A personal statement is part of your application to study at a UK university. It is your only chance to show a demonstrable passion and understanding of your chosen subject away from exam results to be accepted by any university.

Things to include in Personal Statement

• Your career aspirations.
• How you became interested in studying this subject.
• What, if any, relevant work experience you have undertaken that is related to the course or subject.
• What aspects of your previous education you have found the most interesting.
• What attracted you to this particular university.
• Other relevant academic interests and passions which display positive character and personality.

Genuine experiences of extra-curricular clubs, work experience or knowledge around a subject are much more likely to make your personal statement stand out, while admissions officers are also for looking for positive evidence of your character which will make you a productive member of the university.

How long should a Personal Statement be?

The length of a personal statement varies depending on the university, but generally the average length for an undergraduate application is between 400-600 words, around one side of A4 paper or a maximum of 47 lines. Certain postgraduate programmes may require a 1000 word personal statement, but this will be clearly specified. Try not to go over the given character limit as admissions officers have many personal statements to go through, and a clearly written and concise personal statement is more likely to stand out.

Common errors on Personal Statement

• The personal statement is too short/long
• The personal statement does not include important information/includes negative information
• The personal statement has a confusing structure

It is also important to not lie about any aspect of your personal life and education history, or even exaggerate. Admissions officers will question you about almost all aspects of your application and will be able to see through any lies.

Personal Statement Tips

• Express a passion for your subject
• Start the statement strongly to grab an admission officers attention
• Link outside interests and passions to your course
• Be honest, but don’t include negative information
• Don’t attempt to sound too clever
• Don’t leave it the last minute, prepare ahead of the deadline
• Have friends and family proof read it
• Don’t duplicate material from your CV/resume

In terms of presentation, attempt to create five clear paragraphs of text in a clear font such as Arial or Times New Roman, with a maximum size of 12.

How TEAM can help

We will review your personal statement before submitting to the university to ensure that your personal statement is relevant to the subject that you are applying as well as rectifying and advising you on any grammatical errors.

Submit an Application

Contact us today if you wish to learn more about studying in an UK university or alternatively you can submit an application by clicking  Check Eligibility & Apply Now