What is the personal statement?
The personal statement is your chance to demonstrate what an excellent candidate you are for your chosen course/s. The statement cannot be more than 4000 characters including spaces or 47 lines. UCAS use sophisticated antiplagiarism software, so make sure your statement is all your own work, under no circumstances should you be tempted to include cutandpasted material from any source!
How should I structure my personal statement?
The recommended structure is as follows:
● paragraph 1 – explain why you are passionate about your subject and why you are such a good candidate for the course
● paragraph 2 – demonstrate what skills you have already developed from your A level …show more content…
If you have completed relevant work experience/ shadowing you should use a few examples of things you have done and/or seen and what you have learnt from them or what insights you have developed about your chosen course/ career. examples
‘At GCSE, I designed and made a garden bench from oak. As this was designed to go outside, I wanted to avoid using glue and so I crafted some very complex mortis and tenon joints to make it stronger and more durable.’ K. Shadbolt (Furniture design, 2011)
‘I can already see how my understanding of certain processes, such as the effects of stress lowering the immune response could allow me to help patients by using my strong interpersonal skills to help reduce their stress levels and so improve their recovery experience.’ G. Wilding (Nursing, 2011)
Paragraph 3 – extracurricular interests
The key points for this section are …show more content…
This sums up how I feel about sport and as a result I wish to study sport and exercise science at university.’ G. Wright (Sports & Exercise Science, 2011)
Closing sentence
Finish by reinforcing how enthusiastic you are about studying your chosen subject, and why you believe you will be successful. example
‘I am confident that my passionate interest in philosophy, combined with the commitment I bring to extracurricular activities, will enable me to make a significant contribution to a Philosophy degree course and to the wider university life and I am eager to begin.’ M. Arnerich (Philosophy, 2011)
FINAL TIPS
It is important that paragraphs 2 and 3 relate back to your passion for your subject. What you are trying to show are the skills and qualities you have that will make you a successful university student of that subject.
Remember that each admissions tutor has to read hundreds of UCAS forms. You are competing against other people for the same place so make sure your statement stands out from the others.
If you are applying for courses that interview, only include information that you are