University Personal Statement – Study Coach Blog

Come closer, come closer and listen, we need to get personal.  Now, I know that you might not like to talk about yourself, but you will need to tell the University why you will be an asset to their establishment, so you will need to talk about you.  Note, that I never said, ‘brag’ about yourself. Try to keep the personal statement relevant and keep within the allotted word count. The aim is to help admission tutors to form a picture of whom you are, and to decide why you’re a good candidate.   

Apprenticeship

By the way, just a reminder that you do have options, university is not the only route to education. If you are unsure about applying for a place at university to study for 3 or 4 years then why not consider taking an apprenticeship route, there are numbers of opportunities available both for vocational and academic subjects. Check with a tutor or local college to find out about apprenticeships. 

Experiences

In respect of university application your life experiences will distinguish you from other students, make the most of your experiences. For example your interest in a Business subject may have been generated from a work experience, voluntary work or hobbies. Explain in the personal statement the skills, qualities, knowledge gained from the experience, and highlight the relevance to the academic subject.

Preparation

Planning is important, so prepare well before writing the Personal Statement. Demonstrate your interest and passion for the course, but don’t write that: “I’ve always wanted to work in Business since I was a little girl/boy”. Try to be more original based on your experiences and prior education, and remember that you can pause the writing and resume when ideas spark. 

Transferable Skills

Don’t discard transferable skills, or perhaps I should say: ‘raise awareness about transferable skills’.  For example if you have taken part in open evenings at your school, meeting and greeting potential new students and their parents, then you made use of Interpersonal Skills (communication skills). 

If you gave assistance at school fetes, and sold books, cakes, drinks and other products, the likelihood is that you had to deal with money, be it cash or online payments. Give a summary of the experience to highlight your numeric/accounting skills.    

Think transferable, and I’m sure you will soon identify lots of skills and qualities to evidence your Personal Statement.  Good Luck!   

Morel Benard

Books:

Story Books, Activity Books for Learning, providing interactive activities, knowledge, games/quizzes, story analysis, available at Amazon. Lots of titles to choose from. Author: yours truly Morel Benard. Recent publication – Storytelling: Cats WorkBook

Do take a look at my Amazon author page:

https://www.amazon.com/author/morelbenard