Studying at university provides an exceptional opportunity to explore your favourite subject in depth. With more and more students applying to universities every year, the selection process is becoming increasingly competitive. It is therefore important for students to write an outstanding and attention-grabbing personal statement to increase their chances of getting into the university of their choice. But where to begin?
1. Start by creating a portfolio of subject interests
Throughout your school education you will naturally come across different topics, articles and books that will spark your interest. It is important to keep track of these in what I call a “subject portfolio”. I used to keep an A3 album where I would stick all of the New Scientist articles that I found fascinating. This is a personal choice and you can keep a log of your interests in a notebook or even electronically.
When you begin to write your personal statement, you should review your subject portfolio and pick the topics that interest you the most. In my personal experience, this will save you so much time deciding what to include in your personal statement. Keeping a portfolio also expands your subject knowledge for potential university interviews.
2. General structure
Once you have enough information in your subject portfolio, divide your collected material into three to five broad categories. This will be the foundation of your personal statement.
My recommended structure is:
Short introduction to share your passion for your subject
Three to four main middle paragraphs based on your selected categories
Conclusion paragraph to tell the reader about your work experience and achievements and what they have taught you (more about this in point 5).
3. One concept per paragraph
You should be ready to start writing your personal statement with an outlined structure. However, sometimes it seems difficult to bring all of your ideas together. To overcome this, I suggest sticking to the one concept per paragraph rule. Give your paragraph a subheading (obviously do not include these in the final draft) and incorporate only relevant information to that subheading. You could even bullet point your points first to simplify the process. Together, this will help you to stay on track and write a clearly structured personal statement.
4. Don’t tell me that you read a book, instead have an opinion about it or even disagree with the author
I have seen so many examples of personal statements where students write that they have read a book or two. It is great that you are reading around your subject (and you should be!). However, reading books on its own is not much of an achievement. Instead, tell the reader a particular idea that sparked your interest and why. You could even go further and disagree with the author about one of their concepts by providing your point of view instead. These are the types of things that make your personal statement stand out.
5. Include you work experience or extra-curricular achievements
Make sure to include any work experience or extra-curricular achievements in the final paragraph. The trick is to tell the reader what these have taught you and how they are useful to your undergraduate degree. You can mention personal qualities, including time management, problem-solving skills, perseverance and being a team player. Students often think they need to have some extraordinary achievements, but this is really not the case. You can always find something positive out of any experience.
I hope you find these tips helpful. Remember that this is most likely the first time you have to write about yourself and your favourite subject. Use this opportunity to share your passions and have fun with it!
Comments