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Personal Statement for UK university applicants

Schools have broken up for the summer holidays, students are told to work on their Personal Statements ready to be handed in during the first week of term. Students may be planning to get it wrapped up in a day or so, after all what can be so hard about writing a Personal Statement, 47 lines long, about one side of A4 – 4000 characters (including spaces)? Well, plenty if you haven’t prepared enough in advance!

It’s particularly hard if you are planning to apply to a competitive subject or a high ranking university as you need a show-stopping Personal Statement that is clear, informed about your subject choices, articulate about your passion to study the subject and send the right signals that you are ready, academically able and willing to take a step into the next stage of your life as a university student.

Avoid the common pitfalls

You may think you are the only person who is applying for the course but the reality is that if it is a popular subject like Law or Economics or vocationally specific like Medicine or Veterinary Science there are likely to be at least 15 or more students each applying for one space on the course. They will all have the required predicted grades, so your Personal Statement is your opportunity to shine. Remember that the university admissions person who is choosing their students has studied the subject for many years so they will spot waffle and shallow interest a mile off. They are looking for keen students who are genuinely interested in the course, have done their best to inform themselves by reading widely ‘beyond the school curriculum’ (this means books outside those that you are told to read at school) and are offering something unique to bring to the course and their fellow students.

So, let’s get started

Before you get writing, make notes of books you have read, related resources, lectures you have been to, workshops attended, competitions entered etc. Did you agree with the writer/speaker? Why/why not? How did these resources make an impact upon your decision to study this subject?

  1. What prompted you to study the subjects you are taking at school? What do you enjoy about them and why? Have you become aware of specific skills a subject can give you? For instance, Maths develops strong problem-solving techniques.
  2. What about work-experience, work shadowing, part time jobs, school events that you have organised? What did you learn, did you acquire new skills, what existing skills did you utilise?
  3. Sports and social activities: Tutors want you to get the most out of your studies and will expect you to participate in some sporting and social activities. These may also help you to destress at exam time and get to meet a wide range of people from all cultures – part of the university experience.
  4. Finally, it’s good to reiterate your reasons for wanting to attend a UK university; to learn from your fellow students as well as the academic staff. To be at a culturally diverse and vibrant institution, to be stretched and challenged and to enhance your career prospects. All good reasons to go to university in the UK.

A word of warning! UCAS puts all the UCAS forms and Personal Statements through plagiarism software to avoid temptation to copy and paste the odd sentence that sounds good on the web! Make it yours, make it genuine, make it successful and good luck!

Some resources to help you get started:
Durham University
www.dur.ac.uk/study/ug/apply/ucas/personalstatement/

University of Warwick https://warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/apply/tips/uow_personal_statement_guide_online.pdf

UK Study Options provide tailored student guidance on writing a personal statement for competitive university applications. Have a look at what our Personal Statement Package includes.

We also write a number of blogs on Personal Statement writing and the university application process in general, visit our blog page to find more useful tips and information.

Visiting your shortlisted universities this summer

Browse a university’s marketing materials and they will all say the same “world-leading research”, “cutting-edge facilities”, “outstanding teaching”, “vibrant and diverse community” etc. And it’s all true – universities in the UK do offer all of this and more but beyond the marketing speak, how do you know which one is right for you?

The answer is simple. Go there. At UK Study Options we always recommend that people visit their shortlisted universities before making their final decisions. No website or prospectus can tell you how a place is going to make you feel, if you’re going to connect with it and enjoy your time there. For somewhere where you are going to spend 3-4 years of your life, possibly longer, it needs to be right – your studies will prosper all the more for it.

When to visit

The logical time to visit is the summer holidays before you apply (the year before you start uni). Universities are more likely to have planned tours and open day activities for school years 12 and 13 which means you will have more access to facilities, academics and students to get a real insight into what it’s like studying there.

Earlier than this and universities may only give you basic access to their campus facilities. Later than this, you will have already had to make your Firm and Insurance offer decisions in UCAS (May deadline) – decisions that will be made much easier by visiting the universities.

Check what events the universities have on and when, and create a plan for the day so you know you’re not missing out on anything. Make sure you book on to all the tours and talks that you want to go to, as they may fill up and this way you’ll receive all the pre-arrival information. If none of the dates they have are convenient, you can get in touch directly and they may arrange something personally for you. If you’re unable to arrange anything specific, it’s still worth going to have a look around, you can wander around most university campuses even if you can’t access all the facilities.

What to ask/find out/see

If it’s one of your shortlisted universities then you’ll probably know a lot about them already and the courses they offer. When you visit, go armed with a list of what you want to find out when you are there – preferably things that you couldn’t find out from the website. Here are some suggestions:

  • What facilities would I use on the course and can I see them?
  • How many students are in a lecture/class/seminar?
  • What’s a typical week on the course like?
  • How do you score on the Student Satisfaction Survey?
  • How far is the accommodation from the classroom?
  • What transport is available to help me get around? (If relevant)

You may also want to see the accommodation you’ll be staying in, the student union or other social areas, food outlets and supermarkets, the sporting and fitness facilities.

You will come into contact with students, alumni, academic and admissions staff at open days, so direct your questions to the right person and take advantage of them being available to speak with as you might not get another chance to talk to them. Students and alumni are arguably the best people to ask questions as they will give you real insight into what life is like to study there and can be franker and more open than staff members.

Don’t forget to plan a walk around the nearby city/town which might be away from the university itself, to make sure you also get a feel for the place where you might spend some of your time socialising or working.

At UK Study options we spend time getting to know our students to help them find the right course and university for them. See our University Application Support page for more information on how we can help you.

 

University accommodation

For most new undergraduate students in the UK university will be their first time living independently, away from home and family. It is important to consider what accommodation is available and to check websites for application details and deadlines.

Most first year students opt to stay in “halls of residence” – accommodation owned and run by the university where they are part of a community and easily able to get to know other ‘freshers’. Everything in halls is sorted upfront: the rent usually includes bills and some cleaning services and is paid for at the beginning of each term. Other advantages include pastoral care services, disability support and maintenance services being on hand.

The majority of UK universities guarantee accommodation for first year students (although it is worth checking the small print to see whether this guarantee only applies to those who have accepted the university as their firm, or first choice). For ‘campus’ universities, such as the Universities of Warwick and Exeter, halls of residence are likely to be on the same site as the teaching and research and leisure facilities. For ‘city’ universities, students may have to travel to lectures from their accommodation (LSE students have an average travel time of 20 minutes from their student halls). Collegiate universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, York and Lancaster offer accommodation within their colleges, with Oxford and Cambridge offering this for the whole of the undergraduate degree period.

Within ‘halls of residence’ there will be a range of choices available in terms of location, facilities and cost – although there is no guarantee that everyone will get exactly what they want. Facilities will vary, from a single study bedroom in a flat with a shared kitchen and bathroom, to en-suite accommodation with all meals provided. Other choices could be between single gender or mixed gender facilities, single or twin rooms and contracts that are term time only or throughout the whole year. All of these come with cost implications with rents varying from £3,000 to £7,000 a year. Applications for accommodation are made online and it is very important to check individual university websites as different institutions have different application dates and procedures.

After the first year, most students choose to move out of university accommodation into private rental accommodation (often sharing with a group of friends), or private, purpose-built student halls. Whichever choice you make your university housing office should have lists of approved landlords and student-friendly lettings agents and be able to provide advice on tenancy agreements.

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