Last year 500,000 students made over 2.3 million applications through the Universities & Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Many courses were oversubscribed (Medicine and Dentistry, Creative Arts and Design , Social Studies , Business and Administration to name a few) and with the majority of these applicants predicted to get the grades they need how else do the course tutors and admissions teams choose the final 400,000 they offered places to? The answer = their personal statements.
The personal statement is your chance at application stage to talk about the real you. Other people will be studying the same A or S levels and many will be predicted to reach the same grades as you but the personal statement is unique. Your job is to make it STANDOUT in that pile of applications on the admissions tutors desk but with 47 lines available how do you make it shine like an X Factor finalist? We talked to Victoria Brown, Admissions Officer at the University of Bath, and asked what she looks for in personal statements and to give us tips on common mistakes you need to avoid.
What is the job of the personal statement?
Sell, Sell, SELL, Its that simple. Just like all those TV ads selling you Xbox games or new mobiles your personal statement needs to sell you to the people reading it. You need to understand who they are, what they are looking for, or not, and know what will grab their attention in order to get you on the course list. There are 2 main people who will read your statement and each has slightly different objectives:
Your course tutor; they decide who comes on their course and will want to teach an ambitious student with similar desires about the subject area as them. They are looking for students who will remain motivated, work hard and achieve good grades.
An admissions officer; they review applications by the thousands and ensure they have the required grades whilst spotting those who will benefit the university community overall through extracurricular participation such as clubs and communities.
Think of your personal statement as your academic advert, marketing you to the course you want to study and inspiring the university to want you as one of the team.
What should your statement contain?
Victoria advises that the main things to get across are strong reasons why you want do the course and explain why you are the right person to choose. You need to back this up with evidence from past experience and show you have sufficient interest, skills and the motivation to work hard and finish the course as well. Finally, you want to come across as an interesting and unique individual and always make sure you write in a positive and enthusiastic manner.
Why this course?
With your opening statements you are trying to communicate to the admissions tutor your enthusiasm and understanding for the subject. Keep it simple, there is no real need for fancy openings or quotations, for example, “I want to study history because…” may be best with some clear reasons. You might want to think about these questions and areas:
Who is reading this?
What does the course entail?
Why does it interest you and what interests you the most?
How do you see the course leading to a successful career in this area?
Why you?
Try to convey your enthusiasm and ability to study for the subject. Talk about why your background and abilities would be the best match. Quote evidence as much as you can:
Your academic studies, especially research assignments or projects which demonstrate your ability as an independent learner
What and how you have learned from books, newspapers, TV programmes and the internet
These two sections should account for 75+% of your personal statement.
What makes you interesting and unique?
You should write about what makes you an interesting and unique person; all those things you have done or experienced which will bring something extra to course and the community of the university or college you want to join. You need to reflect on the skills and lessons you have learned and write about how they will bring added benefit. You may want to cover:
Relevant hobbies, interests and leisure activities
Special achievements or significant responsibilities you hold, at school or in clubs or societies
Voluntary work, past employment or gap year plans
Finally, finish your statement with a summary of why you want to apply for the course and why you should be chosen. A synopsis sentence that gives the icing on the cake.
