Personal Statements

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Personal Statements
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What Is It?

• Chance to sell yourself you may not be
  interviewed by the university
• Opportunity to set yourself apart from other
  students

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University Admissions tutors will look at

• Do we want this student on this course?
• Do we want this student at this university?

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Is it really that important?

• Yes! Going to university is as much about who you
  are as how good you are at studying!

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• Universities cant tell much about you by grades
  alone!
• Different Universities may be looking for a
  different sort of person but what they look for
  can vary

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What Should I Write?

• All about yourself
• Any jobs you have had

• Open days or summer schools

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What Should I Write?

• Why you want to study the course you have chosen
• That you are interested in the course and
  university

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Writing the Statement

• You can write up to 4000 characters (including
  spaces)
• or
• 47 lines of text (including blank lines)

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Tips!

• Read any Guidance on Completing your Personal
  Statement offered by your chosen university(ies)

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Tips!

• Prepare off-line and cut and paste across

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Writing the Statement

• Divide into three sections
• Opening Section
• Middle Section
• Final Section

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1. Opening section

• The subject you have chosen and why, and any
  supporting experiences or future career plans
  relating to the chosen subject

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2. Middle Section

• Why you should be chosen, what you have done at
  and outside school

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3. Final Section

• Tie all your given information together,
• re-iterate your interest in the course and what
  you have got to offer the university

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Writing the Statement

• Check your spelling and grammar
• Ask family/friend/teacher/tutor to read it
  through

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Tip!

• Keep a copy

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Activity

• Look at the following extract from a personal
  statement, pick 5 things from it that could be
  better phrased or written to show off a bit more

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Activity - Uncorrected

• At school I played football for the school team
  three years in a row two of these as captain of
  the team. We had lots of fun and won each of our
  seasons.

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continued

• Ever since I was young I have found graphic
  design interesting

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• For my work experience I did an internship at a
  London graphic design agency. Whilst there I was
  in charge of a small poster marketing campaign
  aimed at students

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• During my time managing the campaign I had lots
  of fun and met loads of new people. I still know
  many of these people now which goes to show how
  social I am.

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Activity corrected

• (1)I was also on the school football team, which
  I captained, winning each of our seasons for
  three years

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• I have always found graphic design interesting
• (2)especially CD-cover art
• (3)due to the freedom allowed in the design.

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• (4)My interests led me to take an internship at
• (5)NewImage graphic design in London.
• Whilst there I was in charge of a small poster
  marketing campaign aimed at students.

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• (6)The brief was to create an exciting poster
  selling newspapers to students.

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• (7)Whilst managing this campaign I had to learn
  strong people skills to work with the team as
  well as time management for my deadlines.

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Hints and Tips
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• Divide your statement into paragraphs
• Be positive and interesting
• Dont try to be funny or makes jokes in the
  statement

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• Only include relevant hobbies and interests
• Dont lie or embellish the truth
• Dont take any political viewpoint

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Finally

• Spend 50 of the statement talking about your
  course and why you want to study it and 50 on
  you and your abilities