So! You’ve left your personal statement a little close to the deadline – better late than never! – or perhaps you’re looking to apply to university next year and want to know a few pointers before you start writing. Or maybe you’re a teacher helping students draft their applications but you’re wondering how to make your advice stand out. This article gives just a few pointers for writing a stronger, more memorable, and more successful personal statement.
PS: I know my limitations: as a recent History graduate, these tips will be especially helpful for humanities students, but they can apply to all types of personal statements!
1) Start with a bang! Not just a standard quote like ‘knowledge is power’, or a generic sentence like ‘since I was young, I’ve wanted to study business’… because chances are, it’s a stretch of the imagination, or even an outright lie! Instead, say something interesting and novel that will draw in the reader. Use a lesser-known quote and then challenge it, or explain a problem you’ve observed and how this provoked your thinking and ultimately your application. Chances are those who help with admissions to universities are reading dozens of personal statements a week and are tired, perhaps even bored – so spark their interest in you from the word go, and you’ll be a more memorable, impressive candidate.
2) An easy way of starting your personal statement with something interesting is to use an example from your own life - that way, you can be sure it’s unique to you. Whether you’ve beaten your parents at Monopoly at Christmas every year and this sparked your interest in economics; or, you used to always be second on sports day and the frustration that arose you diverted into a passion for sports science; or, you always tried on the fancy dress at National Trust properties which solidified history as your favourite; the list can go on. It can be funny, serious, or inspiring. Just make sure that it’s directly relevant, and don’t try and twist a story to fit your application – it should be a natural segue into a wider discussion of why you’re applying for this subject. Bonus points if you reference your starter example again later in your personal statement – this shows a thorough line of thinking and a real grasp of prose.
3) Be honest! This should be a given – don’t make the rookie error of saying you’ve read/done something, only to be called out on this further down the line, especially if you have interviews for your subject. However, what I’m suggesting is, even if you think something you’ve done (or not done!) might inhibit you from applying, if you frame it well it could mark you out as someone special. Being truthful about the path that led to your application can often be more interesting than generic platitudes about ‘passion’ or ‘determination’. For example, a friend of mine who has recently graduated with a First in History from Oxford didn’t even do history at GCSE! It was only later that she realised that history was a subject that fascinated her, and she wanted to pursue it in higher education. This kind of honesty won’t put universities off you; it will bolster your application by demonstrating your personal journey and commitment.
4) Don’t go overboard with listing either academic achievements or extracurricular work. It’s easier said than done, but you do need to find a careful balance between these two. I would recommend as a guide to include around 70% schoolwork, curricular or extra-curricular events (e.g. attending a biology seminar), and relevant achievements; and 30% wider achievements, hobbies, or non-academic work. Of course, this can vary depending on the subject you’re applying for and your own levels of experience. But make sure you demonstrate that you’re well-rounded as a person.
5) Select your examples carefully – don’t just whack everything you’ve ever done on the page and expect the admissions team to be impressed! Explaining why this achievement or skill matter is more important. A few well-chosen demonstrations of your interest – whether it be building robots in your spare time and how this improved your mechanical skills, or name-dropping a couple of books you’ve read and what they made you think about – will signal your passion and determination without using those buzzwords excessively. Show, don’t tell!
6) When I wrote my personal statement (around five years ago), my teacher told me to finish my personal statement specifically with the word ‘university’, to remind the reader of the fundamental purpose of your application – that you are a student, applying to a university. In hindsight, this was an odd bit of advice! But there is wisdom in this approach. Circling your personal statement around to finish with a demonstration of your intention to study this subject at university makes for a satisfying and thought-provoking ending. So rather than trailing off, or cataloguing yet another achievement or skill you have, finishing with a specific example of a topic you wish to investigate further in higher education is a more powerful way to signal that your interest is strong and ongoing.
Hopefully, these tips will help you construct a personal statement that will do the job and get you those offers!
Good luck!
