Crickhowell
High School
Guide to Writing Your
Personal Statement
Name: _______________
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Personal Statement Advice
The advice here has been prepared to help you with your Personal Statement. Read it before you
start writing but remember that, whilst there are many incorrect ways to write a statement, there are
also many correct ways. Different university admissions tutors will be looking for different things. Your
Personal Statement should essentially be personal and it should be honest – it may well be used as a
basis for future interviews. There isn’t a standard formula that fits all cases and different academic
disciplines seem to place a different emphasis on what they see as being valuable.
What is the UCAS Personal Statement?
Most pupils at Crickhowell are applying to universities where there is considerable competition for places.
Many of the applicants will have roughly comparable GCSEs, AS results and favourable predictions, but
very different Personal Statements. As fewer Universities interview candidates and those that do
increasingly select who they will interview, the Personal Statement and reference are the only places
where a university admissions tutor can try to gauge a student’s potential, character and attitude. In
a Personal Statement students can either demonstrate real strengths that will significantly increase their
chances of being made an offer or they can unwittingly condemn themselves.
Think of the person who will be reading your Personal Statement and the sorts of future undergraduate
they might be looking for. Essentially they want someone who is able, interesting to teach and who they
think will be worthwhile and will do well. Broadly you will need to show:
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Evidence (often implied by the sorts of things you mention) that you understand the
academic nature of the course you want to study.
Evidence of genuine personal interest and curiosity about your chosen course.
Evidence that you have the determination and stability to handle university life and the
pressures of the course. This cannot be explicitly stated but it can be inferred from the range
of extra curricular activities that you mention. For example, no one is offered a university place
because they are good at, say, mountain biking, but to compete successfully requires
considerable self-discipline, single-mindedness, commitment and efficient time management and
an admissions tutor might well interpret the evidence this way.
The key is to make it clear to an admissions tutor why you want to study their course (with specific
examples) and why you would be a suitable candidate (with specific examples).
THE PROCESS
1. Complete the planning notes in this booklet.
2. Speak to subject teachers about your choice of degree for recommended reading or suggestions
for Part 1. See Mrs Thomas if you are not applying for a course connected to your A Level
subjects eg Hospitality and Tourism.
3. Draft a Personal Statement in ‘word’ and follow the checks and suggestions included in this
booklet.
4. Hand it in to your tutor (double spaced) by JUNE 26th 2009. Naturally, this will be a first draft
and will change considerably as you finalise course choices etc. It is vital howver to start the
process now so you do not get behind.
5. Your tutor returns the Personal Statement with suggestions.
6. Make amendments/ improvements and hand in final draft by JULY 3rd 2009.
7. When online application is complete, copy and paste Personal Statement into Section 10.
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How could I structure a Personal Statement?
Part one: ACADEMIC
Most of you are applying for academic courses and it is therefore appropriate that the main part of your
statement should deal with your academic interests. It is usually sensible to begin with this and to think
of devoting at least half of the statement to it. The content should be essentially informative and
descriptive. Possible considerations:
 Relevant background/early interest, if applicable.
 Developing interest through A levels. Be specific. Admissions Tutors don’t know what texts or
periods of History you have studied, for example, let alone which aspects of the course have
particularly interested you – you probably need to mention both. Don’t overreach yourself by
trying to give a universal justification of your chosen subject.
 Perhaps divide up the information between what you have done ‘in school’ and what is your own
initiative and research. Include coursework, prize essays, fieldwork, academic trips, summer
schools etc., if relevant.
 Try to include evidence of having gone beyond the minimal A level demands.
Part two: PERSONAL
The remaining part of the Personal Statement is, essentially, a matter of listing. Move from the academic
to other relevant interests/activities. Include work experience and the skills derived from it – if
applicable.
Go on to other activities e.g. sport, drama, music etc. Again, perhaps divide between in and out of
school. The point here is in part to show what you might contribute to University life, but what you put
also indicates your temperament.
Finish, where relevant, with GAP year plans, possible career etc.
Some specific problems which frequently arise:

Non-A Level subjects: Those applying for subjects they have not studied at A level. What do
you have to know? How do they assess you? You need to discuss your introductory reading and
preliminary knowledge of the subject. Tutors will look behind the surface of the Personal
Statement to see if you have the appropriate skills e.g. analytic and discriminatory powers for
lawyers.

I want to apply to different courses at different universities: Many degree courses
(PPP/PPE/SPS/Archaeology and Anthropology, for example) are not available at a wide number of
institutions. You may therefore find yourself applying to different courses for some of your
choices (for example PPE at Oxford, Warwick and Durham; Government and Politics at LSE;
Economics and Philosophy at Edinburgh). You need to word your Personal Statement very
carefully to avoid being too obvious about where else you may have applied.

Targeting your Personal Statement: It can be quite difficult to target your statement to suit
courses that may differ considerably at different universities. For example, the Bristol English
course (1500 applicants for 65 places) needs you to show an interest in Nineteenth Century
Literature whereas the UCL course (1400 applicants for 70 places) has more modern literature.
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These courses can afford only to choose candidates who are ideally suited to their course and you
need to be careful about where you apply and with the wording of your statement.
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Making it 'personal': There are lots of websites offering Personal Statement advice and tips for
what works well. Do not be tempted to cut and paste chunks (or even the odd section). UCAS
monitor Personal Statements and you will be rejected without question if you have plagiarised it.
See the attached article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article1485294.ece
RESOURCES
Library:
UCAS Big Guide
Times Good University Guide
HEAP Guide
Online:
http://learningat.ke7.org.uk/essentialstud/personalstatements/personalstatements.htm
http://www.studential.com/guide/ps_teachers_advice.asp
http://www.reading.ac.uk/Student_Recruitment/advisors/advice/what%20admissions%20tutors%20are
%20looking%20for.htm
http://www.le.ac.uk/ssds/careers/personalstatement.html
http://www.dur.ac.uk/undergraduate/apply/personalstatement/
Other:
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THE WRITING PROCESS
CONTENT
You need to assemble the CONTENT of your Personal Statement. Don’t worry about what you are going
to write at this stage; just focus on what you are going to include. This is just collecting ideas.
Complete the following notes about yourself.
What you want to study at university and why
Think about …
Specific aspects of the courses that interest you
Examples of coursework you have completed
Practical work you have enjoyed
Things you have read related to the subject area
Work experience or voluntary work in this area
Courses/ Workshops you have attended
Personal experiences which lead to the decision to take this subject
Where you hope a degree in this subject will lead.
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Experiences which show you are a reliable and responsible person
Think about …
Part-time job
Business Dynamics
Community and charity work
School Service
Roles within school eg Sixth Form Committee
Helping out at school events (Sports Day, Comic Relief etc)
World Challenge, Duke of Edinburgh award, Debating
Your interests and skills
Think about …
What you like to do in your free time
Sport and leisure activities
Subjects you study which are not examined
Musical instrument which you play
Languages which you speak
Prizes you have won or positions achieved in your interests
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Why you're taking a Gap year (if you are)
Why you want to take a gap year
What you plan to do
How this may relate to your course
DRAFTING YOUR STATEMENT
You should now have a collection of ideas to include.
Now have a look at the following:
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Sample personal statements for your subject area. Several are included in this booklet and there
are many more available online. This should give you a clearer idea of what to include and how to
structure your statement. DO NOT COPY ONE SINGLE SENTENCE from anyone else. This is
plagiarism and if an admissions tutor recognises a phrase in your statement and thinks you have
copied it from someone, they will reject you instantly. And remember, these people are the brightest
and best in their field. They are not easily fooled!
The University prospectus for the courses you are applying for. You should already have studied
these carefully (!) but should now look at them to pick up which qualities they are looking for in an
applicant. Some departments also give specific advice on what to include in your personal
statement. You can then tailor your achievements and interests to their preferences. It is also worth
checking the entry profile for each course on the UCAS website to ensure that your statement
demonstrates your suitability.
The HEAP Guide: This provides a wealth of feedback from Universities on what should be included
in the personal statement for a wide range of courses.
Complete notes below:
Then, start drafting these different sections into paragraphs. Don’t worry too much at the moment
about how it sounds. It is difficult enough to get the ideas into sentences for the time being. Take it
one step at a time; there will be plenty of opportunity for redrafting and editing.
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Paragraph 1: Introduction to subject, the parts I'm interested in and why, what else I’ve done to
demonstrate my interest.
Paragraphs 2: What you have enjoyed in school and how this relates to your degree course
Paragraph 3: Work experience and other positions of responsibility you have held – which relate to
degree choice where possible.
Paragraph 4: Interests outside of school (also other responsibilities eg job)
Paragraph 5: Why I want to go to university and closing comment.
Once you have got all of the information into your paragraphs, you can start looking at length and style.
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Read each sentence through carefully; could you structure it more fluently or more clearly?
Try to vary your sentence openings.
Could you merge sentences to include more than one piece of information – without sacrificing
clarity.
FORMATTING
 Remember - You cannot use any formatting (bold, italic etc) on the online form. Tabs and
multiple spaces disappear and you can’t indent lines. Many common symbols are also not
allowed and accents (for MFL applications) do not appear.
 Make sure it is in Times New Roman point 12.
 Now check the length. It should be approx 47 lines long (no more than one side). There is no
word limit but there is a character limit (4000) so use the ‘word count’ tool to check. If it is too
short, you either need to include more information or expand your points. If it is too long, try to
make your style more concise and then see if you have included information which is either to be
found elsewhere on your form or is not particularly relevant.
CHECKING
 Check spelling, punctuation and grammar.
 Try not to start every sentence with ‘I’.
 Check that it is clear and interesting and includes all the relevant information.
 Try to avoid an over-complicated style or pompous tone.
 Don’t use slang or abbreviations (Y12, don‘t etc). It should be written in formal English.
 Don’t go over the top or exaggerate.
REDRAFTING
Get as many people as possible to look at it for you (parents, teachers, form tutor, friends) and take
advice on board. Keep making changes until you are happy. Save it in word and print out a final copy
(DOUBLE SPACED).
DEADLINES:
26th June, 2009 - 1st Draft to Tutor
3rd July, 2008 - Final Deadline
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