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oxbridge PS urgent question

i was told to make my personal statement more personal and less theoretical so i trusted my teachers and did, however i found out recently that for oxbridge applications they need to be more conceptual and less about you. i have to rewrite it in the next five days to fit the oxbridge expectation, is it a good idea to completely flip my ps like this
Reply 1
five days for a total rewrite might be a bit difficult! what kind of things have you discussed? my oxford personal statement was more about me than it was conceptual, but specifically from the perspective of my academic interest in the subject, and I got an offer. if you want someone to read yours i'd be happy to - can't promise any subject specific advice but happy to look over it for a general sense of oxbridge appropriate-ness!
Original post by mymelo
i was told to make my personal statement more personal and less theoretical so i trusted my teachers and did, however i found out recently that for oxbridge applications they need to be more conceptual and less about you. i have to rewrite it in the next five days to fit the oxbridge expectation, is it a good idea to completely flip my ps like this

I wouldn't worry too much, there's a reason it's called a personal statement. It's good to include details about what has motivated you to do the course and what you like about it. Just make sure you include evidence of wider reading and commitment outside of your A level studies. More specifically, you should be actually analysing these things rather than just mentioning them. If you thought a book was interesting, why? Why did you benefit from reading it? Did it subvert your expectations, give you a new perspective on something, or answer questions you didn't even think to ask? Make sure your personal statement isn't littered with things like "I'm a hard worker" and "I read X book and it helped me understand economics better."
the personal statement of a student who went to Oxford a few years ago had writing on how her experiences in and out of the classroom affected her academic thinking
Reply 4
Original post by mymelo
i was told to make my personal statement more personal and less theoretical so i trusted my teachers and did, however i found out recently that for oxbridge applications they need to be more conceptual and less about you. i have to rewrite it in the next five days to fit the oxbridge expectation, is it a good idea to completely flip my ps like this


What subject?In what way is it about you.It should be what has influenced your decision to apply for X subject,what books,lectures experiences have impacted your choice.Also super curriculars connected to your subject and your reflections on them.
Original post by mymelo
i was told to make my personal statement more personal and less theoretical so i trusted my teachers and did, however i found out recently that for oxbridge applications they need to be more conceptual and less about you. i have to rewrite it in the next five days to fit the oxbridge expectation, is it a good idea to completely flip my ps like this

I wouldn’t say there is such thing as an ideal Oxbridge personal statement.

I’ve talked to successful applicants for the same subjects and their personal statements have differed wildly - some being much more personal than others.

My personal statement (for chemistry at Oxford) from the last admissions cycle was not terribly conceptual and fairly personal, yet I still landed an offer. Really all you need to worry about at this point is ensuring your admissions tests (if any) go well and that your interview technique is as strong as possible- these will be the things that truly make your application competitive or not.
Reply 6
Original post by TypicalNerd
I wouldn’t say there is such thing as an ideal Oxbridge personal statement.

I’ve talked to successful applicants for the same subjects and their personal statements have differed wildly - some being much more personal than others.

My personal statement (for chemistry at Oxford) from the last admissions cycle was not terribly conceptual and fairly personal, yet I still landed an offer. Really all you need to worry about at this point is ensuring your admissions tests (if any) go well and that your interview technique is as strong as possible- these will be the things that truly make your application competitive or not.

Yes my son talked about flooding ants nests in our back garden!

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