Making my statement better!

the fact you have or make time for all that to me is impressive.

the truth is, you can't fit everything you 'do' into a personal statement. while all those achievements are good for your resume, your personal statement is a whole 'nother animal. it's more like the cover letter that goes alongside your resume.

a convincing personal statement will demonstrate a) your excellent writing ability, and b) your understanding of law and interest in it. it doesn't have to be complicated. in fact, the more stuff you try to jam in the more your personal statement will be annoying to read. there's heaps of personal statement examples online. i'd say find one that impresses you, then ask yourself why and mimic that sentiment

Thank you so much. So would I be able to use like my extracurricular things and volunteer/placement in my personal statement?

yes of course just remember you don't need to mention every time you've shown leadership or everything you're interested in. you would be surprised how much a reader can infer by just how you write and how you explain yourself.

you have a placement booked? what did you learn at said placement?

what is your understanding of law in practice? if you can tell an interesting story rather than a list of achievements i think your PS will stand out from the crowd (at least it worked for me and i wrote my PS the night before the UCAS deadline. lol)

Thank you!

Well we have to book them in November and I am going to contact law firms in my city so I’m sure one will let me!

Could I use a personal story on why I am interested in law even if it is sad?

cool! have fun.

i would say just be careful when it comes to sad stories. it's easy to sound like you're trying to manipulate the reader into 'feeling' for you, you know what i'm sayin?

do you have someone at your school who can review your PS before you send it? you could try drafting a PS with your personal story and see what they think.

Hi!
I'm currently tweaking my personal statement (hopefully so I can get my ucas sent as early as possible) and was wondering whether I'm including the right sort of thing. I'm applying for Modern Languages and Cultures (German sole) at Durham (being my first choice), alongside similar courses at Exeter, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Warwick. My statement is supercurricular heavy and focuses on academics surrounding german and linguistics, but in my statement I've included:

- wider reading
- lead language ambassador role
- my epq
- Theory of Knowledge - studies relevant to languages
- completing my geography NEA in Berlin
- work experience in Schwabisch
- mentoring younger students in the department
- my part time job and role as senior prefect at school
- relevant online courses
- participation in youth german exchange.

Any advice at all would be super appreciated!

Thank you so much. So would I be able to use like my extracurricular things and volunteer/placement in my personal statement?

It's not a list of stuff you've done - you should be drawing out the skills you've learned from them. Team work, time management, communicating, .... etc.

Why is full marks on coursework included?

Well yes obviously I know that I just was mentioning them on here in brief to make sure I could use them and the skills from them.

I was wondering if I could mention it and obviously drag it out more to show the massive amount of work and time I put into it and how I’m not only trained to pass exams

So I’m in year 12 and was wondering if you have any advice on what I can do in the next two years to improve my personal statement for law school!

I am planning on studying law at either Manchester or Durham!

I’ve done or am planning to do;
- debate (possibly being president of our team)
-apply for head girl
- was my teams project manager on NCS for the charity
- doing sign language course
- did St. John’s for 2 years
- get a placement at a law firm for the last two weeks of half term (something my sixth form helps with)
- doing an EPQ on something within mental health or feminism
- have a part time job as a cashier
- got full marks on textiles coursework
- volunteered at an after school club at the local primary school


I would also like advice on which skills I can develop ie leadership through local clubs so I know what to do in the future.

Thank you

Possibly attention to detail might be something you could draw out? Useful skill for Law. Have you been in a sports team or orchestra?

You've got plenty of stuff, but you need to focus on making this applicable to law (assuming your applying to top unis.

-Placement at a law firm: perfect, try and find 2 or 3 good things about this placement to write in your PS.
-Your gunna want a paragraph about what inspired you to study law.
-Paragraph about your A-level academics, or future legal academic stuff

-Part-time cashier, textiles CW, Volunteering at primary school, EPQ on mental health/feminism, None of this is really relevant, You can have 1 small paragraph max on extras, I would focus on the volunteering as a spare time activity. But None of this will really benefit your application tbh.

Focus on the more directly applicable academic stuff, your A-level subject and this work experience, and the actual reason you want to be a lawyer/study law should be the focus and give you plenty to talk about.