It s time to make the perfect statement All you need for the perfect personal statement
Why is my personal statement so important anyway? Every year universities receive thousands of applications from students like you who are hoping to get a place. Apart from grades, the personal statement is the number one tool for deciding who should get an acceptance letter and who shouldn t. The good thing about a personal statement is that it s really down to the individual and how much work they put in to sell themselves. If you put in the effort to create an outstanding statement, you ll have a much better chance of standing out. An experienced admissions tutor can tell when an applicant has put the time and effort in. 2 TOP TIP! Keep your writing clear and concise 3 Give yourself the edge We ve created this guide to help you through every stage of writing your personal statement; from that tricky first sentence to applying the finishing touches. You ll find all the key information you need to include and advice on how to get the structure just right. Just remember that the hardest part is sitting down and starting. Once you ve got going, it gets a lot easier. So pay close attention to our hints and tips and you ll take one big leap closer to getting the university place you want. Make every word count This is your big chance to show the university admissions team who you are or why you d be a great choice for their course. You have 47 lines or 4,000 characters (not words) to do the job. It may sound like a lot, but you ll find they vanish pretty quickly when you start writing, so you need to be direct and avoid repeating yourself if you want to make every word count.
The secret to getting ahead is getting started. WORD COUNT GUIDE 35% 4 OK, let s start writing There are at least 5 areas that your personal statement should cover (6 if you re planning, or have taken, a gap year). These are: SECTION 1 SUBJECT INTEREST 35% SECTION 4 GAP YEAR 5% SECTION 2 WORK EXPERIENCE 25% SECTION 5 ACHIEVEMENTS 10% SECTION 3 HOBBIES AND INTERESTS 15% SECTION 6 CAREER GOAL 10% SECTION 1 - SUBJECT INTEREST The first section is the critical one. Why does the subject you want to study interest you? What specifically is it about the area of study that you like? Is it related to a career you are planning on? It s a good idea to show that you understand the course on offer, by referring to specific modules or trips you re looking forward to. WORD COUNT GUIDE 35% SECTION 2 - WORK EXPERIENCE This is your chance to explain how any experiences you have had in the last 2 years might support your studies and career path. What skills have you acquired that relate to your degree? What knowledge have you learned that could be of particular interest to the admissions team? WORD COUNT GUIDE 25% SECTION 1 SUBJECT INTEREST 35% WORD COUNT GUIDE 25% 5 The percentages beside each section reflect the amount of your word count you should probably allocate. So for your interest in the subject, you should allow about 35% of your total (around 1200 characters). To keep things simple, this booklet looks at all 6 in turn, so as you read on, start making notes in the boxes about the kind of things you could write about yourself for those sections. You can make short notes or start writing full sentences, but it doesn t have to be perfect. You ll have plenty of time to edit later. You can write up to 4,000 characters of text that shows you d make a great student so it might take a few redrafts until you re happy with it. UCAS.com SECTION 2 WORK EXPERIENCE 25%
SECTION 3 - HOBBIES AND INTERESTS Here s where you can really make an impact with things you do in your spare time. Activities like the Duke of Edinburgh Award or after school/college activities such as sports, walking, reading or dancing, will definitely be of interest. But don t just list what you do; think about what these interests have taught you as well. WORD COUNT GUIDE 15% SECTION 4 - GAP YEAR If you haven t done a gap year and don t plan to, you can skip this section. But if you did have a gap year, what did you learn? What were your achievements? If you re planning to take one, what do you have planned? Traveling, volunteering with a charity, working in industry? What skills do you hope to gain? WORD COUNT GUIDE 5% SECTION 5 - ACHIEVEMENTS Your achievements from the last 18 months don t have to be spectacular (though it s great if they are!) they just need to be important to you. These should be the things that you are most proud of. Have you raised money for charity, run a marathon, or passed a grade playing a musical instrument? Think about what personality traits your achievements show, and how they relate to your chosen subject. WORD COUNT GUIDE 10% SECTION 6 CAREER GOAL Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? This section is your chance to talk about your ambitions. Is this degree a direct path to the career you want? Where do you plan to go in life? And just as importantly why? WORD COUNT GUIDE 10% WORD COUNT GUIDE 15% WORD COUNT GUIDE 5% SECTION 3 HOBBIES AND INTERESTS 15% SECTION 4 GAP YEAR 5% 6 7 WORD COUNT GUIDE 10% WORD COUNT GUIDE 10% TOP TIP! Be enthusiastic! Admissions tutors are looking for students who are full of energy, not half-hearted SECTION 5 ACHIEVEMENTS 10% SECTION 6 CAREER GOAL 10%
Go with the flow If you ve been making notes, they possibly read like a disjointed list at the moment, but that s fine. Now you can start to use the following tips to connect your sentences and paragraphs together. These handy words and phrases make the flow of your personal statement easier to read, as well as sounding more professionally written. But don t just start throwing them all in willy-nilly. Think about the impression each one gives, and how you can use them most powerfully. It s all me, me, me Although your Personal Statement is, well, personal, beginning too many sentences with I is a sure-fire way to turn a reader off. In fact, it s one of the most common pitfalls when writing about yourself. So when you come to edit, try to create more variety by starting your sentences in different ways. I will blend into the crowd with these: 8 In addition In addition to my paid work experience I have gained valuable skills throughout my voluntary work. As well as As well as my involvement in team games I am also keen on playing individual competitive sport. Reinforce My involvement in the school voluntary programme has reinforced my decision to study a degree in Nursing. I am Captain of the Hockey team I enjoy playing sport I am studying A levels in I have taken part in I have gained a number of skills 9 But I ll give myself the edge with these: Strengthen Seeing the impact of the banking crisis in 2010 has strengthened my decision to study economics. Enabled me The opportunity to play in the school football team enabled me to work as part of a team. Besides Besides my involvement with sports, I am also actively involved in amateur dramatics. Provided me The work experience provided me with an opportunity to work with a range of people. More recently Although I have taken part in classical music concerts, more recently I have decided to learn to play the piano. Opportunity to The opportunity to work with people during my work experience was invaluable. Be yourself Being Captain of the Hockey team has helped me Having enjoyed playing football My A level subjects have Taking part in The skills I ve gained from Before you start just using these examples as they re written, remember that your personal statement must be your own work. UCAS will be able to spot if it isn t a mile off.
First things first So you ve got your notes and you ve got ideas for how to make your sentences flow a bit better. Time to have a go at pulling them together into a first draft. Before you go into tortured genius mode and start agonising over every word, just remember that this version doesn t need to be perfect. There s plenty of time to edit, craft and polish once you have your rough first draft. 10 11 Got your first draft? Good. Now take a break! You ll find it a lot easier to see what s working and what isn t if you come back to it with fresh eyes. In the meantime, on the next few pages you ll find an example of a personal statement before and after amendments so you ll know what to do when you come back to yours.
A good start 1 They start by explaining why they ve chosen the degree but the statement could be stronger. It doesn t feel like a very insightful reason behind their choice of degree. An explanation of why they enjoy History would be better. 2 Each sentence tries to offer a different point. But the second sentence in this paragraph doesn t really link the two points. When a longer sentence is used, both halves really need to work together to make your point strongly. The following student has written a Personal Statement to support an application to read History This is an early draft which needs improving. They refer to a position of responsibility (in this case, school prefect) and elaborate by giving examples of the duties they have. This helps create the impression of a student with varied interests. Giving examples of prefect duties is useful, but it would be better if they talked about the skills they ve gained by doing them (e.g. public speaking, team working). This is the personal statement: 3 Although they keep references to musical experience concise, the student is writing about two different aspects of life here (school prefect duties and musical experience) and struggling to link them together. The common theme they have is participation. Focusing on this would help the paragraph feel a lot more logical. I enjoy History lessons so I have decided to pursue the subject at degree level. The reference to Year Nine isn t really needed. It sounds like it was a long time ago, and references should be as recent as possible. 12 At university I look forward to examining a range of historical sources. I am particularly interested in French history and trips to France have broadened my historical awareness. As a school prefect I hold many responsibilities, including organising and attending school functions, delivering speeches to the school body and being an active member of the school council. Having played in school concerts with the keyboard orchestra when I was in year nine, I have recently taken up piano lessons. I am a keen sports player and I am a member of the school hockey team, netball team, the athletics squad and the volleyball team, earning me the Sports Personality of the Year award. I have taught information technology skills to younger students and helped a particular student to overcome language difficulties. I have organised sports days and Christmas parties for the elderly, and written, directed and performed a series of short plays. 4 Mentioning piano lessons is good, but it would be better if they explained what this hobby has taught them or shown why this information is relevant to their personal statement. This is clearly an active and well-rounded individual, not just an academic. Mentioning team sports is good. Mentioning the skills gained from participating in them is even better. Referencing IT is good, but the admissions tutor will be wondering what they learnt about themselves. What skills have they used? Assisting other people presents another aspect of the student s personality. It s hard not to write I lots in a personal statement. But if you can avoid using one at the start of every sentence it will make your statement more enjoyable to read. The sentence about technology skills and overcoming language difficulties isn t really explained, so is probably best left out. If you can t explain something clearly in a small amount of words, leave it out. 13 I have always enjoyed reading but more recently my A level studies have enabled me to explore foreign literature. Currently, I am involved in the European Youth Parliament Competition in which I will be representing my school at a residential debating conference. The winner will represent the United Kingdom in Cyprus. This venture enhanced my general knowledge (specifically of genetic engineering and drug legislation). 5 6 If reading is enjoyable, it s good to say so. This is excellent including a role in an academic competition, which involved public speaking. It s better to be specific the issue discussed in the competition is an interesting detail. They could definitely have gone further in talking about the competition, especially the skills they gained. It also feels like it s missing a strong concluding statement that connects back to their choice of degree.
The finished product So, after much reworking, head-scratching and pacing around the room, here s the finished version. It doesn t matter whether it takes 2 or 20 drafts, what matters is that it s right. PRE-APPLICATION CHOOSE YOUR UNIVERSITIES MARCH > SEPTEMBER 2017 UCAS EVENTS MARCH > JUNE 2017 POST-APPLICATION OFFER HOLDER DAY BY INVITATION ONLY, FROM JANUARY > MARCH 2018 UCAS EXTRA NOW OPEN FEBRUARY 2018 14 This is the NEW personal statement: I have always been fascinated by the past, beginning with childhood interests in time-travel and mythology. This interest continued with student exchanges to France and Germany, which gave me the opportunity to study 18th Century French history and dictatorship and to widen my historical scope. A trip to France, where I studied issues relating to the World Wars confirmed my interest in History and my decision to pursue the subject at degree level. At University I look forward to analysing varied interpretations of history and the original sources upon which they are based. As a school prefect I have held many responsibilities such as organising school events, delivering speeches, and participating actively on the school council. The experience has taught me to use my own initiative and developed my skill of public speaking and diplomacy. I also involve myself fully with the school music performances. Having played in concerts with the keyboard orchestra, I have recently taken up piano lessons and gained a wider awareness of music, especially of Debussy and romanticism. Playing in various school sports teams has earned me several awards including that of Sports Personality of the Year and taught me the importance of communication, teamwork and self-reliance. Organising a series of plays and other events for the elderly was a fulfilling challenge. I also found that the experience of assisting younger pupils with IT and language development was extremely rewarding. I have always enjoyed reading, but more recently my A level studies have enabled me to explore foreign literature. Brecht is particularly absorbing for his insight into the way people attempt to overcome the horrors of war. Currently, I am helping to produce a film for the European Student Travel Company concerning the career opportunities for young people in Europe. Also, I represented my school at national selection conference for the European Youth Parliament. This venture not only enhanced my general knowledge, but improved my teamwork, language and debating skills, which will be particularly useful for my course at university. Now it s time to make your mark If you think you re ready, go back to your first draft and see how you can improve it. Good luck! VISIT OUR OPEN DAYS * SATURDAY 10 JUNE 2017 SATURDAY 19 AUGUST 2017 SATURDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2017 SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 TEST DRIVE YOUR DEGREE SEPTEMBER > DECEMBER 2017 CAMPUS VISITS RUN THROUGHOUT THE YEAR UCAS OPENS SEPTEMBER 2017 UCAS DEADLINE MON 15 JANUARY 2018 MAKE YOUR FINAL CHOICE (FIRM AND INSURANCE) CHOOSE YOUR ACCOMMODATION MARCH 2018 APPLY FOR FINANCE MARCH > APRIL 2018 CLEARING OPENS MONDAY 2 JULY 2018 A LEVEL RESULTS DAY THURSDAY 16 AUGUST 2018 ENROL WELCOME TO STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY 15 *Our open days run throughout the year, more details are available at: www.staffs.ac.uk/opendays
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