Your UCAS Personal Statement
What is a Personal Statement?
A personal statement is an important part of your UCAS application, which will need to be submitted to study in the UK.
It will support your application to study at university or college, and is a great way to showcase your personal qualities, skills and passions.
Crucially, it gives you a platform to demonstrate to admissions tutors and lecturers how you are the perfect candidate for your chosen course or subject.
How long should a personal statement be?
Your personal statement can be around 47 lines (there is no word limit but there is a character limit of 4,000 characters, which is roughly 1 side of A4). You will only write one statement for all of your choices, so it needs to be relevant/applicable for all.
How to write your personal statement for University
Tips on what makes a good personal statement
• Think about what gets you excited about the course you are applying for and just start writing - you will be amazed at how effective it is to get all your thoughts on paper.
• Be positive when you describe how you get motivated about the course you want to study, and what inspired your decision.
• Talk about your transferable skills and knowledge - e.g. leadership, teamwork, problem solving, communication, organisation, that will help you on the course.
• Talk about you and what makes you unique, exciting, interesting. What makes you stand out?
• Back it up with evidence - use evidence from relevant work experience, extracurricular activities, outside reading, and all the other things you do.
• Don’t overcomplicate things, leave out flowery language and stick to plain English.
In summary, strive to make your personal statement authentic, a good combination of head and heart that captures your enthusiasm. Take your time and you’ll produce something special that sums up what you are all about.
How to write your personal statement
Writing a personal statement for your university application can be daunting, but it shouldn’t be.
We would suggest that you complete this section once you have selected your university course choices, as this will allow you to tailor your personal statement to your chosen subject or course(s). You should explain your motivation for applying to University. It is important to showcase your drive and passion for the subject area, and any skills or experience you may have which will help you become a successful student.
Suggested plan:
How to begin your personal statement - Start off with a great opening sentence that conveys how excited you are about the course and shows that you really understand what you’re getting into.
Middle - Your middle paragraphs should emphasise your skills and knowledge, provide evidence that proves your interest in the course and your personal qualities.
How to end your personal statement – this bit is about what makes you unique, what will make you fit into the course you are interested in?
DOs & DON’Ts
DO
• Be authentic
• Be positive
• Be enthusiastic
• Be clear and concise
• Plan your statement like an essay
• Make sure your statement is appropriate for all of your course choices
• List your skills and qualities but avoid sounding big-headed
• Draft, redraft and seek feedback
• Be careful when using quotes – only use those which are relevant, and well thought out
• Back it up with evidence
• Allow plenty of time
DON'T
• Copy someone else’s statement – there is software that will catch you out on this!
• Waffle – it is better to be short and relevant
• Use clichés
• Rely on spell check – proofread
• Rush or underestimate the time it takes to write an excellent statement
Covid-19
We know that it's been difficult to carry on with sports and other hobbies during the lockdown periods.
In your personal statement, can you tell us how you adapted your activities at this time? Did you do any virtual activities, remote training sessions or organise social events?
Did you take the opportunity to listen to podcasts, broaden your reading or watch programmes about your chosen subject?
Did you volunteer to support your local community or to help the NHS?
We want to hear about your resilience, your patience and your adaptability.
In your personal statement, consider telling us about:
• How you adapted your activities at this time?
• Any virtual activities, remote training sessions you attended or social events you organised?
• How you took the opportunity to listen to podcasts, broaden your reading or watch programmes about your chosen subject?
• Any volunteering to support your local community or to help the NHS that you did?
We want to hear about your resilience, your patience and your adaptability.