieved, and further implications.
• Learn more about your interviewer
• Read their labs website and draft questions for each
• Mock Interviews!

Interview Example Questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• Tell me about your research experiences.
• Tell me about the challenges you have faced during your research and how you overcame them.
• Tell me about your current research interests and the faculty you are interested in working with at “this” school.
• Why do you wish to pursue graduate school?
• What are some of your career aspirations that you would like to pursue after completing graduate school?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Logistics

• Virtual interview followed by campus visit

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• All expenses are PAID

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• The program will arrange lodging, food, and usually air travel too
• Can ask them to book the flight to avoid paying out of pocket

General Etiquette

• The obvious stuff: be the best version of yourself!

• Dress business casual (no need for a suit)

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• Don’t speak negatively about other institutions

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• Have fun, but don’t over-do it

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• Ask questions! You are evaluating them just as much as they are evaluating you.

Q & A