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The personal statement is one of the most useful tools in your university application. A personal statement is your opportunity to express yourself, adding depth to your character, showing admissions tutors who you are as a person and telling them about your aspirations for the future. In this article, we outline some of the dos and don’ts of personal statement writing.
Before you even get started, it helps to have a clear idea of which five courses you’re applying to before getting started. Attending university open days is a great way to inform this decision, so we recommend visiting a few campuses and having a look around the teaching faculty. Interested? See what unis have upcoming open days and book your place right here.
Do: Explain why you want to study the subject
This degree might be a necessary step towards a profession you want to pursue. Maybe you want to develop specific skills, or work in a specific type of environment. Gaining a degree could offer a higher earning potential in your current line of work. Perhaps you’re just fascinated by the subject. The good news is that there isn’t a right or wrong answer for this, so make it clear and sincere.
Don’t: Use generated AI text or plagiarised content
This one should be obvious. Plagiarising is never a good idea and can land you in trouble if you try it at undergraduate level. Similarly, when it comes to using AI, the consequence of being flagged for generating your personal statement can do significant damage to your prospects of getting an offer.
Do: Talk about your current and past studies
Be specific about modules or topics which have excited you and mention why. The admissions team can see which subjects you’re taking, so there’s no need to repeat information, but it’s important to let them know why you’ve enjoyed subjects relevant to the university course.
Don’t: Use buzzwords that you can’t back up
There’s a time and a place for jargon, and the personal statement is a risky one. Be aware of how you might sound to someone who doesn’t know you. Even if the context is correct, you might appear flippant, and if you get it wrong or can’t follow up with the necessary verification, then it may even seem fraudulent.
Do: Include work experience and volunteering
Showcase your initiative, interests and ability to take on responsibility for things outside of your school life. It’s good if these are relevant to your degree choice, but ultimately the benefits of doing them are highly transferable, so include them anyway.
Don’t: Lie about what you’ve done or read
Another obvious one here. It’s clearly not a good idea to kickstart your university career with lies, and if you’re questioned about something you lied about in an interview, the results can be not only disastrous but severely embarrassing.
Do: Mention extracurricular activities and hobbies
If your hobbies link to your chosen degree course then great, but don’t try too hard to build a tenuous connection. It’s okay to have outside interests, and you can imply important skills you may have developed from these activities, or valuable personality traits that they demonstrate.
Don’t: Use slang or informal wording
You’ll probably want to strike a balance between using professional language with an enthusiastic tone, without it sounding too rigid and stuffy. Slang can sound too loose and casual for this type of text, and since slang is often regionally based, you don’t want to run the risk of not being understood.
Do: Mention future career plans
It’s good for the reader to feel like you know why you want to study for an undergraduate degree and to imagine what part it might play in your future. Again, there’s isn’t a right answer for this, so dream big.
Don’t: Include things you can’t link to the course
The purpose of the statement is to strengthen your subject-specific application, so don’t spend valuable words writing about things that have no connection to this
Do: Show how you’ll engage in life at uni
Completing your course is the minimum expectation of a university student. What admissions tutors really appreciate is hearing that you’re motivated to be part of the university community and how you’ll contribute to the student culture.
Need more personal statement help? Check out personal statement guide!
