Writing a Personal Statement
Tell Us Your Story...
A personal statement is your unique opportunity to delve into your aspirations, experiences and qualities that you think make you the perfect fit for your course and university. It should be a true reflection of who you are beyond your academic achievements, offering a glimpse into your passions, motivations and the journey that led you to this moment.
Stand out from the crowd and present a well-rounded picture of who you really are. With the use of your personal statement, showcase your ability to articulate your goals, demonstrate relevant skills and illustrate your compatibility with your chosen programme.
Your Story Matters, and We’re Here to Help You Tell It With Authenticity and Flair!
Writing a Stand Out Personal Statement
How to write a personal statement
There is no standard template for writing your statement but the main thing to keep in mind is that it flows and is easy to read. Here are some tips on writing your statement:
Structure; ensure a nice flowing easy to read structure by starting with an introduction encouraging the reader to read on. Then go on to what you want to include and we recommend doing these in an order most relevant to what the university is looking for. Lastly a conclusion, this is your chance to reinforce your commitment, enthusiasm and skills with a strong closing statement.
Language; you’re trying to make a good first impression so use formal language but ensure its vocabulary that you are comfortable with. Use language that makes you sound enthusiastic and portrays the real you. Most importantly, check your grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Reference(s); depending on the programme you are applying for, you may be required to provide more than one reference. This will be indicated on the application form. Ideally, your referee should be someone who knows you academically and can write about your suitability for higher education, such as a current or previous tutor. However, if you have not recently been in education, a professional reference may also be acceptable. This can be provided by a current or previous employer. References from family or friends will not be accepted. If you are unsure about obtaining a reference, please contact the admissions tutor who will be able to provide guidance.
Don’t forget
- You have up to 4,000 words to make that everlasting impact.
- Do your research; chose a subject, course type and university that’s right for you.
- We’ve said it once but, always check your spelling and grammar before submitting and it would never hurt to get someone to read over it.
The hardest part of the personal statement is getting started. Consider what you want to include and what you want your chosen university to know about you. Here’s some examples of things to include, but remember don’t just list them give examples of how they were gained and how you use them:
- Show us that you have an interest in the course and detail relevant knowledge and experience in the field.
- Outline your ambitions and career aspirations and how the programme will contribute to these.
- Knowledge; don’t be afraid to share the knowledge you have.
- Current or previous study and experience relevant to the course.
- Demonstrate you’re a great candidate and you have the skills and qualities the university is looking for by evidencing them.
- Interests and hobbies and how these relate to the course.
- Your strengths and any achievements you are proud of.
As you only have one personal statement to make this impact, here are some things to avoid when writing your personal statement.
- Avoid mentioning a University by name, unless you are only applying to one University.
- Never copy or use someone else’s personal statement, you want to stand out from others so be original.
- Don’t talk about things that aren’t relevant.
- Avoid cliches; with hundreds of applications a year, we’ve heard them all before.
- Never lie as you will be found out.
- Avoid repeating yourself, make your point once and move on.
Chat to Our Students
You’ve submitted your application to the University, what happens next you may be asking? Depending on the course you may be invited to an interview before an offer is made. This pivotal moment is your chance to bring your application to life and showcase your enthusiasm, personality and potential in person.
Our How to Apply pages will help guide you through making your application and taking the next steps to becoming a student at UWTSD.
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UCAS can be tricky to understand and engage with. UCAS has come up with this handy jargon buster to allow potential student to fully understand what it is all about.
Adviser – someone who provides you with information, advice, and support with your application. This could be a teacher, tutor, counsellor, or agent.
Apply – the name of our online application system. (For postgraduate courses, Apply is combined with UCAS Hub.)
Bachelor’s degree – a three or four year course you can take in undergraduate higher education after you’ve finished further education – also known as a ‘first degree’ or ‘undergraduate degree’. Most courses are either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science.
Buzzword – for UCAS Undergraduate applications, your school, college, or centre will give you a buzzword so you can link your application to them. It’s a word you add to your application when you register to make a UCAS Undergraduate application (unless you’re applying independently).
Centre – a school, college, or organisation that can help students apply to higher education.
Changed course offer – in your application, you might get one of these if you haven’t met your conditions, or if the university or college has made changes to the courses they run. It might involve a different start date or point of entry, or a different course altogether.
Choice – a choice is a course you apply for on your application – many students make multiple choices to increase their chances of getting a place.
Clearing – in a UCAS Undergraduate application, Clearing is another service you can use to look for alternative courses. If you didn’t get a place on a course – whether you didn’t receive offers, declined your offers, or didn’t get the grades you needed – Clearing allows you to apply for courses that still have vacancies.
College – a provider of further and higher education. When we use the term ‘uni’ or ‘university’, this is often a generic reference that incorporates colleges too. For example, when we say ‘applying to university’, we mean ‘applying to university or college’, but in a more concise way.
Conditional offer – in your application, an offer of a place on a course subject to conditions. To be accepted on the course, you’ll need to meet the conditions – usually related to your exam results. This is a common type of offer for students applying directly from further education.
Confirmation – in your application, the outcome of a conditional offer you’ve accepted. If you meet the conditions, your place will be made unconditional (meaning you’ve got a place on the course) – if not, the offer will be declined.
Conservatoire – a provider of performance-based music, dance, screen, and drama courses.
Course – there are many different courses across different levels, subjects, and locations – from foundation degrees to PhDs.
Course and training providers – a university, college, conservatoire, School Direct school, or other provider offering higher education courses.
Deferral – in your application, this is what you do if you’d like to carry an offer over to start it in the following academic year.
Entry requirements – this is what the course provider recommends you need to do/have to get on the course – from qualifications and specific subjects or grades, to interviews, admissions tests, and medical requirements. You aren’t guaranteed an offer if you meet or already have these.
Extra – in a UCAS Undergraduate application, Extra is a service you can use to apply for alternative places if you do not hold an offer from your first five choices.
Fresher – slang term for students in their first year of university.
Firm choice – in your application, an offer you accept as your first choice.
Graduate – a student who has completed and graduated from an undergraduate course – they can now apply for postgraduate courses if they’d like to.
Higher education (HE) – the level of education we can help you apply to – from undergraduate courses when you’ve finished further education, to postgraduate courses you can move on to after graduating from an undergraduate degree.
Insurance choice – in your application, an offer you accept as your second choice – just in case you don’t meet the conditions of your firm offer.
Personal ID – the ten-digit number you get when you register to Apply – displayed in 123-456-7890 format on every email we send you. You’ll be asked for this if you get in touch with our Customer Experience Centre.
Personal statement – a piece of text applicants write to show why they’re applying and why they’d be a great student for a course provider to accept.
Predicted grades – the grades a teacher, tutor, or other adviser qualified to remark on a student’s academic suitability believes they will achieve when they complete their secondary qualification.
Referee – in your application, someone who provides a reference for you.
Sandwich course – a course with an additional year where you work in the profession you’re studying for.
Tariff – the UCAS Tariff is the system for allocating points to the different qualifications you can use to get into undergraduate higher education. Not all qualifications will be included in the Tariff. It is for use in admissions only and is not transferable to the job market.
Track – the name of our online tracking system where you can see how your application is progressing. Here you can reply to offers and make amendments, like changing your email address etc. (For postgraduate courses, Apply is combined with Hub.)
UCAS – the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service in the UK. This includes the main UCAS Undergraduate application service, as well as the other services UCAS runs, i.e., UCAS Conservatoires, UCAS Teacher Training, and UCAS Postgraduate. UCAS also help students from 13 years old onwards with UCAS Progress.
Unconditional offer – in your application, an offer of a place on a course with no conditions – the place is yours if you want it.
Undergraduate – the first level of study in higher education. If you graduate from an undergraduate degree, you can move on to postgraduate study.
University – (or ‘uni’ for short) – a provider of higher education.
Unsuccessful – in your application, either you haven’t been made an offer or you haven’t met the conditions of a conditional offer.
Withdrawal – in your application, before the decision has been made to make you an offer or not, either you or the university or college can withdraw a choice.