Personal Statements

The Basics

Writing a personal statement can be a stressful and tricky part of the your college/university application. Here are a couple of quick tips to keep you right with it: 

• Personalise it! - This is your opportunity to tell the college/university your story and why it makes you a great candidate for their course. 

• Highlight your key knowledge and skills - When applying for a course, think about how your experiences have helped you to develop and grow your skillset. This could be through your school subjects, work experience, hobbies and more.  

• Make sure your passion comes across! - More than anything, colleges/universities want you to be motivated to study with them and complete their course. Make sure you explain why you are applying for the course.

The Structure

• The structure of a personal statement can vary. 

• University personal statements usually ask for a character limit of 4000 words and Forth Valley College does the same. 

• However, for other colleges, such as Edinburgh College or City of Glasgow College, the character limit is shorter. 

• Make sure you check what the limit is before writing your statement. One example of how to write it is listed below: 

Paragraph 1 - Why are you interested?

• Think back as far as you can about why you are interested in your chosen subject.

• Talk about any early memories/experiences that relate to the subject

• Highlight any key qualities you possess that are relevant

• End the paragraph with a linking sentence

Paragraph 2 - What are you currently doing (school)?

•     Highlight any relevant school subjects that you have studied.

•     Discuss the knowledge and skills you have gained from these subjects.

•     Highlight other experiences gained through school (W/E, DofE, Leadership etc).

•     End paragraph with a linking sentence. 

Paragraph 3 - What are you currently doing (Non-school)?

• Highlight any key experiences outside of school that have helped you to develop your skills. 

• This could be part-time work, social clubs, hobbies etc. 

• Try to highlight different skills and qualities from paragraph 2.

• End paragraph with a linking sentence. 

Paragraph 4 - What are your goals?

• Highlight a short-term goal you have while completing the course. 

• This could be to learn about a specific topic or a new skill. 

• Highlight a longer-term goal you have when you complete the course. 

• This could be onto further study or into a specific job role that interests you. 

Changes from 2025/2026!

• For applications beginning in August 2025, the structure of the personal statement will change. 

• Instead of writing one long passage, you will be asked to answer three separate questions. 

• Each answer will have a minimum character count of 350 characters and the overall character limit will remain 4000 characters. 

• The questions asked will be as follows: 

1) Why do you want to study this course/subject? 

2) How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course/subject? 

3) What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful? 

For more information on the upcoming changes, click on the link here: Personal Statement Changes  

Any unanswered questions?

• To access the UCAS guidance on personal statements, click on the link here: Personal Statement Guidance

• You can also get in touch with one of the School Career Advisers by completing the google form here: Digital Doorknock