What is a personal statement:

A personal statement is a written statement of your achievements, skills and interests which you will probably have to write at some point in your life. It is common when applying for jobs, or when applying for Colleges and Universities. If you are in year 13, you will probably be looking at writing a UCAS personal statement to apply for your chosen University course.

Why are personal statements important:

University courses are very competitive and in order to get the best chance of securing a place, you will be expected to showcase your skills, experience and achievements. Your personal statement will tell the admission tutors why you are interested in their University and the course they are offering. Consequently, this is your chance to try and secure your place. It is best not to leave your personal statement to the last minute as admission tutors can tell if it is a rushed job!

What are admission tutors looking for:

Admission tutors will be reading a lot of personal statements so you need to make sure yours stand out! While your A Level subjects and predicted grades are very important, the tutors want to see what else you have to offer outside of your academic skill set. Essentially see this as selling yourself, so the tutors chose you for the course. Your personal statement should show that you have knowledge about the course you are applying for and have worked in preparing yourself for the course. This can be shown through extra reading, conferences you may have attended and any voluntary work or experience within the field. Try to keep your personal statement original and don’t be tempted to take sentences you see online. The chances are, 100s of other students will have used the same sentence. See below for phrases to stay away from.

What to include in your personal statement:

The statement is about you and why you are a good fit for the course and the University, so ensure you make it personal.

Why does this subject interest you: Include evidence that you understand what’s required to study the course, eg if applying for psychology courses, show that you know how scientific the subject is.

Why do you think you’re suitable for the course(s)? Do you have any particular skills and experience that will help you to succeed on the course(s)?

Do your current or previous studies relate to the course(s) that you have chosen? If so, how? Talk about how your A Level subjects have been a stepping stone to the course you are applying for.

Have you taken part in any other activities that demonstrate your interest in the course(s)? This could be workshops, seminars, conferences you have attended. Really think outside the box here. This could also be a part time job. Are there any transferrable skills that would link to the career field you are interested in.

Skills and achievements: Universities like to know the skills you have that will help you on the course, or generally with life at university, such as any accredited or non-accredited achievements. Write these down here. Also think about any other achievements you’re proud of, positions of responsibility that you hold or have held both in and out of school, and attributes that make you interesting, special or unique.

Hobbies and interests: Make a list of your hobbies, interests and social activities. Then think about how they demonstrate your personality, skills and abilities. Try to link them to the skills and experience required for your course(s). What are your hobbies and past times: Do not simply say I like reading and shopping!

Work experience: Include details of jobs, placements, work experience or voluntary work, particularly if it’s relevant to your chosen course(s). What have you learnt through your work experience and how can you apply this to your future studies?

Future plans: If you know what you’d like to achieve after completing the course, explain how you want to use the knowledge and experience that you gain. How does the course relate to what you want to do in the future?

Download our personal statement guide which will help get the above ideas down on paper. This is not an exhaustive list, but a great starting point.

Some tips to writing your personal statement:

Don’t be tempted to exaggerate or distort the truth. Remember, if you are called for an interview, you could be asked follow up questions on your experiences.

Don’t mention any University by name. You have a choice of 5 universities. You want to try and get offers from each one.

I recommend, you complete your personal statement drafts on Microsoft Word to utilise the word count. The UCAS platform will allow for 4000 characters in your personal statement.

After you have completed your statement:

A good personal statement will take a very long time and many attempts to complete. I suggest you give yourself plenty of time to attempt redrafts

Ensure you have used correct Spelling, punctuation and grammar. Get it checked by family, friends and teachers. They will help you spot any mistakes and can give you suggestions on how to improve it.

Read over your personal statement prior to your interview, as the admission tutors will most likely ask you follow up questions.

Get your personal statement checked by us at MKtutoring

We understand, that writing a personal statement can be a difficult and daunting process and that’s where we at MKtutoring can help. We can personally talk to you and guide you if you are struggling to write one. Our proofreading and editing service is also very useful if you require suggestions on how to link your experiences to your course and need help identifying transferrable skills. We will also do a final proofread prior to submitting. Check out the packages we offer: Personal Statements – (mktutoring.co.uk)

We have helped quite a number of students over the last year, read their testimonials here: https://mktutoring.co.uk/personal-statements/#testimonials

Useful personal statement terms

The following terms should help students to write a Personal Statement which flows well and is professionally written. The following terms will help you connect students to connect sentences and paragraphs and help you to vary the language you use.

• IN ADDITION “In addition to my work experience I have also gained valuable skills through voluntary work at a …”
• AS WELL AS “As well as my involvement in team games I am also keen on participating in sport individually.”
• REINFORCE “My involvement in the school Enrichment Programme has reinforced my decision to pursue a career in…”
• STRENGTHEN “My decision to pursue a degree in Health Care has been strengthened by my enjoyment and success in my sixth form studies.”
• FURTHERMORE “Furthermore, I am particularly suited to a degree in Chemistry because of my love of the subject and my keen interest to further my knowledge of the subject.”
• BESIDES “Besides my involvement with the Student Leadership team I am also a member of the Islamic Society.”
• MORE RECENTLY “Although I have taken part in numerous fund raising events, more recently I have started to take the lead in organizing events.”
• ENABLED ME “The opportunity to play in the netball team enabled me to co-operate with others.”
• PROVIDED ME “The work experience provided me with the opportunity to work with a diversity of people.”
• THE OPPORTUNITY TO “The major benefit of participating in the Peer Mentoring programme was the opportunity to support others.”

Phrases to stay away from

According to the UCAS university admissions service, by Feb 2022, 320,000 sixth formers had already applied for university. Admission tutors will be reading a lot of personal statements. It is so important that your personal statement shines through and catches their eye. It is tempting to use the internet to help you start your personal statement but you may be in danger of simply being repetitive. The following sentences are so common! Avoid them!!

1. I am currently studying a BTEC National Diploma in … (used 464 times)

2. From a young age I have always been interested in … (309 times)

3. From an early age I have always been interested in … (292 times)

4. Nursing is a very challenging and demanding career … (275 times)

5. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with … (196 times)

6. “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only” … (189 times)

7. Nursing is a profession I have always looked upon with … (178 times)

8. For as long as I can remember I have been interested in … (166 times)

9. I am an International Academy student and have been studying since … (141 times)

10. Academically, I have always been a very determined and … (138 times)