personal statement for university application uk

Clearing Universities & Courses

Clearing advice.

Recommended Clearing Universities

Popular Course Categories

Course Search & Discover

Start the search for your uni. Filter from hundreds of universities based on your preferences.

Search by Type

Search by region.

Recommended Universities

Northeastern University - London

London (Greater) · 100% Recommended

The University of Law

London (Greater) · 92% Recommended

Swansea University

Wales · 100% Recommended

Search Open Days

What's new at Uni Compare

Bangor University

Boost your employability with a Computer Science degree!

University of Southampton

Study Geology at Southampton, a course with a high degree of fieldwork!

Ranking Categories

Regional rankings.

More Rankings

Top 100 Universities

Taken from 65,000+ data points from students attending university to help future generations

About our Rankings

Discover university rankings devised from data collected from current students.

Guide Categories

Advice categories, recommended articles, popular statement examples, not sure what to search for, take our quick degree quiz.

Find the ideal uni course for you with our Course Degree Quiz. Get answers in minutes!

Take our full degree quiz

Get more tailored course suggestions with our full Course Degree Quiz and apply with confidence.

Nail your uni application with our personal statement examples!

Discover personal statements by subject, from A to Z. Find inspiration for your own application with these successful personal statement examples from real students.

A-Z of Personal Statements

Learn from previous student personal statements here. We have collated over 700 personal statement examples to help you on your university journey and to help you with how to write a personal statement.

These personal statement examples will show you the kind of thing that universities are looking for from their applicants. See how to structure your personal statement, what kind of format your personal statement should be in, what to write in a personal statement and the key areas to touch on in your statement.

A personal statement is a chance to tell your university all about you - a good personal statement is one that showcases your passion for the subject, what inspired you to apply for the course you’re applying for and why you think you would be an asset to the university.

Our collection includes personal statement examples in Mathematics, Anthropology, Accounting, Computer Science, Zoology and more.

Writing a personal statement has never been easier with our vast collection of personal statement examples.

Personal Statement

15 Accounting statements have been submitted.

Aerospace Engineering

2 Aerospace Engineering statements have been submitted.

American Studies

1 American Studies statements have been submitted.

Anthropology

2 Anthropology statements have been submitted.

Architecture

4 Architecture statements have been submitted.

Biochemistry

3 Biochemistry statements have been submitted.

26 Biology statements have been submitted.

Biomedical Science

7 Biomedical Science statements have been submitted.

Biotechnology

1 Biotechnology statements have been submitted.

Business Management

6 Business Management statements have been submitted.

Business Studies

23 Business Studies statements have been submitted.

3 Chemistry statements have been submitted.

Civil Engineering

2 Civil Engineering statements have been submitted.

4 Classics statements have been submitted.

Computer Science

14 Computer Science statements have been submitted.

Criminology

5 Criminology statements have been submitted.

2 Dentistry statements have been submitted.

6 Design statements have been submitted.

1 Dietetics statements have been submitted.

3 Drama statements have been submitted.

17 Economics statements have been submitted.

Engineering

9 Engineering statements have been submitted.

English Language

5 English Language statements have been submitted.

English Literature

13 English Literature statements have been submitted.

Environment

1 Environment statements have been submitted.

Event Management

1 Event Management statements have been submitted.

1 Fashion statements have been submitted.

4 Film statements have been submitted.

1 Finance statements have been submitted.

Forensic Science

2 Forensic Science statements have been submitted.

6 Geography statements have been submitted.

1 Geology statements have been submitted.

Health Sciences

1 Health Sciences statements have been submitted.

9 History statements have been submitted.

International Studies

2 International Studies statements have been submitted.

3 Languages statements have been submitted.

50 Law statements have been submitted.

2 Management statements have been submitted.

7 Marketing statements have been submitted.

7 Maths statements have been submitted.

5 Media statements have been submitted.

10 Medicine statements have been submitted.

1 Midwifery statements have been submitted.

10 Nursing statements have been submitted.

Pharmacology

9 Pharmacology statements have been submitted.

3 Pharmacy statements have been submitted.

5 Philosophy statements have been submitted.

Physical Education

1 Physical Education statements have been submitted.

3 Physics statements have been submitted.

Physiotherapy

5 Physiotherapy statements have been submitted.

14 Politics statements have been submitted.

23 Psychology statements have been submitted.

Religious Studies

2 Religious Studies statements have been submitted.

Social Policy

1 Social Policy statements have been submitted.

Social Work

3 Social Work statements have been submitted.

6 Sociology statements have been submitted.

Sports Science

1 Sports Science statements have been submitted.

Teacher Training

8 Teacher Training statements have been submitted.

2 Veterinary statements have been submitted.

1 Zoology statements have been submitted.

Want to learn more about a university?

Get your questions answered by sending them an enquiry now.

Personal Statement Help

What is a personal statement.

A personal statement is an essay written by a student applying to either a college or university. A personal statement is written and then uploaded to UCAS and is then attached to any university applications that the student may then make.

If you need more information check out our personal statement advice articles .

How to write a personal statement

There isn't a clearly defined personal statement template for you to use as each person's statement is different.

When it comes to writing a personal statement for universities, your personal statement should touch on your passions, your interest in the course, why you're applying for the course and why you would be an asset to the university you're applying to.

Talk about the clubs and societies that you belong to, any work experience you may have and any awards you might have won.

If you're still looking for information check out our article on how to write a personal statement .

How to start a personal statement

When it comes to starting your personal statement, the best thing to do is to be succinct and to have enough tantalising information to keep the reader informed and eager for more.

Your introduction should touch on your personal qualities and why you are applying for the subject you're applying for. Keeping things short and sweet means that it also allows you to break your personal statement up, which makes it easier for the reader.

We have plenty of advice for students that are wondering about what to include in a personal statement .

undergraduate Universities

Undergraduate uni's.

Northeastern Uni

114 courses

Swansea Uni

1324 courses

Uni of Surrey

736 courses

Uni of Roehampton

469 courses

Goldsmiths, UOL

319 courses

West London IoT

Kingston Uni

616 courses

Uni of Brighton

510 courses

Cardiff Met Uni

501 courses

Uni of Reading

683 courses

Uni of Kent

583 courses

Uni of Portsmouth

753 courses

Middlesex Uni

656 courses

467 courses

Escape Studios

Uni of Chester

629 courses

884 courses

723 courses

Uni of Sunderland

328 courses

Uni of East London

569 courses

Uni for Creative Arts

614 courses

Uni of Winchester

257 courses

Leeds Beckett Uni

454 courses

Uni of Westminster

496 courses

Uni of Bradford

385 courses

Heriot-Watt Uni

334 courses

Uni of Hertfordshire

584 courses

Staffordshire Uni

472 courses

Uni of Leicester

435 courses

Queen's Uni

634 courses

UWE, Bristol

497 courses

Uni of Huddersfield

642 courses

Uni of C.Lancashire

793 courses

709 courses

Coventry Uni

729 courses

Uni of Bedfordshire

654 courses

Uni of Essex

1398 courses

Wrexham Uni

287 courses

Uni of Suffolk

216 courses

Leeds Arts University

ARU Writtle

Anglia Ruskin Uni

823 courses

Ravensbourne

103 courses

Uni of Hull

Edge Hill Uni

Bath Spa Uni

513 courses

Nottingham Trent

911 courses

Find the latest from Uni Compare

University of Law

Ranked Top 20 amongst English universities in the 2023 National Student Survey!

Cardiff Metropolitan Uni

Ranked as the most sustainable university in Wales (P&P Uni League 2023/24)

How to Write a UCAS Personal Statement [With Examples]

James is senior content marketing manager at BridgeU. He writes and directs content for BridgeU's university partners and our community of international schools

What are the big challenges students should be aware of before writing their UCAS Personal Statement?

• The essential ingredients for writing a great Personal Statement
• How to write the UCAS Personal Statement [with examples]

Final hints & tips to help your students

Join 10,000 other counsellors & educators & get exclusive resources delivered straight to your inbox.

The UCAS Personal Statement can sometimes be a student’s only chance to impress a UK university. Read our in-depth guide to helping your students plan & write a winning application.

There are hundreds of articles out there on how to write a UCAS Personal Statement that will grab the attention of a UK university admissions officer.  

But if you’re working with students to help them perfect their Personal Statement in time for the  relevant UCAS deadlines , we can sum up the secret to success in three words.

Planning, structure and story. 

The UCAS Personal Statement is a student’s chance to talk about why they want to study for a particular degree, course or subject discipline at a UK university. 

As they set about writing a personal statement, students need to demonstrate the drive, ambition, relevant skills and notable achievements that make them a  suitable candidate for the universities they have chosen to apply to . 

But the UCAS Personal Statement requires students to write a lot about themselves in a relatively short space of time. That’s why lots of planning, a tight structure and a compelling story are essential if a student’s Personal Statement is to truly excel. 

As important deadlines for UK university applications grow closer, we at BridgeU have put together a guide, outlining some of the strategies and techniques to help your students to write a personal statement which is both engaging and truly individual.

Handpicked Related Content

Discover the simple steps that will boost the confidence of your native English speaking & ESL students alike in  University Application Essays: The 5 Secrets of Successful Writing .

As they begin to plan their Personal Statement, students may feel intimidated. It’s not easy to summarise your academic interests and personal ambitions, especially when you’re competing for a place on a course which is popular or has demanding entry requirements. In particular, students will likely come up against the following challenges.

Time pressure

Unfortunately, the Personal Statement (and other aspects of university preparation) comes during the busiest year of the student’s academic life so far.

Students, and indeed teachers and counsellors, must undertake the planning and writing of the personal statement whilst juggling other commitments, classes and deadlines, not to mention revision and open day visits!

Because there is already a lot of academic pressure on students in their final year of secondary school, finding the time and headspace for the personal statement can be hard, and can mean it gets pushed to the last minute. The risks of leaving it to the last minute are fairly obvious – the application will seem rushed and the necessary thought and planning won’t go into  making the personal statement the best it can be . 

Sticking closely to the Personal Statement format

The character limit which UCAS sets for the personal statement is very strict – up to 4,000 characters of text. This means that students have to express themselves in a clear and concise way; it’s also important that they don’t feel the need to fill the available space needlessly.  Planning and redrafting of a personal statement is essential .

Making it stand out

This is arguably the greatest challenge facing students – making sure that their statement sets them apart from everyone else who is competing for a place on any given course; in 2022 alone, UCAS received applications from 683,650 applicants (+1.6k on 2021) students. In addition, UCAS uses its own dedicated team and purpose built software to check every application for plagiarism, so it’s crucial that students craft a truly  original personal statement which is entirely their own work .

The essential ingredients for writing a great UCAS Personal Statement 

We’ve already mentioned our three watch words for writing a high quality Personal Statement.

Planning. Structure. Story. 

Let’s dig deeper into these three essential components in more detail.

Watch: How to Write a UCAS Personal Statement with University of Essex

Planning a ucas personal statement.

It might sound like a no-brainer, but it’s vital that students plan their Personal Statement before they start writing it. Specifically, the planning phase could include: 

• Students thoroughly researching the UK university courses they plan on applying to. 
• Deciding on what relevant material to include in their Personal Statement (we’ll cover this in more detail later on). 
• Writing an unedited first draft where they just get their thoughts and ideas down on paper. 

Structuring a UCAS Personal Statement

As we’ve discussed, the UCAS Personal Statement requires students to be extremely disciplined – they will be required to condense a lot of information into a relatively short written statement. This means that, after they’ve written a rough first draft, they need to think carefully about how they structure the final statement. 

A stand out Personal Statement will need a tight structure, with an introduction and a conclusion that make an impact and really help to tell a story about who your student is, and why they are drawn to studying this particular degree. 

This brings us nicely to our third and final ingredient…

Telling a story with a Personal Statement

The UCAS Personal Statement is a student’s opportunity to show a university who they are and how their life experiences have shaped their academic interests and goals. 

So a good Personal Statement needs to offer a compelling narrative, and that means making sure that a student’s writing is well-structured, and that every sentence and paragraph is serving the statement’s ultimate purpose –  to convince a university that your student deserves a place on their subject of choice. 

How to help your students start their UCAS Personal Statement

In order to ensure that a personal statement is delivered on time and to an appropriate standard, it’s essential to plan thoroughly before writing it. Here are some questions you can ask your students before they start writing:

How can you demonstrate a formative interest in your subject?

It may sound obvious but, in order for any UCAS personal statement to have the necessary structure and clarity, students need to think hard about why they want to study their chosen subject. Ask them to think about their responses to the following questions:

What inspired you to study your chosen subject?

Example answer:  My desire to understand the nature of reality has inspired me to apply for Physics and Philosophy

Was there a formative moment when your perspective on this subject changed, or when you decided you wanted to study this subject in more detail?

Example answer:  My interest in philosophy was awakened when I questioned my childhood religious beliefs; reading Blackburn’s “Think”, convinced me to scrutinise my assumptions about the world, and to ensure I could justify my beliefs.

Can you point to any role models, leading thinkers, or notable literature which has in turn affected your thinking and/or inspired you?

Example answer :  The search for a theory of everything currently being conducted by physicists is of particular interest to me and in “The Grand Design” Hawking proposes a collection of string theories, dubbed M-theory, as the explanation of why the universe is the way it is.

Asking your students to think about the “why” behind their chosen subject discipline is a useful first step in helping them to organise their overall statement. Next, they need to be able to demonstrate evidence of their suitability for a course or degree. 

How have you demonstrated the skills and aptitudes necessary for your chosen course?

Encourage students to think about times where they have demonstrated the necessary skills to really stand out. It’s helpful to think about times when they have utilised these skills both inside and outside the classroom. Ask students to consider their responses to the following questions. 

Can you demonstrate critical and independent thinking around your chosen subject discipline?

Example answer :  Currently I am studying Maths and Economics in addition to Geography. Economics has been a valuable tool, providing the nuts and bolts to economic processes, and my geography has provided a spatial and temporal element.

Are you able to demonstrate skills and competencies which will be necessary for university study?

These include qualities such as teamwork, time management and the ability to organise workload responsibly.

Example answer:  This year I was selected to be captain of the 1st XV rugby team and Captain of Swimming which will allow me to further develop my leadership, teamwork and organisational skills.

How have your extracurricular activities helped prepare you for university?

Students may believe that their interests outside the classroom aren’t relevant to their university application. So encourage them to think about how their other interests can demonstrate the subject-related skills that universities are looking for in an application. Ask students to think about any of the following activities, and how they might be related back to the subject they are applying for.

• Clubs/societies, or volunteering work which they can use to illustrate attributes such as teamwork, an interest in community service and the ability to manage their time proactively.
• Have they been elected/nominated as a team captain, or the head of a particular club or society, which highlights leadership skills and an ability to project manage?
• Can they point to any awards or prizes they may have won, whether it’s taking up a musical instrument, playing a sport, or participating in theatre/performing arts?
• Have they achieved grades or qualifications as part of their extracurricular activities? These can only help to demonstrate aptitude and hard work. 

How to write the UCAS Personal Statement [with examples] 

If sufficient planning has gone into the personal statement, then your students should be ready to go!

In this next section, we’ll break down the individual components of the UCAS Personal Statement and share some useful examples.

These examples come from a Personal Statement in support of an application to study Environmental Science at a UK university. 

Watch: King’s College London explain what they’re looking for in a UCAS Personal Statement

Introduction.

This is the chance for an applying student to really grab an admission tutor’s attention. Students need to demonstrate both a personal passion for their subject, and explain why they have an aptitude for it .  This section is where students should begin to discuss any major influences or inspirations that have led them to this subject choice. 

Example :  My passion for the environment has perhaps come from the fact that I have lived in five different countries: France, England, Spain, Sweden and Costa Rica. Moving at the age of 15 from Sweden, a calm and organized country, to Costa Rica, a more diverse and slightly chaotic country, was a shock for me at first and took me out of my comfort zone […] Also, living in Costa Rica, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, definitely helped me realize how vulnerable the world is and how we need to take care of it in a sustainable manner. 

This opening paragraph immediately grabs the reader’s attention by giving the reader an insight into this student’s background and links their academic interests with something specific from the student’s personal backstory. 

Discussing Academic Achievements 

The next paragraph in this Personal Statement discusses the student’s academic achievements. Because this student has had an international education, they frame their academic achievements in the context of their personal background. They also cite useful examples of other curricula they have studied and the grades they have achieved. 

Example : 

Throughout my academic life I have shown myself to be a responsible student as well as a hard working one, despite the fact that I have had to move around a lot. I have achieved several other accomplishments such as a high A (286/300) in AS Spanish at age 15, and also completed a Spanish course of secondary studies for ‘MEP’(Ministerio de Educacion Publica), which is a system from Costa Rica.   

You’ll notice that this student doesn’t just list their achievements – their strong academic performance is always linked back to a wider discussion of their personal experiences. 

Showcasing Extracurricular Activities

As well as discussing academic achievements, a good Personal Statement should also discuss the student’s extracurricular activities, and how they relate back to the student’s overall university aspirations. 

By the third/fourth paragraph of the Personal Statement, students should think about incorporating their extracurricular experiences, 

Another valuable experience was when my class spent a week at a beach called ‘Pacuare’ in order to help prevent the eggs of the endangered leatherback turtle from being stolen by poachers who go on to sell them like chicken eggs. We all gained teamwork experience, which was needed in order to hide the eggs silently without scaring the mother turtles, as well as making it more difficult for the poachers to find them. 

When the poachers set fire to one of the sustainable huts where we were staying, not only did I gain self-awareness about the critical situation of the world and its ecosystems, I also matured and became even more motivated to study environmental sciences at university.

This is a particularly striking example of using extracurricular activities to showcase a student’s wider passion for the degree subject they want to study. 

Not only does this Personal Statement have a story about volunteering to save an endangered species, it also illustrates this applicants’ wider worldview, and helps to explain their motivation for wanting to study Environmental Science. 

Concluding the UCAS Personal Statement

The conclusion to a UCAS Personal Statement will have to be concise, and will need to tie all of a student’s academic and extracurricular achievements. After all, a compelling story will need a great ending. 

Remember that students need to be mindful of the character limit of a Personal Statement, so a conclusion need only be the length of a small paragraph, or even a couple of sentences. 

“ After having many varied experiences, I truly think I can contribute to university in a positive way, and would love to study in England where I believe I would gain more skills and education doing a first degree than in any other country.  “

A good Personal Statement conclusion will end with an affirmation of how the student thinks they can contribute to university life, and why they believe the institution in question should accept them. Because the student in this example has a such a rich and varied international background, they also discuss the appeal of studying at university in England. 

It’s worth taking a quick look at a few other examples of how other students have chosen to conclude their Personal Statement. 

Medicine (Imperial College, London) 

Interest in Medicine aside, other enthusiasms of mine include languages, philosophy, and mythology. It is curiously fitting that in ancient Greek lore, healing was but one of the many arts Apollo presided over, alongside archery and music.   I firmly believe that a doctor should explore the world outside the field of  Medicine, and it is with such experiences that I hope to better empathise and connect with the patients I will care for in my medical career. 

You’ll notice that this example very specifically ties the students’ academic and extracurricular activities together, and ties the Personal Statement back to their values and beliefs. 

Economic History with Economics (London School of Economics)

The highlight of my extra-curricular activities has been my visit to Shanghai with the Lord Mayor’s trade delegation in September 2012. I was selected to give a speech at this world trade conference due to my interest in economic and social history. […] I particularly enjoyed the seminar format, and look forward to experiencing more of this at university. My keen interest and desire to further my knowledge of history and economics, I believe, would make the course ideal for me.

By contrast, this conclusion ties a memorable experience back to the specifics of how the student will be taught at the London School of Economics – specifically, the appeal of learning in seminar format! 

There’s no magic formula for concluding a Personal Statement. But you’ll see that what all of these examples have in common is that they tie a student’s personal and academic experiences together – and tell a university something about their aspirations for the future.

Watch: Bournemouth University explain how to structure a UCAS Personal Statement

Know the audience

It can be easy for students to forget that the person reading a personal statement is invariably an expert in their field. This is why an ability to convey passion and think critically about their chosen subject is essential for a personal statement to stand out. Admissions tutors will also look for students who can structure their writing (more on this below). 

Students should be themselves

Remember that many students are competing for places on a university degree against fierce competition. And don’t forget that UCAS has the means to spot plagiarism. So students need to create a truly honest and individual account of who they are, what they have achieved and, perhaps most importantly, why they are driven to study this particular subject.

Proof-read (then proof-read again!)

Time pressures mean that students can easily make mistakes with their Personal Statements. As the deadline grows closer, it’s vital that they are constantly checking and rechecking their writing and to ensure that shows them in the best possible light. 

Meanwhile, when it comes to giving feedback to students writing their Personal Statements, make sure you’re as honest and positive as possible in the days and weeks leading up to submission day. 

And make sure they remember the three key ingredients of writing a successful Personal Statement. 

Planning, structure and story! 

Book a free demo

Learn how BridgeU can help deliver better outcomes for your students and improved results for your school

• Log in
• Site search

Personal statements for university applications

Forming a key part of your university application, you should use the UCAS personal statement to showcase how your skills, experience and aspirations make you a good fit for the course

What is a university personal statement?

With two sides of A4 to work with, this is your opportunity to tell course tutors in your own words the reasons why you feel you'd be an asset to their university.

How long should a personal statement be?

There's no maximum word count, but you'll need to remain within the 4,000 character limit (including spaces and punctuation) allowed in your UCAS application, as well as keeping the statement to a total of 47 lines of text.

UCAS recommends that you write your personal statement in Microsoft Word before copying and pasting it into the online application form. This is because the application page times out after being inactive for 35 minutes. You'll still need to account for how individual characters are counted differently between Microsoft Word and the online form.

What do I write about?

When considering what to include in your personal statement, take time to think about the reasons you're applying to university and what makes you a suitable candidate.

To make this work for different courses and universities, you'll need to find some common ground by providing examples of why you'll be a success - demonstrating enthusiasm for the choices you've made and how they fit in with your career ambitions.

You'll need to talk about the relevant skills, experience and achievements you've gained through extra-curricular activities - whether these are sporting, musical or creative.

As well as going through your academic record to date, your personal statement also gives you the opportunity to mention any work experience or volunteering you've undertaken, detailing what you've learned from it. For instance, you may have been involved with the Young Enterprise programme at school and have a better idea of how to manage your money.

It's never too late to show you're actively preparing for higher education. Get involved with an extra-curricular club, secure a part-time job or do some volunteering. You could even complete a free online course in a relevant subject with an organisation such as FutureLearn or the Tech Nation Digital Business Academy .

If you're an international student, you could discuss why the UK is your preferred study destination ahead of universities in your own country. Don't forget to mention the English language tests, courses and qualifications you've taken.

Finally, if there are any personal or financial circumstances that have had a strong bearing on your performance at school or college, you can outline these in this statement.

How do I write a personal statement?

By breaking your personal statement down into sections, you can ensure you cover the most relevant points.

Course-relevant skills and credentials should be given prominence in the overall structure. You can use the course descriptions to help you.

However, as you only have the one personal statement for all your choices, if you've selected a variety of subjects that aren't that similar, you'll need to focus on the transferable skills and common qualities typically valued by universities - for example, creativity or problem-solving.

Adopt a simple, concise and natural style for writing your statement, while still showing enthusiasm. Allow your personality to shine through.

It can often take a number of redrafts until the statement is ready, so allow plenty of time to write it properly, and set yourself a schedule.

Get used to reading your statement aloud and asking for feedback from family, teachers and advisers before redrafting to make sure your writing flows well. You'll also need to check for the correct punctuation, spelling and grammar and not just rely on a spellchecker.

Keep an up-to-date copy of your statement saved so you can refer back to it during the interview process.

How do I start a personal statement?

At this point, think about why you're applying for the course, and how you became interested in it in the first place. Was it through work experience or studying the subject at A-level?

Once you've noted down your reasons for choosing the course, you can move on to your skills and what makes you stand out positively from other applicants, providing evidence of where each attribute has been utilised.

After you've written this down, condense it so it's less wordy. You can then attempt to write a punchy opening paragraph showcasing your excitement at the prospect of going to university, and an understanding of what you're getting yourself into.

Get off to the best start by using the UCAS personal statement builder .

What should I avoid?

• As you'll only have the one statement, it's important not to mention universities by name - unless you plan on applying to just a single institution.
• Remember that admissions staff may not share your sense of humour, so steer clear of anything that might get misinterpreted.
• Refrain from using clichés or making arrogant or exaggerated statements.
• Resist any temptation to use somebody else's work as your own. The UCAS Similarity Detection Service utilises the Copycatch system, which will compare your statement against those stored within a comprehensive library of statements - those sent to UCAS and elsewhere (including paper publications).
• Be careful not to ramble. Structuring your work so you know how much space you have for each section will make sticking to your main points much easier.

University personal statement examples

While you can find some examples online - from the likes of Reed.co.uk and King's College London - it's important to use your own words and not copy them directly.

Indeed, the UCAS personal statement worksheet can prove just as useful when it comes to helping you decide what to put in your own personal statement.

You can simply print out this personal statement template and jot down any ideas into the various sections as you think of them.

Find out more

• Read the full lowdown on how to apply for university .
• Get tips on preparing for a university interview .
• For further advice on writing a university personal statement, visit UCAS .
• Take a look at The Topic for the latest news, insights and opinions.

How would you rate this page?

On a scale where 1 is dislike and 5 is like

• Dislike 1 unhappy-very
• Like 5 happy-very

Thank you for rating the page

How to write a UCAS personal statement

Writing a great personal statement

Read our guide on what it is, what to include, how to start, length and what makes a good personal statement 

Once you've decided which universities and courses to apply for, completing your application is pretty simple – until it comes to how to write your UCAS personal statement.

This guide covers everything you need to know about how to write a personal statement for university. We look at what it is and how you can start your personal statement. We've also got questions to guide you and a suggested personal statement structure you can use so you know what to put in it.

If you'd like even more resources, support and UCAS personal statement examples, you can sign up to access our personal statement hub .

What is the UCAS personal statement?

How universities use your ucas personal statement, how to start a ucas personal statement.

• Get feedback on your UCAS personal statement

The personal statement is part of your UCAS application. It's how you show your chosen universities why you'll make a great student and why they should make you an offer.

Your personal statement also helps you think about your choice of course and your reasons for applying, so you know you’ve made the right decision.

Get feedback on your personal statement

Sign up to our personal statement hub to get feedback on your draft. You'll also get access to videos, help sheets and more tips.

Sign up now

UCAS personal statement word limit

Your personal statement length can be up to 4,000 characters long. 

This may sound a lot, but it's a word limit of around 550–1000 words with spaces and only about 1 side of typed A4 paper.

You need to keep it concise and make sure it's clear and easy to read.

Applying for multiple courses

Although you can apply for up to 5 courses on your UCAS application, you can only submit 1 personal statement. So it needs to cover all your course choices.

If you really want to show your commitment to applying for different courses, we will accept a second personal statement from you to reflect your application e.g. if you are applying for Law elsewhere, but Criminology and Criminal Justice with us.

Lots of students who apply to university have achieved the basic entry requirements and many more students apply than there are places available. Admissions teams can use your UCAS personal statement to get to know you and decide why you're more suitable than other applicants.

Some universities read every personal statement and score them. Then they use them alongside your qualifications and grades to decide whether to offer you a place or interview. Other universities put less emphasis on the personal statement and use it with students who have borderline entry requirements.

Universities might refer to your personal statement again on results day if you don't get the grades you need. So a good personal statement could clinch you a uni place even if your grades aren't what you hoped for.

Starting your personal statement can seem scary when you're staring at a blank screen. But, things will seem less daunting once you start.

• Set aside some time in a place where you're comfortable and won't be disturbed. Grab a notepad or computer.
• Write down anything and everything that's influenced your decision to go to university and study your chosen subject. Jot down your skills and experience too.
• Use the questions below to guide you. Don't worry about the personal statement length at this point – you can cut things out later.

When to start your UCAS personal statement

Ideally, you want to leave yourself plenty of time – a few weeks or even months – to plan and write your personal statement.

Try not to leave it to the last minute, as tempting as this may seem when you've got so many other things to think about.

Questions to guide you

Your motivation.

• Why do you want to study at university?
• Why do you want to study this subject?
• How did you become interested in this subject?
• What career do you have in mind after university?

Academic ability and potential

• How have your current studies affected your choice?
• What do you enjoy about your current studies?
• What skills have you gained from your current studies?
• How can you demonstrate you have the skills and qualities needed for the course?
• What qualities and attributes would you bring to the course and university?

Your experience

• What work experience (including part-time, charity and volunteer work) do you have and what have you learnt from it?
• What positions of responsibility have you held? (For example, prefect, captain of a team or member of a committee)
• What relevant hobbies or interests do you have and what skills have they helped you develop?
• What transferable skills do you have, such as self motivation, team working, public speaking, problem solving and analytical thinking?

Research and reading

• How do you keep up with current affairs or news in your chosen subject?
• What journals or publications relevant to your chosen subject do you read?
• Which people have influenced you, such as artists, authors, philosophers or scientists?

Now it's time to write your personal statement using your notes. It's best to draft it on a computer, and remember to save it regularly.

You can copy and paste it into your UCAS application when you're happy with it.

Personal statement structure

While there's no set template for a personal statement, you may find it useful to follow this personal statement structure when you decide what to put in your statement.

What to include in a personal statement

• Reasons for choosing this subject(s)
• Current studies and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Experiences and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Interests and responsibilities and how these relate to your chosen subject(s)
• Your future after university
• Summary including why you'll make a great student

Further tips for a good UCAS personal statement

• Use information on university websites and the UCAS website. This often includes the skills and qualities universities are looking for in applicants
• Ask friends, family and teachers to remind you of activities you've participated in. They might remember your successes better than you do
• Don’t include lists in your application, like a list of all your hobbies. Focus on 1 or 2 points and talk about them in depth to show their relevance to your application
• Explain and evidence everything. It’s easy to say you have a skill, but it's better to demonstrate it with an example of when and how you’ve used it
• Avoid clichéd lines such as ‘I've always wanted to be a teacher’ as it says nothing about your motivations or experiences
• If you’re applying for a joint degree or different subjects, give equal time to each area and try to find common aspects that show their similarities
• Never lie or plagiarise another statement – you'll be caught and it could result in your application being automatically rejected
• Proofread your personal statement by reading it out loud and ask friends, family or a teacher to check it for you

Sign up to our personal statement hub

Watch videos, get top tips and download our help sheets – that's what our personal statement hub is for. It's for you to write your story, so you can show your strengths, ideas and passion to your chosen universities.

You'll also be able send us your draft, so you can get feedback and feel confident about what you've written.

Gold rating in national assessment of teaching excellence

Our TEF Gold rating ranks Portsmouth amongst the top universities in the UK for teaching. 

Find out more

Personal statement tips

The personal statement is an important part of your UCAS application.

It helps admissions staff at the University decide whether to make you an offer. Some courses have many more applicants than places and there may be many students with good grades applying for the same course as you. 

What is it?

Your personal statement is a short written piece about you. It gives evidence of your skills, knowledge and experience. It’s your chance to tell us why you want to study a particular course and why you would make a great student. Read about:

How to write a UCAS undergraduate personal statement (UCAS website)

Top tips for writing the perfect personal statement (The Complete University Guide)

Maximum length

47 lines or 4,000 characters maximum – whichever comes first.

What to include

Your personal statement is your chance to stand out from the crowd. It is unique and individual to you, but some things to include are:

• Enthusiasm and motivation – your passion for the course should be clear and relate to you and your experiences (eg projects, field trips or experiences at school that sparked your interest in your subject). 
• Understanding of the subject – you need to show you have some knowledge and understanding, even if you have not studied the subject at high school or college. If you have done some reading about the subject, outside of school, mention this.
• Academic prizes or scholarships – this will help you stand out and show evidence of your potential.
• Career aspirations – even if you do not have clear career plans yet, you can show you have thought about your future career and how your chosen degree could help you achieve this.
• Relevant work experience/voluntary activities – explain what skills you have gained from the experience, including skills that would be useful in your university studies. 
• Non-academic interests – your hobbies (such as sports, baking or reading) show your personality and can be a chance to demonstrate different skills.
• What you will contribute to the university community – we want to know what you can bring to Leeds, as well as what you want to get out of university life.

International and EU students

If you are a non-UK student, you should also mention:

• Why you want to study in the UK.
• Why you want to be an international student, rather than study in your own country.

What to avoid

• Plagiarism (copying) – all statements will be checked for plagiarism. Your statement must be your own work so do not use templates. If you have applied before, check your personal statement is completely up to date and relevant to your current application.
• Skills without examples – show how you have developed the skills you think you will need, don't just list them.
• Listing subject knowledge – explain how your knowledge has helped you build career aspirations, choose your degree, or prepare for coming to university.
• Repeating qualifications – don't repeat information covered elsewhere on the application. This uses up valuable space in your personal statement.
• Short personal statement – make the most of the space you have. A short statement suggests you lack of passion or commitment to the course you are applying for.

Our top tips

• Write your personal statement in MS Word (or similar) first, so you can check your spelling and grammar before you add it into your application.
• Get someone else, like your tutor, family or friends, to read your statement to check for any errors and make suggestions before you submit it. You may need a few drafts before you are happy with the final version.
• If English is not your first language, you could mention any opportunities you have had to use English (eg an English-speaking school or work with a company that uses English).
• Use plain, clear English. Be careful with humour, quotes or anything unusual. The admissions tutor might not have the same sense of humour as you!
• Don’t exaggerate. If you get an interview, you might be asked for more detail about what you have written.
• Check the faculty or school website of your chosen course for guidance on your personal statement - especially important if you are applying for a course in medicine or dentistry. For example, see Leeds University Business School's 8 ways to perfect your UK university application .
• Check UCAS application deadlines  to make sure you apply before the closing date. For courses in medicine and dentistry, this is earlier than many other courses.

Related links

• Current Students
• News & Press
• Research Excellence
• Teaching & Student Experience
• Graduate Employability
• UK Rankings
• World Rankings
• Single Topic Rankings
• Research Excellence Framework
• Higher Education Awards
• Ageing and Health
• Cities and Place
• Culture and Creative Arts
• Social Justice
• Engagement and Place Awards 2024
• Faculty of Science, Agriculture & Engineering
• Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
• Faculty of Medical Sciences
• Central and South Asia
• Latin America
• Middle East and North Africa
• North America
• Small Island Developing States
• South East Asia and Oceania
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Transparency
• Office for Students Transparency Data
• Access & Participation
• Support for our Community
• UN Sustainable Development Goals
• https://www.ncl.ac.uk/who-we-are/equality/race-equality/black-history-month/
• Faith, Religion & Belief
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender
• Let Us Know
• Workplace Adjustments
• Useful Resources
• Equality Analysis
• Social Justice Stories
• Voluntary & Community Groups
• Santander Universities
• Regional Partnerships
• Widening Participation
• Newcastle Helix
• Art on Campus
• History of Newcastle University
• Education Strategy
• Find a Degree
• Subject Areas
• Step-by-Step Guide for UK Students
• Step-by-Step Guide for International and EU Students
• Applying through UCAS
• A and AS Levels
• Application Decisions
• Access Schemes and Pathway Programmes
• Policies and Procedures
• Applicants with Disabilities
• Mature Applicants
• Deferred Entry
• Undergraduate Application Advice
• Subject Scholarships
• Sports Scholarships
• Opportunity Scholarships
• VC's Excellence Scholarships
• VC's Global Scholarships
• VC's International Scholarships
• International Foundation Scholarships
• St Nicholas’ Educational Trust Scholarship
• NU Sanctuary Scholarships
• Undergraduate Norway Scholarship
• International Family Discounts
• VC’s EU Scholarships – Undergraduate
• VC's Excellence Scholarships - Europe
• VC's Business Excellence Scholarships - Europe
• Additional Costs
• Student Loans
• International Student Finance
• Undergraduate Open Days
• Sign up and Discover
• School and College Outreach
• Information for Parents and Supporters
• Why Choose Newcastle?
• Your Study Options
• Qualifications Explained
• Postgraduate Research Programmes
• Search for Funding
• Guide to Funding
• Postgraduate Tuition Fees
• Application Help
• Advice & Resources
• Your Offer Guide
• Postgraduate Open Days
• Doctoral College
• Distance Learning
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• Study Support
• Campus Tours
• Life in Newcastle
• Get Involved
• Cost of Living
• Health & Wellbeing
• Mature Students
• Childcare Support
• Care Leavers
• Asylum Seekers
• Teaching & Learning
• Student Blog - Belong
• Types of Rooms
• Accessibility and Individual Requirements
• Castle Leazes
• Bedrooms we offer
• Accommodation Guides
• New Student Guarantee
• Advanced Booking
• Submit an Application
• Part Year Student Accommodation
• What Happens Next?
• Safety and Security
• Returning Next Year
• Extending Your Stay
• Room Changes
• Parking & Bicycle Storage
• Post and Parcels
• Guest Visitors and Going Away
• Energy & Recycling
• ResLife Find a Flatmate
• Your ResLife Team
• Student Support
• Payment Methods
• Payment Schedules
• Managed Partnerships
• Rent Adjustments
• Student Village Receptions
• Your Accommodation Team
• Report a Fault
• Feedback and Complaints
• Internet Connection
• Work Placements
• About the Careers Service
• Careers Service News
• Careers Service Events
• Work for Yourself
• Career Planning
• Careers Modules
• Making Applications
• Interviews, Tests & Assessment Centres
• Internships, Placements & Shadowing
• Finding Jobs
• Handling Job Offers
• Researching Employers
• Making Contacts
• Further Study
• Awards, Competitions & Project Funding
• Volunteering
• Boost Your CV
• Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (DTUS)
• Getting Here
• Self-Guided Campus Tours
• Undergraduate Offer Holder Days
• Postgraduate Schools & Supervisors
• Tier 4 Visa from Inside UK
• Tier 4 Visa from Outside UK
• Short-Term Visa from Outside UK
• International Study Blog
• Our Pathway Courses
• English Language Courses
• Fees, Costs and Scholarships
• INTO Newcastle University
• Student Exchange and Study Abroad
• Request a Prospectus
• Chat to a Student
• Your Academic Experience
• Research Impact
• Research Strengths
• Centre for Ageing and Inequalities
• Centre for Biomedical Engineering
• Centre for Cancer
• Centre for Children and Youth
• Centre for Climate and Environmental Resilience
• Centre for Cyber Security and Resilience
• Centre for Data
• Centre for Energy
• Centre for Healthier Lives
• Centre for Heritage
• Centre for Landscape
• Centre for Mobility and Transport
• Centre for Rare Disease
• Centre for Researching Cities
• Centre for Transformative Neuroscience
• Centre for Water
• Research Culture Action Plan
• Working Together on Research Culture
• Global Partnerships
• Let's Work Together
• Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
• Code of Good Practice in Research
• University Research Committee
• Animal Research Policy
• Declaration on Openness on Animal Research
• Animal Procedures
• Helping Human Health
• Animal Research News
• Ethics at Newcastle
• Research Data and Open Access
• Research Strategy & Development
• Policy and Information Team
• Grants & Contracts (HaSS and SAgE)
• NJRO (inc Grants & Contracts FMS)
• Research Funding Development
• Biomedical Facilities
• Chemistry Facilities
• Clinical Facilities
• Engineering Facilities
• Marine & Agricultural Facilities
• More Facilities
• Facilities A to Z
• Research Funding
• Research News
• Case Studies
• CPD Courses
• Collaborative Research
• Company Creation
• Consultancy
• Corporate Partnerships
• DA Power Engineering
• DA MSc Digital Technology Solutions
• DA Executive Education Snr. Leader Apprenticeships
• Facilities and Equipment
• Intensive Industrial Innovation Programme
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
• Technology Transfer and Licensing
• Clinical Trials & Research
• Working with Newcastle
• Tender Opportunities
• Submitting an Invoice
• Sustainable Procurement
• Code of Conduct & Terms and Conditions
• Health & Social Challenges
• Creative Collaborations
• Connect with alumni
• Develop your career
• Discover lifelong learning opportunities
• Support future generations

• How to write a personal statement
• Newcastle University
• Undergraduate
• Applications and Offers
• UG Application Advice

A personal statement is your chance to convince universities they should offer you a place. So it’s natural that writing one comes with a lot of pressure.

Even applicants who enjoy writing often find their personal statement intimidating. Striking the right tone, the perfect amount of detail, knowing what’s relevant to put in and what isn’t, are just a few of the things you may be worried about.

In our guide, you will find:

• how to start and end your personal statement
• how to structure your personal statement
• how to make sure your personal statement is typo-proof

Watch our simple five step guide to your perfect personal statement

Sorry, you need JavaScript to view this video

We understand that the university applications can come with a lot of stress. But, try to trust the process and remember that whatever happens, there is always a space for you to grow and learn in higher education. For more information on writing your personal statement, download our Personal Statement eBook . 

How to write your personal statement

Download your complete guide to planning, writing and submitting an undergraduate personal statement.

British Council

How to write a personal statement for a uk university, by kathryn abell, 19 october 2015 - 05:11.

Kathryn Abell of  Edukonexion  shares some tips.

When applying to a UK university, the discovery that school grades alone are not enough to gain entry onto the programme of your choice can come as an unwelcome surprise. This is especially true for international students, many of whom see the words 'personal statement' for the first time when starting their university application.

But far from being a barrier, the personal statement is, in fact, one of the stepping stones to achieving your goal of studying at a UK university.

A personal statement can help you stand out

If you have selected your study programme well – that is to say, you have chosen something that you are truly excited about that matches your academic profile – then the personal statement is simply a way to communicate to admissions tutors why you are interested in the programme and what you can bring to it. And given the fact that many universities receive multiple applications for each available place, and that most do not offer an interview, your written statement is often the only way you can express your personality and say 'choose me!'.

The 'personal' in 'personal statement' suggests that you should be allowed to express yourself however you want, right? Well, to a certain extent that is true: admissions tutors want to get a picture of you, not your parents, your teachers or your best friend, so it has to be your work. However, the purpose of the statement is to persuade academic staff that they should offer you one of their highly sought-after university places; although there is no strict template for this, there are specific things you should include and certain things you should most certainly leave out.

The importance of the opening paragraph

The online Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) undergraduate application form allows a total of 4,000 characters (around 700 words), meaning that you need to craft the statement carefully. The most important part is unquestionably the opening paragraph, as it acts as an invitation to continue reading. If you are not able to catch the attention of the admissions tutor, who has hundreds of statements to assess, then it is highly unlikely they will read through to the end.

The best advice here is to avoid much-used opening lines and clichés such as 'I have wanted to be an engineer since I was a child'. This kind of thing is not the invitation readers are looking for. Instead, try using an anecdote, experience or inspirational moment: 'Although tinkering with engines had always been a childhood hobby, it was the vision of the fastest car on earth, the Bloodhound, at an exhibition in London, that roused my desire to learn everything I could about automotive engineering'. Really? Tell me more!

Of course, your opening paragraph could start in a variety of ways, but the fundamental purpose is to grab the reader’s interest.

Provide evidence of your commitment and skills

Following on from that, you have to provide evidence of your passion and commitment to your chosen programme, and highlight the specific and transferable skills you possess to study it successfully. You can do this by following the  ABC  rule.

Action:  Include examples of what you have done, experienced or even read that have helped you in your choice of degree and boosted your knowledge of the subject area.

Benefit : By doing these things, explain what you learned or gained; in the case of a book or article, put forward an opinion.

Course : The most successful applicants ensure that the information they include is relevant to their course in order to highlight their suitability. Flower-arranging may allow you to realise your creative potential, but will it help you study astrophysics?

It is perfectly acceptable to base this ABC rule on school-based activities, as not all students have opportunities outside the classroom. However, if you can link extra-curricular pursuits to your desired programme of study, you are further highlighting your commitment. As a general rule of thumb, the information you include here should be around 80 per cent academic and 20 per cent non-academic. So, for example, as a member of the school science club – a non-curricular, academic activity – you may have developed the ability to analyse data and tackle problems logically. Taking part in a work placement falls into the same category and could have helped you develop your communication, time-management and computer skills. You get the idea.

Non-academic accomplishments may involve music, sport, travel or clubs and can lead to a variety of competencies such as team-working, leadership, language or presentation skills. A word of warning here: it is vital that you sell yourself, but arrogance or lies will result in your personal statement landing in the 'rejected' pile. Keep it honest and down-to-earth.

Provide a memorable conclusion

Once you have emphasised your keen interest and relevant qualities, you should round off the statement with a conclusion that will be remembered. There is little point putting all your effort to generate interest in the opening paragraph only for your statement to gradually fade away at the end. A good conclusion will create lasting impact and may express how studying your chosen course will allow you to pursue a particular career or achieve any other plans. It can also underline your motivation and determination.

Use a formal tone, stay relevant and be positive

As you have to pack all this information into a relatively short statement, it is essential to avoid the superfluous or, as I like to call it, the 'fluff'. If a sentence sounds pretty but doesn’t give the reader information, remove it. In addition, the tone should be formal and you should not use contractions, slang or jokes; remember, the statement will be read by academics – often leaders in their field.

Referring to books is fine but don’t resort to using famous quotes as they are overused and do not reflect your own ideas. Also, while it's good to avoid repetition, don't overdo it with the thesaurus.

Negativity has no place in a personal statement, so if you need to mention a difficult situation you have overcome, ensure you present it as a learning experience rather than giving the reader an opportunity to notice any shortcomings. Also, bear in mind that your personal statement will probably go to several universities as part of a single application, so specifically naming one university is not going to win you any favours with the others.

Get some help but never copy someone else's work

Checking grammar, spelling and flow is essential and it is perfectly OK to ask someone to do this for you. A fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective always help, and, as long as the third party does not write the content for you, their input could be of vital importance. And while you may get away with not sticking to all of the above advice, there is one thing that you absolutely must not do: copy someone else’s work. Most applications are made through UCAS, which uses sophisticated software to detect plagiarism. If you are found to have copied content from the internet, or a previous statement, your application will be cancelled immediately. Remember, it is a  personal  statement.

Get your ideas down in a mind-map first

Finally, I will leave you with my top tip. If you understand all the theory behind the personal statement and have an abundance of ideas floating in your head, but are staring blankly at your computer screen, take a pen and paper and make a simple mind map. Jot down all your experiences, activities, skills, attributes and perhaps even include books you have read or even current items that interest you in the news. Then look for how these link to your course and highlight the most significant elements using arrows, colours and even doodles. Capturing thoughts on paper and making logical deductions from an image can give structure to your ideas.

Get more advice on your application from our Study UK site .

You might also be interested in:

• How to use a learner's dictionary of academic English
• Five ways UK students can improve their career prospects
• Ways of saying 'darling' in the UK

View the discussion thread.

British Council Worldwide

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Czech Republic
• Hong Kong, SAR of China
• Korea, Republic of
• Myanmar (Burma)
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• North Macedonia
• Northern Ireland
• Occupied Palestinian Territories
• Philippines
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Switzerland
• United Arab Emirates
• United States of America

UCAS personal statement examples

Having managed successfully to navigate through the 370,000 courses at over 370 providers across the UK, it is now time to make a start at drafting your personal statement.

Students often find this the most daunting of tasks within the application process. This guide will help you through putting together the statement that is going to help get you a place on your ideal course.

Knowing where to start and what to say to when setting out your reasons for applying and convincing the admissions tutor to offer you a place can be a challenge. Looking at examples of how other students have approached this can sometimes be helpful.

Example one

Things to consider when reading this example.

• Consider the structure – what are your thoughts around this?
• Think about spelling, grammar, and punctuation– how does this fare?
• What course do you think this personal statement may have been for?

“The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Ghandi

From a young age this quote has inspired my chosen career path to become a children’s nurse. Being one of many siblings I have the role of supporting my nieces and nephews when they become ill and providing comfort. Working with children in my family has motivated along this career path as it has taught me to take responsibility in life, become more organised and mature.

I am currently undertaking a health and social care course. This course has given me insight into the different aspects of health care and its overarching infra structure. Caring for children and young people helped me gain an understanding of the risk that children and young people may be put in and the exploitative and abusive behaviour that they may encounter. We focused on the tragic case of Victoria Climbie. This brought home the significance of multi agency working.

I am committed to ensuring that children and young people in my care are safe,healthy, enjoying and achieving, economic well being and putting in a positive contribution. A core element of the course has been work placement, working with children. This came in very useful for me because it taught me how to deal with children at different ages and what I need to do in order to meet their needs. During this work experience I was responsible for supporting and maintaining the children’s hygiene needs and encouraging them with their speech. I learnt different approaches to meeting the needs of children; for example I was taught to talk the children in a calm, but stern tone of voice when they misbehaved and to use very positive gestures and praise when children listened and kept to task.

I consider myself as having very good communications skills I am able to reassure people positively in any circumstance, I am the committed to ensuring that children and young people in my care are safe and healthy and I am confident when dealing with both children and parents, For example when a child injured herself in the nursery I shadowed one of the senior staff while they administered first aid, it was then my responsibility to explain to the caregiver exactly what had occurred.

I take part in many activities which are helping me to become independent ad preparing me for my course that I want to take part in, in university; I presently volunteer in a nursery. I take part in planning and creating activities and I have a duty to observe the children throughout the day and then give feedback to the parents and carers.

I have many qualities which will be ideal for my future career path I am honest, patient and a reflective individual, this is something that I feel is most important when dealing with children and adolescents.

I have many hobbies that I carry out in my spare time. I have taken part in being a team leader to raise money for a charity that supports children who have been abused because I believe strongly in the cause. We raised awareness, held a campaign, fundraising and protest.

I also enjoy travel, I have visited countries such as Egypt, Eritrea, Holland, Germany and Italy - this has allowed me to explore the outside world and has given me a taste of different cultures and traditions; and ultimately giving me a better understanding of diversity.

I would like to be given the opportunity to study at university because I believe it will be the perfect platform to launch my career. Having the chance to study Paediatric Nursing at university will allow me to fulfil my career path and make a change to my life as I will feel that I am achieving new things on a day to day basis with what I am able to offer children and young people when it comes to having a positive impact on their health.

Being given the opportunity of Working in an environment with children daily would be my dream goal in life that I wish to achieve.

Example two

• Thinking about the experiences gained from a gap year, how has this applicant drawn on these transferrable skills?
• How does experience both in and outside the classroom environment relate to the chosen subject area?

I am a hardworking, talented and motivated young woman looking forward to studying at degree level and taking an active part in university life.

I have a keen interest in the world around me, and enjoy taking part in a variety of activities for example: volunteering at my local brownies, volunteer marshal at Brighton Marathon; textile and weaving classes; completion of the Trinity Guildhall award at both Bronze and Silver level; and a Stand Up Paddle board instructor. These activities, coupled with part time work whilst at sixth form college, have not only been enjoyable but have also helped me to develop skills in communication, organisational, leadership and interpersonal skills.

Although having been accepted to start university in 2014 (Primary Education) I realised that I was not ready to fully commit to the course and took the decision to gain some real life experience and reflect on what I really want from university and my future career.

Since leaving sixth-form college I have been working full time as a waitress/ bar assistant at a local hotel, which has been hard but interesting work demanding stamina, patience and an open mind. I have also secured 3 weeks work at a trade exhibition in New York, where I will have the chance to attend networking dinner and I plan to go inter-railing across Europe in Summer 2015. As a result of these experiences I am more self-assured and resilient. I am ready to commit to full time study and have much to contribute to university life.

I realise that I am most interested in people, what makes them the people they are and how this manifests in their behaviour and opinions.

I enjoyed studying sociology at A level and gaining an insight into how the study of sociology helps us to understand how society works. This coupled with my recent experience in the hospitality world and observation of the behaviour of those who use and manage the service, has fuelled my desire to study Sociology in depth at degree level. I am completely fascinated by the behaviour of others and why we act the way we do. I believe that studying sociology at degree level will allow me to begin to explore and understand aspects of human social behaviour, including the social dynamics of small groups of people, large organisations, communities, institutions and entire societies.

I believe that the skills and knowledge that I will accrue whilst studying will be applicable to a wide variety of careers and that is why I have chosen to study the topic at degree level.

Why St Mary's

Book an event, find a course, submit an enquiry, get in touch.

Have a question? Contact us.

Browser does not support script.

UCAS Personal Statement and Examples

What is the ucas personal statement .

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Personal Statement is the main essay for your application to colleges and universities in Great Britain. UCAS gives a nice explanation here , but in short, this is your chance to stand out against the crowd and show your knowledge and enthusiasm for your chosen area of study.

You’ve got 4,000 characters and 47 line limit to show colleges what (ideally) gets you out of bed in the morning. How long is that, really? Use your “word count” tool in Google or Word docs to check as you go along, but 4,000 characters is roughly 500 words or one page.

HOW IS THE UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT DIFFERENT FROM THE US PERSONAL STATEMENT?

Think they’re the same? Think again. Here are some key differences between the UCAS and the US Personal Statement:

When you apply to UK schools, you’re applying to one particular degree program, which you’ll study for all, or almost all, your time at university. Your UCAS personal statement should focus less on cool/fun/quirky aspects of yourself and more on how you’ve prepared for your particular area of study.

The UCAS Personal Statement will be read by someone looking for proof that you are academically capable of studying that subject for your entire degree. In some cases, it might be an actual professor reading your essay.

You’ll only write one personal statement, which will be sent to all the universities you’re applying to, and it’s unlikely you’ll be sending any additional (supplemental) essays. Your essay needs to explain why you enjoy and are good at this subject, without reference to any particular university or type of university.

Any extracurricular activities that are NOT connected to the subject you’re applying for are mostly irrelevant, unless they illustrate relevant points about your study skills or attributes: for example, having a job outside of school shows time-management and people skills, or leading a sports team shows leadership and responsibility.

Your personal statement will mostly focus on what you’ve done at high school, in class, and often in preparation for external exams. 80-90% of the content will be academic in nature.

A QUICK STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO WRITING THE UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT

This may be obvious, but the first step to a great UCAS Personal Statement is to choose the subject you’re applying for. This choice will be consistent across the (up to) five course choices you have. Often, when students struggle with a UCAS personal statement, it’s because they are trying to make the statement work for a couple of different subjects. With a clear focus on one subject, the essay can do the job it is supposed to do. Keep in mind you’re limited to 47 lines or 4000 characters, so this has to be concise and make efficient use of words.

To work out what information to include, my favourite brainstorming activity is the ‘Courtroom Exercise’. Here’s how it works:

The Courtroom Exercise

Imagine you’re prosecuting a case in court, and the case is that should be admitted to a university to study the subject you’ve chosen. You have to present your case to the judge, in a 47 line or 4,000 character statement. The judge won’t accept platitudes or points made without evidence–she needs to see evidence. What examples will you present in your statement?

In a good statement, you’ll make an opening and a closing point.

To open your argument, can you sum up in one sentence why you wish to study this subject? Can you remember where your interest in that subject began? Do you have a story to tell that will engage the reader about your interest in that subject?

Next, you’ll present a number of pieces of evidence, laying out in detail why you’re a good match for this subject. What activities have you done that prove you can study this subject at university?

Most likely, you’ll start with a class you took, a project you worked on, an internship you had, or a relevant extra-curricular activity you enjoyed. For each activity you discuss, structure a paragraph on each using the ABC approach:

A: What is the A ctivity?

B: How did it B enefit you as a potential student for this degree course?

C: Link the benefit to the skills needed to be successful on this C ourse.

With three or four paragraphs like these, each of about 9 or 10 lines, and you should have the bulk of your statement done. Typically two of these will be about classes you have taken at school, and two about relevant activities outside of school.

In the last paragraph, you need to demonstrate wider skills that you have, which you can probably do from your extracurricular activities. How could you demonstrate your time management, your ability to collaborate, or your creativity? Briefly list a few extracurricular activities you’ve taken part in and identify the relevant skills that are transferable to university study.

Finally, close your argument in a way that doesn’t repeat what you’ve already shared. Case closed!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What if I’m not sure what I want to study? Should I still apply? 

There are a number of broader programs available at UK universities (sometimes called Liberal Arts or Flexible Combined Honours). However,  you should still showcase two or three academic areas of interest. If you are looking for a broader range of subjects to study and can’t choose one, then the UK might not be the best fit for you.

What if I haven’t done much, academically or via extracurriculars, to demonstrate that I’ll be able to complete the coursework for my degree? Should I still apply?

You certainly can, but you will need to be realistic about the strength of your application as a result. The most selective universities will want to see this evidence, but less selective ones will be more willing to account for your potential to grow in addition to what you’ve already achieved. You could also consider applying for a Foundation course or a ‘Year 0’ course, where you have an additional year pre-university to enable you to develop this range of evidence.

If I’m not accepted into a particular major, can I be accepted into a different major?

It’s important to understand that we are not talking about a ‘major,’ as what you are accepted into is one entire course of study. Some universities may make you an ‘alternative offer’ for a similar but perhaps less popular course (for example you applied for Business but instead they offer you a place for Business with a Language).At others, you can indicate post-application that you would like to be considered for related courses. However, it’s not going to be possible to switch between two completely unrelated academic areas.

What other information is included in my application? Will they see my extracurricular activities, for example? Is there an Additional Information section where I can include more context on what I’ve done in high school?

The application is very brief: the personal statement is where you put all the information. UCAS does not include an activities section or space for any other writing. The 47 lines are all you have. Some universities might accept information if there are particularly important extenuating circumstances that must be conveyed. This can be done via email, but typically, they don’t want to see more than the UCAS statement and your school’s reference provides.

Now, let’s take a look at some of my favourite UCAS personal statement examples with some analysis of why I think these are great.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR CHEMISTRY

When I was ten, I saw a documentary on Chemistry that really fascinated me. Narrated by British theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili, it explained how the first elements were discovered and how Chemistry was born out of alchemy. I became fascinated with Chemistry and have remained so ever since. I love the subject because it has very theoretical components, for example quantum Chemistry, while also having huge practical applications.

In this introduction, the student shows where his interest in Chemistry comes from. Adding some additional academic detail (in this case, the name of the scientist) helps guide the reader into more specific information on why this subject is interesting to him.

This aspect of Chemistry is important to me. I have, for example, used machine learning to differentiate between approved and experimental drugs. On the first run, using drug molecules from the website Drug Bank, I calculated some molecular descriptors for them. I started with a simple logistic regression model and was shocked to find that it had apparently classified almost all molecules correctly. This result couldn’t be right; it took me nearly a month to find the error. I accidentally normalized the molecular-descriptor data individually, rather than as a combined data set, thereby encoding the label into the input. On a second run, after fixing the error, I used real machine learning libraries. Here I actually got some performance with my new algorithm, which I could compare to professional researchers’ papers. The highest accuracy I ever saw on my screen was 86 percent. The researchers’ result was 85 percent; thanks to more modern machine learning methods, I narrowly beat them. I have also studied Mathematics and Physics at A Level and have been able to dive into areas beyond the A Level syllabus such as complex integration in math and the Schrödinger equation in Physics.

This paragraph outlines a clear case for this student’s aptitude for and interest in Chemistry. He explains in detail how he has explored his intended major, using academic terminology to show us he has studied the subject deeply. Knowing an admissions reader is looking for evidence that this student has a talent for Chemistry, this paragraph gives them the evidence they need to admit him.

Additionally, I have worked on an undergraduate computer science course on MIT Opencourseware, but found that the content followed fixed rules and did not require creativity. At the time I was interested in neural networks and listened to lectures by professor Geoffrey Hinton who serendipitously mentioned his students testing his techniques on ‘Kaggle Competitions’. I quickly got interested and decided to compete on this platform. Kaggle allowed me to measure my machine learning skills against competitors with PhDs or who are professional data scientists at large corporations. With this kind of competition naturally I did not win any prizes, but I worked with the same tools and saw how others gradually perfected a script, something which has helped my A Level studies immensely.

Introducing a new topic, the student again uses academic terminology to show how he has gone beyond the confines of his curriculum to explore the subject at a higher level. In this paragraph, he demonstrates that he has studied university-level Chemistry. Again, this helps the reader to see that this student is capable of studying for a Chemistry degree.

I have been keen to engage in activities beyond the classroom. For example, I have taken part in a range of extracurricular activities, including ballroom dancing, public speaking, trumpet, spoken Mandarin, and tennis, achieving a LAMDA distinction at level four for my public speaking. I have also participated in Kaggle competitions, as I’m extremely interested in machine learning. For example, I have used neural networks to determine the causes of Amazon deforestation from satellite pictures in the ‘Planet: Understanding the Amazon from Space’ competition. I believe that having worked on projects spanning several weeks or even months has allowed me to build a stamina that will be extremely useful when studying at university.

This penultimate paragraph introduces the student’s extracurricular interests, summing them up in a sentence. Those activities that can demonstrate skills that are transferable to the study of Chemistry are given a bit more explanation. The student’s descriptions in each paragraph are very detailed, with lots of specific information about awards, classes and teachers.

What I hope to gain from an undergraduate (and perhaps post-graduate) education in Chemistry is to deepen my knowledge of the subject and potentially have the ability to successfully launch a startup after university. I’m particularly interested in areas such as computational Chemistry and cheminformatics. However, I’m  open to studying other areas in Chemistry, as it is a subject that truly captivates me.

In the conclusion, the student touches on his future plans, using specific terminology that shows his knowledge of Chemistry. This also reveals that he aims to have a career in this field, which many admission readers find appealing as it demonstrates a level of commitment to the subject.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR VETERINARY MEDICINE

This next statement has to accomplish a number of tasks, given the subject the student is applying for. As a vocational degree, applicants for veterinary medicine are committing to a career as well as a subject to study, so they need to give information demonstrating they understand the reality of a career in this area. It also needs to explain their motivation for this interest, which quite often is demonstrated through work experience (something which is often a condition for entry into these programs). Finally, as this is a highly academic subject to study at university, the author should include a good level of academic terminology and experiences in the statement.

There is nothing more fascinating to me than experiencing animals in the wild, in their natural habitat where their behaviour is about the survival of their species. I was lucky enough to experience this when in Tanzania. While observing animals hunting, I became intrigued by their musculature and inspired to work alongside these animals to help them when they are sick, as a veterinarian.

In an efficient way, the applicant explains her motivation to become a vet, then squeezes in a bit of information about her experience with animals.

As a horse rider and owner for nearly ten years, I have sought opportunities to learn as much as I can about caring for the animal. I helped around the yard with grooming and exercise, bringing horses in and out from the fields, putting on rugs, and mucking out. I have also been working at a small animal vet clinic every other Saturday for over 2.5 years. There, my responsibilities include restocking and sterilising equipment, watching procedures, and helping in consultations. Exposure to different cases has expanded my knowledge of various aspects, such as assisting with an emergency caesarean procedure. Due to a lack of staff on a Saturday, I was put in charge of anaesthesia while the puppies were being revived. I took on this task without hesitation and recorded heart and respiration rate, capillary refill time, and gum colour every five minutes. Other placements following an equine vet, working on a polo farm, and volunteering at a swan sanctuary have also broadened my experience with different species and how each possesses various requirements. During pre-vet summer courses, I was also introduced to farm animals such as pigs, cows, sheep and chicken. I spend some time milking dairy cows and removing clustered dust from chicken feet, as well as tipping sheep in order to inspect their teats.

In this paragraph, she synthesizes personal experience with an academic understanding of vet medicine. She demonstrates that she is committed to animals (helping in the yard, regular Saturday work, assistance with procedures), that she has gained a variety of experiences, and that she understands some of the conditions (caesareans, clustered dust) that vets have to deal with. Note that she also briefly discusses ‘pre-vet summer courses,’ adding credibility to her level of experience.

I have focused on HL Biology and HL Chemistry for my IB Diploma. I was particularly excited to study cell biology and body systems because these subjects allowed me to comprehend how the body works and are applicable to animal body functions. Topics like DNA replication as well as cell transcription and translation have helped me form a fundamental understanding of genetics and protein synthesis, both important topics when looking into hereditary diseases in animals. Learning about chemical reactions made me consider the importance of pharmaceutical aspects of veterinary medicine, such as the production of effective medicine. Vaccines are essential and by learning about the chemical reactions, I f developed a more nuanced understanding about how they are made and work.

Now, the statement turns to academic matters, linking her IB subjects to the university studies she aspires to. She draws out one particular example that makes a clear link between school and university-level study.

I have also written my Extended Essay discussing the consequences of breeding laws in the UK and South Australia in relation to the development of genetic abnormalities in pugs and German shepherds. This topic is important, as the growing brachycephalic aesthetic of pugs is causing them to suffer throughout their lifetime. Pedigree dogs, such as the German shepherd, have a very small gene pool and as a result, hereditary diseases can develop. This becomes an ethical discussion, because allowing German shepherds to suffer is not moral; however, as a breed, they aid the police and thus serve society.

The IB Extended Essay (like an A Level EPQ or a Capstone project) is a great topic to discuss in a personal statement, as these activities are designed to allow students to explore subjects in greater detail.

The first sentence here is a great example of what getting more specific looks like because it engages more directly with what the student is actually writing about in this particular paragraph then it extrapolates a more general point of advice from those specificities.

By choosing to write her Extended Essay on a topic of relevance to veterinary medicine, she has given herself the opportunity to show the varied aspects of veterinary science. This paragraph proves to the reader that this student is capable and motivated to study veterinary medicine.

I have learned that being a veterinarian requires diagnostic skills as well as excellent communication and leadership skills. I understand the importance and ethics of euthanasia decisions, and the sensitivity around discussing it withanimal owners. I have developed teamwork and leadership skills when playing varsity football and basketball for four years. My communication skills have expanded through being a Model U.N. and Global Issues Network member.

This small paragraph on her extracurricular activities links them clearly to her intended area of study, both in terms of related content and necessary skills. From this, the reader gains the impression that this student has a wide range of relevant interests.

When I attend university, I not only hope to become a veterinarian, but also a leader in the field. I would like to research different aspects of veterinary medicine, such as diseases. As a vet, I would like to help work towards the One Health goal; allowing the maintenance of public health security. This affects vets because we are the ones working closely with animals every day.

In the conclusion, she ties things together and looks ahead to her career. By introducing the concept of ‘One Health’, she also shows once again her knowledge of the field she is applying to.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

Standing inside a wind tunnel is not something every 17 year old aspires to, but for me the opportunity to do so last year confirmed my long-held desire to become a mechanical engineer.

This introduction is efficient and provides a clear direction for the personal statement. Though it might seem that it should be more detailed, for a student applying to study a course that requires limited extended writing, being this matter-of-fact works fine.

I enjoy the challenge of using the laws of Physics, complemented with Mathematical backing, in the context of everyday life, which helps me to visualise and understand where different topics can be applied. I explored the field of aeronautics, specifically in my work experience with Emirates Aviation University. I explored how engineers apply basic concepts of air resistance and drag when I had the opportunity to experiment with the wind tunnel, which allowed me to identify how different wing shapes behave at diverse air pressures. My interest with robotics has led me to take up a year-long internship with MakersBuilders, where I had the chance to explore physics and maths on a different plane. During my internship I educated young teenagers on a more fundamental stage of building and programming, in particular when we worked on building a small robot and programmed the infra-red sensor in order to create self-sufficient movement. This exposure allowed me to improve my communication and interpersonal skills.

In this paragraph, the student adds evidence to the initial assertion that he enjoys seeing how Physics relates to everyday life. The descriptions of the work experiences he has had not only show his commitment to the subject, but also enable him to bring in some academic content to demonstrate his understanding of engineering and aeronautics.

I’m interested in the mechanics side of Maths such as circular motion and projectiles; even Pure Maths has allowed me to easily see patterns when working and solving problems in Computer Science. During my A Level Maths and Further Maths, I have particularly enjoyed working with partial fractions as they show how reverse methodology can be used to solve addition of fractions, which ranges from simple addition to complex kinematics. ­­­Pure Maths has also enabled me to better understand how 3D modelling works with ­­­the use of volumes of revolution, especially when I learned how to apply the calculations to basic objects like calculating the amount of water in a bottle or the volume of a pencil.

This paragraph brings in the academic content at school, which is important when applying for a subject such as engineering. This is because the admissions reader needs to be reassured that the student has covered the necessary foundational content to be able to cope with Year 1 of this course.

In my Drone Club I have been able to apply several methods of wing formation, such as the number of blades used during a UAS flight. Drones can be used for purposes such as in Air-sea Rescue or transporting food to low income countries. I have taken on the responsibility of leading and sharing my skills with others, particularly in the Drone Club where I gained the certification to fly drones. In coding club, I participated in the global Google Code competition related to complex, real-life coding, such as a program that allows phones to send commands to another device using Bluetooth. My Cambridge summer course on math and engineering included the origins of a few of the most important equations and ideologies from many mathematicians such as, E=mc2 from Einstein, I also got a head start at understanding matrices and their importance in kinematics. Last summer, I completed a course at UT Dallas on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. The course was intuitive and allowed me to understand a different perspective of how robots and AI will replace humans to do complex and labour-intensive activities, customer service, driverless cars and technical support.

In this section, he demonstrates his commitment to the subject through a detailed list of extracurricular activities, all linked to engineering and aeronautics. The detail he gives about each one links to the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in these subjects at university.

I have represented Model UN as a delegate and enjoyed working with others to solve problems. For my Duke of Edinburgh Award, I partook in several activities such as trekking and playing the drums. I enjoy music and I have reached grade 3 for percussion. I have also participated in a range of charitable activities, which include assisting during Ramadan and undertaking fun-runs to raise money for cancer research.

As with the introduction, this is an efficient use of language, sharing a range of activities, each of which has taught him useful skills. The conclusion that follows is similarly efficient and to the point.

I believe that engineering is a discipline that will offer me a chance to make a tangible difference in the world, and I am certain I will enjoy the process of integrating technology with our everyday life.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL POLICY

Applying for a joint honours course presents a particular challenge of making the case that you are interested in the first subject, the second subject and (often overlooked) the combination of the two. In this example, the applicant uses her own academic studies and personal experiences to make her case.

I usually spend my summer breaks in Uttar Pradesh, India working at my grandparents’ NGO which produces bio-fertilizers for the poor. While working, I speak to many of the villagers in the nearby villages like Barokhar and Dharampur and have found out about the various initiatives the Government has taken to improve the production of wheat and rice. I understand the hardships they undergo and speaking to them has shown me the importance of Social Policy and the role the government plays in improving the lives of people and inspired me to pursue my university studies in this field.

In the introduction, this applicant explains where her interlinking experiences come from: she has personal experiences demonstrating how economics impacts the most vulnerable in society. In doing so, she shows the admissions reader that she has a deep interest in this combination and can move on to discussing each subject in turn.

My interest in these areas has been driven by the experiences I had at high school and beyond. I started attending Model United Nations in the 9th grade and have been to many conferences, discussing problems like the water crisis and a lack of sustainability in underdeveloped countries. These topics overlapped with my study of economics and exciting classroom discussions on what was going on how different events would impact economies, for instance how fluctuations in oil prices will affect standards of living. Studying Economics has expanded  my knowledge about how countries are run and how macroeconomic policies shape the everyday experiences of individuals.

Unusually, this applicant does not go straight into her classroom experiences but instead uses one of her extracurricular activities (Model United Nations) in her first paragraph. For students applying for subjects that are not often taught at school (Social Policy in this example), this can be a good idea, as it allows you to bring in material that you have self-studied to explain why you are capable of studying each subject at university. Here, she uses MUN discussions to show she understands some topics in social policy that are impacting the world.

By taking up history as a subject in Grade 11 and 12, I have seen the challenges that people went through in the past, and how different ideas gained momentum in different parts of the world such as the growth of communism in Russia and China and how it spread to different countries during the Cold War. I learned about the different roles that governments played in times of hardships such as that which President Roosevelt’s New Deal played during the Great Depression. From this, I gained analytical skills by scrutinizing how different social, political and economic forces have moulded societies in the past.

In this paragraph, she then takes the nearest possible class to her interest in Social Policy and draws elements from it to add to her case for Social Policy. Taking some elements from her history classes enables her to add some content to this statement, before linking to the topic of economics.

To explore my interest in Economics, I interned at Emirates National Bank of Dubai, one of the largest banks in the Middle East, and also at IBM. At Emirates NBD, I undertook a research project on Cash Management methods in competitor banks and had to present my findings at the end of the internship. I also interned at IBM where I had to analyze market trends and fluctuations in market opportunity in countries in the Middle East and Africa. I had to find relations between GDP and market opportunity and had to analyze how market opportunity could change over the next 5 years with changing geo-political situations. I have also attended Harvard University’s Youth Lead the Change leadership conference where I was taught how to apply leadership skills to solve global problems such as gender inequality and poverty.

Economics is explored again through extracurriculars, with some detail added to the general statement about the activities undertaken during this work experience. Though the level of academics here is a little thin because this student’s high school did not offer any classes in Economics, she does as well as she can to bring in academic content.

I have partaken in many extra-curricular activities which have helped me develop the skills necessary for this course. Being a part of the Press Club at school gave me an opportunity to hone my talent for the written word and gave me a platform to talk about global issues. Volunteering at a local library taught me how to be organized. I developed research and analytical skills by undertaking various research projects at school such as the sector-wide contribution of the Indian economy to the GDP in the previous year. As a member of the Business and Economic Awareness Council at school, I was instrumental in organizing many economics-based events such as the Business Fair and Innovation Mela. Being part of various Face to Faith conferences has provided me with an opportunity to interact with students in Sierra Leone, India and Korea and understand global perspectives on issues like malaria and human trafficking.

The extracurricular activities are revisited here, with the first half of this paragraph showing how the applicant has some transferable skills from her activities that will help her with this course. She then revisits her interest in the course studies, before following up with a closing section that touches on her career goals:

The prospect of pursuing these two subjects is one that I eagerly anticipate and I look forward to meeting the challenge of university. In the future, I wish to become an economist and work at a think tank where I will be able to apply what I have learnt in studying such an exciting course.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR HISTORY OF ART & PHILOSOPHY

This applicant is also a joint-honours applicant, and again is applying for a subject that she has not been able to study at school. Thus, bringing in her own interest and knowledge of both subjects is crucial here.

At the age of four, I remember an argument with my mother: I wanted to wear a pink ballerina dress with heels, made for eight-year-olds, which despite my difficulty in staying upright I was determined to wear. My mother persistently engaged in debate with me about why it was not ok to wear this ensemble in winter. After two hours of patiently explaining to me and listening to my responses she convinced me that I should wear something different, the first time I remember listening to reason. It has always been a natural instinct for me to discuss everything, since in the course of my upbringing I was never given a simple yes or no answer. Thus, when I began studying philosophy, I understood fully my passion for argument and dialogue.

This is an unusual approach to start a UCAS Personal Statement, but it does serve to show how this student approaches the world and why this combination of subjects might work for her. Though it could perhaps be drawn out more explicitly, here she is combining an artistic issue (her clothes) with a philosophical concern (her debate with her mother) to lead the reader into the case she is making for admission into this program.

This was first sparked academically when I was introduced to religious ethics; having a fairly Christian background my view on religion was immature. I never thought too much of the subject as I believed it was just something my grandparents did. However, when opened up to the arguments about god and religion, I was inclined to argue every side. After research and discussion, I was able to form my own view on religion without having to pick a distinctive side to which theory I would support. This is what makes me want to study philosophy: it gives an individual personal revelation towards matters into which they may not have given too much thought to.

There is some good content here that discusses the applicant’s interest in philosophy and her own motivation for this subject, though there is a lack of academic content here.

Alongside this, taking IB Visual Arts HL has opened my artistic views through pushing me out of my comfort zone. Art being a very subjective course, I was forced to choose an opinion which only mattered to me, it had no analytical nor empirical rights or wrongs, it was just my taste in art. From studying the two subjects alongside each other, I found great value, acquiring a certain form of freedom in each individual with their dual focus on personalized opinion and taste in many areas, leading to self- improvement.

In this section, she uses her IB Visual Arts class to explore how her interest in philosophy bleeds into her appreciation of art. Again, we are still awaiting the academic content, but the reader will by now be convinced that the student has a deep level of motivation for this subject. When we consider how rare this combination is, with very few courses for this combination available, the approach to take slightly longer to establish can work.

For this reason, I find the work of Henry Moore fascinating. I am intrigued by his pieces, especially the essence of the ‘Reclining Nude’ model, as the empty holes inflicted on the abstract human body encouraged my enthusiasm for artistic interpretation. This has led me to contemplate the subtlety, complexity and merit of the role of an artist. Developing an art piece is just as complex and refined as writing a novel or developing a theory in Philosophy. For this reason, History of Art conjoins with Philosophy, as the philosophical approach towards an art piece is what adds context to the history as well as purpose behind it.

Finally, we’re given the academic content. Cleverly, the content links both the History of Art and Philosophy together through a discussion of the work of Henry Moore. Finding examples that conjoin the subjects that make up a joint-honours application is a great idea and works well here.

Studying Philosophy has allowed me to apply real life abstractions to my art, as well as to glean a deeper critical analysis of art in its various mediums. My IB Extended Essay examined the 1900s Fauve movement, which made a huge breakthrough in France and Hungary simultaneously. This was the first artistic movement which was truly daring and outgoing with its vivid colours and bold brush strokes. My interest expanded to learning about the Hungarian artists in this movement led by Henri Matisse. Bela Czobel was one of the few who travelled to France to study but returned to Hungary, more specifically Nagybanya, to bestow what he had learned.

Again in this paragraph, the author connects the subjects. Students who are able to undertake a research project in their high school studies (such as the IB Extended Essay here, or the A Level Extended Project or AP Capstone) can describe these in their UCAS personal statements, as this level of research in an area of academic study can enliven and add depth to the writing, as is the case here.

As an international student with a multicultural background, I believe I can adapt to challenging or unfamiliar surroundings with ease. I spent two summers working at a nursery in Hungary as a junior Assistant Teacher, where I demonstrated leadership and teamwork skills that I had previously developed through commitment to sports teams. I was a competitive swimmer for six years and have represented my school internationally as well as holding the school record for 100m backstroke. I was elected Deputy Head of my House, which further reflects my dedication, leadership, teamwork and diligence.

As in the previous examples, this statement gives a good overview of the applicant’s extracurricular activities, with a mention of skills that will be beneficial to her studies at university. She then concludes with a brief final sentence:

I hope to carry these skills with me into my university studies, allowing me to enrich my knowledge and combine my artistic and philosophical interests.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE FOR LIBERAL ARTS

A good range of UK universities now offer courses called ‘Liberal Arts’ (or similar titles such as ‘Flexible Combined Honours’), which allows students to study a broader topic of study–perhaps combining three or four subjects–than is typically available in the UK system.

This presents a challenge in the personal statement, as within the 47 line / 4000 character limit, the applicant will have to show academic interest and knowledge in a range of subjects while also making the case to be admitted for this combined programme of study.

As a child I disliked reading; however, when I was 8, there was one particular book that caught my attention: The Little Prince. From that moment onwards, my love for literature was ignited and I had entered into a whirlwind of fictional worlds. While studying and analysing the classics from The Great Gatsby to Candide, this has exposed me to a variety of novels. My French bilingualism allowed me to study, in great depth, different texts in their original language. This sparked a new passion of mine for poetry, and introduced me to the works of Arthur Rimbaud, who has greatly influenced me. Through both reading and analysing poetry I was able to decipher its meaning. Liberal Arts gives me the opportunity to continue to study a range of texts and authors from different periods in history, as well as related aspects of culture, economy and society.

Here we have a slightly longer than usual opening paragraph, but given the nature of the course being applied for this works well. A personal story segueing from literature to modern languages to history and cultural studies shows that this student has a broad range of interests within the humanities and thus is well-suited to this course of study.

Liberal Arts is a clear choice for me. Coming from the IB International Baccalaureate Diploma programme I have studied a wide range of subjects which has provided me with a breadth of knowledge. In Theatre, I have adapted classics such as Othello by Shakespeare, and playing the role of moreover acting as Desdemona forced me to compartmentalise her complex emotions behind the early-modern English text. Studying History has taught me a number of skills; understanding the reasons behind changes in society, evaluating sources, and considering conflicting interpretations. From my interdisciplinary education I am able to critically analyse the world around me. Through studying Theory of Knowledge, I have developed high quality analysis using key questions and a critical mindset by questioning how and why we think and why. By going beyond the common use of reason, I have been able to deepen greaten my understanding and apply my ways of knowing in all subjects; for example in science I was creative in constructing my experiment (imagination) and used qualitative data (sense perception).

Students who are taking the IB Diploma, with its strictures to retain a broad curriculum, are well-suited to the UK’s Liberal Arts courses, as they have had practice seeing the links between subjects. In this paragraph, the applicant shows how she has done this, linking content from one subject to skills developed in another, and touching on the experience of IB Theory of Knowledge (an interdisciplinary class compulsory for all IB Diploma students) to show how she is able to see how different academic subjects overlap and share some common themes.

Languages have always played an important role in my life. I was immersed into a French nursery even though my parents are not French speakers. I have always cherished the ability to speak another language; it is something I have never taken for granted, and it is how I individualise myself. Being bilingual has allowed me to engage with a different culture. As a result, I am more open minded and have a global outlook. This has fuelled my desire to travel, learn new languages and experience new cultures. This course would provide me with the opportunity to fulfil these desires. Having written my Extended Essay in French on the use of manipulative language used by a particular character from the French classic Dangerous Liaisons I have had to apply my skills of close contextual reading and analysing to sculpt this essay. These skills are perfectly applicable to the critical thinking that is demanded for the course.

Within the humanities, this student has a particular background that makes her stand out, having become fluent in French while having no French background nor living in a French-speaking country. This is worth her exploring to develop her motivation for a broad course of study at university, which she does well here.

Studying the Liberal Arts will allow me to further my knowledge in a variety of fields whilst living independently and meeting people from different backgrounds. The flexible skills I would achieve from obtaining a liberal arts degree I believe would make me more desirable for future employment. I would thrive in this environment due to my self discipline and determination. During my school holidays I have undertaken working in a hotel as a chambermaid and this has made me appreciate the service sector in society and has taught me to work cohesively with others in an unfamiliar environment. I also took part in a creative writing course held at Keats House, where I learnt about romanticism. My commitment to extracurricular activities such as varsity football and basketball has shown me the importance of sportsmanship and camaraderie, while GIN (Global Issue Networking) has informed me of the values of community and the importance for charitable organisations.

The extracurricular paragraph here draws out a range of skills the student will apply to this course. Knowing that taking a broader range of subjects at a UK university requires excellent organizational skills, the student takes time to explain how she can meet these, perhaps going into slightly more detail than would be necessary for a single-honours application to spell out that she is capable of managing her time well. She then broadens this at the end by touching on some activities that have relevance for her studies.

My academic and personal preferences have always led me to the Liberal Arts; I feel as though the International Baccalaureate, my passion and self-discipline have prepared me for higher education. From the academics, extracurriculars and social aspects, I intend to embrace the entire experience of university.

In the final section, the candidate restates how she matches this course.

Overall, you can see how the key factor in a UCAS statement is the academic evidence, with students linking their engagement with a subject to the course of study that they are applying to. Using the courtroom exercise analogy, the judge here should be completely convinced that the case has been made, and will, therefore issue an offer of admittance to that university.

Recent Posts

• Podcast Episode 77: Rugby at universities in the USA
• US College Sports: Eligibility
• Navigating UK Foundation Programmes
• Applying to Australian Universities from the UK with an Australian passport
• Universities in Singapore and Hong Kong: what you need to know

[email protected]

+44 (0) 7392 846307, useful links, privacy policy, services for.

• Universities
• Success Stories

• Impartiality Statement
• For Students
• For Parents
• For Schools
• For Universities

Writing a personal statement for an undergraduate course

A strong personal statement makes all the difference when you're applying for an undergraduate course. it's essential that you plan and write yours carefully..

• Your personal statement

Your personal statement needs to create a strong impression for your university application. It's your opportunity to say why you want to study your chosen course, and what skills, experiences and qualifications you have that will make you a successful student.

A member of the Admissions team will read your personal statement and use it as part of the process to decide who they can offer a place to.

• What to include

We are looking for you to explain why you have chosen your course of study and demonstrate a real understanding of what studying the course will involve.

You should include:

• why you are applying for the course – show your enthusiasm
• how your current skills, experience and qualifications will help your application
• relevant engagement with your chosen degree subject, such as work experience (if you have it) or extracurricular activities
• details of anything relevant you plan to do before starting your degree

If you're applying to Bath, your personal statement should focus on your enthusiasm, experience and suitability for the course.

When thinking about your relevant studies, skills and experiences, don’t forget to mention any relevant work experience, extracurricular activities or further reading. Remember that universities will see details of your qualifications so there’s no need to list them in your personal statement.

Your personal statement is supposed to be about you as an individual student, so try to avoid using common clichés or generic quotes. Make sure you only include relevant information –  if it isn’t about why you want to study the course or the skills you have gained to help you succeed, then don’t include it.

If you are applying for Pharmacy or Social Work

Your personal statement must show that you have the appropriate attitude to complete your studies and practise your profession responsibly. You also need to show that you have the relevant experience for your course.

• Do your research

Talk to your teachers and tutors about what strengths you should highlight.

Go to university Open Days and UCAS fairs. Talk to admissions staff about what they look for in a personal statement, and to academics about the courses you are interested in.

Look at university prospectuses and websites to find out about the courses you’re applying for and pick out the key elements you need to give evidence for.

Think about:

• your motivations for applying
• what the courses you’re applying for include
• your relevant passions or experience
• how the course will help you get the career you want

Don’t worry if you don’t have relevant work experience – for most degrees work experience is not essential. In many courses, it is extremely rare for an applicant to have relevant work experience, especially for engineering, science or social science degrees.

Remember you only get to write one personal statement, even though you might apply for five different courses at more than one university.

Make sure your statement is relevant to all of the courses you’re applying for. Which? University offers some advice for specific subjects based on guidance from course admission tutors.

Personal statements in 2023

If you are applying through UCAS in 2023, you might be concerned about how Covid-19 has affected your opportunities and the impact on your personal statement.

The first thing to remember is everyone is in the same position as you, and universities will understand that some opportunities may have been more limited for you.

If you are concerned that you are missing relevant experiences you might want to consider alternatives you can do from the comfort of your own home – short online MOOCs, or engaging with online lectures, academically-orientated podcasts or relevant reading are all options to give you insights about your course that you can share.

You might have individual circumstances arising from the pandemic that you want universities to know about, such as greater disruption in your home or school life. Our advice is to not include too much about these in your personal statement – you should mention enough that universities will know to ask you for more if it is relevant to them, but save as much space as possible for your positive experiences relevant to your course.

We encourage you to let us know about relevant mitigating circumstances through our confidential mitigating circumstances form , rather than through your personal statement.

• Write your first draft

It’s called a personal statement for a reason, so make it personal and show your character. We want to find out about you.

UCAS has a tool to help you write your first draft. It will keep you focused on the important questions you need to answer. It will help you structure your statement and keep to the character limit.

You can write a first draft longer than the word limit.

Tone and style

It's important to write in an active voice, using language that's easy to understand. You may find it helpful to talk out loud to someone about your interests and motivations and write in a similar style.

Do this by:

• writing in short sentences
• using paragraphs
• writing in plain English
• writing positively about yourself without boasting
• checking your spelling and grammar

When writing about work experience, the most important points to cover are:

• what were your duties, tasks and responsibilities during the placement
• what did you gain or learn from the experience
• what are your transferable skills, for example, problem-solving, teamwork, communication skills and self-motivation

What to avoid

• irrelevant information – anything that happened too long ago
• exaggeration or negativity – talk about your positive attributes and experiences
• unsupported statements – give evidence for everything
• your life story – keep your information relevant and current
• common clichés and quotes
• information from someone else’s statement
• listing things that are included elsewhere in your UCAS application, such as the qualifications you have studied

Get your draft checked by someone else

Show your first draft to your teacher, parents or guardian, or to a friend who is also going through the process.

• to question your evidence
• evaluate whether your statement represents you, your skills and experiences
• if it reads well and is clear and easy to understand
• whether you’ve missed anything out
• to check spelling and grammar
• Levelling up your statement

The best personal statements don’t just show your enthusiasm for your course and your relevant skills and experiences – they give an insight into how you think.

Try and pick out two or three key items from your personal statement and consider how they evidence your thinking and engagement with your subject. Remember to show not just what you have done, but also how it has changed you:

• how did your experience inspire you?
• did the experience spur you on to further investigation?
• what do you think about the ideas expressed during your experience
• if you have read a book - what was thought-provoking? what did you disagree with? what do you want to know more?

These questions are examples of how you can show what kind of student you plan to become. Reflecting on experiences can enhance a personal statement, but don’t worry about doing it for every point – you only have so much space!

• Writing a second and final draft

When writing your second and third drafts, edit your personal statement carefully to make it focused and concise. Write efficiently and compellingly and then edit it. Remove unnecessary words and make sure your statement is under 4,000 characters or 47 lines, whichever is shortest.

Get it checked again

Ask a teacher, parent or guardian to check your next draft. Ask them to check for punctuation, grammar and spelling, and if it represents you as well as it can.

Make any edits or adjustments that are suggested, then get it checked again.

Give yourself lots of time to work on your personal statement. Don’t leave it to the last few days to submit.

• Some extra inspiration

If you are still looking for some advice, then you might like to:

• watch some of our Admissions Selectors share their advice
• read about how some of our current students approached their personal statement on our Student Blog
• read our 'Focus on ...Writing your personal statement guide' including some do's and don'ts and important tips

On this page

• How to Contact Us
• Library & Collections
• Business School
• Things To Do

What is a Personal Statement?

The personal statement is your opportunity to show the universities you are applying to that you are the ideal candidate for their course.  It should be all about you – why you’re interested in the course, what makes you unique and what makes you stand out.  With only one personal statement for all your choices, it’s important that you use this opportunity to show why you’re better than everyone else applying and why we should choose you.

But where do you start?  What do you say?  What should be your opening sentence? There are good and bad personal statements, so read our guide to help make yours the best it can be. 

How to write a personal statement

Before writing your personal statement it’s worth doing a bit of research to find out what your choice universities are looking for and what will make you stand out from the competition.

Whilst “personal statement” makes it sound like it’s a biography about you, some of the best personal statements we’ve seen are more like a mini essay related to the course. Think about what areas of the subject you enjoy and tell us what you understand about them; we want to know your thoughts about them and why you think that. Show us your passion, knowledge and skills by demonstrating your engagement with the subject. Think about how you can back up what you say and that you can critically engage with your subject. If you got excited about a course because of an article or book you read, or a lecture you went to, tell us about it! 

Most of the statement should be about the subject you want to study, but we also like to hear a little bit about what you get involved in outside of your studies. We know that some of our applicants work part time, have carer responsibilities or perhaps are involved in high level sport, music or drama, for example, and it’s exciting to see applicants who are successful with their studies whilst also balancing other demands on their time as there’s a lot to get involved with at Durham. If you have relevant interests to your course then we’d like to hear about those too, for example if you’re applying to an education course and have been involved in tutoring other students. 

There are loads of UCAS resources you can use to help get you started, including a  personal statement mind map and worksheet .

Dos and Don’ts

You’ve only got 4000 characters, including spaces, to convince us we should choose you, so make every word count. These do’s and don’ts should help you along the way.

• Stay focussed and relevant.
• Be specific; use examples and give evidence.
• Be authentic, enthusiastic and persuasive.
• Avoid generic and obvious statements.
• Ask someone you trust for ideas and feedback – they might think of something you don’t!
• Draft your personal statement then copy and paste into Apply.
• Check your spelling and grammar and make sure you proofread.  Read your personal statement out loud or ask friends and family to read it for you.
• Try for a memorable, strong opening, an engaging middle, and tie up the key points you want to make at the end.
• Think about what you’re saying and what it says about you. Sell yourself! 
• Repeat yourself, and avoid repeating words close together. 
• Write a chronological history – instead think about the structure and what you want to feature at the start. 
• Waste characters! You only have 4000 so don’t include things like lists of your qualifications – we can see those in the qualifications section of your application already. 
• Use ‘I’ all the time. 
• Use clichés 
• Copy. UCAS has software that will detect if your personal statement has been copied from someone else’s and they’ll let all  the universities you’ve applied to know. 
• Expect to get it right first time.  You’ll need several drafts before you’re happy with it.

Writing an excellent personal statement needn’t be scary if you remember to be focussed, enthusiastic and genuine. We want something that tells us all about you and the contribution you can make to our community.

Substitute Personal Statements

It is not necessary to write an additional personal statement, however we have a tool just for Durham applicants which allows you to submit a substitute personal statement if the Durham course you’re applying to is very different to the one in your UCAS personal statement. 

For example, if you applied to four Chemistry courses but you also applied to our Natural Sciences course (even including Chemistry, but with other subjects too), or perhaps you have applied to Medicine at four other universities but chose Anthropology as your fifth choice with us.

We ask that you: 

• Use no more than 4000 characters (including spaces) to match the UCAS personal statement length 
• Use plain text – don't use bold, italics, underlining 
• Submit it within three days of your application to Durham being acknowledged.  
• This is because until we have your application from UCAS we won’t be able to match the statement (and the system won’t let you upload this); it can take UCAS a few days to process all the applications they’ve received.  
• If you reach three days without acknowledgement, you can still try to upload the personal statement – if it works then we have your application and the statement will be matched to it. 
• Read the guidance for writing a personal statement on this page 
• Use one of the following browsers when uploading the statement: Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer 10 (some users of Internet Explorer 11 have had difficulties uploading their statement).

Submit a substitute personal statement

Do you have a question?

Need to get in touch with us?

Similarity in Personal Statements

UCAS checks all personal statements with their Similarity Detection software (CopyCatch) to ensure your work doesn’t contain the same or similar text to websites, another applicant's personal statement, or other documents. When a personal statement is detected as having similarity to one of these sources, UCAS provides us with a report highlighting the similarity and an indication of what the text in the statement is similar to. 

Once we are notified that an application contains text similar to elsewhere, we will use information from UCAS and from the applicant to determine the seriousness of the similarity found in the personal statement and departments will then make an academic decision which is communicated to applicants through UCAS as normal. 

Each applicant whose personal statement is flagged to us by the UCAS Similarity Detection Service will be contacted by the UG Admissions Team to offer the opportunity to explain how the similarity occurred. 

For those admitted as a student, Durham University takes all forms of Academic Misconduct, including 'plagiarism' or 'copying' very seriously and submitting work which is not entirely a student's own can lead to expulsion from the University. We also operate a fair and transparent admissions process and as such, need to ensure that all information provided to us is honest and accurate. 

If you have submitted an application to us and you have been notified that UCAS has detected similarity in your personal statement, you can contact us directly to explain the similarity though.

Get in touch

Have a question about applying for Durham University?

• Ask Us a Question
• Connect with a Student

We value your privacy

We use cookies to allow this site to work for you, improve your user experience, and to serve you advertising tailored to your interests. Let us know if you agree to all cookies. You can manage your preferences at any time

Your Privacy

We use cookies, which are small text files placed on your computer, to allow the site to work for you, improve your user experience, to provide us with information about how our site is used, and to deliver personalised ads which help fund our work and deliver our service to you for free.

The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience.

You can accept all, or else manage cookies individually. However, blocking some types of cookies may affect your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

You can change your cookies preference at any time by visiting our Cookies Notice page. Please remember to clear your browsing data and cookies when you change your cookies preferences. This will remove all cookies previously placed on your browser.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, or how to clear your browser cookies data see our Cookies Notice

Manage consent preferences

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.

They are essential for you to browse the website and use its features.

You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. We can’t identify you from these cookies.

These help us personalise our sites for you by remembering your preferences and settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers, whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, then these services may not function properly.

These cookies allow us to count visits and see where our traffic comes from, so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are popular and see how visitors move around the site. The cookies cannot directly identify any individual users.

If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site and will not be able to improve its performance for you.

These cookies may be set through our site by social media services or our advertising partners. Social media cookies enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They can track your browser across other sites and build up a profile of your interests. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to see or use the content sharing tools.

Advertising cookies may be used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but work by uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will still see ads, but they won’t be tailored to your interests.

The shortcut to your shortlist

Make your university search faster and less stressful. Get a personalised shortlist by selecting what matters to you.

• CHOOSE ONE OR MORE

Popular universities

• University of Kent
• University of East Anglia UEA
• University of Chester
• Coventry University
• University of Aberdeen
• University of Portmouth
• Nottingham Trent University
• University of Sunderland
• London Metropolitan University
• London South Bank University
• University of East London
• BROWSE ALL UNIVERSITIES

Course search

Popular undergraduate courses.

• Computer Science
• LLB Bachelor of Laws
• Biomedical Sciences
• Physiotherapy
• Sports Science

Open days search

Upcoming open days.

• BIMM University
• Buckinghamshire New University
• ARU Writtle (formally Writtle University College)
• Bristol, University of the West of England

Article search

Popular topics.

• League tables
• Choosing what to study
• Financing your studies
• Choosing where to study
• Career prospects

Popular articles

• How to use the league tables
• Helping you decide where and what to study
• Why use our university league tables?
• Types of degrees in the UK
• How to revise for exams: Top tips
• BROWSE ALL ADVICE

Tips for writing your personal statement

How to write a personal statement it's difficult to know where to begin. get hints and tips on structure, content and what not to write from a university expert..

• An insider's view
• What admissions tutors look for

Structuring and preparing your personal statement

What to write in a personal statement, examples to avoid, an insider’s view .

Personal statements may seem formulaic, but they can be critical to the decision-making process, and admissions tutors do read them.

If you’re applying for a high-demand course, your personal statement could be the deciding factor on whether or not you get an interview.

The Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment at the University of Gloucestershire , James Seymour, shares some top tips on how to write a personal statement.

What makes a good personal statement?

This is your chance to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment and show us what value you can add to a university. In the vast majority of cases, universities are finding ways to make you an offer, not reject you – the personal statement is your chance to make this decision easier for them!

First, you need to explain why you want a place on a course. Take a look at James’ tips on what you should include:

• Explain the reason for your choice and how it fits in with your aspirations for the future
• Give examples of any related academic or work experience
• Show you know what the course will involve and mention any special subjects you’re interested in
• Demonstrate who you are by listing any positions you’ve held, memberships of teams or societies, and interests and hobbies
• Show consistency in your five UCAS choices. It may be difficult for an admissions tutor to take you seriously if your other choices, and references to them, are totally different. If your choices are different, you should explain this in your statement. The UCAS form is blind. Admissions tutors don’t know the other universities you’ve applied to, or your priorities, but you should still be consistent
• Keep it clear and concise – UCAS admissions are increasingly paperless – so most admissions tutors/officers will read your statement onscreen

Explain what you can bring to a course and try not to just list experiences, but describe how they have given you skills that will help you at university.

Don’t just say: I am a member of the college chess club. I also play the clarinet in the orchestra.

When you could say: I have developed my problem-solving skills through playing chess for the college; this requires concentration and analytical thought. I am used to working as part of a team as I play clarinet in the college orchestra and cooperate with others to achieve a finished production.

• Applying to university and UCAS deadlines
• Applying and studying in the UK
• University interviews

What will admissions tutors look for in your personal statement?

To decide if you’re the right fit, universities and colleges are interested in how you express your academic record and potential. This should be backed up by your reference.

Those working in admissions look for evidence of:

• Motivation and commitment
• Leadership, teamwork and communication
• Research into your chosen subject
• Any relevant key skills

Admissions tutors aren't seeking Nobel laureates. They’re looking for enthusiasm for the course being applied for, and self-reflection into why you’d be suitable to study it. What value could you add to the course? Where would you like to go once you graduate?

Ben, the Admissions Manager for Law at the University of Birmingham , shared with us what he expects applicants to tell him in their personal statement:

The personal statement is not only an excellent opportunity to showcase applicants individual skills, knowledge, and achievements, but it also provides us with an insight into the type of student they aspire to be and how they could fit into the academic community. Ben Atkins, Law Admissions Manager at University of Birmingham

Real-life example: the good

Real-life example: the not-so-good

• How to make your personal statement stand out

You could have excellent experiences, but if they’re arranged in a poorly-written statement then the impact will be reduced. So, it’s important to plan your statement well.

A well-written personal statement with a clearly planned and refined structure will not only make the information stand out, but it’ll demonstrate you have an aptitude for structuring written pieces of work – a crucial skill needed for many university courses.

You can use it for other things too, such as gap year applications, jobs, internships, apprenticeships and keep it on file for future applications.

There's no one ‘correct’ way to structure your personal statement. But it’s a good idea to include the following:

• A clear introduction, explaining why you want to study the course
• Around 75% can focus on your academic achievements, to prove how you’re qualified to study it
• Around 25% can be about any extracurricular activity, to show what else makes you suitable
• A clear conclusion
• How to start a personal statement

Your personal statement is your chance to really show why you deserve a place on your chosen course. 

Remember to keep these in mind:

• Be clear and concise – the more concentrated the points and facts, the more powerful
• Use positive words such as achieved, developed, learned, discovered, enthusiasm, commitment, energy, fascination…
• Avoid contrived or grandiose language. Instead use short, simple sentences in plain English
• Insert a personal touch if possible, but be careful with humour and chatty approaches
• Use evidence of your learning and growth (wherever possible) to support claims and statements
• Plan the statement as you would an essay or letter of application for a job/scholarship
• Consider dividing the statement into five or six paragraphs, with headings if appropriate
• Spelling and grammar DO matter – draft and redraft as many times as you must and ask others to proofread and provide feedback
• For 2022 – 23 applications, refer to the challenges you've faced during the pandemic in a positive way

Don’t 

• Over-exaggerate
• Come across as pretentious
• Try to include your life history
• Start with: "I’ve always wanted to be a..."
• Use gimmicks or quotations, unless they're very relevant and you deal with them in a way that shows your qualities
• Be tempted to buy or copy a personal statement – plagiarism software is now very sophisticated and if you're caught out you won’t get a place
• Make excuses about not being able to undertake activities/gain experience – focus on what you were able to do positively, e.g. as a result of coronavirus

For further details, read our detailed guide on  what to include in a personal statement  and the best things to avoid.

Note that if you decide to reapply for university the following year, it's a good idea to consider making some changes to your personal statement. Mention why you took a year off and talk about what skills you've learnt. If you're applying for a completely different subject, you'll need to make more changes.

James gives us real-life examples of things to avoid:

I enjoy the theatre and used to go a couple of times a year. (Drama)

I am a keen reader and am committed to the study of human behaviour through TV soaps!

I have led a full life over the last 18 years and it is a tradition I intend to continue.

I describe myself in the following two words: 'TO ODIN!' the ancient Viking war cry. (Law)

My favourite hobby is bee-keeping and I want to be an engineer.

My interest in Medicine stems from my enjoyment of Casualty and other related TV series.

I have always had a passion to study Medicine, failing that, Pharmacy. (A student putting Pharmacy as her fifth choice after four medical school choices – Pharmacy can be just as popular and high status as Medicine.)

Some final advice

Above all, remember that a personal statement is your opportunity to convince a university why it should offer you a place. So, make it compelling and there’s a much higher chance they will.

Related articles

Top 10 unis for Student Satisfaction 2025

Are you interested in who tops the table for student satisfaction? Check out the Top 10...

League tables: What's new for 2025

Our university league tables for 2025 have arrived! Find out which unis have climbed the...

What are university rankings?

University rankings, or league tables, rank universities overall and by a number of...

Is this page useful?

Sorry about that..., how can we improve it, thanks for your feedback.

How to Write a Personal Statement for University Application

• October 27, 2022

UCAS personal statement for university application

Writing a personal statement is an important step in the university application . Universities need personal statements to assess if candidates are a good fit for the applied course. Also, this is a great opportunity to show the admission team who you are, your skills, and why you deserve a place at the university.

Writing a strong personal statement is key especially when candidates with similar grades and skills are compared to each other. It is even more relevant for university applications to competitive courses. In these cases, the personal statement is often the ultimate tool for admission teams to assess candidates.

Keep reading to learn how to write a personal statement: what to include, the text length, structure and all you need to impress the university admission team.

Read our guide: applying to UK universities and learn how to apply for university courses and complete a university application.

How long should a personal statement be?

The UCAS personal statement length is limited to 4000 characters (including spaces) for a maximum of 47 lines. This equals a total word count of around 550-650 words depending on the number of characters and lines used. 

Being concise helps to not exceed the word limit but don’t worry too much about it when starting to write. In the beginning, write down all you have to say. Later you can go back, edit the text, and cut the words in excess. 

Need help with a university application? Book a Free Consultation with our team of education consultants and get University Admission Support to push your university application forwards.

What do admission teams look for in a personal statement?

The goal of a personal statement is to grab the attention of the reader and build that interest in what you have to offer to the uni. Universities’ admission teams read thousands of personal statements every year. To grab the reader’s attention, a statement should be unique and set you apart from other candidates. 

What are universities looking for in a personal statement?

• A genuine interest or passion for the course
• A good level of commitment towards the subject and the achievement of the degree
• Transferable skills related to the subject
• Experiences or achievements that make you a suitable candidate

Before answering these questions it is essential to read the course description and entry requirements on the university website. 

Course descriptions define who the ideal candidate is and what experiences, skills, interests and attitudes the candidate must have. This is why course descriptions help you focus on the most relevant things to write about.

Personal statement structure

Before starting to write you may want to plan how to structure the personal statement. While there is no perfect structure for a UCAS personal statement you should aim to cover all the relevant topics about your life, qualities, skills, and experiences relating to the course subject.

What to include in a UCAS personal statement?

• Why did you choose this subject?
• What are you studying or have you studied which relates to the course?
• Have you got any experiences linked to the subject?
• Any interests or hobbies related to the course?
• Is there any life experience you could talk about?
• What future goals and ambitions can the course help you achieve?
• Why will you be a great student at the university?

Try to answer as many as possible of the above questions.

Use the personal statement worksheet by UCAS to come up with new ideas for the main topics of your personal statement.

How to start a personal statement?

The beginning of your UCAS personal statement plays an important role which is grabbing the attention of the reader.

Start your personal statement with an introductive paragraph of 3-4 sentences, write concisely and avoid annoying the reader. The opening has to introduce yourself and make a good impression through the very first sentences of your statement.

Following are some tips to begin your personal statement:

• Don’t overthink it! – Keep the introduction simple. Introduce yourself, and start showing your motivations and knowledge of the subject.
• Avoid cliches – Many applicants every year start their personal statement with overused sentences and cliches (I’ve always been interested in.., since I was a child.., from a young age..). Avoid these throughout your personal statement.
• Just put words down – Even if you have a structure and a plan in place, sometimes it still feels difficult to start writing and feel confident about what you have to say. Just start writing and the ideas will come up automatically. You can do the editing later.
• Leave it to the end – The intro seems the most logical place to start but also the most difficult to write. If you can’t come up with a good intro, then skip it, start from the body of the personal statement and leave the intro to the end.

Your personal skills and achievements

Personal skills and achievements in the UCAS personal statement must relate to the subject of the course and show the admission team the abilities and qualities they are looking for in a good candidate.

Don’t just make a list of your skills and achievements without any evidence, they should be linked to your experiences and activities. This will help you write an effective personal statement and prove your skills and achievement with real and practical arguments.

How to talk about skills and achievements in a personal statement?

• Be bold when talking about your achievements – don’t be shy about your achievements write about these with pride 
• Sell your skills – you have to sell yourself to impress the admission team. Keep a professional style but don’t be modest, show off the qualities relevant to the application to prove you have what it takes for these studies.
• Get others’ opinions – Often we can’t recognise our qualities or achievements as they seem normal to us. If listing your skills comes difficult for you, ask relatives and friends to get ideas or a new perspective and start from there.

Work experience in the personal statement

Your work experience is certainly among the main things to include in your personal statement. This is particularly true when applying for a vocational course such as medicine, although work experience is relevant for any university application.

Work experiences may include the following activities:

• Formal Work Placements
• Extracurricular Activities
• Part-Time Jobs
• Personal Projects
• Volunteer Work

Writing about work experiences helps to highlight personal achievements and why you’re a good fit for the course. Try to point out what you learned from your work experiences and the impact this had on you.

What should you write in the personal statement experience?

• What skills have you gained that relate to the course?
• What impact this role had on you?
• Did this experience inspire your decision to study for the course, and how?
• How can this experience be linked to your ability to succeed in the course?
• What are the key lessons and takeaways from your experience that helped you grow as a person?
• Is there any event or interaction that made you desire to study your subject?

Try to include as many interesting facts as possible, Use real and vivid details of your experiences that make you unique, and emphasize how your work experiences fit with the course.

How to end your personal statement

There is not one way to end a UCAS personal statement, although writing a strong conclusion could make all the difference in leaving a positive impression and getting noticed by the admission team.

A good conclusion is concise and to the point, summarising all the key points you mentioned in the body of your text to reinforce your message and lead the admission team to accept your application.

How do you close a personal statement for university?

• Link to key points of your personal statement – Reamphisise the key points that you already included in the main body (eg key skills, experience, interests). This should be used to highlight your passion for the chosen course or reinforce the message you want to communicate. Repeat those words differently and avoid sounding repetitive.
• Talk about your future goals – Write down what you expect to achieve in your future after your studies, and how this course fits into your plans. This shows that you have a clear goal and a strong reason to start this course.
• Highlight your main motivations – Emphasise your why, the main motivation that inspired you to study a subject. This shows that you have a specific reason to study that course and not because you don’t know what else to study. You can do this by linking to one of the points mentioned previously in the personal statement to reinforce your main motivation. (An example could be applying for nursing to prevent child disease degeneration or to help families of children with learning disabilities to conduct a better life Or your main motivation for studying environmental engineering may be contributing to lower carbon emissions).
• Keep it relevant – Don’t just group repetitive words to reach the word count or fill the gaps. Sometimes, less is more. Keep the conclusion relevant and concise as the rest of your personal statement.

Proofreading the personal statement

Before sending your personal statements it’s essential to ensure the text has no mistakes. Avoid your university application being rejected for a few grammar mistakes, and don’t rely completely on the auto-correction if using applications such as word or google docs.

Read the personal statement a few times, and try to read it aloud to check that your words flow clearly. Also, let someone else read it and ask for feedback. This may give you a different perspective and spot new opportunities to improve a sentence, a paragraph or the personal statement overall.

Start a University Course in 2024

Get university admission support to start a university course in the UK. Book a free consultation and speak to our team of education consultants

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Need help with university admissions and Student Finance support? Fill up the form to talk to our team of university advisors

Privacy Policy: We always ensure that your email address and data are kept safe, and we’ll get in contact with you for relevant communications only.

How to write a personal statement

How to approach writing your personal statement for graduate applications.

If you’re applying for a grad course that requires a personal statement (sometimes also called a ‘statement of purpose’), it can be difficult to know where to start and what to include. Read on for tips from some of our masters’ students about their process and what they found helpful.

1. Before you start

The academic work is the most important reason why we’re here, but that also translates into work experiences, internships, volunteering. I think a big part of the personal statement is crafting that narrative of academic self that fits alongside your professional experiences, to give that greater picture of who you are as an academic. Lauren (MSc Modern Middle Eastern Studies)

Start by thinking about the skills, knowledge and interests you’ve acquired over time and how the course at Oxford will take them forward.

Your statement is the story you want to tell about yourself and your academic work to the department you are applying to.

Most of your application and its supporting documents communicate plain facts about your academic career so far. Your personal statement is your best opportunity to put these facts into context and show assessors how you’ve progressed and excelled.

Make sure you highlight evidence of your achievements (a high grade in a relevant area, an award or scholarship, a research internship).

Presenting yourself

When I was writing my personal statement, I went onto my course website. I looked at what they emphasised and what kind of students they were looking for, and I wrote about my experiences based on that. Kayla (MSc in Clinical Embryology)

Make it easy for an assessor to see how you meet the entry requirements for the course (you can find these on each course page ).

Don’t make any assumptions about what Oxford is looking for!

Get to know your department

You want to study this particular subject and you want to study at Oxford (you’re applying here, so we know that!) but why is Oxford the right place for you to study this subject? What interests or qualities of the academic department and its staff make it attractive to you?

Use your academic department’s website for an overview of their research, academic staff and course information (you'll find a link to the department's own website on each course page ).

I said, ‘why do I actually want to be here? What is it about being at Oxford that’s going to get me to what I want to do? Sarah (Bachelor of Civil Law)

Talk it out

Talking to others about your statement can be a great way to gather your ideas and decide how you’d like to approach it. Sarah even managed to get benefit out of this approach by herself:

“I spent a lot of time talking out loud. My written process was actually very vocal, so I did a lot of talking about myself in my room.”

2. The writing process

Know your format.

Make sure you’ve read all the guidance on the How to Apply section of your course page , so you know what’s needed in terms of the word count of the final statement, what it should cover and what it will be assessed for. This should help you to visualise roughly what you want to end up with at the end of the process.

Make a start

When it comes to writing your personal statement, just getting started can be the hardest part.

One good way to get around writer’s block is to just put it all down on the page, like Mayur.

First - write down anything and everything. In the first round, I was just dumping everything - whatever I’ve done, anything close to computer science, that was on my personal statement. Mayur (MSc Computer Science)

You’ll be editing later anyway so don’t let the blank page intimidate you - try writing a little under each of the following headings to get started:

• areas of the course at Oxford that are the most interesting to you
• which areas you’ve already studied or had some experience in
• what you hope to use your Oxford course experience for afterwards.

3. Finishing up

Get some feedback.

Once you’ve got a draft of about the right length, ask for feedback on what you’ve written. It might take several drafts to get it right.

This could involve getting in touch with some of your undergraduate professors to ask them to read your draft and find any areas which needed strengthening.

You could also show it to people who know you well, like family or friends.

Because they’re the first people to say, ‘Who is that person?’ You want the people around you to recognise that it really sounds like you. It can be scary telling family and friends you’re applying for Oxford, because it makes it real, but be brave enough to share it and get feedback on it. Sarah (Bachelor of Law)

Be yourself

Finally - be genuine and be yourself. Make sure your personal statement represents you, not your idea about what Oxford might be looking for.

We have thousands of students arriving every year from a huge range of subjects, backgrounds, institutions and countries (you can hear from a few more of them in our My Oxford interviews).

Get moving on your application today

To find out more about supporting documents and everything else you need to apply, read your course page and visit our Application Guide .

Applicant advice hub

This content was previously available through our  Applicant advice hub . The hub contained links to articles hosted on our  Graduate Study at Oxford Medium channel . We've moved the articles that support the application process into this new section of our website.

• Application Guide: Statement of purpose

Can't find what you're looking for?

If you have a query about graduate admissions at Oxford, we're here to help:

Ask a question

Privacy Policy

Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy

  10 min read

How to Write a Personal Statement for a UK University

Applying for an undergraduate course in the UK? You will be applying through UCAS, a central online platform that connects you to your chosen universities. And one of the requirements of this application is the personal statement. While every element of your application is important, think of your personal statement a bit like a golden ticket. It’s your opportunity to stand out amongst hundreds if not thousands of other applicants. Nailing your personal statement can be your key to admission! Read on to find out how to write a personal statement for a UK university.

Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS

First things first, what is a personal statement? The “personal” in the name gives it away. It’s a write-up about you, outlining your reasons for wanting to study your chosen course at your chosen universit y, in the UK.

It’s also your opportunity to give admissions officers a clearer picture of who you are. Admissions officers are looking at hundreds of transcripts and certificates. But these standard documents don’t really give them an idea of what kind of person you are. What do you bring to their university as an individual? What goals, interests, experience, skills, and insights make you a brilliant addition to their institute? The personal statement could be the document that helps secure your place at your chosen university.

Though similar to a statement of purpose , the UCAS personal statement has some unique characteristics. For starters, you write just one statement for all the universities you’re applying to. Through UCAS, you can apply to a maximum of five universities at undergraduate level.

This statement can also only be up to 4,000 characters long. That’s roughly 700 words. It may seem challenging to make a compelling case for yourself within these restrictions. But don’t worry – we have some guidelines set out for you!

Tips on How to Write a Personal Statement for UK Universities

1. plan thoroughly before you start writing.

To write a solid personal statement for a UK university, you must start with a plan. You have a limited number of characters to work with. To make a strong case for your application, you have to engage and impress with your writing within those characters.

To begin this process, start by brainstorming. Draw out a mind map to help you jot down the potential ideas you could write about. A good place to start is with your course description. If you’re applying to the same or similar courses for your shortlisted universities, research what these universities are looking for in students. What are these course descriptions highlighting? What experience, skills, qualities, and so on are they focusing on?

Structure your personal statement around these points. What academic achievements, work experiences, skills, extracurricular activities, etc. align with these points? Highlight these, rather than trying to write a general autobiography of yourself.

For example, say that a course description spotlights “students who are curious and eager to learn.” You could be the captain of the football team and win many medals. But as cool as these achievements are, they don’t really match what the course is looking for, right? Instead, you could discuss how watching a legendary football player got you interested in the sport. Discuss how you signed up for the team, and spent a lot of time and effort learning to be a better player. Then connect this to your course, to demonstrate that you have the qualities the university is looking for.

Planning first makes the writing process much smoother. It helps you organise your ideas and narrow down your best and most relevant ones. When you do start writing, it’ll flow much better because you know exactly what you’re trying to say!

2. Know What the Admissions Officers are Looking For

Crafting your personal statement around the skills and qualities highlighted in course descriptions is a must. There are also some questions admissions officers will seek answers for when reading your personal statement. Why did you choose to study in the UK, for instance, rather than your home country? Why did you choose this particular program?

Through UCAS, you’re applying to all your shortlisted UK universities at the same time. So, avoid addressing the university by name. Discuss how, for example, the UK has the best program rankings in your field in the world. Link your ambitions and passions to your choice in what and where to study.

Communicate your interests and motivations with enthusiasm but without exaggerating or being vague. Saying you wanted to study in the UK because you’ve seen it on TV isn’t a compelling reason to admissions officers. Saying that the UK consistently ranks highly in your field, and describing how passionate you are about studying this course, is much more convincing of your value as a student.

Tip: Avoid stating dual intentions. If you state motivations to live and work in the UK, admissions officers might interpret your intentions as a student as “not genuine.” In a couple of cases, people have applied to UK schools to use a student visa and enter the country, without intentions of completing their courses. Admissions officers will prioritise students who express genuine motivations to complete their studies in the UK.

3. Set Yourself Apart in Your Writing

Allow your unique voice and personality to express themselves through your writing. Generic statements like “I have always wanted to be a teacher” aren’t particularly engaging, right? The same statement could be true for hundreds of others. If you’re applying for an education course, think about experiences and skills that make you the perfect fit for the program. Share an anecdote of how you’d spend lunch break mentoring students for exams coming up. Or talk about your internship working with kids at summer camps or kindergartens. Rather than stating that you are passionate about teaching, show it through your writing. Describe relevant experiences you had, events that made you realise you wanted to teach as a career, that convey this passion.

4. Don’t Copy or Exaggerate in Your Writing

Given how important the personal statement is, you might be feeling a bit of pressure. But trust us – trying to copy off an already existing personal statement, or exaggerating to impress the admissions officers, will do more harm than good. Your personal statements will automatically be run through plagiarism checks. If there is over 10% similarity with other documents and statements, your selected universities will receive notice. Plagiarism can result in your application falling through altogether. So, trying to frame your personal statement off someone else’s or taking inspiration from elsewhere is something we strongly recommend against. You could look at personal statements for university samples for ideas on how to write, but remember that your statement needs to reflect you.

Another temptation some students fall into is exaggerating. You might feel as though your accomplishments aren’t enough to guarantee an unconditional offer. But making up or exaggerating them and risking being found out is worse. If there is misinformation or inaccuracies in your personal statement, you face rejection.

Remember, be honest, and be yourself. Use course descriptions and structures as your guide. Which of these qualities have you displayed during your schooling, work, or general life experience? Discuss these skills and experiences to demonstrate why you’re a good match for the university.

5. Writing About Personal Circumstances

Presenting yourself positively does not mean you can’t write about anything negative. Did you experience something that affected your application in some way? For example, did you miss school because of an injury or mental health challenge? Or was there a family emergency that made it difficult for you to focus on school? You can – and should – discuss these, to give universities a better idea of why your academic performance isn’t as great as it could be.

The important thing is not to fixate on the negatives. You’re not trying to get sympathy from the admissions officers. In fact, trying to do so may work against you. Use these negative experiences to highlight positive characteristics about you. Talk about your resilience, how you didn’t give up, how you still got passing scores despite the difficulties you were facing. Let your universities know that even under pressure, you will thrive.

6. Use Proper Language and Grammar

The personal statement is still a formal document and part of your official application. While writing in an engaging and enthusiastic way, you must still write properly and professionally. Avoid slang, contractions, informal language, and jokes altogether. Remember also that you have a limited number of characters to work with. Cut down on “fluff” when you’re writing. If certain words or phrases don’t add anything to your statement aside from sounding nice, find a way to rephrase or repurpose them to service your statement better. If they don’t service your statement, omit them completely.

Make sure you check your work multiple times for punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Don’t simply rely on grammar-checking software – these often don’t catch all the mistakes.

Also, avoid trying to impress the admissions officers with complex vocabulary. These people have read hundreds of personal statements, and they can tell when your writing feels unnatural and manufactured. Rather than focusing on complicated jargon, write in a way that feels natural, succinct, and easy to understand. Keep your tone enthusiastic, but not inappropriate, overly-familiar, or casual.

7. Get a Second Opinion

And a third, and fourth, and a fifth. While planning out your piece, discuss your ideas with your teachers, friends, family, counsellors, and others who know you well. Their insight could help you consider ideas you might not have thought of otherwise.

Ask for feedback as you draft and re-draft. You may have been staring at your own writing for so long you might miss mistakes or inconsistencies. A fresh set of eyes can help you catch odd sentence structures, errors, or simply suggest better ways to express parts of your statement.

Don’t overdo it looking for feedback either. Not everyone may have the same opinion and too many conflicting ideas and opinions can make your job difficult too. We recommend reaching out to counsellors and teachers who are already familiar with helping students write personal statements. They can help you write a quality personal statement for a UK university knowing what works and what doesn’t.

8. Start Early

“Start early” is our blanket advice for all application processes. And for good reason. The more time you allow yourself, the better you can prepare. You won’t be able to write the perfect personal statement in a single draft. Giving yourself enough time to plan, draft, get feedback, re-draft, proofread, and so on lets you create a thought-out, quality personal statement. Starting too close to the deadline will inevitably mean that you rush the process. You won’t be submitting your best work. And that’s not the type of risk you want to take with the document that could make or break your application.

8. Write Out Your Personal Statement Separately

Type out your personal statement separately in a Word document or Google Doc, and keep back-ups. Continuously monitor that your word count doesn’t exceed 4,000 characters. When you are ready to submit your application in full, copy and paste this text into UCAS’ platform where you’re asked to do so. Remember, the UCAS window for the personal statement will become inactive after some time. Instead of typing everything out, it’s much safer and more efficient to have a copy saved elsewhere to paste on at the right time.

Our Concluding Thoughts

We hope that this piece has settled your doubts and worries about writing a personal statement. How to write a personal statement for a UK university isn’t as daunting when you know what to do! Start early, and do your research about what your universities are looking for before you begin. Seek advice and feedback from teachers, counsellors, friends, and family. Once you’re confident about your best ideas, draft and re-draft, proofread and edit, until you’re sure you’ve produced your best work. Remember, the personal statement is your chance to show admissions officers why you deserve that seat out of hundreds of other applicants. Make full use of this opportunity!