Applying to UK Universities

how to write a winning personal statement

Janie Kingsley Senior International Officer

China & Hong Kong

University of Kent

How to stand out from the crowd

What am I writing this for?

• To tell us your interest in the subject

• To tell us a bit more about you

• To tell us about your skills and experiences

• To tell us your long term aims

• To tell us how this course will help you get where you are going

• To tell us why you would be a good addition to the university

What am I writing this for?

• To tell us why you want to study at a particular university (unless you are

only applying for one)

• To tell us you what a nice person you are

• To tell us how good you are at sports

• To tell us what your parents or guardians do

• To provide us with witty quotes or a bibliography (unless they are very

pertinent to your application)

• To use an opportunity to paste some excellent text you found on Google

Things you really should include:

The subject area

Experience of the subject

Passion or interest

Relevant skills Insight into the subject A structured argument

Experience of the subject

A few stark facts to make you feel a bit sad

• Your 5th choice university will receive tens of thousands of applications.

• An admissions officer will take about 30 seconds to look at your schooling and predicted grades

• An admissions tutor will spend no more than about 3 minutes reading your personal statement

• An admissions tutor will take about one minute to read your reference

Who am I writing this for?

What’s in their Mind?

• Is the student suited to the course that they are applying for?

• Does the student have the necessary qualifications and qualities for the

course?

• Is the student conscientious, hardworking and unlikely to drop out?

• Will the student do their best and cope with the demands of the course?

• Can the student work under pressure?

• Will the student be able to adjust to their new environment at university?

• What are their communication skills like?

• Are they dedicated to this course and have they researched it well?

• Do they have a genuine interest in the subject and a desire to learn more

about it?

4000 Characters / 47 Lines

Drafts after Drafts

• List the basic questions

• Answer the basic question

• Remove the basic question

• Restructure your answers so they flow in

a logical order

• Expand the answers and give examples

• Ask someone else to read it

• Revise it again and again and again and

again…

Tips

• We are more interested in what you think than what Shakespeare thought!

• Correct spelling and grammar are essential.

• Put it in a drawer for as long as you can, come back to it and read it aloud.

• Be creative, but not too creative

• Be original, but not too original

• Market yourself, but not too much

Good examples

• I can’t give you any – sorry!

• Personal statements are about you and

someone else's work will be of no help.

• UCAS electronically check all statements for similarity to ones already submitted.

• It is difficult! It is one of the most difficult pieces of prose you will ever write, but lots of people manage it successfully.

Help is at hand

• UCAS.ac.uk • Talk to your counsellors and teachers

• Speak to admissions officers and tutors.

Yes, you can!

• Ask visiting university representatives as many questions as possible

Questions