Writing a personal statement is one of the most important, but equally most daunting parts of applying to university. Here at City, we often find that we get a lot of questions from students looking to really nail that personal statement and make sure that their application is as strong as an be.
What is a personal statement?
The personal statement in itself is one component of your UCAS application. Universities will look at this alongside your academic qualifications, references from your teachers and look to match it with the course you want to study.
Why do we look for it?
Personal statements are your chance to stand out from the crowd.
It’s the one place on your application where you have total free reign in terms of the content you can include. University admissions teams will be looking for students who have the skills, enthusiasm and passion for the courses they want to do. It can be a really difficult process to start thinking about, but luckily there are lots of great resources out there to help you get started.
How can City help?
Here at City, from Monday 15th June, we are dedicating a whole week to support students with their personal statements. Our team of experts from the school’s liaison team will be on hand to talk you through the process and also look at specific examples of what looks great and where things can go wrong with personal statements. Below we have a range of specific sessions that you can join if you want to find out more
-
- Monday 15th June 10:00 – 11:00 Personal statements – an overview
- Monday 15th June 14:00 – 15:00 Personal Statements: Health courses(Ideal for students considering studying Nursing, Midwifery, Radiography, Optometry and Speech and Language)
- Tuesday 16th June 11:00 – 12:00 Personal Statements: STEM courses (Ideal for students considering studying Computer Science, Mathematics and Engineering)
- Tuesday 16th June 11:00 – 12:00 Personal Statements: Social Sciences courses (Ideal for students considering studying Psychology, Criminology, Sociology, Economics and Politics)
- Thursday 18th June 11:00 – 12:00 Personal Statements: Business and Finance (Ideal for students considering studying Business, Finance, Accounting and Actuarial Science)
- Thursday 18th June 14:00 – 15:00 Personal Statements: Law courses (Ideal for students considering studying Law)
- Friday 19th June 11:00 – 12:00 Personal Statements: Arts courses (Ideal for students considering studying Journalism, English, History and Music)
- Friday 19th June 14:00 – 15:00 Personal statements – an overview
You can come along to any of these sessions to find out more and ask our team any questions that might be helpful to you.
Can’t make any of the sessions? We also have a YouTube playlist with all our top tips for a successful personal statement.
What can I be doing now?
If you’re currently heading towards the end of your first year of sixth form or college, it’s time to start thinking about making a start on your personal statement. The best thing you can be doing at the moment is gathering the information you may need for your personal statement, and start throwing some ideas on paper, as well as going to as many sessions to find out more as possible.
People are often concerned in the current climate about work experience, and it’s a good question. Work experience is often used as a way to demonstrate your interest in a course area, but there are also so many other things you can be doing. Take a look at taster lectures online, engage with an insightful podcast or get your hands on some books related to your subject area. We always want to know what you’ve learnt from your experiences too, so make sure to think through what you’re learning as you go through your information gathering stage.
Look out for future blogs posts on work experience during lockdown.
