Personal Statements

hello, my in college submission date for personal statements is the 17th this month, i havent finished mine
im really struggling as to what to include as i have no acheivemts and work experience :/
i've outlined my interest in the course and my skills but its barely 2 paragraphs?
any advice..

Reply 1

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

What are you applying for?

Have you included details in your PS about specific topics or pieces of work that you’ve enjoyed? It’s the details and specifics that make your PS personal and often what is missing.

If you talk to your college and explain that you’re struggling then it’s usually ok to submit your application with a draft PS to them to add in your reference and then for them to send it back to you so you can add in a final draft in January before it’s sent to UCAS.

Original post by starfshi

hello, my in college submission date for personal statements is the 17th this month, i havent finished mine
im really struggling as to what to include as i have no acheivemts and work experience :/
i've outlined my interest in the course and my skills but its barely 2 paragraphs?
any advice..

Hi @starfshi,

Writing personal statements can be tricky and it's hard to know what to include in them. I struggled with writing mine and I wrote a few different drafts but I ended up being really happy with it. As well as writing about your interest in the course, try and link this with what you have studied at college and why this has interested you in the course. For example, I studied business for A level which is what I applied for at University and I wrote about how a specific project we did which was based on the TV show 'the apprentice' sparked my interest in becoming a manager which is very much linked to the course at University.

If you have any hobbies you could include this- e.g. I play netball which has helped my teamwork skills which is an important aspect of managing a business. Try and link things back to your specific course, rather than just listing a sport you play, talk about skills you have learnt from doing the sport will help you in the course.

If you have done any wider reading around the subject area of the course you are applying for, it's good to include this too as it shows you have a genuine passion for the subject.

It could be worth talking to family and friends about your achievements, although you may think that you don't have many, they might be able to remind you of things which you could use to help you.

Good luck and let me know if you have any further questions,
Lucy- Student ambassador at Sheffield Hallam.

Reply 3

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

14

Original post by starfshi

hello, my in college submission date for personal statements is the 17th this month, i havent finished mine
im really struggling as to what to include as i have no acheivemts and work experience :/
i've outlined my interest in the course and my skills but its barely 2 paragraphs?
any advice..

Hi starfshi,
When I applied for university, I also did not have any relevant work experience to talk about in my personal statement. Instead, I searched for books relating to the subject I was applying for, which I read and then talked about what they taught me and how they made me want to study that subject. I understand if the personal statement is due soon then this might not be feasible, but you can still do the same with online resources and videos/lectures. You can use these to back up why you are interested in your subject, and it is also good to show the person reading your personal statement that you have researched the subject a little bit.
I hope this helps,
Sofia (3rd Year Biochemistry student)

Reply 4

starfshi

OP

7

Original post by PQ

What are you applying for?

Have you included details in your PS about specific topics or pieces of work that you’ve enjoyed? It’s the details and specifics that make your PS personal and often what is missing.

If you talk to your college and explain that you’re struggling then it’s usually ok to submit your application with a draft PS to them to add in your reference and then for them to send it back to you so you can add in a final draft in January before it’s sent to UCAS.

i'm applying for classics, which is what i study now. i've referenced my favourite books within the subject and put some of my own ideas.
when i spoke to my progress tutor today she told me not to panick, the 17th is the guarranteed date that the careers team will check over all PSs

Original post by starfshi

hello, my in college submission date for personal statements is the 17th this month, i havent finished mine
im really struggling as to what to include as i have no acheivemts and work experience :/
i've outlined my interest in the course and my skills but its barely 2 paragraphs?
any advice..

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with writing your personal statement but this is a completely normal feeling.

I would recommend writing about your passion for the course and how you have researched your topic through books and podcasts etc. I would also try and speak about any hobbies you have and how they have transferable skills to your course,

Our university will also be running a Personal Statement webinar on the 5th of December if you can extend your submission date. You can register here https://www.lsbu.ac.uk/whats-on/personal-statements-webinars

I hope this is of some assistance and best of luck with the application,

Mary
London South Bank University Student Rep (3rd-year Children's Nursing)

Reply 6

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

14

Original post by starfshi

i'm applying for classics, which is what i study now. i've referenced my favourite books within the subject and put some of my own ideas.
when i spoke to my progress tutor today she told me not to panick, the 17th is the guarranteed date that the careers team will check over all PSs

Hi starfshi,

By the sounds of it you are well on your way to writing a brilliant personal statement, especially if your progress tutor has informed you that the 17th is the date that the careers team will check over your PS. Discussing your favourite books within the subject, as well as including some of your own ideas sounds like a definite step in the right direction; when I was writing my own PS for my English Language and Linguistics course, discussing relevant texts in addition to the texts I actually enjoyed reading made the statement more personal to me, which is exactly what your university provider will be looking for.

Will you be receiving feedback about your PS once the careers team have checked it over? Wishing you the best of luck for the future!

Ellie (3rd year English Language and Linguistics student)

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