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• Mature Student Personal Statements
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Personal statement length checker

Enter your personal statement below to check if it meets the UCAS Apply requirements for the number of lines and character length.

The requirements for teacher training personal statements are different for UCAS Apply so this checker won't produce the correct results.

Your personal statement will be shown formatted according to UCAS's requirements, and the length and character limit calculated to check it's length.

Please note that the results of our personal statement checker may differ slightly from the UCAS Apply length checker. If you notice any differences please email us with copy of your personal statement and we'll. investigate further

Personal Statement Counter

Why do you need a personal statement counter, use our personal statement counter to keep within their limits, we can help you maintain your personal statement length.

In addition to this you should keep within the word count by looking in areas such as:

• Removing information that is already available within other parts of your application;
• Removing any obvious statements as these are just a complete waste of your word count;
• Removing any clichés, these are often unnecessary as well as being a “no-no” in their own right as they want to see your own words;
• Ensuring that everything that you have written is completely relevant to the application;
• Ensuring that you have written concisely and have removed things such as redundant word pairs such as “very quickly”, you don’t need the “very”.

We Are Proud of Our Personal Statement Counter

So if you need any help with your personal statement just come to us here for our personal statement counter we are waiting for you.

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Character Counter

Characters 0 words 0 lines 0, letter density.

Character Counter is a 100% free online character count calculator that's simple to use. Sometimes users prefer simplicity over all of the detailed writing information Word Counter provides, and this is exactly what this tool offers. It displays character count and word count which is often the only information a person needs to know about their writing. Best of all, you receive the needed information at a lightning fast speed.

To find out the word and character count of your writing, simply copy and paste text into the tool or write directly into the text area. Once done, the free online tool will display both counts for the text that's been inserted. This can be useful in many instances, but it can be especially helpful when you are writing for something that has a character minimum or limit.

Character and word limits are quite common these days on the Internet. The one that most people are likely aware of is the 140 character limit for tweets on Twitter, but character limits aren't restricted to Twitter. There are limits for text messages (SMS), Yelp reviews, Facebook posts, Pinterest pins, Reddit titles and comments, eBay titles and descriptions as well as many others. Knowing these limits, as well as being able to see as you approach them, will enable you to better express yourself within the imposed limits.

For students, there are usually limits or minimums for homework assignments. The same is often true for college applications. Abiding by these can have a major impact on how this writing is graded and reviewed, and it shows whether or not you're able to follow basic directions. Character counter can make sure you don't accidentally go over limits or fail to meet minimums that can be detrimental to these assignments.

This information can also be quite helpful for writers. Knowing the number of words and characters can help writers better understand the length of their writing, and work to display the pages of their writing in a specific way. For those who write for magazines and newspapers where there is limited space, knowing these counts can help the writer get the most information into that limited space.

For job seekers, knowing the number of characters of your resume can be essential to get all the information you want onto a single page. You can fool around with different fonts, their sizes and spacing to adjust the number of characters you can fit on a single page, but it's important to know the number you're attempting to fit on the page.

Character Counter isn't only for English. The tool can be helpful for those writing in non-English languages where character count is important. This can be the case for languages Japanese, Korean, Chinese and many others where characters are the basis of the written language. Even for those who aren't writing in English, knowing the character count of the writing is often beneficial to the writing.

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UCAS Personal Statement Line & Character Counter

Automatic analysis is not recommended for slow computers. For readability purposes, the author used a different counting method than the standard UCAS system. However, the author did not use any automatic counting methods.

The line count may vary depending on the font size used.

UCAS Personal Statement Requirements

Our character counter has a maximum line length of 94 characters. 

We do not allow any other characters except spaces, carriage returns, or punctuation. You may enter your text into our character counter by typing it directly into the box .

Not Sure How To Start Your Personality Statement?

A personal statement is a document that explains why you want to study a certain course or subject. You should include information about yourself, such as your interests, hobbies, and achievements.

You should include your hobbies, interests, skills, qualifications, work experience, and any other relevant information about yourself. Your CV is also known as a curriculum vitae, or CV.

What to Do You Write About in the Personal Statement of Yourself?

You should be careful when writing your personal statement. Don’t mention any specific universities or colleges by name, as this could make you seem uninterested in studying there. 

Instead, think about what you want to achieve and how you plan to do it. This will help you focus on the most important things.

Here are some ideas to help you start writing: 

• Look at course descriptions to identify the qualities, skills, and experience required – you can use this to help you decide what topic to write about. 
• Tell your reader why you’re applying – include your ambitions, as well as what interests you about this subject, the course provider and higher education.
• Consider what qualifies you for the job for the job – this could be your relevant experiences (such as playing sports) or capabilities (such like programming) or accomplishments (such for being an part of a group).
• Include any clubs or societies you’re involved in (such as sports or music). 
• Mention any relevant employment experiences or volunteering you’ve done (such as Inspired Awards, Step Together or Project Trust). 
• With the current restrictions on your life, carrying this out in person can be difficult. Don’t worry, universities and colleges understand this and we’ll take it into account when considering you. 

If you’ve developed skills through the Duke of Edinburgh, ASDAN, National Citizen Service, the Crest Awards scheme, or young enterprise, talk about it. If you took part in a higher education taster programme, placement, summer school, or something similar, talk about it.

How To Write Your Personal Statement

Your personal statement should be unique. So there’s no definitive format for you to follow. But here are some guidelines for you: 

• Take your time. 
• Write in an enthusiastic and concise manner. 
• Remember, your personal statement must be “personal.” Don’t use any clichés or overused words.

Try to stand out, but do not go too far with humour, quotes, and anything unusual. 

Just in case the admissions tutor does not share the same sense of humour. Use the course descriptions to help structure your information.

Make sure you check the line and character limit. In this case, you have 47 lines and 4,000 characters. Certain word processors have different results if they do not take paragraphs and tabs into account in terms of individual character.

Proofread aloud, then get your teachers, advisers, and family to check. Then redraw it until you’re happy with it and spelling, punctuation, and grammar are correct.

We recommend you write your personal statements first, then copy and paste them into your online applications once you’re happy with them. 

Make sure you save them regularly, as they time out after 35 minutes of activity.  

How To Use Our UCAS Personal Statement Checker

To use our tool, simply copy and paste your personal statement into this box. At the top, there will be 2 metrics displayed. The first on the left is the number of characters you’ve typed out (4,000) and the second on the right is the number of lines you’ve written (47). 

Our tool automatically calculates the number of lines based on the character length. You may now continue typing your personal statement.

To make it easier, you can copy the text in the box by clicking the green “copy text”. You can also clear the text in the box with the red “clear text”.

Why Use An Online UCAS Personal Statement Checker?

The character count feature of Microsoft Word will not give an accurate reading. The problem is that Word doesn’t count the carriage return (or the enter key) as part of a character while UCAS counts it as such. 

This causes Word to underestimate the character counter. This could cause your paper not to be submitted when you try uploading it. If anything, it’d be better to overestimate your word count on Word; that’ll make it fit. 

Our personal statement editor, however, will give you the exact same count as UCAS, so there won’t be any problems with that.

You can check the character count in real time as you type your personal statement. This helps you stay focused on writing your essay.

If you are not careful, it can be easy to forget about the length of your essay and write too much or too little. Our tool makes it easy to be aware of the total number of characters and make sure you do not exceed the word limit.

How Many Characters Are Usually In The Words?

4,000 characters is about 1,500 to 2,200 words. How Many Words In A UCAS Personal Statement

UCAS has a character limit set by the university. This means you should be careful when writing your essay. 

You may need to cut down on some parts of your text.

Does The Personal Statement Character Limit Include Spaces?

Yes, it includes spaces as well as carriage return. You can use this space-separated string as an input to any programming language you want.

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• Medical School Application

AMCAS Personal Statement: Tips From Real MDs

Featured Expert: Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

Your AMCAS personal statement is one of the most important components of your AMCAS application . This is your best chance to share information about yourself with the admissions committee that they might not learn from reading the other sections of your application. But your AMCAS personal statement won’t write itself, and synthesizing all your ideas, experience, and background into about 5,300 characters is no easy feat. Consider the following AMCAS personal statement example along with expert advice from real MDs who’ve graduated from some of the best medical schools in the US and Canada to get a good idea of what's expected.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

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Article Contents 13 min read

Amcas personal statement: what to write – advice from experts.

 On how to stand out in your AMCAS personal statement:

“The personal statement is an opportunity for you to shine and really impress the committee to invite you for an interview. In order to stand out, it is important to answer the main questions well: a bit about yourself and what led you to medicine, why you would make an ideal medical student and future physician, what attracts you to this particular institution, and what sets you apart from the other candidates.” - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

“what i did was start with a story. like any good novel, the stories first lines are meant to hook the reader. this can be about anything if you can bring it back and relate it to your application... it is important that the story be real... while in my opinion it is ok to slightly embellish some details of story to make it more interesting, straight lying or overly unrealistic situations should be avoided.” - dr. jamie cazes, md, university of toronto temerty faculty of medicine, “i focused on my journey to medicine and opportunities that i sought out along the way. everyone’s path and validation is unique, so walking the reader through your growth to the point of application will naturally be different.” - dr. monica taneja, md, university of maryland school of medicine, tip #1: the essay is a story, not a resume.

Your AMCAS personal statement should NOT be a recitation of your medical student CV. Your CV is just data: it does not tell the story of why you want to become a doctor, or why you are particularly suited to medicine. As Dr. Jaime Cazes pointed out, you want to think of yourself as a character in a story, and you don’t want to give a “cookie-cutter” answer that almost every other person has written.

You don’t only want to think of yourself as a character in your story, but you also have to consider your audience. One of our students, Alison Edwards, who is now a student at the Dell Medical School , one of the newest medical schools in Texas , remembered that when she was brainstorming for what to write for her personal statement she thought about “what is the theme, basically, going to be of my application.”

Ashley thought of a theme because she wanted to “create an element of consistency”, which “makes it easy for the reader to be able to work their way through.” Because, as Ashely says, if there’s one thing to remember when brainstorming what you’re going to write about for your AMCAS personal statement it’s “thinking about who was going to read this application.” Understanding that there are human eyes that are going to read your AMCAS personal statement and a hundred other AMCAS personal statements should be a guiding factor, as the “more digestible that you can make it for them, it kind of gives you a little win.”

Tip #2: How to Write Without a Prompt

It’s always easier to write an essay if someone assigns you the topic. For instance, maybe you had to research diversity and inclusion in medical education at some point and think you know the “secret” to writing an excellent diversity secondary essay . But what do you do when there is no prompt – or the topic is you? Where do you start? How do you choose? What do medical schools want to hear? How do you come across as unique when the purpose of the essay is so generic?

The fact is, there is no one like you, and if you are applying to medical school, chances are you’re already pretty fantastic. All you need to do is reach back into your experiences and identify a moment that really defined your view of medicine and your potential place in the profession.

Or as our expert, Dr. Neel Mistry says,

“The key here is answering ‘why this school?’ and ‘what sets you apart’. Most candidates simply highlight what they have done, but do not reflect on it or mention how what they have done has prepared them for a future medical career. The personal statement is your chance to be reflective and go beyond what is stated on your CV and sketch. In addition to this, remember to use specific personal examples throughout your statement to make it more impactful and memorable for the readers. Often, painting a picture in the reader’s mind in the form of a story helps with this.”

“i have been working with matthew triolo on my amcas application over the last few weeks. he has provided me with insightful feedback to my essays and has made the application process significantly less stressful. he has provided feedback in a timely manner and helped me to create a strong application.” - anonymous, bemo student.

While American medical schools usually have rolling admissions process, applicants who make it into the pool early have a better chance at both interviewing and acceptance. When the AMCAS application service opens in May, your brain will be overloaded with lists upon lists of requirements and data to collect, such as medical school recommendation letters , verifiers, contact information, and transcripts. 

So, get to work soon on your essay draft and have it ready for upload when application season opens. You should allow yourself about eight weeks to reflect on and write your AMCAS personal statement. It’s not a task that should be rushed, and you’ll be glad you took the time to prepare it properly, to effectively convey why you want to go into medicine.

Tip #4: Address Setbacks; Don’t Dwell on Them

Basically, your essay is meant to be an authentic expression of you as a person – and as the saying goes, bad things happen to good people. One student might lose their parents in their second year of university. Another might get injured in varsity sports. Still others might see their grades fall drastically after they migrate during high school to escape war and famine.

If you experienced any event that negatively impacted your GPA, AMCAS expects you to mention it before it is raised as a red flag or becomes one of the 5 mistakes to avoid while writing your medical school personal statement.

“Portraying yourself in a negative manner can be tricky. It is important to stick to what is asked but also be diplomatic in your response (i.e., be careful with the example you choose). For instance, you could highlight a situation in which you were working on a group project, but the stress and pressure of the deadline affected your behavior and communication with the members. It is not only important to highlight the situation in detail but to also reflect on your actions. Drawing upon lessons from this experience and how you used what you learned to make changes the next time around is key to demonstrating a growth mindset.” - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD, on how to address negative qualities.

And this may seem like a huge challenge. You want admissions committees to know that you are strong, capable, and resilient. You want them to consider all that you have come through when they note that your GPA is less than 3.8. But you don’t want them to take pity on you or think you’re asking for favors.

Do you need inspiration for your AMCAS personal statement? Check out this video with examples:

Tip #5: Remember that Writing Is a Craft

Knowing how to write a compelling introduction and opening sentence for a medical school personal statement is a skill that can be learned. It’s really as simple as that. Become a good – even great – writer in the process of applying to medical school, and you can rest easy that you’ve given this particular part of your application your best shot.

“I found it helpful to give schools a ‘punch-line’ as in I wanted them to remember 1-2 things about me that are my differentiators and I reiterated those throughout.” - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, on a writing technique that helped her stand out in her AMCAS personal statement.

Getting behind the idea of creative writing may not appeal to science majors, but believe us, it’s a skill that will serve you in medicine in more ways than you can imagine. However, at this stage, right before applying, it may seem like just another chore to get out of the way. If that’s your mindset, you should change it – because your AMCAS personal statement is a real opportunity to reflect on and distill your passion for medicine. Whatever else we say or advice we give, if you know how to answer the medical school personal statement and interview question: “Why do you want to become a doctor?” with clarity, conviction, and confidence, that’s half the task of applying to medical school.

Great resources on writer’s craft include Phillip Lopate’s “The Art of the Personal Essay” and “To Show and To Tell”, as well as Stephen King’s “On Writing”. For a fulfilling experience and a break from reading, listen to the latter on audiobook.

And why not take advantage of our free offer to acquire BeMo’s Ultimate Guide to Medical School Personal Statements & Secondary Essays? This 300-page guide with tips, strategies, and sample successful personal statements promises to “help you learn to write captivating essays, even if you are not a natural writer.”

Tip #6: Get Expert Feedback

“i met with dr. nagra to review my amcas experiences. it was an amazing session that helped me tailor what i wanted to express in this section of the application. i appreciated her to-the-point feedback and criticism for my paragraphs. many times, i am frustrated with reviewers who do not offer meaningful comments; however, dr. nagra found the holes in my paragraphs that i knew were lacking and gave me helpful ideas on how to patch them up. overall, the session was insightful and efficient, which is crucial for people using consulting services.” - anonymous, bemo student.

Get an expert second set of eyes to look at your AMCAS personal statement draft and provide you with objective feedback. That means your mom is probably not the best person to ask (even if she’s an accomplished writer) because your family and friends cannot remain objective and will be afraid of hurting your feelings.

“Dr. Trevor Blanchard consulted me for my first AMCAS personal statement (PS) brainstorming session. He patiently listened to everything I had to say and asked questions to help me reflect upon my experiences. Then, he assisted me in compiling together a story to paint for my PS. He also helped walk me through the process of writing a PS and the important components of it. I really appreciated all the advice and help he provided me with!” - Phong, BeMo student

The reality is that every great writer has an editor, and you will need one. Given the importance of the AMCAS personal statement, there’s really no reason not to consider medical school personal statement editing services to help you out. In addition, these editing services offer far more than simply proofreading and language enhancement. Because our specialists who edit medical school personal statements are admissions experts who are intimately familiar with the application procedure for medical schools, they can also advise you on content, structure, and what schools look for in your AMCAS personal statement. There’s no question that a medical school application tutor is worth it to radically improve your personal statement and other components that can highly influence your admission chances.

“Reza helped me with some ideas for my opening essay in the AMCAS application. It was nice to hear what types of things they are looking for and the types of stories that could be useful for applying. Having a third party listen to your ideas and getting feedback can be quite useful when you are stuck or just beginning.” - Chris Czarnecki, BeMo student

•  You must enter all information directly into the various sections of the AMCAS form.
• You cannot make any changes to your personal statement after submitting your application to the AMCAS program.
• You can’t run a spell check either, so proofread all your texts carefully before entering them into the forms.

The following are some reminders from AMCAS:

• Use US English characters; others may not be recognized.
• Use normal writing practices: avoid using all uppercase or all lowercase letters.
• Don’t repeat information added elsewhere on your application.
• Your personal statement will be sent to all the medical schools you apply to.
• Plagiarism or misrepresentations will result in an investigation.
• Remember: You are allotted 5,300 characters, or about one page, for your AMCAS personal statement. It’s not necessary to use every word you are allowed but do show that you have enough to say to fill a few paragraphs (about 1 page).

AMCAS Personal Statement Example #1

916 words (5,181 of the maximum 5,300 characters with spaces)

My mother grew up as one of 14 children in a very poor home in rural Ontario, where both parents, while loving and warm, suffered from alcoholism. She and her siblings experienced significant childhood adversity, the legacy of which still looms large. Later, as the matriarch of her own family, she ran a small business, supported my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and provided stability for all of us. She modelled, and I internalized, compassion for my loved ones as they lived through uncertainty, conflict, illness, and loss.

You might wonder why I tell my mother’s story, rather than my own. I could say that my mother inspired me to go into medicine and leave it at that. However, to call it inspiration would be a discredit to the profound influence my mother has had on my life and the lives of everyone around us.

They say, “it takes a village,” but my family basically made up half the village where I lived. I’m exaggerating, but it’s almost true. In such an isolated place, the few families that existed formed a close, interdependent community. When someone fell ill, it was often the family who stepped in, since the nearest clinic was 40 minutes away.

That is not to say we were completely helpless. We had a doctor who actually did house calls for many years. It wasn’t always the same doctor, but the service was set up to come to us. These doctors in my family’s story buffered the effects of poverty and social exclusion. For example, when my uncle Elvin was dying of liver cancer, our family doctor regularly stopped by our house to manage his palliative care, even as he continued to drink alcohol. I still recall how the doctor treated him with such humanity and with full recognition of his life arc.

You will have noticed that I said, “our house,” which is where my mother comes in again. Indeed, when her brother got sick, there was no question of where he would stay or who would look after him. He was not alone; my mother was already looking after her ailing father and several young children. Moreover, before my uncle Elvin arrived, she had offered our neighbor’s son, who was studying to be a nurse, a job. She didn’t stop there. Those of us siblings who were old enough to take on greater responsibility were assigned new tasks: more cleaning, more cooking, more laundry.

With dozens of relatives who could potentially drop in at any moment, our home had never been empty or quiet, so at first, I didn’t notice the change. Gradually, however, the house was transformed. As my uncle’s condition and that of my grandfather grew more serious, we had more visiting physicians and twice the number of nurses. Someone was always knocking into someone else with a basket of laundry, and everything smelled like disinfectant.

This state of affairs eventually prompted the oncologist to suggest a more private arrangement for our two patients, but my mother had insisted that they would stay in their rooms, on the first floor, where they were comfortable and where no one was ever too far away. There was something about the matter of fact approach my mother took to the reality of having sick people in her home that impressed me. In her mind, it felt perfectly normal, and even to be expected, that they would remain with us, as part of the family, until the end. And although I wasn’t given a choice about it – and maybe even because I was given no choice – my mother’s decision made perfect sense to me and even reassured me. As she argued for the security of her “patients,” she made us feel more secure ourselves as kids.

I won’t lie, there were many difficult moments after that, and we couldn’t have done it without the visiting health care team, but the year my mother ventured into hospice care changed the course of my life, as I am sure you have gathered by now. As I embarked on my undergrad in social sciences, I was certain I wanted to follow my mother’s example of community care, but all my extracurricular interests have centered around health care. I have volunteered in other nursing homes – not my own – and served as an intake worker at a local rehabilitation day center, registering clients for their medication. These and other similar positions have only confirmed my attraction to the field of medicine.

I’m seriously considering family medicine because I appreciate that patients’ social, economic, and biological narratives are critical to their primary care experiences. Family medicine is where the lives of patients are wholly expressed. However, I’m equally interested in oncology because I witnessed first-hand how these specialists work to improve treatment, alleviate suffering, prolong life, and enhance quality of life.

What I am certain of is that I want to be of direct, longitudinal service to my community through innovative and solutions-oriented work that helps people live well – in other words, I want to be just like my mother. At the core of my service vision is health equity, or the elimination of avoidable, unfair differences in health status experienced by different groups. My dedication to health equity is clearly reflected in my academic and work life, but it is rooted in the lived experiences of my family.

AMCAS stands for American Medical College Application Service. Most medical schools in the US use this centralized application service.

You have 5,300 characters, including spaces, to work with.

You would not discuss your MCAT score or academics in your personal statement, but if you have used an MCAT score calculator and found that you fall short or have had to retake the MCAT , you may want to address the issue in your personal statement to explain how your grades and/or other achievements offset your lower score and why you remain an excellent candidate for medical school.

We recommend giving yourself about 8 weeks to brainstorm, draft, polish, and revise. Don’t hesitate to get medical school application help if you are struggling with any aspect of admissions.

If you’re applying to medical schools in Texas, you will use TDMSAS , and if you are applying to medical schools in Canada, you might use OMSAS . Moreover, certain medical schools may have their own distinct application procedures, so be sure to research the specific medical school requirements for the schools to which you are applying. 

Yes, we recommend a standard academic essay structure with an eye-catching introduction, three body paragraphs, and compelling conclusion.

Writing skills are a big part of producing any application essay, but what you include and why are just as important. Admissions advisors can guide you with their advanced knowledge of medical school application processes.

No, your AMCAS personal statement will be sent to all the schools you apply to, so it should focus on you and your interest in pursuing medicine, not the specific schools that interest you.

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Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions.

Nadia mourtada

Thanks for providing us with some good ideas on how to write a good statement. That helped with my personal statement, however, I have a question: Do they really read our personal statement? Please let me. Thanks

BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello Nadia! Thanks for your comment. Yes, admissions committees do read your personal statements. After your grades and MCAT score meet the requirements, your personal statement is usually one of the most influential components of the application. It can really help you get the interview invite, so we strongly recommend spending time and effort on it!

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Writing the Personal Statement

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The personal statement, your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process, generally falls into one of two categories:

1. The general, comprehensive personal statement:

This allows you maximum freedom in terms of what you write and is the type of statement often prepared for standard medical or law school application forms.

2. The response to very specific questions:

Often, business and graduate school applications ask specific questions, and your statement should respond specifically to the question being asked. Some business school applications favor multiple essays, typically asking for responses to three or more questions.

Questions to ask yourself before you write:

• What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story?
• What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or help set you apart from other applicants?
• When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained?
• How have you learned about this field—through classes, readings, seminars, work or other experiences, or conversations with people already in the field?
• If you have worked a lot during your college years, what have you learned (leadership or managerial skills, for example), and how has that work contributed to your growth?
• What are your career goals?
• Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre LSAT or GRE scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)?
• Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life?
• What personal characteristics (for example, integrity, compassion, and/or persistence) do you possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? Is there a way to demonstrate or document that you have these characteristics?
• What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess?
• Why might you be a stronger candidate for graduate school—and more successful and effective in the profession or field than other applicants?
• What are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you?

General advice

Answer the questions that are asked

• If you are applying to several schools, you may find questions in each application that are somewhat similar.
• Don't be tempted to use the same statement for all applications. It is important to answer each question being asked, and if slightly different answers are needed, you should write separate statements. In every case, be sure your answer fits the question being asked.

Tell a story

• Think in terms of showing or demonstrating through concrete experience. One of the worst things you can do is to bore the admissions committee. If your statement is fresh, lively, and different, you'll be putting yourself ahead of the pack. If you distinguish yourself through your story, you will make yourself memorable.

Be specific

• Don't, for example, state that you would make an excellent doctor unless you can back it up with specific reasons. Your desire to become a lawyer, engineer, or whatever should be logical, the result of specific experience that is described in your statement. Your application should emerge as the logical conclusion to your story.

Find an angle

• If you're like most people, your life story lacks drama, so figuring out a way to make it interesting becomes the big challenge. Finding an angle or a "hook" is vital.

Concentrate on your opening paragraph

• The lead or opening paragraph is generally the most important. It is here that you grab the reader's attention or lose it. This paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement.

Tell what you know

• The middle section of your essay might detail your interest and experience in your particular field, as well as some of your knowledge of the field. Too many people graduate with little or no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the profession or field they hope to enter. Be as specific as you can in relating what you know about the field and use the language professionals use in conveying this information. Refer to experiences (work, research, etc.), classes, conversations with people in the field, books you've read, seminars you've attended, or any other source of specific information about the career you want and why you're suited to it. Since you will have to select what you include in your statement, the choices you make are often an indication of your judgment.

Don't include some subjects

• There are certain things best left out of personal statements. For example, references to experiences or accomplishments in high school or earlier are generally not a good idea. Don't mention potentially controversial subjects (for example, controversial religious or political issues).

Do some research, if needed

• If a school wants to know why you're applying to it rather than another school, do some research to find out what sets your choice apart from other universities or programs. If the school setting would provide an important geographical or cultural change for you, this might be a factor to mention.

Write well and correctly

• Be meticulous. Type and proofread your essay very carefully. Many admissions officers say that good written skills and command of correct use of language are important to them as they read these statements. Express yourself clearly and concisely. Adhere to stated word limits.

Avoid clichés

• A medical school applicant who writes that he is good at science and wants to help other people is not exactly expressing an original thought. Stay away from often-repeated or tired statements.

For more information on writing a personal statement, see the personal statement vidcast .

How long should your personal statement be?

Wondering about the university personal statement word count? We go through it all here!

A well-written personal statement adds a lot of strength to an application and allows you to express your personality. It also gives you a chance to go into detail about your interest in studying your chosen course, rather than just demonstrating your eligibility to do so. 

However, it’s vitally important to remember that you have a limited amount of space for your personal statement. Let’s take a look at how long your personal statement should be... 

UCAS requirements state that your personal statement can be a maximum of 4,000 characters or up to 47 lines in length – whichever comes first. The character count includes spaces and the line count includes blank lines, so keep this in mind when it comes to how you format your paragraphs. 

This might sound like a lot, but bear in mind that there are approximately 30 lines on one side of A4 paper in a standard size font, so your final submission will be around a page and a half of text. You’ll need to think carefully about what you want to include, keep it concise, make sure it flows well and has clear meaning throughout. 

Having said this, don’t worry too much about the character count when you start writing. Be free to jot down anything and everything which comes to mind, and even list them in bullet-point form. You can then begin to adjust and re-order these points until a structure and narrative becomes clear. 

You’ll probably have to cut a lot of stuff to keep your personal statement under the character limit. If you’re having trouble choosing what to remove, it can be helpful to ask yourself this question: “Is this really relevant to my personal statement?” 

It’s better to have fewer, well-resolved points which flow together to paint a picture of who you are than lots of rushed points which sound like a jumbled list of achievements. 

You’ll only know exactly how many lines your personal statement is when you paste it into UCAS. The UCAS character count might be slightly different from the one on your word processor, so be careful when you submit it, because any submission which exceeds the character or line limit will be cut off. 

It’s a good idea to aim for 3,500 characters in your first draft, and then you can add or remove words accordingly. For the finished piece, try to get as near to the word count as possible – anything too short might not have enough detail, and anything too long will get cut off. 

Need more personal statement advice? Check out our personal statement guide!  

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5 Easy Ways to Make Your Personal Statement Fit the Character Count

Read our five tips for making your personal statement fit the character count!

One of the most frustrating parts of the university admissions process is cutting down the personal statement to less than 4000 characters and 47 lines. Trying to retain as much content as possible whilst remaining under this character count is a difficult process, so here are a few easy ways to make it slightly easier!

You’ve spent weeks refining your  personal statement – and there is now only one thing standing in the way of you and hitting send on your UCAS application: the UCAS character count. Here are the five proven way to make your personal statement fit the character count!

1. Avoid clichés and quotes

Every year, admissions tutors stress that there are a few personal statement mistakes to avoid , yet year after year, people continue to make them. Perhaps the most common of these mistakes are clichés and quotes.

Go through your personal statement and remove any clichés – for example, ‘I’ve wanted to do medicine since I was young’…

The same goes with quotes: unless they add true value to your personal statement (and most of the time they don’t!)  it is usually a good idea to remove them. You only have 4000 characters to let the admissions tutor know who you are, don’t waste it by giving them somebody else’s words!

Read exactly   how different medical schools use your personal statement

2. Make sure everything is relevant

A good way to cut words is to make sure you are never losing focus by using the “so what?” rule. For each sentence in your personal statement, ask “so what?”.

Does this sentence make me seem even more suitable for the course? If not, it is probably best to cut it. This often happens when people write long lists of their extracurriculars in a desperate attempt to fit everything in.

Universities, however, want to see reflection and what you have taken away from your experiences; this means it is usually better to just talk about a few extracurriculars and reflect on them, instead of listing a lot which someone reading it is likely to skim over.

Read   how to write about your exploration of medicine

Personal Statement Review

Get your Personal Statement reviewed by a Medical School Admissions Tutor or a high-flying Medic

3. Make use of colour coding

This is a quick tip, but an easy way to see where you are losing most of your characters is to highlight sections of your personal statement.

For example, if you put each of your sections – work experience, volunteering, extracurriculars and so on – in different colours, it is suddenly a lot easier to identify which section is particularly heavy in terms of characters.

If one section is much longer than the rest without there being a good reason for this, it is usually a good indication that you should start cutting there.

Read our  11-step checklist for your personal statement

4. Watch your language

We often spend a lot of time looking up big words on thesaurus.com in the hope that it will make our work sound more impressive. However, in light of the UCAS character count, this is not always the best approach.

Long, “impressive” words can often hinder meaning and make it more difficult for the person reading your work to follow, especially after they have already read many personal statements that day. It is often best to cut these words in favour of more simple and concise sentences using straightforward language.

If you are still looking to remove characters, it is helpful to look through your personal statement for adverbs and adjectives. Often, we use these words as filler words which do not add much value to our writing. Go through all the adverbs and adjectives you have used and check whether they actually add any value or are merely taking up unnecessary characters.

Read about  the writing style of medicine personal statements

5. Still need to shave off the last few characters?

Once it’s down to the last few characters, there are a few small things you can do to push your personal statement down to the 4000 character mark. Firstly, some ‘and’s can be removed in favour for full stops to make shorter, crisper sentences.

Another thing to note is that it is not necessary to use names, for example of hospitals or of places you volunteer, which can remove those final few characters from your count.

Don’t worry that cutting it down will make your personal statement worse – universities know that you can’t write about everything you want to in 4000 characters!

I hope these tips have been useful and good luck with your personal statements!

Written by: Cambridge Medicine Student

• How Medical Schools Use Your Personal Statement
• How to Structure a Personal Statement
• How to Write a Personal Statement

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Personal Statement

Personal statements may be used to customize the application to a specific program or to different specialties. 

In This Section:

Creating the personal statement, formatting the personal statement, previewing the personal statement, reviewing/editing the personal statement, assigning the personal statement.

You create your own personal statements in the MyERAS portal from the Personal Statements section listed under Documents. 

• Each personal statement must contain a Personal Statement Title and the Personal Statement Content. The title will be visible only to you to help you correctly assign it to programs, and the content will be visible to both you and the programs it is assigned to. 
• The personal statement is limited to 28,000 characters, which include letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation marks. 
• There is not a limit to how many personal statements applicants can create. 
• Personal statements created outside the MyERAS application should be done in a plain text word processing application such as Notepad (for Windows users) or SimpleText (for Mac users). The statement should reflect your personal perspective and experiences accurately and must be your own work and not the work of another author or the product of artificial intelligence. 
• Personal statements created in word processing applications not using plain text may contain hidden and invalid formatting. 
• Note: A number of websites provide examples of personal statements. Do not copy any information from these sites and use it in your personal statements without giving credit to the author. Such use is considered plagiarism. 
• The ERAS program will investigate any suspected acts of plagiarism. 
• Any substantiated findings of plagiarism may result in the reporting of such findings to the programs to which you apply now and in subsequent ERAS seasons. 

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When creating a personal statement in the MyERAS application, the following formatting options will be available: 

• Bold. 
• Italic. 
• Underline. 
• Strikethrough. 
• Bullets. 
• Numbering. 
• Align left. 
• Center. 
• Align right. 
• Increase indent. 
• Decrease indent. 
• Insert hyperlink. 

After entering the personal statement title and content, you will have the opportunity to preview your personal statement before saving it. This preview allows you to view your personal statement just as the programs will view it, including the number of pages.  

You are responsible for reviewing your personal statements before assigning them to programs. 

The Preview/Print option under the Actions column will allow you to view and/or print your personal statement. 

Personal statements can be edited at any point during the application season — even when assigned to programs that have been applied to. 

Personal statements that have been edited will be reflected on the programs’ side by an updated status containing the date of the updated version, but programs are not guaranteed to view or review updated versions of personal statements. 

You may designate the assignment of one personal statement for each program. 

• Personal statements can be assigned to any saved or applied to programs from the Personal Statements page by selecting “Assign” under the Actions column of the intended personal statement. 
• When assigning by personal statement, programs listed with a disabled checkbox already have the selected personal statement currently assigned. 
• When assigning by personal statement, you should review any personal statements that are listed under the Assigned Personal Statement column before making selections or changes. 
• Personal statements can be assigned by program using the Assign option under the Actions column on both the Saved Programs and Programs Applied To pages. 
• Changes to personal statement assignments can be made throughout the application season, but programs are not guaranteed to view or review newly assigned personal statements. 
• A personal statement cannot be assigned to programs that are closed. 
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personal statement word count tool

123WordCounter is a simple, free online tool that can be used for counting words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and more, in real time.

Why would you need an online word counter?

Online word counters are a fantastic tool for someone who doesn't use Microsoft Word and wants to keep track of their words and characters. Imagine having to manually count the words when writing a piece! Not only would it take an eternity, but there's a chance you won't get all right.

Why is word count important?

Different forms of writing require different quantities of word count length, whether it's for a website, a blog, an e-book, or a corporate text. Some sites, such as Google AdWords search ads and Facebook banner ads, have limitations on the amount of words or letters that can be used.

How to use an online word counter and character counter tool

123WordCounter is incredibly easy to use and can give you realtime results. Just type or paste your text in the text box, and it will show you the word count for the number of words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs.

Word count for socia media

It's important to know the exact character limits for the site you're working on whether you're producing or handling social media content.

Word count for SEO

When it comes to SEO writing, the word count is crucial. Long-form posts make up the bulk of high-ranking material on page one of SERPs. Many of them are longer than 2,000 words, and the rest are at least 1,500 words. Many long-form articles contain evergreen content, which is the best type of content for SEO. Over time, evergreen content gets more clicks. By using the this online and free word count tool, you will be able to make sure that your article has the minimum amount of word count for SEO best practices.

Additional features of our online word counter

The top 10 keywords and keyword density of the text you're writing are shown by this online word counter. This helps you to see which keywords you use the most and in what proportions. This will help you avoid overusing certain words or word combinations and ensure that keywords are distributed evenly in your writing. Additionally, it shows the limit of the most common social media platforms so you can keep track of your text, word and characters count required by each platform and the reading time of your text.

Top 10 Keywords

Social media.

• Hashtag Finder Find popular, related and similar hashtags to use in your posts
• Emoji Library A list of 3,000+ emojis with meanings! Search, copy & paste emojis.
• Base64 Encode & Decode Easily encode and decode Base64 text online
• Flip Text Online Flip and write text upside down using unicode

PharmCAS Personal Statement Checker

Check your pharmacy personal statement with our pharmcas character counter tool, personal statement guidelines and formatting.

• • PharmCAS personal statements must not exceed 4500 characters.
• • Characters can include spaces, carriage returns, symbols, numbers and punctuation.
• • Tabs, italics, multiple spaces and other styling are not allowed in the personal statement.
• • To delineate paragraphs, type a double return.

Note: If you check your character count in Microsoft Word it might be a lot lower because Word does not count a carriage return (the enter key) as a character. Our counter does count carriage returns to better comply with PharmCAS. Don't rely on Microsoft Word's character counter!

Personal Statement FAQ

What is the pharmcas personal statement word limit, how long should your pa personal statement be.

PharmCAS has a character limit of 4500 characters. Paste your statement into our counter tool above to check your length.

Is the PharmCAS personal statement character limit with or without spaces?

It includes spaces. Also, spaces can include carriage returns (the enter key). However, tabs are not allowed. Keep in mind, Microsoft Word's character count does not include carriage returns and will give you an inaccurate character count. Please use ours, as it will better comply with PharmCAS's formatting guidelines.

What is PharmCAS's personal statement prompt?

"In this section, write a personal essay that addresses why you selected pharmacy as a career and how the Doctor of Pharmacy degree relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals. Describe how your personal, educational, and professional background will help you achieve your goals." Source - liaisonedu.com

Personal Statement

• Last updated
• Save as PDF

This section is where you can write a brief statement expressing your desire to pursue an advanced standing program in the US.

While this section is required for ADEA CAAPID, not all programs use the personal statement in their decision-making process.

Requirements

• Keep your topic general : Keep the statement general as this essay is sent to all the programs you apply to. If you plan to only apply to one program, we still strongly recommend keeping your statement general in case you later apply to additional programs. Once you submit your application, the essay cannot be edited or changed.
• Do not exceed the maximum length : You can see both the word and character count below the field in the application. The right-hand number shows the maximum number of characters that you can use in your essay. As you type, you can see how many characters are still available and the associated word count. Characters include spaces, carriage returns, and punctuation. You cannot save your essay if it exceeds the 5,200 character limit.
• Use your own words : Plagiarizing any part of your essay is a violation of the code of conduct and may subject you to sanctions.
• Use simple formatting : Formatting such as tabs, italics, multiple spaces, etc., will not be saved. To delineate paragraphs, type a double return between each paragraph.

Proofreading

Be sure to read over your essay several times to catch any spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc., errors before submitting. Once you submit your application, you cannot edit your essay.