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A personal statement is one of the most important parts of your applications. It is your chance to show your personality, skills, interests and attitude to the institution of your choice. Where your qualifications and grades are certainly important, a personal statement sets you apart from the thousands of other applicants with very similar results. And it does all of this in a few thousand words. The below guide is meant for university applications, but can be helpful for writing job applications too.
What to include in a personal statement
In short, the personal statement tells its reader why you deserve to get the place instead of another. Below are several questions that should guide you to writing a personal statement:
- Why are you interested in the subject you are applying for?
- What, specifically, motivates you about this subject?
- How do you meet the selection criteria?
- What extracurricular activities related to the subject are you involved in?
- What related projects have you finalised?
- What other experience do you bring in (e.g. volunteering work)?
- What personal interests / hobbies do you have (especially if these are relevant to the subject)?
- What transferable skills do you have (from part-time jobs, work placement, hobbies, etc.)? For example, being part of basketball team can show good teamwork, being a clerk at a store can show good organisational skills, etc.
- What challenging scenarios have you faced and resolved that are relevant to the subject?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 / 10 years and how will this position help you get there?
A key when addressing some of these questions in your personal statement is to be specific. Saying you are ‘passionate’ about something is not enough, you ought to show that passion by describing a situation that gave rise to it. Similarly, saying you are ‘motivated’ is not enough, you ought to show that motivation by telling the reader what you have done towards the subject of your interest.
What to avoid in a personal statement
Just as there are things that have a place in a personal statement, there are equally thins to avoid from doing.
- Do not list things. If you have a lot of interests and hobbies that are seemingly relevant, do not just list these one after another. Pick one or at most two examples that are relevant and show the reader your capability.
- Do not point out your shortcomings. The reader knows you are not perfect, pointing that out only detracts from your accomplishments.
- Avoid passive language. Passive language does not tell the reader what you did. Take credit for your work and state specifically what your contribution was.
- Do not work towards the word limit set by the institution. Write what you have to say first and add more / trim down after you have a good draft.
- Start early and take the time. You are a wealth of experiences and may remember some interesting examples at a later date. Similarly, talk to your friends and family about the subject, they may remember an interesting anecdote about you.
- Proofread and ask others to do so for you. Print the personal statement out to do so. And allow sufficient time to pass so you can view the statement with a fresh pair of eyes.
If you need support writing this, please get in touch by filling the form below. Our fees are £150 p/h.
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