Personal Statement Help

Hi guys, I’m going to be applying to uni soon and am currently writing my personal statement. At both the Southampton and Durham open days they said not to mention your A-Level subjects as it is a waste of words because they get told your A levels elsewhere in the application. However I’m not sure if that means don’t just list them or not to talk about them at all. I asked my form tutor and she said it’s really important to talk about the skills gained from my specific A-Level subjects. I have no idea whether to mention them or not and if so in how much detail. Surely everyone doing the same A level is learning the same skills so it isn’t important to mention?

I also have an issue that I have lots and lots of relevant extra and super curriculars. My teacher said they are taking up too many words and 80% of my personal statement needs to be focussed on the course and only 20% on other stuff. Does anyone have any advice on this either?

I am applying to biochemistry/pharmacology so any other advice regarding a personal statement for these courses would be AMAZING!!
Thank you!

Reply 1

abcdedcba

Original post by LittleFire10

Hi guys, I’m going to be applying to uni soon and am currently writing my personal statement. At both the Southampton and Durham open days they said not to mention your A-Level subjects as it is a waste of words because they get told your A levels elsewhere in the application. However I’m not sure if that means don’t just list them or not to talk about them at all. I asked my form tutor and she said it’s really important to talk about the skills gained from my specific A-Level subjects. I have no idea whether to mention them or not and if so in how much detail. Surely everyone doing the same A level is learning the same skills so it isn’t important to mention?
I also have an issue that I have lots and lots of relevant extra and super curriculars. My teacher said they are taking up too many words and 80% of my personal statement needs to be focussed on the course and only 20% on other stuff. Does anyone have any advice on this either?
I am applying to biochemistry/pharmacology so any other advice regarding a personal statement for these courses would be AMAZING!!
Thank you!

the majority of your personal statement should be super curriculars, and you should link those to what skills you gained that could potentially help with the courses you are applying to. If you have enough supercurriculars (ideally 3 or 4) that are relevant, unique, and exceptional, then it is more important to mention these in detail then to focus on the subjects you take - they are what will help you stand out!

Reply 2

LittleFire10

Original post by abcdedcba

Are supercurriculars only wider reading? Or would a MOOC or relevant work experience (eg in a pharmaceutical company) also count?

Reply 3

abcdedcba

Original post by LittleFire10

Are supercurriculars only wider reading? Or would a MOOC or relevant work experience (eg in a pharmaceutical company) also count?

Definetly, MOOCs, work experience, competitions, programs, and olympiads are all relevant. The work experience would probably be the most impressive, but high scores in olympiads and competitions will also be highly regarded too!

Reply 4

LittleFire10

Original post by abcdedcba

I’m already at the word limit but I have a part time job as a barista. I know it isn’t directly relevant to my degree but I’m sure I could link it to some transferable skills. Also I’ve heard it’s good to mention a job as it shows someone decided to give you a job and you have interview skills. But seeing as I already have a lot of extra things, do you think it’s worth mentioning it??

Reply 5

abcdedcba

It's not really necessary for a personal statement, more relevant for a CV (even if the job has nothing to do with being a barista!)

Reply 6

s2947

Original post by LittleFire10

Hi guys, I’m going to be applying to uni soon and am currently writing my personal statement. At both the Southampton and Durham open days they said not to mention your A-Level subjects as it is a waste of words because they get told your A levels elsewhere in the application. However I’m not sure if that means don’t just list them or not to talk about them at all. I asked my form tutor and she said it’s really important to talk about the skills gained from my specific A-Level subjects. I have no idea whether to mention them or not and if so in how much detail. Surely everyone doing the same A level is learning the same skills so it isn’t important to mention?
I also have an issue that I have lots and lots of relevant extra and super curriculars. My teacher said they are taking up too many words and 80% of my personal statement needs to be focussed on the course and only 20% on other stuff. Does anyone have any advice on this either?
I am applying to biochemistry/pharmacology so any other advice regarding a personal statement for these courses would be AMAZING!!
Thank you!

You should defo mention how your alevel subjets relate to the course you would like to do!!

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 7

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

Original post by LittleFire10

Hi guys, I’m going to be applying to uni soon and am currently writing my personal statement. At both the Southampton and Durham open days they said not to mention your A-Level subjects as it is a waste of words because they get told your A levels elsewhere in the application. However I’m not sure if that means don’t just list them or not to talk about them at all. I asked my form tutor and she said it’s really important to talk about the skills gained from my specific A-Level subjects. I have no idea whether to mention them or not and if so in how much detail. Surely everyone doing the same A level is learning the same skills so it isn’t important to mention?
I also have an issue that I have lots and lots of relevant extra and super curriculars. My teacher said they are taking up too many words and 80% of my personal statement needs to be focussed on the course and only 20% on other stuff. Does anyone have any advice on this either?
I am applying to biochemistry/pharmacology so any other advice regarding a personal statement for these courses would be AMAZING!!
Thank you!

Hi @LittleFire10 😄

I know your struggle so well; when I was applying for university, it seemed like no one had concrete advice to give me so I hope that I can do that for you. In terms of A-level subjects, I agree with your tutor about the skills gains from these subjects. Since you're applying for biochemistry/pharmacology, I assume you are taking Biology and Chemistry, and so my advice for this is to mention about skills that you are specifically quite adept in or that you have really enjoyed. For example, if you've really enjoyed the experiments or are good at the lab work, you could mention this being a reason for why you chose/are ideal for that course.

Alongside this, I would definitely talk about your extra-curriculars, but in a way that is relevant to the course. I don't know what you have done but if you have done a science-based summer school or are part of a science-based club, you could talk about how this has influenced your decision to apply. If you have won any award in your school or college that links with the course or maybe a career that could come from the degree, you could talk about that. If you have work experience obviously it's important, but I wouldn't really mention it unless it links with your degree.

With personal statements, it is important to be concise and clear about why you have chosen the course, what makes you suitable, and your aspirations. Therefore you should only choose a limited number of things to talk about that are truly relevant.

Hope this helps!
Jen (UoS student rep)

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 8