
An FAQ-style guide on writing a flawless Personal Statement
Personal Statements are thought to play a crucial role when offering yourself to be a part of a reputable university. It is the only way you can present yourself in front of the admission cell. Whether it is showing your passion for the chosen subject or displaying the abilities that make you fit for that institute, a personal statement helps you make the grade.

An
FAQ-style guide on writing a flawless Personal Statement
Personal Statements are thought to play a crucial role when
offering yourself to be a part of a reputable university. It is the only way
you can present yourself in front of the admission cell. Whether it is showing
your passion for the chosen subject or displaying the abilities that make you
fit for that institute, a personal statement helps you make the grade.
When should I begin to write it?
Finding the right time for writing your personal statement is
not as difficult as it sounds. If you are sure about your options, then writing
about them becomes a whole lot easier. However, the only condition is you don’t
run out of time. Remember, university application is a time-consuming process,
and having your statement ready is a part of it. You don't want to miss the
UCAS deadline, so beginning early is most preferable.
What
is the desired word count?
There’s no absolute word limit defined for personal statements.
They are required to consist of:
- Either 4000 characters with spaces
- Or 47 lines of 95 characters each,
including spaces
Since software such as Microsoft Word may not tell you the characters
or line counts that would accurately match the lengths and counts on the UCAS
form, so the only way to confirm these is to copy and paste your draft statement
into the online UCAS form. You need to be highly careful at this point because
you’re not submitting; you’re just checking the counts. Sounds risky? Try these
hacks:
- Use the "Courier New"
font style, set its size to 8 pts, and go with the default margins. That
gives a fair estimate of how many lines your statement will occupy.
- You can also use the
"Notepad" application, activate text-wrapping, and set the right
margins at 95 characters to know how many lines are exactly used.
Is there a step before step one?
Pulling off the first draft is undoubtedly challenging. Rather
than having your mind stuck at the first line, think of the following:
- What do I want to study?
- Why do I want to study it?
- What are the personal
qualities, interests, and experiences I have which support my choice and
make me the apt fit for this university?
How
should I structure it?
Usually, Personal Statements are written in an essay style that
begin with your course choice and the reasons behind it and end with information
like extra-curricular experience and skills. Although you can style it any way
you want, the best way is to talk about your course in the first two-thirds and
mention your work experience in the last third to make it look more resolute.
How
is it supposed to look?
Personal Statements have no room for any formatting. Be it bold,
italic, or underlined words, they will automatically get removed in the
preview. The only design, however, allowed is to switch between upper and
letter case letters. For your knowledge, here is what the online application
system will do to your formatting:
- It will condense tabs and
multiple spaces to a single space leaving no possibility for line
indents.
- Common symbols such as € and
the special quote marks (“) (‘) (’) (”) will also
be removed from your statement. However, the simple quotation marks (“) and (') can be used.
- Backslashes (\) will be replaced with forward
slashes (/)
- Normal Brackets () will replace Curly ones {}.
- The UCAS form also removes
accented characters like é, à, è, ù, etc.
What
is most essential to my draft?
Admission tutors look for unique, fervent, and passionate an
individual, which means that your words need to have the power to leave an
impact, move, and convince. Your personality should sound intriguing, your
purpose and reasons should be clear, and your enthusiasm must reflect
through.
Should
I talk about my post-study aspirations?
It is always a good idea to state your plans but only when you
are damn sure about them. You should not sound indecisive or confused. Being
confident about your plans would show how seriously you have thought through
your choices. Moreover, it will also be an excellent way to conclude your
statement, rather than ending it with less essential topics like
extra-curricular activities.
Do
I state my qualifications?
No. Your UCAS form has already taken details of your educational
history; you need not include it on your statement since that would only mean
wasting space that could otherwise be used for writing more persuasive stuff.
However, if you still have something important that can’t go in the
qualifications section of your form, the best way to include it in your
application is via the reference letter. Have your referee write it down rather
you doing it yourself.
Can
I write about two entirely different subjects?
Writing a personal statement about two entirely different
courses is difficult, nearly impossible. Your writing should not sound
confusing and ambiguous because that’s what will exactly happen if you write
about choosing two opposite subjects. Try to bring all your brain cells on the
same page and make sure they root for the same subject.
Should I customize my Personal Statement according to the
university?
Quite obviously, an admission tutor always thinks about whether
they want the applicant for the particular subject, they have opted for and
whether or not the student will make a good fit for their institute. As of now,
most universities have information on writing personal statements published on
their website; this may be of significant help when exploring what the university
is really looking for.
Are
too many extracurriculars a plus point?
Doing lots of extra things to impress the jury is – not even
being pessimistic – a foolish thing to do because 1) you won’t really enjoy it
and 2) it won’t help much either. The only key to pose a heart-winning
application is repeatedly asserting your interest in the course rather than
writing about ten thousand extra-curricular activities that you did merely to
gain extra credit. If doing something to boost your application is really the
motive, read books or do work, related to the subject you’re passionate
about.
Can
I lie on my Personal Statement?
If you think the university won’t accept you considering your
expected grades or unconvincing academic history, you should reconsider
applying on second thought. Remember, whatever you write on the statement needs
to be substantiated and backed up during the interview. Hence, lying or giving
false information is never an option.
The
Nitty Gritty
Many people have interests and work experience similar to yours;
you need something exceptional to emerge and stand out. Avoid including
experiences and hobbies common to all applicants. For example, all of the students
wishing to study astrology follow NASA and its discoveries; there’s no way it
can work as icing on the cake for your essay.
With all that being said, this is nonetheless your personal statement,
and it would be wrong to follow the conventions blindly. When trying to make it
unique, doing it your way is necessary, too, even if that means going a little
astray from the basics.
What
if it starts to lose meaning?
When comprhending your statement, you might want to make
changes, maybe remove a chunk or two, or add something that you think is more
important than what was previously there. Here are some tips you might
consider:
- Avoid repetition
- Talk to-the-point
- Remove useless words and
adjectives
- Give it a defined structure
How
should I finalize my Personal Statement?
As the last step, have it read by your friends, parents,
teachers, and career advisors and consider their remarks. The most valuable
comments come from your teachers or your school or college council that handles
UCAS applications. You can also go through your Personal Statement after months
or weeks if you have time before the deadline, and that will surely help you
improve what you’ve already written.
***
References
https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/personal-statements/personal-statement-faqs