Overused Personal Statement Ideas (Part 2)

Generic themes

The difference between a mediocre personal statement and a great one often lies not in the way you articulate what you’re writing about.

The "Broadness Trap"

Many applicants make sweeping claims about their ambitions without grounding them in evidence. Phrases such as "I want to understand how the world works" or "I am fascinated by the complexity of human nature" can sound profound, but lack the specificity that admissions tutors are looking for.

Instead of stating a broad intention, show it through concrete examples. If you are interested in understanding social structures, make sure to show, not tell. Show the specific moment when reading a particular theory or conducting a small piece of research challenged your thinking. That specificity is what distinguishes a strong personal statement from a weak one.

The "List of Interests"

Related to the above, many applicants fall into the trap of listing multiple interests or achievements without connecting them. "I enjoy reading, playing chess, volunteering, and coding" doesn’t tell enough about you. What matters is not the range of your interests but rather what those interests reveal about how you approach problems or think about the world.

Rather than listing what you do, explain how one specific experience led you to deeper thinking or shifted your perspective. A single well-developed idea is far more compelling than five hastily mentioned ones.

The "Humble-Bragging"

Personal statements that awkwardly disguise achievements as struggles ("I found it difficult to manage my time whilst balancing five different projects") come across as insincere.

If you have genuinely faced a challenge that shaped your intellectual curiosity or your approach to learning, by all means discuss it. But avoid the temptation to frame an achievement as a hardship. Instead, focus on something you have actually struggled with and what that taught you.

Archaeology

The "Indiana Jones" narrative and childhood fascination with archaeology sparked by films or family holidays is very overused. More importantly, many applicants mention excavation or museum experience without explaining what they actually learned beyond finding it "fascinating." Think about: what specific methodological questions intrigued you? What does material culture reveal that written sources do not?

Archaeology is not primarily about discovering "lost civilisations”, so it’s best to avoid this framing. Contemporary archaeology engages with heritage management, modern community relationships with artefacts, and revisiting established interpretations. If you cite Colin Renfrew's Archaeology: What It Is, Where It Is, and Why It Matters, ensure you have engaged with more current theoretical approaches such as postprocessual or interpretive archaeology.