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Physics personal statement structure critique

Hi, finished writing the first draft of my personal statement. Just got the general structure down, there is still a lot of refinement to go. Just gonna post what I've spoke about in each paragraph to give a fair idea of my PS structure:

Paragraph 1
I open with a little explanation of what Physics is to me, and how its been an interest throughout my life. I name two books I read, and I talk about a chapter that particularly interested me in one of the books.

Paragraph 2
I talk about my work experience placement at Durham University - what I did, and also a talk I attended by a NASA scientist that was there. I then go onto talk about another lecture I attended by the first Briton in space.

Paragraph 3
I say a little about a summer school I did at the University of York, and what I learnt about during a physics lecture whilst there. I then go onto talk about a summer school I did at Newcastle University, and what I did in a practical physics session there. I conclude this paragraph with a sentence on how doing these summer schools have been beneficial in choosing Physics as a degree.

Paragraph 4
I talk about how I enjoy travelling and a recent school trip to a country in Africa, which involved fundraising before the trip. I then talk about what skills I have developed from this particular trip and also skills developed from travelling in general. I conclude with how these skills combined with other named skills make me the right fit for a university Physics degree.


How is the structure of my personal statement? What things should I add, remove, or reshuffle? Thanks.
Looks good. Just make sure you have a conclusion which comes back to your interest in the subject and why you want to study it at uni.
Original post by DarkEnergy
Hi, finished writing the first draft of my personal statement. Just got the general structure down, there is still a lot of refinement to go. Just gonna post what I've spoke about in each paragraph to give a fair idea of my PS structure:

Paragraph 1
I open with a little explanation of what Physics is to me, and how its been an interest throughout my life. I name two books I read, and I talk about a chapter that particularly interested me in one of the books.

Paragraph 2
I talk about my work experience placement at Durham University - what I did, and also a talk I attended by a NASA scientist that was there. I then go onto talk about another lecture I attended by the first Briton in space.

Paragraph 3
I say a little about a summer school I did at the University of York, and what I learnt about during a physics lecture whilst there. I then go onto talk about a summer school I did at Newcastle University, and what I did in a practical physics session there. I conclude this paragraph with a sentence on how doing these summer schools have been beneficial in choosing Physics as a degree.

Paragraph 4
I talk about how I enjoy travelling and a recent school trip to a country in Africa, which involved fundraising before the trip. I then talk about what skills I have developed from this particular trip and also skills developed from travelling in general. I conclude with how these skills combined with other named skills make me the right fit for a university Physics degree.


How is the structure of my personal statement? What things should I add, remove, or reshuffle? Thanks.


Hi DarkEnergy,

Well done on the work done so far and planning your PS.
One piece of advice though: it is great that you have had loads of extra curricular experiences and that you want to include them in your PS, but don't forget that they should always link in to why you want to study Physics at Uni. and how they will help or enhance you further studies. You must show your passion not only through what you've already done but also with a vision of what you want to do next.

You might want to check out this blog about what it is like to study Physics at Uni, and this might give you ideas on how to link your past experiences and your vision of what you could bring to your studies in your degree.

Hope this helps, and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions! :smile:

UniAdmissions
Reply 3
Thank you both for the replies!

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