Download the example personal statement on the right…Written by a successful applicant who has now graduated from Oxbridge, this personal statement is annotated by its author, with all the insights hindsight can bring.
Download the example personal statement on the right…Written by a successful applicant who has now graduated from Oxbridge, this personal statement is annotated by its author, with all the insights hindsight can bring.
Download the example personal statement on the right…Written by a successful applicant who has now graduated from Oxbridge, this personal statement is annotated by its author, with all the insights hindsight can bring.
Download the example personal statement on the right…“I have a keen interest in current affairs but have recently been inspired by the deeper level of understanding gained from the writings of leading economists. Galbraith’s ‘Great Crash of 1929’ was a truly insightful read and I was shocked that our current crisis could occur when we have such a strong understanding of the past.’
Tristan was successful in his application for Economics but he is a little older and wiser now, and his assessment of his Economics personal statement is incredibly enlightening for those trying to figure out their own first drafts: ‘This is actually really risky in hindsight! Quite a bold statement that would likely be picked up on in an interview. Admissions tutors could easily disagree with the comment. With something like this it would have been smart for me to have been very prepared to argue my case…’ Tristan’s not wrong: last year 64% of Oxbridge interviewees were asked about their personal statement.
Knowing how to write an Economics personal statement is just half the journey, you need to be sure that you can confidently talk about any comments or topics you include. We’ve provided an Economics personal statement example for you to download and understand what aspects go into creating an excellent personal statement that’ll get the attention of admissions tutors.
Download the example personal statement on the right…Written by a successful applicant who has now graduated from Oxbridge, this personal statement is annotated by its author, with all the insights hindsight can bring.
Download the example personal statement on the right…Written by a successful applicant who has now graduated from Oxbridge, this personal statement is annotated by its author, with all the insights hindsight can bring.
Download the example personal statement on the right…Written by a successful applicant who has now graduated from Oxbridge, this personal statement is annotated by its author, with all the insights hindsight can bring.
Download the example personal statement on the right…“At school, I have contributed to many extracurricular activities, which I have found especially rewarding. Currently, I sit on the School Ball Design Committee and I am the captain of the school hockey team. These have taught me the importance of being able to work both within a team and as an individual, which during work experience I saw was a fundamental part of the medical profession.”
Here, Hannah is discussing how she handled a difficult element of the Oxbridge Medicine personal statement that also extends to other prestigious universities. Many universities see extra-curricular activities as a necessity for demonstrating an individual’s self-drive and ‘get up and go’. There’s no doubt that most Oxbridge admissions tutors will admire you if you rowed in the Olympics or reached the peak of Kilimanjaro, but it is well known that this is not going to win you a place. They want to know about your commitment and potential for your subject. In Hannah’s statement, she is able to directly relate her extra-curricular work back to Medicine. This is important as it helps strike the balance between having interests and ensuring they don’t meander too far away from your genuine passion, which in Hannah’s case was Medicine.
Download this Medicine personal statement example to see how a successful applicant approached the difficult statement, and how she would change it now, with hindsight.
Your complimentary “So you want to go to Oxbridge? Tell me about a banana…”
If you’re looking for resources and advice before making your application to Oxford or Cambridge, then you’ve come to the right place! We have been industry-leading experts in applying to Oxbridge since 1999, amassing quite a catalogue of info, tips, and tricks to help you get into the best position possible to get that elusive Oxbridge offer you’ve been dreaming of.
We’ve condensed the stuff that most people want to know into our free E-book “So you Want to Go to Oxbridge? Tell me About a Banana…”. Packed full of over a decade’s research and up-to-date advice on how to prepare, Tell me about a banana draws on the experiences of thousands of successful Oxbridge graduates and how they would approach the application process if they had to do it all over again.
Good personal statements bring up an idea about the course that is a reason you have engaged with it, and then uses the reading as examples to back this up.
Bad personal statements try to make a mini essay out of each subject they bring up in order to try to demonstrate knowledge of the text or idea. You don’t have enough room to show what you know – see the statement as a springboard for the interview. If your interviewer is interested in the fact that you’ve explored a certain idea, they will expect to see what you know in the interview.
Check your personal statement – you cannot sum up a complex academic idea in a sentence so check it doesn’t look as though you’ve tried to do this. Instead, demonstrate your interest in that idea, but referencing the reading you’ve done in it. Then expect to follow this up if you have an interview.
The personal statement is a springboard for your interview…
Our Oxbridge-graduate consultants are available between 9.00 am – 5.00 pm from Monday to Friday, with additional evening availability when requested.
Oxbridge Applications, 58 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AJ
