Writing a personal statement (UK)

Copy of Personal Statements / Letters of Motivation April 2021

How to write a Personal Statement

Here is a helpful powerpoint to follow as you write your personal statement.

Please be sure that you are being specific about what you have done to prepare for your area of study.

UCAS Personal Statement Planning Worksheet.pdf

Make a copy of this document using the link below and share it with your counselor as you work on it. 

The UK and US personal statements are very different in structure and content. Both require you tell a personal story but the story is different. For the UK or Europe, the personal statement should be a story that is:

·         80% focused on the subject of study

·         20% focused on extra-curricular involvement that is relevant to the subject of study

In your essay you want to do the following:

1.       State the reasons for applying for the course and how it will benefit you (the student) in the future

2.       Emphasize achievements that are exemplary that relate to the field of study which is one form of evidence or discuss other types of evidence that support why this is the correct field of study for you

3.       What life or work experiences (could include summer programs) have you been in that relate to the subject you want to study and what impact did this experience have on why you chose the field of study

4.       What relevant skills and qualities (think in terms of transferrable skills) have you acquired that pertain to the field of study you want to pursue and demonstrate how you may have used these skills in the field (if possible)

5.       What motivated you to want to pursue this course of study? (ex. Did you attend a lecture, read a book, talk with faculty, do volunteer work) Your motivation needs to be directly connected back to the subject of study.

6.       Discuss any relevant extra-curricular activities

A suggested structure is:

Paragraph 1

·         Name and country

·         Academic background and course title you want to pursue

·         What are your reasons for studying this topic?

Paragraph 2

·         Discuss your achievements

·         Discuss your work/life relevant experiences to the course of study

 Paragraph 3

·         Your skills and qualities as it relate to your career aspirations

Paragraph 4

·         Your motivations

·         Your extra-curricular

Paragraph 5

·         Your conclusion-could be a quote by an author, summary of what you talked about or a saying

Taken from BrideU presentation