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Personal Statement UCAS : des exemples inspirants

• Publication: 10/09/2021
• Dernière modification: 17/10/2023

Si vous ne savez pas par où commencer ni comment faire pour rédiger votre propre Personal Statement , nos conseils vous donnent toutes les astuces pour réussir.

Pourquoi ce sont de bons Personal Statements  ?

Les Personal Statement ci-dessous reflètent réellement la personnalité et les intérêts des personnes qui les ont écrites. Ce ne sont pas des successions de réalisations et de succès, ce qui serait très impersonnel et ne présenterait que peu d’intérêt.

Les futurs étudiants laissent apercevoir clairement qui ils sont , ce qui les anime et ce qu’ils retireront d’un cursus dans une université du Royaume-Uni. Ce sont aussi bien leur authenticité et leur capacité à relier logiquement leur parcours académique et leurs expériences à la discipline qu’ils veulent étudier qui font mouche.

Tous les candidats dont les Personal Statements sont présentés ci-dessous ont obtenu des offres de plusieurs universités ou ont décroché des entretiens.

Notre sélection de Personal Statements

L e plus pertinent.

Growing up in London, I have been exposed to the city’s history from a very young age. While appreciating the myriad historical eras that have shaped the development of London, it is the Victorian era that fascinates me the most. Throughout this period of significant change, from the Industrial Revolution to the suffrage movement, London has incessantly remained at the centre of history. Recently I have developed a particular interest in how changes such as the decline of the Liberal party and the rise of the Labour party have deeply rooted themselves in our society, and continue to be felt in our political system today. In this way history has shaped contemporary life and continues to mould, influence and develop it. My affinity with the Victorians reached its fullest this year when I studied 19th and early 20th century British politics. As such, the study of History has opened up my eyes to the textures and contours of society as we see it today, allowing me a greater understanding of contemporary issues. History holds a unifying thread in all the subjects I study at A Level. My pursuit of English Literature is driven by my love of Classical works, which are not only interesting and engaging, but also facilitate my thirst for knowledge of the contrasting characteristics of earlier societies. Through studying Philosophy and Ethics I have learned how to structure a coherent and consistent argument which is essential in the study of history. I particularly enjoy the synoptic unit of A2 history in which I combine my use of historical sources and historical explanations as well as looking at the historical significance and the role of interpretations in history. Each lesson is set up as a mini ‘tutorial’ which allows me to exercise my independent learning skills. This assignment also allows me to work on a personal area of interest as I have chosen the controversial topic of the historiography of the French Revolution. The Revolution is considered vital as it marked the beginnings of social justice in France, and provides an interesting comparison to progress in social justice in the UK. To broaden my understanding, I ventured to the British Library, looking through the archives and researching my chosen topic. Research is one of my favourite elements of history. I have acknowledged the fact that history is heavily weighted to reading and the acquiring of information. I can confidently say that I do not consider this as an obstacle or a challenge as I enjoy reading and assimilating ideas. Since starting sixth form, I have started reading academic articles from History Today and Modern History Today. I particularly enjoy these articles as they challenge my thinking and most offer different interpretations about periods of history. My fervour for History at a higher level was particularly apparent in my AS year when I was awarded the History Student Award for outstanding achievement and progress throughout the year. Furthermore, I was also chosen as a History ambassador for which I represented my school on the ‘Lessons at Auschwitz’ field trip to the Nazi death camps in Auschwitz, Poland. This opportunity allowed me to experience history first hand. Being able to visit the death camps that had such an immense influence on humanity allowed me to reflect on how the past has shaped and structured contemporary society. During the summer of 2013 I completed a six week internship at BP, during which I worked closely with highly accomplished members of the oil trading team. My work placement allowed me to pick up the key transferable skills that I was seeking. At the end of a vigorous six weeks I gained skills such as independent research across regular and bespoke systems, analytical skills and team working skills all of which I will utilise throughout my History degree. Studying History at university will further my knowledge as there are so many avenues that I have yet to explore and I hope that university will fill in these gaps in my knowledge.

Personal Statement d’Anisa Mahbub

Le principal intérêt de ce Personal Statement réside dans sa pertinence du début à la fin . Le candidat réussit en effet à justifier tous ses choix et à les rattacher d’une manière ou d’une autre à son sujet de prédilection : l’histoire.

[…] subjects I study at A Level. My pursuit of English Literature is driven by my love of Classical works, which are not only interesting and engaging, but also facilitate my thirst for knowledge of the contrasting characteristics of earlier societies. Through studying Philosophy and Ethics I have learned how to structure a coherent and consistent argument which is essential in the study of history. I particularly enjoy the synoptic unit of A2 history in which I combine my use of historical sources and historical explanations as well as looking at the historical significance and the role of interpretations in history. Each lesson is set up as a mini ‘tutorial’ which allows me to exercise my independent learning skills. This assignment also allows me to work on a personal area of interest as I have chosen the controversial topic of the historiography of the French Revolution.

Le début de la lettre est particulièrement cohérent car le futur étudiant cite des matières qu’il a eu l’opportunité d’étudier durant son parcours scolaire et les associe à l’histoire. La littérature anglaise et la philosophie lui servent ici de faire-valoir . Il poursuit en expliquant quelles connaissances et compétences ces cours lui ont apportées et démontre ainsi qu’il a des acquis qui lui seront utiles durant ses études.

The Revolution is considered vital as it marked the beginnings of social justice in France, and provides an interesting comparison to progress in social justice in the UK. To broaden my understanding, I ventured to the British Library, looking through the archives and researching my chosen topic. Research is one of my favourite elements of history. I have acknowledged the fact that history is heavily weighted to reading and the acquiring of information. I can confidently say that I do not consider this as an obstacle or a challenge as I enjoy reading and assimilating ideas. Since starting sixth form, I have started reading academic articles from History Today and Modern History Today. I particularly enjoy these articles as they challenge my thinking and most offer different interpretations about periods of history.

En indiquant les périodes et les aspects de la discipline qui l’intéressent le plus, le candidat fait preuve d’ingéniosité : il démontre qu’il a parfaitement compris en quoi allaient consister ses études d’histoire. C’est également un moyen pour lui d’expliquer qu’il possède les qualités requises pour rejoindre le cursus visé. Il parvient à parler de lui et de ce qu’il aime tout en mettant en valeur ses connaissances et ses compétences sur le sujet.

During the summer of 2013 I completed a six week internship at BP, during which I worked closely with highly accomplished members of the oil trading team. My work placement allowed me to pick up the key transferable skills that I was seeking. At the end of a vigorous six weeks I gained skills such as independent research across regular and bespoke systems, analytical skills and team working skills all of which I will utilise throughout my History degree. Studying History at university will further my knowledge as there are so many avenues that I have yet to explore and I hope that university will fill in these gaps in my knowledge.

Enfin, son dernier paragraphe est très astucieux et lui permet de relier une expérience professionnelle avec l’histoire alors qu’elle n’a, a priori, aucun lien avec cette discipline. En expliquant quelles compétences transversales il a acquis, il parvient, une fois de plus, à faire une connexion intelligente.

Ce candidat s’est vu proposer quatre offres dans les quatre universités qu’il avait choisies, à savoir :

• King’s College London
• Royal Holloway
• The University of Kent

Le plus original

My three major interests and passions are Computer Science, Maths and Music, and I believe that there is a creative fusion between all these disciplines. I engage wholeheartedly in these areas both in my school courses and out of school, and hope that I will be able to continue doing so on my chosen course and in the extra-curricular opportunities at university. Computer Science has quite naturally come to be my chosen field. At the age of 7, I took to playing the piano, which planted the first seeds of my interest in defined logical patterns and structure. My introduction to computing was via the logic of spreadsheets, but I then progressed to using BASIC for several applications outside lessons, including programming my own version of ‘Logo’ and an analogue clock. A major recent achievement of mine has been designing a database-driven website for my school’s Maths department, including multi-format homework question publication and report generation. This is extensively used by the department, and other departments have approached me to provide them with similar websites. This project was nominated and then short-listed for the final ten of the New Statesman’s “New Media (Educational)” award. I look forward to studying Artificial Intelligence, and have made my own minor foray into this area by designing and developing a computer-powered Connect 4 player using a complex ‘minimax’ procedure. I also investigated ‘recurring function execution’ to simulate the ‘fill’ function of a paint package, an algorithm of which was used to develop a ‘random maze’ generator. Such mathematical-based logic led to an increased appetite especially for researching the use of computing with mathematics – I extensively investigated ‘perfect numbers’, determining the 8th perfect number (2305843008139952128). I involve myself in the full life of the school and am pleased to have ways of passing on my enthusiasms to others. I have been appointed a Maths Prefect, which involves running a weekly Maths club, and also helping younger students in ‘work recovery’ sessions. I was also elected onto the School Council for 4 years in my previous school. My passion for music has further developed in secondary school and led to eager participation in school musical productions for four years as the main pianist (which led to my employment as accompanist for a professional opera singer and singing teacher). I have achieved grade 8 at piano, and have thoroughly enjoyed performing regularly at a variety of venues such as weddings, retirement homes, at charity events, for the visually impaired, and most of all, the opportunity to conduct an orchestra at Fairfield Hall performing my own composition. I am looking forward to playing the 3rd Movement of Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto with the school orchestra this December, exhibiting my love for classical music, especially given that my favourite works are those of Debussy and Tchaikovsky. I was delighted recently when I was given the opportunity to combine my musical pursuits and computer interests by my employment for a commercial software company writing music. I have much appreciated being able to develop my above interests alongside enjoyment of hobbies such as Table-tennis, chess, and reading of a broad spectrum of books.

Personal Statement de Jamie Frost

Ce Personal Statement se démarque par son originalité. Le candidat s’appuie ici sur un loisir, le piano, et son goût pour la musique pour appuyer son admission en sciences de l’informatique. Cet aspect original lui permet de réaliser un tour de force en faisant des parallèles ingénieux et en dévoilant une facette de sa personnalité et de ses appétences .

Le candidat a été accepté par cinq universités :

• Oxford University
• Imperial College London
• The University of York
• University of Southampton
• The University of Warwick

Le plus fluide

I have always felt that we, as humans, have an inborn desire to want to help others. Having been raised amongst doctors, this passion has blossomed into a responsibility I am beginning to understand, through my choice of studies and extra curricula. I believe dentistry is my permanent source of satisfaction, providing the best of professional, and personal aspects of life. Today, dentists do more than drill and fill their patients’ teeth; they improve the quality of life of people through diagnosis, treatment and prevention of oral diseases and conditions involving teeth and surrounding tissues. The statement, ‘as long as people will have mouths, people will need dentists’ highlights how a dentist is an imperative necessity of the society and has convinced me to pursue dentistry as a means of serving the community. To gain an insight into the real world of dentistry I joined the dental unit in a private hospital. Here, I observed many procedures including Root Canal Treatment. Collaboration with staff and interaction with patients proved fascinating. The idea of how dentists give patients from all walks of life a confident smile, and forge a close bond with them over time impressed me. Moreover, shadowing inspirational figures such as my Aunt, who taught me the fine traits of a dentist; a dentist I worked with; and reading successful dentists’ interviews online has enlightened me to the commitment required, likewise, the challenges which lie ahead. Knowing I am capable, as reflected by my academic achievements, my fervour to fulfil my ambition as dentist has intensified – with no trace of doubt in my mind. I worked in my school canteen as an accountant; I was then promoted to a manager and was the first student to become one. As manager I had to multitask: train employees, delegate work, command and monitor my subordinates despite their seniority, tackle pressure, make quick decisions, accommodate customers and respond to complaints. Handling canteen matters alongside attending lessons taught me time management which will help me become an efficient dentist. In addition, I worked at a preschool with children from a myriad of countries. Among them was a disabled child. This taught me to be unprejudiced, appreciate diversity and enhanced my interactive skills, which are essential as dentistry is a social practice. I also volunteered at a charity art exhibition which aided my communication skills, and ability to follow orders. As for extracurricular activities, athletics has played a major role in my life. It has aided my fitness, stamina, eye to hand co-ordination, reflexes to varied stimuli and ability to rise up to challenges. Individual activities have promoted my independence, whereas team sports have enhanced my teamwork and interpersonal skills. In addition, captainship has boosted my leadership and organisational skills as well as sense of responsibility and discipline. To counter the stress from studies, I engage myself in card games which have developed my strategic thinking. I also listen to music, watch TV, socialise with my friends, bake and read. Frequent hand stitching and clay modelling have improved my precision and manual dexterity considerably, which are vital since dentistry encompasses an artistic flair. Besides admiring England’s education and greenery, completing my studies in the country where my schooling initially began would be an honour beyond words. Due to my father’s job in Riyadh, I wasn’t able to continue; now is my chance. My Irish nationality has facilitated my annual visits to the UK and familiarity to the country; hence, moving will be a smooth transition. I believe my dedication to my future career, coupled with my skills and attributes will help me adapt to university life and guarantee me success in this demanding profession.

Personal Statement de Hirakay

L’étudiant se démarque ici en tirant partie d’expériences qui, à première vue, n’ont pas de rapport direct avec les études visées. Le style est fluide et tous les arguments se suivent de manière parfaitement logique .

I believe dentistry is my permanent source of satisfaction, providing the best of professional, and personal aspects of life. Today, dentists do more than drill and fill their patients’ teeth; they improve the quality of life of people through diagnosis, treatment and prevention of oral diseases and conditions involving teeth and surrounding tissues. The statement, ‘as long as people will have mouths, people will need dentists’ highlights how a dentist is an imperative necessity of the society and has convinced me to pursue dentistry as a means of serving the community.

Dans ses premiers paragraphes, le candidat explique pourquoi il a choisi la voie de la dentisterie. L’un des points forts de sa lettre est l’utilisation d’une citation sur laquelle il s’appuie pour justifier ses propos.

Si les citations restent toujours un excellent moyen de mettre en évidence ses idées, attention toutefois à ne pas en abuser. Une ou deux par lettre paraît être un maximum. Retenez que le jury d’admission veut avant tout connaître votre vision et votre voix, pas les mots d’autres personnes.

Moreover, shadowing inspirational figures such as my Aunt, who taught me the fine traits of a dentist; a dentist I worked with; and reading successful dentists’ interviews online has enlightened me to the commitment required, likewise, the challenges which lie ahead. Knowing I am capable, as reflected by my academic achievements, my fervour to fulfil my ambition as dentist has intensified – with no trace of doubt in my mind.

Citer des figures d’inspiration et des modèles est également une manière un peu plus personnelle et originale de se distinguer, comme le candidat le fait ici en expliquant que sa tante lui a toujours enseigné ce que doivent être les qualités d’un dentiste.

Citer une personnalité que vous admirez peut vous permettre de montrer vos intérêts et votre culture. C’est également un bon moyen d’introduire son projet professionnel si vous avez été influencé dans la voie que vous avez choisie par un scientifique, un politique, un artiste, ou tout autre personnalité publique. Mentionner une personne inspirante de votre entourage vous permettra au contraire d’ajouter une touche plus authentique.

I worked in my school canteen as an accountant; I was then promoted to a manager and was the first student to become one. As manager I had to multitask: train employees, delegate work, command and monitor my subordinates despite their seniority, tackle pressure, make quick decisions, accommodate customers and respond to complaints. Handling canteen matters alongside attending lessons taught me time management which will help me become an efficient dentist. In addition, I worked at a preschool with children from a myriad of countries. Among them was a disabled child. This taught me to be unprejudiced, appreciate diversity and enhanced my interactive skills, which are essential as dentistry is a social practice. I also volunteered at a charity art exhibition which aided my communication skills, and ability to follow orders. As for extracurricular activities, athletics has played a major role in my life. It has aided my fitness, stamina, eye to hand co-ordination, reflexes to varied stimuli and ability to rise up to challenges. Individual activities have promoted my independence, whereas team sports have enhanced my teamwork and interpersonal skills. In addition, captainship has boosted my leadership and organisational skills as well as sense of responsibility and discipline. To counter the stress from studies, I engage myself in card games which have developed my strategic thinking. I also listen to music, watch TV, socialise with my friends, bake and read. Frequent hand stitching and clay modelling have improved my precision and manual dexterity considerably, which are vital since dentistry encompasses an artistic flair.

La majeure partie du texte est centrée sur les compétences que le candidat a pu forger, aussi bien grâce à des expériences professionnelles que grâce à ses loisirs et hobbies. Les compétences transversales sont ici mises à l’honneur et le futur étudiant parvient à dévoiler ses appétences en évoquant ses pratiques sportives et artistiques. De ces loisirs et emplois, il montre qu’il retire un nombre important de savoir-être et savoir-faire qui pourront lui être utiles durant ses études supérieures.

Besides admiring England’s education and greenery, completing my studies in the country where my schooling initially began would be an honour beyond words. Due to my father’s job in Riyadh, I wasn’t able to continue; now is my chance. My Irish nationality has facilitated my annual visits to the UK and familiarity to the country; hence, moving will be a smooth transition. I believe my dedication to my future career, coupled with my skills and attributes will help me adapt to university life and guarantee me success in this demanding profession.

Enfin, le candidat, d’origine étrangère, justifie dans son dernier paragraphe sa volonté de venir étudier au Royaume-Uni . Ce paragraphe est important pour un étudiant étranger car il démontre d’un réel intérêt pour le pays et son système éducatif.

Cet étudiant a obtenu trois entretiens dans trois universités différentes pour suivre des études de dentisterie, et un entretien pour un cursus d’ingénierie en biochimie.

Le plus personnel

The Middle East has always been a political hot zone, at the center of international disputes which gain worldwide attention. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the region has acted as a battlefield for other nations, making stability in the area an impossible feat. Growing up in the Middle East, I became accustomed to hearing political discussions at every social gathering. I came to realize that as an Arab, and a Lebanese especially, politics was an inescapable part of my life. Since the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Al-Hariri in 2005, Lebanon has been thrown into a miasma of pandemonium, venality, and civil unrest. The ongoing international investigation has generated much controversy in Lebanon as it unveiled the warped political system and the corruption that seems to have infiltrated the highest ranks of government officials. However, it became apparent that the incident was bigger than the Lebanese political arena. It was orchestrated by greater world players and designed to have consequences on an international scale. Eager to know more about the event that shook the very foundations of my country, I became an avid participant in political discussions and followed the news daily. The complexity of international relations became a fascination. I was intrigued by the way nations interact with each other in today’s increasingly interdependent world. I am looking forward to spending the next three years exploring this phenomenon in detail. My History A-Level course has been an excellent introduction into the multifaceted world of International Politics. It has equipped me with valuable skills that are undoubtedly essential for a future diplomat. I have learned to analyze sources thoroughly and synthesize information to form well-reasoned arguments. I was required to participate in debates as part of the course. I was voted captain, therefore, it was my responsibility to delegate tasks and encourage co-operation among my teammates; a task that developed my leadership, teamwork, and organization skills. The debates, along with my involvement in the drama club, developed my public speaking and communication abilities, giving me the confidence that I will need to partake in university discussions and presentations. Last year I was presented with four awards from the Cambridge International Examinations Board for achieving top results in IGCSEs. The one I am most proud of is “Top of the World” in English Literature. The skills required to analyze a work of literature are similar to those needed in evaluating a political excerpt. The activity I feel has most prepared me for working in the field of politics, however, is Student Council. My position as Vice-President and this year as President has honed my diplomatic competency and taught me how to negotiate successfully. The proceedings from our events went towards various charities. Aside from academia, I have a great passion for piano. I am currently at Level 5. Eager to impart my love for this beautiful and expressive art, I gave piano lessons to two young girls. As for athletics, I was part of the swimming team for three consecutive years and have recently developed an interest in soccer. I aspire to represent Lebanon in an international organization and take part in shaping its foreign policy. On the risk of sounding presumptuous, I hope to be able to make a difference in the world. Studying in the UK will surely put me on the right track towards achieving my dreams. As a Lebanese-Canadian citizen, I hope that I can reciprocate the favor and contribute to the diverse and stimulating student body.

Personal Statement de MiniMe

Ce Personal Statement est un bon mélange entre les cours étudiés par le candidat, ses réussites, ses activités associatives et parascolaires, ses loisirs et son histoire personnelle. Le futur étudiant réussit à atteindre un parfait équilibre : il se sert de multiples aspects de sa vie pour expliquer son intérêt pour la politique et le Moyen-Orient.

The Middle East has always been a political hot zone, at the center of international disputes which gain worldwide attention. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the region has acted as a battlefield for other nations, making stability in the area an impossible feat. Growing up in the Middle East, I became accustomed to hearing political discussions at every social gathering. I came to realize that as an Arab, and a Lebanese especially, politics was an inescapable part of my life. Since the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Al-Hariri in 2005, Lebanon has been thrown into a miasma of pandemonium, venality, and civil unrest. The ongoing international investigation has generated much controversy in Lebanon as it unveiled the warped political system and the corruption that seems to have infiltrated the highest ranks of government officials. However, it became apparent that the incident was bigger than the Lebanese political arena. It was orchestrated by greater world players and designed to have consequences on an international scale. Eager to know more about the event that shook the very foundations of my country, I became an avid participant in political discussions and followed the news daily. The complexity of international relations became a fascination. I was intrigued by the way nations interact with each other in today’s increasingly interdependent world. I am looking forward to spending the next three years exploring this phenomenon in detail.

Les trois premiers paragraphes posent les bases : le candidat est originaire du Moyen-Orient, d’où son goût pour la politique de cette région précise. En citant un événement survenu dans cette région du monde – l’assassinat du Premier Ministre Rafic Al-Hariri en 2005 – il montre sa connaissance de l’histoire et de l’actualité du Liban, et explique l’origine de son attrait pour la politique. Ces paragraphes, mêlant à la fois histoire personnelle et relations internationales, lui permettent d’introduire son sujet.

My History A-Level course has been an excellent introduction into the multifaceted world of International Politics. It has equipped me with valuable skills that are undoubtedly essential for a future diplomat. I have learned to analyze sources thoroughly and synthesize information to form well-reasoned arguments. I was required to participate in debates as part of the course. I was voted captain, therefore, it was my responsibility to delegate tasks and encourage co-operation among my teammates; a task that developed my leadership, teamwork, and organization skills. The debates, along with my involvement in the drama club, developed my public speaking and communication abilities, giving me the confidence that I will need to partake in university discussions and presentations. Last year I was presented with four awards from the Cambridge International Examinations Board for achieving top results in IGCSEs. The one I am most proud of is “Top of the World” in English Literature. The skills required to analyze a work of literature are similar to those needed in evaluating a political excerpt. The activity I feel has most prepared me for working in the field of politics, however, is Student Council. My position as Vice-President and this year as President has honed my diplomatic competency and taught me how to negotiate successfully. The proceedings from our events went towards various charities. Aside from academia, I have a great passion for piano. I am currently at Level 5. Eager to impart my love for this beautiful and expressive art, I gave piano lessons to two young girls. As for athletics, I was part of the swimming team for three consecutive years and have recently developed an interest in soccer.

Les trois paragraphes suivants sont un peu plus classiques. Ils reprennent les codes d’un bon Personal Statement . Le candidat se sert de ses cours et de ses activités parascolaires pour mettre en avant ses compétences et ses qualités. Par exemple, le théâtre et les débats l’ont aidé à développer ses capacités à parler en public et à communiquer. Il montre par ce biais qu’il appréhende correctement les études en politiques et les compétences qu’elles requièrent.

I aspire to represent Lebanon in an international organization and take part in shaping its foreign policy. On the risk of sounding presumptuous, I hope to be able to make a difference in the world. Studying in the UK will surely put me on the right track towards achieving my dreams. As a Lebanese-Canadian citizen, I hope that I can reciprocate the favor and contribute to the diverse and stimulating student body.

Enfin, l’étudiant fait mention de son projet professionnel brièvement à la fin de sa lettre. C’est également l’occasion pour lui de revenir sur son intérêt pour le Royaume-Uni, étant un postulant étranger.

Sa candidature s’est soldée par une offre dans cinq universités :

• Cambridge University
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• School of Oriental and African Studies
• University of Bristol
• The University of Sheffield

Pour conclure sur ces exemples

Ces quelques bons exemples de Personal Statements sont très inspirants. Ils expriment à merveille les envies et l’enthousiasme des candidats pour leur sujet de prédilection. Des ponts sont bâtis entre leurs expériences et les cursus visés pour créer une logique et une cohérence. Vous souhaitez écrire un Personal Statement aussi impactant ? Nos conseils pour réussir vous seront forcément utiles.

Vous rêvez d’étudier au Royaume-Uni ? Faites appel à nos experts pour constituer un dossier UCAS solide et intégrer l’école britannique de votre choix.

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La méthodologie à suivre pour écrire son Personal Statement

Vous devez rédiger votre Personal Statement pour votre candidature sur UCAS mais ne savez pas par où commencer ? En respectant quelques étapes-clés, vous pourrez parvenir à un texte abouti qui vous ressemble. Prévoyez du temps pour écrire une lettre optimale qui vous ouvrira les portes de l’université britannique de vos rêves !

Comment commencer son Personal Statement ?

Vous rédigez votre Personal Statement sur UCAS et avez un doute sur la manière de le commencer ? C’est normal, la phrase d’accroche introduit tout votre texte et donne le ton de votre discours. Elle doit être suffisamment intéressante pour donner envie au jury d’admission de poursuivre sa lecture et originale pour vous démarquer des autres candidats dès le début ! Pas d’inquiétude, nous vous expliquons comment trouver l’accroche idéale.

Personal Statement UCAS : les conseils pour réussir

Si vous postulez sur UCAS pour intégrer une université britannique, vous comprendrez vite qu’une pièce essentielle de votre dossier est le “Personal Statement”, c’est-à-dire votre lettre de motivation. Vous ne savez pas par où commencer ni comment le rédiger ? Nous vous donnons tous les conseils utiles pour surmonter le syndrome de la page blanche et comprendre exactement comment le structurer et quelles informations y faire figurer.

UCAS et les références : les bons choix à faire

La lettre de recommandation correspond à la dernière partie d’un dossier de candidature sur UCAS et peut faire toute la différence. Pour rejoindre un programme universitaire, il n’en faut qu’une, d’où l’intérêt de bien choisir son référent. Découvrez qui a le droit de rédiger une lettre pour soutenir votre candidature et tous nos conseils pour obtenir une lettre de recommandation qui mette votre dossier en valeur.

UCAS 2024 : quelles sont les deadlines ?

Préparer son dossier pour entrer dans une université britannique peut être un long parcours du combattant. Pour assurer toutes ses chances, mieux vaut anticiper et bien se renseigner en amont sur les deadlines à respecter. Les dates de clôture varient en effet selon les cours et les universités demandés. Pour compléter sa candidature UCAS sereinement et ne rien rater, nous vous donnons toutes les deadlines pour la rentrée 2024.

UCAS Clearing : comment ça marche ?

Besoin d’une seconde chance pour intégrer une université britannique ? Apprenez à utiliser le UCAS Clearing à votre avantage. Si vous avez passé la deadline, que vos premiers choix n’ont pas été acceptés ou que vous souhaitez tenter votre chance dans un autre programme, rien n’est perdu. Notre guide vous explique comment et quand candidater grâce au UCAS Clearing.

UCAS et le système de points : comment ça marche ?

Vous souhaitez envoyer des candidatures sur UCAS mais êtes perdus face au système de points ? Pas de panique ! Nous décryptons pour vous ce que sont les “Tariff Points”, comment trouver leurs équivalences et comment s’en servir pour postuler aux universités britanniques.

UCAS Track : comment ça fonctionne ?

Vous avez envoyé vos dossiers de candidature sur UCAS et ne savez pas comment suivre votre progression ? Voici tout ce qu’il faut savoir sur UCAS Track, l’application qui va vous permettre de surveiller le statut de toutes vos candidatures et de répondre aux universités. Suivez le guide.

UCAS : le guide pour réussir en 2024

Vous rêvez d’intégrer une université britannique et de partir étudier outre-Manche ? Voici tout ce qu’il faut savoir pour déposer un dossier de candidature sur UCAS, le système d’admission des universités du Royaume-Uni. Découvrez comment réunir les pièces nécessaires pour postuler sereinement et mettre toutes les chances de votre côté.

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12 Personal Statement Examples + Analysis 2024

If you’re applying to college, you’ll most likely need to write a personal statement as part of your college application. (And please note that the personal statement examples below are for undergraduate applications—if you’re trying to find grad school statement of purpose examples , please head to that link.)

But before diving into analyzing some great personal statement examples, it helps to get some context on what a personal statement actually is, and what writers should plan to include when writing their own personal statement.

What is a personal statement?

It’s the main essay required by the Common Application as well as most other application systems. They basically require you to answer some version of the question “Who are you, and what do you value?” And in recent years, the main Common Application essay has become more and more important in colleges’ decision making process, especially as many colleges are relying less and less on standardized test scores.

Why read personal statement examples?

In our work with students, we often encourage students to review examples of personal statements to get a sense of what a great essay might look like and to just generally share a wide range of topics, structures, and writing styles so that they can see what’s possible when writing this essay. In this spirit, we’re sharing 12 of our favorite examples from the past few years. We’ve also included analysis for what makes them outstanding to (hopefully) help you uplevel your own essay.

What should a personal statement include?

The personal statement should demonstrate the qualities, skills, and values that you’ve cultivated over your life and how those skills have prepared you for attending college. I (Ethan) have spent the last 15 years answering this question, which you can learn more about in my free 1-hour guide .

In our opinion, a great personal statement example has 4 qualities . After reading the essay, you can identify whether your essay or topic show each of the four qualities by asking yourself the questions below:

Values : Can you name at least 4-5 of the author’s core values? Do you detect a variety of values, or do the values repeat?

Vulnerability : Does the essay sound like it’s mostly analytical or like it’s coming from a deeper, more vulnerable place? Does it sound like the author wrote it using mostly his or her head (intellect) or his or her heart and gut? After reading the essay, do you know more about the author AND feel closer to him or her?

Insight : Can you identify at least 3-5 “so what” moments of insight in the essay? Are these moments kind of predictable, or are they truly illuminating?

Craft : Do the ideas in the essay connect in a way that is logical, but not too obvious (aka boring)? Can you tell that the essay represents a series of carefully considered choices and that the author spent a lot of time revising the essay over the course of several drafts?

Want a more thorough guide on how to write a personal statement? We’ve got you covered.

Let’s read some essays.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Example #1 - The Tally on My Uniform
• Example #2 - Quattro Lingue
• Example #3 - 12
• Example #4 - Flying
• Example #5 - Arab Spring in Bahrain
• Example #6 - Poop, Animals and the Environment
• Example #7 - Entoptic Phenomena
• Example #8 - The Builder & Problem Solver
• Example #10 - The Little Porch and a Dog (With Spanish Translation)
• Example #10 - Life As an Undocumented Student
• Example #11 - Umbra
• Example #12 - Angry brown girl, feminist, singer, meme lover

Personal Statement Example #1 The Tally on My Uniform

Day 19: I am using my school uniform as a slate to tally the days. As the ink slowly seeps through the fabric of my shirt, I begin to understand that being a conscious Arab comes with a cost. Flashback. Day 7: I come across a live stream on social media, 1,200 Palestinian political prisoners are on their seventh day of a hunger strike against the Israeli occupation. It is the first I have heard of its occurrence. I allow myself to follow the news daily through social media while regional mainstream media and our local news channels refrain from reporting any news of the strike. Day 13: I am engulfed by the cry for justice. I feel helplessly overwhelmed, not wanting to confront reality, but I force myself to anyway; actively searching, refreshing my phone to tune into live streams from protests, plugging in “Palestinian hunger strike” on the search engine to stay connected to the cause. Day 18: No one else seems to know anything about what is going on. I am compelled to find a way to embody the struggle. In my first period class, I see a marker beside the whiteboard. I pick it up, not sure what I’m going to do, but then hear myself asking my classmates to each draw a vertical line on my shirt. It seems funny at first--they laugh, confused. But each time the marker touches the fabric it tells a story. It is a story of occupied countries, a story in which resisting apartheid becomes synonymous with criminality, a story we refuse to address because we have grown too apathetic to value life beyond our borders. As my classmates draw the tally, together we tell the story of the hunger strike and mourn the distance human beings have created between each other. Day 20: My uniform has become a subject of question. Each pair of eyes that fix their gaze on the ink, I share the story of our Palestinian compatriots. The initial responses are the same: disbelief, followed by productive conversation on our moral responsibility to educate ourselves on the conflict. Day 28: Each day the strike continues, I have asked my classmates to draw another line on the tally. While it still comes across as unsettling, it seems to no longer represent the reality of the hunger strike. My classmates are no longer interested in what it means. I am supposed to move on already. I am called in to the principal’s office. After being instructed to get a new shirt, I choose to challenge the order. As long as the hunger strike lasts, I will continue to voice the reality of the hundreds of prisoners, in hopes of recreating the sense of responsibility I originally sensed in my peers. Day 41: A compromise deal is offered to the political prisoners and they suspend their hunger strike. I walk out of school with a clean uniform and feel whole again, but unnaturally so. I was left feeling an unspoken kind of weakness where I broke under the realisation that not all sorrows could resonate with people enough for me to expect them to lead movements. I would need to be the one to lead, to recreate the energy that the tally once inspired. I decided to found a political streetwear brand, Silla, where fashion choices transcend superficial aesthetics by spreading a substantial message of equality and donating the profits to NGOs that advocate for social change. Through Silla, I am able to stay in touch with my generation, keeping them engaged with issues because of how they can now spend their money Silla has mobilized people to voice their opinions that align with equity and equality. Because of my adherence to justice, I was elected student government president and I use it as a platform to be vigilant in reminding my peers of their potential, inspiring them to take action and be outspoken about their beliefs. When the ink seeped through the fabric of my uniform it also stained my moral fibres, and will forever remind me that I am an agent of change. — — —

Why This Essay Worked: 

Uncommon topic and uncommon connections. Overall, this is just a stand out piece. The unique story of how the author had lines drawn on her shirt pulls the reader in. But while this story is not something you’d typically find in other people’s applications, don’t feel intimidated. Having an uncommon topic makes writing a strong essay a bit easier, but by itself is not enough for a great essay. What really elevates this piece is the connections and observations that the author makes about her classmates and the school’s collective response to distant but important political conflict. The student does a great job evoking the emotional response of her peers and beautifully articulates her own indignation with the apathy that emerges. When you write your essay, consider how you can use uncommon connections to take your reader to places they may not have expected to go.

Experimental structure. One of the many cool things about this essay is its structure, which demonstrates the quality of craft . The author uses a montage structure that emphasizes numbers and chronology, two ideas that are central to the content of the piece itself. By playing with the idea of time and distance, the applicant emphasizes some of the critical ideas in her essay and shows that she’s unafraid to think outside the box. Remember, admissions officers read tons of personal statements; an uncommon structure can go a long way in setting you apart from the crowd.

Answers the question “so what?” The thing that really brings this essay home is the last paragraph. Although the story of the uniform being marked by lines for each day of the hunger strike is fascinating, we’re not totally sure of its relevance to the life of the author until she gets to that last bit. In it, she tells us about her politically-aware fashion line and her appointment as school president. This answers the question of “so what” because it shows us that she took the lessons she learned during the strike and applied it to her life outlook/practices more broadly. After you’ve written your first draft, go back through it and make sure you’ve clearly shown what you’ve done to act upon your reflections or values .

Personal Statement Example #2 Quattro Lingue

Day 1: “Labbayka Allāhumma Labbayk. Labbayk Lā Sharīka Laka Labbayk,” we chant, sweat dripping onto the wispy sand in brutal Arabian heat, as millions of us prepare to march from the rocky desert hills of Mount Arafat to the cool, flat valleys of Muzdalifa. As we make our way into the Haram, my heart shakes. Tears rolling down my cheeks, we circumvent the Ka’ba one last time before embarking on Hajj, the compulsory pilgrimage of Islam. It became the spiritual, visceral, and linguistic journey of a lifetime. Day 3: “Ureed an Aśhtareę Hijab.” “Al-harir aw al-Qathan?” “Ķhilaahuma.” “Kham ťhamanu-huma?” “Mi’at Riyal.” “La. Khizth sab’een.” “Sa’uethikhá Sab’een.” “Shukran laķ.” “Show me hijabs.” “Silk or cotton?” “Both.” “How much do these cost?” “100 Riyal.” “No. Take 70.” “Fine. Thanks Hajjah.” In Makkah, I quickly learn shopkeepers rip off foreigners, so exchanges like this, where I only have to say a few Arabic words, make me appear local. It also connects me with real locals: the Saudi Arabian pharmacist who sells me cough syrup, the Egyptian grandmother seeking directions to the restroom, the Moroccan family who educates me on the Algerian conflict. As the sounds of Arabic swirl around me like the fluttering sands (Jamal, Naqah, Ibl, Ba’eer…), I’m reconnecting with an old friend: we’d first met when I decided to add a third language to English and Bengali. Day 6: The tents of Mina. Temperature blazing. Humidity high. I sleep next to an old woman who just embarked on her twentieth Hajj. When I discover she’s Pakistani, I speak to her in Urdu. Her ninety-year old energy--grounded, spiritual, and non-materialistic--inspires me. So far, every day has been a new discovery of my courage, spirit, and faith, and I see myself going on this journey many more times in my life. My new friend is curious where I, a Bengali, learned Urdu. I explain that as a Muslim living in America’s divided political climate, I wanted to understand my religion better by reading an ancient account of the life of Prophet Muhammad, but Seerat-un-Nabi is only in Urdu, so I learned to read it. I was delighted to discover the resonances: Qi-yaa-mah in Arabic becomes Qi-ya-mat in Urdu, Dh-a-lim becomes Zaa-lim… Urdu, which I had previously only understood academically, was the key to developing a personal connection with a generation different from mine. Day 8: “Fix your hair. You look silly,” my mom says in Bengali. When my parents want to speak privately, they speak our native tongue. Phrases like, “Can you grab some guava juice?” draw us closer together. My parents taught me to look out for myself from a young age, so Hajj is one of the only times we experienced something formative together. Our “secret” language made me see Bengali, which I’ve spoken all my life, as beautiful. It also made me aware of how important shared traditions are. As I think back to those sweltering, eclectic days, the stories and spiritual connections linger. No matter what languages we spoke, we are all Muslims in a Muslim country, the first time I’d ever experienced that. I came out of my American bubble and discovered I was someone to be looked up to. Having studied Islam my whole life, I knew the ins and outs of Hajj. This, along with my love for language, made me, the youngest, the sage of our group. Whether at the Al-Baik store in our camp or the Jamarat where Satan is stoned, people asked me about standards for wearing hijab or to read the Quran out loud. I left the journey feeling fearless. Throughout my life, I’ll continue to seek opportunities where I’m respected, proud to be Muslim, and strong enough to stand up for others. The next time I go to Hajj, I want to speak two more languages: donc je peux parler à plus de gens and quiero escuchar más historias. — — —

It’s visceral and evocative. Details about the specific resonance of Urdu words and the conversations this author shared with the people they met on their Hajj brings this essay to life. Nearly every line is full of vivid imagery and textured language . Those details make this piece fun to read and truly bring us into the world of the author. Whenever you’re writing, think about how you can engage all five senses to show, not simply tell, how you experienced something. 

It uses images to convey a sense of time, place, and self. Notice how this author’s use of images and details give this personal statement a dream-like quality, hopping between spaces, people, languages, and thoughts. As a result, the author is able to talk about so many different aspects of their culture. The way the details are conveyed also speaks to the aesthetic sensibilities of the author, providing another window into who they are as a person. When you’re writing, think about how you can use imagistic language to show the reader what you care about. 

It uses dialogue effectively. Dialogue isn’t always the best strategy, as it can take up a good chunk of your word count without explicitly saying anything about who you are. In this piece, however, the author does a great job of using their conversations with people they meet along their journey to convey their values and interests. Not only does the dialogue emphasize their fascination with language and cultural exchange, but it breaks up what would have been dense paragraphs into nice manageable chunks that are easier to read.

Personal Statement Example #3 12

12 is the number of my idol, Tom Brady. It’s the sum of all the letters in my name. It’s also how old I was when I started high school. In short, I skipped two grades: first and sixth. Between kindergarten and eighth grade, I attended five schools, including two different styles of homeschooling (three years at a co-op and one in my kitchen). Before skipping, I was perennially bored. But when I began homeschooling, everything changed. Free to move as fast as I wanted, I devoured tomes from Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison to London, Kipling, and Twain. I wrote 10-page papers on subjects from Ancient Sparta and military history to the founding of the United States and the resounding impact of slavery. I discovered more than I ever had, kindling a lifelong joy for learning. While high school offered welcome academic opportunities--studying two languages and taking early science APs chief among them--the social environment was a different beast. Many classmates considered me more a little brother than a true friend, and my age and laser focus on academics initially made me socially inept. I joined sports teams in spring and built better relationships, but my lack of size (5’1”) and strength relegated me to the end of the bench. Oftentimes, I secretly wished I was normal age. That secret desire manifested itself in different ways. While I’ve loved football since I was a little kid, I soon became obsessed with personal success on the gridiron--the key, I figured, to social acceptance and the solution to my age problem. I had grown up obsessively tracking my New England Patriots. Now, instead of armchair quarterbacking, I poured hours into throwing mechanics and studying film after my homework each night. Itching to grow, I adopted Brady’s diet, cutting dairy, white flour, and processed sugar. But in the rush to change, my attitude towards academics shifted; I came to regard learning as more a job than a joy. No matter what talents I possessed, I viewed myself as a failure because I couldn’t play. That view held sway until a conversation with my friend Alex, the fastest receiver on the team. As I told him I wished we could switch places so I could succeed on the gridiron, he stared incredulously. “Dude,” he exclaimed, “I wish I was you!” Hearing my friends voice their confidence in my abilities prompted me to reflect: I quickly realized I was discounting my academic talents to fit a social construct. Instead of pushing myself to be something I wasn’t, I needed to meld my talents and my passions. Instead of playing sports, I recognized, I should coach them. My goal to coach professionally has already helped me embrace the academic side of the game—my side—rather than sidelining it. I have devoured scouting tomes, analyzed NFL game film, spoken with pros like Dante Scarnecchia, and even joined the American Football Coaches Association. Translating that coach’s mentality into practice, I began explaining the concepts behind different plays to my teammates, helping them see the subtleties of strategy (despite Coach Whitcher’s complaints that I was trying to steal his job). And I discovered that my intellectual understanding of the game is far more important in determining my success than my athletic tools: with the discipline, adaptability, and drive I had already developed, I’ve become a better player, student, and friend. Physically and mentally, I’ve changed a lot since freshman year, growing 11 inches and gaining newfound confidence in myself and my abilities. Instead of fighting for social acceptance, I’m free to focus on the things I love. Academically, that change re-inspired me. Able to express my full personality without social pressure, I rededicated myself in the classroom and my community. I still secretly wish to be Tom Brady. But now, I’m happy to settle for Bill Belichick. — — —

There’s a wonderful hook. The first line is great. It’s funny, intriguing, and doesn’t give too much away. In just the first bit we already know that the author is a football enthusiast, detail-oriented, and academically gifted. Not only does it tell us a lot about him, but it allows him to transition into the meat of his story about how his unconventional educational trajectory influenced the person he is today. Think about how you can use the first sentence or two of your personal statement to effectively introduce readers to your narrative voice and rope them into reading more.

It has a great “Aha!” moment. Great personal statements often convey growth. In this example, the author struggles to find a place for himself in high school after skipping two grades and being homeschooled for a significant portion of his life. It isn’t until his friend on the football team affirms his value that he starts to see all of the ways in which his unique skills benefit the people around him. If you think of your essay like a movie reel of your life, this moment is sort of like the climax. It’s when the mindset of the main character changes and allows him to embrace what he’s got. The anticipation and release of this “aha moment” keeps readers engaged in the piece and demonstrates your ability, as the applicant, to be self-reflective and adaptable to change.

It covers a broad time frame, but still fits in tons of nice details. This essay essentially talks about the author’s life from 5th grade to present day. He’s not focusing on one specific moment. This is absolutely something you can do as well if you want to demonstrate how you’ve grown over a longer period of time. However, notice that the author here doesn’t sacrifice depth for breadth. Even though he’s covering a pretty significant chunk of time, he still touches on great details about his favorite classes and authors, football role models, and conversations with friends. These are what make the essay great and specific to his life. If you’re going to talk about more than just one event or moment, don’t forget to highlight important details along the way.

Learn how to write your personal statement here

Personal statement example #4 flying.

As a young child, I was obsessed with flying. I spent hours watching birds fly, noting how the angle of their wings affected the trajectory of their flight. I would then waste tons of fresh printer paper, much to the dismay of my parents, to test out various wing types by constructing paper airplanes. One day, this obsession reached its fever pitch. I decided to fly. I built a plane out of a wooden clothes rack and blankets, with trash bags as precautionary parachutes. As you can imagine, the maiden flight didn’t go so well. After being in the air for a solid second, the world came crashing around me as I slammed onto the bed, sending shards of wood flying everywhere. Yet, even as a five-year-old, my first thoughts weren’t about the bleeding scratches that covered my body. Why didn’t the wings function like a bird’s wings? Why did hitting something soft break my frame? Why hadn’t the parachutes deployed correctly? Above all, why didn’t I fly? As I grew older, my intrinsic drive to discover why stimulated a desire to solve problems, allowing my singular passion of flying to evolve into a deep-seated love of engineering. I began to challenge myself academically, taking the hardest STEM classes offered . Not only did this allow me to complete all possible science and math courses by the end of my junior year, but it also surrounded me with the smartest kids of the grades above me, allowing me access to the advanced research they were working on. As such, I developed an innate understanding of topics such as protein function in the brain and differential equation modeling early in high school, helping me develop a strong science and math foundation to supplement my passion for engineering. I also elected to participate in my school’s engineering pathway . As a team leader, I was able to develop my leadership skills as I identified and utilized each member’s strength to produce the best product. I sought to make design collaborative, not limited to the ideas of one person. In major group projects, such as building a hovercraft, I served as both president and devil’s advocate, constantly questioning if each design decision was the best option, ultimately resulting in a more efficient model that performed significantly better than our initial prototype. Most of all, I sought to solve problems that impact the real world . Inspired by the water crisis in India, I developed a water purification system that combines carbon nanotube filters with shock electrodialysis to both desalinate and purify water more efficiently and cost-effectively than conventional plants. The following year, I ventured into disease detection, designing a piezoresistive microcantilever that detected the concentration of beta-amyloid protein to medically diagnose a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, a use for cantilevers that hadn’t yet been discovered. The project received 1st Honors at the Georgia Science Fair. Working on these two projects, I saw the raw power of engineering – an abstract idea gradually becoming reality . I was spending most of my days understanding the why behind things, while also discovering solutions to prevalent issues. In a world that increasingly prioritizes a singular solution, I am captivated by engineering’s ability to continuously offer better answers to each problem. Thirteen years have passed since that maiden flight, and I have yet to crack physical human flight . My five-year-old self would have seen this as a colossal failure. But the intense curiosity that I found in myself that day is still with me. It has continued to push me, forcing me to challenge myself to tackle ever more complex problems, engrossed by the promise and applicability of engineering. I may never achieve human flight . However, now I see what once seemed like a crash landing as a runway, the platform off of which my love of engineering first took flight. — — —

The author isn’t afraid to ask questions. This writer is clearly a curious and intellectual person. The questions they ask in the first part of the essay (“Why didn’t the wings function like a bird’s wings? Why did hitting something soft break my frame? Why hadn’t the parachutes deployed correctly? Above all, why didn’t I fly?”) highlight that. In your essay, don’t shy away from asking tough questions. In the end, the author still hasn’t achieved human flight, but you can clearly see how his interest in the whys of life has propelled him to take on new engineering problems. Sometimes, you don’t need to answer the questions you pose for them to serve a purpose in your essay.

It returns back to where it started. There’s something satisfying about returning to your intro in your conclusion. In this case, the author comes back to his first flying experience and re-evaluates what the experience means to him now as well as how his thinking has evolved. Think of your essay as a circle (or maybe a blob depending on what you’re writing about). Your end should loop back to where you started after your narrative arc is mostly complete.

Uses specific jargon (but not too much). We might not know what a “piezoresistive microcantilever” is or how it relates to “beta-amyloid proteins,” but that’s not really the point of including it in this essay. By using these terms the author signals to us that he knows what he’s talking about and has a degree of expertise in engineering. On the flip side, you don’t want to use so much jargon that your reader has no idea what you’re saying. Including a little bit of field-specific language can go a long way, so you don’t want to overdo it. If you’re not sure what specific details or language to include, check out our 21 Details Exercise and see if that helps you brainstorm some ideas.

Personal Statement Example #5 Arab Spring in Bahrain

February 2011– My brothers and I were showing off our soccer dribbling skills in my grandfather’s yard when we heard gunshots and screaming in the distance. We paused and listened, confused by sounds we had only ever heard on the news or in movies. My mother rushed out of the house and ordered us inside. The Arab Spring had come to Bahrain. I learned to be alert to the rancid smell of tear gas. Its stench would waft through the air before it invaded my eyes, urging me inside before they started to sting. Newspaper front pages constantly showed images of bloodied clashes, made worse by Molotov cocktails. Martial Law was implemented; roaming tanks became a common sight. On my way to school, I nervously passed burning tires and angry protesters shouting “Yaskut Hamad! “ [“Down with King Hamad!”]. Bahrain, known for its palm trees and pearls, was waking up from a slumber. The only home I had known was now a place where I learned to fear. September 2013– Two and a half years after the uprisings, the events were still not a distant memory. I decided the answer to fear was understanding. I began to analyze the events and actions that led to the upheaval of the Arab Springs. In my country, religious and political tensions were brought to light as Shias, who felt underrepresented and neglected within the government, challenged the Sunnis, who were thought to be favored for positions of power. I wanted equality and social justice; I did not want the violence to escalate any further and for my country to descend into the nightmare that is Libya and Syria. September 2014– Pursuing understanding helped allay my fears, but I also wanted to contribute to Bahrain in a positive way. I participated in student government as a student representative and later as President, became a member of Model United Nations (MUN), and was elected President of the Heritage Club, a charity-focused club supporting refugees and the poor. As an MUN delegate, I saw global problems from perspectives other than my own and used my insight to push for compromise. I debated human rights violations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from an Israeli perspective, argued whether Syrian refugees should be allowed entry into neighboring European countries, and then created resolutions for each problem. In the Heritage Club, I raised funds and ran food drives so that my team could provide support for less fortunate Bahrainis. We regularly distributed boxed lunches to migrant workers, bags of rice to refugees and air conditioners to the poor. April 2016 – The Crown Prince International Scholarship Program (CPISP) is an intensive leadership training program where participants are chosen on merit, not political ideologies. Both Shia and Sunni candidates are selected, helping to diversify the future leadership of my country. I was shortlisted to attend the training during that summer. July 2016 – The CPISP reaffirmed for me the importance of cooperation. At first, building chairs out of balloons and skyscrapers out of sticks didn’t seem meaningful. But as I learned to apply different types of leadership styles to real-life situations and honed my communication skills to lead my team, I began to see what my country was missing: harmony based on trust. Bringing people together from different backgrounds and successfully completing goals—any goal—builds trust. And trust is the first step to lasting peace. October 2016 – I have only begun to understand my people and my history, but I no longer live in fear. Instead, I have found purpose. I plan to study political science and economics to find answers for the issues that remain unresolved in my country. Bahrain can be known for something more than pearl diving, palm trees, and the Arab Spring; it can be known for the understanding of its people, including me. — — —

Orients the reader in time. As you’ve seen in several other example essays already, date and time can be used very effectively to structure a piece. This author talks about an intensely political topic, which changed drastically over the course of a specific timeframe. Because of that, the use of timestamps elevates the piece and makes it easier for readers to follow the chronology of the story. If your essay topic is something that has changed significantly over time or has developed in a chronological way, this might be a great blueprint for you. Check out our Feelings and Needs Exercise to brainstorm for this kind of essay where you learn something along a narrative arc from Point A to Point B. 

Gives us the right amount of context. When you’re talking about political or cultural issues or events, don’t assume that your reader has a base level of knowledge. Although you don’t want to spend too much time on the nitty gritty details of policy reform or history, you should offer your reader some sense of when something was taking place and why. The author of this piece does that very succinctly and accessibly in his “September 2013” entry.

Emphasizes the author’s role and contributions. With political topics, it’s easy to get carried away talking about the issue itself. However, remember that this is ultimately a personal statement, not a political statement. You want to make sure you talk about yourself in the essay. So, even though the author is discussing a huge event, he focuses on his participation in Model UN, CRISP, and Heritage Club. When possible, think about how big issues manifest in your day to day life as well as what you specifically are doing to take action.

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Personal statement example #6 poop, animals and the environment.

I have been pooped on many times. I mean this in the most literal sense possible. I have been pooped on by pigeons and possums, house finches and hawks, egrets and eastern grays. I don’t mind it, either. For that matter, I also don’t mind being pecked at, hissed at, scratched and bitten—and believe me, I have experienced them all. I don’t mind having to skin dead mice, feeding the remaining red embryonic mass to baby owls. (Actually, that I do mind a little.) I don’t mind all this because when I’m working with animals , I know that even though they probably hate me as I patch them up, their health and welfare is completely in my hands. Their chances of going back to the wild, going back to their homes, rely on my attention to their needs and behaviors. My enduring interest in animals and habitat loss led me to intern at the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley over the summer , and it was there that I was lucky enough to meet those opossum joeys that defecated on my shoes whenever I picked them up (forcing me to designate my favorite pair of shoes as animal hospital shoes, never to be worn elsewhere again). It was there that a juvenile squirrel decided my finger looked fit to suckle, and that many an angry pigeon tried to peck off my hands. And yet, when the internship ended, I found myself hesitant to leave . That hesitation didn’t simply stem from my inherent love of animals. It was from the sense of responsibility that I developed while working with orphaned and injured wildlife. After all, most of the animals are there because of us—the baby opossums and squirrels are there because we hit their mothers with our cars, raptors and coyotes end up there due to secondary rodenticide poisoning and illegal traps. We are responsible for the damage, so I believe we are responsible for doing what we can to help. And of course, there is empathy—empathy for the animals who lost their mothers, their homes, their sight and smell, their ability to fly or swim. I couldn’t just abandon them. I couldn’t just abandon them the same way I couldn’t let big oil companies completely devastate the Arctic, earth’s air conditioner . The same way I couldn’t ignore the oceans, where destructive fishing practices have been wiping out ocean life. These are not jobs that can be avoided or left half-finished. For some, the Arctic is simply too far away, and the oceans will always teem with life, while for others these problems seem too great to ever conquer. And while I have had these same feelings many times over, I organized letter-writing campaigns, protested, and petitioned the oil companies to withdraw. I campaigned in local parks to educate people on sustaining the seas. I hold on to the hope that persistent efforts will prevent further damage. I sometimes wonder if my preoccupation with social and environmental causes just makes me feel less guilty. Maybe I do it just to ease my own conscience, so I can tell people “At least I did something.” I hope that it’s not just that. I hope it’s because my mother always told me to treat others as I want to be treated, even if I sometimes took this to its logical extreme, moving roadkill to the bushes along the side of the road because “Ma, if I was hit by a car I would want someone to move me off the road, too.” The upshot is that I simply cannot walk away from injustice, however uncomfortable it is to confront it . I choose to act, taking a stand and exposing the truth in the most effective manner that I think is possible. And while I’m sure I will be dumped on many times, both literally and metaphorically, I won’t do the same to others. — — —

Another great hook. Much like the football essay, this one starts off with a bang. After hearing about all the pecking, hissing, pooping, and clawing that the author endured, chances are you want to read more. And notice how the initial pooping hook comes back in the last line of the essay.

The scope gets wider as the piece progresses. The author starts with specific details about an internship opportunity then gradually works her way to broader topics about social justice and environmental activism. Every part of the piece emphasizes her values, but they are more explicitly stated towards the end. This trajectory is nice because it allows the reader to ease themselves into the world of the author and then see how specific opportunities or interests connect to broader goals or ambitions. When you’re revising your essay, take a look at each paragraph and see if each one brings something new to the table or moves the narrative forward in some way.

It’s funny . This author does a great job of using humor as a tool to endear her to readers, but not as a crutch to lean on when she has nothing else to say. Not only is she cracking jokes about poop, but also deeply interrogating her own motivations for being interested in social and environmental activism. The balance of humor and genuine reflection is fun to read while also saying a lot about the author and her values/interests.

Personal Statement Example #7 Entoptic Phenomena

I subscribe to what the New York Times dubs “the most welcomed piece of daily e-mail in cyberspace.” Cat pictures? Kardashian updates? Nope: A Word A Day. Out of the collection of diverse words I received, one word stuck out to me in particular. Entoptic : relating to images that originate within the eye (as opposed to from light entering the eye). Examples of entoptic phenomena: floaters, thread-like fragments that appear to float in front of the eye but are caused by matter within the eye. (for a picture: https://wordsmith.org/words/entoptic.html) As I read through this entry, I was suddenly transported back to the first grade, when I was playing Pokémon Go one day with my friends during recess. Our version was epic: we escaped into virtual reality with our imagination rather than our phone screens, morphing into different Pokémon to do battle. My friend Ryan had just transformed into an invisible ghost-type Pokémon capable of evading my attacks. Flustered, I was attempting to evolve my abilities to learn to see the invisible. Between rubbing my eyes and squinting, I began to make out subtle specks in the air that drifted from place to place. Aha—the traces of the ghost Pokémon! I launched a thunderbolt straight through the air and declared a super-effective knockout. ...Of course, I never was able to explain what I was seeing to my bewildered friends that day in first grade. But after learning about entoptic phenomena, I realized that my entoptic adventure was not a hallucination but, in fact, one of my first intellectual milestones, when I was first able to connect meticulous observation of my environment to my imagination. Nowadays, I don’t just see minuscule entoptic phenomena: I see ghosts, too. Two of their names are Larry and Kailan, and they are the top-ranked players in the Exynos League. Exynos is the name of the elaborate basketball league I have created in my imagination over the last ten years of playing basketball on the neighborhood court in the evenings. As I play, I envision Larry and Kailan right there with me: reaching, stealing, and blocking. Undoubtedly, I might look a little silly when I throw the ball backwards as if Larry blocked my layup attempt—but imagining competitors defending me drives me to be precise in my execution of different moves and maneuvers. More than that, it is a constant motivator for all my endeavors: whether I’m researching for debate or studying for the next math contest, I am inventing and personifying new competitive ghosts that are hard at work every minute I’m off task. But I perceive perhaps the most vivid images through music, as I tell a different story with each piece I play on the violin. When I play Bach’s lively Prelude in E Major, for example, I visualize a mouse dashing up and down hills and through mazes to escape from an evil cat (à la Tom and Jerry). But when I play Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, I describe a relationship plagued by unrequited love. I revel in the intellectual challenge of coming up with a story that is not only consistent with the composer’s annotations but also resonates with my own experiences. Between re-living Tom and Jerry episodes and shooting fadeaway three-pointers against ghosts, then, perhaps entoptic phenomena don’t tell my whole story. So, here’s my attempt—in the form of a word of the day, of course: Pokémon Boom : a legendary form of augmented reality so pure that it is commonly mistaken for hallucination. Denizens of this world are rumored to watch Netflix re-runs without WiFi and catch many a Pikachu via psychokinesis. — — —

It makes tons of uncommon connections. Think about the range of topics covered in this piece: words, Pokémon, basketball, ghosts, debate, math, and music (to name just a few). Yet the author uses the idea of imagination and its relation to vision to weave these disparate topics into a coherent narrative. In fact, his ability to do so emphasizes his ability to think creatively in ways that the average person may not. To find these, consider brainstorming everything you want colleges to know about you and then think of interesting ways in which these might intersect. 

It doesn’t try to be overly intellectual. This essay spends most of its time talking about things that we wouldn’t traditionally consider “academic” or “college-y.” In fact, at least a third of it is devoted solely to Pokémon. The author briefly touches on his interest in math and debate, but otherwise it’s used more as a short example than a key point. The takeaway is: you don’t have to talk about classes or academic interests to write a killer essay. You absolutely can if you want to, but feel free to let your imagination run wild. If something excites or intrigues you, try writing a draft about it and see where it takes you.

It’s specific to the author. The combination of examples and insights you see in this essay truly couldn’t have been written by anyone else. Imagine you’re the admissions officer reading this application. It would absolutely stand out from the other essays in the bunch. Sure, other people play basketball. Sure, other people might like Pokémon or enjoy music. But, the particular way in which the author articulates his interests and connects them makes it memorable.

Personal Statement Example #8 The Builder & Problem Solver

Since childhood, I have been an obsessive builder and problem solver . When I was 6, I spent two months digging a hole in my backyard, ruining the grass lawn, determined to make a giant koi pond after watching a show on HGTV. After watching Castaway when I was 7, I started a fire in my backyard--to my mother's horror--using bark and kindling like Tom Hanks did. I neglected chores and spent nights locked in my room drawing pictures and diagrams or learning rubik's cube algorithms while my mother yelled at me through the door to go to sleep. I've always been compulsive about the things I set my mind to. The satisfaction of solving problems and executing my visions is all-consuming. But my obsessive personality has helped me solve other problems, too. When I was 8, I taught myself how to pick locks . I always dreamed of how cool it must have been inside my brother’s locked bedroom. So I didn't eat at school for two weeks and saved up enough lunch money to buy a lockpicking set from Home Depot. After I wiggled the tension wrench into the keyhole and twisted it counterclockwise, I began manipulating the tumblers in the keyhole with the pick until I heard the satisfying click of the lock and entered the room. Devouring his stash of Lemonheads was awesome, but not as gratifying as finally getting inside his room. As the projects I tackled got bigger, I had to be more resourceful . One day in history class after reading about early American inventions, I decided to learn how to use a Spinning Jenny. When my parents unsurprisingly refused to waste $500 on an 18th century spinning wheel, I got to work visiting DIY websites to construct my own by disassembling my bike and removing the inner tube from the wheel, gathering string and nails, and cutting scrap wood. For weeks, I brushed my two cats everyday until I had gathered enough fur. I washed and soaked it, carded it with paddle brushes to align the fibers, and then spun it into yarn, which I then used to crochet a clutch purse for my grandmother on mother's day. She still uses it to this day. In high school, my obsessive nature found a new outlet in art . Being a perfectionist, I often tore up my work in frustration at the slightest hint of imperfection. As a result, I was slowly falling behind in my art class, so I had to seek out alternate solutions to actualize the ideas I had in my head. Oftentimes that meant using mixed media or experimenting with unconventional materials like newspaper or cardboard. Eventually I went on to win several awards, showcased my art in numerous galleries and magazines, and became President of National Art Honors Society. Taking four years of art hasn't just taught me to be creative, it’s taught me that there are multiple solutions to a problem. After high school I began to work on more difficult projects and I channeled my creativity into a different form of art - programming . I’m currently working on an individual project at the Schepens Institute at Harvard University. I'm writing a program in Matlab that can measure visual acuity and determine what prescription glasses someone would need. I ultimately plan to turn this into a smartphone app to be released to the general public. The fact is that computer coding is in many ways similar to the talents and hobbies I enjoyed as a child—they all require finding creative ways to solve problems . While my motivation to solve these problems might have been a childlike sense of satisfaction in creating new things, I have developed a new and profound sense of purpose and desire to put my problem solving skills to better our world. — — —

It turns a perceived weakness into a critical strength. At the beginning of the essay, the author talks about all of the problems she caused because of her obsession (ironically) with problem-solving. However, as the piece progresses, we begin to see how her childlike curiosity and interest in making things became a clear asset. It becomes a way of emphasizing values like resourcefulness, empathy, and dedication. In several other essay examples, we’ve highlighted this idea of growth. This example is no exception. Highlighting the ways in which you’ve changed or reframed your thinking is a great thing to show off to college admissions officers. If you know you’ve experienced some significant change but you’re not sure how to describe it, use our Feelings and Needs Exercise to get started.

There’s a discussion of what’s next. Many colleges are interested not only in what you’ve done, but also how you’d like to pursue your interests in the future. The author here spends some time at the end talking about her plans for a prescription-measuring smartphone app and her general interest in learning more about computer coding. While the piece has a clear conclusion, these examples highlight the ongoing nature of her educational journey and her openness to further learning. It answers the question of “ so what? ”

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Personal statement example #9 the little porch and a dog.

It was the first Sunday of April. My siblings and I were sitting at the dinner table giggling and spelling out words in our alphabet soup. The phone rang and my mother answered. It was my father; he was calling from prison in Oregon. My father had been stopped by immigration on his way to Yakima, Washington, where he’d gone in search of work. He wanted to fulfill a promise he’d made to my family of owning our own house with a nice little porch and a dog. Fortunately, my father was bailed out of prison by a family friend in Yakima. Unfortunately, though, most of our life savings was spent on his bail. We moved into a rented house, and though we did have a porch, it wasn’t ours. My father went from being a costurero (sewing worker) to being a water-filter salesman, mosaic tile maker, lemon deliverer, and butcher. Money became an issue at home, so I started helping out more. After school I’d rush home to clean up and make dinner. My parents refused to let me have a “real” job, so on Saturday afternoons I’d go to the park with my older brother to collect soda cans. Sundays and summertime were spent cleaning houses with my mother. I worked twice as hard in school. I helped clean my church, joined the choir, and tutored my younger sister in math. As tensions eased at home, I returned to cheerleading, joined a school club called Step Up , and got involved in my school’s urban farm, where I learned the value of healthy eating. Slowly, life improved. Then I received some life-changing news. My father’s case was still pending and, due to a form he’d signed when he was released in Yakima, it was not only him that was now in danger of being deported, it was my entire family. My father’s lawyer informed me that I’d have to testify in court and in fact our stay in the US was now dependent on my testimony. The lawyer had an idea: I had outstanding grades and recommendation letters. If we could show the judge the importance of my family remaining here to support my education, perhaps we had a chance. So I testified. My father won his case and was granted residency. Living in a low-income immigrant household has taught me to appreciate all I’ve been given.  Testifying in court helped me grow as a person, has made me more open-minded and aware of the problems facing my community. And my involvement in the urban farm has led me to consider a career as a nutritionist. Though neither of my parents attended college, they understand that college is a key factor to a bright future and therefore have been very supportive. And though we don't yet have the house with the small porch and the dog, we're still holding out hope. I believe college can help. — — —

Drops us in a moment in time. The beginning of this essay is a bit disorienting because it places us in a scene within the author’s life as they experience it. We don’t know all of the information, so we’re a bit confused, but that confusion makes us want to read more. This is a great tactic when done well because it helps us identify with the author and piques our curiosity.

Shows the agency, independence, and resilience of the applicant. The author here goes through a lot over the course of the essay. They have to face very real fears about incarceration, deportation, and financial instability on a daily basis. Talking about the ways in which they approached these obstacles highlights their ability to think clearly under pressure and make the most of what they have. If you have faced significant hardships , worked through them, learned valuable lessons, and want to share these with colleges, the personal statement can be a good place to do that. If you’d prefer to write about something else in your personal statement, but you’d still like to mention your challenges somewhere in your application, you can instead briefly describe them in your Additional Information section. If you want to write about struggles that are particularly related to COVID-19, check out our guide for specific suggestions.

Spanish Translation:

Era el primer domingo de abril. Mis hermanos y yo estábamos sentados en la mesa del comedor riendonos y deletreando palabras en nuestra sopa de letras. El teléfono sonó y mi madre respondió. Era mi padre. El estaba llamando desde la cárcel en Oregon. Mi padre había sido detenido por inmigración en su camino a Yakima, Washington, donde había ido en busca de trabajo. Quería cumplir una promesa que le había hecho a mi familia de tener nuestra propia casa con un pequeño y agradable porche y un perro. Afortunadamente, mi padre fue rescatado de la cárcel por un amigo de la familia en Yakima. Pero lamentablemente la mayor parte de nuestros ahorros se gastó en su fianza . Nos mudamos a una casa alquilada, y aunque teníamos un porche, no era nuestra. Mi padre pasó de ser un costurero (trabajador de coser) de ser un vendedor de filtros de agua, fabricante de baldosas de mosaicos, libertador de limones, y carnicero. El dinero se convirtió en un problema en casa, así que comencé a ayudar más. Después de la escuela llegaba temprano a mi hogar para limpiar y preparar la cena. Mis padres se negaron a dejarme tener un trabajo "real.” Por lo tanto, los sábados por la tarde me iba al parque con mi hermano mayor para recoger latas de refrescos. En domingos y en el verano limpiaba casas con mi madre. Trabajé dos veces más duro en la escuela. Ayudé a limpiar mi iglesia, me uní al coro, y dí clases particulares a mi hermana menor en las matemáticas. Mientras las tensiones disminuyeron en casa, volví al grupo de porristas, me uní a un club escolar llamado Step Up, y me involucré en la granja urbana de mi escuela, donde aprendí el valor de la alimentación saludable. Poco a poco, la vida mejoraba. Luego recibí una noticia que cambia la vida. El caso de mi padre todavía estaba pendiente, y debido a una forma que había firmado cuando fue liberado en Yakima, no sólo era él que estaba ahora en peligro de ser deportado, era toda mi familia. El abogado de mi padre me informó  que yo tendría que declarar ante los tribunales, y de hecho, nuestra estancia en los EE.UU. ahora dependia de mi testimonio. El abogado tuvo una idea: yo tenía sobresalientes calificaciones y cartas de recomendaciones. Si pudiéramos demostrar a la juez la importancia de que mi familia se quedará aquí para apoyar a mi educación, tal vez tuviéramos una oportunidad. Así que di mi testimonio. Mi padre ganó su caso y se le concedió la residencia. Vivir en un hogar de inmigrantes de bajos ingresos me ha enseñado a apreciar todo lo que se me ha dado . Dar mi testimonio en el tribunal me ha ayudado a crecer como persona y  me ha hecho más consciente de los problemas que se enfrentan en mi comunidad. Y mi implicación en la granja urbana me ha llevado a considerar una carrera como nutricionista . Aunque ninguno de mis padres asistieron a la universidad, ellos entienden que la universidad es un factor clave para un futuro brillante, y por lo tanto, han sido un gran apoyo . Y aunque todavía no tenemos la casa con el pequeño porche y el perro, todavía estamos tendiendo la esperanza. Creo que la universidad puede ayudar. — — —

Personal Statement Example #10 Life As an Undocumented Student

At six years old, I stood locked away in the restroom. I held tightly to a tube of toothpaste because I’d been sent to brush my teeth to distract me from the commotion. Regardless, I knew what was happening: my dad was being put under arrest for domestic abuse. He’d hurt my mom physically and mentally, and my brother Jose and I had shared the mental strain. It’s what had to be done. Living without a father meant money was tight, mom worked two jobs, and my brother and I took care of each other when she worked. For a brief period of time the quality of our lives slowly started to improve as our soon-to-be step-dad became an integral part of our family. He paid attention to the needs of my mom, my brother, and me. But our prosperity was short-lived as my step dad’s chronic alcoholism became more and more recurrent. When I was eight, my younger brother Fernando’s birth complicated things even further. As my step-dad slipped away, my mom continued working, and Fernando’s care was left to Jose and me. I cooked, Jose cleaned, I dressed Fernando, Jose put him to bed. We did what we had to do. As undocumented immigrants and with little to no family around us, we had to rely on each other. Fearing that any disclosure of our status would risk deportation, we kept to ourselves when dealing with any financial and medical issues. I avoided going on certain school trips, and at times I was discouraged to even meet new people. I felt isolated and at times disillusioned; my grades started to slip. Over time, however, I grew determined to improve the quality of life for my family and myself. Without a father figure to teach me the things a father could, I became my own teacher. I learned how to fix a bike, how to swim, and even how to talk to girls. I became resourceful, fixing shoes with strips of duct tape, and I even found a job to help pay bills. I became as independent as I could to lessen the time and money mom had to spend raising me. I also worked to apply myself constructively in other ways. I worked hard and took my grades from Bs and Cs to consecutive straight A’s. I shattered my school’s 1ooM breaststroke record, and learned how to play the clarinet, saxophone, and the oboe. Plus, I not only became the first student in my school to pass the AP Physics 1 exam, I’m currently pioneering my school’s first AP Physics 2 course ever. These changes inspired me to help others. I became president of the California Scholarship Federation, providing students with information to prepare them for college, while creating opportunities for my peers to play a bigger part in our community. I began tutoring kids, teens, and adults on a variety of subjects ranging from basic English to home improvement and even Calculus. As the captain of the water polo and swim team I’ve led practices crafted to individually push my comrades to their limits, and I’ve counseled friends through circumstances similar to mine. I’ve done tons, and I can finally say I’m proud of that. But I’m excited to say that there’s so much I have yet to do. I haven’t danced the tango, solved a Rubix Cube, explored how perpetual motion might fuel space exploration, or seen the World Trade Center. And I have yet to see the person that Fernando will become.   I’ll do as much as I can from now on. Not because I have to. Because I choose to. — — —

Again, the author shows growth. We’ve said it a couple times, but it’s nice to highlight growth when possible. Although the author’s family circumstances and immigrant status meant he had to face significant hardships, he learned how to take care of themselves and use his obstacles as motivation to succeed. We see concrete signs of growth in the way he improved his grades and got more involved in school clubs like the California Scholarship Federation as well as athletic extracurriculars like swimming. Essentially, he shows how he made the best of his situation.

The author’s curiosity is palpable. One of the best things about this essay is the very end. The writer has already shown us how much he has had to overcome and how much he’s thrived in high school despite his circumstances. However, he doesn’t just stop. He tells us about all the other things he hopes to do and conveys a clear excitement at the possibility for learning in the future. There’s something lovely about seeing someone who is excited for what the future might hold. It endears him to readers and demonstrates his natural inclination to continue pushing forward, no matter what life might throw his way. Plus, it’s worth noting that he ends on the quality of autonomy , which was his #1 value when you completed the Values Exercise .

Personal Statement Example #11 Umbra

Umbra: the innermost, darkest part of a shadow The fifth set of chimes rings out and I press my hands against the dusty doors. My nose itches, but scratching would smudge the little black whiskers painted onto my face. I peer through the tiny crack between the cupboard doors, trying to glimpse the audience. The sixth set of chimes, my cue, begins, and I pop onto stage, the brilliant lights flooding my vision. Clara and Drosselmeyer stand to my left, and in front of me lies an endless ocean of audience. I pause a moment, taking it in, then do my best mouse scurry towards the wings. I love performing and dancing to connect with an audience. I dance to inspire others, to share my joy and passion, and because I love the rush of excitement while I’m surrounded by the stage lights .  My hands, covered in grease, hurt terribly as I help another girl with the wire crimper. We force the handles together, and our Anderson connector is finally ready. People scurry around us—several students are riveting metal, assisted by my father (for me, robotics is a family activity), while another pair, including my younger brother, works on assembling the drive train. The next room is filled with shouted Java commands and autonomous code. I’m working on a system that will focus on the reflective tape on our target, allowing the camera to align our shooting mechanism. I love the comradery in robotics, the way teams support each other even amid intense competitions. I love seeing the real world application of knowledge, and take pride in competing in front of hundreds of people. Most of all, I love spending time with my family, connecting with them in our own unique way. Back in the electrical room, I plug in my connector, and the room is filled with bright green light .  I pull on a pair of Nitrile gloves before grabbing my forceps. I carefully extract my latest Western Blot from its gel box, placing it on the imaging system. I’m searching for the presence of PARP1 and PLK1 in dysplasia and tumor cells, especially in reference to DNA damage and apoptosis. I’ve already probed the blot with a fluorescent reagent for imaging. On the screen, I see my bands of protein expression, the bands of red light showing PARP1 and the bands of green showing PLK1. I haven’t been doing research for long, but I’ve already fallen in love with constantly having something new to learn.  Christmas carols play softly as I chase my little brother around the living room, trying to get him to wear a Santa hat. The smell of tamales wafts through the air as my mom and grandmother stand over the pot of mole sauce. The ornament boxes are opened on the floor, each one special to our family, representing our adventures, our love, our history. My dad is winding a mile-long string of lights around the tree, covering the room with a soft glow. My homemade gifts—hats, scarves, blankets I’ve knitted—lie messily wrapped beneath the tree. My family has made tamales on Christmas Eve for generations, and each year it’s a way for us to connect to both each other and our heritage.  Light will usually travel in a perfectly straight line, but if it comes in contact with something it can bounce off it or bend around it, which is why people make shadows. The very innermost part of that shadow, the umbra, is where no light has bent around you—it has completely changed direction, bounced off. People are constantly changing and shaping the light around them, and never notice. But in hindsight, I see it’s the lights that have shaped me. — — —

It demonstrates craft. This author went through 10+ drafts of this essay, and her effort shows in her refined language and structure. She uses images to beautiful effect, drawing us into each experience in her montage, from the moments on stage to robotics to the lab to her family. She also demonstrates craft through the subtlety of her structural thread—we’ve bolded light above, to make it more obvious, but notice how she essentially saves what would traditionally be her introduction for her final paragraph (with some beautiful, refined phrasing therein), and uses “Umbra” and light to thread the paragraphs. This is very hard to pull off well, and is why she went through so many revisions, to walk a fine line between subtlety and clarity.

Show and tell. Rather than just “ Show, don’t tell ,” in a college essay, we think it’s useful to show your reader first, but then use some “telling” language to make sure they walk away with a clear understanding of what’s important to you. For example, this author shows her values through details/actions/experiences—more on values in a sec—then uses the ends of her body paragraphs to more directly tell us about those values and reflect on what they mean to her. And her final paragraph both shows and tells, using language that offers strong symbolism, while also ending with some poetic phrasing that tells us how this all comes together (in case we somehow missed it).

Values and insight/reflection. Because values are core to your essay and application, we’re going to end this post discussing them one more time. Notice how each paragraph demonstrates different values (art/performing, community, engagement, inspiration, joy/passion in the first paragraph alone) and reflects on how or why those values are important to her. We walk away with a strong sense of who this student is and what she would bring to our college campus.

Personal Statement Example #12 Angry brown girl, feminist, singer, meme-lover

My Twitter bio reads: angry brown girl, feminist, singer, meme-lover. You will notice live-tweets of my feminist Pride and Prejudice thoughts, analyses of Hamilton’s power for musical representation, and political memes. Just as my posts bring together seemingly disparate topics, I believe there is a vibrancy that exists at the multidimensional place where my interests intersect.  Growing up as a debater and musician, it was easy to see the two as distinct entities where I had to make unequivocal choices. At the start of my junior year, I decided not to participate in the musical in order to work for Emerge California, an organization that helps Democratic women run for office. There I learned about data science, gender distributions in public office, and how to work with the evil printer. I also halted my voice and piano lessons to focus on building my student-led non-profit, Agents of Change. As someone who has diverted my energy into community activism, I can attest to the power of grassroots movements. It has been so rewarding to measure the impact that my team has had on my community. But even so, I felt that I was losing touch with the music that was such a profound part of me.  I found a new way of being when I started combining my artsy and political sides. I took an intensive class on protest music, where I learned how political movements have been shaped by the music of their time. While in the class, we were asked to compose our own songs. I am not a songwriter, but I am an activist, and I embraced the opportunity to turn music into an outlet for my political beliefs. As a first-generation American, I am dedicated to raising awareness about refugee rights and immigration. My songs about the Syrian Refugee Crisis let me find a way to bring the two sides of me together and gave me a rush that neither music nor politics by themselves would have provided.  This introduction led me to apply to the Telluride Association Protest Poetics program, where I dove deeper into my own identity. I wrote songs about police brutality and the ways that as a non-black person of color I am implicated in instances of subliminal racism. Over the course of the program, as I became more familiar with the visual, literary, and performance art we analyzed, I slowly started to realize that, though I confront colorism, jokes about Indian culture, and intra-community violence in some form every day, my proximity to whiteness still gives me immense amounts of privilege. I have come to know that this means I have a responsibility to both be at the forefront of movements, and conscious of not stepping over the voices of other intersectional identities. I hope that the music I choose to perform and the way I live my life can amplify, not overwrite, any of the struggles that others deal with daily.  Last year, I had another opportunity to use music to pay homage to an issue I care deeply about. In my South Asian community, mental health is an issue that is often papered over. When a member of my school community committed suicide, I was asked to sing “Amazing Grace” for the school to both unify and honor the student. Though I thought that I had really understood the power of music, holding that space for my entire school had a profound resonance that I still don’t fully understand.  My voice is an instrument for change -- whether it be through me raising my hand to contribute to a discussion in a classroom, speaking out against gun violence at a rally, or singing at an event of solidarity. I know that someday my voice, in conjunction with many other unique voices and perspectives, will make a difference. — — —

Get clear on the story you’re telling. Debate? Political organizing? Musical theater? Protest music? This writer probably had a lot more to say about all of those experiences. But we don’t get the whole backstory about her journey toward musical theater. Why? Because she’s clear on what this story is about (she may have even written a logline to get that clarity…). We don’t need a lot of context about her decision “not to participate in the musical” because this essay isn’t about her experiences with musical theater; it’s about her forging a new identity by combining seemingly disparate interests (e.g., music and political advocacy). Telling us every musical she’s ever been in won’t help us “get” what she’s saying in this essay (and she has the activities list to tell us that…). Instead, she shows us only the details relevant to her trying to balance a love of music with her newfound interests: she decides “not to participate in the musical,” and she “halts voice and piano lessons.”

Bridge the gap (between paragraphs). Stronger essays have paragraphs with clear relationships to one another. This writer uses various phrases to achieve that clarity. When she starts paragraph four with “this introduction,” you understand that she’s referring to her “songs about the Syrian Refugee Crisis” from the end of paragraph three. Similarly, she resolves the problem of her “losing touch” with music at the end of paragraph two by beginning paragraph three by stating she found a “new way of being…” She’s using those key moments of transition to tell her readers: hey, I’m going somewhere with all these ideas, you can trust me.

You don’t have to have all the answers . When the writer tells us that she sang “Amazing Grace” to honor someone in her community who died by suicide, she gets vulnerable—she says that she still doesn't “fully understand” the effects of that moment. In admitting that she’s still coming to terms with that experience, she comes off as a mature, reasoned person who thinks deeply about lived experience. No one reading your essay is going to expect you to have fully processed every difficult experience you’ve ever had in your life. That would be outrageous. What they will appreciate seeing, though, is that you’ve reflected deeply on lived experiences. Sometimes reflection yields answers. Sometimes it just yields more questions. Either is okay—just don’t feel like you need to have everything figured out to write about it (or that you need to pretend like you do).

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Comment écrire un bon personal statement

Le personal statement est un élément clé du processus de candidature UCAS. Vous envisagez d’étudier au Royaume-Uni ? Il y a de fortes chances que vous deviez vous soumettre à cet exercice de rédaction. L’idée est ici de permettre aux candidats d’exprimer leurs motivations. Ils pourront ainsi convaincre les responsables de programmes universitaires qu’ils convoitent de prononcer leur admission. Joint à votre CV, ce personal statement doit comporter un exposé concis de vos compétences, de vos expériences et de vos ambitions. Il doit aussi faire le lien entre votre parcours antérieur et son adéquation avec les exigences de la formation.

1. Les attentes d'un bon personal statement

Avant d’aborder les attentes d’un bon personal statement, il convient de définir clairement ce dont il s’agit.

Se démarquer : un exercice avant tout personnel

Un personal statement est un résumé personnel rédigé par tout candidat. Il permet ainsi de donner une meilleure idée de son profil à l’université auquel il postule. Le personal statement est un outil formidable afin de se démarquer de la concurrence. Il vous permet ainsi de mettre en valeur des compétences qui n’apparaissent pas nécessairement dans le panel des formations que vous avez pu suivre. Celui-ci doit être détaillé, précis et convaincant. Souvent, votre personal statement est l’élément qui fera la différence entre une admission et une réponse défavorable. Il s’agit donc d’une pièce magistrale de votre candidature. C’est ce qui doit persuader que le programme que vous convoitez est fait pour vous !

Une présentation de soi impactante

Votre personal statement répond à la question « qui êtes-vous ? ». N’hésitez donc pas à commencer votre paragraphe par une brève introduction qui a de l’impact. Il s’agit ici de donner envie au chargé d’admission de continuer à examiner votre CV. Ainsi, plusieurs éléments de contexte indispensables doivent apparaître tout au long du déroulé de votre personal statement. Au cours de votre processus de rédaction, n’hésitez pas à présenter vos qualités. Vous pouvez aussi présenter vos plus gros accomplissements ou encore ce que vous pensez pouvoir apporter au programme désiré. Enfin, il est très important de rappeler clairement vos objectifs professionnels en fin de paragraphe.

S’en tenir à un texte concis

Idéalement, le personal statement ne doit pas excéder les 150/200 mots. Cela correspond environ à 4 ou 5 lignes sur le CV. Si vous décidez d’aller au-delà de cette limite de mots, vous pouvez vous exposer à certains risques comme celui de lasser le lecteur. Il convient ici de garder en tête qu’il ne s’agit pas d’une lettre de motivation (bien plus longue et détaillée).

2. Les erreurs à éviter

En vue d’optimiser votre candidature, il convient d’éviter certaines erreurs lors de la rédaction du personal statement.

Les fautes d’expression d’écrite

Faire abstraction des consignes du personal statement, le piège de l’exagération, le hors sujet, 3. nos conseils pour écrire un bon personal statement.

Nous avons reçu de nombreux retours d’étudiants ayant réussi leur processus de candidature pour des universités britanniques. Voici quelques conseils qui pourront vous aider au mieux à rédiger votre personal statement.

Conseil n°1 : Planifiez la structure de votre texte avant de commencer à écrire

En respectant une certaine trame, vous vous assurez de ne pas dériver en dehors du cadre du sujet et d’éviter tout manque de fluidité au cours de la lecture.

Conseil n°2 : Apportez une dimension « personnelle » au personal statement

Conseil n°3 : n’hésitez pas à insister sur vos qualités.

Le corps de votre personal statement vous permet de dévoiler davantage de choses sur vous : qu’il s’agisse de vos compétences, de vos centres d’intérêt ou de votre expérience. Ainsi, il vous est conseillé de bien insister sur les détails qui correspondent particulièrement bien au programme pour lequel vous candidatez.

En ce qui concerne votre expérience et vos accomplissements : parlez des diplômes ou certifications que vous avez obtenus.

Concernant vos compétences et talents : décrivez les talents et skills que vous avez pu acquérir au cours de votre parcours.

En ce qui concerne la valeur ajoutée que vous apportez au programme : évoquez les raisons qui vous poussent à croire que vous êtes un atout pour le programme, et que vous saurez tirer avantage des outils qui seront mis à votre disposition.

Concernant vos ambitions professionnelles et académiques : expliquez en quoi la formation que vous souhaitez intégrer vous aidera à accomplir vos aspirations professionnelles.

Conseil n°4 : Concluez en beauté

Vous cherchez plus de conseils sur la rédaction du Personal Statement ? Découvrez cet article proposé par UCAS .

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A Complete Guide to Writing a Personal Statement: Importance, Steps, and Tips

• Updated on  
• March 21, 2024

Universities often ask for a personal statement that entails your qualifications. You can significantly increase your chances of getting selected for your desired institute by writing a compelling personal statement. It highlights your skills and motives for the university you are applying for. So, in this blog, we will show you how you can write an effective statement that will allow you to stand out from other candidates. You will learn about its various aspects, including the steps and tips to effectively write it. So, let’s dive right into our topic without any further delay. 

This Blog Includes:

What is a personal statement, importance of a personal statement, personal introduction, talk about relevant skills, experiences, and interests, write a strong conclusion, proofread and edit, important tips.

A personal statement is a brief written essay that accounts for your achievements, interests, talents, skills, and goals. This essay is often included in university applications and resumes. The length of your statement depends on the requirements of the university you are applying to. However, a personal statement is generally 500 to 1,000 words long.

These essays tend to be most common for applications for undergraduate programs, and they allow an admissions committee to directly hear your voice. Personal statements are sometimes known as letters of intent in grad school, and go into greater detail about your academic and professional background. 

Also Read: How to Write SOP for UK

A personal statement is a key element in your application, just like an SOP (Statement of Purpose) and Letter of Recommendation . Here are some of the major reasons why it is so important:

Allows You to Share More Things: It lets you share things that don’t fit on your resume like motivations, personal stories, and values.

Writing Skills Evaluation: It allows universities and colleges to evaluate your writing skills. 

Show Experiences: A personal statement allows you to talk about your volunteer experiences, past employment, and skills that complement your studies. 

Shows Your Interests: It provides institutes with a chance to see why you are interested in a particular area of study and what you aim to accomplish after you graduate. 

Bring Life to Your Application: It brings your application to life which otherwise only contained facts and figures. 

Steps to Write a Personal Statement

There are certain essential components that you should keep in mind while writing a personal statement. Follow the instructions given below to write it effectively: 

Write an introduction that shows who you are and your personality. It should include why you are interested in the program you are applying for and your academic achievements or professional experiences (if any). 

In the body of the personal statement, expand on your interests, relevant skills, and experiences. Mention personal details that relate to the program you are applying for, such as relevant talents or skills, experiences, achievements, and academic or professional goals. 

Write a conclusion that leaves a strong, lasting impression on the university admissions officer. It needs to be a clear restatement of why you applied and what you aim to achieve. 

Once you have written down your document, proofread and edit it. You can try to find areas of improvement, such as relevance, spelling and grammar, specificity, and simplicity of language. 

Also Read: Statement of Purpose vs Personal Statement

Now, we will discuss how you can make your personal statement more effective and powerful, helping you stand out from other applicants. So, keep the tips mentioned below in mind while writing your essay:  

Keep It Simple: If you use short sentences and simple language, then you will be able to convey your points in a very clear and effective manner. 

Use Active Voice: Use active voice to engage the reader and directly identify your accomplishments, which can make your statement more effective. 

Use Your Own Voice: Write in your own words to describe your qualifications, which can make your statement feel more personal and unique. 

Have a Positive Tone: Write in a language that shows your enthusiasm for the opportunity and gratitude for the consideration of the reader.

Be unique: Make sure your personal statement is unique to you. Show what makes you different from other applicants. Write specific details and brief examples of your experiences to make your essay stand out. 

Relevant Reads: 

Answer: You should describe the skills, ambitions, and experience that will make you suitable for the course you are applying for. 

Answer: In the first part, write an introduction that shows who you are and your personality. Moreover, you should include your interests, academic achievements, and professional experience. 

Answer: Yes, personal statements are usually 500 to 1,000 words long. 

So, this was all about the guide to writing a personal statement. Many Indian students dream of pursuing education in foreign nations due to the exposure and career growth they offer. Consider joining a free counselling session with Leverage Edu if you plan to study abroad .

Abhishek Kumar Jha

Abhishek Kumar Jha is a professional content writer and marketer, having extensive experience in delivering content in journalism and marketing. He has written news content related to education for prominent media outlets, garnering expansive knowledge of the Indian education landscape throughout his experience. Moreover, he is a skilled content marketer, with experience in writing SEO-friendly blogs. His educational background includes a Postgraduate Diploma in English Journalism from the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal. By receiving an education from a top journalism school and working in the corporate world with complete devotion, he has honed the essential skills needed to excel in content writing.

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• August 10, 2024

The personal statement, often referred to as the “ college essay ” or “ admissions essay ,” is a crucial component of the  college application process  in the United States. It is typically required as part of the application package for undergraduate programs at colleges and universities. The personal statement serves as an opportunity for applicants to showcase their individuality, experiences, and writing abilities to the admissions committee. Here are some key points to understand about the personal statement:

• Purpose : The primary purpose of the personal statement is to give admissions officers insight into who you are beyond your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities. It allows you to share your unique story, perspectives, and aspirations.
• Topics : Most colleges provide a general prompt or a choice of essay topics, while some may offer more open-ended prompts. Topics can vary widely but often revolve around personal experiences, challenges you’ve overcome, significant influences in your life, and your goals.
• Word Limit : There is usually a word or character limit for the personal statement, typically ranging from 250 to 650 words. It’s important to stay within the specified limit.
• Tone and Style : The tone and style of the personal statement should reflect your personality and voice. It should be well-written, engaging, and free of grammar and spelling errors. While it’s a formal piece of writing, it should still sound like you.
• Show, Don’t Tell : Rather than simply listing achievements or qualities, it’s important to illustrate them through anecdotes and specific examples. This allows the reader to get a better sense of your character and experiences.
• Relevance : Your essay should be relevant to the college you’re applying to. Explain why you’re interested in that particular school and how you would contribute to its community.
• Avoid Clichés : Admissions officers read thousands of essays, so it’s best to avoid clichés and topics that are overly common, such as the “overcoming adversity” or “sports victory” essays. Try to find a unique angle or perspective.
• Revision and Editing : Start early and revise your essay multiple times. Consider seeking feedback from teachers, counselors, or peers. Proofread thoroughly to eliminate errors.
• Honesty : Be honest and authentic in your writing. Admissions committees value sincerity.
• Personal Growth : Many successful personal statements discuss personal growth, self-reflection, and how experiences have shaped the applicant.
• Multiple Essays : If you’re applying to several colleges, you may need to write multiple personal statements or tailor your essay to fit different prompts. Each essay should be specific to the college you’re applying to.

The personal statement is a crucial part of your college application, and it can play a significant role in the admissions decision. It’s an opportunity to showcase your personality, passions, and reasons for wanting to attend a particular institution. Therefore, it’s important to invest time and effort into crafting a compelling and well-written essay that sets you apart from other applicants.

Writing a compelling personal statement for college admissions requires careful thought, planning, and creativity. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you craft an effective personal statement:

• Understand the Prompt : Begin by carefully reading and understanding the essay prompt provided by the college or university. Make sure you know what they are looking for in your essay.
• Brainstorm Ideas : Reflect on your life experiences, achievements, challenges, and significant moments that have shaped you. Think about your values, beliefs, and aspirations. What makes you unique? Consider the prompt and how your experiences relate to it. What story or aspect of your life will you focus on to answer the prompt effectively?
• Create an Outline : Organize your thoughts by creating an outline. This will help you structure your essay logically. Include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion in your outline. Each section should serve a specific purpose.
• Write a Captivating Introduction : Start with a hook that grabs the reader’s attention. This could be a compelling anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a powerful quote. Clearly state your main point or thesis in the introduction, so the reader knows what to expect.
• Develop the Body : Use the body paragraphs to delve into your experiences, values, and aspirations. Show, don’t just tell. Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points. Stay focused on the main theme or message you want to convey. Provide context when necessary. Explain why certain experiences were important or how they influenced you.
• Reflect and Connect : Reflect on the significance of your experiences. Discuss how they have contributed to your personal growth and development. Connect your experiences and values to your academic and career goals. Explain why you’re a good fit for the college or university you’re applying to.
• Maintain a Consistent Voice and Tone : Your writing style should be authentic and consistent with your own voice. Avoid using overly formal language if it doesn’t feel natural. Be sincere and genuine in your writing. Admissions officers appreciate authenticity.
• Edit and Revise : Proofread your essay for grammar and spelling errors. Make sure your writing is clear and concise. Seek feedback from teachers, counselors, or trusted individuals who can provide constructive criticism. Revise your essay multiple times. Give yourself enough time to make improvements.
• Conclude Thoughtfully : In your conclusion, summarize your main points and restate the significance of your experiences. End with a memorable closing statement or leave the reader with something to think about.
• Stay within Word Limits : Adhere to any word or character limits provided by the college. Don’t exceed the specified length.
• Final Proofread : Before submitting your essay, perform a final proofread to ensure it’s error-free and polished.
• Get Feedback : If possible, have someone else review your final draft to catch any overlooked errors and offer suggestions for improvement.

Remember that the personal statement is your opportunity to showcase your personality, experiences, and aspirations. It’s a chance to stand out from other applicants and leave a lasting impression on the admissions committee. Be sincere, be yourself, and put your best effort into crafting a compelling narrative.

How to write a personal statement

Finding the right words to include in your personal statement can be tricky, but we're here to guide you through it.

Writing a first-class statement

You know we’re a good match, now all you’ve got to do is tell us why. Your personal statement is an opportunity to tell us everything about you and how special you are but finding the right words can be tricky. If you’re tired of sitting in front of a blank page for hours on end, searching for the best way to describe yourself, you’ve come to the right place. Here are our top tips for writing a personal statement.

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement forms part of your application to study at university. It’s your chance to articulate why you’d like to study a particular course or subject, and what skills and experience you possess that demonstrate your passion for your chosen field. Your personal statement can be up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines of 95 characters (including spaces); whichever is shorter.

What to write about in your personal statement

You! No one knows you better than you know yourself. You need to tell us why you’re the perfect candidate for the course and what makes you stand out from the crowd.

A helpful way of ensuring you strike the right balance is by splitting your statement into sections:

• At least 75% of your personal statement should be related to what you want to study, and why you want to study that subject. Be genuine and refer to topics you've already studied and your wider interests in the area. It's also worth reflecting on any reading that you’ve done on the subject or relevant work experience.
• The remaining 25% of your statement should cover any other achievements. This is where you show us that you’ve taken full advantage of the opportunities presented to you. Are you on a school sports team? Have you conducted any charity work? Do you have a part-time job? Include relevant examples that demonstrate you have the skills needed during your time at university. It’s time to boast about how brilliant you are! 

However, getting these details down isn't always easy, and some people find it helpful to make notes over time. Carrying a notebook with you or setting up a memo on your phone can be useful. Whenever you think of something useful for your personal statement, jot it down.

Top Tip: It’s important to remember that you only write one personal statement – it remains the same for each course you apply for. So, avoid mentioning any universities by name. If you’re applying for more than one subject (or it’s a combined course) it’s crucial to include common themes or reference the overall skills needed for all subjects.

How to write your personal statement

Just like you, your personal statement should be unique, so there’s no specific format to follow when it comes to putting pen to paper. That said, we have compiled some general guidelines for you to follow:

• Write simply and naturally – don’t use complex language to impress, it often doesn’t read well 
• Be enthusiastic and excited – we want to see your genuine passion (and enjoy reading about it) 
• Structure your personal statement to reflect the skills and qualities universities value most – read the course descriptions for inspiration 
• Read it aloud – this can help you spot any potential mistakes and provides an opportunity to edit the text to make the statement sound more natural 
• Don’t copy – UCAS runs your personal statement through plagiarism software to make sure your statement is original 
• Overwrite then edit – when working on your first draft it’s important to get down as much information as you can, you can refine the copy to suit the character count later 
• Don’t settle on draft one – come back to your statement a few days after completing your first draft, you’ll likely want to redraft certain sections after coming back with ‘fresh eyes’ 
• Ask for advice – get your teachers, advisors and family to take a look and don’t be offended if they offer suggestions or changes, they want to help you succeed 
• Run your statement through a spell-checking programme – then double-check the spelling, punctuation and grammar and correct

We recommend you write your personal statement first, then copy and paste it into your online application once you're happy with it. Make sure you save it regularly, as it times out after 35 minutes of inactivity.

Need more application tips?

Life is full of opportunities and studying at the University of Nottingham could be your biggest yet! If you’re looking for more application guidance, head over to our 'Applying' hub.

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Help and support.

If you’re looking for more information, please head to our help and support hub, where you can find frequently asked questions or details of how to make an enquiry.