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How to write a personal statement for a uk university, by kathryn abell, 19 october 2015 - 05:11.

Kathryn Abell of  Edukonexion  shares some tips.

When applying to a UK university, the discovery that school grades alone are not enough to gain entry onto the programme of your choice can come as an unwelcome surprise. This is especially true for international students, many of whom see the words 'personal statement' for the first time when starting their university application.

But far from being a barrier, the personal statement is, in fact, one of the stepping stones to achieving your goal of studying at a UK university.

A personal statement can help you stand out

If you have selected your study programme well – that is to say, you have chosen something that you are truly excited about that matches your academic profile – then the personal statement is simply a way to communicate to admissions tutors why you are interested in the programme and what you can bring to it. And given the fact that many universities receive multiple applications for each available place, and that most do not offer an interview, your written statement is often the only way you can express your personality and say 'choose me!'.

The 'personal' in 'personal statement' suggests that you should be allowed to express yourself however you want, right? Well, to a certain extent that is true: admissions tutors want to get a picture of you, not your parents, your teachers or your best friend, so it has to be your work. However, the purpose of the statement is to persuade academic staff that they should offer you one of their highly sought-after university places; although there is no strict template for this, there are specific things you should include and certain things you should most certainly leave out.

The importance of the opening paragraph

The online Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) undergraduate application form allows a total of 4,000 characters (around 700 words), meaning that you need to craft the statement carefully. The most important part is unquestionably the opening paragraph, as it acts as an invitation to continue reading. If you are not able to catch the attention of the admissions tutor, who has hundreds of statements to assess, then it is highly unlikely they will read through to the end.

The best advice here is to avoid much-used opening lines and clichés such as 'I have wanted to be an engineer since I was a child'. This kind of thing is not the invitation readers are looking for. Instead, try using an anecdote, experience or inspirational moment: 'Although tinkering with engines had always been a childhood hobby, it was the vision of the fastest car on earth, the Bloodhound, at an exhibition in London, that roused my desire to learn everything I could about automotive engineering'. Really? Tell me more!

Of course, your opening paragraph could start in a variety of ways, but the fundamental purpose is to grab the reader’s interest.

Provide evidence of your commitment and skills

Following on from that, you have to provide evidence of your passion and commitment to your chosen programme, and highlight the specific and transferable skills you possess to study it successfully. You can do this by following the  ABC  rule.

Action:  Include examples of what you have done, experienced or even read that have helped you in your choice of degree and boosted your knowledge of the subject area.

Benefit : By doing these things, explain what you learned or gained; in the case of a book or article, put forward an opinion.

Course : The most successful applicants ensure that the information they include is relevant to their course in order to highlight their suitability. Flower-arranging may allow you to realise your creative potential, but will it help you study astrophysics?

It is perfectly acceptable to base this ABC rule on school-based activities, as not all students have opportunities outside the classroom. However, if you can link extra-curricular pursuits to your desired programme of study, you are further highlighting your commitment. As a general rule of thumb, the information you include here should be around 80 per cent academic and 20 per cent non-academic. So, for example, as a member of the school science club – a non-curricular, academic activity – you may have developed the ability to analyse data and tackle problems logically. Taking part in a work placement falls into the same category and could have helped you develop your communication, time-management and computer skills. You get the idea.

Non-academic accomplishments may involve music, sport, travel or clubs and can lead to a variety of competencies such as team-working, leadership, language or presentation skills. A word of warning here: it is vital that you sell yourself, but arrogance or lies will result in your personal statement landing in the 'rejected' pile. Keep it honest and down-to-earth.

Provide a memorable conclusion

Once you have emphasised your keen interest and relevant qualities, you should round off the statement with a conclusion that will be remembered. There is little point putting all your effort to generate interest in the opening paragraph only for your statement to gradually fade away at the end. A good conclusion will create lasting impact and may express how studying your chosen course will allow you to pursue a particular career or achieve any other plans. It can also underline your motivation and determination.

Use a formal tone, stay relevant and be positive

As you have to pack all this information into a relatively short statement, it is essential to avoid the superfluous or, as I like to call it, the 'fluff'. If a sentence sounds pretty but doesn’t give the reader information, remove it. In addition, the tone should be formal and you should not use contractions, slang or jokes; remember, the statement will be read by academics – often leaders in their field.

Referring to books is fine but don’t resort to using famous quotes as they are overused and do not reflect your own ideas. Also, while it's good to avoid repetition, don't overdo it with the thesaurus.

Negativity has no place in a personal statement, so if you need to mention a difficult situation you have overcome, ensure you present it as a learning experience rather than giving the reader an opportunity to notice any shortcomings. Also, bear in mind that your personal statement will probably go to several universities as part of a single application, so specifically naming one university is not going to win you any favours with the others.

Get some help but never copy someone else's work

Checking grammar, spelling and flow is essential and it is perfectly OK to ask someone to do this for you. A fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective always help, and, as long as the third party does not write the content for you, their input could be of vital importance. And while you may get away with not sticking to all of the above advice, there is one thing that you absolutely must not do: copy someone else’s work. Most applications are made through UCAS, which uses sophisticated software to detect plagiarism. If you are found to have copied content from the internet, or a previous statement, your application will be cancelled immediately. Remember, it is a  personal  statement.

Get your ideas down in a mind-map first

Finally, I will leave you with my top tip. If you understand all the theory behind the personal statement and have an abundance of ideas floating in your head, but are staring blankly at your computer screen, take a pen and paper and make a simple mind map. Jot down all your experiences, activities, skills, attributes and perhaps even include books you have read or even current items that interest you in the news. Then look for how these link to your course and highlight the most significant elements using arrows, colours and even doodles. Capturing thoughts on paper and making logical deductions from an image can give structure to your ideas.

Get more advice on your application from our Study UK site .

You might also be interested in:

• How to use a learner's dictionary of academic English
• Five ways UK students can improve their career prospects
• Ways of saying 'darling' in the UK

View the discussion thread.

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Personal statements for university applications

Forming a key part of your university application, you should use the UCAS personal statement to showcase how your skills, experience and aspirations make you a good fit for the course

What is a university personal statement?

With two sides of A4 to work with, this is your opportunity to tell course tutors in your own words the reasons why you feel you'd be an asset to their university.

How long should a personal statement be?

There's no maximum word count, but you'll need to remain within the 4,000 character limit (including spaces and punctuation) allowed in your UCAS application, as well as keeping the statement to a total of 47 lines of text.

UCAS recommends that you write your personal statement in Microsoft Word before copying and pasting it into the online application form. This is because the application page times out after being inactive for 35 minutes. You'll still need to account for how individual characters are counted differently between Microsoft Word and the online form.

What do I write about?

When considering what to include in your personal statement, take time to think about the reasons you're applying to university and what makes you a suitable candidate.

To make this work for different courses and universities, you'll need to find some common ground by providing examples of why you'll be a success - demonstrating enthusiasm for the choices you've made and how they fit in with your career ambitions.

You'll need to talk about the relevant skills, experience and achievements you've gained through extra-curricular activities - whether these are sporting, musical or creative.

As well as going through your academic record to date, your personal statement also gives you the opportunity to mention any work experience or volunteering you've undertaken, detailing what you've learned from it. For instance, you may have been involved with the Young Enterprise programme at school and have a better idea of how to manage your money.

It's never too late to show you're actively preparing for higher education. Get involved with an extra-curricular club, secure a part-time job or do some volunteering. You could even complete a free online course in a relevant subject with an organisation such as FutureLearn or the Tech Nation Digital Business Academy .

If you're an international student, you could discuss why the UK is your preferred study destination ahead of universities in your own country. Don't forget to mention the English language tests, courses and qualifications you've taken.

Finally, if there are any personal or financial circumstances that have had a strong bearing on your performance at school or college, you can outline these in this statement.

How do I write a personal statement?

By breaking your personal statement down into sections, you can ensure you cover the most relevant points.

Course-relevant skills and credentials should be given prominence in the overall structure. You can use the course descriptions to help you.

However, as you only have the one personal statement for all your choices, if you've selected a variety of subjects that aren't that similar, you'll need to focus on the transferable skills and common qualities typically valued by universities - for example, creativity or problem-solving.

Adopt a simple, concise and natural style for writing your statement, while still showing enthusiasm. Allow your personality to shine through.

It can often take a number of redrafts until the statement is ready, so allow plenty of time to write it properly, and set yourself a schedule.

Get used to reading your statement aloud and asking for feedback from family, teachers and advisers before redrafting to make sure your writing flows well. You'll also need to check for the correct punctuation, spelling and grammar and not just rely on a spellchecker.

Keep an up-to-date copy of your statement saved so you can refer back to it during the interview process.

How do I start a personal statement?

At this point, think about why you're applying for the course, and how you became interested in it in the first place. Was it through work experience or studying the subject at A-level?

Once you've noted down your reasons for choosing the course, you can move on to your skills and what makes you stand out positively from other applicants, providing evidence of where each attribute has been utilised.

After you've written this down, condense it so it's less wordy. You can then attempt to write a punchy opening paragraph showcasing your excitement at the prospect of going to university, and an understanding of what you're getting yourself into.

Get off to the best start by using the UCAS personal statement builder .

What should I avoid?

• As you'll only have the one statement, it's important not to mention universities by name - unless you plan on applying to just a single institution.
• Remember that admissions staff may not share your sense of humour, so steer clear of anything that might get misinterpreted.
• Refrain from using clichés or making arrogant or exaggerated statements.
• Resist any temptation to use somebody else's work as your own. The UCAS Similarity Detection Service utilises the Copycatch system, which will compare your statement against those stored within a comprehensive library of statements - those sent to UCAS and elsewhere (including paper publications).
• Be careful not to ramble. Structuring your work so you know how much space you have for each section will make sticking to your main points much easier.

University personal statement examples

While you can find some examples online - from the likes of Reed.co.uk and King's College London - it's important to use your own words and not copy them directly.

Indeed, the UCAS personal statement worksheet can prove just as useful when it comes to helping you decide what to put in your own personal statement.

You can simply print out this personal statement template and jot down any ideas into the various sections as you think of them.

Find out more

• Read the full lowdown on how to apply for university .
• Get tips on preparing for a university interview .
• For further advice on writing a university personal statement, visit UCAS .
• Take a look at The Topic for the latest news, insights and opinions.

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How to start a personal statement

The process of writing your personal statement can be simple if you know how to start. this is our guide on where to begin..

Make a plan

Prepare how you’re going to write your personal statement before you begin any of the actual writing. Note down how you want to structure it and what you want to say in each paragraph. By summarising what you’re going to write in a plan, you can assess whether your personal statement will flow and if you have all the things you need to include.

• What to include in a personal statement

Have a structure

Part of planning your personal statement is deciding how to lay it out. Keep in mind that you’re telling admissions tutors the story of you. All stories have a structure – there’s a beginning, a middle and an end. You can use a similar method to convey your motivation for choosing the subject you’re applying for.

There’s more than one way to structure a personal statement, but you should at least have a:

• Clear introduction
• Strong body of five–six paragraphs that link your experience and achievements to why you've chosen the subject
• Conclusion to summarise it all

A structured statement also shows admissions tutors that you can communicate effectively.

Begin with you

Tackling the introduction first? This is your chance to talk about you, your background, and your excitement for the course. It should then flow naturally into the middle paragraphs, where you can expand on why you’re interested in the subject you’ve chosen.

Tina, Lead Admissions Tutor for Adult Nursing at the University of Brighton , shared with us what she looks for in the first few paragraphs of a student's personal statement:

They should start their application with the reason why they are applying and if they have any personal insight into a role such as being cared for when they were younger, attending hospital to visit a relative or any other experience as part of a course, volunteering, or work. Tina, Lead Admissions Tutor for Adult Nursing at University of Brighton

Be to the point from the beginning

Your introduction shouldn’t be long-winded, so two or three sentences are usually enough. You only have 4,000 characters and about 47 lines to play with for the entire statement.

Don’t be afraid to go straight into talking about what excites you most about your subject and the motivation behind choosing to apply. Use language that’s punchy, concise, and relevant too. This will help you to show your ambition and enthusiasm to admissions tutors.

Avoid cliché opening sentences

Clichés are clichés because they’re overused. Put yourself in the shoes of an admissions tutor – they’ll be reading lots of personal statements, so the ones that stand out will be those that aren’t like the others.

Make a note of any clichéd sentences you can think of or have seen online, and check you don’t include them when writing your personal statement. Some examples to avoid include:

• ‘I have always wanted to study...’
• ‘I feel I’ve always had a passion for...’
• ‘From a young age...’
• ‘Since I can remember...’

Don’t feel pressured to write the intro first

The introduction seems like the obvious place to start. But you may find it easier to leave the introduction until the end. Start at whichever point suits you best, provided you have a plan and structure in place.

Fortunately, the intro is only a few sentences, and given that the most important content will come in the body paragraphs, it may make sense to start with these paragraphs.

Just start writing! Don’t feel that you necessarily need to write your personal statement in the order in which it will be read. This is only for the author to know. Dr Ceri Davies, Economics Director of Admissions and Recruitment at University of Birmingham

• Tips for writing your personal statement

Just get words down

The most important part of writing is to get words on paper. If you’re struggling to plan, try writing down the first words that come to your head about why you want to study the subject. If you do have a plan and structure, but don’t know where to begin, try taking the same approach. You can remove or edit any bits that you don’t like later.

Once you start writing you should hopefully enter a state of flow. You’ll piece sentences together and gradually craft an impressive personal statement.

Start by writing down all the reasons why you want to study the subject you are applying for and then, when all your enthusiasm is flowing, you can decide the order you want to put it in. Katherine Pagett, Student Recruitment Manager at University of Birmingham

• How to make your personal statement stand out

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Writing an Undergraduate Personal Statement: UK vs US Universities

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement accompanies your application to study at a university or American college. For UK universities, it provides an opportunity for you to voice your reasons for studying a particular course or subject. It also serves to outline your skills and experience in order to demonstrate your passion for that area of study. In the US, it is often known as the personal essay and is about helping colleges understand who you are, your formative experiences, and how you view the world.

Personal statements for UK and US universities differ. If you’re applying for both UK and US universities, you should not be using the same personal statement in both cases! If applying for just UK or just US universities, make sure you aren’t writing a personal statement in the wrong style.

Main points of distinction between UK and US university applications:

• In the UK, you apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), whereas in the US, you apply to each university separately (unless using the Common App, as explained later)
• You can apply for up to 5 university courses (or 4 courses in any one of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or veterinary science) in the UK. In the US, there is no limit on the number you can apply for.  However, you’ll probably be spreading yourself too thinly if you opt for more than 8-10 universities, and you’re charged per application!)
• In the UK, you are applying for the course primarily, whereas in the US, you are applying to the university
• Different groups of people will be reading your application in the UK compared with the US admissions system. In the UK, your application will be assessed by admissions tutors alongside academic staff who specialise in the field you’ve applied for. Meanwhile, in the US, the admin staff in the admissions office for the university will make the decision. Therefore, in the UK, you need to impress experts in the subject you’re interested in, while US admissions teams want to know how you’d contribute to the university community
• UK personal statements should focus on academics and the subject for which you’re applying, with extracurricular being the icing on the cake. US universities are interested in your personality and what has shaped you as a person

UK Personal Statements

UCAS is a UK undergraduate admissions service. For undergraduate courses, most universities require you to apply through UCAS, whether you’re a home or international student. An important part of the UCAS application is the personal statement.

When writing your UCAS personal statement, consider the following:

• Your personal statement should be no more than 4,000 characters, or 47 lines, whichever comes first. Character limits include punctuation, spaces, and paragraph breaks. This will be about a page, or 500-550 words, in Times New Roman size 12 font
• Why are you applying for that course? You should be telling the reader this by focusing on what interests you about the subject you’re applying to
• Have there been any interesting developments in the subject? What have you read pertaining to the subject?
• What are your ambitions and future plans?
• What makes you suitable to study this course?
• How have your studies prepared you for the course? Consider your academic strengths and achievements
• How have you engaged with the subject outside the classroom? Think about your personal strengths. Try to include relevant experience, skills or achievements in employment, volunteering, internships or placements, and extracurricular activities, such as sport or music clubs of which you’re a member
• Look at the course modules and descriptions – what skills, qualities and experiences are they looking for?
• You can only submit one personal statement, so you need to cater for all 5 university courses you’re applying to. Avoid naming a particular university, as each of your chosen universities will receive the same personal statement from UCAS
• Make your personal statement just that – personal . Don’t get someone else to write it for you! It will be much more convincing if the ideas are your own
• Remember, the admissions teams want to know why you want to study the subject, and what makes you a good fit for that course
• If you’re applying for similar courses, talk about the subject in general but try not to mention course titles. If you’ve picked a variety of subjects, write about common themes (remember, the same personal statement goes to all of your chosen universities!)
• Proofread! If your work reads well, you’ll seem a more impressive candidate. Conversely, if your work contains lots of errors, you may come across as sloppy and unprofessional
• Seek mentoring if you need help with the structure and content. At Bruton Lloyd, we have tutors who specialise in the university application process

Remember, the personal statement is only one aspect of your application. UK universities are most interested in your predicted grades, followed by the personal statement and references. Having said this, if universities are choosing between similar candidates, a well-written personal statement will help differentiate you from the competition.

Now, we will examine personal statements for American universities.

US Personal Essay

In the US, you apply to a university rather than a course because you won’t be specialising in a particular subject (or ‘major’) until a few years into your degree. Applications are submitted to individual universities, as there is no central regulatory body equivalent to the UK’s UCAS overseeing the university application process. Having said this, 900 schools are signed up to the Common Application, including all 8 Ivy League Schools. This streamlines an essential part of the admissions process for students. For these universities, you only need to fill out the Common Application once. You respond to one of seven Common App essay prompts for the personal statement and send it to the colleges you wish to apply for, if they are members of the Common App. However, many colleges have additional supplements which you must submit, with extra questions and sometimes further essays.

Common requirements for university applications in the US:

• College admissions essay/personal essay – equivalent of the UK personal statement
• References from at least two teachers
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if English isn’t your native language
• A written piece of work marked by a teacher
• SAT/ACT test

Main points for a US personal essay:

• Most universities will ask you to respond to a prompt, which are often very open-ended. These can be about anything from your personal history, a formative experience, an important event or key relationship in your life to how you’ve approached a problem or dealt with failure, your future goals. The prompt may even be related to how you interact with people different from yourself. Even more creative or unique prompts are designed to make you think outside the box
• Some university applications may include multiple prompts, so check with the individual university you’re applying for
• The personal statement is an important chance to stand out as an individual
• Lots of universities/colleges ask for an essay or paragraph specifically about why you’re applying there. Here, you should show how you’ll contribute to university life, but don’t reuse your answer for multiple universities!
• The personal essay is a chance to show off your writing skills and express your ideas clearly
• Be self-reflective, focusing on insight gained from an experience, rather than just the experience itself, in order to convey your capacity to learn and grow as a person – explore your struggles as well as your strengths
• Let the reader into your mind and give them an insight into the kind of person you are outside of your academic career – the admissions team want to understand your motivations, your history and your personality
• Be authentic and honest – you can write about any topic for the personal essay, from personal stories to what you think of social issues to your goals (you don’t have to write about difficult personal topics though!)
• Make sure to proofread! If you have typos or errors in your work, university admission teams won’t be impressed!

How can Bruton Lloyd help?

If you’re struggling with your personal statement, or if you just need it checked over, our team is experienced in assisting with both UK and US university applications. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to perfect your essay.

Click here for our next blog post on sample openers to UK and US personal statements.

Best of luck!

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UK and US College Essay Differences

Your college application essay, what the UK call the “personal statement”, can be a crucial component to being admitted into university. The US college essay and the UK personal statement are very different from each other. It’s important to understand the differences and and what to look out for before submitting your application.

Most US college essays require you to select a topic that may be structured around you as a person. From what I’ve seen, most US students tend to submit a creative writing piece of their life that’s emotive and how they overcame a particular situation. It can sometimes be triggering and very dramatic to grab the reader’s attention. In addition, students may be required to write supplemental essays about why you want to study at that school or academic field. Universities may use creative questions which allows the reader to understand their ability to think and engage. If you are applying to a large sum of colleges/universities, this can be very stressful and time consuming.

Creating a personal statement for a UK university is a very easy and straightforward process. What they are requiring is not a creative writing piece but more so of an understanding and clear idea of who you are, your academic skills, knowledge of the subject, why you chose the subject you want to study, and why you want to study in the UK.

If you are applying through UCAS, you are required to submit one essay with a limit of 4,000 characters, which roughly estimates to a few paragraphs. That’s right… one! This one essay will be sent to each individual university you are applying to, therefore, it’s very important to avoid listing the universities by name. You want to make the essay generalized so it applies to all the courses and universities.

Another difference is that they do not require different essay topics to choose from nor do they require supplemental essays. This should save you time when planning out to submit your application.

If you’re having a difficult time on how to write the essay, I always give these resources to help them through their journey. UCAS provides so many helpful personal statement resources. These are my favorites below:

UCAS Personal Statement Mind Map

UCAS Personal Statement Worksheet *

*Two important questions that are missing from this sheet is: ‘Why do you want to study in the UK? Why do you want to be an international student rather than study in your home country? Don’t forget to add these in as this is an essential part of who you are.

UCAS also has more helpful resources and inspiration that is worth checking out.

How The UK Study Expert Can Help You

Looking to find your best match UK university? Lucky for you, the UK Study Expert has taken the guesswork out of figuring out what each university requires with our handy dandy search tool . Or you can find your best university by taking our free  UK University Quiz Match.  

Need to speak to an advisor about studying in the UK? Check our  Services webpage  to see what the best available options are for your needs. 

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Millie's Guide to Personal Statements UK vs. US

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In the UK, students need to convey why they want to study a chosen subject for the next three years. In the US, colleges want to know about potential students as people.

The difference between uk & us personal statements.

Despite UK and US colleges being among the most popular choices for international students to apply to, many people don’t realize that the two countries have very different application requirements when it comes to personal statements.

In the UK, students need to convey why they want to study a chosen subject for the next three years; winning personal statements focus more on academic strengths and interests than they do on extracurricular activities.

In the US, colleges want to know about potential students as a person . They have all the academic details they need from SAT scores and school grades, so they want to get a taste of a student’s values, their life experiences, and ultimately what they’ll bring to the college.

Whether you are destined for the UK or the US, here’s how to write a personal statement that will stand out.

UK Personal Statements

Start with why you love the major you’re applying for; that doesn’t mean how long you’ve studied it.

In the UK, you get just one personal statement that you can send to up to five universities. The most important thing here is the word count: the limit is just 4,000 characters, including spaces and punctuation. That’s only about 600 words in total, so keep them short, and make them count. Our recommendation is to use about 80% of the word count to cover your academic profile, and the remaining 20% on your extracurricular activities.

• Start with why you love the major you’re applying for

That doesn’t mean how long you’ve studied it! Instead, you need to talk about what ignites your enthusiasm for the subject – it could be how geography or economics give you a lens with which to view the world, or how medieval literature has transported you through time and expanded your mind. Whatever that spark is, find it and explain it in a way that makes you stand out.

Example: Living in Hong Kong makes it easy to be ignorant about what is happening in other parts of the world. As a resident, I do not have to worry about earthquakes or famines in the foreseeable future. But this sense of ease is sometimes so strong that you can hardly hear voices from the less fortunate or possess a global vision. However, Geography’s interdisciplinary nature creates a diversity of intellectual streams within itself. Motivated by my aspiration to become an urban planner, I am keen on knowing how humans interact with the environment. By two clear scopes, human and physical Geography, the subject essence drives me to dig deeper and step out of my comfort zone.

Highlight your relevant experience & why you’ll excel in your chosen major

Lots of students provide a laundry list of their current subjects but don’t discuss how they relate to the major they're applying for. If you’re applying to study law, you could talk about how your psychology course has helped you understand human behavior or how history has helped you see how legal patterns have repeated themselves. Think about everything you’ve been learning and try to apply it to the subject you want to study.

Example: I have relished the chance to study English Language and Literature at Higher Level for my IB Diploma. From analyzing Shakespeare’s Macbeth to deconstructing a Burger King advertisement, I have been exposed to a diverse range of texts, making me more sensitive to the nuances of linguistic expression.

If you are going to bring something up in your personal statement, you need to leave yourself enough words to explain why you said it.

Mention any relevant extracurricular involvements and/or work experience

You only need to include these if they are relevant. If you do have something to mention here, ensure you detail what it was, what you learned, and, again, how it relates to what you want to study. The challenge lies in being succinct. If you're going to mention something in your personal statement, you need to allocate enough words to explain why you mentioned it.

Example: I undertook an internship at Rouse, a global firm specializing in IP rights. I organized records of trademark registration and renewal certificates and standardized client-facing templates for Vietnam based on existing ones for China. I observed solicitors at work and read correspondence from contentious cases. It amazes me how subtle phonetic, aural, visual, and conceptual similarities between trademarks could lead to an opposition proceeding.

US Personal Statements

The goal of personal statements in the US is to showcase your uniqueness. Especially for top-tier schools, there will be very little difference in grade scores between applicants; this is your one and only chance to stand out.

You can apply to as many colleges as you wish in the US, but be aware that every college has its unique requirements. Make sure you allocate ample time to understand the requirements of your target schools and be prepared to create varying personal statements as necessary.

Since most US universities use the Common App platform for applications, which is what most students applying to US colleges will encounter, we'll focus our advice on Common App statements. This entails a 500-650 word essay response to a prompt that encourages discussion about your background, talents, or a significant challenge you've faced.

Given the minimal difference in grade scores between applicants, this personal statement is your one and only opportunity to stand out.

Picking prompts and nailing them

It's probably best to reverse-engineer the prompt you choose. First, think about what you want to present, and then select the prompt that best matches. This approach will make it easier to find relevant supporting information and will prevent you from producing multiple mediocre essays.

The process of compiling your personal statements will take about six weeks, so ensure you allocate enough time to write them and to receive feedback from one or two trusted individuals.

Millie’s pro tips: our favorite Common App prompts

This is a good, wide-ranging option which we would recommend to most students.

Not a good choice unless you have faced a very serious challenge.

Unless you have a very strong vision on how you’d like to solve a problem, we’d recommend only answering this prompt if you’ve made headway with solving something important.

This is another good option, just make sure you’re focused on the growth, not the accomplishment.

Quite a tricky prompt to answer well. Go for it if you have a very good idea on what you want to say, otherwise opt for prompt 1 instead.

Don’t do a topic of your choice for the sake of it. Prompts 1-6 are so broad it makes sense to opt for one of them unless you have something unique to say.

The whole process of getting your personal statements together will take about six weeks – so make sure you leave enough time to write them, and to allow for feedback from one or two trusted people. Would you like Millie's feedback on your personal statements? Learn more about our 1:1 Writing Clinic here .

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• The World’s Worst Personal Statement: Why It Fails and How to Fix It

Writing a personal statement is never an easy thing to do, but some students fall so spectacularly short of the mark that their efforts can be a lesson to us all.

You should also read…

• How to Choose the Right University for You
• Common UCAS Personal Statement Issues and How to Resolve Them

Sometimes the easiest way to figure out how to write a personal statement is to look at someone else’s efforts and see how not to write one. In this article, we present to you a superbly bad (fictional) personal statement and show you just how many ways in which it misses the mark. We’ll also explain what our hapless fictional student should have done in order to write a personal statement that stands out for the right reasons, not the wrong ones.

The personal statement:

So what was wrong with it.

Let us count the ways!

1. The pretentious quote

The personal statement opens with a pretentious-sounding quote, which, let’s face it, the student probably found from Googling “quotes about English literature”. It doesn’t even come from a great work of literature – it’s from a novel for young adults, which is unlikely to command the respect of the admissions tutors. The student then proceeds to say that this quote reflects their own “thirst for knowledge” (though they mistyped it as “thrist”) – but this doesn’t really relate to the quote at all. What’s more, starting with a quote is a bad idea anyway; it’s pompous, and the admissions tutors want to know what you have to say, not what someone else says.

2. The clichés, the controversial analogy and the Hungry Caterpillar

“Thirst for knowledge”. “From an early age”. The opening of this personal statement is littered with clichés that far too many students use and that admissions tutors have seen countless times before. This student goes a step further down the “loved reading from an early age” route by citing The Very Hungry Caterpillar as an early literary enjoyment. They probably think it sounds cute, but when said children’s book is a picture book with virtually no words, it’s hardly worth taking up valuable characters on a personal statement with. Later in the statement we hear clichés such as “one-trick pony”, “steely determination”, and even a rather embarrassing comparison between their determination to achieve the best grades in an essay and the determination of a hunter to slay an impressive beast. This singularly fails to impress in the way the student clearly wants it to. What’s more, you never know what the beliefs are of the person reading your statement, and it might turn out that they’re passionately against hunting – in which case this comparison with a hunter is going to go down especially badly.

3. Questionable motives

The student’s mention of James Joyce’s Ulysses reveals a rather questionable motive for wanting to read it: to “show off one’s superior intelligence” in front of other people. This sounds major alarm bells. It’s hardly going to tell the admissions tutor that the student wants to study the subject because they have a deep interest in it; they’ll pick up from this that they want to study English for the wrong reasons .

4. Mentioning texts and writers with no comment on them

The student has name-dropped a few novels and poets, but offers no insight into why they are interested in them or what they’ve got out of reading them. The mention of Ulysses seems calculated to make them appear clever for reading such an advanced text, but the fact that they offer no commentary on it has the opposite effect. The same goes for later in the personal statement with the list of poets – a random jumble of poets, modern and older, with no explanation as to why they appeal (and they misspelt Seamus Heaney’s name!). It comes across as a list of poets whose names the student happened to be able to rattle off, without any thought put into it. As for the novels mentioned, these are three incredibly famous novels that virtually everyone has read and loved. Leaving aside the fact that they haven’t said why they like these novels, it doesn’t show much depth or academic pursuit of knowledge to name-drop three very famous novels rather than demonstrating interest in or knowledge of less well-known literature.

5. Naming the course and university

The student has committed a huge faux pas in naming the course and university for which they are applying. This reveals that the only university they’re interested in is Oxford. They’re unlikely to be applying for just this university, but they’ve immediately alienated admissions tutors from all the other universities they’ve almost certainly put on their UCAS form.

6. Jokes and slang

The student jokes that they are partly applying for Oxford because of G&D’s ice cream, a famous ice cream parlour in Oxford. Quite apart from the fact that they shouldn’t have mentioned Oxford in the first place, the use of humour in this way does the student no favours. To make matters worse, they then add “Jokes” in brackets. Slang is a big no-no in a personal statement, and when combined with an attempt at humour, it’s frankly disastrous.

7. Hollywood inspiration

The admissions tutors are not going to be impressed that the reason you decided to study English at university because your friends commented on your similarity to a character in a film.

8. Unnamed awards

The student attempts to indicate their talent for poetry, stating that they have “won quite a few awards” for their own poems. However, this claim is too vague to be impressive. Which awards were they? “Everyone says how good” the student’s poems are, but how many people have actually read them, and was it just the student’s parents and grandparents who were impressed by them? These statements would have more weight if the student named the exact awards they’ve won and who has deemed their poetry to be good.

9. Downton Abbey and history

The student goes on to talk about their other academic interest: history. The only problem is, it seems a bit out of place in a personal statement for English, making one wonder whether they might also be applying for an English and History course elsewhere. To make matters worse, they talk about Downton Abbey as the inspiration for their love of history, and in particular their interest in the First World War, commenting on the fact that it’s the centenary of the start of the First World War. The latter is hardly an insightful comment, while the mere mention of Downton Abbey is enough to discredit the student’s supposed interest in history. What’s more, they go on to say how much they love history, that it’s their joint favourite subject with English, and that they’d love to study it at university. This is inevitably going to make English Literature admissions tutors question the student’s commitment to their subject. What if the student changes their mind and wants to switch to history? It’s a big warning sign against this student.

10. Bragging

Nobody likes people who brag. The student claims to be “best in their class” and someone who’d “fit right in at Oxford” (that name again!) – though, judging by the poor quality of their personal statement, one wonders whether this could possibly be true. Later, they casually drop in “when I’m not winning poetry competitions”, a flippant remark that smacks of arrogance.

11. Negativity about one of their grades

The student attempts to explain a less-than-perfect grade by laughing it off with a comment about reading and writing too much poetry. One can see what they were aiming for here: they wanted to show that they’re so enthusiastic about English Literature that they get carried away and can’t stop reading and writing. However, it’s not going to look good to an admissions tutor, who’ll see someone who is unable to juggle their workload or apply themselves to succeed in all their subjects. What’s more, the student doesn’t attempt to explain what they’re doing about the bad grade – for instance, they could be taking on extra history lessons to bring the grade up, but there’s no such reassurance in their statement.

12. Boring interests

The student gives their interests as “socialising with their mates and going to the cinema”, interests that are so universal and boring that they are not worth mentioning at all. The point of mentioning interests in a personal statement is to demonstrate that there’s more to you than your academic interests. Proper hobbies and so on show you to be a well-rounded person with a range of interests, and those interests help develop skills that you can’t learn in the classroom, and that make you a good person to have around.

13. An unexplained gap year

The student ends on a rather dull note by stating that they are taking a gap year. However, there’s no explanation of what activities they have planned for this. This would have been a good place to highlight course-related activities planned for the year out, which would have made them more suitable for the course (such as embarking on a writing workshop). This was also a lacklustre way to end the statement; a couple of sentences summarising why they want to study the course and why they’re so suitable for it would have been a good closing remark.

14. The smiley face

They’ve tried to look friendly by putting a smiley face at the end. There’s only one word for this: don’t!

15. General shortfallings

In addition to the specific faults outlined above, there were a few general shortfallings worth highlighting.

• Poor grammar – such as “its” when they meant “it’s”, and even an instance of double exclamation marks.
• Typos – “thrist for knowledge”, for example.
• Not long enough – the statement uses 2,289 characters out of an available 4,000. If you have that many characters to play with, it makes sense to use them by demonstrating even more reasons why you should be given a place.
• Odd spacing – mostly with one sentence per paragraph, perhaps to make it look longer than it really is.
• Very little focus on why they want to study English – which is, after all, the entire point of the statement.

Overall, it felt that very little effort had gone into writing this personal statement, leaving one questioning the student’s commitment to the course. Now that you’ve seen a disastrous personal statement first-hand, you’ll have a better idea of how not to write yours. Good luck!

Image credits: banner ; caterpillar ;  Clockwork Angel ; Ulysses ; Cambridge ; WWI ; reading ; boat ; love .

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UK university staff only read students’ personal statements for two minutes

Huge increase in applications means officials are left with little time to read student statements

The hours spent by students writing personal statements for UK university applications may be in vain, according to figures showing that many are barely read by admissions officers.

The ritual of applying for a place at university has for decades included a personal statement as part of the admissions process, with the applicant – and often their parents, teachers and even paid consultants – helping to craft an essay limited to 4,000 characters, approximately 600 words.

But the huge increase in applications means that admissions officers rather than academics now do much of the decision-making, and are left with little time to read statements.

A survey of admissions staff by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) found the average time spent reading a personal statement was two minutes, with two out of five statements read for just a minute or less. Officers at Russell Group universities devoted only 90 seconds per statement on average.

One admissions officer reported: “We look at them all but the majority we don’t read in their entirety – we give them a skim.” The majority of those surveyed said decisions were primarily made on the basis of exam grades.

Tom Fryer, a researcher at the University of Manchester who was lead author of the study, said: “What we found was that often the personal statement was read very quickly, and that it’s not as important as parents and students and teachers expect.”

Fryer said “efficiency” was a common comment by the admissions officers surveyed, with many universities using centralised admissions staff responsible for reviewing applications in a wide range of unrelated subjects such as physics and veterinary science.

Even two minutes a statement would add up to many long hours. University College London last year received more than 76,000 applications for undergraduate places. Two minutes a statement would require 2,500 hours, or more than 63 working weeks, to read them all.

The report comes as the Ucas admissions body is considering changes to the format of the personal statement, which has been criticised as stressful and favouring applicants with greater support.

Ucas said it could replace the single statement with a series of short questions covering six themes. But the Hepi authors said there was no evidence that two of the themes – “preparedness for study” and “learning styles” – were considered important by admissions officers.

Instead, the report recommends that “there should be space within the Ucas form for applicants to discuss extenuating circumstances, as admissions professionals do consider this information”.

Nick Hillman, Hepi’s director, said: “Shining a spotlight on the use of personal statements was always going to be useful to applicants and those who advise them but doing it now helps inform the important reforms that Ucas are currently planning.”

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Your personal statement

The purpose of a personal statement is to showcase your relevant skills and experience against the job requirements.  The statement is your opportunity to give examples of how you fit the requirements of the job.  When writing a personal statement it is important that you:

• Read the job specification so you are clear about the job requirements.
• Outline the skills and experience that you have that are relevant to the job and use examples to help demonstrate this.   Wherever possible include specific facts and figures that demonstrate the tangible results of your work.
• Keep to the word limit. If your statement is too brief it will not provide the required depth of detail and evidence to be assessed fully. 
• Proofread your statement before submitting it to make sure it is clear, easy to read and relevant.

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