Making my personal statement more personal

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Generally that means adding details and specifics to what you’re talking about. Give examples, explain what you did, how you approached it, what went well and what didn’t, what you enjoyed, what was a challenge etcetc.

Reply 2

Official Rep

15

Original post by amogsussy

A common bit of feedback I've received on my personal statement is that it isn't personal enough. Does anyone have tips on how to make a personal statement more personal in my last minute revisions?

If it helps, I'm applying for a joint degree in Mathematics (or Statistics) and Philosophy.

Hello!
This is a great question! The main thing to get across in a personal statement is why you want to do the course you are applying for and why you think you'd be good at it. For example, why do you think the A Levels (or equivalent) you are taking would make you a good fit for the course, what do you want to do in the future and how would the course you are applying for help you achieve that, is there anything that do you do outside of school that would make you a good fit for the course? For example, any activities, outside reading or work experience you have done?

Hope this helps,
Lucy (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Reply 3

“why do you think the A Levels (or equivalent) you are taking would make you a good fit for the course,”
This is rubbish. 99% of applicants for maths related courses will have 3 out of a set of the same 6 A
Level subjects. Admissions staff can see your A levels and know better than applicants what makes a good fit. Wasting space on a PS telling admissions staff information about the A level curriculum that they already know is the opposite of personal.

(edited 3 months ago)

Reply 4

amogsussy

OP

5

Original post by PQ

“why do you think the A Levels (or equivalent) you are taking would make you a good fit for the course,”
This is rubbish. 99% of applicants for maths related courses will have 3 out of a set of the same 6 A
Level subjects. Admissions staff can see your A levels and know better than applicants what makes a good fit. Wasting space on a PS telling admissions staff information about the A level curriculum that they already know is the opposite of personal.

Hello, may I ask what else would be considered a waste of space?🙏 Some peole have advised me to add unrelated extracurriculars and link it through the skills I developed from them, but others have said it's a waste of space. Also, would an intro and conclusion help the statement flow better or should I jump straight into the actual content? Thank you!

Reply 5

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Original post by amogsussy

Hello, may I ask what else would be considered a waste of space?🙏 Some peole have advised me to add unrelated extracurriculars and link it through the skills I developed from them, but others have said it's a waste of space. Also, would an intro and conclusion help the statement flow better or should I jump straight into the actual content? Thank you!

For an academic degree there's no point banging on about extra curriculars and skills. Your PS should be on your academic interests and activites.

Anything more than "I want to study X because..." as an intro is not usually worth it. And likewise "I'm looking forward to studying X, particularly TOPIC" as a conclusion.

Hi there!

This is a great question, writing your personal statement can be really difficult.

When I wrote mine, I used the “So what” rule. This meant that if I couldn’t apply what I was talking about to my course, it didn’t go into my statement.

I’ve linked Here our personal statement guide that should help you out with how to write a personal statement.

I hope this helps!
-Rebecca, UCLan

Reply 7

Official Rep

11

Original post by amogsussy

A common bit of feedback I've received on my personal statement is that it isn't personal enough. Does anyone have tips on how to make a personal statement more personal in my last minute revisions?

If it helps, I'm applying for a joint degree in Mathematics (or Statistics) and Philosophy.

Hi there,

That's something I think alot of people struggle with in their personal statements. I think the best thing to do would be to talk about the A levels you are doing which are relevant and maybe specific topics which you find particularly interesting that you know are going to be covered in the course. You could also talk about what you want to do in the future and how this specific course will help you achieve that.

I hope that helps,

Ellen
Y4 Medical Student
Uni of Sunderland

Reply 8

Original post by University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Hi there,

That's something I think alot of people struggle with in their personal statements. I think the best thing to do would be to talk about the A levels you are doing which are relevant and maybe specific topics which you find particularly interesting that you know are going to be covered in the course. You could also talk about what you want to do in the future and how this specific course will help you achieve that.

I hope that helps,

Ellen
Y4 Medical Student
Uni of Sunderland

This is rubbish. 99% of applicants for maths related courses will have 3 out of a set of the same 6 A

Level subjects. Admissions staff can see your A levels and know better than applicants what makes a good fit. Wasting space on a PS telling admissions staff information about the A level curriculum that they already know is the opposite of personal.

Reply 9

Scotney

20

Original post by PQ

This is rubbish. 99% of applicants for maths related courses will have 3 out of a set of the same 6 A

Level subjects. Admissions staff can see your A levels and know better than applicants what makes a good fit. Wasting space on a PS telling admissions staff information about the A level curriculum that they already know is the opposite of personal.

Are Sunderland and Lancaster using AI reps?Answers are identical??????

Reply 10

Original post by Scotney

Are Sunderland and Lancaster using AI reps?Answers are identical??????

That might explain things.

Ironic that they give identical, incorrect advice on how to make a PS unique.

Original post by amogsussy

A common bit of feedback I've received on my personal statement is that it isn't personal enough. Does anyone have tips on how to make a personal statement more personal in my last minute revisions?

If it helps, I'm applying for a joint degree in Mathematics (or Statistics) and Philosophy.

Hello! My advice would be to include your interests or activities you did because of your personal interests then highlight the skills you gained from that activity and how it will supplement you in studying your degree. For example i did musical theatre and sports as an ECA (those are my interests) but I applied for law. I mentioned being in the school show and my love for dancing, acting singing etc but then I mentioned that it allowed me to develop my public speaking skills, time management skills (being able to juggle so many ECAs with your academics), teamwork skills etc. So identify your interests, then identify the skills gained and explain how that is a relevant skill for your degree and how you will USE those skills for your degree. Also, it doesn't have to be an ECA it could be a topic you are passionate about I like BTS and I did it for my maths coursework I mentioned it in my personal statement. as long as your personal interest can show your uniqueness and also why that makes you suitable for that degree. I hope this helps!

Reply 12