Application statements tip sheet

Section 9 of the application (online and print) is the Statements Section. Students are asked to respond to the following two prompts:

1. The University of Wisconsin values an educational environment that provides all members of the campus community with opportunities to grow and develop intellectually, personally, culturally, and socially. In order to give us a more complete picture of you as an individual, please tell us about the particular life experiences, perspectives, talents, commitments and/or interests you will bring to our campus. In other words, how will your presence enrich our community?
2. If there is additional information you would like us to consider in reviewing your application, please share this with us as well. This is your opportunity to tell us things about yourself that have not been asked elsewhere if you believe they will help us become acquainted with you in ways different from courses, grades, and test scores.

With 25,000+ qualified students applying for admission to UW–Madison each year, we cannot overstate the importance the statements play in our application review and decision-making process. Use the statements to distinguish yourself. Stand out among our applicants, help us to know you beyond your GPA and test scores, and give us a reason to offer you admission to Wisconsin.

Here are a few additional tips to keep in mind:

• Write on Both Topics: There are two statements. Write on both. Those who do not are less likely to be admitted.
• Answer the Questions: The first statement, regarding your life experiences and the impact you will have on our campus, is very focused. Write to the question. Be specific, use recent examples, and focus on what is unique about you. The second statement is more general. This is your chance to tell us things about yourself that aren’t revealed throughout the rest of your application—character-defining moments, academic or personal challenges faced, hardships overcome, or a cultural awareness developed. This second statement is the only part of the application over which you have complete control. Take advantage of that freedom.
• Be Complete and Concise: We offer a rough guideline of 250-500 words per statement. That being said, you should use as many words as necessary to answer the questions and tell us what we need to know about you. Use the statements to demonstrate how you think about things and that you can write concisely and clearly about your thoughts.
• Excuse Text Formatting Issues on the Online Application: We encourage you to write your statements in a word processing application (such as Microsoft Word), utilize spelling and grammar checks, and then cut-and-paste the text into the appropriate box on the online application. Upon doing so, some of the formatting (paragraph spacing, font styles, etc.) will drop out. You may also see some odd characters being inserted into your statements (e.g., an apostrophe converting to a question mark). Do not become alarmed. This is an issue with the application programming. You should proceed to submit the statement and your application. We see these same formatting issues in all the statements we review. It will not reflect unfavorably upon you.