If you’re an overseas student, from Dubai, UAE, China, or elsewhere, read on to learn how to craft the perfect personal statement and maximize your chances of a successful application to university in the UK!

Before writing your personal statement:

As you will learn from reading our blog, a personal statement is extremely important when applying to university in the UK.

However, before writing it, ensure you have thoroughly considered your reasons and motivations for studying in the UK, as well as the institutions you have chosen. This will allow you to use organic and genuine remarks in your statement, improving its overall quality.

When considering the various institutions in the UK, you should consider their:

• Location

• Transport Links

• Accommodation facilities and costs

• Extracurricular activities

• International policy (e.g. can you keep your room all year round, or will you have to move belongings to storage spaces?)

• Nightlife

• Reputation academically

To speak to one of our professional graduates from a wide range of institutions and gain first-hand insight into the different pros and cons of each, get in touch with us today!

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is an essential part of your UCAS application, which is a requirement when applying for university in the UK. It is 4000 characters long; this includes both spaces and punctuation.

Your personal statement is a tool for demonstrating your skills and experience, as well as the interest you have into the course and institution you have chosen in the UK.

Read on to discover how to produce an excellent personal statement and UK application!

Why is the personal statement important?

A personal statement forms a very important part of your UCAS application. When applying to universities in the UK, they pay particular focus to your statement when deciding whether to offer you a place. Other factors, such as your references and predicted grades, also play a role. However, your personal statement gives you opportunity to build upon the other aspects of your application.

The statement can be a good time to discuss your motivations for studying in the UK rather than other countries!

It is also a great chance to show off the skills and experience you have accrued. Therefore, it is important to showcase what you have done to ensure your application is as strong as can be.

It is crucial that your personal statement is well-written, with no grammatical or spelling errors and perfect English, as well as a clear and well-thought-out structure.

This exemplifies your communication and writing abilities to the institutions you’re applying for, strengthening your application.

Which things should be included?

Motivation:

• You must discuss your interest in the subject you’re applying for, and therefore your motivation.

• You should mention which aspects of the course you like most, why they appeal to you, and how this course will be useful for your future studies or career plan.

• You can also mention your motivation for studying in the UK.

Reading and Research:

• You should do independent research into your subject, for example, by doing extracurricular reading.

• This will show your genuine interest in the topics, given you have spent free time researching the subject.

• You should mention in your personal statement the key things that interest you or surprised you from what you’ve read and researched; use this opportunity to demonstrate subject-specific terminology or skills you’ve picked up.

Experience:

• Having completed work experience, extracurricular courses, or other related activities enables you to exemplify your commitment to the subject you’re applying for, and also allows you to showcase the skills you’ve gained!

• You should discuss what your responsibilities or roles were, and what most fascinated you from the experience.

• Use this to explain how this sets you at an advantage for studying the course, compared to other candidates.

Is it important to mention extracurricular interests?

• Yes!

• The best personal statements employ an 80:20 ratio, whereby 80% of content is academic-focused, and the other 20% is extracurricular-based.

• Firstly, extracurricular interests, such as sporting or musical achievements, can demonstrate transferrable skills that will benefit you in your degree, and subsequently strengthen your application. For example, teamwork, self-discipline and commitment.

• Secondly, when you apply for university, you are applying for more than just your course – you are also applying to be a member of that community! Therefore, if you have the ability or desire to join a university team, club, or society, noting this in your application can also strengthen your application holistically.

Is there a framework I can use?

A successful personal statement will be personalized to you, your interests, and experience. Based on this, there is no ‘one-fits-all’ structure that can or should be used when writing your personal statement.

However, a useful framework can be to consider:

1. What do I want to study and why? (motivation)

2. What extra reading have I done to demonstrate this interest?

3. What work experience/courses have I taken to ensure this is for me?

4. What other work experience /voluntary experience do I have that has developed relevant skills for my degree?

5. What extracurricular activities do I do that would appeal to the universities I’m applying for?

What if I’m still confused?

Personal statements can be difficult, especially when you’re unfamiliar with the British application system, or if English is not your mother tongue.

If you’re an international student still unsure of where to begin, get in touch with one of our experts today for top-quality advice from our experienced writers!