Writing a personal statement is an inevitable part of the UCAS application procedure in the UK. A well-written one can make you stand out from other applicants and convince the university why you will be a perfect cultural fit.
We understand you do not want to leave any stone unturned to get closer to your dream college. Keeping this in mind, we have curated these six efficient tips on how you can write that impeccable personal statement that guarantees your enrollment.
Before we begin our list, it is essential to brush up on the basics to grasp things better!
What is a Personal Statement?
A personal statement is a personal account of your academic experience where you communicate your skills, experience, and ambitions to persuade the university to select you for the applied course. Furthermore, you also talk about why you have applied to the course, what you hope to achieve from it, and what you plan to do once it ends. It provides a clear picture of whether you will be an ideal fit or not.
You send your personal statement along with your UCAS application form. According to UCAS guidelines, it should not exceed 4000 characters, so make sure not to repeat anything that your application form already contains. If there are particular details you want them to notice, highlight the part or use a different font.
Make an Outline before you Begin Writing
Planning a proper structure before writing your personal statement can help the admission committee navigate your whole document smoothly. It allows them to connect the dots in your story to understand your perspective better.
So first, create a concise structure of your document and note down the critical points you wish to discuss in detail. You can consider these points below:
- Reasons on why you want to study here
- What makes you an ideal candidate
- How your current education is relevant to the course
- Your hobbies and interests relative to the course
- Appropriate skills and achievements
Weave a Story
Now comes the part about how you should be writing your personal statement. Don’t make it generic; instead, try to make it subjective by weaving a story. For example,
Avoid statements like: I have always loved writing, so I thought of making a career in it.
Use instead: Writing empowers me! It allows me to express my opinions, thoughts, and feelings freely. It gives me a purpose to build strong narratives that I intend to share with the world by pursuing a career in it.
Can you understand the difference? The latter statement builds an immediate emotional connect with a reader, whereas the former was typical, direct, and mundane.
Avoid Grammatical Errors
It might sound like a typical cliché, but trust us, it still holds utmost importance! Even the slightest grammatical error gives an impression of unprofessionalism. So it is imperative to edit and proofread your personal statement multiple times before you send it across.
To avoid grammatical and spelling errors, you can use various online software and tools like Grammarly, Google Docs, MS Word, etc. You can also run your document once through a plagiarism checker to strengthen the integrity of your personal statement.
Ask for a Feedback
We cannot emphasise this point enough! Taking feedback from your friends or family is crucial as it allows you to know the legibility of your document or any scope of improvement.
You can even read aloud to them as it helps you understand it from a recruiter’s point of view, and your audience can also advise if your personal statement conveys the desired message or sounds vague.
Students staying on the campus, like the student accommodation near UCL or Coventry University private halls, can ask their peers or professors to go through your personal statement. That way, they can both proofread the document and give some meaningful insights.
Write Your Own Unique Statement
Relax! Take your time to write your own unique statement. Since your upcoming future depends on it, it has to be a work of art, not like an exam paper that you rush to complete in a stipulated time.
A great personal statement can take up to weeks or maybe months, but we are not urging you to prolong that much. Write at your own pace while taking care of every minute detail.
Take a look at the following points before you pen down your document.
- Write multiple drafts
- Write freely. Don’t ponder much about the character limit in your first draft. You can curtail the unnecessary information in the following ones.
- If you are staying at the accommodation near Glasgow University or Oxford University, you can access the library and other resources for further help.
Make it Relevant
The last but the most important tip: make it relevant! Talk about your academic credentials, extracurricular activities, skills, jobs/internships, attributes, and achievements related to the course you have applied for.
Don’t worry! Even if you have experience not directly related to the course, try to find a common link or explain what you have learnt from it that triggered your interest in the subject.
Best of luck!
