Applying to university: how to make a truly personal statement

Letting universities see the real you on your UCAS application will make a good impression

Your personal statement is likely to be the first contact a university has with you, so it needs to be memorable and pique the interest of anyone reading it. “Admissions tutors read hundreds of these forms,” says Nicola Murray-Fagan, head of student recruitment and outreach at Bournemouth University. “You need to make yours stand out from the crowd.”

Get started by brainstorming on a blank piece of paper, suggests Karen Pichlmann, head of admissions at Bournemouth. “Use a mind map to think about why you want to do this type of course, how it relates to your current studies, any relevant work experience you have, plus skills and attributes that are helpful for the course and settling in to university life.”

Prepare your first draft offline, well away from the UCAS website. Be mindful of spelling and grammar – and strive for clarity. “Be explicit,” says Murray-Fagan. “A simple rule to remember is whenever you say you have a skill or quality, demonstrate how, when and where you acquired it.”

Simon Jenkins is UK student recruitment manager at Keele University. He recommends writing the main body of the statement first, discussing your interest in the course and subject area. “Once you have a draft version of the main body, you can then think about a suitable way to introduce and conclude the statement.”

The main body should lay out examples of your engagement with the subject area, Jenkins continues, “Whether it be through work experience, wider reading, current affairs and so on. It’s also important not just to say what you’ve done but also what you’ve learnt and the skills you’ve developed, relating that back to the course you’ve applied for.”

Use your own language too. “It’s crucial not to include anything that you haven’t written yourself,” says Jenkins. Look out for clichés, generic phrases or quotes – have someone proofread your statement with a view to rooting them out – and let yourself shine through. “The space is there to make clear what is unique about you.”

Crafting a personal statement is a balancing act between distinctive and distracting. “It should be a bit different to stand out but not so much that they think you’re ‘unusual’, and not in a good way,” says Carolyn Colaço-Monteiro, head of admissions at St George’s, University of London.

You’ll have the best chance if you show some personality and make it easy for admissions staff to visualise you at their institution. “Statements should be succinct, genuine, current and honest,” according to Colaço-Monteiro. “Tutors want to know why a potential student is a good fit for their university.”