Writing a personal statement?? Tips and tricks!

Hi everyone, my name is Duncan and I am a psychology student who has just finished applications for my Masters course. I just thought it would be helpful to share some information from my experience going through application processes multiple times :afraid:

Trying to put your best foot forward in a personal statement can be stressful and as someone who has now finished applying for postgraduate degrees, I can certainly confirm this. Giving admissions tutors an idea of who you are in 4000 characters or less seems like a daunting task, but I would like to share some advice that I have learned from admissions tutors and personal experience from undergraduate to postgraduate applications.

Admissions tutors want to know that you understand what the course you’re applying to is, that you are genuinely interested in studying this course and who you are as an applicant and future graduate of this subject. But how do you do this?

Firstly, it is a good idea to do some research into the specifics of the course(s) you are applying for. This would involve looking at the course content, which can give you some hints as to which skills a university may be looking for from their applicants. Being able to show that you know what you’re applying for will show the uni that you are motivated to do well at uni. Demonstrating this is especially important when applying for a course that does not directly match up with something you studied at Sixth form/college (ie. Engineering, neuroscience etc.).

You will want to stay away from clichés and sweeping statements. Most people can say that they enjoy reading and spending time with friends but what is your favourite book? How did this make you want to study this subject more? This would also include using the phrase ‘from a young age…’ as I have had feedback from the employability team at my university to say that they hear this a lot (and it usually is not true, what child dreams of being a neuroscientist?). The admissions team really want to get to know you as a person so any insight into what got you to the point of applying will really help. Maybe your interest in psychology went from studying at A-level to reading more about a certain topic. (I remember that I read a book on counselling that was written in the style of the wind in the willows, which really made me want to learn more).

If you have any relevant work experience, it is worth speaking about that in your personal statement too as this will show some of the skills that are necessary to do well at university. I would suggest that if you mention a job, you will need to reflect back on how that will make you a better applicant.

If you are applying for two different subjects, it may be hard to make a personal statement that fits to both. I would either suggest focussing on one subject or email the universities to see if they would allow you to submit a separate personal statement to be added to your application. The admissions team for a biology degree could immediately disregard a personal statement that is focussed on psychology.

Overall, I think the most important thing I would stress is being authentic to yourself. You do not need to try and sound like a genius (although spelling and grammar are key), I have found that tutors react best to an applicant who is genuine and excited at the possibility of studying this subject.

If there are any other things people want to add so that we can make this a bank of advice for future applicants, put them in the thread!

I found some videos produced by TSR working with uni's like Oxford and Greenwich to give everyone tips on personal statements that can be found here!

Best of luck to anyone that has made applications, let us know what you have applied for and any tips you have!

Duncan :elefant:

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 1

5hyl33n

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Thank you for this! Very helpful! 😊

University of Greenwich

London

Reply 2

UniofGreenwich

Hi,

If this is something relevant then I would suggest it could be appropriate to mention it briefly but not to take too much of your personal statement. If you have a letter from a doctor etc, this might be good to send in to the school as additional information that could be attached to your application.

Hope this helps :smile:

Duncan

Reply 3

riktigaunder

Hi @UniofGreenwich - Duncan, thanks for your tips - that's really useful, I've made a bookmark out of this. Out of curiosity, do you know roughly how long it takes for a postgraduate application, or does it vary quite a bit from department to department?

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 4

UniofGreenwich

Original post by riktigaunder

Hi @riktigaunder so sorry we didn't get back to you sooner!

At Greenwich, postgraduate applications take 6-8 weeks to be processed regardless of department - this may vary at other universities

Hope this helps

Devina :smile:

Reply 5

UniofGreenwich

Hi everyone! :hello:

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