Personal statements and extracurriculars

I would say definitely keep your extracurriculars it's what'll make you stand out, if your applying for music obviously talk about why it interests you but still keep your extracurriculars and think of a way to link that to how it would make you a better candidate.

Hi!! I'm applying to University for 2023 entry, and I had a careers appt today about my personal statement. She advised me to leave out all extracurriculars except my music grades. I am applying to Oxford, which I think is why she recommended taking these things out, but I also have four other universities I would be just as happy going to. Is this wise? I thought most universities were looking for at least one paragraph on extracurriculars? Please help!!

The best thing to do with your extra-curriculars is to briefly mention them but link them to a skill - so if you say you have been doing music, then mention how that has made you resilient and good at organisation (or whatever skill you want to highlight). Don’t just put them in isolation.

I would go with your careers advisor. I have one sentence about an extracurricular which I linked to my subject. If you are applying to Oxford, I guess your other 4 uni as also also academic unis, so they will be want to read about why you want to study the subject and supracurriculars. What you do in you spare time unrelated to your course is not going to be of interest to an academic.

No need to put your music grades in your PS at all, you can add them in the qualifications section. (I guess technically you should add every grade you've ever taken, but in practice what people do is put the highest level for each instrument + theory, it's understood that if you have grade 8 you almost certainly also have grades 1-7).

A paragraph (more likely, a sentence) about what you do in your spare time is fine, but extracurriculars haven't been a big deal for any UK university for many decades. It's not like the US - all you're really doing is giving the impression that you're not having to study 18 hours a day to cope with your schoolwork. You're probably looking for something along the lines (length-wise) of "in my spare time, I play the tuba in the county schools orchestra, help run the local junior triathlon club, make jewellry which I sell on etsy, and grow prize carrots."

(If you're applying for music, then the music stuff becomes supercurriculars rather than extracurriculars and you'd have more of it in the PS.)

hey, do you mind explaining what are the difference between supercurriculars and extraciriculalrs. can you give examples preferably supercurriculars related to finance/ economics.