Personal Statement Do's and Don'ts
Iâve had a few asks about personal statements and university/college applications so I thought Iâd make a post about what to include and what not to include for all you applicants this year!
DO be enthusiastic! This is the number one most important rule - you need to show the university how much you love the subject and want to study it!
DO demonstrate your knowledge. Grades are one thing, but applying your knowledge is another - talk about specific fields of your subject that youâve explored or wish to explore at university, or discuss an interpretation or particular idea you have formed whilst studying it.
DO show prior research or reading if the subject is something you havenât studied before. Universities wonât want to accept someone who has no idea what theyâre letting themselves in for!
DO link everything to the course youâre applying to. Only include a qualification or achievement if itâs relevant - your Duke of Edinburgh Award isnât going to make you a more suitable candidate to study history or physics! For example, instead of saying âI did Spanish at AS levelâ, say something like âstudying Spanish equipped me with a more highly critical method of reading and close analysisâ.
DO research the course youâre applying for - thereâs no point in talking about how interested you are in 16th century French history if one of your chosen universities doesnât offer it as part of their course!
DO be yourself (itâs cringe, sorry) - admissions staff are human, and reading hundreds of applications written in the same identical formula must get incredibly boring. Donât try to be overly funny or too unique as that can be very risky - just write from the heart!
DO get help from your teachers/ anyone whoâs willing to read it! Thereâs nothing better than a fresh pair of eyes to check for spelling and grammar errors, and teachers usually know what theyâre talking about.
DONâT say youâre âpassionateâ about the subject - practically every student writes this in their personal statement and all the admissions tutors Iâve spoken to have said theyâre sick of the word! Itâs a given that you enjoy the subject - SHOW them you enjoy it by demonstrating your knowledge rather than stating the obvious. Avoid clichĂŠs at all costs!
DONâT include a quote unless you fully engage with it throughout your personal statement. Theyâre a bit pretentious and most universities will completely ignore them - itâs your own words they want to hear!
DONâT name drop - simply listing off all the books youâve read around your subject isnât going to impress anyone. Engage with the books - discuss a particular theory or theme that interested you, or even challenge something youâve read! Its more impressive to fully explore two or three books than to simply list the titles of ten.
DONâT use fancy words or metaphors - write how you would talk! As long as your basic grammar and spelling is right, the university will be far more interested in what youâre saying than how youâre saying it.
DONâT waste valuable words talking about things that are already on your UCAS application. They know your grades - your job is to prove why you got them!
DONâT make any silly mistakes - spelling something wrong, mentioning the name of a specific university etc - universities get thousands of applicants and any mistake will more than likely get your application tossed in the bin. Read and re-read your personal statement!
DONâT plagiarise - UCAS have plagiarism detection software and anything youâve copied could be seriously detrimental to your application.
DONâT panic! The admissions team are just trying to see if youâre suitable to their course. Your personal statement isnât the be all and end all!
I hope that was somewhat helpful - if you have any specific questions about personal statements or uni applications, my ask box is always open. Good luck!