UCAS
UCAS application
Personal Statement
What is a personal statement?
- A letter you include with your UCAS application to a university
- Your chance to show a university why they should offer YOU a place
- Provide evidence that you are enthusiastic about the course subject
- Provide evidence that you have the personal qualities and life skills to do the course
What does a personal statement look like?
- Organisation is important! (the person reading it has probably read hundreds before yours.)
- It should contain no more than 4000 characters (600-700 words) OR 47 lines maximum (including any spaces and empty lines between paragraphs.)
- It should contain at least 4 paragraphs. It needs to be easy to read
Paragraph Content:
- The first paragraph: Tell them WHY you want to do their course.
- The middle paragraphs: Tell them WHO you are and WHAT you have done.
- The last paragraph: Tell them WHY they should offer YOU a place on their course.
What problems people face when writing a personal staement?
- Starting! This is the hardest thing. But once you start, it gets easier.
- Knowing what to put in…and what to leave out.
- The correct style.
- Language to use.
- Grammar, syntax and spelling.
What I do to help you write the perfect personal statement?
- Introduction. Find out about each other in an informal chat.
- Look at what a personal statement is.
- Brainstorm all the things we might include.
- Start writing! Write a draft first and last paragraph. (these are the two most important)
- Fine tune the first and last paragraph
- Decide what to include in the middle paragraph
- Write the drafts of these paragraphs.
- When you have finished and are happy with your personal statement, forward it and it will be proof read for grammar, syntax and spelling.
- POST IT to UCAS! Get the course you want.