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The fellowship (I'll call it XYZ) I'm applying to requires me to write a personal statement (note that this is not a research statement). This is their definition:

The Personal Statement includes information about the applicant’s background, practical experience, special interests, and career goals, with some attention to plans after degree completion.

After satisfying all the needed information, and trying not to be bombastic, I intend to compliment them a little bit, like this:

I have been in regular contact with the XYZ team via email and I am pleased to say that they respond promptly and quickly.

Do compliments help? Will they feel that I'm fawning over them, so I make a bad impression? Will it be not good but not bad, and just a waste of space (which I don't have) and a waste of their time to read such a useless thing (which it may be)? If it does help, how much?

I think we should have an Impression tag

A E
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Ooker
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    Which does it address: your background, practical experience, special interests, career goals, or plans after degree completion? – Patricia Shanahan Mar 29 '15 at 14:57
  • Erm *,* all? – Ooker Mar 29 '15 at 14:59
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    More likely none. It's flatter. With that said, you're still free to take liberty in expression. – Glorious Kale Mar 29 '15 at 15:36
  • @PatriciaShanahan oops, sorry, I misunderstood your question. Sure, none. But that's why I ask this question. – Ooker Mar 29 '15 at 15:44
  • @IvanIvković sure, but should I? – Ooker Mar 29 '15 at 15:45
  • The point I am trying to make is that they have asked you to cover specific topics in your Personal Statement. The best way of showing respect for the granters is to do as they asked. – Patricia Shanahan Mar 29 '15 at 19:20
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    Re "I have been in regular contact with the XYZ team via email and I am pleased to say that they respond promptly and quickly.", to me that comes over as patronising, which is even worse than fawning. Strongly suggest you leave it out. – A E Mar 29 '15 at 19:56
  • @AE what? I don't even think that it can be patronising. Which part makes you think so? – Ooker Mar 29 '15 at 20:14
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    @Ooker, it's because you're giving them a "well done!" for doing something very easy ("respond[ing] promptly and quickly"). If you were impressed with the world-class quality of their research then that would be different, but being impressed with their ability to reply promptly to emails ...... – A E Mar 29 '15 at 20:29
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    Only if it's the Fellowship of the Ring. – Etheryte Mar 29 '15 at 23:00
  • @AE oh I see. My initial idea is using minutely and quickly (minutely for detail-y, since there is no such word for that). My native friend suggests that it would be more natural to be promptly and quickly. I didn't expect to have their respond after some hours with much detail, so I impressed. – Ooker Mar 30 '15 at 09:49
  • @Nit Can you explain the joke? I don't get it. – Ooker Mar 30 '15 at 09:51

1 Answers1

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Leave it out. I think it definitely comes across as fawning. It's clearly irrelevant to your qualifications and plans, which is what the personal statement is supposed to be about, so it shouldn't be included.

If the fellowship's administrative staff have been particularly helpful, you could send a separate email or letter saying thanks. But this shouldn't be part of the application.

Nate Eldredge
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    On the other hand, "I have been in regular contact with the XYZ team via email and I am pleased to say this has resulted in new research idea A for me and a change of direction towards B for them" seems completely on-topic -- and potentially more complimentary anyway. – Daniel Wagner Mar 29 '15 at 20:53
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    @daniel: Remember that XYZ in this case is the organization sponsoring a fellowship. I was assuming the email contacts related to administrative details of the application process. – Nate Eldredge Mar 30 '15 at 01:57
  • @DanielWagner so do you agree that compliment is good, as long as it's appropriate? – Ooker Apr 03 '15 at 09:52