Chapters
- 01. So what do I do first?
- 02. How do I know if what I am writing about meets what the institution seeks?
- 03. Can I use a template or reuse personal statements I used for applying to other courses?
- 04. What can I include to make my application catch the university's attention?
- 05. How do I know my personal statement is ready for submission?
You have shortlisted the college or university courses you are interested in and fill in your personal details, education, and employment history. You have picked out your academic referees and gotten them to agree to write your references. But there is one thing left you have to deal with before submitting your college or university applications: the dreaded personal statement.
The section on every college or university application gets a collective 'ugh' from students universally. One might think it is because personal statements are challenging to write, but it is not. A lot of the stress and hassle from writing personal checks come not from the challenge or difficulty of writing an essay about yourself but from not knowing what to write in 4,000 words effectively.
Knowing how exactly to do that will not only take a significant load off your chest but also guarantee that your application will stand out more strongly amongst others.
So what do I do first?
It is helpful to list what the college or university is looking for in a personal statement. Personal statements for UCAS applications generally do not have specific requirements. Still, if you are applying directly to an institution, you may or may not be expected to include specific details about your abilities, interests, academic experience, and a particular word count or page limit.
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In general, institutions will be looking out for your reasons for studying and how the particular school or course you have chosen can help you achieve your personal goals, so make sure whatever information you include about yourself and your experiences relates to why you have decided on that specific course and school.
There is no right or wrong answer- most institutions are not looking for natural stars or prodigies; they want to know how interested you are in the subject, whether you have a basic understanding of the subject you are signing up for, and whether you have the potential and drive to take this subject on at a tertiary level.
How do I know if what I am writing about meets what the institution seeks?
If the institution has provided an outline or pointers, you must include them in your statement, address them and do not go off-topic. Always stick to the point and relate whatever you write back to your interest in the course. If there are no specific pointers you need to address, an excellent way to start would be to share how you have come to develop your interest in the course or institution.
Go on to explain what you have done in school or outside of school to gain knowledge on the subject. Share any academic and non-academic achievements and relevant skills you have earned in the subject so far, and then highlight what you hope to learn about the topic in the long run and how the course and institution you have chosen can help you achieve that.
Do not ramble, and ensure your writing maintains a throughline that focuses on your interest in continuing academic studies in the subject. Select any examples you want to include wisely, and make sure every sentence you write goes towards supporting your application. Do not write vague, generalized statements that serve no purpose, and avoid using stock or cliché phrases that do little to tell the institution why you are fit for the course.
Can I use a template or reuse personal statements I used for applying to other courses?
To get straight to the point, no. One thing you need to always keep in mind when moving into the world of academia is that lifting or finding 'inspiration' from anything you Google-d online classifies as plagiarism. Universities take plagiarism seriously, with students getting marked down for plagiarized work or, in the worst-case scenario, facing expulsion from the university.
Some universities put personal statements through computer programs that can detect similarities in phrases or sentences, so to be safe, do not borrow templates from the internet or reuse personal statements. Customize your personal statements to each course or institution you are applying to, even if the courses are similar in subject.
Templates are fine to use when writing a CV, though.
Writing a unique statement will make you stand out from the typical 'template' personal statements most students stand in and showcase that you have put effort into your application.
What can I include to make my application catch the university's attention?
What are your unique selling points? What kind of experiences or achievements have you had – whether inside or outside the school curriculum – that others do not have? And how does this relate to your interest in this course and institution? Asking yourself questions like this will allow you to reconsider the content you include – or do not have – in your personal statement to make it unique and unlike the rest.
Regardless of whether your experiences in the subject are large-scale or small-scale, what matters the most is not how much you have achieved but what you have learnt from it and what you will do with it in university. Showcasing a clear understanding and maturity in your learning experiences will score you plus points and even put you ahead of other applicants who merely list their experiences without reflecting on them.
Here are a few templates for writing CVs.
How do I know my personal statement is ready for submission?
Do not simply submit whatever first draft you have at hand. Run them by your peers and even your referees to ensure you have included whatever information you need to support your application effectively. Consider any feedback and keep rewriting your personal statement until you reach one that is polished and structured and reflects the quality of writing a potential university student would write.
Ensure the final draft is free of grammatical errors, as even the most minor typos can set you back, especially if you are applying for a language course like English Literature.
Writing an excellent personal statement takes time, so consider this before procrastinating submitting your UCAS applications. Admit it; it is pretty tempting, too, but getting to work on it and getting it over and done with as soon as possible will make the entire process a lot less painful.
Post by Faezah Zulkifli
Faezah is a theatre artist and writer born in Singapore. She graduated with a BA in English and is currently based in London as an MA student at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Good luck!
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