Personal Statement Worksheet Page
Two words to keep in mind throughout writing and refining your personal statement: authenticity
and originality.
Authenticity
The personal statement is, by definition, personal. It should reflect you, your interests and strengths.
Universities tell us all the time that what they most want to see in a personal statement is genuine
academic enthusiasm for the subject applied for. And they want to hear the voice of the 17/18 year
old writing it, not the voice of a teacher, tutor or parent.
Originality
Being original doesn’t just mean that you shouldn’t plagiarise someone else’s work. Of course, you
should never do that, and UCAS uses software to spot plagiarism. But being original is more than
that. Imagine how many thousands of personal statements admissions tutors read. You want your
personal statement to capture their interest. You don’t have to be showy or outlandish to make your
personal statement stand out, just be original by choosing interesting examples of your personal or
more unusual academic interests.
Opening paragraph (approx. 10%)
The opening paragraph should tell the reader what you want to study and why. This may sound
obvious, but often we reach the end of this paragraph and it is not clear what the pupil is applying
for or why. To help you get started with what you want to study and why, answer these sections to
break it down:
1. What do you want to study?
2. What does this course involve? (Universities need to see evidence that you have researched
your choices. The content of your statement needs to show that you understand what
you’re applying for).
3. What is it about the course that appeals to you/excites you? (It is not enough to say that
you find the course interesting……you need to explain how and why it is interesting to you).
Personal Statement Worksheet Page
Main body (approx. 80%)
In this section, you need to convince the admissions tutor that you are right for the course, and how.
The best way to do this is to:
Provide evidence of super-curricular activities you have undertaken to demonstrate your
interest and suitability for the course.
Super-curricular activities are those done outside of the classroom, in your own time such as:
further reading of books, articles, journals, websites, periodicals etc; listening to public lectures,
podcasts, radio programmes; watching documentaries; researching for an online course or
personal investigation or project; entering essay competitions, subject challenges, projects etc.
Describe what skills you’ve acquired that are relevant to your course, and how these activities
enabled you to acquire them. Some university websites (e.g. Bristol and LSE) describe the skills
that their admissions tutors are looking for in personal statements for that particular course.
Look out for the skills that universities require and describe how your activities have gained you
these skills.
What have I done/read/seen/listened to/ What academic/transferable skills have I developed
organised/achieved that is relevant to my through this activity and how has this activity helped me
chosen course and developed my interest in develop these skills? E.g. research skills; problem solving,
this area? analysis; critical, independent and analytical thinking;
developing arguments/points of view, design/creative skills,
ability to communicate complicated concepts etc.
Personal Statement Worksheet Page
Skills/outside interests and Conclusion (approx. 20%)
Extra-curricular activities
Rather than simply listing your activities and skills, think about which ones will benefit your course
the most. Describe how you’ve used, developed or improved these skills. Admissions tutors want to
hear about specific examples, like:
projects and assignments - what role did you play, what went well?
positions of responsibility - what did you achieve, how has it improved your self-confidence?
sport, music or drama - what did you learn from your role, how did you work as a team?
Young Enterprise, Duke of Edinburgh Award - what was the biggest challenge and how did you
overcome it …. or what went wrong and what did you learn from that?
volunteering or part-time job - what have you observed, what extra responsibilities have you
taken on, what skills have you demonstrated, what did you learn?
creative projects – what did you produce, how did you create, what have you taught yourself?
Setting up your own business – what have you learned from it, what improvements have you
made, how did you do this?
Provide examples which demonstrate
WHAT you have LEARNED rather than simply what you have done and HOW this has changed the
way you think or the way you do things. For example:
- WHAT did you learn by participating in work experience/school play/school society and
HOW has this changed how you think about your subject?
- HOW has serving the public in your part-time job given you insight into your subject?
Think about how these might be relevant to your future career (if appropriate)?
What have I done/read/seen/organised/ How has this activity improved my skills in x? i.e.
completed/ that is relevant to my course? reflect on your experience, don’t just describe it
Personal Statement Worksheet Page
You may well find that you have to cut a lot of your examples from your personal statement. Be
sure to include these examples that you don’t have room for in your Notes for Reference Writers
so that your tutor can include them in your reference.
Conclusion
Be careful not to repeat anything you’ve written already. Summarise why you are looking forward to
studying the course, what you hope to gain from it and what your next steps might be. Keep your
conclusion concise and positive.
