Writing a personal statement
The golden rule is to keep this in mind:
“When reading your personal statement, admissions tutors are looking for evidence that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about the subject area you’re looking to study further and have the relevant skills, experiences, and potential to be a great student.” - UCAS
So, it’s that easy… isn’t it?
Well, maybe a few hints and tips will help you.
You’ll see there are three questions to help you structure your statement and showcase your achievements and suitability for the course. There is a maximum character count of 4,000, including spaces, for all three personal statement questions combined and you need to write a minimum of 350 characters for each question.
Each question is designed to help you highlight your experience and motivations.
Question 1. Why do you want to study this course?
Think about:
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Your passion and motivations for studying this course(s), Share what inspired your interest - a person, event, or experience
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Your knowledge of this subject area and examples from outside the classroom (books, videos, personal research)
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Your future plans and how this course will help you achieve them
Tip: Engineer, nurse, graphic designer - whatever your dream, take time to consider your future goals. Your chosen course might align closely with your intended career path, or perhaps you’ve already explored the subject in previous studies and discovered how much you enjoy it. If the topic is entirely new to you, explain what sparked your interest - this could be a book you read, an extracurricular activity you enjoyed, or an experience in your life that inspired you to delve deeper into the subject.
Question 2. How have your studies prepared you?
This is the bit where you have to talk about your studies at school or college.
Things to include here are:
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The relevant subjects or qualifications you’ve studied The relevant or transferable skills you’ve gained that make you a great candidate (like teamwork, communication or analysis).
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Your achievements, projects and related activities that show your strengths and readiness for university-level study
Tip: No need to mention your grades here. Universities will already see those as part of your UCAS application. Instead focus on things that inspired you or a project you were proud of.
Question 3. What have you done outside of education to prepare?
This is where you can really make yourself stand out.
Talk about:
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Your work experience, employment, or volunteering and how they have given you knowledge and skills
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Your hobbies that are relevant to the application or that have helped you build qualities like leadership, organisation or resilience
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Your personal challenges, how you overcame them and what you have learnt
Tip: Your work experience, part-time job or hobby does not need to be related to the course you are applying for. Just focus on the knowledge and transferable skills these opportunities have given you.
Final advice
Be honest and be yourself. It does not have to be perfect, just personal and persuasive.