2. What should I put in my personal
statement?
Your personal statement is an opportunity to tell us about yourself, and to outline why you're a compelling
candidate for a research degree with us.
In your statement, you should demonstrate your enthusiasm for your research topic and highlight the skills
you've gained from your academic studies and your work or life experience. Here's a checklist of what you
should include:
Your reasons for choosing your topic of research
The aspects of your topic of research that interest you most
Any skills and abilities gained from work experience, placement or voluntary work, particularly if it's
relevant to your subject
How your choice of research fits in with your future career plans
Why you would like to study in the UK (for EU/International students)
If you've taken, or are planning to take, a year out, please give your reasons
If you aren't currently in full-time education, please provide details of your current or previous employment
3. What Makes A Good Personal Statement?
Tip : If you know what you’d like to do after as a career, explain how you
plan to use the knowledge and experience that you’ll gain to launch your
career.
4. How To End A Personal Statement
It’s always good to connect the beginning of your statement to the end and a
great way to reinforce what you said at the start.
You want to see the ending as your chance to finish in a way that’ll make the
admissions tutor remember you.
This final part of your personal statement should emphasise the great points
you’ve already made and answer the question of why you should be offered a
place on the course.
5. What Makes A Personal Statement Stand
Out?
if you've done your research – brag about it. This sounds obvious but when
writing a personal statement, it's important to show your passion for the
subject. If you've read any related books, talk briefly about what you learnt
from them, and why they have developed your interest in the subject.
Structure can make or break your personal statement. Too much text and
the reader could get bored, too little and you look lazy. Paragraphs
should flow effortlessly and coherently.
Before you start writing your application, make a note of everything that you
want to include. There are hundreds of resources available online that will
give you an insight into what a university will be looking for. Some
institutions even have their own guides on writing personal statements, to
ensure you don’t miss any information.
6. What Makes A Personal
Statement Stand Out?
Writing a personal statement can be tough and it’s easy to fall
into the trap of using stereotypical sentences. The key is to be
creative and detailed, without rambling and losing focus.
Although no two personal statements should ever be the same,
there are elements that every student will need to cover.
The university will need to know why you want to study your
chosen course and what makes you the right candidate. Mention
any experience that is relevant to your chosen subject and
career path. You may have more transferable skills than you
think from part-time jobs and your education.
An important part of your personal statement is selling yourself.
In 2016, a record 424,000 students were accepted into UK
universities, although around 593,720 applied. There are often
hundreds of people applying for each university course and for
popular courses such as medicine, it can be in the thousands.
You need to say more than simply that you’ve completed an A-
Level in your degree subject and want a job in that area. Most
universities will include the syllabus for each course on their
website and in their prospectus. Research the course and show
that you understand exactly what you will be studying.
7. What Makes A
Personal Statement
Stand Out?
Explaining that you want to be accepted onto a business
management degree course because you want to manage
your own business, isn’t going to make you stand out. Look at
each individual module and what makes it relevant to your
professional goals. Linking the course directly to your
ambitions shows your drive and passion for the subject and
will also ensure that your application is unique.
A personal statement should detail both academic
achievements and extracurricular activities in a 75/25 split,
with a focus on education. This will show that you’re a well-
rounded person. Activities that you enjoy outside of the
classroom can be used to support your subject choice. This
could include an interest in wider reading that relates to
your course, a part-time job or placement within the
industry or being a member of a relevant team or group.
Your approach to the content that you include in your
personal statement will depend entirely on the course that
you are applying for. Professional courses, such as teaching
and social care, will require more emphasis on relevant
qualifications and experience within the industry. More
creative courses may want you to showcase examples of your
work and include information about where you draw
inspiration from.
8. What Makes A Personal
Statement Stand Out?
Your personal statement should be upbeat. If you
don’t believe in yourself, this will come across in
your application. Focus on your strengths, along
with the skills you have and make a case for why
you would be an excellent candidate for your chosen
course. Talk positively about both yourself and the
course that you are applying for and try to convey
your passion and enthusiasm for your future plans
after university.
Whether you ask your friends, family members or a
teacher at your college for help, getting people to
read your personal statement is a vital last step.
When you’re constantly rereading the same piece of
writing, you can easily miss spelling mistakes and
grammatical errors. A sloppy personal statement
could cost you your place at university. Asking other
people to read your work is also a great way to
check that your passion for the course comes
through in your writing. Having a teacher or lecturer
proofread your application also ensures that you
have included everything that university staff will
look for.
9. Why is your personal statement so
important?
Your personal statement needs to create a strong impression for your
university application. It's your opportunity to say why you want to study your
chosen course, and what skills, experiences and qualifications you have that
will make you a successful student.
Your personal statement is an opportunity for you to demonstrate why you
think you would be a good student for the programme you are applying to and
why the University should select your application over those of other
candidates.
A strong personal statement can tip the balance in the applicant's favour.
Students might get lower grade offers based on how good their personal
statement is.
10. The 10 Big Mistakes Students Should
Avoid!
Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS is, in many ways, like asking a student to tell the story of
their life in 4,000 characters or less.
The UCAS Personal Statement is the cornerstone of a UK university application. Students need to
write a genuine, authoritative and compelling account of who they are and what they want from a
UK university degree. They need to quickly grab the attention of the university admissions officer
reading their Personal Statement, and they need to make sure they stand out from the hundreds of
other applications that will be crossing that admission officer’s desk.
In order to do this, the Personal Statement will require a student to master form, structure and
content in such a way that makes their writing stand out. Understandably, students might feel an
inordinate amount of pressure to get their Personal Statement right first time.
Indeed, more often than not, it’s not a case of students being lazy when writing their UCAS Personal
Statements. The problem is often that students will have a lot to say and will have put a lot of
thought into their Statement, but may make some simple stylistic mistakes that could cost them
when they finally submit their application.
11. 1. Writing a Personal Statement for a subject
that isn’t the right fit
If students have done their research carefully and considerately, then this
shouldn’t be a problem. Ideally, in the year leading up to the submission of
the Personal Statement, your students will have shortlisted their university
and course preferences to the point where they’re applying for a subject area
they’re truly passionate about.
But this first, major mistake is the natural conclusion of a student being
pressured into a subject or career path by family, parents or even school
peers. Hopefully this won’t happen – but if a student is writing their UCAS
Personal Statement for a subject they’re not truly passionate about, then this
should set off alarm bells. It will ultimately affect the quality of the Personal
Statement. Most importantly, admissions staff will easily spot a Personal
Statement where the student’s heart isn’t in it.
12. 2. Spelling & Grammar Mistakes
his may seem like a rather obvious mistake, and one your students hopefully shouldn’t be
making.
But the tight time frames associated with a UCAS Personal Statement will make spelling and
grammar mistakes more likely, especially if your students aren’t taking the time to proof-
read their personal statement before submitting it.
Spelling and grammar mistakes can really count against students, and can make their writing
appear sloppy or poorly thought through. It’s an especially bad look if your students are
applying for humanities or social sciences courses, or indeed any degree that requires a lot of
extended writing!
Top tip: Encourage your students to print out their Personal Statement. Whilst we know that
a lot of students do more things digitally these days (and BridgeU is an online platform after
all!), reading a UCAS Personal Statement back as a living, printed document can really help
students hone their eye for detail!
13. 3. Avoid exuberant language and
pointless cliches
“My love of Physics began when I used to look up at the night sky as a child, and found it simultaneously
breath-taking and awe-inspiring.”
“I’ve been passionate about the works of William Shakespeare since seeing my first production on stage.
I’m fascinated by how Shakespeare remains relevant for today.”
Can you see what’s wrong with these two examples? Whilst they are very positive and well-worded
statements about why a student might want to study astrophysics, or Shakespearian literature, both
these Personal Statement examples tip very quickly into cliche and generalisation. We’re not suggesting
you shouldn’t encourage your students to use positive language when writing a UCAS Personal
Statement, but this positive language needs to be backed up with clear, specific examples and rigorous
analysis. Remember – the key to an excellent Personal Statement is showing, not telling. So why is
Shakespeare still relevant to today? What specific examples could a student writing about a 16th century
author use to demonstrate their relevance to the 21st century? Likewise, proclaiming a love for the
wonders of the night sky is all well and good, but why did it make our example student want to study
Physics?
Top tip: Encourage students to set a limit on the number of adjectives or descriptive phrases they use in
their writing. It’s important to remember a Personal Statement has to accomplish a lot in a relatively
short number of words. If students over-use words like ‘passionate’, ‘breathtaking’ and ‘awe-inspiring’
they’re just going to end up repeating themselves.
14. 4. Endlessly listing extracurricular
activities
Extracurricular activities are a vital part of any Personal Statement. If used in the right way, they
can help a student to stand out, and seem like a more well-rounded person. Extracurriculars can
also help to showcase valuable soft skills that universities value in their students.
But there’s no point using extracurriculars like a grocery list. Students endlessly describing their
extracurriculars will mean nothing if they don’t link them back to the overall narrative of the
Personal Statement.
Again, it’s about showing, not telling. Saying ‘I have captained my school football team for three
years’ means nothing if the writer doesn’t explain this activity within the context of the Personal
Statement.
Top tip: When planning their Personal Statement, students need to think about the extracurricular
activities that can demonstrate soft skills. What did they learn from doing this particular
extracurricular activity? Do they think it will set them apart in their overall application? If the
answer is no, then it’s best not putting it in.
15. 5. Over-using quotes or taking them out
of context
Quotes can be a powerful tool to back up any argument, be it in a UCAS Personal Statement or any
other kind of essay.
But quotes used clumsily can often have the opposite effect, and make the writer of a Personal
Statement seem pretentious or just quoting for the sake of it. Many students may feel tempted to
open their Personal Statement with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, or Martin Luther King. A student
who is submitting an application for psychology may feel it necessary to begin their Personal
Statement with a quote from Sigmund Freud. The trouble is that many UK university admissions
tutors have probably seen the same quotes again and again. Again, if quotes aren’t used in context,
or don’t serve the overall narrative of the Personal Statement, then it may be worth not putting
them in. It’s also important to remember that universities want to hear from the student, not
Sigmund Freud! If in doubt, a student writing a Personal Statement should use their own thoughts
and insights, not someone else’s.
Top tip: Encourage students to use less well-known quotes in their Personal Statement. Quotes from
less well-known, specialist thinkers within a subject discipline are more likely to show that a
student is widely read and has a deep and rich knowledge of the subject they’re applying for.
16. 6. Telling the reader something they
already know
Demonstrating subject knowledge and background reading is vital for a UCAS Personal
Statement. But this must fit in with the student’s overall story of why they want to study that
particular degree.
What students shouldn’t do is explain academic or scientific theories at length, or regurgitate
existing arguments that have already been made by other writers in their chosen field of
study.
Students writing a UCAS Personal Statement need to operate from the assumption that the
person reading it is probably an expert in their field. It’s only worth students talking about
their wider reading, or their take on another piece of academic writing, if they can
demonstrate its relevance to them.
Top tip: Students should avoid going into depth about other academic or scientific theories
unless they have a bearing on the student’s own worldview, and can tell the reader something
about why they want to study for that particular course.
17. 7. Not paying attention to
word/character limits
It’s pretty hard to literally ignore the word/character limit for the UCAS Personal Statement,
as there will come a point where students will simply run out of space.
But some students can fail to pay attention to word/character limits to the extent that they
don’t plan the form and structure of their UCAS Personal Statement properly.
Planning the overall structure and flow of the Personal Statement before writing it is
absolutely essential if students are to make the most of the space that UCAS allocates. Half
finished thoughts and hastily written conclusions will do more harm than good when someone
reads the Personal Statement.
Top tip: Run one class/workshop with students where they brainstorm and plan the overall
structure of their UCAS Personal Statement. Break the components of a good personal
statement down into chunks, and get students thinking about the optimal structure for
making their Personal Statements as good as they can be!
18. 8. Unnecessary origin stories
Everyone loves an origin story (why else would film studios keep remaking Spiderman?). But origin stories in UCAS
Personal Statements can sometimes be a waste of time (this is in sharp contrast to an application like the Common
App in the USA), where they love to hear a student’s origin story)
Remember our physics student from Tip no.3 who loved to gaze at the night sky? Childhood anecdotes are great, and
can certainly add character to a student’s application. But they’re not always necessary to showcase a student’s
devotion to their chosen subject. In fact, it’s fair to say that admissions tutors at UK universities are more interested
in an applicant’s more recent contributions or achievements in their chosen field of study than snippets of their
biography. Yet it remains the case that students sometimes feel the need to profess their lifelong devotion to a
subject they’re hoping to study at university. It’s really not necessary. In fact UCAS themselves once published a list
of the most commonly used opening lines in a Personal Statement. Three of the most frequent openings were
“I have always been interested in…” (used 927 times)
“For as long as I can remember I have…” (used 1,451 times)
“From a young age I have always been interested in/fascinated by…” (used 1,779 times)
Not only does drawing on childhood memories risk losing sight of more relevant information, it’s also something that
lots of universities have seen before.
19. 9. Making things up
We hope that none of your students would ever lie in their Personal Statement. But if
someone feels the pressure to stand out from the crowd and really impress a university, then
it could happen.
Even small, believable exaggerations could come back to haunt a student if they were
hypothetically invited to an interview further down the road. It could be as small as
pretending to have read a particular book, or quoting/discussing a piece of research in their
chosen subject field and not having fully engaged with it.
Top tip: When it comes to putting anything untruthful in a Personal Statement, we can only
offer you one piece of advice to give to your students.
Don’t do it! It’s not worth it, students will probably get found out and there’s likely plenty of
achievements and skills that students can talk about in their Personal Statement. They just
need to think long and hard about what it is!
20. 10. Being controversial or contrarian for
the sake of it
Being controversial or argumentative can seem like a good way to sit up and get
the reader’s attention – but it’s not worth a student doing it unless they’ve really
got the evidence and the argument to back it up.
For example, arguing against a famous essay or piece of research in a student’s
chosen subject might seem like a good way to score some brownie points. But why
does a student take issue with this particular piece of research? And is it really
wise to try and tackle it in the space of a 4,000 character Personal Statement.
Top tip: Students should definitely be independent and analytical when discussing
their degree subject in their Personal Statement – after all, it’s the most surefire
way to stand out. But taking a contrarian position, or trying to make an explosive
new contribution to academic discourse in the course of one Personal Statement
probably isn’t a good idea.
21. Writing a Personal
Statement for UCAS – final
tips to avoid mistakes
What do these mistakes all have in common?
The answer is they are the natural consequence of
students forgetting some of the core principles of
UCAS Personal Statement writing. Students need to
ensure their Personal Statements are well-
structured and well-planned – so as to avoid spelling
mistakes and/or falling foul of the character limit.
Students need to keep their Personal Statements as
unique to them as possible – this means staying
truthful to their own ambitions and worldview, and
avoiding generalisations or cliches. A good Personal
Statement needs to be rooted in strong analysis and
writing that makes good use of evidence and
specific examples to back up an argument. A
standout Personal Statement needs to be compelling
account of a student’s suitability for a course with a
good story at the heart of it – it needs to show, not
tell.
22. Conclusion
After researching into Personal
Statements and even diving into the
mistakes people make when writing
them, I will make sure to apply this
research when writing my own
personal statement. I will avoid lying,
unnecessary back stories and
overusing the same words and quotes.
Instead I will talk about my
experience within content creation,
how I want to improve and how I am
the right fit for said course or job. I
will talk about what I want to achieve
and how I will achieve it.
As well as this I will also talk about my
works experience and mindset to the
reader what I’m all about.
