Personal statement

Has anyone got any advice for writing a personal statement applying for biochemistry ?? I’m really struggling to start it

Hey hey @Randomuser212v2

Before you start your statement, I always recommend doing a "brain dump" of ideas and things you've been up to that will support your application. Take a blank sheet of paper and write down things that you love about Biochemistry (experiments that have interested you, topics that you've enjoyed, reasons you want to study it, potential future careers maybe?), as well as things you've done as an applicant. These could be things like being part of a school club, tutoring younger years, playing a musical instrument in an orchestra for example.

Once you've done this, you'll have an idea of all the fab things about you that you can include in your statement We talk about using the 'ABC' framework, which stands for 'Action, Benefit, Course'. In short- what did you do, how did it benefit you and how will you apply this to the course? For example, you could say "I took part in x experiment, which showed me how x worked. This gave me great insight in to the area of Biochemistry and I realised this really interested me. When I begin my studies at university I would love to develop upon this understanding". Do this for any extra bits and bobs you've been a part of and you'll start to see your statement coming together. You're looking to show who *you* are as an applicant, as well as showing off things you've done and what you know about your subject area.

Try not to get too stuck on the idea of writing it from the start, as you can always go back and write your intro once you've got the main body going. There's no harm in starting it for the timebeing with something along the lines of "I want to study Biochemistry because ....." , and then going back later and jazzing that up a bit

Hope this helps a little? Which universities have you been considering studying at?

Let me know if I can help with anything else!

- Caitlin
Official University of Strathclyde Rep