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Personal Statements
How to write a Personal Statement
Generally, personal statements are quite specific to courses or jobs so if you decide to reuse it, you will invariably need to adapt it.
Before you start remember this is a 'personal' statement, i.e. it's about you, and there is no real right or wrong way to do it.
This is a descriptive piece which is an elaborated version of your CV and formal application which chooses to draw upon specific areas.
- Does the student have the necessary qualifications and qualities?
- Is the student conscientious, hardworking and in the case of a course unlikely to drop out?
- Will the student do their best and cope with the demands of the course?
- Can the student work under pressure?
- Will the student be able to adjust to a new place/regime?
- What are their communication skills like?
- Are they dedicated to this course and have researched it well?
- Do they have a genuine interest in the subject and a desire to learn more about it?
This is arguably the most difficult part of anything, and a blank piece of paper or computer screen can be horribly intimidating. Most people won’t be able to just start writing the statement off the top of their head – so it’s a good idea to jot down a few notes first. The main things to think about are:
- What do I want to study? (if you can't answer this, you should probably concentrate on working this out, rather than writing a PS)
- Why do I want to study it?
- What personal qualities, interests and experience do I have which show I am suited to this subject, and to study at university?
- What are my other interests and skills?
These are the main things to start with - if this still doesn’t help, you can look at a few more detailed starting points. Many people have trouble writing about themselves and their personal qualities, so if you’re having trouble with this step, pop down to a library or bookstore and get a book out on writing CVs which will go into this process in much more depth.
It may help to write down some headings on a piece of paper, in a rough table, and to carry that piece of paper around. Every time I thought of something, I was able to write it down before I forgot about it.
How do I prioritise my ideas?
A simplistic approach is to include anything about the course towards the beginning of the statement, and anything that’s less relevant towards the end.
A very simple structure might be:
- Introduction: Why do you want to do the course or post, how did you make your decision, show your enthusiasm for the subject.
- Relevant work experience Caution in being too honest about career aspirations.
- Enthusiasm for current studies or work , and how they help with the course or position.
- Skills and qualities: What skills and qualities do you have, and that will you need to do this course/position. Don't just list skills though, give examples of circumstances when you've demonstrated skills.
How to prepare and research?
A simplistic approach is
Gather information (literature/website about place)
Read any documents
Analyse information (interpret requirements, self audit (e.g .skills, acheivements)
Draft - evaluate - refine
Brainstorm examples
Get a second opinion
For questions on competency, give an example
- Choose the best one
- Choose experiences that are significant, easy to discuss at interview, relevant to job being considered
- Report facts, describe your contribution and explain the outcome
- How did you achieve the goals? What were the circumstances? What did you do to make a difference?
- Use action words
- Positive description words (e.g. helpful, persuade, integrate, succeed, efficient, exceeded, suggest, showed, define, devise, innovate, honest, communicate, negotiate, responsible, stimulated, accomplished, implemented)
