Writing a good Personal Statement

While many students may apply to the same university course as you, they aren't you, with your skills, experiences and ideas. The personal statement is an exciting chance to get these points across.

What is the personal statement?

  • A short reflective essay about your interests, motivations and suitability.

  • Up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines of text (including blank lines), whichever comes first.

  • One part of your application, considered alongside your predicted grades, current qualifications and references.

Only one personal statement is written for all the universities you apply to, so be careful not to mention a university or college by name. For Oxford and Cambridge, 80% of your personal statement should be focused on the academics/devoted to your subject. The remaining 20% can be about your extra-curricular pursuits and linked to the transferable skills you have developed (e.g. time management, working independently etc).

To get started, check out the university course pages. They usually contain what skills and qualities they are looking for. For example, the following is from a university web page about an English degree:

"We are looking for students who share our passion for literature in all its forms. You should be inquisitive and willing to challenge yourself, to question shared assumptions, and want to collaborate with others in exploring the ideas and worlds that the written word opens up to us."

Your personal statement could address these skills to demonstrate your interests, motivations and suitability

  • Interests - what topics of your course are you excited about?

  • Motivations - why do you want to study your course?

  • Suitability - how have you developed skills relevant to your course?

The personal statement is the first impression that admissions tutors get about you. So how do you come across well?

  • Avoid trying too hard to sound clever; simple language will get your points across better.

  • Don't over-use the thesaurus!

  • Proofread and check your grammar.

  • Make every sentence count - no waffling.

  • Be personal, not theatrical. Try to avoid sweeping generalizations, cheesy lines and sounding like you're running for government.

  • Avoid clichés.

In the 2015 application cycle, 1779 applications started with the same opening line:

"From a young age I have (always) been [interested in/fascinated by]"

Try to avoid lines like these, and think about reasons that are specific to you.

Let's take at a medicine personal statement.

"Throughout my education, a genuine interest in medical practice and research has developed through my academic studies and my participation in other activities such as the Royal Analyst's Chemistry Competition and the Biology Olympiad."

This line is good because it backs up the point of 'genuine interest' with specific evidence - participation in 'Royal Analyst's Chemistry Competition and the Biology Olympiad'. Admissions tutors love evidence - so make sure you have proof if you make a point!

What counts as evidence?

Recall the previous module "Diving into your subject". Here are a few examples as recap, but remember this list is not exhaustive!

  • Reading

  • TV/radio/magazines/podcasts

  • Relevant* work experience

  • Lectures (iTunes U, TED Talks)

  • Summer schools

  • Trips/other educational experiences (theatre, museums, historical sites, etc.)

* by relevant, we mean work experience related to your course.

Make sure you don't just give evidence with no point being made. Mentioning that you have read a book is worthless without reflection on what you learned and/or how it's changed your viewpoint.One way to reflect is to develop an opinion on a big debate in your subject, or to address a criticism of an argument. It also helps to investigate how your subject can be applied to other subjects, or perhaps what it means for the future. If you find this difficult, try to discuss the topic with a friend, a family member or a helpful teacher. Getting to express your ideas out loud and getting feedback on them is a really good way to analyse your thoughts in depth.

Additionally, keep your mind open and try to explore different topics. For instance, if you want to study philosophy, it may seem odd to read an article about science. But, it may just end up being an interesting philosophical discussion! This can be a great way to combine different ideas and is a fantastic way to demonstrate creativity and reflection on your subject.

If you're applying for different courses at different universities (e.g. History & Economics at Oxford, but Economic History at LSE) you need to give a little extra thought to your personal statement. If you are applying for joint honours courses, the main thing to watch out for is that you are paying sufficient attention to all of your subjects. If your courses are less closely related, you will need to pay much more attention to the balance of your personal statement. For example, if you are applying for Economics at Kings, but Economics & French at Warwick, you face a greater challenge.

There are 2 key ways to address this.

1. Search for areas where the content of the courses overlap. Alternatively, focus on the modules that all of the universities that you are applying offer. This will require you to carefully read through the course structure, but it will ensure that your personal statement is relevant to all of the universities.

2. If you are applying to 4 similar courses, but your 5th choice is completely different, you may be able to submit a different personal statement to your 5th choice by directly emailing the admissions staff.

If you are considering this,

  • Consult your teachers or advisers first before going down this path. Make sure to check the admissions staff will accept a separate personal statement.

  • Do not assume that they will accept it.

We hope you now understand what admissions tutors are looking for in a personal statement. For further information, check out these useful links.

1. www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/when-apply/how-write-ucas-undergraduate-personal-statement

2. www.university.which.co.uk/advice/personal-statements/10-things-to-put-in-your-personal-statement

3. www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/ucas-application/writing-your-personal-statement