问题： I am writing my PS too. Most content in my PS overlaps with my CV, is that suitable? I really cannot find enough things to write about myself.

回答：

Hi there, I’m glad to hear you’re alert to this issue. I’d say that it is not entirely suitable. 

Overlapping information serves you no good purpose. If the admissions officer has seen the information in one location, repeating it elsewhere achieves… very little. 

They already know it! What it does tell them is that the candidate hasn’t thought very hard about the process. You can do better!!! 🙂 Consider what you’re doing with the PS versus the CV. 

They’re different types of documents and, accordingly, different types of writing. The CV is a factual record; the PS is a piece of persuasive writing. As such, the PS uses facts as a launchpad. It is a space for you to evaluate and appraise what you’ve done and use it to create an argument for your candidacy. 

Why does the information on your CV show that you are a great candidate for that school? The CV contains the “bones” of an answer, but the PS is where you help the reader to arrive at the conclusion of your choosing. Plus, it’s a place to engage their attention, to introduce yourself personally. 

Avoid repetition. Evaluate what you’ve done. Build an argument. Use specific information that would have no place on a resume to engage the reader!