A personal statement is a crucial aspect of the university application system in the UK. This is an opportunity to show your future university how unique you are. It is a fact that the best universities want only the best students walking their hallways. Through your personal statement, you need to showcase your personality in just 4,000 words. This is easier said than done, but if you follow these steps, you are bound to come up with the ideal personal statement for uni.
How To Open A Personal Statement
The first thing to remember is to not overthink the opening, an overly worked-on and tried essay may be too obvious in the eyes of the reader. Keep it enthusiastic and show your love for the subject you want to pursue. A key thing to also keep in mind is to avoid cliches in the beginning and let the admissions tutor reading your personal statement get to simply know you. These are some points to remember while you’re starting off:
- Grab attention with a compelling opening line
- Clearly state why you’re so passionate about the subject and course
- Keep it concise and focused
Pro Tip: Take Your Time
Get one thing straight. An excellent personal statement will not be ready in a couple of hours, no matter how good a writer you are. It will take a couple of days, weeks or even a month to come up with the perfect draft of your personal statement.
Talk About Your Personal Skills and Achievements
This body of your personal statement lets you talk about your relevant skills, interests and achievements. This is the time to shine in the eyes of the reader. When it comes to sharing personal details that are relevant to the programme you’re applying for, you can talk about the following points:
- Your achievements and experience
- Your relevant skills and talents
- Your contribution to the university
- What you’re aiming to achieve professionally or academically
Pro Tip: Concentrate On Your Strengths
Your personal statement is all about selling yourself to the university. You need to let the university realise how badly they need you. To do this, you need to highlight your strengths. Make sure you speak about your experiences, your knowledge and your future plans. It doesn’t matter how far-fetched they sound; universities are looking out for people with lofty goals and ambitions.
Highlight Your Work Experience And Future Ambitions
It is essential that you include a paragraph on your past work experiences and all you learned there. This will help the academic reader understand you more, as he/she will get a gist of which career path you want to take. Moreover, it provides context for your choices, allowing the reader to understand your background and the driving forces behind your career or educational goals. By differentiating yourself and showcasing personal growth, you create a more comprehensive and engaging narrative that sets you apart from other applicants, while also revealing the unique perspective, interests, and qualities you bring to the table.
These are some points which will help you write this part of your personal statement:
- Make an effort to connect your experiences with the skills or qualities that will contribute to your success.
- If you have a clear career path in mind, describe how you intend to leverage the knowledge and experience you gain from the programme to kickstart your career.
Pro Tip: Find The Perfect Opening Sentence
Power words such as ‘accomplish’ and ‘presume’ come off more eloquently than ‘do’ and ‘think’ respectively. Students who speak English well shouldn’t have a problem with this, but students whose first language isn’t English will need to work a little harder. Research to find out the best words you can incorporate into your personal statement. Try reading every day so that you improve your vocabulary. This way, you will be able to use impactful words more organically.
How To Conclude Your Personal Statement
To craft an effective conclusion for a university personal statement, it is essential to summarize the key points discussed throughout the statement. Make sure to connect your conclusion with the beginning, it is a great way to reinforce what you started with. This part of your personal statement will help you to put a long-lasting impression on the admission committee. Here are some points which will help:
- Briefly recap the main points you have made throughout your personal statement.
- Reinforce your passion and commitment to the field or subject you are applying for.
Pro Tip: Be Honest
The goal is to sell yourself but not at the expense of being a liar. Do not mention that you are fluent in Spanish when all you know is uno, dos, tres. Avoid creating a false image. Whatever you’ve achieved so far is good enough! Don’t be misguided that you will get away scot-free by lying in your personal statement. The truth will come out sooner or later.
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