How to Write a Personal Statement for University Applications

Personal Statements: Crafting a Compelling Narrative#

Writing your personal statement can feel like the hardest part of applying for university, so we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to help you out! From discovering your skills and achievements to avoiding the cliché phrases, we’ve covered it all. 

Use our guide below to complete your personal statement with confidence!

Key Elements of a Standout Personal Statement#

Clear Structure and Flow

Your personal statement should be formatted into paragraphs and read clearly. You can decide how to structure your writing, but you may want to divide each paragraph up into topics. Don’t limit yourself though! You may find your experiences are intertwined or relate to one another, which you should showcase!

Some key questions you need to answer within your personal statement are:

★ Why are you applying for your chosen courses?

★ Why are you interested in your chosen subject?

★ Why will you be great on the course?

★ How do your current studies and experiences relate?

★ How does studying at university promote your career ambitions?

Think about how each of your answers to these questions link together. This will help you to establish a flow of ideas. You want to take the admissions tutor along your journey. This doesn’t need to be chronological, but they need to understand clearly how your experiences as a whole weave together to make you a strong applicant. What led you to make each decision in your experience so far? Perhaps one led to another, or inspired you to seek out opportunities in a particular field of interest.

Showcasing Personal Qualities and Skills

Be confident when writing about your personal qualities and skills. A lot of people find it hard to write about themselves, but the whole point of a personal statement is to talk about yourself! 

Rather than generalising all of your skills, think about which ones will be most utilised in the course you are applying for. If you are unsure, read the course description to figure out what kind of skills they will expect you to have. This way, you can explain how you will develop your skills further throughout the course - starting with your baseline qualities. 

When talking about your skills, give an example of a time when you demonstrated that skill. Anyone can claim they have good communication or research skills, but only those who have experiences can back that claim up! You can use examples from school projects or extracurricular activities - you’d be surprised how transferable your skills are. 

Highlighting Relevant Achievements and Experiences

Before you start, write down everything you think might be relevant for your university personal statement. You will refer to this list consistently when you are writing, so the more you can think of the better. 

If you are struggling to think of examples, reverse the ideas process. When you discuss your reasoning for choosing the course, or career ambitions - what have you done in your life so far which has contributed to those dreams and choices? 

When discussing your achievements in your statement, ask yourself these questions:

★ What did I learn when I was working towards this achievement?

★ What would I do differently in the future? 

★ What skills would I need to develop to improve my achievement?

★ How can I quantify my achievement? How much time and effort was put into it?

★ Why did I choose to work towards this achievement?

By completely understanding and reflecting on your experiences and achievements, you will find writing about them much easier! It is hard to write about something you have never considered before.

Crafting a Captivating Opening#

Strategies for Engaging Introductions

Some students find it helpful to write their introduction last, as it can feel like the hardest part to write! So once you have written most of the content of your statement, your introduction will feel much easier to tackle. 

Example introduction strategies:

★ Introduce yourself and your passion for the subject

★ What about your subject is inspiring you now? (Not what inspired you as a child)

★ Avoid clichés and quotes from famous people.

★ Share your enthusiasm for the subject

★ Talk about what you want to study and why

★ Be concise and clear about your excitement for the subject

Examples of Successful Opening Lines

★ “Volunteering at a local nursing home for the last 2 years sparked my inspiration to choose psychology…”

★ “My interest in biology is centred around innovations in healthcare, looking after the human body and discovering how cells impact bodily functions…”

★ “Through exploring national parks and documenting my experiences on my personal blog, I discovered my fascination with geography…”

Reinforcing Unique Selling Points#

University admissions tutors will be reading hundreds of personal statements, all attuned to the course subject. You need to tell the university why you are different from all of the other applicants. What is your unique selling point? What will you bring to the course that no other student will? 

To discover your unique selling point, think about your:

★ Personal life experience that has shaped your interest in the course

★ Work experience in a relevant industry

★ Work experience that has transferable skills

★ Successes in your current learning and study, which topics do you outperform in?

★ Extra-curricular activities which are unique to you

If you are struggling to think of something unique in your experiences, ask your friends and family what makes you different from other students. It can be helpful to receive external opinions, as they may see fantastic things in you that you are unaware of.

Drawing Inspiration from Successful Personal Statement Examples#

Tailoring Your Personal Statement to Different Subject Areas

What happens if you are applying for a variety of courses? Writing a personal statement for different courses can feel tricky. Especially if you want to focus on and mention the subjects you are applying for. 

University admissions tutors are aware that some students will be applying for a variety of course subjects, so a personal statement which covers a few topics is not unheard of! Remember you are writing about yourself, not just subjects. Depending on how varied the courses you are applying for are, you should be able to combine your passion for your subjects within your career ambitions and reasons you want to study in higher education. If you can, think of ways that your different course options link together - maybe there are modules within the course that are related to your subject choices. Research each course in depth to find out your specific interests, you may find there are links you can reference to or hone in on.

Subject-Specific Tips for Crafting a Relevant Statement

After writing your personal statement, read it through and decide whether you could guess what subject/s you are applying for. If it feels too generic, research the course descriptions for your universities to discover what you are most excited about studying. 

★ How are you going to enhance your current knowledge of the subject, engage with the learning at university and apply your experience after graduation?

★ How will you bring value to the course as a student?

★ What is it about your subject that fascinates you the most?

Employing Correct Grammar, Tone, and Style in Your Writing

Keep the same tone throughout your personal statement. It can be easy to accidentally change the tense or writing style mid-sentence. Proofread your statement carefully, checking the tense of your word choices and making sure you haven’t started a clause without finishing it! It can be tempting to cut sentences down to meet the character count, but be sure your sentences still make sense after editing.

Personal statements should combine factual and example based experiences with the emotional and aspirational dreams you have. Check that your statement contains a mixture of both, as one without the other can be uninspiring or lack substance.

Ensuring Clarity and Coherence

While using a thesaurus can enhance your writing and keep it fresh, sometimes complicated wording can get in the way of your message. Your statement will gain its strength through the examples and justifications you give for applying to the course, not through the number of fancy words.

Be clear with your wording. Shorter, punchy sentences are better than long sentences which leave the admissions tutor feeling lost or confused. Figure out the most concise and clear way to demonstrate your experiences - some detail is important, but don’t focus too much on one thing. Showcase how varied your interests are, through the variation of your examples.

Adhering to Formal Writing Standards

Your personal statement should be formal, but engaging. You are about to start university, where formal writing is expected in assignments. Show your writing skills now to prove to the admissions tutor that you are competent. Get straight to the point and limit the rambling.

Capturing Admissions Tutors' Attention with Your Personal Statement

Each admissions tutor will have read hundreds of personal statements, so how are you going to make yours stand out? Everyone has different experiences which they can bring to a university application, so focus on what makes you stand out, rather than copying your friends.

Understanding Admission Criteria

Read the course description and entry requirements thoroughly for all 5 of your course choices. Take notes on the expectations they have for students, and integrate your strengths into your statement. What do the courses expect you to know before starting? Do you have a baseline knowledge of the subject which will enable you to excel in the course?

If there are additional criteria which are not included in your level 3 qualification, be sure to include them in your personal statement. This may include work experience or English language requirements.

Addressing Selection Criteria Effectively

Be clear that you meet the basic criteria for your courses in your writing. Sometimes courses specify that you need to have A-Level subjects or qualifications, even at a certain grade, before joining the course. For example, a maths course may expect you to have completed a maths A-Level. Talk about this in your statement, but expand on it. What have you enjoyed about studying that subject thus far? 

Seeking Feedback and Editing

Ask for feedback! Your school careers advisor or teachers will be able to help you with feedback on your statement. They may be able to spot grammatical errors, or even gaps in your writing. 

You can also ask for editing assistance from your family and friends. Perhaps you have an older sibling who has been to university, that you could ask for advice from. 

One thing to remember is that everyone will offer differing opinions on the best way for you to write your personal statement. It is your job to decide which advice you would like to take on board. This is your personal statement, so you have control over what you submit.

Importance of Proofreading and Revising

Proofread your statement again and again! Read your writing aloud to yourself, to see if it flows well or needs revising. Take into consideration the feedback you have received from your advisors or family members - it's OK to rewrite sections or cut out things you don’t feel are relevant anymore.

Check for spelling mistakes or punctuation errors. When typing, it can be easy to accidentally hit the comma instead of the full stop key, or use an American spelling vs a British spelling. You can use online spelling checkers, but try not to rely too heavily on these. In our experience, you should check your spelling manually too, just to make sure!