A personal statement can seem like a pretty challenging feat. However, if you view it as an opportunity for you to show off your passions and personality to your chosen universities, then it is definitely more of a blessing than a curse. We’ll take a look at 5 tips on writing a personal statement that are sure to make yours stand out amongst the rest. Those uni offers will be flooding in!
Tip 1: Make a draft
A word count can be a pesky thing whenever you have to write anything. That’s why it can be really helpful to give yourself at least 2 or 3 practices writing your personal statement without any word limit. You have 4000 characters for the actual thing, which estimates around 500-600 words. This exercise allows you to give yourself the time to put all your thoughts onto the page freely. Write anything that comes to mind! In the next and final drafts you can start to cut this down and focus on the good stuff.
Tip 2: Be honest, and yourself!
This is the part of your UCAS application that really allows you to get your voice heard. This is a formal piece of writing, but don’t be afraid to be candid about what has really inspired you to choose this degree. Anecdotes and real life experiences can be a great way of doing this. If your chosen degree is English Literature, for example, speak about how your love of reading started with Harry Potter when you were a kid. Things like this really get your personality across and make your statement memorable to admissions teams.
Tip 3: Be specific
Universities want to see that you have a genuine interest in your chosen degree and understand what it’ll entail. Take a look at the course specification and mention parts of this that you’re particularly looking forward to studying. If you can link this back to things you may have already studied in or out of school, even better! If you’ve looked further into what the course will be like, this will impress unis and show a really proactive student.
Tip 4: Read it out loud
This can be a great tip for any piece of writing. We can easily get lost in using fancy words and complex sentences that it becomes slightly confused. If you read out your statement a few times while writing, you can ensure your points are clear and concise.
Tip 5: Proofread
Again, this goes for all academic writing tasks. The best way to proofread is to leave your statement for a day or two, and go back to look at it with fresh eyes before making changes. If you can get a teacher or friend to proofread your work too, even better. Universities will absolutely be looking for perfect grammar and spelling, so watch out!
Your personal statement can be a really great chance for you to think through your strengths, passions and reasons for wanting to study your chosen degree. It’s good practice for writing cover letters when it comes to work, and is the perfect opportunity to allow yourself to shine. It may not be the make or break between you getting or not getting an offer, but it sure can help!
