Personal Statement

Do's and Don'ts of Personal Statements

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DO

• Plan your essay. Think through what you are going to write about first. Make notes, think about a structure and come up with ideas on what you are going to include in your personal statement. Write draft personal statements, perhaps trying a different angle on each to see what suits you better.
• Check the course requirements. Look through the course or university brochure, and read about what the course entails. Then try and match your skills, experience, thoughts and expectations to the information you find there. Show that you have what it takes to fulfil and exceed the university's requirements.
• Get feedback. When you read something over and over again, your mind clouds over and there may be errors or clumsy sentences that you miss. Give someone you trust the drafts of your statement and ask for their opinion on them. They are likely to have some helpful suggestions and a fresh pair of eyes can often pick up mistakes you may have missed.
• Use correct and proper English and grammar. You may have a fantastic personal statement, but if it is riddled with errors then this will not impress the admissions tutors. They may remember you, but for all the wrong reasons.
• Follow all the instructions on the university application form. Check whether you have to fill them in using a certain colour of ink, and pay attention to the length requirements for the personal statement sections. Do not go over the word limit, or if you do, ensure it is not by much. Universities often penalise students for going wildly over the word count if one is given for an assignment or essay. Show from the start that you can follow instructions.

DON'T

• Rely on the spell check system on your computer to pick up any errors. While these are very helpful, they are no substitute for the human eye. If something is spelt incorrectly, the spell check will pick it up. However, if it is spelt correctly but used in the wrong context, then it will ignore it. For example, "Their was a time when I…" instead of "There was a time when I…" would go undetected as the wording is spelt correctly.
• Do your personal statement at the last minute. You need time to plan it and to write the best possible statement you can, so doing it in the half-hour you have before you need to send your application off is not the way to go about it. Giving yourself as much time as possible could be the difference between getting on your course and missing out.
• Include things that are not relevant. The admissions tutor does not want to know that you spent your childhood holidays at Butlins unless it has some relation to the course you are doing or why you are interested in the subject you are applying to study.
• Lie. Making things up may lead to you getting caught out at interview, and may scupper your chances of landing a place on your chosen course.