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
Answer
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.
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