The World's Worst Personal Statement: Why It Fails and How to Fix It
1. The pretentious quote. Not exactly highbrow literature. The personal statement opens with a pretentious-sounding quote, which, let's face it, the student probably found from Googling "quotes about English literature". It doesn't even come from a great work of literature - it's from a novel for young adults, which is unlikely to ...
The Worst Mistakes in a Bad Personal Statement: UCAS Nightmares
1. Clichés Galore. A bad personal statement often reads like a collection of tired, overused phrases. Phrases like "ever since I was a child," "passionate about helping people," or "changing the world" may have been powerful once, but they now make admissions officers groan. These clichés show a lack of originality and genuine ...
Personal statement dos and don'ts
Do make it relevant. Connect what you're saying with the course and with your experiences. Do outline your ideas clearly. Do avoid the negatives - highlight the positives about you, and show you know your strengths. Do expect to produce several drafts of your personal statement before being totally happy with it.
The ten biggest mistakes when writing your personal statement
The university application personal statement is changing in 2025; University admissions service Ucas has announced that a new style of personal statement will be launched in 2025. This will affect anyone making a university application from autumn 2025 onwards. Find out more about how the Ucas personal statement is changing in 2025 here.
4 Common UCAS Personal Statement Issues and How to Resolve Them
3. Explaining a bad grade (or many) Whether it's a below-par GCSE grade, or many, or a less-than-brilliant predicted A-level grade, or many, the ease with which you'll be able to explain this shortfall on your personal statement depends very much on the circumstances surrounding it. Nevertheless, easy or not, it's definitely worth ...
Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS: The 10 Big Mistakes ...
Writing a UCAS Personal Statement requires a student to convey a lot of information in a short space of time. Mistakes are easy to make. Read our run down of the most common ones and how to avoid them. Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS is, in many ways, like asking a student to tell the story of their life in 4,000 characters or less.
10 Ways To Write A Bad UCAS Personal Statement
Lifting phrases, sentences or whole paragraphs and using them in your own statement is against the rules, and will be picked up by UCAS. If this happens, your application will be thrown out, and you will not be able to apply to university that year. 5. Fail to check spelling, grammar and punctuation.
UCAS Personal Statement and Examples
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Personal Statement is the main essay for your application to colleges and universities in Great Britain. UCAS gives a nice explanation here, but in short, this is your chance to stand out against the crowd and show your knowledge and enthusiasm for your chosen area of study.
How to start a personal statement: The attention grabber
Top tips on how to write your statement opener. We spoke to admissions tutors at unis and colleges - read on for their tips. 1. Don't begin with the overkill opening. Try not to overthink the opening sentence. You need to engage the reader with your relevant thoughts and ideas, but not go overboard. Tutors said: 'The opening is your chance ...
How to Write a UCAS Personal Statement [With Examples]
The character limit which UCAS sets for the personal statement is very strict - up to 4,000 characters of text. This means that students have to express themselves in a clear and concise way; it's also important that they don't feel the need to fill the available space needlessly. Planning and redrafting of a personal statement is essential.
15 Mistakes That Will Ruin your UCAS Application
Make sure your application doesn't get noticed for all the wrong reasons by taking heed of these important tips. 1. Untruths. Admissions tutors will be able to spot any fictions in your application. Firstly, and most crucially: never, ever lie in your personal statement.
How to write an excellent personal statement in 10 steps
Use your closing couple of lines to summarise the most important points in your statement. 9. Check your writing thoroughly and get someone else to check it, too. 10. Give your brain a rest by forgetting about your personal statement for a while before going back to review it one last time with fresh eyes.
Personal Statement Examples
Postgraduate Personal Statements. Personal statement examples to help those applying for a Postgraduate course. Find out more. Read our personal statement examples to help you write your own unique, successful statement for the degree you're applying for.
8 Things To Avoid In Your UCAS Personal Statement
4. Exaggeration and Lies. We don't have to tell you why lying on your personal statement is a very bad idea. Just know that if you do lie about or exaggerate your achievements and experience, you will get caught out eventually, espcially if you're applying for a subject where you could be invited to interview. 5.
The Dos And Don'ts Of Writing Your UCAS Personal Statement
The UCAS personal statement is a crucial component of the application process, as it allows the applicant to showcase their personality, achievements, and ambitions to admissions officers. A well-written personal statement can significantly improve the chances of being accepted into the desired university or programme. 3. What are some Dos and ...
How to write a UCAS personal statement
UCAS personal statement word limit. Your personal statement length can be up to 4,000 characters long. This may sound a lot, but it's a word limit of around 550-1000 words with spaces and only about 1 side of typed A4 paper. You need to keep it concise and make sure it's clear and easy to read.
How To Write Your Undergraduate Personal Statement
Just start by showing your enthusiasm for the subject, showcasing your knowledge and understanding, and sharing your ambitions of what you want to achieve. Avoid cliches! Remember, this opening part is simply about introducing yourself, so let the admissions tutor reading your personal statement get to know you. Keep it relevant and simple.
Funny/Bad UCAS Personal Statements
A. Potally_Tissed. In all honesty, if you're trying to help people to write a good personal statement, I'd skip out trying to find amusing things to put in there and focus on the things that are bad but common. eg. Don't start with "I've wanted to study blah since I was X years old", it's at best a pretty horrible cliché and at worst just ...
UCAS personal statement examples
UCAS personal statement examples. Having managed successfully to navigate through the 370,000 courses at over 370 providers across the UK, it is now time to make a start at drafting your personal statement. Students often find this the most daunting of tasks within the application process. This guide will help you through putting together the ...
UCAS' top tips on how to write a powerful personal statement
Use evidence. Show that you'd be a great student by linking relevant skills and experiences from your studies and other activities to the course. Be honest. Don't be tempted to exaggerate; for your application honesty is definitely the best policy. Admissions tutors will often refer to personal statements during interviews too.
UCAS personal statements
This is their personal statement, expressed in their words, not yours. Be encouraging - it could take several rewrites before they're happy with their personal statement. Make sure they know the deadline for completing their personal statement. Some schools/colleges review students' personal statements before submission.
Medicine Personal Statement Examples
Medicine Personal Statement Examples. Writing a medicine personal statement has been a part of the lives of medical applicants for many years and is a fundamental part of the selection criteria. The way in which the UCAS personal statement is structured and written is changing for 2026 with the process shifting to a short answer format.
Best Personal Statement Examples
Economics Personal Statement Example 10. I wish to be recognised as someone who is open-minded and well educated. That is why I want to achieve a top degree in the rigorous, but always changing discipline of Economics. Studying this subject at university would allow me to understand how combinations of complex economical concepts can help to ...
A guide to using AI and ChatGPT with your personal statement
It's important to remember that while ChatGPT can generate text, it's not a substitute for your own thoughts and experiences. It's called a personal statement for a reason and universities want to hear from you, not an AI bot. You could use ChatGPT as a tool to help inspire, clarify and articulate your own ideas, rather than asking it to write ...
Admissions information for studying Dentistry at Cardiff
In addition, a personal statement which includes information supporting your suitability for the Dental course applied for and an academic reference are essential. ... We review all applications thoroughly once the UCAS deadline has passed. This process can take many weeks. Therefore, we cannot give an exact timeframe on when applicants will be ...
Supporting your child with writing their personal statement for ...
Writing a personal statement is an important part of your child's university application, and with the new format for 2026 entry, there's a clear structure to follow. As a parent, guardian, or carer, your support can make a real difference. This page offers advice to help your child write a statement that reflects their experiences and goals, along with tips on what to avoid.
What are the differences between an undergraduate and ...
With an undergraduate personal statement, the same version will be seen by all the universities you apply to. That's why focus around the subject and your passions is so important. Postgraduate statements will need to be tailored to the university you're applying to, so make sure you research the provider thoroughly.
Helping your child write a great personal statement
The personal statement format is changing for 2026 entry. If your child is applying to start their studies in 2026, we have updated guidance to help you support them. ... Help your child think about what to write and how to structure it, with UCAS' personal statement tool - available in the UCAS Hub. Not only is it a great tool to get them ...
COMMENTS
1. The pretentious quote. Not exactly highbrow literature. The personal statement opens with a pretentious-sounding quote, which, let's face it, the student probably found from Googling "quotes about English literature". It doesn't even come from a great work of literature - it's from a novel for young adults, which is unlikely to ...
1. Clichés Galore. A bad personal statement often reads like a collection of tired, overused phrases. Phrases like "ever since I was a child," "passionate about helping people," or "changing the world" may have been powerful once, but they now make admissions officers groan. These clichés show a lack of originality and genuine ...
Do make it relevant. Connect what you're saying with the course and with your experiences. Do outline your ideas clearly. Do avoid the negatives - highlight the positives about you, and show you know your strengths. Do expect to produce several drafts of your personal statement before being totally happy with it.
The university application personal statement is changing in 2025; University admissions service Ucas has announced that a new style of personal statement will be launched in 2025. This will affect anyone making a university application from autumn 2025 onwards. Find out more about how the Ucas personal statement is changing in 2025 here.
3. Explaining a bad grade (or many) Whether it's a below-par GCSE grade, or many, or a less-than-brilliant predicted A-level grade, or many, the ease with which you'll be able to explain this shortfall on your personal statement depends very much on the circumstances surrounding it. Nevertheless, easy or not, it's definitely worth ...
Writing a UCAS Personal Statement requires a student to convey a lot of information in a short space of time. Mistakes are easy to make. Read our run down of the most common ones and how to avoid them. Writing a Personal Statement for UCAS is, in many ways, like asking a student to tell the story of their life in 4,000 characters or less.
Lifting phrases, sentences or whole paragraphs and using them in your own statement is against the rules, and will be picked up by UCAS. If this happens, your application will be thrown out, and you will not be able to apply to university that year. 5. Fail to check spelling, grammar and punctuation.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Personal Statement is the main essay for your application to colleges and universities in Great Britain. UCAS gives a nice explanation here, but in short, this is your chance to stand out against the crowd and show your knowledge and enthusiasm for your chosen area of study.
Top tips on how to write your statement opener. We spoke to admissions tutors at unis and colleges - read on for their tips. 1. Don't begin with the overkill opening. Try not to overthink the opening sentence. You need to engage the reader with your relevant thoughts and ideas, but not go overboard. Tutors said: 'The opening is your chance ...
The character limit which UCAS sets for the personal statement is very strict - up to 4,000 characters of text. This means that students have to express themselves in a clear and concise way; it's also important that they don't feel the need to fill the available space needlessly. Planning and redrafting of a personal statement is essential.
Make sure your application doesn't get noticed for all the wrong reasons by taking heed of these important tips. 1. Untruths. Admissions tutors will be able to spot any fictions in your application. Firstly, and most crucially: never, ever lie in your personal statement.
Use your closing couple of lines to summarise the most important points in your statement. 9. Check your writing thoroughly and get someone else to check it, too. 10. Give your brain a rest by forgetting about your personal statement for a while before going back to review it one last time with fresh eyes.
Postgraduate Personal Statements. Personal statement examples to help those applying for a Postgraduate course. Find out more. Read our personal statement examples to help you write your own unique, successful statement for the degree you're applying for.
4. Exaggeration and Lies. We don't have to tell you why lying on your personal statement is a very bad idea. Just know that if you do lie about or exaggerate your achievements and experience, you will get caught out eventually, espcially if you're applying for a subject where you could be invited to interview. 5.
The UCAS personal statement is a crucial component of the application process, as it allows the applicant to showcase their personality, achievements, and ambitions to admissions officers. A well-written personal statement can significantly improve the chances of being accepted into the desired university or programme. 3. What are some Dos and ...
UCAS personal statement word limit. Your personal statement length can be up to 4,000 characters long. This may sound a lot, but it's a word limit of around 550-1000 words with spaces and only about 1 side of typed A4 paper. You need to keep it concise and make sure it's clear and easy to read.
Just start by showing your enthusiasm for the subject, showcasing your knowledge and understanding, and sharing your ambitions of what you want to achieve. Avoid cliches! Remember, this opening part is simply about introducing yourself, so let the admissions tutor reading your personal statement get to know you. Keep it relevant and simple.
A. Potally_Tissed. In all honesty, if you're trying to help people to write a good personal statement, I'd skip out trying to find amusing things to put in there and focus on the things that are bad but common. eg. Don't start with "I've wanted to study blah since I was X years old", it's at best a pretty horrible cliché and at worst just ...
UCAS personal statement examples. Having managed successfully to navigate through the 370,000 courses at over 370 providers across the UK, it is now time to make a start at drafting your personal statement. Students often find this the most daunting of tasks within the application process. This guide will help you through putting together the ...
Use evidence. Show that you'd be a great student by linking relevant skills and experiences from your studies and other activities to the course. Be honest. Don't be tempted to exaggerate; for your application honesty is definitely the best policy. Admissions tutors will often refer to personal statements during interviews too.
This is their personal statement, expressed in their words, not yours. Be encouraging - it could take several rewrites before they're happy with their personal statement. Make sure they know the deadline for completing their personal statement. Some schools/colleges review students' personal statements before submission.
Medicine Personal Statement Examples. Writing a medicine personal statement has been a part of the lives of medical applicants for many years and is a fundamental part of the selection criteria. The way in which the UCAS personal statement is structured and written is changing for 2026 with the process shifting to a short answer format.
Economics Personal Statement Example 10. I wish to be recognised as someone who is open-minded and well educated. That is why I want to achieve a top degree in the rigorous, but always changing discipline of Economics. Studying this subject at university would allow me to understand how combinations of complex economical concepts can help to ...
It's important to remember that while ChatGPT can generate text, it's not a substitute for your own thoughts and experiences. It's called a personal statement for a reason and universities want to hear from you, not an AI bot. You could use ChatGPT as a tool to help inspire, clarify and articulate your own ideas, rather than asking it to write ...
In addition, a personal statement which includes information supporting your suitability for the Dental course applied for and an academic reference are essential. ... We review all applications thoroughly once the UCAS deadline has passed. This process can take many weeks. Therefore, we cannot give an exact timeframe on when applicants will be ...
Writing a personal statement is an important part of your child's university application, and with the new format for 2026 entry, there's a clear structure to follow. As a parent, guardian, or carer, your support can make a real difference. This page offers advice to help your child write a statement that reflects their experiences and goals, along with tips on what to avoid.
With an undergraduate personal statement, the same version will be seen by all the universities you apply to. That's why focus around the subject and your passions is so important. Postgraduate statements will need to be tailored to the university you're applying to, so make sure you research the provider thoroughly.
The personal statement format is changing for 2026 entry. If your child is applying to start their studies in 2026, we have updated guidance to help you support them. ... Help your child think about what to write and how to structure it, with UCAS' personal statement tool - available in the UCAS Hub. Not only is it a great tool to get them ...