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Personal Statement Importance?

I am a little confused about the true importance of personal statements, mainly due to the contradictions that Teachers have told me.

I understand that in a very competative course where everyone applying may be a straight 'A' student, limited numbers would make Personal Statements important in picking the right candidate from the sea of A's.

However, varies teachers also state that the people reading these Statements have so many to wade through they get bored eventually and just dont really care, so grab their attention at the beginning. This seems to contradict that they are as important as they are said to be.
Does anyone else feel this?
And also, could an extremely well done Statement possibly earn you a place in a course, if you lacked some of the needed qualifications?

Posted from TSR Mobile
We should take the advice given by the university Admissions very seriously. Universities like LSE explicitly says they evaluate based on PS, other than the normal grades etc, and they even specifically state what they are looking for, in other words, what they will be basing their evaluations on.

Sure, a good introduction helps but a well written PS is one that is able to communicate why and how YOU have decided and chosen this particular course. This may be less important in some universities but the competitive ones definitely will need the PS to help the Admissions Tutor select those who will complete the course and not back out after one term or after one year. That has implications for the student as well as financial implications to the university.

The PS would be one of the most challenging thing you would ever do. It challenges you to search and understand your own motivations to come up with something that is so PERSONAL that the Admissions Tutor would immediately know it is not another 'standard' PS.

Would the PS earn you a place if you lack some needed qualifications? For the competitive universities, it may be unlikely because firstly they have so many applicants and secondly the needed qualifications are there for a reason. Good luck.
(edited 9 years ago)
It's likely that the importance will vary depending on a number of factors: the uni policy, the department, the rest of the application (e.g. references) and other applicants.

Put short, make the PS the best you can, to give you the best chance you can. There is lots of advice on TSR
Original post by *Interrobang*
It's likely that the importance will vary depending on a number of factors: the uni policy, the department, the rest of the application (e.g. references) and other applicants.

Put short, make the PS the best you can, to give you the best chance you can. There is lots of advice on TSR

Yeah, it really depends. Some not really competitive universities will give every applicant who meets their minimum grade requirements an offer.
Original post by Alyrium465
I am a little confused about the true importance of personal statements, mainly due to the contradictions that Teachers have told me.

I understand that in a very competative course where everyone applying may be a straight 'A' student, limited numbers would make Personal Statements important in picking the right candidate from the sea of A's.

However, varies teachers also state that the people reading these Statements have so many to wade through they get bored eventually and just dont really care, so grab their attention at the beginning. This seems to contradict that they are as important as they are said to be.
Does anyone else feel this?
And also, could an extremely well done Statement possibly earn you a place in a course, if you lacked some of the needed qualifications?

Posted from TSR Mobile


It will vary from uni to uni, and from course to course. Some courses, like maths, will place far more emphasis on grades than the personal statement, for example.

Generally, the main purpose of the personal statement is to make decisions about who to give an offer between applicants with similar academic profiles. This sounds at first like the PS isn't that important, but realistically, for most courses, a lot of applicants will have similar academic profiles, so the PS can be very important.

A good PS may help you gain a place if your predicted grades are a little bit lower than the standard offer. However, it won't make up for you missing essential GCSEs or not having the right subject combinations at A-level. If this is the case, or your grades are too weak, it's unlikely your PS would be read.

I think it's more likely that a bad PS; one written in poor English or that shows you don't really understand the subject you're applying for, or that isn't really focused on the subject you're applying for, could lose you a place you might have otherwise got.

Your PS should be the best it possibly can be, as most universities aren't very open about how it is used. You should assume it will influence decisions made about your application. I'm not sure grabbing attention matters, but it is important that your PS is easy to read- be clear and concise and avoid overly long paragraphs and sentences.
Reply 5
Hello Alyrium,
I've applied to Lancaster (AAA), Loughborough (AAB) and Kent (AAB) for Physics Bsc. The other 2 my teacher pushed on me believing I would not receive an offer. I think the personal statement holds a lot of weight at least to these Uni's having achieved BCDU at AS (Maths, History, Physics and Economics respectively). I got an interview to Lancaster and offers from Loughborough and Kent when my teacher had said they wouldn't consider me.
If this isn't evidence of personal statement holding importance then I don't know what is.
I certainly think that my personal statement, with lots of practical experience in my field of interest, not gained to put on my personal statement but because I am so passionate about it, helped me getting lower offers. One of my offers was for only 240 UCAS points for a 300 point course!

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