Embedded Files
he resources by year groups
he resources by year groups
Year 13
Year 13
UCL Resources for Year 12 and Year 13
UCL Resources for Year 12 and Year 13
Writing for your university apps - UK, HK (& some Canada) Personal Statements
Writing for your university apps - UK, HK (& some Canada) Personal Statements
Personal Statements
Personal Statements
Useful information for writing your applications for UK, HK, & some Canadian universities
*** EXCELLENT resources are those in our Careers Office library...
We also think you might find this Guardian article useful and this text to mind map tool to help you sort your ideas.
There is a number of subject specific personal statement resources too.
Practicalities
Practicalities
Your personal statement needs to be:
- clearly expressed
- error free
- within the application limit
- for UCAS this is 47 lines or 4000 characters
- for UBC and CUHK medicine this is 250 words!
Use word to write your statement and spell check it before uploading and submitting.
CV
CV
You may also want to spend some time drawing together your CV, if you haven't already done so - this can also help in the writing of your statement as well as ensuring that you include the information as appropriate elsewhere in your application (e.g. mentioning any paid employment)
US College Application Essays or the US style Personal Statement
US College Application Essays or the US style Personal Statement
Don't forget to review the Writing for your US college application document in the resources folder.
Our advice is that your whole application has to be viewed as a "writing component". By this we mean that you need to make sure you:
write clearly
have an application that is spell checked and error free
present information that is well thought-out
More specifically, you need to put time into your:
application essay
supplementary essays or short answer questions
your cv/resume
Ask yourself how you want to present information about yourself!
Common Application Essay Prompts of Previous Years (for reference only)
Common Application Essay Prompts of Previous Years (for reference only)
These have changed from previous years - so if you have an old guide on essay writing to hand make sure you take care and check the advice to make sure it applies to the current prompts.
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
Helpful links
Helpful links
Khan academy videos - these are very useful and break down ideas we talked about in the writing for your essay session, they also have useful samples and commentary (see attached below as well).
UC page on writing personal statements - See also the UC Santa Barbara's personal statement tip sheet and worksheet pages which are attached in the documents list below.
blog entries on the NY Times The Choice which has ideas to help you get started
text to mind map tool may also be a useful way to help you sort your ideas...
US Admissions Officers Discuss the Essay...
US Admissions Officers Discuss the Essay...
"tell us something about yourself... that you care about"
800,000+ applications
47% chose to write about their background, identity, interest or talent
22% chose to write about an accomplishment
17% wrote about a lesson or failure
10% wrote about a problem solved
4% wrote about an idea challenged
Page updated
Report abuse