Need advice on Personal Statement length

I am in the middle of writing my personal statement but i am unsure about how long i should make it. I know there is not a specific number of words, but i would like to have an approximate idea so that i am not sticking out like a sore thumb. I dont want it to be too short and the admissions office thinking " what a lazy girl. immediate rejection" and i dont want to write a novel either.

so if everyone could just tell me their word count, that would be great ( and yes i know content is more important but tell me still :h:

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P.S. I appreciate all your replies but since this is for postgraduate study ( hence in the postgraduate subforum) it doesnt help me if you tell me about what UCAS asks for undergraduate study.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 1

amsie/

max 4000 characters or it'll look like you can't be arsed :biggrin:

Reply 2

kerily

The UCAS maximum is 4000 characters or 47 lines; whichever is shorter. With empty lines in-between paragraphs, mine ended up being about 3500 characters.

Reply 3

Xhotas

Trust me, once you get rolling of ideas of what to write you'll be struggling to cut it short. But I tell you now you have a LOT of work ahead of you, I spent 3 weeks straight writing mine.

Just remember to try and get double spacings in for paragraphs so it's easier to read and just write your heart out. Though if you're running out of space, I recommend not bothering with "I do a level english because it helps my english communication skills" etc. as everyone is going to write that and you'll just be wasting words UNLESS it links to something important (IE you're applying for a drama degree and you're drama and english a level compliment each other and have expenaded your interest in the subject by zyx if youget what I mean)

Reply 4

mummyperson

make sure to fill the space but use paragraphs
two thirds academic/subject related
one third extracurricular
draft it in a separate word doc the copy and paste onto the ucas form to make sure it fits

Reply 5

hobnob

Original post by Leonie01

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P.S. This is for postgraduate study so UCAs doesnt apply here

If this is for a taught course, a good length to aim for* would be a page / just under a page (i.e. around 400-500 words). PhD research proposals can be longer than that, but even then any more than two pages is a bit excessive.

*Unless the department specifically asks for a different length, obviously.

Reply 6

Leonie01

Original post by hobnob

Yes, this is for a taught master's degree. I figured i should not write more than two pages because it must be tiring for the admission's office to read so much and it might also seem as if i cant be precise and just ramble on.

I just saw some people posting on here that they had written around 1300-1600 words which scared me a bit. Although i am not sure whether this was for a taught or a research course.

Reply 7

M1F2R3

4000 characters is the maximum, keep it under that.

Reply 8

Leonie01

Original post by M1F2R3

4000 characters is the maximum, keep it under that.

I am talking about a personal statement for a master's degree, i dont think there is an official minimum or maximum.

Reply 9

Arcanine

Original post by amsie/

max 4000 characters or it'll look like you can't be arsed :biggrin:

Not really, 3200 characters or so. 4 offers and waiting on the last one. Zomgpwnt.

Reply 10

beefmaster

Write well and concisely...don't waffle and you will be fine.

Reply 11

booraad

I had to write a maximum of 2 sides for my PG personal statement and this was clearly stated on the uni web page. Best thing to do is email the course administrator and I'm sure he/she can advise you further. These things are arbitrary and different courses have different preferences.

Reply 12

tigermoth99

For a taught master's degree, keep it short and concise. Don't waffle. A page or less is a good length.

Reply 13

Leonie01

Original post by beefmaster

Write well and concisely...don't waffle and you will be fine.

I know quality is more important than quantity. I just wanted an idea what the average is. I am not sure whether these are taught master's (well i guess the MPhil one is) you've applied for, but if so, how many words have you written?

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 14

beefmaster

Original post by Leonie01

Yeah they are all taught masters. I wrote 1400 words.

Reply 15

evantej

My personal statements ranged from around 600 to just over 1000 words, though I was moving disciplines so I was trying to show that I would not struggle in this new area. If you are staying within the same area then I think 500-750 words should be enough for you to say everything.

If you check my profile you can read most of the personal statements I wrote for my applications.

Reply 16

Leonie01

Original post by evantej

Yes, thx a lot, i had a look through them. I have also checked out the TSR wiki PS samples site but havent found any statements for postgraduate studies. I wont be moving disciplines so I will keep it under 1000 words unless it says something different on the websites.

It is just a bit confusing when some unis ask for only 1 page and then some like LSE ask for 1000-1500 words for a taught master's. So i didnt know what to do about those unis where no length was mentioned but i think i am doing ok now.

Also thx to everyone else for their advice!

Reply 17

evantej

Original post by Leonie01

Yeah the personal statements are not well organised on this website, but there are some uploaded. If the university gives instructions - follow them. If the university does not give instruction - keep it as short as possible. That seems to me a fairly good idea.

Good luck with your application(s).