Writing your Personal Statement

UPDATE! For the most up-to-date information for 2026 entry, download our FREE Personal Statements Guide from the home page of your Schools Portal

Here’s some inspiration from our Universities Team on how to get started with your Personal Statement …

Personal Statements: Why they Matter

The Personal Statement offers you the opportunity to stand out among applicants who also are applying with top grades.

We explain how to structure the statement, outlining what each section should express with the help of examples, and give 3 top tips on how to get started with your first draft.

READ MORE ...

Elevate your Personal Statement

Personal Statements require you to think in a self-reflective way about your own academic interests and motivations. We have some suggestions and examples to give you some inspiration on how to talk in a personal, authentic and cohesive way about your chosen subject.

READ MORE ...

Examples of Personal Statements

Kate, our Universities Consultant, demonstrates what makes a good Personal Statement stand out.

What are admissions tutors looking for?

Admissions tutors at UK universities want to hear in particular about your motivation for studying that particular subject at a higher level, and your preparation for studying at this level.

This academic focus differs from, for example, application essays to US universities, which place a greater emphasis on personal growth through varied extra-curricular participation.

The most important criteria that Personal Statements are assessed on are:

Motivation: why are you enthusiastic about studying this course? What do you hope to gain from it?

Preparation: how have you prepared yourself by engaging with this subject, both within and beyond your school studies? How have you prepared yourself for studying at a higher level?

Below are some example Personal Statement extracts: swipe to see them improve in accordance with these criteria.

Motivation

  • Show, don’t tell – avoid baseless claims about ‘passion’!

  • Be original in explaining what you like about the subject, enabling you to stand out

  • Focus on a few particular topics that you have plenty to say about, rather than trying to cover all aspects of the subject

  • Avoid being vague – draw on specific examples to demonstrate your point

  • Supply extra details that show you have spent time reading and learning beyond your school curriculum

Average

My interest in studying Ancient History began when I visited the British Museum aged 11. I became passionate about learning more about early societies such as the Minoans and Mycenaeans. The artefacts showed both similarities and differences from today’s world, and I really enjoy comparing the two. I find that the distant past can shed more light on the present than you might expect. For example, in 5th century Athens, the Great Plague was similar to our experience of Covid in some ways.

Good

When I first learned about Minoan society, I was captivated by the remaining archaeological glimpses into this early society, which suggest a sophisticated economy and flourishing international trade. I hope to learn more about this interesting society and others by studying Ancient History at university, and to draw connections between material and literary evidence to gain a fuller picture of the distant past. Gaining a nuanced and critical understanding of the past in this way can also help inform our understanding of the present day. For instance, when reading Thucydides’ account of the Great Plague of Athens, I was able to see the fear and breakdown of social norms during the recent pandemic as part of a wider historical picture.

Impressive

When I first learned about Minoan society, I was captivated by the remaining archaeological glimpses into this early society, which suggest a sophisticated economy and flourishing international trade; frescoes from early Crete depict high levels of maritime activity, and Minoan goods have been discovered as far away as the Iberian peninsula. However, what particularly intrigued me was the contention that still surrounds our understanding of the early Greeks. After reading Mary Beard’s Confronting the Classics, I began to think more critically about the authenticity of Evans’ reconstruction of Knossos: is its Art Deco flavour more than coincidence? Is the theory of matriarchal worship defensible, or does this reflect later historians projecting what they wanted to see in the era of first-wave feminism? Studying Ancient History therefore appeals to me because it involves critically analysing not only the ancient past, but also the layers of subsequent interpretation by generations of historians who were informed by their own societal contexts.

Preparation

  • Integrate your further reading and experiences into your paragraphs – this will sound more natural than simply listing achievements

  • Create connections between your preparations, rather than jumping around too much

  • Show ‘cause and effect’ in your learning process – how did something you read or learned about at school inspire you to find out even more for yourself?

  • Highlight relevant skills, such as independent research, high-level reading, awareness of recent developments and debates in the field

  • Be evaluative – show that you have thought analytically and formed your own opinions rather than just absorbing information

Average

I have also completed lots of reading beyond my A Level studies. For instance, I read The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, which was very interesting. It helped me to draw connections between genetics and the way that humans behave self-interestedly in everyday life. I also ran an afterschool Science Club at school, inspiring younger pupils as a volunteer. This helped me to see the importance of promoting Biology in the wider community.

Good

After learning more about genetics from a Harvard MOOC, I was curious to find out about recent developments in the field of Epigenetics: why do organisms with the same genetic code have non-identical phenotypes? Reading The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carey gave me an insight into the way that gene expression can be impacted by environmental factors. Since our genetic ‘nature’ can itself be activated in different ways, I realised that the debate of ‘nature versus nurture’ is more complex than it first appears. I decided to find out more about this topic by reading The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.

Impressive

After learning more about genetics from a Harvard MOOC, I was curious to find out about recent developments in the field of Epigenetics: why do organisms with the same genetic code have non-identical phenotypes? The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carey gave me an insight into the way that gene expression can be impacted by environmental factors, including stress and food scarcity. I became curious about ongoing debates about whether ‘inheriting’ ancestral trauma is pseudoscientific or has some truth. For instance, the significance of a 2015 study on the epigenetic impact of the Holocaust on a small sample of successive generations was arguably exaggerated in the media. Further, thinking of epigenetic inheritance in terms of psychological distress can be misleading: successive generations are not necessarily inheriting precisely the same ‘trait’. The book also introduced me to the surprising fact that the majority of our DNA is non-coding. This prompted me to carry out an research project exploring the functions of these parts of our genome and evaluating the extent to which we can classify some of our DNA as ‘junk’.

Explore your Portal

Choosing
your Course

What to do
this month?

Personal
Statements

Ask your
Questions

CONTACT US