Applying to University? Our top tips for writing an effective Personal Statement

Your personal statement will help set you apart from other prospective course candidates so it’s important you take the time to get it right!

Before you start to write your personal statement, you need to know the type of courses you would like to apply for.  You can search for courses starting in 2021 using the UCAS search tool which is available now.

Once you have an idea of the courses you would like to apply for you can get started!

Brainstorm

Before you even start writing do a quick brainstorm around the type of course you are applying for.  What was it about the subject/course you were drawn to?  Are there particular aspects you are really interested in?  What skills do you have which complement the subject/course?  Put down anything that comes to mind!!

What to include:

Introduction: What subject are you applying for and why? What interests you about the course?

Academic interests: What are you currently studying?  What academic skills have you gained from your studies?

External experience:  What have you done outside of school or college?  Include suitable information on jobs, work experience, volunteering.  How have your experiences helped develop your skill set?  How have they helped prepare you for studying at University?

Extra-curricular activities: Include any experiences you have such as DofE, participation in any clubs or teams.  This is your chance to show your personality and what you can bring to wider university life.

Conclusion: Summarise why you want to study your chosen subject and why you should be offered a place.  Keep this concise but memorable for the admission tutor.

Use the ABC principle:

In each part of your statement follow the ABC principle when writing about your skills and experiences detailed above. 

o   Activity: What have you done?

o   Benefit: What skills or benefits have you gained from that activity?

o   Course: How will this prepare you for the course?

How much should you write?

There is no right or wrong answer providing you have written enough to showcase your potential be suitable candidate on your chosen course(s) and you have kept within the limit of 47 lines or 4000 characters long.

Deadlines

Most schools and colleges will have internal deadlines for students to meet so academic tutors have time to feedback and check for any errors in the application process. 

The earliest date applications can be made are the 8th September 2020 and for students wishing to apply to Oxbridge universities or who are applying for Dentistry, Medicine or veterinary medicine will usually have until the 15th October to apply. 

All other applications must usually be made by the 15th January, however most schools and colleges will encourage students to submit their applications before the Christmas break. 

Final do’s and don’ts!

Do

Write a draft in Word or a similar word processing programme first.  Although you will submit your personal statement online don’t write it straight onto your application.

Get others to read your statement.  Don’t be embarrassed, your friends, family, teachers will all be able to offer a range of ideas and guidance. 

Check for errors.  Ensure you use paragraphs and punctuation, and spell check before putting your statement onto the system.

Save a copy on a cloud drive or server not on a device that could get lost!

Don’ts

Plagiarise.  It can be tempting to look at other personal statements for inspiration but be careful.  Remember you are selling you and reading another statement may make you change your statement to reflect what you think admissions officers want to read.  This wont help and may prevent you from expressing the real you! (also UCAS can check if you have copied text from elsewhere!)

Mention a specific university. This will put off other universities straight away!

Don’t lie. Just don’t.

Leave it until the last minute.  Offers are made as applications are received so don’t wait until the final deadline to submit your application. Get your personal statement written early so you have time to perfect it.

If your unsure on any aspect of applying to University always contact your school or college careers department or visit https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/how-write-ucas-undergraduate-personal-statement

Are you worried about what to write about when it comes to work experience, placements and extracurricular activities when most things have been cancelled?

Next up we will be focusing on how to make the most of lock down opportunities to support writing your university and job applications.

 #education #ucas #university #alevels2021 #revision #tutoring #alevel #college #sixthform #fe #ucassupport #ucasapplication