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You may have heard announcements that the personal statement is now composed of three distinct questions rather than a single, longer essay. To allow you to truly shine in your application, the Official UCAS website says they wanted to make the process simpler and more organised. According to them, they understand that confronting a blank page might be intimidating, so the new questions should serve as a springboard for you to highlight your accomplishments and yourself, providing compelling examples to demonstrate your suitability for the course you have chosen.
In order to help you succeed with your applications, the three questions will help you structure your responses and make sure you include just what schools and universities want to see. In order to help you keep track, each response will have a minimum character count of 350, which is prominently marked on the question boxes. Additionally, there will be an overall character counter. Both what you are expected to include and the 4000-character restriction (including spaces) are unchanged.
In this blog, we will be addressing the changes made, going over each question and how one could answer them.
Here are the new Personal statements.
Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?
This is your chance to illustrate to schools and universities why your chosen field of study is a good fit for you and your long-term goals, as well as to highlight your enthusiasm and expertise in it.
Here are the examples of what you can state:
- Your Motivations for studying this course(s)
You could come up with the answer to these questions by thinking on the following lines- has a significant life event or role model inspired you? Perhaps you have a passion for it and wish to learn more about it. Everybody has a motivation, and it’s critical to discuss how yours brought you to this particular course or field of study.
- Your interests and understanding of this field
Maybe you’ve done some research on a certain topic and are eager to learn more. An outstanding work by a book or subject matter specialist that has caught your attention? In order to be sure that this is something you will love and succeed at, universities and colleges want to see that you have done your homework. Highlighting extracurricular activities as proof of interest and curiosity in the subject outside of the classroom is a wonderful idea here. You can also add your AP grade; AP exams help you do two things: first, they prepare you intellectually and academically, and secondly, they reflect well in your college application.
- Why this is an excellent fit for you and your future plans
You might discuss how you’ll use this to launch your career if you already have a specific vocation in mind. If not, consider your priorities and future goals and how the knowledge you will acquire from your chosen course or courses will help you reach them
Question 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
This is your opportunity to showcase the transferable or pertinent abilities you have acquired from your formal schooling and demonstrate how you understand how they will help you succeed in this field.
Here are some ideas for topics you could discuss:
- How your education or experience relates to the course or subjects you have chosen.
Any type of formal education, including recent or past coursework at a school, college, training facility, or even a quick online course, could qualify. Here, it’s crucial to concentrate on the most recent developments that are pertinent to the course or courses you have selected. Use section three to discuss your experiences after leaving school if you are no longer enrolled full-time. - What transferable or pertinent abilities make you an excellent candidate?
Perhaps a few disciplines have assisted you in acquiring a foundational set of abilities needed for the course or courses you have selected. or a specific lesson that assisted you in identifying your areas of strength and interest.
- Any relevant educational achievements
Don’t waste time discussing grades because schools and universities will see them elsewhere on your application. Think about achievements such as taking first place in a play, being a student ambassador or team captain, or winning a school or national tournament.
Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
This is your opportunity to discuss any extracurricular activities you have engaged in or life experiences that further illustrate your fit for the course. Since this is probably a very personal section for you, everything you want to include should be thoughtfully chosen.
- Volunteering, employment, or work experience
The most important thing is to think back on your experiences and the skills you have acquired that are related to your chosen course, whether it be by volunteering at a dog shelter, in-person work experience at your neighbourhood school, or virtual work experience through Springpod
- Individual life experiences or responsibilities
Have you personally overcome any obstacles that have affected your choice? Have you had any obligations, like taking care of a family member, that have aided in developing traits you need for the course, such as empathy and resilience?
- Interests and any extracurricular or community service projects
Sports, reading, volunteer work, summer schools, and other extracurricular pursuits that highlight your strengths as a student should be considered.
- Accomplishments outside of the classroom or university
This could be a leadership role, like captaining your neighbourhood team, a musical accomplishment, a victory in a competition, or a credential you’ve earned outside of the classroom.
So these are the questions and how you can answer them, though we understand that creating a personal statement can be challenging, especially if you have to manage IB board or A-level exams. That is where we come in; at Rostrum, we have helped students get into top UK universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE, and more. Get a free consultation call with us and learn how we can help you.
Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
This is your opportunity to discuss any extracurricular activities you have engaged in or life experiences that further illustrate your fit for the course. Since this is probably a very personal section for you, everything you want to include should be thoughtfully chosen.
- Volunteering, employment, or work experience
The most important thing is to think back on your experiences and the skills you have acquired that are related to your chosen course, whether it be by volunteering at a dog shelter, in-person work experience at your neighbourhood school, or virtual work experience through Springpo
- Individual life experiences or responsibilities
Have you personally overcome any obstacles that have affected your choice? Have you had any obligations, like taking care of a family member, that have aided in developing traits you need for the course, such as empathy and resilience?
- Interests and any extracurricular or community service projects
Sports, reading, volunteer work, summer schools, and other extracurricular pursuits that highlight your strengths as a student should be considered.
- Accomplishments outside of the classroom or university
This could be a leadership role, like captaining your neighbourhood team, a musical accomplishment, a victory in a competition, or a credential you’ve earned outside of the classroom.
So these are the questions and how you can answer them, though we understand that creating a personal statement can be challenging, especially if you have to manage IB board or A-level exams. That is where we come in; at Rostrum, we have helped students get into top UK universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE, and more. Get a free consultation call with us and learn how we can help you.
