1. How to write a personal statement
Sarah Jamieson
International Officer
University of East Anglia (UEA)
Email: s.jamieson@uea.ac.uk
Skype: sarah.jamieson.uea

2. What is a personal statement?
 What do the words ‘Personal Statement’ mean to you?
 In pairs, you have up to 1 minute to discuss this with your neighbour.

3. What is a personal statement?
Scary Important
Structure
Research
Accurate
Examples Positive
Individual
Confident
Motivation Nervous
Confused
Preparation Relevant
Qualities
Future
Honest Concise Course choice
Draft

4. What is a personal statement?
 A chance to show off why you are interested in the course, studying in the
UK and how you can demonstrate that you would be a good student.
The Personal Statement helps universities make decisions about which
students they make offers to.
One of the most important parts of your application!
 Completely original. Definitely don‟t copy from the internet!
 PERSONAL!!!

5. What to include
About the subject and course
What you want from your future (for example, which career?)
Work experience or voluntary work
Achievements you‟re proud of (for example, hobbies, skills)
Why you‟re special (for example, things that make you interesting)
Why you want to study in the UK
EVIDENCE
Slide 7

6. What to include – writing about the course
Why have you your chosen course(s)?
Why are you interested in the subject?
Why are you suitable to study this course?
How do your current or previous studies relate to the course(s)?
Experience and understanding of the subject
EVIDENCE!!!
Slide 7

7. What to include – skills and why you‟re special
Part time work / Volunteering / Charity work / Fundraising
Music examinations
Sports teams
Awards
Positions of responsibility
Extended project / Coursework / Exams
Unique experiences

8. What do admissions tutors look for?
They want the “best” applicant for their course (i.e. a
student who will get a good degree):
Three key factors:
Academic ability
Motivation
Research/wider understanding of subject area
70% academic, 30% other…
Slide 8

9. Top tips
Must be relevant
Must be clear why you want to do the course – enthusiasm
Must be positive, you must sell your skills and experiences
Be honest!
Spelling, punctuation and grammar!
Check the word limit (usually approximately
500 words or for UCAS up to 4000
characters or 47 lines)
Slide 9

10. Slide 6

11. Advice from Admissions Tutors
 DO include responsibility, skills and suitability for the course
 DO give evidence
 DO include authors/writers/artists when talking about specific research
 DO be clear
 DO spell check
 DO ask your teachers and parents to read your draft

12. Advice from Admissions Tutors
 DON‟T include the name of the school, college or
university if you are using the same personal statement
for more than one application
DON‟T copy from the internet or your friends –
Admissions Tutors will know!
 DON‟T lie, exaggerate or get someone else to write it
for you

13. More words of wisdom
“If applying for different subjects ensure that all subjects are covered
in your statement”
“It is a pleasure (although a surprisingly rare one) to read a statement
where the candidate‟s voice comes across clearly – be yourself”
“We want to see an active, well rounded individual not just a good
academic”
“I (admissions tutor) use a personal statement to get a sense of an
applicant‟s personality, their interests and how motivated they are”

14. To summarise
 Your chance to sell yourself!
 Limited amount of space, keep it short and snappy
 Must be positive
 Show an interest and enthusiasm for the subject
 Spend time on it – it‟s really important
 It‟s hard work but it‟s worth it!

15. Any questions?
Sarah Jamieson
International Officer
Admissions, Recruitment and Marketing
University of East Anglia (UEA)
Email: s.jamieson@uea.ac.uk
Web: www.uea.ac.uk/international/country/Kazakhstan

16. Examples….
“Nothing exists, and if it did, no one could know it, and if they
knew it, they could not communicate it‟ (Gorgias).
It is this ability of Philosophy to astound and turn conventional
ideas on their head that makes it endlessly appealing, and
which has ultimately formed the basis of my passion for
philosophy. For years I have evidently philosophised, without
realising. Films such as „The Matrix‟, „The Truman Show‟ and
books such as „The Lord of the Flies‟ and „1984‟ left me
reeling, and puzzling for days over subjects I later found out
were called epistemology, meta-ethics and normative ethics.”

17. Examples….
I want to study Biology because I am fascinated by the
beautiful diversity of the living world. Not only am I
excited by how Biologists explain the state of the world in
which we live, but also by how Biology can be used to
help us, especially with regard to research into drugs for
diseases that are currently incurable.
…I have also spent time reading further into my subject: I
am a subscriber to the New Scientist which I find useful
for keeping on top of recent scientific developments. I
have also started reading…

18. Examples….
„I successfully combine college work with a regular evening job
waitressing in a French restaurant where I am required to think on
my feet, resolve challenging situations and often deal with people‟.
„Discovery. To me that is what Chemistry is about. You never know
when something groundbreaking could be at your fingertips‟.
„Both educationally and socially, university life will help me to grow as a
person. I hope to develop skills to carry me through life and career
and help me to succeed in all my endeavours‟.
„Within school, being a prefect and peer mentoring younger students
has helped me to gain leadership qualities and also build good
communication skills with people of different ages‟.

19. The bad…
“Since leaving school I have been very sad and depressed. I
went to college and started a course in Business and Finance
but I didn‟t enjoy it so I stopped. I then had several jobs in
offices. I hated them.”
“I have a part-time job at my local café. At times this can be
very demanding. Some customers can be difficult about how
thickly you make their sandwich and how much cheese you
give them”
“I like to try interesting and different things. I
play video games and help my family.”
“What is the point of life? This is a question I
have often asked myself.”