WRITING AN
EFFECTIVE
PERSONAL
STATEMENT
You’ve chosen your course, you’ve made your
university choices, so what’s next?
It’s time to apply to university. You will apply through
UCAS, submitting an online form which will include
a section for your personal statement.
This guide will help you prepare your
personal statement.
Your personal statement outlines why you want to study
a particular course at university and is an opportunity
for you to demonstrate that you have the skills,
knowledge and experience to succeed on this course.
Your personal statement forms part of your UCAS
application to university. It is submitted online, and
can be a maximum of 47 lines or 4000 characters
long, whichever comes rst.
It is an opportunity for the admissions tutor to nd
out more about you, your academic achievements,
your interests and your motivation(s) for studying
at Higher Education level.
WHAT IS
A PERSONAL STATEMENT?
WHO READS
MY PERSONAL STATEMENT?
Admissions tutors are members of university
sta who set the entry criteria for the course.
They will assess your application, read your
personal statement and decide whether you will
receive an oer.
WHAT ARE ADMISSIONS TUTORS
LOOKING FOR?
Admissions tutors are looking for evidence that
you have the skills required to be an undergraduate
student on the course you are applying to and will
contribute more widely to university life.
You can nd out the specic skills a potential
student needs to demonstrate by referring to the
UCAS course fact les or by contacting the relevant
university department.
Although you complete
the UCAS application form
online, draft your personal
statement using word
processing software rst.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
PERSPECTIVE
At The University of Manchester, we are looking for
students who can demonstrate academic potential,
understanding of the course, independent learning and a
willingness to contribute to the University.
Where places are limited they are oered to those eligible
applicants who best meet our selection criteria, and
whom our admissions sta judge to have most potential
to benet from their chosen course and to contribute
both to the Academic School and the University.
Writing a clear and compelling personal statement is
an essential part of your application. With many highly
qualied students applying to the University, the personal
statement is crucial in helping us identify students
with the greatest merit and aptitude for our courses.
Bernard Strutt
Head of UK Student Recruitment
Do your research! You can
only make an informed
choice and show a real
understanding of the course
and subject area if you have
researched it thoroughly.
GETTING STARTED
Before you start thinking about the structure of your personal statement, you need to reect on
the skills you have developed through your academic achievements and extra-curricular activities.
Which skills on the right are relevant for your course? How can you demonstrate evidence of these
skills in your personal statement? Can you think of any more skills?
Creativity
Writing skills
Presentation skills
Self discipline
Critical thinking
Initiative
Time management
Analytical abilities
Enthusiasm
Independent working
Logical thinking
Leadership
Organisation
Communication
Teamwork
Problem solving
Research skills
Motivation
Dedication
It’s important that
you provide evidence
for any skill that
you mention in your
personal statement.
HOW TO WRITE ABOUT SKILLS IN YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT:
THE ABC METHOD
Listing your experiences is not enough. It is also important to highlight the skills you have developed and how they are relevant
to the course. The ABC method is a way of writing about these experiences in more detail.
Activity: What have you done?
Benet: What skills have you gained?
Course: How will this prepare you for the course?
Why not try for yourself? We have given an example to help. The student below is applying for Business Studies.
Activity example
Benet example
Course example
I am the school captain of the football team.
This shows I have good communication and team working skills.
This is relevant to Business Studies as being able to
communicate effectively is an important skill when working
on group projects.
Activity
Benet
Course
Activity
Benet
Course
Activity
Benet
Course
Click on the
spaces below
to type your
answers
WRITING YOUR
PERSONAL STATEMENT
We recommend you follow a structure like the one
below to ensure you give priority to the sections
that showcase relevant skills and experiences to
the admissions tutor. Remember, extra-curricular
activities and work experience are valuable too.
Try completing the sections now to start writing
your personal statement and don’t forget to use
the ABC method.
Introduction
Why do you want to study the course?
What interests you about the subject area?
What aspirations do you have, further to university study?
Click on the
space below
to type your
answer
Academic achievements/subjects studied at level 3 (AS and A2 levels, BTECs etc)
Write about your academic achievements.
What academic skills and knowledge do you have that will prepare you to succeed in your chosen subject?
It’s great to talk about
your aspirations but
remember you are applying
for a course at university,
not for the career that you
hope university will lead to.
Click on the
space below
to type your
answer
Work experience/employment/volunteering
Write about any skills that you have gained from work experience, employment and/or volunteering
opportunities and how these experiences prepare you for university study.
This section will be
bigger if you are applying
to a course that requires
work experience such as
Dentistry, Medicine or
Veterinary Science.
Click on the
space below
to type your
answer
Extra-Curricular activities/awards (eg a First Aid course or Duke of Edinburgh award)
Mention any other achievements or extra-curricular activities that demonstrate you have the relevant
skills for the course you are applying to.
Conclusion
Finish with a brief summary. Why should you be oered a place? Remember what the admissions tutors are looking
for and leave them with a good impression.
Click on the
spaces below
to type your
answers
Spell check, spell check,
spell check! No matter how
enthusiastic you sound in your
personal statement, if you have
grammar or spelling mistakes it gives
the impression that you haven’t
taken the time to read it through before
submitting. Always check your work (and
try to get other people to check it too).
YOUR CHECKLIST
PREPARING TO WRITE YOUR
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Have you done thorough research into your
course and subject area?
Have you decided what to study at university?
Have you made a list of relevant achievements?
Have you done sucient work experience? (If relevant).
CHECKING YOUR
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Has your tutor/parent/carer or friend also
checked your personal statement?
Have you checked your
spelling and grammar?
Have you spell checked your
personal statement (again)?
WRITING YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT
Have you used the ABC structure?
Have you used the personal statement structure?
Have you related all skills and activities back
to the course you are applying for?
Have you provided evidence for all the skills you have mentioned?
Click on the
checkbox as
you complete
each task
PLAGIARISM
UCAS check every personal statement using Copycatch similarity
detection software. If your personal statement is found to have
been plagiarised, this could mean serious consequences for your
whole university application.
Please ensure that your personal statement is your own work,
and has not been copied from a friend or a website. A personal
statement should be an original piece of writing.
WHERE TO FIND OUT MORE
The University of Manchester
For information on how to apply and courses oered
www.manchester.ac.uk
UCAS Course search function and advice on writing
and submitting UCAS application
www.ucas.com
Discover Uni
For ocial statistics on universities
and courses
https://discoveruni.gov.uk/
0193 02.21
