No work experience for UCAS application statement 2026

2

Is it hard to be accepted into unis such as Bath, bristol, southampton etc without irl work experience. I have no time to do it and I dont want to do it, ive done various amount of virtual work experience and have a lot of other extra-cirricular activites. Im just wondering if work experience is a must have in a application statement cause ive seen it in alot of good personal statements so i am worried if im cooked

Reply 1

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by 1tzaman

Is it hard to be accepted into unis such as Bath, bristol, southampton etc without irl work experience. I have no time to do it and I dont want to do it, ive done various amount of virtual work experience and have a lot of other extra-cirricular activites. Im just wondering if work experience is a must have in a application statement cause ive seen it in alot of good personal statements so i am worried if im cooked

Depends - what course are you applying to?

Reply 2

1tzaman

OP

2

Original post

by 04MR17

Depends - what course are you applying to?

Aerospace Engineering

Reply 3

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by 1tzaman

Aerospace Engineering

That's a very tough industry to get access to, so there will be a lot of applicants applying to courses without much experience and the fact you have some virtual WEX is a big plus. I'm not an engineering expert so it's not something I want to weigh too heavily into, but if it were my application I wouldn't be losing any sleep

Reply 4

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

16

Hi @1tzaman,

Hope you're doing well!

Virtual work experience is awesome! Try not to think of it as virtual versus in person. It's all work experience at the end of the day and the big thing is that you tie it to your chosen degree (Aerospace for you), and show how you think it'll help you to study the course. Like 04MR17 said, there will be lots of applications with less or no work experience. It's about the student - you - and showing your passion for the course.

So, it sounds like you're definitely on the right track. Put together your personal statement, and have someone check over it (like school). I'm sure having a second pair of eyes will show you how awesome your application is.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Bea
University of Southampton

Reply 5

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

16

Original post

by 1tzaman

Is it hard to be accepted into unis such as Bath, bristol, southampton etc without irl work experience. I have no time to do it and I dont want to do it, ive done various amount of virtual work experience and have a lot of other extra-cirricular activites. Im just wondering if work experience is a must have in a application statement cause ive seen it in alot of good personal statements so i am worried if im cooked

Hi there @1tzaman ,

I thought I'd just share my experience as I thought that hearing a real-life anecdote rather than just an answer of what could happen 'in theory' might be useful. As a sixth former, I also had no time for work experience and ended up choosing my degree quite last-minute, and so I had no real work experience in the Accounting and Finance sector, not even virtual. I still managed to put together a personal statement based on my school journey and any extracurriculars I could try to make seem relevant to the course. I ended up getting offers from Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton and Essex - which I think highlights that genuine interest seems to be the most significant thing that universities are looking for in students, most of whom I know do not have much, if any, work experience yet. I then didn't get into my firm or insurance choices on results day, but I still then was able to receive an offer through Clearing from Southampton.

All this to say, I really wouldn't worry about having direct, in-person work experience, especially for Aerospace Engineering 😅. The fact that you have done a lot of virtual work experience and have many extracurriculars should show your dedication, and present you as a well-rounded student!

I hope this all helps, and that you get all the offers you apply to 🤞

Rehman, 2nd Year Accounting and Finance
Student Ambassador

Reply 6

McGinger

20

Original post

by 1tzaman

Aerospace Engineering

You don't need 'work experience' for an Engineering degree - it wont make any difference to your application to any of these Universities. Bristol does not even read Personal Statements and the majority of the others are more focussed on grades than anything else.

No work experience for UCAS application statement 2026

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