How to write personal statement for university

How to write a UCAS Undergraduate personal statement

Applying to university

What’s on this page?

Not sure how to start your personal statement?

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement supports your application to study at a university or college. It’s a chance for you to articulate why you’d like to study a particular course or subject, and what skills and experience you possess that show your passion for your chosen field.

If you’re applying for an apprenticeship – you probably won’t need to write a personal statement, but you’ll need to prepare a CV.

What to write about in your personal statement.

You’re telling admissions staff why you’re suitable to study at their university or college.

It’s important to remember you can only write one personal statement – it’s the same for each course you apply for. So, avoid mentioning any universities or colleges by name.

If you’ve chosen similar subjects, talk about the subject in general, and try not to mention courses titles. If you’ve chosen a variety of subjects, just write about common themes, like problem solving or creativity.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

If you took part in a higher education taster course, placement, or summer school, or something similar, include it.

Personal circumstances

If you have a question about writing your personal statement, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Here are some useful blogs to help:

How to write your personal statement

Your personal statement should be unique, so there’s no definite format for you to follow here – just take your time. Here are some guidelines for you to follow, but remember your personal statement needs to be ‘personal’.

We recommend you write your personal statement first, then copy and paste it into your online application once you’re happy with it. Make sure you save it regularly, as it times out after 35 minutes of inactivity.

Here are some useful documents to get you started:

UCAS’ personal statement builder

This tool is designed to help you think about what to include in your personal statement, and how to structure it. It also counts how many characters you’ve used, so it’s easy to see when you’re close to the 4,000 character limit. Use our tool to start building your personal statement over time by saving your progress as you go.

Need more help?

International and EU students

As an international student, there are a few extra things you should mention:

Mature students

Here’s where you can mention any alternative entry requirements you’ve used – like an Access course or APL – demonstrating the skills and knowledge you’ve gained through your previous experiences.

Service children

Student carers

Estranged students

Refugees and asylum seekers

Applying through UCAS Conservatoires?

Applying for Teacher Education in Scotland?

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How to start a personal statement: the killer opening

Applying to university

Not sure how to start your personal statement?

First of all, you’re not alone.

We spoke to admissions tutors up and down the country, and they all said the same thing: don’t get stressed out trying to think of a killer opening!

Check out our advice below on beginning your personal statement the right way, including what to include, what not to do, and how to approach it (or even, put it off. ).

Struggling with the conclusion to your personal statement? Read our guide on how to finish your statement the right way.

How to start your personal statement

Firstly, don’t begin with the overkill opening.

One of the dangers of trying to come up with a great opening sentence is that you can end up overthinking it, and going overboard. As one admissions tutor said: ‘Be succinct and draw the reader in, but not with a gimmick. This isn’t the X Factor.

Admissions tutors often mention this. They emphasised the need for candidates to engage the reader with your (relevant) perceptions or ideas, not by something flashy.

Beginning your personal statement – tips from the experts

We spoke to a number of admissions tutors to get their number one tip for starting a personal statement. This is what they said:

Maybe don’t begin at the start?

Some tutors even suggested you shouldn’t even begin at the start.

The best statements tend to be genuine and specific from the very start. So you’ll be on the right track if you explain your enthusiasm for the subject or course, your understanding of it, and what you want to achieve from it.

Five cliche statement beginnings to avoid

However, try to avoid the most obvious opening sentences in your personal statement, so you stand out from the first line. To help, every year UCAS publishes a list of the most common opening lines in personal statements, and urges applicants to avoid using these hackneyed phrases. Previous years’ top five included:

And at number eleven was a Nelson Mandela quote, which brings us on to our next section.

And don’t rely on someone else’s words – ditch the opening quotes

Quotations are top of the list of admissions tutors’ pet hates. They particularly dislike it if you put a quotation in right at the start – and it’s even worse if you don’t actually explain why it’s there.

It’s your statement, after all. They don’t want to know what Nelson Mandela thought – they want to know what you think!

Connect the beginning of your statement to the end

A final thought. One technique that can be effective is the ‘necklace approach’. This is when you make a link between your opening sentence and closing paragraph, reinforcing and adding an extra dimension at the end to what you said at the start.

For example, if you started with an interesting line about what is currently motivating to study your chosen degree course, you could link back to it in your closing paragraph, perhaps with something about why you would love to study this further at uni.

What else are you struggling with in your personal statement?

If you’re in the early stages of writing your personal statement, take a look at our beginners guide that covers everything you need to know to write your personal statement, or use our personal statement tool to create an easy first draft to work from.

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10 Tips for Writing a Personal Statement for University Applications

Updated April 19, 2021 Updated April 19, 2021

The personal statement is a crucial part of university applications in the UK. It’s your chance to show what makes you unique, besides your birth name and UCAS ID. In just 4,000 characters you have to convince your chosen university that you are the best applicant, and that they should make you an offer immediately. These 4,000 characters are your only chance, so your personal statement needs to be good. Really good. Here are some tips on how to write a truly outstanding piece.

1. Make a draft without a character counter.

When I started writing, I thought it would be a good idea to start with the character counter turned on, so I wouldn’t go over the 4,000 limit. First mistake… After 3,500 characters I started panicking because I was only halfway through my story. So I turned off the character counter and continued writing. At the end I had 7,000 characters instead of 4,000, but I had written down everything I wanted to say, and I only had to delete some words and compress it. That’s far easier than inserting more ideas while keeping it under 4,000 characters at the same time. By the way, the final version was 3,999 characters!

2. Take your time.

Do not rush it. A superb personal statement will not be ready in a couple of hours. Or even a couple of days. It took me more than a month to complete the version I finally sent in. Sometimes it’s worth taking a break for a few days, then coming back to it afresh.

3. Find the perfect words and expressions.

It sounds more professional and elegant if you use ‘accomplish’ rather than ‘do’, or ‘presume’ rather than ‘think’. As an international applicant, it was even more difficult since English is not my native language, but there are some useful translation and synonym programs on the internet to help with this. I used Google Translate primarily, which includes a great deal of synonyms if you translate words from English to another language. But this synonym thing should be carefully performed, as using too many fancy words could make your statement sound overdone and difficult to read.

4. Concentrate on your strengths.

In these 4,000 characters you are trying to sell yourself to the university. A perfect product proposer is all about how great that thing is, and it’s the same with your personal statement. You should write about your experiences, your knowledge and your future plans. You should NOT write, “I wanted to learn Spanish but I gave it up after a week” or “I am not very good at maths, but I think this is understandable since I hate it so much.”

5. Find the perfect opening sentence.

Starting with something funny, interesting, unusual or surprising will give a good first impression. But do not try to squeeze something funny out of your brain; that is useless. The perfect opening sentence will just hit you in a random moment, when you have already worked hours and hours on your personal statement. So, just wait and do not overthink it.

6. Make it your own work, voice and ideas.

I suggest that you should not read any other personal statements before writing the first few drafts of yours. It will simply give you a false idea. You are most definitely unique, and it is worthless to follow some set rules or patterns, or someone else’s ideas. After all, this is about you, not somebody else.

7. Be honest.

Do not write that you are fluent in Spanish if you can only say “I love you” in Spanish. Do not write that you are good at problem-solving if your sole example is a trick of carrying five bottles in one hand. If you are good, you are good the way you are. There is no need to create a false image, and indeed the truth will always come out sooner or later.

8. Get someone to proofread your statement.

Your parents, your teachers, your friends, your enemies… The more people you show it to, the more feedback you will get, and the better the final version will be. Of course, some advice will be better and some less so, but it is easier to ask many people first, and differentiate later.

9. Read it out loud many times.

It helped me a lot when I read my personal statement out to my family and friends. When you are writing it sentence by sentence, you might not realize that there is no cohesion between your paragraphs. But when you read it out, all the vague parts will magically appear, so you can correct them.

10. Once you submit your university application, stop reading it!

I’d recommend not reading it for a few months once you’ve sent it in. You might feel it’s not as good as you thought previously, but this is normal. Waiting to hear from universities is the worst part of the whole process (even worse than completing the application form…). After you get the offer you wanted (which you will surely get, I know!), you will know that your application was just perfect the way you sent it.

To sum up, be yourself and write honestly about your experiences. Use your own voice, because that is who you are, and the universities are interested in you, not an ideal text based on a “how to write a personal statement” article…

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How to Write a Powerful Personal Statement

By Indeed Editorial Team

Updated May 27, 2022 | Published October 7, 2019

Updated May 27, 2022

Published October 7, 2019

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Related: How To Write a Standout Personal Statement

Jenn, a certified career coach, shares her key steps for crafting a personal statement that is authentic, impressive and helps you stand out from the crowd.

Prospective employers and universities may ask for a personal statement that details your qualifications for a position or degree program. Writing a compelling personal statement is an excellent way to highlight your skills and goals to an employer or university. A well-written personal statement can give you a competitive advantage over other candidates and help you secure a new job or college placement.

In this article, we discuss how to write an effective personal statement for a job or education application.

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is an account of your achievements, talents, interests and goals often included in job or university applications or on resumes. Personal statements for university and jobs have similar content, but university personal statements are usually longer and more detailed. University personal statements are typically three or four paragraphs. When included in job applications and resumes, these statements are generally a single paragraph. Employers and universities may have their own requirements, so make sure to heed any word or character limits.

How to write a personal statement

Breaking the task of writing a personal statement down into small, manageable steps can help you write a strong statement for a job or university placement. While your introduction, body and conclusion sections should be in that order, you can write them in any order that best helps you effectively write your statement. For example, writing your body first and then returning to write the introduction can help you craft a stronger opening because you already know what the rest of your statement discusses.

The following approach ensures you include all essential components and make each sentence as effective as it can be:

1. Write a personal introduction

Write an introduction that reflects you and your personality. It should say why you are interested in the job or degree and, if appropriate, your recent experience with the job type or course topics. Starting a personal statement with sentences that show who you are can help encourage the recipient to read further.

For a job application, consider addressing what first interested you in the position’s listing. Use a single, strong sentence to mention the most relevant aspects of your personality and interests in the role or company. For a university application, discuss what parts of the program or school align with your passions. Your university introduction should be a full paragraph.

2. Expand on relevant skills, interests and experiences

The body of your personal statement lets you share more about your relevant skills, interests and experiences. Write about personal details that relate to the job or course for which you are applying. You could write about the following elements, where relevant, in the body of your personal statement:

Your achievements and experience: Write about your degrees, certifications, awards, years of industry experience and positions you have held that relate to the job’s responsibilities or the university’s educational offerings.

Your relevant skills and talents: Describe the talents and skills you have learned during university or on your career path. Consider mentioning specific skills discussed in a job listing or values the school is looking for in students.

What you would bring to the organization: Discuss why you feel you would be an asset to the company or university. You can mention your experience or eagerness to learn specific skills, perform tasks or earn credentials in a field.

Your professional or academic goals: Write about how the job or course you are applying for fits into your dreams for the future. Consider selecting a specific goal the job or course can help you achieve.

Two sentences should be sufficient for the body of your job personal statement. You may choose two or three of the previously listed elements to discuss in those sentences to keep it comprehensive while also being brief. If your university personal statement is a general prompt asking about your interest and goals, the body of your college personal statement should be one or two paragraphs. A recent high school graduate may need just one paragraph, while someone applying for an advanced degree should write two paragraphs when discussing the professional experience and skills they have in their chosen field.

3. Write a strong conclusion

Craft a conclusion that leaves a strong, lasting impression on the prospective employer or university admissions officer. It should be a clear restatement of why you applied and what you hope to achieve with the experience. It should also persuade the reader to take action on you as a candidate, either reading through the rest of your resume or reviewing your other academic credentials.

In this final section of your statement, you can include:

Extension of your professional goals: Some statements for job applications may include specific references to your goals and how the position can help you achieve those goals. For a university personal statement, reinforce how the school’s mission or coursework can prepare you for a career. In both types of statements, consider discussing relevant short- and long-term goals, such as what you hope to achieve in the school or position and where you see yourself in 5-10 years.

Summary of your personal statement: A brief summary of the main points in your statement can be an effective strategy for a one-sentence conclusion or one sentence of a larger conclusion. Be sure to connect your achievements, experiences and skills directly to your future contributions to the company or university.

Link back to your introduction: Revisit your introduction and what interested you in the position, school or degree program. Consider extending this idea by combining your desire with your qualifications. Ending a personal statement on your enthusiasm for the opportunity can influence a company or university to consider your candidacy seriously.

The conclusion of your personal statement for a job should be a single sentence, so consider selecting only one of the above strategies. Write a full paragraph for the conclusion of your personal statement for a university and consider using a blend of two or three of these strategies for a comprehensive and engaging conclusion.

4. Proofread and edit

Once you have written your personal statement, take the time to proofread and edit it. Read your personal statement aloud to hear how your writing sounds and find areas of improvement, such as:

Spelling and grammar

Simple, easy-to-understand language

Review your personal statement to find these areas yourself, and consider having a friend or colleague read it for you, too. This person can give you feedback on improving it in those areas.

Tips for writing a strong personal statement

The best personal statements have a personal yet professional tone and relevant, direct information. Understanding what strong personal statements have in common can help you create your own. Keep the following tips in mind when writing your own personal statements:

Write in your own voice: Use your own words to describe your qualifications to make your statement feel more personal and uniquely you.

Keep it simple: Short sentences and simple language can ensure your personal statement is clear and effective.

Have a positive tone: Use language that demonstrates your enthusiasm for the opportunity and gratitude for the reader’s consideration.

Use active voice: Active voice means using strong verbs that engage a reader and directly identify your accomplishments, which can make your personal statement more effective.

Be unique: Your personal statement should be unique to you, so discuss what makes you different from other candidates. Include specific details and brief examples of your experiences to help your personal statement stand out.

Powerful personal statement examples

Use these personal statements to help you write your own.

Personal statement for employment

The following is an example of a personal statement that could appear on a resume or in a job application.

“I recently graduated from the University of Indiana with a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design, and I would love to apply the skills I refined at university and my passion for fashion to your design assistant role. In addition to my studies, I have spent the last five years designing and creating dresses to sell at the monthly Indianapolis Arts Market. Seeing the excitement on my regular customers’ faces trying my new creations strengthened my commitment to a career in fashion. I am a quick learner who thrives on challenges, which I believe I would find at your design house.”

Personal statement for a university application

This is an example of a personal statement for a college application. Note that it is longer and more detailed than the personal statement for employment.

“I am applying for a position in your Master of Business Administration course because I’m passionate about advancing my marketing career and interested to learn more about management strategies. I first became interested in marketing while earning my Bachelor of Science in Business at Peru State College in Nebraska. I was fascinated by the way marketers could use images and text to persuade consumers to purchase products and the range of different modern marketing tools, including social media and virtual reality.

After graduating, I began working as a marketing coordinator with The Digital Eye. My eagerness to learn and try new methods saw me quickly progress through the company. As I moved from simple research and administrative tasks to coordinating marketing events and assisting with the creative process, my passion for marketing grew.

I feel I am ready to take the next step in my career and work as a marketing manager. Studying a Master of Business Administration at NYU Stern School of Business would help me gain the skills I need to transition into my desired role. I feel the coursework in leadership, production management and operation management would help me succeed in a managerial position. I also appreciate that your school offers online classes and part-time study. These options would help me devote the time I need to excel academically without compromising my performance at The Digital Eye.

I respect your school’s reputation for excellence and commitment to career development. I believe it would be a stimulating learning environment and a place where I could connect with several like-minded students. My passion for learning and my exceptional academic and professional record would make me an asset to your school. I fondly recall my time at Peru State College and hope I can make more special memories studying at NYU Stern School of Business.”

12 Personal Statement Examples + Analysis

If you’re applying to college, you’ll most likely need to write a personal statement as part of your college application.

But before diving into analyzing some great personal statement examples, it helps to get some context on what a personal statement actually is, and what writers should plan to include when writing their own personal statement.

What is a personal statement?

It’s the main essay required by the Common Application as well as most other application systems. They basically require you to answer some version of the question “Who are you, and what do you value?” And in recent years, the main Common Application essay has become more and more important in colleges’ decision making process, especially as many colleges are relying less and less on standardized test scores.

Why read personal statement examples?

In our work with students, we often encourage students to review examples of personal statements to get a sense of what a great essay might look like and to just generally share a wide range of topics, structures, and writing styles so that they can see what’s possible when writing this essay. In this spirit, we’re sharing 12 of our favorite examples from the past few years. We’ve also included analysis for what makes them outstanding to (hopefully) help you uplevel your own essay.

What should a personal statement include?

The personal statement should demonstrate the qualities, skills, and values that you’ve cultivated over your life and how those skills have prepared you for attending college. I (Ethan) have spent the last 15 years answering this question, which you can learn more about in my free 1-hour guide.

In our opinion, a great personal statement example has 4 qualities. After reading the essay, you can identify whether your essay or topic show each of the four qualities by asking yourself the questions below:

Insight: Can you name at least 4-5 of the author’s core values? Do you detect a variety of values, or do the values repeat?

Vulnerability: Does the essay sound like it’s mostly analytical or like it’s coming from a deeper, more vulnerable place? Does it sound like the author wrote it using mostly his or her head (intellect) or his or her heart and gut? After reading the essay, do you know more about the author AND feel closer to him or her?

Values: Can you identify at least 3-5 “so what” moments of insight in the essay? Are these moments kind of predictable, or are they truly illuminating?

Craft: Do the ideas in the essay connect in a way that is logical, but not too obvious (aka boring)? Can you tell that the essay represents a series of carefully considered choices and that the author spent a lot of time revising the essay over the course of several drafts?

Want a more thorough guide on how to write a personal statement? We’ve got you covered.

Let’s read some essays.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Note that almost none of these students actually titled their essays; for the Table of Contents, I’ve simply titled them based on their first line or general topic.

Personal Statement Example #1
The Tally on My Uniform

Day 19: I am using my school uniform as a slate to tally the days. As the ink slowly seeps through the fabric of my shirt, I begin to understand that being a conscious Arab comes with a cost.

Day 7: I come across a live stream on social media, 1,200 Palestinian political prisoners are on their seventh day of a hunger strike against the Israeli occupation. It is the first I have heard of its occurrence. I allow myself to follow the news daily through social media while regional mainstream media and our local news channels refrain from reporting any news of the strike.

Day 13: I am engulfed by the cry for justice. I feel helplessly overwhelmed, not wanting to confront reality, but I force myself to anyway; actively searching, refreshing my phone to tune into live streams from protests, plugging in “Palestinian hunger strike” on the search engine to stay connected to the cause.

Day 18: No one else seems to know anything about what is going on. I am compelled to find a way to embody the struggle. In my first period class, I see a marker beside the whiteboard. I pick it up, not sure what I’m going to do, but then hear myself asking my classmates to each draw a vertical line on my shirt. It seems funny at first—they laugh, confused. But each time the marker touches the fabric it tells a story. It is a story of occupied countries, a story in which resisting apartheid becomes synonymous with criminality, a story we refuse to address because we have grown too apathetic to value life beyond our borders. As my classmates draw the tally, together we tell the story of the hunger strike and mourn the distance human beings have created between each other.

Day 20: My uniform has become a subject of question. Each pair of eyes that fix their gaze on the ink, I share the story of our Palestinian compatriots. The initial responses are the same: disbelief, followed by productive conversation on our moral responsibility to educate ourselves on the conflict.

Day 28: Each day the strike continues, I have asked my classmates to draw another line on the tally. While it still comes across as unsettling, it seems to no longer represent the reality of the hunger strike. My classmates are no longer interested in what it means. I am supposed to move on already. I am called in to the principal’s office. After being instructed to get a new shirt, I choose to challenge the order. As long as the hunger strike lasts, I will continue to voice the reality of the hundreds of prisoners, in hopes of recreating the sense of responsibility I originally sensed in my peers.

Day 41: A compromise deal is offered to the political prisoners and they suspend their hunger strike. I walk out of school with a clean uniform and feel whole again, but unnaturally so. I was left feeling an unspoken kind of weakness where I broke under the realisation that not all sorrows could resonate with people enough for me to expect them to lead movements.

I would need to be the one to lead, to recreate the energy that the tally once inspired. I decided to found a political streetwear brand, Silla, where fashion choices transcend superficial aesthetics by spreading a substantial message of equality and donating the profits to NGOs that advocate for social change. Through Silla, I am able to stay in touch with my generation, keeping them engaged with issues because of how they can now spend their money Silla has mobilized people to voice their opinions that align with equity and equality. Because of my adherence to justice, I was elected student government president and I use it as a platform to be vigilant in reminding my peers of their potential, inspiring them to take action and be outspoken about their beliefs. When the ink seeped through the fabric of my uniform it also stained my moral fibres, and will forever remind me that I am an agent of change.

Why This Essay Worked:

Uncommon topic and uncommon connections. Overall, this is just a stand out piece. The unique story of how the author had lines drawn on her shirt pulls the reader in. But while this story is not something you’d typically find in other people’s applications, don’t feel intimidated. Having an uncommon topic makes writing a strong essay a bit easier, but by itself is not enough for a great essay. What really elevates this piece is the connections and observations that the author makes about her classmates and the school’s collective response to distant but important political conflict. The student does a great job evoking the emotional response of her peers and beautifully articulates her own indignation with the apathy that emerges. When you write your essay, consider how you can use uncommon connections to take your reader to places they may not have expected to go.

Experimental structure. One of the many cool things about this essay is its structure, which demonstrates the quality of craft. The author uses a montage structure that emphasizes numbers and chronology, two ideas that are central to the content of the piece itself. By playing with the idea of time and distance, the applicant emphasizes some of the critical ideas in her essay and shows that she’s unafraid to think outside the box. Remember, admissions officers read tons of personal statements; an uncommon structure can go a long way in setting you apart from the crowd.

Answers the question “so what?” The thing that really brings this essay home is the last paragraph. Although the story of the uniform being marked by lines for each day of the hunger strike is fascinating, we’re not totally sure of its relevance to the life of the author until she gets to that last bit. In it, she tells us about her politically-aware fashion line and her appointment as school president. This answers the question of “so what” because it shows us that she took the lessons she learned during the strike and applied it to her life outlook/practices more broadly. After you’ve written your first draft, go back through it and make sure you’ve clearly shown what you’ve done to act upon your reflections or values.