You’ve done your reading. You’ve made your brainstorm. You’ve possibly even got a first draft. Now it’s time to put the cherry on the top…
Here are our suggestions for compiling, refining and perfecting that Personal Statement.
We’ll consider ways you can improve upon structure and content, style and tone, the extra-curriculars conundrum and honesty.
The Personal Statement is your chance to show that you can structure your thoughts. If it feels ‘bitty’ and put together in a rush, it could suggest your essay writing may leave something to be desired. Equally, if it’s too verbose and full of fluff, will the tutors want to read essays from you for the next three years?
Support every point with personal examples, but avoid broad clichés. Every mathematician has a “love for numbers” and historians are always “passionate about the past informing the present” so ditch those worn out sentences and decide how you are different from the competition.
A couple of years ago, Cambridge announced that a shocking number of their applicants for medicine had started their Personal Statements with exactly the same line.
“My passion for medicine began when I received a chemistry set for my eighth birthday …”
Remember, Personal Statements are a chance to show what is unique about you, so copying what others have said online is an absolute no-no, and at all times you should strive to write something that is authentically ‘You’. Whilst you can take advice, your personal statement needs to be your own work.
It is up to you if you want to open with an arresting, personal or original first line but avoid going too over the top. Straying into cliché or sounding insincere are big Personal Statement bloopers.
Allow the first paragraph to answer: why am I applying for this course? Why am I specifically interested in what it has to offer? Who am I?
Use these to provide in-depth, well-explained examples as to why you are a strong applicant for your course. Use further reading to provide the core narrative and illustrate your interests. Avoid the temptation to merely list your accomplishments or be too anecdotal without showing relevance.
Explaining what you learnt or enjoyed about a specific book is worth more than listing all the books you’ve ever read. Engineering and Medical applicants may want to draw on their work experience, a Geography student on a field trip. You must analyse your experiences – not just tell a story.
As for reading, you should never mention a book if you are not going to go on to say what you found interesting about it. Chances are that the tutor has read (or even written!) the book, so they are not interested in the fact that you have read it, but rather what you think about it.
This might mean that you have to be selective about which books you include so that you can fit everything in. Try to pick those books that advanced your knowledge, but make sure that these are respectable books (not on your school syllabus, though) and are pitched at the level you need as an Oxbridge, Law or Medicine graduate. If you need any suggestions, see our reading recommendations.
Make sure you end on a strong, positive note. The content is the most interesting part, but most people will pick up from the first sentence of the final paragraph when they’re scanning something. It can help to link your conclusion back to something you said in your introduction.
Your conclusion should be personal and above all, simple.
It’s very difficult to say something wholly original – don’t detract from your strong content by putting something overly flowery at the end.
Oxford and Cambridge have stated on multiple occasions that they are looking for an applicant who can demonstrate a genuine enthusiasm and aptitude for their subject, rather than someone who has been captain of the cricket team, plays violin or is even head boy or girl. On the other hand, one of our tutors who did Engineering at Oxford was told by his Professor that there were candidates academically stronger than him, but his impressive extra-curricular activities demonstrated that he would be able to handle the demanding work load. So the jury’s out!
Our advice would be to emphasise your academic interests rather than your extra-curricular achievements, so follow the guideline of around 1/5 of your personal statement being devoted to your extra-curricular.
Oxford and Cambridge’s primary concern is your academic motivation, achievements and potential – and this need to occupy most of your personal statement. That said, remember that your personal statement will be read by admissions tutors at other universities – who often say they want to see evidence of extra-curricular activities, gap year plans (if relevant) and career aims. Try to link your extra-curricular activities to your subject as much as you can. Use them to illustrate how you have developed as a student rather than just listing them.
Crucially, your Personal Statement is not the only thing that Oxford and Cambridge will read about you. Your teacher’s reference should cover any positions of responsibility in the school, your contribution to the classes you are in, any health, social or learning difficulties that might have affected your education and your school’s opinion of you, so none of this needs to be included in your Personal Statement. If there is anything that you’re not sure about, check with your teacher, or with us.
Likewise all your academic achievements are recorded on your UCAS form, so you don’t need to explain your GCSE results or your predicted grades in the Personal Statement.
Remember that if you are applying to Cambridge you will have to fill in the SAQ (Supplementary Application Questionnaire), so if there is something specific about the Cambridge course that you are particularly interested in, you can explain here. Very handy!
Your Personal Statement should flow as well as excite. You want the admissions tutors to see that you can write with clarity and precision. This doesn’t mean that you should get someone else to write it for you. It’s essential that the style, language, tone and vocabulary are your own so only include words and phrases that you would be comfortable using at interview. At the same time, do not be too informal: making jokes is dangerous and likely to strike the wrong note, sound over-confident or fail to impress. And beware of overusing superlatives. It is believable that you are ‘fascinated’ and ‘committed’ to your subject, but not ‘completely fascinated’ and ‘utterly committed’.
A big interview blooper is only talking about things that you’ve already covered in the personal statement. If they ask a broad question like ‘what plays have developed your interest in Jacobean theatre?’ make sure you’re armed with a couple more plays beside the ones you mentioned on your statement. They’ve already read that. Don’t bore them by re-hashing information they already have about you.
When you’ve done your personals statement, have a breather! But not for too long. Remember, by the time you have an interview in December, the admissions tutors know that the personal statement was probably written about 6 months ago. They’ll want to know what you’ve read and done since. Don’t know what to do next?
+44 (0)20 7499 2394
Interviewers can use it as a platform for discussion or interrogation so having an honest, original and academically rigorous personal statement is a strong start to your application.
When you submit your UCAS form, it includes your grades, school reference and personal details but the personal statement is your chance to speak directly to admissions tutors.
67% of students we surveyed in 2016 were asked about their Personal Statement in their Oxbridge interviews.
It’s important to make yourself stand out as a passionate and scholarly candidate: why should they pick you? If you need any advice, give our in-house consultants a ring for a chat…
Oxbridge aren’t that fussed about extra-curriculars – as you can see from the quote below. Does this mean that all those hours spent practising the clarinet or going to drama club were a waste?
The answer is no. Your achievements beyond your academics are important but keeping the focus on academic commitment is absolutely key.
The rules for writing your personal statement are simple:
Now! Look at it this way: The sooner your Personal Statement is in the bag, you can start preparing for the other aspects of your application: admissions tests, written work to submit and interview skills.
We encourage students to have a strong draft ready by the middle of the summer holidays. That way, you can use the remaining time to start solid BMAT, LNAT or other admissions test practice.
You don’t want to be labouring over the thing right up to the wire.
The deadline for submitting your Personal Statement to Oxford, Cambridge and medical schools is October 15th but your school will ask to see a draft much earlier.
Steer clear of last-minute panic by asking:
When do school want to see a first draft?
When will school want to see a final draft?
Some students may begin drafting a Personal Statement with only a vague notion of the subject they would like to apply for. Something “biology-based” perhaps…
But having a clear idea of what precise course you are applying to is crucial even in the early stages of Personal Statement planning.
A Biochemistry Personal Statement will have a different structure, reading list and approach from a Biological Sciences personal statement.
Grab a piece of paper, write your degree title at the top and brainstorm. Why do you want to study this subject? What have you done that proves your commitment to it? What have you read outside of school that excited you and illuminates aspects of your degree? What work experience, if relevant, have you done?
Working out what content you already have should highlight certain gaps and give you a better picture of what else you need to do. For example, if you can list 20 books you have read about Law but have no work experience, it’s time to make some phone calls…
Equally, if you have already shadowed two doctors but haven’t read any science books outside of your school syllabus, it’s time to head to the library…
If you leave your Personal Statement planning until the last minute, you will realise too late that you need to knuckle down to some serious reading or find yourself trying to squeeze some work experience in the final week of the summer.
You have probably done a number of things to prove your commitment to your subject:
• Your related EPQ or extended essay
• Any other relevant research projects or presentations that you’ve done
• Books, articles, blogs and magazines you’ve read
• Work experience
• Positions of responsibility
• Clubs and societies
• Lectures and seminars you’ve attended
• Trips, visits and expeditions (NOTE: Not just holidays!)
Keep the focus tight. If you’re in the chess club but you’re applying for Law, don’t squeeze a mention of it in there at the expense of more impressive and relevant material.
The Personal Statement is less than a page long. You’ve got a limited space to ‘wow’ someone so be brutal; no fluff, no fuss and nothing that doesn’t back up this key claim:
I am absolutely committed to studying [Earth Sciences] at university level.
Admissions tutors want you to make links between seemingly unconnected subjects – it shows that you’re able to think beyond the confines of your subject. Your aim is to group together your achievements thematically.
A good structure for an Oxbridge Personal Statement is as follows. This may not be right for you and there is certainly no correct way of writing a Personal Statement, so if this doesn’t fit, create your own.
Introduction – Why do you want to read your subject?
Paragraph 1 – What interests you about your subject and what have you read/seen/done to demonstrate this and further your interest?
Paragraph 2 – What have you done that makes you a good candidate for the course – this might be your A level subjects, your extra-curricular activities (related to your subject), your work experience etc.
Paragraph 3 – What else do you do? This should be a relatively short paragraph detailing any other relevant extra-curricular activities, interests, positions of responsibility and achievements.
Conclusion – A jazzy final sentence about why you want to read the subject and what you will bring to the degree course.
The Personal Statement is such a tricky business because although you can source inspiration from elsewhere, ultimately it all has to come down to you. It has to be personal. If you are finding it tough and would like some personalised guidance, our Senior Consultants can help you in a Private Consultation.
If you pack your personal statement full of good, relevant content and then are able to demonstrate how it applies to your subject, and specifically to how you connect with your subject, your personal statement will be interesting and impressive, without sounding arrogant.
This brainstorm sheet is the way to figure out what your content will be. Worried you have nothing to include? You’re wrong. Download this sheet to turn that blank canvas into something you can work with…
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
