College Students' Identity Experiences With the Process of Writing Personal Statements: Direction, Misdirection, and Truthiness

• In Event: 64.089 - Sheraton Roundtable 12 - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 64.089-9 - Representing and Curating the Self: Researching Identity in Narrative, Storytelling, and the Everyday

Abstract

This qualitative research project explores college students’ identity construction experiences related to the process of writing personal statements for funding opportunities, given the high stakes, competitive nature of this document. The personal statement has traditionally been seen as a means of communicating student identity; this paper explores the personal statement as a means of constructing student identity. Analysis is grounded in sociocultural theories of identity and Cultural Historical Activity Theory. Eleven students from three universities participated in this project; all students applied for graduate school funding through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Despite being a small sample size, participants were fairly diverse, particularly in the areas of race, disciplinary category, and level of study.

Author

• Mecaila M Smith, University of California - Santa Cruz