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Before you get started
- Most universities do not offer formal interviews these days. This is your one chance to impress. It is a formal document so must avoid slang or colloquialisms; avoid being quirky or attempting humour – you have to be a genius to make this work and its too risky not to play it straight.
- Map out in rough what you want to include before you start, and always think of skills development, not listing things!
Here we go…
Paragraph 1
This paragraph needs to grab the attention of the university admissions tutor. Remember, they are at the cutting edge of their subject and so they need to see your passion for their chosen area of study coming through on the page – they are looking for students who share their enthusiasm for the course they will not want to spend three years with someone who only sounds vaguely interested. Try the following to get started:
- Think of what inspired you to choose this route – if its History, was it an ancient ruin you visited on holiday; if its politics, have you been engaged in any debates in school; for medicine, have you experienced living with an ill relative? Be genuine – you cannot fake this introduction, so no fabrications!
- Take a look at the university prospectus and get on line and check out the more detailed departmental information – you might be able to comment on elements of the courser that have inspired you to apply – for example, if its Maths you might be attracted by the option to study mechanics in the first year, or if its Physics you might be interested in the work of one of the senior lecturers
Paragraph 2
This is your chance to broaden your application, by detailing experiences you have had that are directly relevant to the course you wish to study – if its teaching, maybe you’ve done a term helping out at Pear Tree Primary; if its Business perhaps you’ve had a taste of local industry or been involved in the Young Enterprise programme. Don’t list your experiences – give a flavour of what you did but say how this has developed you as a person.
Top Tip – if you are applying to Medicine, Dentistry, Vet Science, Oxbridge, this section will form the bulk of your statement.
Paragraph 3
Now you can broaden the scope to discuss how you experiences in college have prepared you for your chosen area of study – if science it could be an experiment that you took the lead in; if its languages you could talk about an exchange; English students could discuss the inspiration of a book, or Geographers a field trip – there should be something for everyone to focus on.
Paragraph 4
Now you can talk about other responsibilities and experiences that have prepared you for Higher Education – maybe it’s a part time job, your role on the student council, paid or unpaid employment, a selection of activities from the pastoral programme (Barnardos and Green Day are popular favourites, a mentor for younger pupils, a prefect in year 11 – don’t go further back than year 11; your focus must be on the most recent. The admissions tutor won’t really care if you were in the Brownies or captained your under 7 football team – they’d be more likely to wonder why you had to delve so far back in time to find something interesting to talk about.
Paragraph 5
The easy one – enrichment stuff: sports, hobbies, pass times, interests – again don’t list; select two or three and talk about how they have developed you as a person.
Paragraph 6
The shortest paragraph – your closing statement. Finish with a bang; let them know you are serious about your studies, but again, no gimmicky stuff!
Good luck, and make sure you ask your tutor or a member of the KS5 team for help if you need it – we are happy to read your drafts and offer advice.
 Download a PowerPoint presentation on how to write a good personal statement (PPT, 65KB)
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