Personal Statements. We meet again. (For PostGrad)

In case you didn't realise, I'm hoping to go to University again next year. I would like to go to Manchester Metropolitan University. I would like to study Information Management and Librarianship. Full time. I would like to move back to the glorious north and I would like to become a real Librarian.

*Prays very hard to the Library spirits*

Please?

Of course all of this doesn't just come poof out of no-where. There's a big long application form, and you gotta delve right back into something you though you'd left behind forever.
Writing a personal statement.

Now having completed a Creative and Professional Writing degree, this should be fairly straight forward. And it was, sort of. It just takes me a fair bit of time getting everything down, remembering what sort of order it should go in and making it sound all crisp and professional, like I really know what I'm talking about.

But I don't! I've only been in my new job for less than I month and I have to start writing statements for people who decide whether I get to go study for my dream job. I don't know everything yet. Hell there are some days when I swear the alphabet goes right out of my head. So it takes something else. Here is a rough structure of how I wrote my personal statement. Perhaps it will help anyone else out there who feels in exactly the same rut I do.

First Paragraph: I talk about what I did at university and how I decided I wanted to begin a career in Librarianship. I talk about the various work experience placements I did to help decide this.

Second Paragraph: I talk about my current work situation. I talk about the types of things I'm doing and learning, being very specific. I talk about the Library Management System they use and the fact I'm keeping a blog to help track my progress. Then I talk about the things I hope to be able to do by the end of it all. Basically showing I understand the sort of things I should be able to do by the end of the year.

Third Paragraph: I talk about why I want to be a Librarian, rather than just remain in an assistant position. I natter about my main interests in the field, linking it to the modules MMU provides. I talk about elements of the course that excite me and how I could apply my existing skills.

Fourth Paragraph: Why I want to study at MMU, a little bit about how the course is credited by CILIP and why that's good and how I'm making good use of living near London - what kind of talks, bookshops and events I'm attending that are relevant to the field.

Fifth Paragraph: A conclusion, basically saying all of the above, reduced into like, four sentences.

DISCLAIMER: I haven't got into university yet. Don't follow my example, then come and kill me in my sleep when it doesn't work out for you. Kapeesh?

I'm just waiting on my referees to write (hopefully glowing) references, then I can email the whole load off and cross all my fingers until I get a reply.

I hope this helped anyone out there who felt daunted, like me, about writing a personal statement again. If anyone thinks I've missed something widely important, let me know!

Over and out.