Personal statements – how important are they really
24 November 2020
Academic Manager, Cadi Thomas, reflects on the role your personal statement plays in securing your place at university.
The short answer is – very important! Your personal statement gives you the chance to present yourself to the Admissions Tutor and to stand out from other applicants. This is your chance – in your own words – to convince them of your suitability for the degree programme.
Your personal statement could also make the difference later in the admissions cycle if you miss out on the grades on which your offer was based. In those circumstances, we’d look again at your personal statement to see what other interests and skills you have which could help you succeed during the degree.
If you have relevant extra-curricular experiences, make sure to talk about them. Workplace or volunteering experiences are an excellent way of nurturing key skills such as team working, time management and problem solving.
You should structure your personal statement so it can be read easily, keep it simple, and keep it succinct.
It’s important to let your character and personality show through – but best to try a joke, in case the Admissions Tutor’s sense of humour doesn’t match yours!
If you’re still working on your personal statement, best of luck. We look forward to reading your application!
- Let your passion and enthusiasm for the subject shine through – why do you want to follow it and what are your ambitions after leaving university.
- Don’t offer excuses – be positive and confident in presenting your experiences.
- Take care while writing, check for spelling and grammatical errors and ask someone to proof it for you.
- Remember, you only have 4,000 characters so use them carefully!
- Don’t lie – it’s easy to be caught out.