Remember – the key to an excellent Personal Statement is showing, not telling. We’re not suggesting you shouldn’t encourage your students to use positive language when writing a UCAS Personal Statement, but this positive language needs to be backed up with clear, specific examples and rigorous analysis. Whilst they are very positive and well-worded statements about why a student might want to study astrophysics, or Shakespearian literature, both these Personal Statement examples tip very quickly into cliche and generalisation. I’m fascinated by how Shakespeare remains relevant for today.”Ĭan you see what’s wrong with these two examples? “I’ve been passionate about the works of William Shakespeare since seeing my first production on stage. “My love of Physics began when I used to look up at the night sky as a child, and found it simultaneously breath-taking and awe-inspiring.”
Avoid exuberant language and pointless cliches
#WHEN WRITING THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE QUOTES HOW TO#
So we’re going to take you through the 10 most common (and potentially costly) mistakes that a student might make in their UCAS Personal Statement, and give you some tips on how to help your students avoid them.ģ. The problem is often that students will have a lot to say and will have put a lot of thought into their Statement, but may make some simple stylistic mistakes that could cost them when they finally submit their application.īut if these mistakes are easy to make, they’re also easy to avoid. Indeed, more often than not, it’s not a case of students being lazy when writing their UCAS Personal Statements. Understandably, students might feel an inordinate amount of pressure to get their Personal Statement right first time. In order to do this, the Personal Statement will require a student to master form, structure and content in such a way that makes their writing stand out. They need to quickly grab the attention of the university admissions officer reading their Personal Statement, and they need to make sure they stand out from the hundreds of other applications that will be crossing that admission officer’s desk. Students need to write a genuine, authoritative and compelling account of who they are and what they want from a UK university degree. The UCAS Personal Statement is the cornerstone of a UK university application. 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.Īnd if that sounds hard, it’s because it is.