Personal Statement

What should you think about when writing a personal statement?

Your personal statement is the most important thing on your university application form. It is the only place on the whole form that you have the chance to let your personality shine through, and prove to the admissions officers that you will be an asset to their university.

The trap many people fall into when writing their personal statement is to just list what they have done in chronological order. Doing this is not going to grab the attention of the admissions officers. Instead, you have to try and let your personality shine through on paper, and draw correlations between what you have done in your life and the course you wish to undertake at university. You need to show the admissions officers that you have what it takes to do the course and to do it well.

You should try and explain why you want to do the subject you have chosen, where you want it to lead you, what you think you will get from the subject and what you think you will bring to the course as an individual.

The thing to bear in mind is that the admissions officers are looking for your personal statement to answer two important questions; should this student come to our university and should this student be put on this course?

There are a number of things they will also be considering when looking through your personal statement and these are all things to keep in mind when drafting your own.

You need to show that you are suited for the course that you are applying for, so see what is involved and demonstrate similar things you have done or experienced, or explain why you want to follow that particular route.

Make sure you have the qualifications needed for the course and show the qualities you have as a person, such the ability to adapt to changing circumstances (to show you will cope with living away from home) and the ability to perform under pressure (to show you can cope with the workload and other pressures).

Show that you have a real interest in the course you are applying for and demonstrate a will and a desire to learn more about the subject. Tell the admissions officers why you feel like this in your personal statement. Demonstrate how you have shown commitment and dedication in other areas of your life, so they know you are likely to stick at the course and work hard at it.

If you are applying to a popular university, and onto a popular course, the admissions tutors will be reading hundreds of personal statements from students across the country and beyond. You need to show them that out of all of these students you should be one of the chosen few to be given a chance to study that particular course at that particular university.